Kansas
Kansas delegation in U.S. House divided on Ukraine aid, endorses package for Israel, Taiwan • Kansas Reflector
TOPEKA — U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids backed new federal spending to help Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan to oppose “tyranny and terror,” but U.S. Reps. Tracey Mann and Ron Estes drew the line at the $60 billion package supporting Ukraine’s fight against a Russian invasion.
The overall $95 billion supplemental spending deal began as four separate bills, but were folded together into one bill as an alternative to a comparable measure approved two months ago by the U.S. Senate. Passage by the Senate of the House version would send it to President Joe Biden.
U.S. Rep. Jake LaTurner, Mann and Estes, all Kansas Republicans, and Democrat Davids voted in favor of a new round of financial support for Israel fighting militants in Gaza and for Taiwan dealing with threats from China. The delegation voted for the measure requiring divestiture or a ban on social media app TikTok, owned by a Chinese company.
Disagreement among Kansas lawmakers centered on Ukraine. Davids and LaTurner, who said he wasn’t seeking reelection in November, voted for the $60 billion aid package that passed 311-112. Mann and Estes opposed it.
“I’ve previously voted for Russian sanctions as Ukraine faces unprovoked aggression from a tyrant,” said Estes, of the 4th District centered on Wichita, “but the $60.8 billion bill that the House passed (Saturday) was too much for me to support when the United States has already spent more than $100 billion on Ukraine aid.”
Davids, who serves the 3rd District dominated by Johnson County, said the funding would protect American allies and included humanitarian aid to Gaza through the U.S. Agency for International Development.
“I voted with Republicans and Democrats to protect our allies in Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan in their fights against tyranny and terror and to deliver aid to innocent civilians in Gaza,” she said. “While I am frustrated that preserving our national security has been marred with partisanship in times of crisis, we must defend democracy and recognize that stability and prosperity abroad directly impact our safety and economy at home.”
LaTurner, who holds the 2nd District seat, said after a 2022 trip to Eastern Europe that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine was “unprovoked and evil” and required “unwavering support” of the United States through delivery of weapons to Ukrainian troops and humanitarian aid to Ukrainian refugees. His vote on the new funding bill for Ukraine held to that commitment.
Mann, of the 1st District extending from Garden City to Lawrence, said the United States shouldn’t send more assistance to Ukraine unless attached to oversight and accountability provisions.
He was among 71 House Republicans to vote for Georgia U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene’s failed amendment to strike all funding for Ukraine from the overall package.
“It is in America’s interest for Ukrainian forces to defeat Russia, but it is irresponsible and unsustainable to continue funding a war in Ukraine without any oversight as to how Americans’ tax dollars are spent. We do not allow our own federal agencies to spend our tax dollars that way, and we should not allow foreign governments to either,” Mann said.
Mann said he voted with the 385-34 majority for the $8.1 billion funding measure for Taiwan, the Philippines and other allies because it was important to counter China’s aggression. He said the objective of the United States was peace but “any military offense against Taiwan would have grave and severe consequences.”
The $26 billion appropriation for Israel approved 366-58 would add to aid delivered before and after the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israeli territory. More than 20,000 Gaza residents have been killed in the military response by Israel.
KSHB 41 reporter Olivia Acree covers portions of Johnson County, Kansas, including Olathe and Lenexa. Share your story idea with Olivia.
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If the motto to live by is to get 1 hour of movement a day, the Parkinson’s community in Kansas City is exceeding it.
Bob Zipse has been fighting Parkinson’s for 10 years. He said the diagnosis hit him hard.
Leawood’s Parkinson’s Exercise and Wellness Center expands services as diagnoses climb
“I was super depressed. I mean, I was in a chair. Did you want to move? Look around, just horrible. Because there’s no resources. Where do I go with the time?”
Zipse said the disease can be an isolating experience.
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“Parkinson’s, I say, is a very lonely, lonely disease. Either people don’t want to deal with you, or you’re embarrassing.”
He found the Parkinson’s Exercise and Wellness Center at his lowest point. Now, he sees people around him pushing past their limits.
“You see people out here, they’re in the mid-70s, they’re doing push-ups, sit-ups, lifting weights. I mean, it’s amazing, really,” Zipse said. “In here, we’re all the same.”
Sarissa Curry founded the center after seeing the power of healing through exercise and recognizing that diagnosis rates were increasing. An aging population and younger diagnoses are among the biggest factors driving that trend.
Kansas consistently ranks as having one of the highest Parkinson’s disease diagnoses and mortality rates in the United States, second only to Nebraska. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, an estimated 20,000 people in the Kansas City metro alone are living with the disease.
“You see your neurologist once every six months to a year, and you see a physical therapist maybe a couple of months out of the year. Community-based programs are here every day to support this community,” Curry said.
Curry said the warning signs of rising Parkinson’s rates have been visible for years.
“They have been predicting this increase in Parkinson’s for many years. They were able to see the writing on the wall, they were able to see how the population was aging, and they knew that this was coming. We paid attention.”
She expanded the center to serve as an all-encompassing resource for people like Zipse.
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“I’d hate to wager what I would have been like. Life would have stopped for me, I think. This at least gives me hope, gives me some work towards and see some benefit of it,” Zipse said.
The PEWC will host a ribbon cutting on Wednesday, June 3, at 3:30 p.m. The community is invited to attend to learn more about the center’s services and the disease as incidence rates continue to rise each year.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Two men were arrested following a lengthy Reno County Sheriff’s Office investigation into several burglaries and thefts in the area.
Garson Stanley Boyles was arrested May 21, and Jimmy Ray Miller was arrested May 27. Both were arrested on suspicion of 11 counts of burglary, five counts of criminal damage to property and four counts of theft.
The sheriff’s office said numerous stolen items have been recovered, including a vehicle. Investigators said several items remain missing.
Anyone with information about the location of stolen property is asked to contact the Reno County Sheriff’s Office at 620-694-2735. Those wishing to remain anonymous may call Reno County Crime Stoppers at 620-694-2666 or 800-222-TIPS.
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