From the Alvin and Rosalie Sara Check studio.

PBS Kansas Presents Kansas Week, a $3 million payout in a stunning admission of regret.

We'll discuss the latest fallout from the infamous Marion newspaper.

Ray.

Also, Governor Kelly wrapping up her statewide budget tour with a direct defiance of the white House over Snap benefits.

We'll discuss the governor's promise to Kansans and her blunt assessment of Medicaid expansion.

But first, it's a perfect storm of health care sticker shock.

Federal subsidies are expiring.

Premiums skyrocketing, all while a new survey shows a large majority of Kansans support a solution that Republican lawmakers refused to pass.

We'll break down the political vise, squeezing Kansas families right now on Kansas, we.

Hello and welcome to Kansas Week.

I'm Jared Cirillo.

Kansans are right now facing a health care crisis on two different fronts.

Stuck between a political fight in Washington and a standoff in Topeka.

The recent battle in Congress over the budget failed to restore Covid era ACA subsidies, meaning they are still set to expire.

That's causing massive sticker shock.

One Wichita business owner told Kake news that her family's monthly bill will jump from $330 to nearly $1,500 a month.

As local clinics brace for a surge in uninsured patients.

A new Kansas Speaks survey is showing that 72% of Kansans support Medicaid expansion.

But state Senate President Tim Masterson says expansion is off the table, period, leaving thousands of Kansans caught in a political vise with no affordable options.

Here to discuss this and some of this week's other news is Wichita City Council member Becky Tuttle, former City council member Ryan Frye.

And joining us by zoom today, Democrat State Senator Mary Ware of Wichita.

Senator, where let me start with you.

This is an interesting discussion.

You being a state lawmaker.

What do you think of Tim Masterson's position?

I assume you disagree with it.

I do disagree with him.

We have a representative government.

We we elect our representatives to be our voice in Topeka or the city council or wherever.

And he has been ignoring the vast majority of Kansans wishes on this.

It's it's just it's just not the way it's supposed to go.

How do you want it to go?

How do you sit with Democrats or let me say, Republicans having the supermajority in both houses?

Do you see that changing any time soon?

And if it doesn't change any time soon, how are Democrats going to get this Medicaid expansion topic passed?

Any chance at all?

Well, as long as Ty Masterson in, in the Senate and Dan Hawkins in the House use their power to block a vote on it.

It won't even come out for a debate if they don't allow it.

And that's exactly why we haven't had a chance to have it be anywhere near a reality for all these years.

So let me, let me ask you this.

What do you think or say?

Yes.

I think it could change.

What do you think are the advantages?

You being a Democrat and what is your position?

What are the advantages for Medicaid expansion?

There are many.

For one thing, our rural hospitals, our rural communities are drying up and danger of blowing away over, not just health care, but childcare and so many, other things.

And it, 160,000 Kansans, that's no small amount will be positively affected if we, pass Medicaid expansion.

But how do we pay for it, though?

It it ends up in the big picture.

It pays for itself.

Anybody who tells you different is ignoring many of the critical factors.

Interesting.

Let me go to the two city council members here at the table.

Current council member, Becky Tuttle.

You have quite a history and health.

You're a Republican, but I'm interested to hear your stance on Medicaid expansion at all.

Sure.

And my background is health and public health.

And so I see both sides.

I can understand that this every year, the city and the county and the Greater Wichita Partnership and the chamber and the Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas have a legislative agenda for the state.

And then we have our own for the federal government.

And every year for the past years that I've been serving on city council, we have this as monitor.

We have tried to stay a little bit agnostic because we say it's not a city issue.

It is a state issue.

Yeah.

Interesting.

Ryan.

So you were on the council about ten years or so.

Do you have any experience with this at all?

Well, first off, rural Kansas is not drying up because hospitals are closing.

There's other issues that are facing rural Kansas beyond hospitals.

And it's not revenue neutral.

We've seen in other states where Medicaid expansion has added significantly to the cost.

And bottom line is, at the end of the day, if the feds don't pay for it, the state is going to have to pay for it.

And that means you and I, the Affordable Care Act has not been so affordable.

And the Obama plan and then the Biden plan, and now you got these incentives that are have to be extended.

And if they're not, that's why you're seeing all these premiums increase.

And and you know, also we saw when these credits were enacted a few years ago, they didn't lower monthly premiums out of pocket for every day people on the street, the health insurance companies seem to just pocket those credits.

I thought we were supposed to keep our plan and keep our providers.

That's what was promised to us.

And it hasn't because those companies were able to keep in pocket those dollars.

And now, you know, the government shut down.

It's getting to the now it's reopening, but they're going to have to quickly do something if they want to extend it again.

Yeah.

Senator.

Where I'll give you the last word.

Any response to what's been said here?

Is the majority of Kansans are convinced, and the leadership in Topeka is ignoring the voters.

It's it's a sad day.

It's a sad day.

All right.

We'll leave it at that.

The debate over Medicaid expansion was a top concern for Kansans meeting with Governor Laura Kelly in Wichita this week on Wednesday at the final stop of her People's Budget Tour.

Residents at East High School also demanded answers on Snap benefits.

Governor Laura Kelly reassured the crowd that Kansans will not have to repay benefits issued during the recent shutdown, and the state will not return the money either, despite a request from President Trump on Medicaid.

Kelly reached.

Kelly reiterated that her support for the subject, but she told the crowd that she is not optimistic that it will pass anytime soon.

The governor said that she will now use this feedback, along with concerns raised about child care and tax relief, to craft her state budget.

Senator, where since we're talking about the state budget, let me start with you again.

Do you think, Governor Kelly, again with the Republican supermajority in both houses, do you think Governor Kelly is going to have an easy time at all getting anything she wants in a 2026 budget?

In a word, no.

There is so much politics being played that it ignoring the interests and the the opinions of Kansans.

It is becoming the norm.

And unfortunately, would snap benefits, child care, tax relief.

Our governor really does care about all Kansans, not just the wealthy and the big businesses.

And I know she'll be doing what she can, but, the legislative leadership have dug in their heels, and I think they're hurting Kansans doing it.

So how important is the governor's race because of all of this, then?

Very, very important.

There would be not nearly as as vibrant, Democrat per Democratic Party voice in Topeka if we didn't have a governor.

It would be sad.

I think we need a balance.

We need a better balance than we have in the legislature, too.

And it doesn't even have to be that.

I'm not suggesting that we have to have a Democrat majority, but we have to have a balance, or you just don't get the reasoned, deliberate decisions and policies that that can bring.

Yeah.

Do you think the Republicans wil Not on Medicaid expansion?

No, I can't imagine it.

Yeah.

Council member Becky Tuttle, tell me, what do you think?

Any opinion on this?

I'm very interested to see.

She mentioned child care specifically, and that's a topic that I've been championing for a few years now.

I was able to, champion two ordinance changes at the city level so that we could get in line with the state level regarding ratio for child care.

We always want to make sure that safety is paramount, but child care is an economic development issue and child care providers are entrepreneurs or small business owners.

So I've been doing everything I can to support them.

A couple of years ago, there was legislation that was passed through the House and the Senate on child care reform, and Governor Kelly vetoed it.

And she said that she wanted to address it through regulation and not legislation.

So she put together a task force.

The task force has been traveling around the state meeting with lots of people, getting lots of information.

So that's one thing for sure that I'm going to be monitoring.

She said she'll release her budget early next year.

Yeah.

Did you attend the governor's?

I was unable to attend.

I talked to people who did.

They said that there was discussion about housing, tax relief, Medicaid expansion, child care and Snap were kind of the common themes that I heard about.

All right.

Brian Frye.

So taxes are still too high.

And you hear that constantly from citizens, from our neighbors.

If I understand this correctly, so far this fiscal year, they have only missed one revenue projection every month, except one has exceeded, that they're well over the revenue budget.

So that tells me taxes are too high.

And so and we hear from neighbors and citizens bring taxes down.

Do something about that buffer before you start adding additional expenses.

And I think that's going to be the key focus in this governor's race is what are we going to do with the revenues?

What are we gonna do with expenses?

How are we going to lower that and lower the tax bill?

And the state has already eliminated the sales tax on food.

You know, I think they've lowered the property taxes as low as they can possibly do at their level.

But there's the whole reappraisal process that needs to be looked at.

How is that calculated?

And we got to grow the state.

Bottom line is we got to get more jobs here, more people here.

We can't afford to lose any more bodies.

I was just having conversations with some folks about two times today about how even Wichita is not growing.

We've remained flat.

And when we're trying to seek funding, let's say from the Kansas Department of Transportation, one of the conversations they've repeated is Wichita isn't growing.

If Wichita doesn't grow, Kansas isn't going to grow.

So that's right.

Senator, where last word again, in a response to what's been said.

Thank you.

Yeah.

You know, just because we're bringing in more taxes than we're spending right now doesn't mean that we can automatically, hand out tax relief, because a lot of what that does is shore up our future.

That's money for unknown things in the future.

A rainy day fund, if you will.

And we need we need to keep that in mind.

Just because it's there.

We can't be a teenager and just spend it just because we see dollars there.

Yeah.

Go ahead Brian.

The problem I think we've been spending it too much and and been spending that money where we shouldn't have.

Right.

And we have an increase in tax revenue.

And that's with lowering and eliminating the sales tax on food.

So that tells me we still have taxes that are too high.

Yeah.

Senator where go ahead.

There is one party in the legislature who's been doing the vast majority of the spending, and it's not on my side of the aisle.

Interesting.

All right.

We'll leave it at that.

Marion County has determined it will pay $3 million to settle lawsuits stemming from the controversial 2023 raid on the Marion County Record newspaper.

The agreements, approved this week, will pay $1.5 million to editor Eric Meyer and $650,000 to city counselor Ruth Herbal, whose home was also raided.

Two other journalists will receive a combined $850,000.

In a stunning admission, the sheriff's office in Marion County issued a statement of regret, saying that the raid, quote, likely would not have happened if established law had been reviewed and applied.

These settlements only resolve the case against the county.

The newspaper's federal lawsuits against the city of Marion and its former police chief, Gideon Cody, are still heading to trial.

This is interesting.

Councilmember Fry, former council member.

Fry.

I'll start with you.

As a former elected official, this.

How do you how do you, deal with that relationship with reporters in.

Well, it's.

You and I both worked at cake together for several years, and I think this is a classic example of you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes.

And I think the the, law enforcement people in Marion County went overboard.

They sidestepped what should have been the due process, and they're paying the price for it now and again.

There are times when it's agnostic between elected officials and the media.

I get that, but you have a job to do.

I have a job to do.

And I've always believed in being as transparent, as open as possible.

And I think if more people respected that, I think the danger comes in a lot of the social media that people think is news, right?

And they use that as facts, and it's not misinformation.

Yeah.

And that police chief, his career is over.

Absolutely.

Becky Tuttle, it's been fun to watch this since 2023.

And I say fun because it's not in our community.

Right.

You don't know how to, like, service it.

I'm sure there's lots of lessons learned in Marion County.

I always say that Electeds need the media like a sailor needs the sea.

I mean, they have to work together.

I think I've established great relationships with the media in our community, because I want to be able to convey accurate information.

There's, kind of an old adage that the role of media is to be the voice for the voiceless and shine the light in dark places.

And so I hope that, you know, because of the relationship that I fostered with media, that, you know, my my words are interpreted accurately, not not, you know, misinterpreted.

I again council member, press council member fry said it.

But still people have to be good consumers of media and social media and don't read everything upon first blush.

Yeah.

You know, and it's it's it's really hard to imagine the trust hasn't been broken between the community and, their police department.

Unfortunately, Senator, where?

Let me move over to you from from a state lawmaker standpoint, has there been any discussion with state lawmakers about any sort of ordinances or laws being enacted because of what happened in Marion?

Not that I am hearing about yet.

But, you know, it's critical that we keep, free press.

It's since our founding fathers.

It's it's been a crucial part of our society.

Because if we don't have informed voters, then, then all of the misinformation starts playing in and that sort of thing.

So, we really must protect the press freedom.

And, you know, it's it's interesting as well as a good reminder that publisher's mother died over everything that happened here.

So, it's just turned in to be a very tragic story.

But other than that, I mean, Senator, where is there anything that the state could do as far as as introducing any sort of laws or whatever?

Is it possible to do anything at all?

Well, this was a local situation.

I'm I I'm honestly not thinking of what it might be on a state level that would play into this.

Certainly we can.

We're getting past pronouncements and the, you know, statements.

You know, the military, the police officer, the police chief.

They went to the judge and they got the judge to sign off on these search warrants.

And that's what they used to say.

It was okay.

Is there anything that's going on with our with the relationships between the police departments and the judges that sign these warrants?

You know, I'm not sure, but I'm, I'm pleased to hear that there's some conversation about it because it's just too critical to miss it.

Brian, for I guess I think that's part of the problem, though, too, is the judge wasn't supposed to sign a warrant.

They were supposed to.

And I'm forgetting the word right now.

It's a it's not a warrant.

It's a different, you know, legal document.

And that's the problem I think this is a great, very expensive learning lesson for not only the media but also law enforcement.

And what are the rules and what are you supposed to do and make sure you're doing it accurately.

It's going to cost several million dollars, but I think this is an opportunity for all agencies to review the proper protocol, the proper procedures, make sure you have the accurate documents.

And, you know, it's it's a good reminder for our our authorities as well, is to, when reporters come, you know, reporters are going to ask questions all the time.

They're they're doing their job, of course, but it's it's most important to from a reporter myself, I can usually tell when, when someone's trying to hide something, you know.

And that only makes the reporter ask even more questions.

You know, you know how that goes.

And when Diane Leffler calls you up, you know he's got a scoop or something.

Yeah.

And I but I, I love what you said, that they're doing their job, right.

That's their job.

And so I appreciate that.

I have my job.

They have their job.

The one thing that I would say is something like this will never happen in Marion County again, because they will forever be more diligent about all of their processes through the court system, through, you know, the the law enforcement.

So, I, I feel bad for them because that's money that's coming out of the county's coffers.

They could be using for something else, but, yeah, they'll they'll never be.

This happened that way again.

All right.

The Meigs School Board unanimously approving the addition of new school security officers on Monday, two months after a loaded gun was found in a backpack at Meigs High School.

The district will hire five new officers to be placed at Meigs High School, Meigs South High and the Meigs Career Academy.

The move follows a recent community survey that showed strong support for increased safety measures.

District leaders say the new positions will also provide the necessary staffing to support potential future upgrades, like the weapons detection systems.

The district has been observing in other schools.

This is interesting.

I know both of you are former city council members, but you don't.

You know you have relationships with school board members as well, and I do, but also I used to be a school counselor and I worked in a school district, several school districts, very early in my career.

We won't talk about how long ago it was.

This is bittersweet for me, right?

The bitter part is that a student had a gun.

The sweet part is that nothing happened, and that now the school district is going to be much more vigilant.

I personally, working in a school district, saw the benefit of having school resource officers, law enforcement embedded in the school system, not only for crime prevention, for safety enhancements, but also it was a perfect opportunity for mentorship to help students understand that police aren't the enemies, that they're here to help us, especially in some of our neighborhoods.

There's a real contentious relationship between the community and law enforcement.

Probably not.

Meigs is where is especially our lower income.

Right, exactly.

And so, I'm I'm really proud of the school district for taking this step and getting five school resource officers embedded within these three high schools.

I just think that it shows that they're being proactive.

They found a situation and they're immediately trying to address it.

So kudos to them.

Councilmember fry, anything to add here?

Yeah.

This is frustrating because it's taking this long to get here.

My both my children went to mace schools, and during my time on council, my daughter was a junior at Mace South, and there was a report of an active shooter on campus.

And of course, as dad and I went flying out there and there was a lot of confusion that day on who had the jurisdiction because Mae South is in the Wichita City limits, right?

So PD responded, but Mays PD also responded because it's a made school.

If there had been a school resource officer on scene, it would have been much more comforting.

Fortunately, nothing happened.

It was a false report.

But that was 2019, and we're just now 2025 getting school resource officers.

Well, it is the world we live in today.

Yeah, and I hate that something like that had to happen.

Fortunately, nothing bad happened.

And kudos to Mays School Board for taking this step, but it shouldn't have taken this long.

Senator, where anything to add on this discussion?

Just, you know, obviously Safety First is always without question, not just our kids, but the teachers, all the staff.

People should be able to walk into a school and feel comfortable.

I'm pleased to see that.

It seems as though they're leaning into a broader use of, technology, metal detectors that sort of thing.

And I'm also pleased that I haven't seen yet any mention that these new security personnel will be armed because the data is clear when there are more guns, regardless of whose hands they're in, more people get shot.

There's more gun violence with.

There's more guns, more cars, maybe more.

Yeah.

Our last story today, Salina voters will soon decide the fate of the city's 20 year old ban on pit bulls.

The city commission voted Monday to hold a special election after a citizen led petition gathered enough signatures to force the issue.

The 2004 ban makes it illegal to own a pit bull within city limits.

Opponents call that a knee jerk reaction that unfairly punishes dogs based on appearance and not their behavior.

Supporters are arguing that the ban is a necessary tool to keep the community safe.

Whatever the voters decide, the law will be locked in place for at least the next decade.

A date for the special election has not yet been set.

Coming from a former city council member, what how does the city deal with these types of things?

The city.

First off, animal control is a division of the police department in Wichita.

At least not all cities handle it that way.

But yeah, I mean, we do have the animal services division of the PD.

And then there's also the Animal Services Advisory Board, that help monitor and and listens to both sides of the cases.

Right.

People that feel threatened by pit bulls and then people that love and adopt pit bulls.

Right.

And I think that's the most important part of this, is that a citizen, at least in Salina, this citizen led referendum, is the way it should work.

Yeah, right.

And let the voice of the people be heard.

Becky Tuttle has there in your time on City Council, has there ever been anything like this?

Come up as a ban on a certain breed of dog?

No, not that I'm aware of.

We have a very, active and engaged group of residents who have, concerns about animal services and, you know, they're always coming to talk to us at City council, and I'm super glad that they are right.

We want their voice to be heard, but they want to make sure that our animal services, division is doing the best that it can, that it's it has more staff, it has more resources.

We haven't had anything like this regarding a specific breed.

Come.

But I will say that, you know, animals are only as good or bad as the people who who's trained and have them.

And so I do think that a lot of blame is placed on a specific breed, but it's the owner's responsibility.

You know, you can get bit by any kind of dog if it's not handled well.

So again, an issue that I'm glad is in Salina and not the city of Wichita.

Senator where with with about 45 seconds.

Anything to add here?

Right.

If every pit was violent then they should be banned.

But clearly they're not some of the sweetest, most cuddly dogs I've ever known have been.

Pitbulls and dogs are not.

Excuse me.

Are not aggressive.

Unless that's the way they're raised.

That's right.

Yeah.

And it doesn't matter what reasons.

Yeah, that's exactly right.

And if you start locking up based on appearance, I would have been in jail years ago.

Right.

Well, Senator, where our show is coming to an end.

And I just wanted to say thank you to you for your service over the last few years.

You've you've announced your resignation, effective immediately as a state senator.

So I'll give you the floor with about 30s.

Anything that you would like to say?

Well, I just can't tell you.

It's been an honor of my life to represent district 25.

I hope I've done a good job with it.

And, thank you so much to all of my constituents, for being involved and excited, and, and I am not disappearing.

All right.

I'm shifting gears, and I'll be around.

So.

Well, I'll see you, Senator.

Where?

Thank you for your service.

We appreciate it.

That's a wrap for this week.

We'll see.

Actually, we're off until December 19th, so, have a good Thanksgiving.

You.