Kansas News Service

Kansas voters will soon decide if they want to elect justices to the state’s highest court, instead of the current, merit-based nomination system. Some former justices worry direct elections could interfere with important decision-making.

Tuition for full-time, resident students has gone up by an average of 26.6% at Kansas state universities in the past 10 years.

An August constitutional amendment vote would change from merit-based nominations to electing Kansas Supreme Court justices. It would give voters the ability to directly pick Kansas Supreme Court justices, but critics say the ripple effects would be massive.

This is the first time in six years that the Winfield college has displayed a rare blooming titan arum, known for its distinctive smell.

Argentina and Algeria face off June 16 at 8 p.m. at Kansas City Stadium. Demand for ConnectKC26's direct bus service to the stadium for the match is surging, with some routes already sold out.

The annual child wellness report Kids Count found child poverty has improved in Kansas and Missouri compared to the years before the pandemic. But both states still have tens of thousands of children without health insurance.

A union spokesperson says the move came as a surprise and that the union would rather continue regular negotiations.

Rural Kansans could see longer drives to access healthcare or fewer health services because of hospital closures. A report found that Kansas has 28 rural hospitals at immediate risk of closure.

Data centers are on the fast track in communities across the Midwest and Great Plains, but rising concerns over water, energy and noise leave lawmakers rushing to catch up. Plus: Supporters and opponents are debating a proposed data center in southwest Kansas.

Massive data centers powering artificial intelligence have sprouted across the country in recent years, drawing opposition for their water consumption. But in rural Kansas, boosters of one project argue that it could represent a huge savings in water use compared to irrigated farming.

The "Money Follows the Person" program was set to restart this summer, offering more ways for people to live independently. But Kansas pulled back out of fear that the federal funding was disappearing. Now, social service agencies wonder what will happen to those people.

The deadline to file as a candidate for governor of Kansas was Monday, June 1. A last-minute filing shook up the Democratic field, while there's a clear frontrunner among the seven Republicans in the running.