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Kansas court upholds AG Kobach’s argument in transgender driver’s license case • Kansas Reflector

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Kansas court upholds AG Kobach’s argument in transgender driver’s license case • Kansas Reflector


TOPEKA — A district court has sided with Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach on a temporary block to keep Kansas residents from changing the gender listed on their drivers’ licenses.

Civil rights advocates warn the move will lead to “forced outing” of the state’s transgender residents.

On Monday, Shawnee County District Judge Teresa Watson issued a temporary injunction on gender marker changes for driver’s licenses. The move follows January court hearings on the implementation of a wide-ranging anti-trans law that passed last year.

“This decision is a victory for the rule of law and common sense,” Kobach said. “The Legislature wisely stated that state agencies should record biological sex at birth, and today the court held that the meaning of the law is clear.”

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He first filed the lawsuit against the Kansas Department of Revenue’s Division of Vehicles in July, seeking to ban transgender people from changing gender markers on their driver’s licenses.

Kobach pointed to a provision in Senate Bill 180, which took effect in July, to make his case that driver’s licenses need to show sex assigned at birth. Under the law, genders are defined by reproductive organs, and state agencies that collect vital statistics are directed to identify individuals “as either male or female at birth.”

At the time, the district court issued a temporary restraining order blocking Kelly’s administration from making gender marker changes on identity cards and driver’s licenses. The court granted the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas permission to intervene in the lawsuit on behalf of five transgender Kansans who would be harmed by the gender marker ban.

During the two days of hearings in January, Kobach argued for the injunction against representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas and Kansas Department of Revenue. Intervenors testified about their own experiences with transphobia, including forced outings when they had to show people their driver’s license.

Watson in her ruling said the transgender intervenors did not adequately show the damaging consequences of having mismatched gender markers.

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“None testified to any actual threat to their personal safety; rather, some talked in general terms about hearing of harm that had come to unnamed others in unnamed places in unspecified situations,” Watson wrote. “The threat of injury to the State of Kansas outweighs any harm the temporary injunction may cause.”

D.C. Hiegert, LGBTQ+ legal fellow with the ACLU of Kansas, said the ACLU was disappointed in the ruling but would continue to examine other legal options.

“We will continue working toward a vision of our state that allows all of us to live in peace, free from government persecution and impositions on our core identities,” Hiegert said. “We remain unconvinced that the imaginary injury to the state could ever outweigh the enormous harm our clients and other transgender Kansans have and will continue to experience by being forced to carry inaccurate identification documents, in violation of their rights under the state constitution.”

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Star lineup unveiled for FIFA Fan Festival in Kansas City

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Star lineup unveiled for FIFA Fan Festival in Kansas City


KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With less than two months until the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in cities across the country, KC2026 announced the lineup of artists expected to perform at the Kansas City FIFA Fan Festival.

From the Chainsmokers to Flo Rida to Kansas City legend Tech N9ne, fans can expect to see dozens of performances from top acts over the course of the 18-day event.

Here are some headline dates scheduled during the “world’s biggest football party,” according to KC2026:

  • The Chainsmokers — June 13
  • Flo Rida — June 19
  • Cimafunk — June 20
  • Gabby Barret — July 3
  • The All-American Rejects — July 11
  • Tech N9ne — June 12 and July 11

Several other performers will take to the stage outside of the National World War I Museum and Memorial. The list of artists can be found in the poster image provided below:

According to KC2026, all acts and dates are subject to change, and tickets to the event are already available on the KC2026 Fan Fest website.

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General admission is free and open to the public; however, the organization is offering other packages to upgrade the experience. Here’s everything you need to know:

  • General Admission — Free
    • On a first-come, first-served basis
  • Premium Garden Pass — $55
    • Includes all the benefits of general admission, access to expedited entry lanes, exclusive standing-room viewing in the Premium Viewing Area, premium restrooms, a dedicated bar area and access to premium food options.
  • Legacy Lounge Pass — $225
    • The Legacy Lounge Pass includes all the benefits of the Premium Garden Pass with access to an air-conditioned lounge, a two-tiered viewing structure, all-inclusive food options, a premium beverage package,  climate-controlled restrooms, unique photo opportunities with iconic Kansas City sports memorabilia and access into the Premium Viewing Area.

The FIFA Fan Festival will serve a maximum of 25,000 people daily and include KC match days, USMNT match days and the Fourth of July.

Fans can expect the stage at the event to be twice the size of Chappell Roan’s massive October 2025 concert, when she performed two sold-out shows on the lawn of the World War I Museum and Memorial to approximately 30,000 fans each night.

Over the course of the tournament, the festival will have themed days to get fans in the World Cup spirit. For a list of those themed events, click here.

For more information about the tournament, tune into Kansas City’s World Cup headquarters, FOX4 News, for the latest announcements before and during the historic summer event.

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Kansas Governor Laura Kelly urging lawmakers to be ‘honest’ about property tax relief ahead of 2026 election

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Kansas Governor Laura Kelly urging lawmakers to be ‘honest’ about property tax relief ahead of 2026 election


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.

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“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.


For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here.

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Man arrested in Riley County for fatal southwest Kansas crash

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Man arrested in Riley County for fatal southwest Kansas crash


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.

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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.



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