TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is sending a strong message to lawmakers, who she believes are making unrealistic promises to voters about property tax relief.

As the election season approaches, all 125 members of the Kansas House of Representatives are up for re-election. Property taxes continue to be a major issue for home and business owners in the state, and it’s an issue that many Kansas lawmakers focus their campaign on. This year, Kelly is warning lawmakers against this.

“Legislators are out there promising the moon to people when it comes to property taxes,” Kelly said. “The fact of the matter is that the state has very little control over property taxes.”

Currently, the state levies 20 mills of property tax to help support Kansas schools. All other property tax in the state is being imposed and collected by local governments. Kelly is hoping that lawmakers make that clear to voters while they run their campaigns.

“I hope on this campaign trail that candidates are honest about what they can really do, which is work with their local elected officials to come up with a resolution,” Kelly said.

Lawmakers attempted to pass legislation during the 2026 legislative session. The Kansas Senate favored a plan that would’ve placed a 3% cap on annual property value increases. The House of Representatives proposed a “rolling averages” plan, which would calculate a home’s taxable value based on the average of its market value over a set number of years.

Ultimately, neither of those plans went through. However, lawmakers did manage to pass HB 2043, a protest petition bill. It allows voters to push back on property tax increases if they go above 3%.

It now sits on Kelly’s desk waiting for her decision. She can either sign the bill or veto it. Kelly did not comment on where she stands on the bill today.

RILEY COUNTY—A man involved in a fatal southwest Kansas crash was arrested Tuesday in Riley County.

According to the Riley County Police Department activity reported, just before 5p.m.  Tuesday 21-year-old Nicholas Ellis Biddle of Wichita, was arrested in the 1000 block of S. Seth Child Road on a Seward County District Court warrant for involuntary manslaughter, reckless driving, maximum speed limits and failure to yield at a stop or yield sign.

In June of 2024,the Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2023 Chevy Silverado driven by Biddle was southbound on Road T at U.S. 160 in Seward County.

The driver failed to yield and struck a westbound 2017 Nissan Rogue driven by Jamee E. Perez, 42, Hugoton. After impact both vehicles rolled an unknown number of times before coming and came to rest in the ditch.

EMS transported Biddle and Perez to Southwest Medical in Liberal where Perez was pronounced deceased. Both drivers were properly restrained, according to the KHP.

According to the Riley County Police Department, Biddle met the requirement of a $50,000 bond and is no longer confined in the Riley County Jail.

A woman who has been on the run for years in connection with a Kansas City, Missouri, homicide has been added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list. KaShawn Nicola Roper, 50, is wanted for murder after a shooting on Aug. 23, 2020. Roper allegedly fired shots at a vehicle, striking two female victims. One of the victims, 23-year-old Jazmyn Henrion, was killed. Roper was charged on Sept. 10, 2020, with second-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. At that time, a state warrant was issued for her arrest. A federal warrant was issued on July 1, 2021, after she was charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. More than five years later, Kansas City, Missouri, Police Department Chief Stacey Graves, along with the FBI and the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office, announced that Roper was added to the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted on April 14. Officials say Roper should be considered “armed and dangerous.” She is described as a Black female who is 5 feet, 5 inches tall and approximately 120 pounds. She has tattoos on her left arm, upper right arm, left calf, neck, right wrist, right side of her chest and her abdomen. She has pierced ears. She was born in Kansas and previously lived in Kansas City, but she has ties to Kansas, Nebraska, Texas, Colorado, Georgia and South Dakota. Authorities are offering a $1 million reward for information leading to an arrest or conviction. Anyone with information on Roper’s whereabouts is asked to contact the nearest FBI office or local law enforcement agency. Calls can be directed to 1-800-CALL-FBI. Those outside of the U.S. should contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. Tips can be submitted online to tips.fbi.gov. All tips can remain anonymous. Since the inception of the Ten Most Wanted list in 1950, 21 fugitives wanted within the FBI’s Kansas City are of responsibility have been placed on the list. Fourteen of those fugitives have been arrested in the Kansas City region. “When a life is taken in our community, our commitment to justice does not waver. For nearly five years, this case has remained unresolved, and we are continuing to pursue every lead to bring answers to a grieving family,” Jackson County Prosecutor Melesa Johnson said. “We are grateful to the FBI for bringing additional tools and national attention to this case. Someone somewhere has information that can help move this investigation forward. We urge anyone with knowledge of KaShawn Roper’s whereabouts to come forward. Your voice could make all the difference for a family still seeking justice.” “This announcement reflects the great collaboration between the Kansas City Missouri Police Department and our federal partners — specifically, the long-standing partnership with FBI, resulting in a safer Kansas City,” Graves said. “A safer Kansas City means holding offenders accountable through arrest and prosecution. For too long, KaShawn Roper has remained a fugitive and avoided accountability. With the assistance of the FBI and the attention brought by her addition to the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, we are confident she will be apprehended. We are committed to ensuring justice is served for the victims and their loved ones.”