Kansas

Larson Looks To End Drougth In Kansas – SPEED SPORT

Published

3 weeks ago

April 18, 2026

Larson Looks To End Drougth In Kansas – SPEED SPORT

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — In 2025 at Kansas Speedway, Kyle Larson set a significant record.

In 2026 at the 1.5-mile intermediate track, the driver of the No. 5 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet might simply settle for a win in Sunday’s AdventHealth 400.

In winning last year’s spring race at Kansas, Larson led 221 laps, most in NASCAR history for a driver in a 400-mile race on a 1.5-mile speedway.

That victory, however, was Larson’s last in the NASCAR Cup Series, though he did claim the 2025 series title by finishing third in the Championship 4 Race at Phoenix in November.

Statistics augur well for Larson as he tries to end his 32-race drought on Sunday. He has led 761 laps at Kansas Speedway since joining Hendrick Motorsports in 2021, more than double the total of any other driver. Denny Hamlin is second with 337.

His 1,842 laps led on 1.5-mile tracks in the Gen 7 era (since 2022 inclusive) more than double the total of the next driver on the list (Hendrick Motorsports teammate William Byron at 912).

Larson has led laps in 21 of the last 22 races on 1.5-mile speedways, including the last 10 in a row. If he leads 25 laps on Sunday at Kansas, he will surpass Kevin Harvick’s track-record of 949.

The two-time series champion is the only repeat winner in the last 11 races at Kansas, having won three times during that span, including the last two spring races.

His history considered, Larson has every reason to be confident at a track he thoroughly enjoys.

“Kansas is a lot of fun,” Larson said. “It’s really fast. You’re always trying to carry a lot of speed and momentum off the corners and run big arcs into the entry. There are two different ends of the racetrack, but I feel like you approach the corners in a similar way.

“In the race, you settle into a comfortable pace and balance and try to run as close to the wall as possible without hitting it. It’s a fun place. It can be challenging, but it’s good because you have options to move around.”

Chevrolet teams have been dealing with a new body style this season. Chase Elliott’s win at Martinsville is the car maker’s only trip to Victory Lane so far.

“I think we’re gaining on it,” Larson said. “I think the body stuff maybe is what we’re fighting right now. Entries (into the turns) seem to be pretty loose at most tracks, and then the window of balance is pretty narrow…

“I think we’re not bad on speed. I feel like we’re close to a win, but at the same time, I feel like we have a lot of work to do to get our cars better to where a win would be much easier.”

If a victory for Larson is realistic possibility, Kyle Busch might be satisfied with a top-10 run. On a miserable afternoon last Sunday at Bristol, Busch started 29th and finished 25th, two laps down, after tangling twice with the Toyota of Riley Herbst.

Busch’s winless streak reached 101 races at Thunder Valley, and Richard Childress Racing, the organization that fields Busch’s Chevrolets, has failed to score a top-10 finish in eight straight races for the first time since 1981. RCR is the only multicar team without a top-10 finish this year.

Ty Gibbs got his first Cup Series victory at Bristol last Sunday, but the odds are heavily against another first-time winner at Kansas. In 40 Cup races at the track, there has never been a first-time winner.

Toyota drivers have won six of the first eight Cup races this season, and they’re likely to be strong again at Kansas. Tyler Reddick could become the fourth driver in series history and the first since Dale Earnhardt in 1987 to win five of the first nine races in a season.

Both Reddick and 23XI Racing teammate Bubba Wallace, who is making his 300th career start, are former winners at the 1.5-mile track. The 23XI organization has three victories at Kansas, most at any single venue.

Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin boasts four Kansas victories, more than any other driver. He has finished in the top-five in seven of the last nine races there.

If a Toyota driver wins on Sunday, it will be the first time a single manufacturer has won seven of the first nine races in a season since Chevrolet accomplished the feat in 2007.

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Kansas

Kansas court sides with Stormont Vail in Medicaid payment dispute

Published

10 hours ago

May 9, 2026

Press Room

Kansas court sides with Stormont Vail in Medicaid payment dispute

Stormont Vail Healthcare is in a legal battle with the state government, alleging the Medicaid program was wrong to refuse payment for the hospitalization of a pregnant patient with complications.

At issue is a disagreement between the Topeka hospital and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment over whether inpatient health care services were medically necessary for the Medicaid patient’s last two weeks of pregnancy.

The Kansas Court of Appeals did not resolve that dispute, but it did side with Stormont Vail in a May 8 decision. The unanimous three-judge panel reversed a decision by Shawnee County District Court Judge Thomas Luedke and vacated an order from KDHE’s State Appeals Committee. The matter now goes back to the appeals committee for reconsideration.

The appellate panel was comprised of Judges Jacy Hurst, Thomas Malone and Stephen Hill, which heard oral arguments on Aug. 5. Hurst wrote the court’s opinion.

The lawsuit stems from a 2018 case of a pregnant patient, who is not named in appellate court documents. She was 28 years old at the time and had an intellectual disability among other complications, including rapid weight loss caused by hyperemesis gravidarum.

The woman was originally admitted at Newman Regional Health in Emporia before she was transferred to Stormont Vail. Part of the hospitalization during her third trimester was covered.

But the final two weeks were not because Sunflower Health Plan, one of the managed care organizations in the state’s privatized Medicaid program known as KanCare, refused to reimburse for the patient’s continued hospitalization through the day the child was born via cesarean section.

“We are here because the Kansas Medicaid program has wrongfully refused to pay for some of an inpatient hospitalization while a Medicaid beneficiary was at Stormont Vail,” said Amanda Wilwert, an attorney for the hospital, during oral arguments. “Stormont believes the inpatient care was medically necessary as defined by the Kansas Medicaid regulations.”

Court records and oral arguments show the state expected Stormont Vail to look into having a home health agency care for the patient in Emporia instead of continued hospitalization — even though home health generally does not take care of pregnant patients and her doctors believed the expectant mother was not stable enough to discharge.

“The way it’s supposed to work,” said Darren Sharp, an attorney representing KDHE, “is the managed care organization, in this case Sunflower Health, on behalf of KDHE reviews the medical records, asks about the appropriate level of care and whether there’s any other interventions that would be more cost effective or appropriate depending on the level of or depending on the patient’s records and the patient’s status.”

Sharp argued medical records showed the patients was getting better because of total parenteral nutrition, or TPN.

“This is when a tube, a PICC, is inserted and your minerals and your electrolytes and all of your nutrition is then intravenously provided,” Sharp said.

He said the treatment “was eliminating her vomiting, her diarrhea, she had no fever, her glucose levels were stabilized.”

In their ruling, the judges indicated the KDHE appeals committee primarily cared about the cost saving of using home health versus hospitalization while disregarding the treating physician for insufficient reasons and ignoring evidence on potential benefits or harms to the patient.

But the judges declined to resolve the dispute. Rather, unless the decision is appealed to the Kansas Supreme Court, the matter goes back to the KDHE administrative process.

There, the agency’s appeals committee must reconsider the case consistent with the Court of Appeal’s ruling. The published decision sets new precedent interpreting state laws and regulations on the Medicaid program.

“While this court provides no opinion on whether the disputed inpatient healthcare services met the definition of medical necessity,” Hurst wrote, “the record shows that some of the (appeals committee’s) factual findings were not supported by the record as a whole and that the (appeals committee) inaccurately applied the law when it failed to consider (the patient’s) individual characteristics and assess the harms and benefits of the healthcare intervention.

“In making a medical necessity determination, the reviewing agency must make an individualized determination based on the record as a whole.”

Jason Alatidd is a Statehouse reporter for The Topeka Capital-Journal. He can be reached by email at jalatidd@usatodayco.com. Follow him on X @Jason_Alatidd.

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Kansas

Kansas Lottery Pick 3, 2 By 2 winning numbers for May 7, 2026

Published

1 day ago

May 8, 2026

Press Room

The Kansas Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at May 7, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Pick 3 numbers from May 7 drawing

Midday: 6-2-2

Evening: 0-5-9

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning 2 By 2 numbers from May 7 drawing

Red Balls: 07-15, White Balls: 02-16

Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from May 7 drawing

05-08-21-44-48, Bonus: 01

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Kansas Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at select Kansas Lottery offices.

By mail, send a winner claim form and your signed lottery ticket to:

Kansas Lottery Headquarters

128 N Kansas Avenue

Topeka, KS 66603-3638

(785) 296-5700

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a claim form, and deliver the form along with your signed lottery ticket to Kansas Lottery headquarters. 128 N Kansas Avenue, Topeka, KS 66603-3638, (785) 296-5700. Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Kansas Lottery.

When are the Kansas Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3 Midday/Evening: 1:10 p.m. and 9:10 p.m. CT daily.
2 By 2: 9:30 p.m. CT daily.
Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Super Kansas Cash: 9:10 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Kansas editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Kansas

Kansas City, Kansas, becomes sister city to Concepción, Argentina, ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026

Published

2 days ago

May 7, 2026

Press Room

Kansas City, Kansas, becomes sister city to Concepción, Argentina, ahead of FIFA World Cup 2026

KSHB 41 reporter Fernanda Silva covers stories in the Northland, including Liberty. She also focuses on issues surrounding immigration. Share your story idea with Fernanda.

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Kansas City, Kansas, is now a sister city to Concepción, in the Tucumán province of Argentina.

The connection that carries deep personal meaning for members of the Kansas City area’s Argentinian community, with less than six weeks until Lionel Messi and their national team play at Kansas City Stadium (GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium).

Kansas City, Kansas, becomes sister city to Concepción, Argentina, ahead of World Cup

The official Sister Cities Agreement was signed Wednesday at Sporting Park, in a ceremony that also served as the kickoff of a broader cultural and economic initiative connecting Argentina and Kansas.

Federico Carmona has lived in the United States for more than two decades. He spent Wednesday afternoon cheering and smiling.

“This is my dream,” Carmona said.

For Carmona, the moment was personal — a merging of the two places he calls home.

KSHB/ Brian Luton

“This is a blessing,” Carmona said.

He continued, “Argentina is my heart. I was born in Argentina. I have so much passion for soccer. I used to play, my kids play. We never thought that Argentina was going to be in Kansas City. So that was a big, big surprise for us.”

Claudia Luna West, chair of the Sister Cities Association and a native of Concepción, Tucumán, was one of the driving forces behind the partnership.

“It means the world to me,” Luna West said.

She described the pairing of the two cities as a natural collaboration — like the ingredients of a perfect recipe coming together.

“Everything collaborates to be this great thing,” Luna West said.

That recipe metaphor extended to food. The event featured the announcement of a partnership between Kansas BBQ Empanadas and Jack Stack BBQ — a culinary symbol of the two cultures meeting.

“Now, empanadas aren’t going to be just an ethnic food. They’re going to be a landmark of Kansas,” Luna West said.

Mayor/CEO of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and KCK, Christal Watson, said the designation reflects the city’s diversity and its ability to connect with the world.

“I think it’s important that we set a global stage on how diverse we are and how beautifully, wonderfully made we are with all the different cultures,” Watson said.

Watson said shared experiences — including food — are what bring communities together.

“Food is a common link. Those are the things that get us engaged… those are the things that help us grow and be a better community overall,” Watson said. “We already have a flavor going on.”

Jake Reid, president and CEO of Sporting Kansas City, said the timing of the sister city announcement — with the FIFA World Cup 2026 approaching — felt right.

Jake Reid, President and CEO of Sporting Kansas City .png

“We’ve been planning this for so long. I think to have it on the doorstep now and be probably a month out is becoming very real and exciting,” Reid said. “They’re meant to be from… kind of everything we’ve got going on right now, for sure.”

For Carmona, the day was a long time coming.

“We can’t wait for all this to happen,” Carmona said.

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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