In the News

The U.S. House passed legislation Wednesday evening that would massively expand mail voting, enable same-day registration for federal elections and ban partisan gerrymandering among other major election reforms.

H.R. 1's passage by a vote of 220 to 210 in the Democratic-controlled comes as GOP state legislatures, including in Kansas and Missouri, are contemplating an array of new restrictions on voting in the wake of the 2020 election.

Representative Sharice Davids and U.S. Senator Roger Marshall want a federal commission to hurry up and approve Kansas Governor Laura Kelly's emergency request.

As the bitter cold stretch reached its peak last week Kelly issued a disaster declaration and the Kansas Corporation Commission issued an emergency order directing utilities to do everything possible to make sure customers could still get natural gas, propane and electricity. There were rolling blackouts and natural gas prices skyrocketed as much as 20,000%.

A Lenexa, Kansas company that makes personal protective equipment is undergoing a major expansion.

A maternal death is a tragedy. A preventable maternal death is an outrage. The prevalence of maternal deaths in the United States—and the unacceptable racial and ethnic disparities in mortality rates—is a public health crisis that demands urgent action.

Dentec Safety Specialists, a Lenexa manufacturer, has received $1.4 million in state and federal funding to allow them to manufacture personal protective equipment for COVID-19.

The manufacturer produced reusable protective masks pre-pandemic for shipbuilding and other industries. Although Dentec couldn't purchase the appropriate machines when COVID-19 hit, the company knew it could make N95 masks if the funds became available.

Kansas City area Reps. Emanuel Cleaver and Sharice Davids savored California chocolate last year after the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl.

This year, they're hoping for Cuban sandwiches.

Wyandotte County is confident it can vaccinate thousands over the next few weeks. Of course, it all depends upon supply.

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids said that a shortage of COVID-19 vaccine is holding up progress on fighting the virus.

Wyandotte County continues to vaccinate hundreds of people a day. But short supply and money to keep clinics going is a real challenge.

Dr. Marthel Parsons and her husband, 67-year-old Kansas State Rep. Louis Ruiz, are rolling up their sleeves to get the COVID-19 vaccine, hoping to set an example for the Latinx community.

"That was quick," Ruiz said after being vaccinated.

In the past month, 7,500 vaccines have been given in a former KCK K-Mart turned clinic by the Wyandotte County Unified Government Public Health Department.