On June 24, 2025, a district court judge signed my name change order. By noon, I bore the last name Cook. This change signaled more than a nominal tie to my chosen family. It marked my official departure from the generational cycles of domestic violence and addiction that lingered with my previous name. There are […]
TOPEKA — Ahead of President Donald Trump’s temporary pause on 50% tariffs on Canada, Kansas Republican U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran urged the administration to “consider the consequences” of tariffs on Canadian salt imports, which are a crucial resource for winter road safety. Moran said Tuesday he was concerned tariffs could disproportionately impact American businesses, local […]
TOPEKA — Kansas’ major U.S. Senate candidates are making their opponent’s vacation home a political sticking point as they pick apart each others’ histories and challenge their debate prowess before they have even appeared on a stage together. The Rev. Adam Hamilton, a Democrat and United Methodist pastor in the Kansas City-area, invited U.S. Sen. […]
For far too long, one of the greatest frustrations in law enforcement has been that we are often called because someone in our community is experiencing a substance use or mental health crisis and needs help that we aren’t trained or equipped to provide. Every police officer I know has been through this. Law enforcement […]
TOPEKA — The $1.25 billion biocontainment facility in Manhattan developed for cutting-edge research on the most dangerous animal diseases is not fully operational three years after its ribbon-cutting, a federal report determined. The Office of Inspector General published a July report stating the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility isn’t able to perform the high-level animal […]
TOPEKA — From Lebanon, Kansas, the geographic center of the contiguous United States, the Rev. Adam Hamilton began his general election campaign for U.S. Senate. Before launching on Tuesday his debut general election ad, Hamilton visited Lebanon, a physical embodiment of a campaign that hinges on “meeting in the middle.” “Here in Kansas, we’re right […]
A council representing the Kansas Legislature votes to abandon the contract with a company hired to help lawmakers connect with constituents.
TOPEKA — A U.S. Supreme Court ruling on campaign finance in late June was “the perfect moment” for major donors to pour money into races ahead of the midterm elections, said Tiffany Muller, president of End Citizens United, a group advocating for campaign finance guardrails. As candidates exit primary season, the most competitive races begin […]
The leader of Kansas Equal Rights Amendment Committee, an organization opposed to abortion in Kansas, is asking the Legislature to convene in special session in 2026 to advance an amendment to the Kansas Constitution granting inalienable rights at the point of conception. This Jan. 27, 2026, image is of anti-abortion demonstrators inside the Capitol in Topeka, Kansas. (Photo by Sherman Smith/Kansas Reflector)
Both U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall and Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson present themselves to the public as square-jawed manly men, red-blooded conservative Republicans who love the Second Amendment, juicy steaks and gargantuan American flags in equal measure. They command the landscape. Nothing scares them. Well, nothing except drag queens. Then the candidates for U.S. Senate […]
