Zane Irwin
Political Reporter, Kansas News ServicePolitical discussions might make you want to leave the room. But whether you’re tuned in or not, powerful people are making decisions that shape your everyday life, from access to health care to the price of a cup of coffee. As political reporter for the Kansas News Service and KCUR, I’ll illuminate how elections, policies and other political developments affect normal people in the Sunflower State.
You can reach me at zaneirwin@kcur.org.
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Tuesday’s meeting was one of the last chances for opponents and supporters of the proposed immigration detention center to testify. Leavenworth, Kansas, officials plan a vote to approve or deny a permit request in the coming weeks. -
Republican lawmakers will try to override the Democratic governor’s veto and put the ban into law. It penalizes individuals who use restrooms that don’t match the sex they were assigned at birth. -
After enthusiasm swelled behind the idea, the policy has hit several major bumps on its way to becoming law. -
A planning commission in Leavenworth recommended granting CoreCivic a permit to open a detention center, but with qualifications. The final decision will be left to the city’s commission. -
Government entities — including schools — could be held liable for allowing transgender Kansans to use bathrooms based on their gender identity. -
In ongoing debates over the NFL team’s planned move to Kansas, Republicans and Democrats are forming rare alliances on both sides of the issue. -
Democratic political outsiders are vying to unseat Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall — and end nearly a century of Republican control of the state’s U.S. Senate seats. -
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly is about to begin her final year in office. She joined KCUR's Up To Date to talk about her policy priorities heading into the 2026 legislative session in Topeka, as well as the prospects for Democrats in next year's midterm elections. -
KBIA’s The Next Harvest podcast tells the stories of farmers in the Midwest using regenerative agriculture practices and high-tech tools to make their farms sustainable -- including agrivoltaics, drones, precision agriculture, and cover crops. -
In January, all access to hormone treatments and other gender-affirming care for transgender youth will end in Kansas. Some families have already moved to avoid the ban.
