KS - May 7 2025

Measles Case Confirmed in Sedgwick County Child; Public Warned of Potential Butcher Shop Exposure

Grain Belt Express Powers Forward: $1.7 Billion in Contracts Awarded for Multi-State Transmission Line Through Kansas

Kansas School Funding Task Force Chair Pushes for January Draft of New Formula

Kansans Face Delays as Tax Appeal Board Swamped by Backlog Amid Staff Shortages, Surge in Filings

EU Prepares Boeing Tariffs: Trade Tensions Could Hit Wichita's Aerospace Giant

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1. Measles Case Confirmed in Sedgwick County Child; Public Warned of Potential Butcher Shop Exposure

A. The Sedgwick County Health Department on May 7 reported a confirmed measles case in an unvaccinated child between 5 and 10 years old.

B. The Sedgwick County Health Department is asking anyone who may have been at a Wichita butcher shop the evening of April 29 to monitor themselves after a possible exposure to measles. At a Wednesday afternoon news conference, officials said anyone who visited Carnicerías El Güero grocery store No. 1 at 524 W. 21st St. in Wichita Tuesday, April 29 between 6:30 to 10 p.m. to monitor themselves for symptoms of the virus. The news comes as officials confirmed Wednesday morning Sedgwick County has its first case of the measles since 2017, joining more than 40 cases across the state of Kansas.

cjonline.com

kansas.com

2. Grain Belt Express Powers Forward: $1.7 Billion in Contracts Awarded for Multi-State Transmission Line Through Kansas

TOPEKA — The Grain Belt Express, an 800-mile electric transmission line to be built through Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana, announced $1.7 billion in contractor awards on Wednesday. The awards were made to Quanta Services of Houston and Kiewit Energy Group Inc. of Omaha. Grain Belt Express is an Invenergy project expected to add 5,000 megawatts of U.S. energy delivery capacity, according to an Invenergy press release. It’s also expected to provide $52 billion in energy cost savings to Americans over 15 years. Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson said the Grain Belt Express is a multimillion dollar investment that will pay off for Kansans. “The selection of contractors and suppliers with a local presence is just one of the many sizable economic benefits Grain Belt Express brings, in addition to greater energy cost savings and reliability,” he said. In April, the Kansas Corporation Commission modified the route for one of two transmission lines that will connect wind and solar farms to the Grain Belt Express that was originally planned to run for 46 miles through parts of Ford, Meade and Gray counties. “The new route reduces the length of the line by 12 miles and avoids 24 parcels of land resulting in fewer landowners being impacted,” a KCC press release said. “The 16-mile Bucklin-Dodge City Line remains unchanged.”

Kansas Reflector

3. Kansas School Funding Task Force Chair Pushes for January Draft of New Formula

TOPEKA — Republican Sen. Renee Erickson wants the task force crafting a new state funding formula for K-12 public schools to be far enough along to present a draft in January to the Kansas Legislature, despite concern among some members the timeline was too aggressive. The 2026 Legislature and the state’s next governor must come to agreement on financing education before expiration of the existing framework on June 30, 2027. Stakes are high given previous Kansas Supreme Court decisions that funding formulas developed by lawmakers at the Capitol violated the state Constitution. A central issue in school-finance lawsuits has been whether spending on behalf of nearly 500,000 students in prekindergarten through 12th grade was constitutionally equitable and adequate.

Kansas Reflector

4. Kansans Face Delays as Tax Appeal Board Swamped by Backlog Amid Staff Shortages, Surge in Filings

TOPEKA — The COVID-19 pandemic, staff turnover and surges in filings created a backlog of cases at the Kansas Board of Tax Appeals, challenging the organization’s ability to meet statutory requirements for timely rulings. County appraisers have seen increased delays in resolving some tax appeals, and although they don’t blame BOTA employees who are working to clear delays, they are concerned about the effects on taxpayers. “Given that high property taxes are a major concern for Kansans, this remains a highly sensitive matter for all parties involved,” said Douglas County appraiser Brad Eldridge.

Kansas Reflector

5. EU Prepares Boeing Tariffs: Trade Tensions Could Hit Wichita's Aerospace Giant

Brussels intends to propose tariffs on Boeing aircraft as it prepares further retaliation in the event that trade talks with Washington fail. The European Commission, which runs EU trade policy, will include civilian aircraft on a list of about €100bn of annual US imports to be targeted, according to two people familiar with the matter. But the measures would only take effect if the EU does not make sufficient progress in reducing US tariffs, they said. The measures must first be approved by a weighted majority of member states. Editors note: this isn’t a “Kansas” story but affects Boeing, a major Kansas employer and its supply chain in Wichita

FT.com

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Sources

1. https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/healthcare/2025/05/07/kansas-measles-outbreak-spreads-to-wichita-area-in-unvaccinated-child/83498161007/
2. https://www.kansas.com/news/local/article305924951.html#storylink=cpy
3. https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/grain-belt-express-awards-1-7b-in-contracts-for-transmission-line-through-kansas-other-states/
4. https://kansasreflector.com/2025/05/07/chair-of-kansas-task-force-on-public-school-funding-wants-draft-plan-in-hand-by-january/
5. https://kansasreflector.com/2025/05/07/kansas-tax-appeal-process-bogged-down-by-staff-shortages-increased-filings/
6. https://www.ft.com/content/42458681-95c4-463e-866d-1c6968e61df6