Corson Names Salina Chamber CEO Duxler as Running Mate

Johnson County Districts Plan Lawsuit Over Special Education Funding

Court Commission Interviews Seven as Voters Weigh Abolishing It

Kansas Fire Crews Head Home as Southwest Wildfires Near Containment

Chanute Police Warn Residents After Multiple Black Bear Sightings

Corson Names Salina Chamber CEO Duxler as Running Mate

TOPEKA, Kan. — Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ethan Corson announced Wednesday that Salina Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Renee Duxler will be his running mate for lieutenant governor. The announcement came at a news conference at the Great Overland Station in Topeka and was filed with the Kansas Secretary of State's Office ahead of the June 1 candidate filing deadline. Duxler, 46, has led the Salina chamber since 2023 and was raised in McPherson and Hays before earning degrees in social work from Kansas State University and Newman University. Corson, a Fairway state senator endorsed by Gov. Laura Kelly and former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, said Duxler brings experience in economic and workforce development along with a background in social services. The pair plans a "Next Generation Kansas Tour" with stops in Sedgwick, Saline, Johnson and Crawford counties. Corson and Duxler will face state Sen. Cindy Holscher and state Rep. KC Ohaebosim in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary.

Kansas Reflector

Johnson County Districts Plan Lawsuit Over Special Education Funding

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Four Johnson County school districts have formed the Kansas Public School Funding Coalition to pursue legal action against the state over what they describe as a chronic shortfall in special education funding. Blue Valley, De Soto, Olathe and Shawnee Mission school districts, which together serve about 83,000 students, signed a memorandum of understanding establishing the coalition. Kansas law requires the state to reimburse 92% of excess special education costs, but the Legislature has not fully funded that obligation since 2011, according to the coalition. The districts said they collectively pulled more than $119 million from their general education budgets during the 2024-25 school year to cover the gap. The coalition is securing legal counsel and developing a litigation strategy aimed at securing adequate funding for both special and general education. The action follows the Gannon v. Kansas case, which the Kansas Supreme Court closed in 2024 after years of rulings that required increased school funding.

KMBC

Court Commission Interviews Seven as Voters Weigh Abolishing It

TOPEKA, Kan. — The Kansas Supreme Court Nominating Commission was scheduled to interview seven applicants Thursday for the vacancy created by Justice Marla Luckert's retirement, even as voters prepare to decide whether to abolish the commission itself. The pool includes Lawrence attorney Meryl Carver-Allmond, two Douglas County District Court judges, District Judge Krishnan Christopher Jayaram of Lenexa, District Judge Robert James Wonnell of Olathe, and Wichita attorneys Molly McMurray Gordon and Kristen Diane Wheeler. The nine-member commission will recommend three finalists to Gov. Laura Kelly, who must appoint one within 60 days under the merit-selection system established by a 1958 constitutional amendment. A separate constitutional amendment on the Aug. 4 primary ballot would scrap that process, dissolve the commission and replace it with direct, staggered statewide elections for justices beginning in 2028. The Legislature referred the amendment to voters in 2025 with two-thirds majorities of 27-13 in the Senate and 84-40 in the House, and a simple majority is needed for passage. Public interviews are livestreamed on the Kansas Judicial Branch YouTube channel.

Kansas Judicial Branch

Kansas Fire Crews Head Home as Southwest Wildfires Near Containment

MEADE COUNTY, Kan. — Fire crews are beginning to return home after wildfires that scorched nearly 130,000 acres across southwest Kansas are now mostly contained, the Kansas Forest Service said Wednesday. The fires were sparked by lightning during thunderstorms across the region on May 14, briefly forcing the evacuation of Ashland and several rural homes and farmsteads. The two largest fires, the Meade Lake Complex in Meade County and the Herman Ranch Complex in Clark County, are now in the hot-spot extinguishing phase at 95% and 80% containment, respectively. Bryan Burgess, emergency manager for Meade County, said he was grateful for crews and equipment that arrived from across the state. The forest service warned that vegetation remains extremely dry heading into Memorial Day weekend and asked residents to avoid activities such as mowing, welding, outdoor grilling or dragging chains while driving that could spark a fire. Lightning-started wildfires are not typical in Kansas, the agency said, but current landscape conditions have introduced a threat more common in western states.

KAKE

Chanute Police Warn Residents After Multiple Black Bear Sightings

CHANUTE, Kan. — The Chanute Police Department is asking residents to remain vigilant after multiple reports of a black bear in the area on Wednesday. Anyone who spots the bear inside city limits should not approach the animal and should call police at 620-431-5768 with the location, time and direction the bear was traveling. Residents are reminded to keep a safe distance from wildlife and avoid attempting to feed, follow or interact with the animal. Black bear sightings are becoming more common in Kansas, particularly in the southeast and southwest corners of the state, due to proximity to established populations in nearby states. Matt Peek, a wildlife and research biologist with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, has said there have been no reports of bad encounters with black bears in Kansas in modern times.

KAKE

Sources

1. Kansas Reflector
2. KMBC
3. Kansas Judicial Branch
4. KAKE
5. KAKE

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