Top 5 Kansas news stories
April 10 2026
Kelly Signs Sweeping Pharmacy Middleman Regulations Into Law
Legislature Overrides Kelly Vetoes on Immigration Bills
Kansas Legislature Overrides 15 Vetoes in Single Day
Teen Charged With Murder After Body Found in Great Bend
Kansas City Proposes $600M Downtown Royals Stadium
Kelly Signs Sweeping Pharmacy Middleman Regulations Into Law
TOPEKA, Kan. — Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday signed bipartisan legislation placing sweeping new regulations on pharmacy benefit managers, the middlemen who negotiate drug prices between manufacturers, pharmacies and insurers. Senate Bill 20 grants the Kansas Insurance Commissioner increased authority to regulate the industry, mandates that drug rebates pass through to health plans and ensures all pharmacies are reimbursed using the National Average Drug Acquisition Cost. The measure also explicitly bans spread pricing, a practice in which middlemen charge health plans more than they reimburse pharmacies and pocket the difference. The bill was part of a broader signing session that included numerous other new state laws.
Greg Loving
Legislature Overrides Kelly Vetoes on Immigration Bills
TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Legislature on Wednesday overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's vetoes of two bills expanding the state's cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. HB2372, which passed the House 85-38 and the Senate 31-9, requires sheriffs who operate county jails to honor U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer requests, establishes state-funded legal coverage for officers enforcing federal immigration law and exempts 287(g) agreements from interlocal cooperation rules. HB2004, approved on matching 85-38 and 29-10 votes, compels the Kansas Department for Children and Families and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to sign data-sharing memorandums of understanding with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Department of Health and Human Services upon request. Both override votes cleared the two-thirds threshold required by the Kansas Constitution.
Greg LovingKansas Legislature Overrides 15 Vetoes in Single Day
TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Legislature on Thursday overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's vetoes on 15 bills in a single session, delivering the most sweeping rebuke of executive authority in the current term. The overrides spanned six policy areas: immigration enforcement, abortion provider liability, executive and local government regulatory authority, voter-registration verification, juvenile justice and education. Two immigration bills require sheriffs to honor ICE detainers and open state data systems to federal agencies; two abortion-related bills make it easier to sue providers under the Woman's Right-to-Know Act and shift compliance paperwork to the state health department. A cluster of five bills targeting executive and local government authority may carry the most long-term significance, including measures requiring legislative approval for new occupational licensing rules, restricting how local governments hire outside lawyers and imposing transparency requirements on proxy advisors in a pushback against ESG investing. The remaining overrides addressed voter-roll verification, juvenile justice, campus speech, foreign exchange student placement and electrified security fences, with the voter-roll bill passing the House at the bare minimum 84 votes and the local-government litigation bill clearing the Senate at exactly 27 — the two closest margins of the day.
Greg LovingTeen Charged With Murder After Body Found in Great Bend
GREAT BEND, Kan. — A 14-year-old boy has been charged with first-degree murder after a missing girl's body was found Thursday morning in Great Bend. Police responded Wednesday evening to a report of a missing 14-year-old girl last seen attending a class at Holy Family School on Broadway Avenue. Officers fielded multiple calls through the night regarding potential locations but did not locate her. Thursday morning at approximately 9:10 a.m., officers found a juvenile female deceased behind a large dirt pile in the 4700 block of 17th Street Terrace. Investigators processed the crime scene, conducted interviews and executed multiple search warrants before arresting the 14-year-old male suspect, who was transported to the Barton County Detention Center. The Great Bend Police Department was assisted by the Barton County Sheriff's Office, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Great Bend Fire Department, and the investigation remains ongoing.
Great Bend Post
Kansas City Proposes $600M Downtown Royals Stadium
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mayor Quinton Lucas and Kansas City councilmembers on Thursday introduced a $600 million funding package aimed at building a new downtown stadium for the Kansas City Royals at Washington Square Park near Crown Center and Union Station. The legislation would authorize City Manager Mario Vasquez to negotiate a binding term sheet, lease and development agreement for the ballpark, an office tower and surrounding development billed as a $1.9 billion "Downtown Baseball District." The city's contribution would come through bonds, city appropriations and Tax Increment Financing with no new taxes, and the proposed lease would run at least 30 years. The state of Missouri is expected to provide additional support through the Show Me Sports Investment Act, passed in June 2025, which could cover up to 50 percent of a new stadium's cost. The Royals said in a statement they appreciate the city's work and look forward to further conversations, though the team has not formally committed to the site; District 1 Councilman Nathan Willett called for more public input before any vote. The parks board is expected to consider the Washington Square Park proposal at a meeting Tuesday.
KSN · FOX4 KC
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