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Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson, R-Andover, speaks to fellow senators before the Senate's session, Wednesday, Feb. 7, 2024, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Masterson says some of the opposition to a pay raise for lawmakers taking effect next year is political grandstanding. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

Kansas lawmakers are allowing a 93% pay raise for themselves to take effect next year

By John Hanna - Associated Press

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach answers questions during a news conference about a new state law that defines male and female in state law so that transgender people can't change their driver's licenses and birth certificates to reflect their gender identities, Monday, June 26, 2023, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kansas. The number of people making those changes jumped more than 300% this year ahead of the new law taking effect. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

A judge has ordered Kansas to stop changing trans people’s sex listing on their driver’s licenses

By John Hanna - Associated Press

Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach answers questions during a news conference about a new state law that defines male and female in state law so that transgender people can't change their driver's licenses and birth certificates to reflect their gender identities, Monday, June 26, 2023, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kansas. The number of people making those changes jumped more than 300% this year ahead of the new law taking effect. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

Kansas attorney general sues to prevent transgender people from changing driver’s licenses

By John Hanna - Associated Press

Kansas state Rep. Marvin Robinson, D-Kansas City, explains why he switched his vote on a transgender athletes bill override following a vote in the House, April 5, 2023, in Topeka, Kan. On Monday, May 15, Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed money in the next state budget for a project in the Kansas City, Kan., district of a dissident Democratic lawmaker whose votes to override her vetoes were crucial to enacting new laws rolling back transgender rights and restricting abortion providers. (Evert Nelson/The Topeka Capital-Journal via AP, File)

Payback? Project funds axed after Kansas lawmaker defies governor on abortion, trans rights

By John Hanna - Associated Press

In this July 15, 2020 file photo, Jake LaTurner, current Kansas treasurer running for a congressional 2nd district seat, takes questions during a press conference at the GOP headquarters in Topeka. Freshman Kansas Rep. Steve Watkins is fighting to keep his seat in the state’s Republican primary Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020. Watkins hoped to overcome a challenge from State Treasurer LaTurner in the 2nd District in eastern Kansas. (Evert Nelson/The Topeka Capital-Journal via AP File)

Kansas man convicted of threatening to kill GOP congressman

By John Hanna - Associated Press

U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner, R-Kan., speaks to Republican volunteers during a campaign stop with other GOP candidates, Nov. 7. 2022, at a restaurant in Topeka, Kan. A criminal trial is set to start Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, for a northeastern Kansas man who federal prosecutors say developed a fixation on LaTurner and threatened to kill him, at a time when authorities have seen a sharp increase in threats to the nation's lawmakers and their families. (AP Photo/John Hanna, File)

Defendant: God issued threat to Kansas lawmaker through me

By John Hanna - Associated Press

U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner, R-Kan., speaks to Republican volunteers during a campaign stop with other GOP candidates, Nov. 7. 2022, at a restaurant in Topeka, Kan. A criminal trial is set to start Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, for a northeastern Kansas man who federal prosecutors say developed a fixation on LaTurner and threatened to kill him, at a time when authorities have seen a sharp increase in threats to the nation's lawmakers and their families. (AP Photo/John Hanna, File)

Man is own lawyer in trial over threat to Kansas lawmaker

By John Hanna - Associated Press

A long line of voters wraps around the Sedgwick County Historic Courthouse in Wichita, Kan., on the last day of early voting on Aug. 1, 2022. Kansas' top elections official warned voters Monday, Oct. 31, 2022, that text messages they were receiving could give them incorrect information about where to vote, but two national groups involved in the texting said they were not trying to confuse or mislead people. (Travis Heying/The Wichita Eagle via AP, File)

Texts to Kansas voters rile Democrats, top election official

By John Hanna - Associated Press

In this photo provided by Kelly Soderlund, shows Kelly working remotely from her home in Walnut Creek, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 2, 2021. Switching to a hybrid work model is ideal for people like Kelly Soderlund, a mother of two young children who works in offices in San Francisco and Palo Alto, California, for TripActions, which has about 1,200 employees worldwide. (Kelly Soderlund via AP) ** FILE **

U.S. workers decamp from cities to smaller towns via remote work

By Shen Wu Tan - The Washington Times

Kansas Senate Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop, R-Wichita, follows a discussion during a meeting of fellow GOP senators Wednesday, March 17, 2021, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Suellentrop is stepping away from most of his duties as majority leader following his arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence and attempting to flee law enforcement. (AP Photo/Andy Tsubasa Field)

Records: Kansas lawmaker’s blood alcohol twice legal limit

By MARGARET STAFFORD - Associated Press

FILE - In this Aug. 26, 2019 file photo, U.S. Rep. Steve Watkins, R-Kan., makes a point during a town hall meeting in Topeka, Kan. Watkins, a freshman congressman facing felony criminal charges over previously listing a UPS Inc. postal box as his residence on a state voter registration form, is stepping down temporarily from his House committee assignments. Watkins said Friday, July 17, 2020 that he is &quot;temporarily and voluntarily&quot; leaving the three committees on which he serves. House Republican conference's rules require members facing a potential felony conviction to leave their committee posts. (AP Photo/John Hanna File)

Kansas Rep. Watkins unseated after facing criminal charges

By JOHN HANNA - Associated Press

U.S. Rep. Steve Watkins, R-Kan., makes a point during a town hall meeting, Monday, Aug. 26, 2019, in Topeka, Kan. Watkins is getting heat from some frustrated constituents who want him to publicly endorse tougher gun-control measures in the wake of recent mass shootings. (AP Photo/John Hanna)

Steve Watkins, Kansas congressman, charged with illegal voting

Associated Press

FILE - In this May 29, 2020, file photo, demonstrators march in Oakland, Calif. protesting the death of George Floyd, a handcuffed black man in police custody in Minneapolis. The message from protesters around the United States is that George Floyd is the latest addition to a grim roster of African Americans to be killed by police or white civilians. (AP Photo/Noah Berger, File)

Protesters invoke different names to decry police treatment

By DON BABWIN - Associated Press

A pet store receives a delivery In Lawrence, Kan., Tuesday, March 24, 2020. The store offers curbside and delivery options to their customers. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

As virus cases surge, Kansas wants people home, feds to act

By JOHN HANNA and HEATHER HOLLINGSWORTH and MARGARET STAFFORD - Associated Press

GOP challenger LaTurner jabs Watkins on Middle East vote

Associated Press

Top Kansas court: Cities can raise age for buying tobacco

By JOHN HANNA - Associated Press

FILE - This 2005 file photo shows Leighton Mark. Mark, a photojournalist who taught himself to make pictures with one arm after he was wounded in 1984 while covering the civil war in Lebanon, has died. He was 67. (AP Photo)

Photographer Leighton Mark, shot in Beirut in 1984, has died

Associated Press

In this twisted world, making a joke about a guy who roughed up a reporter equals gang-torturing, killing and dismembering a reporter in a Turkish consulate. (Associated Press/File)

Mixing bravado and insults, Trump rallies delight supporters

By JILL COLVIN - Associated Press

In this twisted world, making a joke about a guy who roughed up a reporter equals gang-torturing, killing and dismembering a reporter in a Turkish consulate. (Associated Press/File)

Trump on rally blitz as he tries to stave off Dem gains

By JILL COLVIN - Associated Press

Kansas House Taxation Committee Steven Johnson, left, R-Assaria, confers with House Majority Leader Don Hineman, center, R-Dighton, and Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., R-Olathe, before the chamber opens its daily session, Tuesday, May 1, 2018, at the Statehouse in Topeka, Kan. Lawmakers are trying to finish their work on numerous spending and tax issues. (AP Photo/John Hanna) **FILE**

Religious and LGBT groups clash in 2 states over adoption

By Mitchell Willetts - Associated Press