Top 5 Kansas news stories
April 14 2026
Kelly Lets Religious Assembly Interference Bill Become Law
Tornado Outbreak Hits Kansas and Upper Midwest
Lawmakers Override Vetoes on Two Abortion Measures
Legislature Overrides Veto of Voter Registration Bill
Kelly Signs STAR Bonds Deal to Bring Chiefs to Kansas
Kelly Lets Religious Assembly Interference Bill Become Law
TOPEKA, Kan. — Gov. Laura Kelly allowed Substitute for House Bill 2018 to become law Monday without her signature, creating the crime of interference with the conduct of a religious assembly and establishing a civil cause of action allowing affected parties to sue for damages. In a statement, Kelly said the legislation arises from tension between the free exercise of religion and freedom of expression but resolves that tension by elevating one right over the other and will likely produce costly litigation. Allowing a bill to become law without a signature is a common move when a governor opposes legislation but declines to mount a veto fight, particularly when override majorities appear secure. The new law takes effect upon publication in the statute book on July 1. The Kansas measure follows months of national Republican outcry over a January incident at Cities Church in St. Paul, Minn., where more than two dozen anti-ICE activists disrupted a Sunday worship service in search of a pastor who also serves as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer. Former CNN anchor Don Lemon livestreamed the protest from inside the church and was later indicted on federal civil rights charges alongside eight co-defendants under the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, an episode Kansas legislators cited as justification for state-level criminal protections around houses of worship.
Greg Loving
Tornado Outbreak Hits Kansas and Upper Midwest
OTTAWA, Kan. — A severe weather outbreak on April 13 produced at least 14 preliminary tornado reports across Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa and Wisconsin, with the most serious reported damage in and near Ottawa. No fatalities were immediately reported, but storm surveys were still underway as forecasters warned of additional rounds of severe weather through at least April 16. The outbreak developed during the evening after a daytime atmospheric cap weakened, allowing supercells to form along a warm front draped across the Upper Midwest and ahead of a dryline extending through the central Plains. The Storm Prediction Center logged preliminary tornado reports between 23:17 UTC on April 13 and 01:30 UTC on April 14, with Kansas recording the most significant impacts near Quenemo, Pomona, Ottawa, Blue Mound, Spring Hill, Hillsdale and Pleasanton. The Ottawa tornado appeared to be the most damaging event of the outbreak based on available field reports, with video showing a tornado moving near populated areas south of the city and local damage accounts pointing to impacts on buildings and utility infrastructure. No injuries or fatalities had been confirmed as of early April 14.
Watchers.news
Lawmakers Override Vetoes on Two Abortion Measures
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas lawmakers overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's vetoes Thursday on a pair of bills that expand legal exposure for abortion providers and add new state-produced paperwork requirements under the Woman's Right-to-Know Act. HB 2727 passed the House 87-36 and the Senate 31-8, allowing plaintiffs in Right-to-Know Act lawsuits to cap their recovery and bypass the medical-malpractice screening panel — removing a procedural barrier that has historically slowed such cases. HB 2729, approved on the same margins, requires the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to produce the standardized forms and notices that physicians must provide patients under the act, shifting the compliance burden from individual providers to the state agency. The two bills form a coordinated package and represent the most significant legislative action on abortion policy in Kansas since voters rejected a constitutional amendment to remove abortion protections in August 2022, a referendum that failed with 59% of voters opposing it. Opponents argued the bills undermine the will expressed by voters in the 2022 referendum, while supporters said the measures strengthen informed-consent protections already in state law.
Greg LovingLegislature Overrides Veto of Voter Registration Bill
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas lawmakers Thursday overrode Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of HB 2437, a bill that expands the state's authority to verify and remove voter registrations while exempting the data used in that process from open-records laws. The bill passed the House 84-39 and the Senate 28-11, clearing the two-thirds threshold in both chambers, with the 84-vote House margin the bare minimum required for an override. HB 2437 authorizes election officials to pursue more aggressive verification of voter-registration records and to remove registrations that fail to meet the new standards, while a separate provision shields the underlying data from Kansas Open Records Act requests. Opponents argued the records exemption prevents voters and advocacy groups from reviewing how removals are conducted and whether eligible voters are being purged, while supporters said the data protections are necessary to prevent misuse of sensitive personal information. The bill takes effect upon publication in the Kansas Register, and Kansas has been a focal point for voter-roll maintenance debates since former Secretary of State Kris Kobach's tenure, when the state's registration verification programs faced repeated legal challenges. Kobach, now serving as the state's attorney general, is expected to play a central role in overseeing implementation and defending the measure against anticipated legal challenges.
Greg LovingKelly Signs STAR Bonds Deal to Bring Chiefs to Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. — Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday signed House Bill 2466, establishing the Kansas Sports Facilities Authority Act and clearing the way for a $3 billion domed stadium in Wyandotte County that would serve as the Kansas City Chiefs' new home beginning with the 2031 season. The economic development package extends the Sales Tax and Revenue Bonds program to finance the stadium and also includes a new team headquarters and training facility in Olathe, with both sites expected to feature mixed-use developments spanning entertainment, dining, shopping and residential properties. Kelly said the deal will create thousands of jobs without raising state taxes or diverting funding from essential services, framing it as a step toward making Kansas a premier destination for sports and entertainment. The newly created Kansas Sports Facilities Authority will govern the facilities through an 11-member voting board of state and local appointees, and lawmakers from both parties cited an estimated $4.4 billion economic impact from the construction phase alone. Rep. Sean Tarwater, R-Overland Park, said the bipartisan legislation establishes a responsible path forward while ensuring the state's investment is carefully structured and protected.
Greg LovingSources
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