Kansas
Kansas opens $2.3M in victim assistance grants; KCK shelter says timing is critical
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCTV) – More than $2.3 million in victim assistance grants is now available for Kansas organizations that serve crime victims, Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach announced Wednesday.
Six state grant programs administered through the Office of the Attorney General are open for application. The funding supports nonprofits and government agencies statewide that provide direct services to crime victims, including domestic violence shelters, sexual assault agencies, child advocacy centers, child exchange and visitation centers, and organizations serving human trafficking victims.
Friends of Yates, a 24/7 domestic violence shelter in Kansas City, Kansas, operates between 35 and 40 beds and says it runs at capacity as much as 80 to 90 percent of the year.
Executive Director Dr. Desmond Lamb said demand is not declining.
“We’re seeing kind of an uptake in domestic violent homicide, which is unfortunate,” Lamb said. “Domestic violence is definitely on the rise.”
Lamb said the shelter provides three meals a day, transportation to medical appointments, school transportation for children, and economic and family advocacy services to residents.
“We use every penny to provide direct services and trauma-informed care to those who we serve,” Lamb said.
Lamb said the shelter has historically received funding through the attorney general’s grant programs since the programs began more than 20 years ago. He said grant dollars help cover utilities, insurance, food, and overall shelter operations.
“Many times resources are not as prevalent and practical in marginalized communities as they are in other, more affluent communities,” Lamb said. “So when these resources become available, it is definitely an appreciated and a needed help.”
Kristen Czugala, Division Chief of Victim Services at the Kansas Attorney General’s Office, said the funding is drawn from district court fines and fees, as well as a portion of marriage license fees, along with some state general funds.
“This funding is really vital to our local programs,” Czugala said. “These awards are used to help support the agencies that are doing the hard work in the field, supporting victims of crime, helping them feel believed and supported and to be safe in our communities.”
The attorney general’s office typically awards approximately 100 individual grants to about 50 organizations each year across the six funding streams. The six programs open for application are:
- Child Exchange and Visitation Center Program (CEVC) — Provides supervised child exchange and visitation to children and families at risk due to domestic or family violence.
- Human Trafficking Victim Assistance Fund (HTVAF) — Established by the Legislature in 2013, supports training for law enforcement and services for human trafficking victims and victims of commercial sexual exploitation of a child.
- Child Abuse and Neglect Fund (CVAF-CA) — Supports ongoing operating expenses of programs assisting child victims.
- Crime Victims Assistance Fund (CVAF) — Supports ongoing operating expenses of programs assisting crime victims and helps establish and maintain new victim services programs.
- State Protection from Abuse Fund (PFA) — Provides temporary emergency shelter for adult victims of domestic violence or sexual assault and their dependent children, along with counseling and educational services.
- Child Advocacy Center Fund (CAC) — Supports ongoing operating expenses of child advocacy centers.
The first step of the application process is due April 10, 2026. Applications are submitted through the Grant Management System on the attorney general’s website at ag.ks.gov/divisions/victim-services/grant-programs. Awards are expected to be announced this summer.
Lamb said Friends of Yates plans to reapply.
“We keep our fingers crossed and we pray,” Lamb said. “And most generally, we get that phone call that puts a smile on our face.”
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
Kansas
Tornadoes reported as severe weather hits Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Severe storms brought hail and reports of tornadoes to Kansas on Wednesday night.
Here are the reports received so far:
- Golf ball-size hail, 3 N Enterprise, Dickinson County
- Tornado, north of Enterprise and east of Abilene
- 2-inch hail, 5 NNE Nickerson, Rice County
- Funnel, 3 WNW Woodbine, Dickinson County
- Tornado, 4 NNW Herington, Dickinson County
- Golf ball-size hail, 1 S Lyons, Rice County
- Power outages in Durham, Tampa, Lincolnville, Lost Springs
- Ping pong ball-size hail, 5 S Windom, McPherson County
- 2-inch hail, 5 WSW Ellinwood, Barton County
- 60 mph wind gust, 5 SSE Milford, Geary County
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.
Kansas
Thousands remain without power after severe storms hit Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Severe storms left thousands of Kansas residents without electricity for more than 24 hours as crews work to restore power.
Topeka resident John Braun said his neighborhood has been without power for more than a day.
“It just went out, and you know, of course, we’ve got no air conditioning, and it’s humid, you know. Three sheets on the bed so you don’t sweat through the mattress. You know, couldn’t run a fan,” Braun said.
Braun said the area from 29th to 21st streets has no power.
Gina Penzig with Evergy said crews from Kansas and Missouri are working to restore service.
“We had our local crews going to work as soon as they could safely do so to begin to restore power,” Penzig said.
Evergy had 25,000 customers without power about 36 hours ago and has restored service to 90% of those customers, Penzig said.
“We expect to have everybody back on late this evening, so about a day and a half into this storm getting everything done,” Penzig said.
Braun said residents are trying to stay positive while waiting for power to return.
“We had a great time picking up; it was fun, a lot of fun, but around 2 o’clock, everybody is worn out about 8 hours of tree cutting. Just piling and stacking and then you have three or four beers of that, and you’re tired,” Braun said.
About 1,800 customers remain without power in Shawnee County and 500 in Riley County. Evergy expects power to be restored by late tonight.
About 8,200 customers in the Salina area remain without power, and it may take until Thursday night for electricity to be restored, according to Evergy.
Evergy’s power outage can be found here.
Copyright 2026 WIBW. All rights reserved.
Kansas
Kansas boy discovers 15-foot marine reptile fossil from 85 million years ago during geology field trip
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A Kansas boy searching for fossils during a geology club field trip stumbled onto something far bigger than expected: the remains of a 15-foot-long marine reptile that swam an ancient sea 85 million years ago.
Corbin Bullard was just 11 years old when he spotted several large vertebrae protruding from rock at a quarry near his hometown of Clearwater, Kansas, during a September 2025 outing with the Sedgwick County 4-H Geology Club.
“I didn’t know what it was, but I knew that it was something big,” Bullard told FOX Local.
Over the course of three additional excavation trips, Bullard and fellow club members carefully uncovered nearly an entire tylosaurus, a massive marine reptile that ruled the seas during the Cretaceous Period.
DINOSAUR FOSSILS UNEARTHED DURING PARKING LOT CONSTRUCTION AT NATIONAL PARK
Corbin Bullard discovered the fossil at a quarry near his hometown of Clearwater, Kansas, in September 2025. (Wendy Bullard)
The fossil measured more than 15 feet long and included everything from the animal’s enormous skull to most of its skeleton.
Corbin and his geology club uncovered a fossil of nearly an entire tylosaurus, a massive marine reptile from the Cretaceous Period. (Wendy Bullard)
LIMPING DINOSAUR’S TWISTED PATH PUZZLES PALEONTOLOGISTS, 150 MILLION YEARS LATER: ‘VERY RARE’
The ancient predator lived roughly 82 million to 87 million years ago, according to researchers who dated the specimen to the Smoky Hill Chalk formation, a fossil-rich layer of rock that stretches across parts of Kansas.
In this photo, part of the tylosaurus fossil is seen. (Wendy Bullard)
The discovery emerged from a quarry where commercial crews routinely shave away layers of rock, exposing relics hidden for millions of years. Before Bullard’s find, club members had mostly uncovered shark teeth and fish fossils.
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Now 12 and preparing to enter seventh grade, Bullard plans to display the fossil’s skull at the Sedgwick County Fair in July.
“I hope [the judges] say that it looks really nice and that we put a lot of effort into it,” he said.
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