SHAWNEE COUNTY—It took a team effort but two women, stranded for two days on sandbar in the Kansas river, are recovering&nbsp; after they were rescued.

Just after 9.m. Monday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call from two women stranded on a sandbar in the Kansas River, according to a media release from the Shawnee County Sheriff.

The woman had their boat but they were unable to fight the strong river current. The women had been beached since the day before. Deputies responded, deployed a drone and used various technology to locate the stranded women. 

The Topeka Fire Department, Kansas Department of Wildlife &amp; Parks, Silver Lake Fire Department and the Mission Township Fire Department assisted. A boat was utilized and the women were rescued and brought back to safety unharmed.

We appreciate the team effort exercised during this incident!

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725379007328.png" alt="Photo KDWP Game Wardens" />
 <figcaption>Photo KDWP Game Wardens</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY—It took a team effort but two women, stranded for two days on sandbar in the Kansas river, are recovering&nbsp; after they were rescued.Just after 9.m. Monday, the Shawnee County Emergency Communications Center received a 911 call from two women stranded on a sandbar in the Kansas River, according to a media release from the Shawnee County Sheriff.The woman had their boat but they were unable to fight the strong river current. The women had been beached since the day before. Deputies responded, deployed a drone and used various technology to locate the stranded women. The Topeka Fire Department, Kansas Department of Wildlife &amp; Parks, Silver Lake Fire Department and the Mission Township Fire Department assisted. A boat was utilized and the women were rescued and brought back to safety unharmed.We appreciate the team effort exercised during this incident!

Women stranded for 2 days rescued on the Kansas River

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks tumbled Tuesday to their worst day since an early August sell-off, as a week full of updates on the economy got off to a discouragingly weak start.

The S&amp;P 500 sank 2.1% to give back a chunk of the gains from a three-week winning streak that had carried it to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stock-markets-fed-earnings-prices-production-da57d040b182b1fecf8cbaa20f91f7f9">the cusp of its all-time high</a>. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 626 points, or 1.5%, from its own record set on Friday before Monday’s Labor Day holiday. The Nasdaq composite fell 3.3% as Nvidia and other Big Tech stocks led the way lower.

Treasury yields also stumbled in the bond market after a report showed U.S. manufacturing shrank again in August, sputtering under the weight of high interest rates. Manufacturing has been contracting for most of the past two years, and its performance for August was worse than economists expected.

“Demand remains subdued, as companies show an unwillingness to invest in capital and inventory due to current federal monetary policy and election uncertainty,” said Timothy Fiore, chair of the Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing business survey committee.

Stocks of oil and gas companies were some of the market’s biggest losers after the price of crude oil fell roughly 4% on concerns about how much fuel a fragile global economy will burn. A barrel of benchmark U.S. oil is almost back to $70 and down for the year after climbing above $85 in April.

Exxon Mobil lost 2.1%, and ConocoPhillips dropped 3.5%.

Similar worries about a slowing U.S. economy and a possible recession had helped send stocks on a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-china-inflation-rates-9b02c8c86f09d8b34f7406c3deb23ed9">scary summertime swoon</a>&nbsp;in early August. It briefly knocked the S&amp;P 500 nearly 10% below its record set in July, but financial markets quickly rebounded on hopes that the Federal Reserve could pull off&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-federal-reserve-interest-rates-consumers-4fe068e15d27fad11419e1cc6a8ed943">a perfect landing for the economy</a>.

The Fed appears set to lower interest rates later this month in hopes of easing conditions for the economy and avoiding a recession after earlier jacking its main interest rate to a two-decade high to beat high inflation.

Other reports due later this week could show how much help the economy needs, including updates on the number of job openings U.S. employers were advertising at the end of July and how strong U.S. services businesses grew last month. The week’s highlight will likely arrive on Friday, when a report will show how many jobs U.S. employers created during August.

The jobs report has once again become the main event for the stock market each month, taking over from updates on inflation, according to analysts at Bank of America. Many traders are anticipating the Fed will deliver a full percentage point of cuts to interest rates this year, which is a “recession-sized” amount, Gonzalo Asis and other economists and strategists wrote in a BofA Global Research report.

The strength of this jobs report, or lack thereof, will likely determine the size of the Fed’s upcoming cut, according to Goldman Sachs economist David Mericle. If Friday’s data shows an improvement in hiring over July’s disappointing report, it could keep the Fed on course for a traditional-sized move of a quarter of a percentage point.

But if Friday’s report is weaker, it could drive the Fed to deliver an outsized cut of half a percentage point from the federal funds rate’s current range of 5.25% to 5.50%, Mericle said.

While cuts to rates are generally boons to investment prices, a recession could more than wipe out that benefit by dragging down corporate profits.

On Wall Street, U.S. Steel fell 6.1% in its first trading after Vice President Kamala Harris said Monday that she opposed the company’s planned sale to Japan’s Nippon Steel. The Democratic presidential nominee’s comments, which echo President Joe Biden’s position, came after Nippon Steel Corp. said last week it would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-steel-nippon-union-85e4ab45aa1aa82231981022520d89b5">spend an additional $1.3 billion</a>&nbsp;to upgrade facilities in Pennsylvania and Indiana, on top of a previous $1.4 billion commitment.

Nippon Steel also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/steel-merger-nippon-delay-antitrust-approval-d9e5cf604e51d13076ea6bc03ab8780c">reiterated</a>&nbsp;that it expects the transaction to close by the end of this year, despite ongoing political and labor opposition.

Nvidia was the heaviest weight by far on the S&amp;P 500 after falling 9.5%. Its stock has been struggling even after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nvidia-ai-earnings-stock-464d35670b6e91a698751ec7ee157532">the chip company topped high expectations</a>&nbsp;for its latest profit report. The subdued performance could bolster criticism that Nvidia and other Big Tech stocks simply soared too high in Wall Street’s frenzy around artificial-intelligence technology.

All of the stocks that have come to be known as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wall-street-stocks-magnificent-seven-a6e1da1a8c85c0a56f9e9c85e001ebff">“Magnificent Seven,”</a>&nbsp;which accounted for the vast majority of the S&amp;P 500’s return last year and early this year, fell at least 1.3%.

Still, it wasn’t a complete washout on Wall Street. Nearly 30% of the stocks within the S&amp;P 500 climbed, led by those that tend to benefit the most from lower interest rates. That includes dividend-paying stocks, as well as companies whose profits are less closely tied to the ebbs and flows of the economy, such as real-estate stocks and makers of everyday staples for consumers.

All told, the S&amp;P 500 fell 119.47 points to 5,528.93. The Dow dropped 626.15 to 40,936.93, and the Nasdaq composite sank 577.33 to 17,136.30.

In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 3.84% from 3.91% late Friday. That’s down from 4.70% in late April, a significant move for the bond market.

In stock markets abroad, indexes were lower across much of Europe and Asia.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1722962507580.png" alt="File photo (AP Photo/Richard Drew)" />
 <figcaption>File photo (AP Photo/Richard Drew)</figcaption>
 </figure>NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks tumbled Tuesday to their worst day since an early August sell-off, as a week full of updates on the economy got off to a discouragingly weak start.The S&amp;P 500 sank 2.1% to give back a chunk of the gains from a three-week winning streak that had carried it to&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stock-markets-fed-earnings-prices-production-da57d040b182b1fecf8cbaa20f91f7f9">the cusp of its all-time high</a>. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 626 points, or 1.5%, from its own record set on Friday before Monday’s Labor Day holiday. The Nasdaq composite fell 3.3% as Nvidia and other Big Tech stocks led the way lower.Treasury yields also stumbled in the bond market after a report showed U.S. manufacturing shrank again in August, sputtering under the weight of high interest rates. Manufacturing has been contracting for most of the past two years, and its performance for August was worse than economists expected.“Demand remains subdued, as companies show an unwillingness to invest in capital and inventory due to current federal monetary policy and election uncertainty,” said Timothy Fiore, chair of the Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing business survey committee.Stocks of oil and gas companies were some of the market’s biggest losers after the price of crude oil fell roughly 4% on concerns about how much fuel a fragile global economy will burn. A barrel of benchmark U.S. oil is almost back to $70 and down for the year after climbing above $85 in April.Exxon Mobil lost 2.1%, and ConocoPhillips dropped 3.5%.Similar worries about a slowing U.S. economy and a possible recession had helped send stocks on a&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/stocks-markets-china-inflation-rates-9b02c8c86f09d8b34f7406c3deb23ed9">scary summertime swoon</a>&nbsp;in early August. It briefly knocked the S&amp;P 500 nearly 10% below its record set in July, but financial markets quickly rebounded on hopes that the Federal Reserve could pull off&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/inflation-prices-federal-reserve-interest-rates-consumers-4fe068e15d27fad11419e1cc6a8ed943">a perfect landing for the economy</a>.The Fed appears set to lower interest rates later this month in hopes of easing conditions for the economy and avoiding a recession after earlier jacking its main interest rate to a two-decade high to beat high inflation.Other reports due later this week could show how much help the economy needs, including updates on the number of job openings U.S. employers were advertising at the end of July and how strong U.S. services businesses grew last month. The week’s highlight will likely arrive on Friday, when a report will show how many jobs U.S. employers created during August.The jobs report has once again become the main event for the stock market each month, taking over from updates on inflation, according to analysts at Bank of America. Many traders are anticipating the Fed will deliver a full percentage point of cuts to interest rates this year, which is a “recession-sized” amount, Gonzalo Asis and other economists and strategists wrote in a BofA Global Research report.The strength of this jobs report, or lack thereof, will likely determine the size of the Fed’s upcoming cut, according to Goldman Sachs economist David Mericle. If Friday’s data shows an improvement in hiring over July’s disappointing report, it could keep the Fed on course for a traditional-sized move of a quarter of a percentage point.But if Friday’s report is weaker, it could drive the Fed to deliver an outsized cut of half a percentage point from the federal funds rate’s current range of 5.25% to 5.50%, Mericle said.While cuts to rates are generally boons to investment prices, a recession could more than wipe out that benefit by dragging down corporate profits.On Wall Street, U.S. Steel fell 6.1% in its first trading after Vice President Kamala Harris said Monday that she opposed the company’s planned sale to Japan’s Nippon Steel. The Democratic presidential nominee’s comments, which echo President Joe Biden’s position, came after Nippon Steel Corp. said last week it would&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-steel-nippon-union-85e4ab45aa1aa82231981022520d89b5">spend an additional $1.3 billion</a>&nbsp;to upgrade facilities in Pennsylvania and Indiana, on top of a previous $1.4 billion commitment.Nippon Steel also&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/steel-merger-nippon-delay-antitrust-approval-d9e5cf604e51d13076ea6bc03ab8780c">reiterated</a>&nbsp;that it expects the transaction to close by the end of this year, despite ongoing political and labor opposition.Nvidia was the heaviest weight by far on the S&amp;P 500 after falling 9.5%. Its stock has been struggling even after&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/nvidia-ai-earnings-stock-464d35670b6e91a698751ec7ee157532">the chip company topped high expectations</a>&nbsp;for its latest profit report. The subdued performance could bolster criticism that Nvidia and other Big Tech stocks simply soared too high in Wall Street’s frenzy around artificial-intelligence technology.All of the stocks that have come to be known as the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/wall-street-stocks-magnificent-seven-a6e1da1a8c85c0a56f9e9c85e001ebff">“Magnificent Seven,”</a>&nbsp;which accounted for the vast majority of the S&amp;P 500’s return last year and early this year, fell at least 1.3%.Still, it wasn’t a complete washout on Wall Street. Nearly 30% of the stocks within the S&amp;P 500 climbed, led by those that tend to benefit the most from lower interest rates. That includes dividend-paying stocks, as well as companies whose profits are less closely tied to the ebbs and flows of the economy, such as real-estate stocks and makers of everyday staples for consumers.All told, the S&amp;P 500 fell 119.47 points to 5,528.93. The Dow dropped 626.15 to 40,936.93, and the Nasdaq composite sank 577.33 to 17,136.30.In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury fell to 3.84% from 3.91% late Friday. That’s down from 4.70% in late April, a significant move for the bond market.In stock markets abroad, indexes were lower across much of Europe and Asia.

Stocks fall sharply to start September on worries about the economy

Reform ideas touch on governor’s role, special-interest earmarks, 3-day workweek

BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>

TOPEKA — Kansas Republicans pressing to reform the Legislature’s annual budget-writing process want to displace governors from the lead role in proposing state spending changes, alter a Statehouse culture that embraced the three-day workweek, and make it difficult for lobbyists to slip special-interest earmarks into bills.

House Speaker Dan Hawkins and Senate President Ty Masterson, the Republicans who formed an interim legislative committee to work on the budgeting overhaul, said the plan involved formation of a powerful permanent committee of a dozen or so legislators who would start work on a version of the state budget as much as three months before the legislative session began in January. For years, legislators have waited to start until the Kansas governor presented detailed budget recommendations.

The GOP legislative leaders said this newly empowered committee would produce a baseline budget that would be introduced in bill form on the first day of the legislative session. Under this scenario, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s budget recommendations released in mid-January 2025 would become a supplemental source rather than the starting point for budget deliberations at the Capitol.

Hawkins, who represents a Wichita district, said the Legislature had to reclaim budget authority ceded long ago to the executive branch. He cautioned skeptics of GOP maneuvering that it would be wrong to assume the objective was a personal attack on Kelly.

“This process has nothing to do with the governor,” Hawkins said. “If you’re going to focus on the governor, probably not the wisest thing to do, because this process has happened over time with many, many different governors.”

“I look at this as an opportunity for us to examine a process that probably is flawed, not badly flawed, but … there’s opportunities to make it better,” the House speaker said. “Just because we’ve always done something some way doesn’t mean that that’s the best way to do it.”

Grace Hoge, a spokeswoman for the governor, said Kelly’s handling of budget duties contributed to a state budget surplus and implementation of sustainable tax reductions.

“Just like Kansas families, Governor Kelly understands responsible budgeting,” Hoge said. “Every year her budget proposal is meticulously crafted and presented to the Legislature at the beginning of the session, as is required by law. Governor Kelly’s fiscal responsibility reversed years of financial instability and led to a record budget surplus that has resulted in substantial, sustainable tax cuts for all Kansans. The current budgeting process works.”

Masterson, of Andover, said the Legislature’s early attention to details of the state budget would allow the House and Senate to move quickly on spending decisions during the regular session. He said the shift would enable legislators to dedicate more time to individual agency operations and, potentially, save tax dollars.

“I feel like our state is ready for some kind of reorganization,” said Masterson, who made a distinction between budget recommendations of Republican and Democratic governors. “You’ll have a Republican governor, for example, or somebody you trust, and you trust the administration to build the budgets, and then you kind of rubber stamp stuff. And, then, you switch, and you have (the) opposition party and then there’s all that same power.”

A 2021 report by the National Association of State Budget Officers indicated 36 states introduced the governor’s budget as a bill in the Legislature, which has been the practice in Kansas. The report said 14 states had a process in which drafting the budget was a responsibility of the legislature.

The Kansas Legislature’s interim committee assigned the task of piecing together a new process for shaping the annual state budget met last week and was expected to convene again in September.

In this initial meeting, there was enthusiasm for imposition of boundaries to curtail influence of special-interest lobbyists who have proven adept at winning budget earmarks by evading the regular legislative process. It was suggested the six-person conference committees that negotiate finer points of the budget be forbidden from independently adding expenditure provisos pitched by lobbyists. Instead, lobbyists would be compelled to run their earmarks through a regular House or Senate budget committee and to secure endorsement of House and Senate Republican leaders.

Rep. Troy Waymaster, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said it might irritate some legislators to learn the list of reform ideas included a change in the workday culture at the statehouse.

He indicated legislators should expect to work on Mondays and Fridays, rather than just Tuesday through Thursday. The condensed schedule became the standard during height of the COVID-19 pandemic and didn’t revert to the previous norm, he said.

“That is just exacerbating the problem,” said Waymaster, a Bunker Hill lawmaker who has chaired the House Appropriations Committee for eight years. “We need to go back to what the legislative session was like before COVID, where we have committee meetings on Mondays and Fridays and not ‘pro forma’ days.”

If that change were adopted ahead of the 2025 session, it would coincide with implementation of significant increases in annual compensation of House and Senate members.&nbsp;Total compensation of rank-and-file legislators in Kansas will increase from $30,000 to nearly $58,000.

Sen. Jeff Pittman, a Leavenworth Democrat on the interim budget reform committee with Waymaster, said developing a more efficient method of crafting the budget was worthy of debate. He cautioned against making the reform process partisan. He said attention should be given to avoid overwhelming legislative staff by duplicating budget reviews done by the governor’s staff.

“We&nbsp;have&nbsp;not&nbsp;ceded&nbsp;our&nbsp;control,&nbsp;but&nbsp;rather&nbsp;we&nbsp;have&nbsp;directed&nbsp;the&nbsp;CEO,&nbsp;the&nbsp;governor,&nbsp;and&nbsp;her&nbsp;staff&nbsp;or&nbsp;his&nbsp;staff,&nbsp;to&nbsp;do&nbsp;these&nbsp;things&nbsp;for&nbsp;us — to get down into the weeds,” Pittman said.

Pittman and other legislators said state budget documents should be remodeled to make information more easily consumed by legislators and the public, especially as House and Senate negotiators made dozens of budget deals late in the session. Pittman urged colleagues in the Legislature to end their three-day workweek.

“There were a lot of days we could have been doing more, you know. We had a lot of days were we did not meet as a committee,” said Pittman, who sits on the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

During the initial meeting of the interim budget reform committee, there was no discussion by Republicans or Democrats about how activities of the new pre-session legislative budget panel would be transparent. This select group of legislators would apparently gain access to preliminary agency budget documents and meet with department officials to discuss spending requests. It’s possible legislators would observe executive branch meetings on agency budget appeals not open to the public.

It wasn’t clear how state legislators running for reelection — House members have two-year terms, while Senate terms last four years — would participate in robust pre-session budget examinations during October before the general election in November.

Rep. Will Carpenter, an El Dorado Republican, did suggest the Legislature move to a biennial budget format in which an expenditure plan for state government would be prepared and adopted for a two-year period. In 1993, a Kansas budget committee recommended 53 state agencies be moved to a biennial format. The 1994 Legislature passed a bill allowing 20 fee-funded agencies to work on a biennial basis.

GOP Gov. Sam Brownback proposed a biennial budget for all state agencies for fiscal years 2016 and 2017. Kelly eliminated that approach for all agencies except those required to operate on two-year cycles under state law.

The House, with 125 members, concentrates budgeting authority in the House Appropriations Committee. The House also runs six subject-based budget committees on higher education, K-12 schools, social services, transportation and safety, agriculture and natural resources and general government operations.

The Senate has 40 members, but directs all budget work to the Senate Ways and Means Committee. The Senate has a system of subcommittees, but they’re not staffed and don’t operate like the subject-oriented standing House budget committees.

“If we’re going to seriously evaluate the budget and dig and take a dive deeper, it would be helpful for us to have that discussion … about whether or not the Senate should go to that process as well,” said Sen. Carolyn McGinn, a Sedgwick Republican who has chaired the Senate budget committee.

McGinn, who didn’t seek reelection in 2024, said she was concerned reform could speed consideration of the state budget in ways that limited the ability of Kansas to testify at the Capitol before the House or Senate.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1725033355556.png" alt=" Rep. Troy Waymaster, left, a Bunker Hill Republican who chairs the Legislature’s interim state budget reform committee, said Kansas needed a more concise, analytical “budget process that better serves the taxpayers” by reducing spending. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Rep. Troy Waymaster, left, a Bunker Hill Republican who chairs the Legislature’s interim state budget reform committee, said Kansas needed a more concise, analytical “budget process that better serves the taxpayers” by reducing spending. (Tim Carpenter/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure><h2>Reform ideas touch on governor’s role, special-interest earmarks, 3-day workweek</h2>BY:&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/author/tim-carpenter/">TIM CARPENTER</a> <a href="https://kansasreflector.com/">Kansas Reflector</a>TOPEKA — Kansas Republicans pressing to reform the Legislature’s annual budget-writing process want to displace governors from the lead role in proposing state spending changes, alter a Statehouse culture that embraced the three-day workweek, and make it difficult for lobbyists to slip special-interest earmarks into bills.House Speaker Dan Hawkins and Senate President Ty Masterson, the Republicans who formed an interim legislative committee to work on the budgeting overhaul, said the plan involved formation of a powerful permanent committee of a dozen or so legislators who would start work on a version of the state budget as much as three months before the legislative session began in January. For years, legislators have waited to start until the Kansas governor presented detailed budget recommendations.The GOP legislative leaders said this newly empowered committee would produce a baseline budget that would be introduced in bill form on the first day of the legislative session. Under this scenario, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s budget recommendations released in mid-January 2025 would become a supplemental source rather than the starting point for budget deliberations at the Capitol.Hawkins, who represents a Wichita district, said the Legislature had to reclaim budget authority ceded long ago to the executive branch. He cautioned skeptics of GOP maneuvering that it would be wrong to assume the objective was a personal attack on Kelly.“This process has nothing to do with the governor,” Hawkins said. “If you’re going to focus on the governor, probably not the wisest thing to do, because this process has happened over time with many, many different governors.”“I look at this as an opportunity for us to examine a process that probably is flawed, not badly flawed, but … there’s opportunities to make it better,” the House speaker said. “Just because we’ve always done something some way doesn’t mean that that’s the best way to do it.”Grace Hoge, a spokeswoman for the governor, said Kelly’s handling of budget duties contributed to a state budget surplus and implementation of sustainable tax reductions.“Just like Kansas families, Governor Kelly understands responsible budgeting,” Hoge said. “Every year her budget proposal is meticulously crafted and presented to the Legislature at the beginning of the session, as is required by law. Governor Kelly’s fiscal responsibility reversed years of financial instability and led to a record budget surplus that has resulted in substantial, sustainable tax cuts for all Kansans. The current budgeting process works.”Masterson, of Andover, said the Legislature’s early attention to details of the state budget would allow the House and Senate to move quickly on spending decisions during the regular session. He said the shift would enable legislators to dedicate more time to individual agency operations and, potentially, save tax dollars.“I feel like our state is ready for some kind of reorganization,” said Masterson, who made a distinction between budget recommendations of Republican and Democratic governors. “You’ll have a Republican governor, for example, or somebody you trust, and you trust the administration to build the budgets, and then you kind of rubber stamp stuff. And, then, you switch, and you have (the) opposition party and then there’s all that same power.”A 2021 report by the National Association of State Budget Officers indicated 36 states introduced the governor’s budget as a bill in the Legislature, which has been the practice in Kansas. The report said 14 states had a process in which drafting the budget was a responsibility of the legislature.<h2>Nailing budget earmarks</h2>The Kansas Legislature’s interim committee assigned the task of piecing together a new process for shaping the annual state budget met last week and was expected to convene again in September.In this initial meeting, there was enthusiasm for imposition of boundaries to curtail influence of special-interest lobbyists who have proven adept at winning budget earmarks by evading the regular legislative process. It was suggested the six-person conference committees that negotiate finer points of the budget be forbidden from independently adding expenditure provisos pitched by lobbyists. Instead, lobbyists would be compelled to run their earmarks through a regular House or Senate budget committee and to secure endorsement of House and Senate Republican leaders.Rep. Troy Waymaster, the Republican chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, said it might irritate some legislators to learn the list of reform ideas included a change in the workday culture at the statehouse.He indicated legislators should expect to work on Mondays and Fridays, rather than just Tuesday through Thursday. The condensed schedule became the standard during height of the COVID-19 pandemic and didn’t revert to the previous norm, he said.“That is just exacerbating the problem,” said Waymaster, a Bunker Hill lawmaker who has chaired the House Appropriations Committee for eight years. “We need to go back to what the legislative session was like before COVID, where we have committee meetings on Mondays and Fridays and not ‘pro forma’ days.”If that change were adopted ahead of the 2025 session, it would coincide with implementation of significant increases in annual compensation of House and Senate members.&nbsp;Total compensation of rank-and-file legislators in Kansas will increase from $30,000 to nearly $58,000.Sen. Jeff Pittman, a Leavenworth Democrat on the interim budget reform committee with Waymaster, said developing a more efficient method of crafting the budget was worthy of debate. He cautioned against making the reform process partisan. He said attention should be given to avoid overwhelming legislative staff by duplicating budget reviews done by the governor’s staff.“We&nbsp;have&nbsp;not&nbsp;ceded&nbsp;our&nbsp;control,&nbsp;but&nbsp;rather&nbsp;we&nbsp;have&nbsp;directed&nbsp;the&nbsp;CEO,&nbsp;the&nbsp;governor,&nbsp;and&nbsp;her&nbsp;staff&nbsp;or&nbsp;his&nbsp;staff,&nbsp;to&nbsp;do&nbsp;these&nbsp;things&nbsp;for&nbsp;us — to get down into the weeds,” Pittman said.Pittman and other legislators said state budget documents should be remodeled to make information more easily consumed by legislators and the public, especially as House and Senate negotiators made dozens of budget deals late in the session. Pittman urged colleagues in the Legislature to end their three-day workweek.“There were a lot of days we could have been doing more, you know. We had a lot of days were we did not meet as a committee,” said Pittman, who sits on the Senate Ways and Means Committee.<h2>Process questions, ideas</h2>During the initial meeting of the interim budget reform committee, there was no discussion by Republicans or Democrats about how activities of the new pre-session legislative budget panel would be transparent. This select group of legislators would apparently gain access to preliminary agency budget documents and meet with department officials to discuss spending requests. It’s possible legislators would observe executive branch meetings on agency budget appeals not open to the public.It wasn’t clear how state legislators running for reelection — House members have two-year terms, while Senate terms last four years — would participate in robust pre-session budget examinations during October before the general election in November.Rep. Will Carpenter, an El Dorado Republican, did suggest the Legislature move to a biennial budget format in which an expenditure plan for state government would be prepared and adopted for a two-year period. In 1993, a Kansas budget committee recommended 53 state agencies be moved to a biennial format. The 1994 Legislature passed a bill allowing 20 fee-funded agencies to work on a biennial basis.GOP Gov. Sam Brownback proposed a biennial budget for all state agencies for fiscal years 2016 and 2017. Kelly eliminated that approach for all agencies except those required to operate on two-year cycles under state law.The House, with 125 members, concentrates budgeting authority in the House Appropriations Committee. The House also runs six subject-based budget committees on higher education, K-12 schools, social services, transportation and safety, agriculture and natural resources and general government operations.The Senate has 40 members, but directs all budget work to the Senate Ways and Means Committee. The Senate has a system of subcommittees, but they’re not staffed and don’t operate like the subject-oriented standing House budget committees.“If we’re going to seriously evaluate the budget and dig and take a dive deeper, it would be helpful for us to have that discussion … about whether or not the Senate should go to that process as well,” said Sen. Carolyn McGinn, a Sedgwick Republican who has chaired the Senate budget committee.McGinn, who didn’t seek reelection in 2024, said she was concerned reform could speed consideration of the state budget in ways that limited the ability of Kansas to testify at the Capitol before the House or Senate.

Kansas GOP leaders drafting new roadmap for Legislature’s annual budgeting process

BARTON COUNTY —One person died in an accident that occurred just before 7p.m. Sunday in Barton County.

A 2021 Can Am Maverick driven by&nbsp;Kevin Seyfert, 62 of Hoisington, was traveling west of the baseball fields in an open field just outside the city limits in Hoisington., according to Sheriff Brian Bellendir.

The vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed when the operator attempted to make a sharp turn to the north. The vehicle went into a skid and overturned.&nbsp;Two of the three occupants including Seyfert were ejected.

Seyfert was transported to Clara Barton Hospital in Hoisington and then flown to a Wichita area hospital. He died of his injuries Monday afternoon, according to Bellendir.&nbsp;

The passengers were identified as Lavern Boxberger, 71, and Kenton Renz, 37 both of Hoisington.&nbsp; Renz was ejected from the vehicle and sustained serious injuries. Boxberger remained in the vehicle. Boxberger also sustained serious injuries although he was the only occupant that was properly restrained. Both passengers were later transferred to Wichita area hospitals by aircraft.

The Sheriff’s Office has not ruled out the possibility that alcohol was a contributing factor. The accident is still under investigation.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725376413886.png" alt="Photo Barton Co. Sheriff" />
 <figcaption>Photo Barton Co. Sheriff</figcaption>
 </figure>BARTON COUNTY —One person died in an accident that occurred just before 7p.m. Sunday in Barton County.A 2021 Can Am Maverick driven by&nbsp;Kevin Seyfert, 62 of Hoisington, was traveling west of the baseball fields in an open field just outside the city limits in Hoisington., according to Sheriff Brian Bellendir.The vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed when the operator attempted to make a sharp turn to the north. The vehicle went into a skid and overturned.&nbsp;Two of the three occupants including Seyfert were ejected.Seyfert was transported to Clara Barton Hospital in Hoisington and then flown to a Wichita area hospital. He died of his injuries Monday afternoon, according to Bellendir.&nbsp;The passengers were identified as Lavern Boxberger, 71, and Kenton Renz, 37 both of Hoisington.&nbsp; Renz was ejected from the vehicle and sustained serious injuries. Boxberger remained in the vehicle. Boxberger also sustained serious injuries although he was the only occupant that was properly restrained. Both passengers were later transferred to Wichita area hospitals by aircraft.The Sheriff’s Office has not ruled out the possibility that alcohol was a contributing factor. The accident is still under investigation.

Sheriff: Alcohol a possible factor in fatal Kansas UTV accident

GEARY COUNTY —Authorities have identified the victim who drowned Saturday at Milford State Park as 29-year old Pvt. Ismael Ouedraogo with 5/15th Cec-A , according to officials at Fort Riley.

The Geary County Sheriff’s Office and Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks responded to the drowning at the south boat ramp, swim beach located in the Milford State Park, according to a media release.

Bystanders located Ouedraogo who was reported being under water for more than 10 minutes and began CPR.

Upon arrival of EMS he was pronounced deceased.&nbsp;&nbsp;

GEARY COUNTY —Authorities have identified the victim who drowned Saturday at Milford State Park as 29-year old Pvt. Ismael Ouedraogo with 5/15th Cec-A , according to officials at Fort Riley.The Geary County Sheriff’s Office and Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks responded to the drowning at the south boat ramp, swim beach located in the Milford State Park, according to a media release.Bystanders located Ouedraogo who was reported being under water for more than 10 minutes and began CPR.Upon arrival of EMS he was pronounced deceased.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Officials ID drowning victim at Milford State Park

RILEY COUNTY —The Riley County Police Department is actively investigating an incident that occurred near the Aggieville district in the early morning hours of Friday, August 30, in which a young woman sustained injuries.

The initial report received by police indicated the young woman was found in the 800 block of Laramie Street after walking home from a local establishment, according to a media release.

&nbsp;Police are reviewing surveillance footage from Aggieville and surrounding areas and are following up on any leads to determine the cause of the woman's injuries. Police encourage anyone who may have witnessed this incident or has any information to come forward and assist with the investigation. 

Tips may be called in directly to RCPD using 785-537-2112 or you can always contact Crime Stoppers at 785-539-7777 or toll-free at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Using Crime Stoppers allows you to remain anonymous.

"We understand the concerns that have been raised on social media regarding the safety of our community. It is important to note that based on the information available at this time, there is no evidence to suggest there is an ongoing threat to the public."&nbsp;

"While we take all reports seriously, it is critical to rely on verified information rather than speculation."&nbsp;

"At this time, we want to clarify that this incident is under investigation and we are working diligently to gather all relevant information."

"As the investigation progresses, we will provide updates as appropriate. We ask the community to allow our officers the time to thoroughly investigate this matter."

"Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our community, and we are dedicated to ensuring that all facts are accurately represented."

RILEY COUNTY —The Riley County Police Department is actively investigating an incident that occurred near the Aggieville district in the early morning hours of Friday, August 30, in which a young woman sustained injuries.The initial report received by police indicated the young woman was found in the 800 block of Laramie Street after walking home from a local establishment, according to a media release.&nbsp;Police are reviewing surveillance footage from Aggieville and surrounding areas and are following up on any leads to determine the cause of the woman's injuries. Police encourage anyone who may have witnessed this incident or has any information to come forward and assist with the investigation. Tips may be called in directly to RCPD using 785-537-2112 or you can always contact Crime Stoppers at 785-539-7777 or toll-free at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Using Crime Stoppers allows you to remain anonymous."We understand the concerns that have been raised on social media regarding the safety of our community. It is important to note that based on the information available at this time, there is no evidence to suggest there is an ongoing threat to the public."&nbsp;"While we take all reports seriously, it is critical to rely on verified information rather than speculation."&nbsp;"At this time, we want to clarify that this incident is under investigation and we are working diligently to gather all relevant information." "As the investigation progresses, we will provide updates as appropriate. We ask the community to allow our officers the time to thoroughly investigate this matter." "Our priority remains the safety and well-being of our community, and we are dedicated to ensuring that all facts are accurately represented."

Police asks for help with Aggieville incident that injured woman

KANSAS CITY— Two people were injured in a small plane crash that occurred just after 8:30a.m. Monday in Lafayette County, Missouri, approximately 35 miles east of Kansas City.

According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a two-seat, single-engine Zenith CH 601XLB airplane was eastbound after taking off from the Grain Valley airport.&nbsp;

Just before 9a.m., the aircraft made an emergency landing near Highway 131 and Oakwood Drive in Odessa, according to the patrol. The pilot and a passenger had minor injuries.

The FAA and NTSB are investigating. The name of the pilot has not been released.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725306244026.png" alt="Small plane crash on Labor Day-Photo courtesy KMBC" />
 <figcaption>Small plane crash on Labor Day-Photo courtesy KMBC</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY— Two people were injured in a small plane crash that occurred just after 8:30a.m. Monday in Lafayette County, Missouri, approximately 35 miles east of Kansas City.According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, a two-seat, single-engine Zenith CH 601XLB airplane was eastbound after taking off from the Grain Valley airport.&nbsp;Just before 9a.m., the aircraft made an emergency landing near Highway 131 and Oakwood Drive in Odessa, according to the patrol. The pilot and a passenger had minor injuries.The FAA and NTSB are investigating. The name of the pilot has not been released.

Small plane forced to makes emergency landing near Kansas City

POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY —Law enforcement had good news to report on Tuesday.&nbsp;

Two dinosaur statues, stolen overnight August 31 - September 1, have been recovered, according to Wamego Police. On Sunday police reported a citizen offered a reward for information leading to the recovery of the statues, according to a social media report.

Thanks to a tip received by Officer Albin and with assistance from SMPD Sergeant Wood the dinosaurs were recovered. Police have not reported an arrest or additional details.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725372209389.png" alt="-Photo Wamego Police" />
 <figcaption>-Photo Wamego Police</figcaption>
 </figure>POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY —Law enforcement had good news to report on Tuesday.&nbsp;Two dinosaur statues, stolen overnight August 31 - September 1, have been recovered, according to Wamego Police. On Sunday police reported a citizen offered a reward for information leading to the recovery of the statues, according to a social media report.Thanks to a tip received by Officer Albin and with assistance from SMPD Sergeant Wood the dinosaurs were recovered. Police have not reported an arrest or additional details.

Tip helps Kansas officers recover stolen dinosaur statues

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating another homicide in Kansas City.

Just after 9:30a.m. September 1, police were dispatched to an assault in the 4100 block of North Brighton Avenue in Kansas City, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'.&nbsp;

First responders found 78-year-old Harold Alderson lying on the concrete with apparent head trauma.

A witness at the scene told officers that an adult male suspect had been in a verbal argument with Alderson that turned physical. During the argument, the 78-year-old fell and hit his head.

EMS transported Alderson to a nearby hospital in critical condition.&nbsp; Just before 4 p.m., homicide detectives were notified that he had died from his injuries. Police are currently working to identify a person of interest identified by witnesses at the scene.&nbsp;&nbsp;

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating another homicide in Kansas City.Just after 9:30a.m. September 1, police were dispatched to an assault in the 4100 block of North Brighton Avenue in Kansas City, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'.&nbsp;First responders found 78-year-old Harold Alderson lying on the concrete with apparent head trauma.A witness at the scene told officers that an adult male suspect had been in a verbal argument with Alderson that turned physical. During the argument, the 78-year-old fell and hit his head.EMS transported Alderson to a nearby hospital in critical condition.&nbsp; Just before 4 p.m., homicide detectives were notified that he had died from his injuries. Police are currently working to identify a person of interest identified by witnesses at the scene.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Homicide:  78-year-old KC man dies after argument led to fall

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish authorities on Monday detained 15 members of an anti-American youth organization who physically assaulted two U.S. military personnel in the city of Izmir, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.

The agency said members of the Turkish Youth Union, which is affiliated with the Patriotic Party — a small, nationalist political party without parliament seats — were detained on the orders of a prosecutor.

The U.S. Embassy confirmed the incident, saying service members on board the USS Wasp were “now safe.”

“We are troubled by this assault on U.S. service members and are appreciative that Turkish police are taking this matter seriously and holding those responsible accountable,” National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said.

The group posted a video of the incident on social media platform X and said they placed sacks over the heads of soldiers who had disembarked from the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Wasp.

The video shows a group of men yelling, “Yankee go home!” while restraining a man and attempting to put a sack over his head.

“The U.S. soldiers who carry the blood of our soldiers and thousands of Palestinians on their hands cannot pollute our country,” the group said on X.

The USS Wasp arrived in Izmir on Sunday after conducting joint training with Turkish assault ships in the Mediterranean.

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish authorities on Monday detained 15 members of an anti-American youth organization who physically assaulted two U.S. military personnel in the city of Izmir, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.The agency said members of the Turkish Youth Union, which is affiliated with the Patriotic Party — a small, nationalist political party without parliament seats — were detained on the orders of a prosecutor.The U.S. Embassy confirmed the incident, saying service members on board the USS Wasp were “now safe.”<div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fusdos.turkey%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0zpiVr1spf3bUChTKpjj8Qg7Za7WTD7AvX6mGfXbAwLs31wBVsoxDunNGps9UTcCVl&show_text=true&width=500" width="500" height="317" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" allow="autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; picture-in-picture; web-share"></iframe></div>“We are troubled by this assault on U.S. service members and are appreciative that Turkish police are taking this matter seriously and holding those responsible accountable,” National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said.The group posted a video of the incident on social media platform X and said they placed sacks over the heads of soldiers who had disembarked from the U.S. Navy amphibious assault ship USS Wasp.The video shows a group of men yelling, “Yankee go home!” while restraining a man and attempting to put a sack over his head.“The U.S. soldiers who carry the blood of our soldiers and thousands of Palestinians on their hands cannot pollute our country,” the group said on X.The USS Wasp arrived in Izmir on Sunday after conducting joint training with Turkish assault ships in the Mediterranean.

15 detained after 2 US Marines assaulted in Turkey

ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating an incident on the Missouri River in Atchison County and have made an arrest.

Shortly after 7p.m. September 1, officers responded to report of a boating accident in the 200 block River Road in Atchison County, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson 

The report indicated a boating accident had occurred involving a small fishing boat that had been traveling south on the river and a northbound barge. The Atchison Fire Department’s boat and the Atchison County Rescue boat also responded.

It was determined that on board on the small fishing boat were two individuals. Operating the boat was Marvin L. Reese, 50, Atchison. A passenger on the boat was identified as Chandler A. Reese, 21, Atchison. 

Witnesses reported seeing the fishing boat collide with the front of the&nbsp; barge. Both occupants on the boat and the vessel went underneath the barge. 

Both men were able to surface and were rescued.&nbsp; A private boater rescued one of the men and the barge rescued the other. They were not injured, according to Wilson.

Kansas Wildlife and Parks officers&nbsp; responded to the scene and investigated the incident.&nbsp; As a result of the investigation, officers f Marvin Reese on requested charges of operating a watercraft while intoxicated. Officials located the fishing boat a short distance down stream.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725327212373.png" alt="Reese from an earlier arrest in Atchison Co." />
 <figcaption>Reese from an earlier arrest in Atchison Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>ATCHISON COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating an incident on the Missouri River in Atchison County and have made an arrest.Shortly after 7p.m. September 1, officers responded to report of a boating accident in the 200 block River Road in Atchison County, according to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson The report indicated a boating accident had occurred involving a small fishing boat that had been traveling south on the river and a northbound barge. The Atchison Fire Department’s boat and the Atchison County Rescue boat also responded.It was determined that on board on the small fishing boat were two individuals. Operating the boat was Marvin L. Reese, 50, Atchison. A passenger on the boat was identified as Chandler A. Reese, 21, Atchison. Witnesses reported seeing the fishing boat collide with the front of the&nbsp; barge. Both occupants on the boat and the vessel went underneath the barge. Both men were able to surface and were rescued.&nbsp; A private boater rescued one of the men and the barge rescued the other. They were not injured, according to Wilson.Kansas Wildlife and Parks officers&nbsp; responded to the scene and investigated the incident.&nbsp; As a result of the investigation, officers f Marvin Reese on requested charges of operating a watercraft while intoxicated. Officials located the fishing boat a short distance down stream.

Kansas man arrested after fishing boat, barge collide 

DAMASCUS —U.S. forces, partnered with Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and captured an ISIS leader, who was assessed as helping ISIS fighters after escape from a Raqqah Detention Facility in Syria, according to statement from the U.S. Central Command.

During the early morning hours of Sept. 1, U.S. forces and SDF captured Khaled Ahmed al-Dandal, an ISIS facilitator assessed to be aiding efforts of detained ISIS fighters to include recently escaped fighters.

Previously, on Aug. 29, five ISIS Foreign Terrorist Fighter detainees (Two Russians, two Afghans, and one Libyan) escaped from the Raqqah Detention Facility. SDF recaptured two escapees: Imam Abdulwahed Akhwan (Russian) and Muhammad Noh Muhammad (Libyan). The search continues for the three who remain at large: Timor Talbrken Abdash (Russian) and Shuab Muhammad Al-Abdli and Atal Khaled Zar (both Afghans).

A primary objective of ISIS remains to free their fighters currently held in detention and subsequently fuel an ISIS revival. CENTCOM forces, in coordination with SDF, will continue to mitigate threats of future escapes and to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS.

“Over 9,000 ISIS detainees remain in over 20 SDF detention facilities in Syria, a literal and figurative ‘ISIS Army’ in detention. If a large number of these ISIS fighters escaped, it would pose an extreme danger to the region and beyond. We will continue to work with the international community to repatriate these ISIS fighters to their countries of origin for final adjudication,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, Commander, U.S. Central Command.

CENTCOM remains committed to supporting our SDF partners to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS and to promote regional stability.

DAMASCUS —U.S. forces, partnered with Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and captured an ISIS leader, who was assessed as helping ISIS fighters after escape from a Raqqah Detention Facility in Syria, according to statement from the U.S. Central Command.During the early morning hours of Sept. 1, U.S. forces and SDF captured Khaled Ahmed al-Dandal, an ISIS facilitator assessed to be aiding efforts of detained ISIS fighters to include recently escaped fighters.Previously, on Aug. 29, five ISIS Foreign Terrorist Fighter detainees (Two Russians, two Afghans, and one Libyan) escaped from the Raqqah Detention Facility. SDF recaptured two escapees: Imam Abdulwahed Akhwan (Russian) and Muhammad Noh Muhammad (Libyan). The search continues for the three who remain at large: Timor Talbrken Abdash (Russian) and Shuab Muhammad Al-Abdli and Atal Khaled Zar (both Afghans).<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725315215033.png" alt="-On Monday, President Biden and VP Harris met in the Situation Room with the U.S. hostage deal negotiation team following the murder of American&nbsp; Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages by Hamas. -White House photo" />
 <figcaption>-On Monday, President Biden and VP Harris met in the Situation Room with the U.S. hostage deal negotiation team following the murder of American&nbsp; Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five other hostages by Hamas. -White House photo</figcaption>
 </figure>A primary objective of ISIS remains to free their fighters currently held in detention and subsequently fuel an ISIS revival. CENTCOM forces, in coordination with SDF, will continue to mitigate threats of future escapes and to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS.“Over 9,000 ISIS detainees remain in over 20 SDF detention facilities in Syria, a literal and figurative ‘ISIS Army’ in detention. If a large number of these ISIS fighters escaped, it would pose an extreme danger to the region and beyond. We will continue to work with the international community to repatriate these ISIS fighters to their countries of origin for final adjudication,” said Gen. Michael Erik Kurilla, Commander, U.S. Central Command.CENTCOM remains committed to supporting our SDF partners to ensure the enduring defeat of ISIS and to promote regional stability.

US troops capture ISIS leader in Syria linked to prison break

LOS ANGELES (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/james-darren">James Darren,</a>&nbsp;a teen idol who helped ignite the 1960s surfing craze as a charismatic beach boy paired off with Sandra Dee in the hit film “Gidget,” died Monday at 88.

Darren died in his sleep at a Los Angeles hospital, his son Jim Moret told news outlets.

Moret told The Hollywood Reporter that Darren was supposed have had an aortic valve replacement but was too weak for the surgery. “I always thought he would pull through,” his son told the entertainment trade, “because he was so cool. He was always cool.”

In his long career, Darren acted, sang and built up a successful behind-the-scenes career as a television director, helming episodes of such well-known series as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shannen-doherty-dies-65b9678241e44d0497e7d24baee49cb5">“Beverly Hills 90210”</a>&nbsp;and “Melrose Place.” In the 1980s, he was Officer Jim Corrigan on the television cop show “T.J. Hooker.”

But to young movie fans of the late 1950s, he would be remembered best as Moondoggie, the dark-haired surfer boy in the smash 1959 release “Gidget.” Dee starred as the title character, a spunky Southern Californian who hits the beach and eventually falls in love with Moondoggie.

“I was in love with Sandra,” Darren later recalled. “I thought that she was absolutely perfect as Gidget. She had tremendous charm.”

The film was based on a novel that a California man, Frederick Kohner, had written&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/61b5d7ae9d854f27871df505947ff26e">about his own teenage daughter</a>&nbsp;and helped spur interest in surfing — one that influenced pop music, slang and even fashion.

For Darren, his success with teen fans led to a recording contract, as it did with many young actors at the time, among them&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/65df2888398f471ea7a08824d46d3264">Tab Hunter</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-movies-9b6a5876399f43b397e4c8fd2f40b474">Annette Funicello.</a>&nbsp;Two of Darren's singles, “Goodbye Cruel World” and “Her Royal Majesty,” reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. (“Goodbye Cruel World” also appeared in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-toronto-movies-film-festivals-steven-spielberg-7cb046cf458d033013f571f51905cea3">Steven Spielberg's 2022 semi-autobiographical film, “The Fabelmans.”</a>&nbsp;) Other singles included “Gidget” and “Angel Face.”

Darren was the only “Gidget” cast member who appeared in both its sequels, 1961's “Gidget Goes Hawaiian” and 1963's “Gidget Goes to Rome.” Dee was replaced by Deborah Walley in the second film and Cindy Carol in the third. (“Gidget” later became a television show,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/movies-93f107cc941d422995d84ecc08760828">launching the career of Sally Field.</a>&nbsp;)

“They had me under contract; I was a prisoner,” Darren told Entertainment Weekly in 2004. “But with those lovely young ladies, it was the best prison I think I'll ever be in.”

As a contract player at Columbia Studios, Darren appeared in grown-up films, too, including “The Brothers Rico,” “Operation Meatball” and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-greece-movies-athens-83b241011246cd841fc862e8b3959a73">“The Guns of Navarone.”</a>

By the mid-'60s, when Darren appeared in “For Those Who Think Young” and “The Lively Set,” his big-screen acting career was almost over. He appeared in just a handful of movies after the 1960s ended, last appearing in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/movies-general-news-f392cccf965443e3b0b88a2969be9bcf">2017's “Lucky,”</a>&nbsp;directed by John Carroll Lynch.

But he remained active on television, appearing as a lead on the sci-fi show&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/murfreesboro-bruce-lee-tn-state-wire-entertainment-tennessee-740c524a090174151403a1aa69b022b9">“The Time Tunnel”</a>&nbsp;in the late 1960s, and doing guest spots and small recurring roles in TV shows such as “The Love Boat,” “Hawaii Five-O” and “Fantasy Island.”

Darren was a series regular for four seasons of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lifestyle-arts-and-entertainment-jeff-bezos-william-shatner-78800f892f5252e2c6d254a598753970">William Shatner-starrer</a>&nbsp;“T.J. Hooker” in the 1980s. While appearing on the show, he noticed that no director was listed for an upcoming sequence and asked if he could try out for it.

“When it was shown, I got several offers to direct,” he told the New York Daily News. “Soon I was getting so many offers to direct, I kind of gave up acting and singing.”

For almost two years, Darren directed episodes of “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “Hunter,” “Melrose Place,” “Beverly Hills 90210” and other series. He returned to acting in the 1990s with small roles in “Melrose Place” and “Star Trek, Deep Space Nine.”

Darren was born James Ercolani in 1936 and grew up in South Philadelphia, not far from such fellow teen idols of the 1950s and ’60s as Fabian and Frankie Avalon. Singing came easy to him, and at 14 he was appearing in local nightclubs.

“From the age of 5 or 6 I knew I wanted to be an entertainer, or famous maybe,” he said in a 2003 interview with the News-Press of Fort Myers, Florida. He noted that such luminaries as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/movies-general-news-fceb9316de814de5a3ef7eae7f2b2d6c">Eddie Fisher</a>&nbsp;and Al Martino had lived in the same area as he did, “a real neighborhood. It made you feel you could be successful, too.”

According to a 1958 Los Angeles Times profile, he got a break when he went to New York to get some pictures taken and the photographer's office put him in touch with a talent scout.

He was soon signed by Columbia Pictures, and the newspaper said that after a few appearances, his fan mail at the studio was running “second only to Kim Novak's. ... The studio now feels that the young man is ready to hit the jackpot.”

Darren married his first wife, Gloria, in 1955 and together had Moret, an “Inside Edition” correspondent and former CNN anchorman. After a divorce he married Evy Norlund, who came to the U.S. as the Danish entry in the Miss Universe contest. They had two sons, Christian and Anthony.

He was also the godfather of Nancy Sinatra's daughter A.J. Lambert. Sinatra, his “For Those Who Think Young” co-star, posted The Hollywood Reporter obituary on her X page, with a broken heart emoji.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725357314829.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>LOS ANGELES (AP) —&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/hub/james-darren">James Darren,</a>&nbsp;a teen idol who helped ignite the 1960s surfing craze as a charismatic beach boy paired off with Sandra Dee in the hit film “Gidget,” died Monday at 88.Darren died in his sleep at a Los Angeles hospital, his son Jim Moret told news outlets.Moret told The Hollywood Reporter that Darren was supposed have had an aortic valve replacement but was too weak for the surgery. “I always thought he would pull through,” his son told the entertainment trade, “because he was so cool. He was always cool.”In his long career, Darren acted, sang and built up a successful behind-the-scenes career as a television director, helming episodes of such well-known series as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/shannen-doherty-dies-65b9678241e44d0497e7d24baee49cb5">“Beverly Hills 90210”</a>&nbsp;and “Melrose Place.” In the 1980s, he was Officer Jim Corrigan on the television cop show “T.J. Hooker.”But to young movie fans of the late 1950s, he would be remembered best as Moondoggie, the dark-haired surfer boy in the smash 1959 release “Gidget.” Dee starred as the title character, a spunky Southern Californian who hits the beach and eventually falls in love with Moondoggie.“I was in love with Sandra,” Darren later recalled. “I thought that she was absolutely perfect as Gidget. She had tremendous charm.”The film was based on a novel that a California man, Frederick Kohner, had written&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/61b5d7ae9d854f27871df505947ff26e">about his own teenage daughter</a>&nbsp;and helped spur interest in surfing — one that influenced pop music, slang and even fashion.For Darren, his success with teen fans led to a recording contract, as it did with many young actors at the time, among them&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/65df2888398f471ea7a08824d46d3264">Tab Hunter</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/general-news-movies-9b6a5876399f43b397e4c8fd2f40b474">Annette Funicello.</a>&nbsp;Two of Darren's singles, “Goodbye Cruel World” and “Her Royal Majesty,” reached the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. (“Goodbye Cruel World” also appeared in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-toronto-movies-film-festivals-steven-spielberg-7cb046cf458d033013f571f51905cea3">Steven Spielberg's 2022 semi-autobiographical film, “The Fabelmans.”</a>&nbsp;) Other singles included “Gidget” and “Angel Face.”Darren was the only “Gidget” cast member who appeared in both its sequels, 1961's “Gidget Goes Hawaiian” and 1963's “Gidget Goes to Rome.” Dee was replaced by Deborah Walley in the second film and Cindy Carol in the third. (“Gidget” later became a television show,&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/movies-93f107cc941d422995d84ecc08760828">launching the career of Sally Field.</a>&nbsp;)“They had me under contract; I was a prisoner,” Darren told Entertainment Weekly in 2004. “But with those lovely young ladies, it was the best prison I think I'll ever be in.”As a contract player at Columbia Studios, Darren appeared in grown-up films, too, including “The Brothers Rico,” “Operation Meatball” and&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/entertainment-greece-movies-athens-83b241011246cd841fc862e8b3959a73">“The Guns of Navarone.”</a>By the mid-'60s, when Darren appeared in “For Those Who Think Young” and “The Lively Set,” his big-screen acting career was almost over. He appeared in just a handful of movies after the 1960s ended, last appearing in&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/movies-general-news-f392cccf965443e3b0b88a2969be9bcf">2017's “Lucky,”</a>&nbsp;directed by John Carroll Lynch.But he remained active on television, appearing as a lead on the sci-fi show&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/murfreesboro-bruce-lee-tn-state-wire-entertainment-tennessee-740c524a090174151403a1aa69b022b9">“The Time Tunnel”</a>&nbsp;in the late 1960s, and doing guest spots and small recurring roles in TV shows such as “The Love Boat,” “Hawaii Five-O” and “Fantasy Island.”Darren was a series regular for four seasons of the&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-lifestyle-arts-and-entertainment-jeff-bezos-william-shatner-78800f892f5252e2c6d254a598753970">William Shatner-starrer</a>&nbsp;“T.J. Hooker” in the 1980s. While appearing on the show, he noticed that no director was listed for an upcoming sequence and asked if he could try out for it.“When it was shown, I got several offers to direct,” he told the New York Daily News. “Soon I was getting so many offers to direct, I kind of gave up acting and singing.”For almost two years, Darren directed episodes of “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “Hunter,” “Melrose Place,” “Beverly Hills 90210” and other series. He returned to acting in the 1990s with small roles in “Melrose Place” and “Star Trek, Deep Space Nine.”Darren was born James Ercolani in 1936 and grew up in South Philadelphia, not far from such fellow teen idols of the 1950s and ’60s as Fabian and Frankie Avalon. Singing came easy to him, and at 14 he was appearing in local nightclubs.“From the age of 5 or 6 I knew I wanted to be an entertainer, or famous maybe,” he said in a 2003 interview with the News-Press of Fort Myers, Florida. He noted that such luminaries as&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/movies-general-news-fceb9316de814de5a3ef7eae7f2b2d6c">Eddie Fisher</a>&nbsp;and Al Martino had lived in the same area as he did, “a real neighborhood. It made you feel you could be successful, too.”According to a 1958 Los Angeles Times profile, he got a break when he went to New York to get some pictures taken and the photographer's office put him in touch with a talent scout.He was soon signed by Columbia Pictures, and the newspaper said that after a few appearances, his fan mail at the studio was running “second only to Kim Novak's. ... The studio now feels that the young man is ready to hit the jackpot.”Darren married his first wife, Gloria, in 1955 and together had Moret, an “Inside Edition” correspondent and former CNN anchorman. After a divorce he married Evy Norlund, who came to the U.S. as the Danish entry in the Miss Universe contest. They had two sons, Christian and Anthony.He was also the godfather of Nancy Sinatra's daughter A.J. Lambert. Sinatra, his “For Those Who Think Young” co-star, posted The Hollywood Reporter obituary on her X page, with a broken heart emoji.

James Darren, 'Gidget' teen idol, singer and director, dies at 88

KANSAS CITY —Officials are investigating the cause of a Labor Day house fire in Kansas City.

Just after 1p.m., crews responded to a fire at a home in the 500 block of Lawndale, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.

First arriving crews reported heavy fire and smoke from a single-story residence. An offensive interior attack was initiated to included searches of the home.

The searches came back all clear. The fire was extremely advanced and was impeding on the house to the south. Crews had to stretch additional lines to extinguish and protect that home.&nbsp; 

The fire spread through the attic and broke through the roof leading to a temporary evacuation and defensive operation. Crews were able to get the fire under control after approximately 30 minutes. There were no injuries reported.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725310927576.png" alt="Photos Kansas City Fire Department" />
 <figcaption>Photos Kansas City Fire Department</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Officials are investigating the cause of a Labor Day house fire in Kansas City.Just after 1p.m., crews responded to a fire at a home in the 500 block of Lawndale, according to Battalion Chief Michael Hopkins.First arriving crews reported heavy fire and smoke from a single-story residence. An offensive interior attack was initiated to included searches of the home.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725310961834.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>The searches came back all clear. The fire was extremely advanced and was impeding on the house to the south. Crews had to stretch additional lines to extinguish and protect that home.&nbsp; The fire spread through the attic and broke through the roof leading to a temporary evacuation and defensive operation. Crews were able to get the fire under control after approximately 30 minutes. There were no injuries reported.

Cause of Labor Day house fire in Kansas City under investigation

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating three suspect on multiple allegations after a drug bust at at Kansas home.

Just before 8p.m. August 29, police&nbsp;executed a narcotics search warrant at a home in the 400 block of SW Western Avenue in Topeka, according to a media release.&nbsp; While conducting the search warrant, officers located illegal firearms, narcotics and drug paraphernalia and illegal firearms.

As a result of the investigation, the following individuals were arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections.

Johnny R. Riis, 58, of Topeka is being held on requested charges of Possession of opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant; Use/possess w/intent to use drug paraphernalia into human body and Criminal use of weapons; Poss of firearm by person addicted/use contr sub.

Staci A. Stahlheber, 43, of Topeka is jailed on requested charges of Possession of opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant; Use/possess w/intent to use drug paraphernalia into human body and Criminal use of weapons; Poss of firearm by person addicted/use contr sub.

Christine E. Wyatt, 44, of Topeka is in custody on requested charges of Interference with LEO; obstruct/resist/oppose felony warrant service or execution.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725207827642.png" alt="Wyatt photo Shawnee Co." />
 <figcaption>Wyatt photo Shawnee Co.</figcaption>
 </figure>SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement are investigating three suspect on multiple allegations after a drug bust at at Kansas home.Just before 8p.m. August 29, police&nbsp;executed a narcotics search warrant at a home in the 400 block of SW Western Avenue in Topeka, according to a media release.&nbsp; While conducting the search warrant, officers located illegal firearms, narcotics and drug paraphernalia and illegal firearms.As a result of the investigation, the following individuals were arrested and booked into the Shawnee County Department of Corrections.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725208181254.png" alt="Riis photo Shawnee County." />
 <figcaption>Riis photo Shawnee County.</figcaption>
 </figure>Johnny R. Riis, 58, of Topeka is being held on requested charges of Possession of opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant; Use/possess w/intent to use drug paraphernalia into human body and Criminal use of weapons; Poss of firearm by person addicted/use contr sub.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725207918632.png" alt="Stahlheber photo Shawnee County" />
 <figcaption>Stahlheber photo Shawnee County</figcaption>
 </figure>Staci A. Stahlheber, 43, of Topeka is jailed on requested charges of Possession of opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant; Use/possess w/intent to use drug paraphernalia into human body and Criminal use of weapons; Poss of firearm by person addicted/use contr sub.Christine E. Wyatt, 44, of Topeka is in custody on requested charges of Interference with LEO; obstruct/resist/oppose felony warrant service or execution.

Police recover illegal firearms during drug bust at Kansas home

KANSAS CITY —Two people died in an accident just before 8:30p.m. Sunday in Kansas City.

According to Kansas City Police Captain Jake Becchina, a Mitsubishi Outlander was eastbound on Parvin Road. at a high rate of speed. For reasons unknown, the SUV crossed the double yellow lines and struck a westbound Ford Transit van head-on.

 The unrestrained driver of the Mitsubishi was declared deceased at the scene. EMS transported two juvenile passengers of the Mitsubishi, the driver of the Ford and an adult. and juvenile passengers of the Ford&nbsp; to a local hospital.&nbsp; The driver of the Ford was later pronounced deceased. The others had non-life-threatening injuries,

&nbsp;This is Fatalities #65 and #66 compared to #61 at this time last year, according to Becchina.

KANSAS CITY —Two people died in an accident just before 8:30p.m. Sunday in Kansas City.According to Kansas City Police Captain Jake Becchina, a Mitsubishi Outlander was eastbound on Parvin Road. at a high rate of speed. For reasons unknown, the SUV crossed the double yellow lines and struck a westbound Ford Transit van head-on. The unrestrained driver of the Mitsubishi was declared deceased at the scene. EMS transported two juvenile passengers of the Mitsubishi, the driver of the Ford and an adult. and juvenile passengers of the Ford&nbsp; to a local hospital.&nbsp; The driver of the Ford was later pronounced deceased. The others had non-life-threatening injuries,&nbsp;This is Fatalities #65 and #66 compared to #61 at this time last year, according to Becchina.

2 adults killed, multiple children hurt in head-on Kansas City crash

DICKINSON COUNTY —A Salina church group is safely home after the assistance of the Kansas Highway Patrol and a tire shop in Abilene.

According to a social media report, "KHP Trooper Mullins encountered a situation that reminds us all of the importance of being prepared. 

Just before 8:30a.m. Monday, Trooper Mullins pulled up to a bus stranded in the&nbsp; median just east of the Chapman exit on Interstate 70 in Dickinson county. The bus, carrying about 20 members of a church group from Salina, had blown both front tires while returning home from Kentucky.

Despite calls to several wreckers, no one had the equipment to tow the bus. Trooper Mullins advised the group to arrange rides for the passengers and reached out to <a href="https://www.donstire.net/">Don’s Tire in Abilene.</a> Even on his holiday off, a gentleman from<a href="https://www.donstire.net/"> Don’s Tire </a>stepped up to change the tires, ensuring everyone got home safely. After six hours of traffic control by Trooper Mullins, the bus was back on the road.

This incident is a reminder to always check your vehicles—whether big or small—before embarking on trips. 

"A special thank you to Trooper Mullins for his dedication and to <a href="https://www.donstire.net/">Don’s Tire</a> for going above and beyond."

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725314134853.png" alt="--Photos KHP" />
 <figcaption>--Photos KHP</figcaption>
 </figure>DICKINSON COUNTY —A Salina church group is safely home after the assistance of the Kansas Highway Patrol and a tire shop in Abilene.According to a social media report, "KHP Trooper Mullins encountered a situation that reminds us all of the importance of being prepared. Just before 8:30a.m. Monday, Trooper Mullins pulled up to a bus stranded in the&nbsp; median just east of the Chapman exit on Interstate 70 in Dickinson county. The bus, carrying about 20 members of a church group from Salina, had blown both front tires while returning home from Kentucky.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725314365635.png" alt="--Don's Tire in Abilene stepped up to help on Labor Day-photo KHP" />
 <figcaption>--Don's Tire in Abilene stepped up to help on Labor Day-photo KHP</figcaption>
 </figure>Despite calls to several wreckers, no one had the equipment to tow the bus. Trooper Mullins advised the group to arrange rides for the passengers and reached out to <a href="https://www.donstire.net/">Don’s Tire in Abilene.</a> Even on his holiday off, a gentleman from<a href="https://www.donstire.net/"> Don’s Tire </a>stepped up to change the tires, ensuring everyone got home safely. After six hours of traffic control by Trooper Mullins, the bus was back on the road.<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/9/1725314084496.png" alt="" />
 <figcaption></figcaption>
 </figure>This incident is a reminder to always check your vehicles—whether big or small—before embarking on trips. "A special thank you to Trooper Mullins for his dedication and to <a href="https://www.donstire.net/">Don’s Tire</a> for going above and beyond."

Kan. church group home safely thanks to KHP, Abilene tire shop

KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating another homicide in Kansas City have identified the victim as 39-year-old&nbsp;Antonio Collins.

Just before 8p.m. Friday, police reported&nbsp;to report of a shooting a wooded near 22nd and 71 Highway, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'.

First responders located Collins suffering from gunshot wounds. EMS pronounced him dead at the scene, according to&nbsp;KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.

Police are investigating this incident as a homicide. Detectives canvassed the area for witnesses, evidence and surveillance footage to determine what led up to this shooting.

If anyone has any information, KCPD is asking that they contact homicide detectives at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS. The reward is up to $25,000 for any information submitted.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724776831597.png" alt="Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'" />
 <figcaption>Photo Sheriff Daryl Forte'</figcaption>
 </figure>KANSAS CITY —Law enforcement investigating another homicide in Kansas City have identified the victim as 39-year-old&nbsp;Antonio Collins.Just before 8p.m. Friday, police reported&nbsp;to report of a shooting a wooded near 22nd and 71 Highway, according to Sheriff Daryl Forte'.First responders located Collins suffering from gunshot wounds. EMS pronounced him dead at the scene, according to&nbsp;KCPD Sergeant Phil DiMartino.Police are investigating this incident as a homicide. Detectives canvassed the area for witnesses, evidence and surveillance footage to determine what led up to this shooting.If anyone has any information, KCPD is asking that they contact homicide detectives at 816-234-5043 or the TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS. The reward is up to $25,000 for any information submitted.

Police ID homicide victim found in wooded area of Kansas City

TOPEKA — More than 100,000 Kansans have lost health care coverage through the state’s Medicaid program since April 2023 after the rocky “unwinding” of pandemic-era protections, but the agency in charge of the review has seen progress recently based on incremental changes.

The state’s review of eligibility for KanCare, as Medicaid is known in Kansas, was plagued by havoc in its early months. Before the review ended in May, the process smoothed, and officials have now determined an estimated 114,000 people lost their coverage, Christine Osterlund, the state’s Medicaid director, told the Legislature’s joint KanCare oversight committee Tuesday.

Recent efforts to rework the KanCare website, bolster text message and email communication systems and simplify the eligibility renewal process have made a difference, Osterlund said.

Average call center wait times peaked at 24 minutes in April 2023, and they were at their lowest in June at 13 seconds. The most recent data showed average wait times in July to be just less than one minute. The agency also reduced the number of unsigned eligibility renewal forms from 1.5% to 0.06% in about three months just by moving the order of the signature page up in the packet.

“These are some early results, but I think they’re indicative that we’re on the right track,” Osterlund said during Tuesday’s legislative hearing.

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicaid programs were required to keep people continuously enrolled until the end of the public health emergency unless the person moved away, died or requested to end coverage. During that time, enrollment in KanCare increased from 410,000 to 540,000 people.

When the protections ended March 31, 2023, the state began to review KanCare eligibility for the first time in three years. Early in the review, participants and providers experienced a communication breakdown, technology troubles and overall confusion with the renewal process, which resulted in&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/29/state-official-on-kansas-medicaid-unwinding-we-probably-couldve-done-a-better-job/">thousands unnecessarily losing their eligibility status</a>, critics said.

Osterlund predicted in February that between 110,000 and 120,000 Kansans would lose their eligibility, so the 114,000 was well within the agency’s margins, she said Tuesday. April data revealed that&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/06/12/24k-kansas-children-lose-health-insurance-in-medicaid-unwinding-review/">at least 24,000</a>&nbsp;people of the share that lost coverage were children.

<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2024/8/1724867565547.png" alt=" Kansas Medicaid director Christine Osterlund updates the Legislature’s Medicaid oversight committee on new initiatives to address a rocky rollback of pandemic-era protections. (Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector)" />
 <figcaption> Kansas Medicaid director Christine Osterlund updates the Legislature’s Medicaid oversight committee on new initiatives to address a rocky rollback of pandemic-era protections. (Anna Kaminski/Kansas Reflector)</figcaption>
 </figure>TOPEKA — More than 100,000 Kansans have lost health care coverage through the state’s Medicaid program since April 2023 after the rocky “unwinding” of pandemic-era protections, but the agency in charge of the review has seen progress recently based on incremental changes.The state’s review of eligibility for KanCare, as Medicaid is known in Kansas, was plagued by havoc in its early months. Before the review ended in May, the process smoothed, and officials have now determined an estimated 114,000 people lost their coverage, Christine Osterlund, the state’s Medicaid director, told the Legislature’s joint KanCare oversight committee Tuesday.Recent efforts to rework the KanCare website, bolster text message and email communication systems and simplify the eligibility renewal process have made a difference, Osterlund said.Average call center wait times peaked at 24 minutes in April 2023, and they were at their lowest in June at 13 seconds. The most recent data showed average wait times in July to be just less than one minute. The agency also reduced the number of unsigned eligibility renewal forms from 1.5% to 0.06% in about three months just by moving the order of the signature page up in the packet.“These are some early results, but I think they’re indicative that we’re on the right track,” Osterlund said during Tuesday’s legislative hearing.At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Medicaid programs were required to keep people continuously enrolled until the end of the public health emergency unless the person moved away, died or requested to end coverage. During that time, enrollment in KanCare increased from 410,000 to 540,000 people.When the protections ended March 31, 2023, the state began to review KanCare eligibility for the first time in three years. Early in the review, participants and providers experienced a communication breakdown, technology troubles and overall confusion with the renewal process, which resulted in&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2023/08/29/state-official-on-kansas-medicaid-unwinding-we-probably-couldve-done-a-better-job/">thousands unnecessarily losing their eligibility status</a>, critics said.Osterlund predicted in February that between 110,000 and 120,000 Kansans would lose their eligibility, so the 114,000 was well within the agency’s margins, she said Tuesday. April data revealed that&nbsp;<a href="https://kansasreflector.com/2024/06/12/24k-kansas-children-lose-health-insurance-in-medicaid-unwinding-review/">at least 24,000</a>&nbsp;people of the share that lost coverage were children.That data was based on old numbers, and a spokesperson for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, under which KanCare is housed, told Kansas Reflector unwinding data will no longer be regularly updated.