KS - May 15 2025
Kansas Uni Tuition Up; Ag Panel Cuts Food Aid; Medicaid Clash Continues; KC Population Grows; I-70 Reopens
Most Kansas Public Universities Propose Raising Tuition for 2025-26, Citing Costs and Enrollment Challenges
House Ag Panel Approves Food Stamp Cuts, Shifting Costs to States Amid Heated Debate
Medicaid Funding Sparks D.C. Clash; Kansas Rep. Mann Calls "Cuts" a "False Narrative"
New Census Data Shows Population Gains Across Kansas City Metro
I-70 Reopened Between Colby and Colorado After Dust Storm Closure
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Most Kansas Public Universities Propose Raising Tuition for 2025-26, Citing Costs and Enrollment Challenges
TOPEKA — Administrators of public universities in the Kansas Board of Regents system proposed student tuition increases for undergraduate resident students in the upcoming academic year ranging from 2.5% at Pittsburg State University to 4% at Fort Hays State University. The outlier was Emporia State University, which responded to steady enrollment declines by requesting no increase in tuition for the second consecutive year. To varying degrees, the six Board of Regents universities in Kansas grapple with a decline in the college-age population, an ongoing crash in international student enrollment, flat state appropriations, instability in federal research spending as well as inflation in operational costs, pressure to raise employee compensation and demands for substantive direct support of college athletics. Here are tuition rate increases proposed by university officials for in-state undergraduate students in the 2025-2026 academic year: University of Kansas, 3%; Kansas State University and Wichita State University, 3.5%; Pittsburg State University, 2.5%; and Fort Hays State University, 4%.
Kansas Reflector
House Ag Panel Approves Food Stamp Cuts, Shifting Costs to States Amid Heated Debate
The Agriculture Committee, which took a break from debate on Tuesday night and reconvened for nearly 12 hours on Wednesday, approved major cuts to food assistance programs through increased work requirements and by shifting some of the program’s cost to the states from the federal government. Democrats repeatedly bashed the Republican proposal as a scheme to take basic necessities from children and families in order to cut taxes for wealthy Americans and corporations.
NYT
Medicaid Funding Sparks D.C. Clash; Kansas Rep. Mann Calls "Cuts" a "False Narrative"
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - U.S. Rep. Tracey Mann argued on Thursday that some people on Medicaid don’t actually need the coverage. He said that as House Republicans are trying to pass the “big, beautiful bill” by Friday, a deadline set by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson. Tensions are rising in Washington as lawmakers clash over Medicaid funding. Democrats are attacking Republicans’ proposed cuts to the program. However, Mann, a Republican representing District 1 in Kansas, says they aren’t proposing cuts to Medicaid. “Well, it’s a false narrative to say we’re going to cut Medicaid,” Mann said.
KWCH
New Census Data Shows Population Gains Across Kansas City Metro
Kansas City has gained more than 8,000 new residents since 2020, according to the latest census estimates. The U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday released the most recent population estimates for cities and towns in Missouri, Kansas and across the United States on Thursday, as of July 1, 2024. The latest data shows Kansas City had an estimated 516,032 residents in 2024, up from a base estimate of 507,984 in April 2020 and 511,300 in July 2023, or a 1.58% increase since 2020. Across state lines, Kansas City, Kansas was estimated to have 156,752 residents in 2024, slightly up from 156,605 in 2020. Overland Park, Kansas City’s largest suburb, had an estimated 202,893 residents in 2024, a gain of 5,647 people from 2020, or a 2.86% increase. Lenexa gained about 2,000 residents from 2020, with a population of 59,427, while Olathe gained about 8,000 residents, with a population of 149,035. Shawnee gained more than 2,000 new residents to 69,724. And three suburbs in Johnson have seen considerable growth in population since 2020: De Soto with a 7.46% increase to 6,579, Gardner with a 10.67% increase to 25,836, and Spring Hill with a hefty 26.43% increase to 10,070.
Kansas City Star
I-70 Reopened Between Colby and Colorado After Dust Storm Closure
The Kansas Department of Transportation has reopened both eastbound and westbound lanes of I-70 between Colby and the Colorado state line. The route was previously closed because of reduced visibility and hazardous travel conditions caused by blowing dust.
KWCH
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Sources
- https://kansasreflector.com/2025/05/15/five-of-six-state-universities-in-kansas-seek-higher-tuition-rates-to-grapple-with-financial-challenges/
- https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/14/us/politics/congress-tax-medicaid.html
- https://www.kwch.com/2025/05/15/its-false-narrative-rep-mann-says-proposed-medicaid-changes-arent-cuts/
- https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article306478191.html
- https://www.kwch.com/2025/05/15/i-70-closed-both-directions-between-goodland-colorado/