By Sherman Smith | editor-in-chief
Good morning! We have a busy slate of upcoming public events, including one Sunday at Red Rocks — AKA William Allen White's home — in Emporia. I'll be joined by opinion editor Clay Wirestone as we talk about the history of Kansas Reflector and the work we're doing, and answer audience questions.
You can also catch Clay on Saturday at the Washburn Library in Topeka as part of the Kansas Book Festival. And on Tuesday, we'll be at Raven Book Store in Lawrence, where I'll ask him questions about his new book, "Opinionated," which comes out Tuesday.
Details for all of these events are in the calendar below.
Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector
Kansas lawmaker cries foul over voter registration gift cards, asks Kobach to investigate
TOPEKA — A Kansas legislator is demanding an investigation into a League of Women Voters chapter that gave $5 gift cards to high school students who registered to vote, a move he said violates election laws.
Rep. Pat Proctor, a Leavenworth Republican who is running for secretary of state and is chairman of the House Elections Committee, asked Attorney General Kris Kobach to investigate the group, which in May held voter registration drives at Lansing and Leavenworth high schools.
In a Facebook post with photos, the League of Women Voters of Leavenworth County showed students registering to vote. The post included a photo with a sign on the table that read: “Register to vote get a $5 Starbucks gift card.”
Ness County Sheriff's Office
Kansas school superintendent charged; community ‘resilient in working through the chaos’
TOPEKA — Former Ness County school superintendent Jeff Jones has been charged with 19 felonies and misdemeanors, including multiple financial crimes and two felonies involving a minor.
Jones, superintendent of USD 106 in south-central Kansas, was arrested in August. Official charges filed Friday range from theft valued between $25,000 and $100,000 to misuse of public funds and making or participating in prohibited contracts.
The two charges involving a minor are aggravated intimidation of a witness or victim and contributing to a child’s misconduct or deprivation.
Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector
OPINION
Kobach’s politics of tragedy underline our nation’s immigrant crime double standard
By Rory Bahadur
A man is dead in western Kansas.
Erlin Y. Lagos-Gonzales, a Honduran citizen living in Garden City, has been charged with voluntary manslaughter in the Aug. 31 death of Adonis Edgardo Aguilar-Juarez at a livestock facility in Kearny County. A federal immigration judge had issued Lagos-Gonzales a final order of removal in July 2025. He remains presumed innocent unless the state proves the charge.
Those facts are serious enough on their own. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach immediately gave them a broader political meaning.
Florida couple put on probation for submitting fake petition signatures for No Labels Kansas
TOPEKA — The second of two Florida residents convicted of submitting bogus signatures on petitions to establish No Labels Kansas as an official political party has been ordered to serve 18 months on probation.
More Americans lose SNAP as Congress weighs food stamps’ future
Tens of thousands of Americans continue to lose access to food assistance each month, even as Congress debates slowing down major cuts to federal food stamps.
GOP’s ‘rubberstamp’ of Trump puts US Senate in play, Dem campaign chair says
WASHINGTON — U.S. Senate Democrats believe they could pick up as many as six seats following this November’s midterm elections, despite Republicans having better fundraising numbers and break-even polling in several states.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Kansas Reflector staff will participate in the following free public forums.
3 p.m. Sept. 26, Washburn Library in Topeka. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone will participate in the panel “Why UPK: University Press of Kansas Celebrates 80 Years.” Host: Kansas Book Festival.
2 p.m. Sept. 27, Red Rocks Visitor Center in Emporia. Host: Red Rocks.
7 p.m. Sept. 29, Raven Book Store in Lawrence. Book release event for opinion editor Clay Wirestone’s “Opinionated.” Editor-in-chief Sherman Smith will moderate.
6 p.m. Oct. 12, Riverbank Brewing in Council Grove. Opinion editor Clay Wirestone talks about his book and the latest news. Host: Flint Hills Books.
5:30 p.m. Oct. 19, Frank Carlson Library in Concordia. Host: NCK Voters.
6 p.m. Dec. 3, Prairie Star Restaurant in Manhattan. Host: League of Women Voters of Manhattan and Riley County.
If you're interested in having us talk in your town, email Sherman Smith at [email protected].
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