Brett Stover

THIS MATTER having come before this Court on the verified Petition of the City of Clarksdale requesting a temporary restraining order or a hearing on a preliminary injunction and after review of the verified Petition and Attorney Certification, the Court finds that the Petition is well taken. The injury in this case is defamation against public figures through actual malice in reckless disregard of the truth and interferes with their legitimate function to advocate for legislation they believe would help their municipality during this current legislative cycle. The Respondents are well aware of the accusations against them as they have already received a draft of the verified Petition and further notice is not needed until such hearing. The Temporary Restraining Order for Respondents to remove the article "EDITORIAL: SECRECY AND DECEPTION ERODE PUBLIC TRUST" from their online portals and make it inaccessible to the public is hereby granted. Petitioner shall post a bond in the amount of $100.00 as security for any damages that Defendant may incur should it be determined that this Temporary Restraining Order was wrongfully issued. This Court further orders that a hearing on the City of Clarksdale's request for a preliminary injunction is hereby set for February 27, 2025, at 9:30 am

(Conclusion of the court order.)

Wow: City of Clarksdale, Mississippi got a court order yesterday directing a newspaper to delete an editorial criticizing city officials -- without a hearing. Here's the TRO issuing the prior restraint:

Kansas Republicans ban transgender youth medical care, overriding Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto Transgender Kansans under age 18 can no longer receive treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone therapy after the Legislature overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s veto.

After failing to override Gov. Laura Kelly's vetoes of similar bills in 2023 and 2024, Republicans in the #ksleg succeeded this year in banning care for transgender youth in Kansas, successfully overriding her veto 31-9 in the Senate and 85-34 in the House.

pro.stateaffairs.com/ks/health-ca...

KBI Director Mattivi: ICE pact will help Kansas deport ‘dangerous’ immigrants Kansas Bureau of Investigation Director Tony Mattivi said the agency’s partnership with ICE will help Kansas deport “dangerous” undocumented immigrants.

KBI Director Tony Mattivi says a new partnership with ICE will get "dangerous" undocumented immigrants "off the streets, out of our community and out of our country."

More on the KBI & AG Kris Kobach's 287(g) immigration enforcement agreement. #ksleg

pro.stateaffairs.com/ks/politics/...

Mike Brown won’t seek reelection as chair of Kansas Republican Party Kansas Republican Party Chair Mike Brown won’t seek a second term as party leader, shaking up the race less than three weeks ahead of the election.

NEWS: Kansas GOP Chair Mike Brown won't seek a second term leading the state Republican party.

pro.stateaffairs.com/ks/politics/...

Update: The connection between this and the altercation is unclear.

Carr didn’t want the ranking posts in the first place; Woodard would only say it “is an internal matter and has been resolved,” with no reference to the Jan. 22 incident. #ksleg

pro.stateaffairs.com/ks/politics/...

Toxic debate: Kansas Rep. Ford Carr engages in physical altercation over Wichita spill funds A policy disagreement between two Wichita politicians turned ugly, leading to an altercation where Rep. Ford Carr shoved a fellow Democratic lawmaker.

More on the incident, in which Carr pushed a fellow Democratic legislator into a table: pro.stateaffairs.com/ks/politics/...

Carr speaks on his frustrations that led to the argument with a Wichita city councilman: pro.stateaffairs.com/ks/politics/...

NEWS: Wichita Democratic Rep. Ford Carr, who was involved in an altercation at a Topeka pub last week, will be removed from committee leadership roles, Minority Leader Brandon Woodard announces.

Carr was the ranking Democrat on the Legislative Modernization and Welfare Reform committees. #ksleg

Kansas officials monitoring Wichita plane crash in D.C. All passengers on a plane from Wichita are feared dead after it crashed in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night, colliding with a Black Hawk helicopter.

"We don’t believe there are any survivors," D.C. Fire and EMS Chief John Donnelly said in a news conference early this morning. More updates on the tragic crash involving a plane from Wichita:

pro.stateaffairs.com/ks/politics/...

I've confirmed with several people close that U.S. figure skaters part of the National Development Team were on the flight from Wichita to Washington D.C. A passenger list has yet to be confirmed by the airline. @kansasdotcom.bsky.social

The last fatal crash involving a U.S. commercial airline was in 2009, according to the National Transportation Safety Board: www.ntsb.gov/safety/data/...

American Airlines confirms that the flight from Wichita to D.C. had 60 passengers and four crew members on board.

Reuters and others have reported there were three Army soldiers on the Black Hawk helicopter.

Kansas officials monitoring Wichita plane crash in D.C. A regional jet from Wichita crashed in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday night, colliding with a Black Hawk helicopter before landing in the Potomac River.

Kansas officials are monitoring the situation after a plane from Wichita crashed into a helicopter in D.C.

U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall said the news is "nothing short of a nightmare" — "there are no words that can make telling this story any easier.”

pro.stateaffairs.com/ks/politics/...

Property tax cuts easily pass Senate; House proposal advances to floor Two property tax cuts, including one that would take 1.5 mills off the statewide mill levy, passed the Senate with little opposition.

Two property tax cuts, including one that would cuts 1.5 mills off the statewide mill levy, passed the Senate today with little opposition. #ksleg

pro.stateaffairs.com/ks/flash/pro...

Kansas Senate fast-tracks ban on transgender youth health care Just one day after lawmakers heard testimony on legislation to ban health care for transgender minors, the Kansas Senate suspended its rules to pass the bill.

The Kansas Senate fast-tracked a ban puberty blockers, hormone therapy and gender-confirmation surgeries for transgender minors, voting 32-8 to pass the bill.

House will debate tomorrow; Speaker's office isn't planning for a vote before Friday. #ksleg

pro.stateaffairs.com/ks/flash/sen...

(2/2) The program would be capped at $125M in its first year, with provisions allowing for annual growth.

But per last year's estimates of the number of private school students, the cost could eventually reach $430 million — not including public school students who transfer out.

Supporters rally for $125M private school tax credit bill The Senate Education Committee heard testimony on a bill that would give $125 million in tax credits to families who send their children to private schools.

A bill in the #ksleg would offer refundable tax credits to families of K-12 students who don't attend public schools: $8,000 for student at accredited private schools & $4,000 for students at unaccredited schools. (1/2)

pro.stateaffairs.com/ks/education...

After yesterday's hearing, the Senate's health committee passed this bill earlier today.

The Kansas Senate will debate and then vote on the ban later this afternoon, the Senate President's office told me. The House would then take up the bill and vote for it tomorrow. #ksleg

Uncertainty looms as Kansas braces for Trump’s federal funding freeze Kansas could lose millions of dollars a day under a new federal aid freeze set to go into effect Tuesday, part of President Donald Trump’s fast-moving attempt to reshape the U.S. government.

Gov. Laura Kelly is evaluating President Trump's proposed federal funding freeze to "understand the impact" it could have on Kansas programs.

Federal money makes up $7.1 billion (about 26.6%) of Kansas' $26.8 billion all-funds FY25 budget. #ksleg

stateaffairs.com/kansas/budge...

And now the Kansas Medicaid portal is back up, the governor's office says.

Update: White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt says the WH is aware of the issue and expects the Medicaid portal "will be back online shortly."

Kansas' Medicaid portal is down, Gov. Laura Kelly's office confirms.

This comes amid uncertainty at the Statehouse as agencies prepare for fallout from President Trump's pause on federal aid. #ksleg

The new bill is very similar to one Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed last year.

Republicans were able to override her veto in the Senate but came up two votes short in the House.

With three more seats, Speaker Dan Hawkins said he expects the Legislature to "finish this up." #ksleg

Kansas Republicans renew push to ban transgender minors’ treatments Republicans are renewing their push to ban medical treatments for transgender minors with two bills scheduled for hearings.

Tomorrow, committees in the House and Senate will hear testimony on a bill that would ban puberty blockers, hormone therapy and gender-confirmation surgeries for transgender minors in Kansas. #ksleg

pro.stateaffairs.com/ks/flash/kan...

Kansas weighs stopping the clock: Bill could end daylight saving time in 2025 Daylight saving time could end this year in Kansas under a 2025 bill that seeks to establish permanent standard time.

Say goodbye to daylight saving time? The #ksleg is considering a bill to make standard time permanent, which would make Kansas the third state with no time change.

pro.stateaffairs.com/ks/politics/...

Wichita Rep. Ford Carr speaks out on altercation, funding frustrations Kansas Rep. Ford Carr hopes his altercation will draw attention to the underlying issue that caused the Wichita Democrat’s frustrations to boil over.

“I go to war for my community. If that war happens to look like this one did, then so be it.”

I spoke with Rep. Ford Carr about Wednesday’s altercation, funding frustrations & why the 29th and Grove groundwater contamination is personal to him. #ksleg

pro.stateaffairs.com/ks/politics/...

Toxic debate: Kansas Rep. Ford Carr engages in physical altercation over Wichita spill funds A policy disagreement between two Wichita politicians turned ugly, leading to an altercation where Rep. Ford Carr shoved a fellow Democratic lawmaker.

House Minority Leader Brandon Woodard said there's an "ongoing conversation" over a video showing Wichita Rep. Ford Carr shoving a fellow Democratic lawmaker in a Topeka pub. #ksleg

pro.stateaffairs.com/ks/flash/for...

Kansas leaders celebrate ‘soft launch’ of Panasonic battery plant Gov. Laura Kelly, Commerce Secretary David Toland and other Kansas leaders celebrated the soft launch of Panasonic’s electric vehicle battery plant in De Soto.

(2/2) If company fulfills its pledge to hire 4,000 workers, the Panasonic project will cost the state $207K per job.

Including federal tax credits, the cost per job is about $2M.

The full story, from State Affairs:

pro.stateaffairs.com/ks/flash/pan...

Kansas leaders celebrate ‘soft launch’ of Panasonic battery plant Gov. Laura Kelly, Commerce Secretary David Toland and other Kansas leaders celebrated the soft launch of Panasonic’s electric vehicle battery plant in De Soto.

Top Kansas leaders met this morning in De Soto to visit Panasonic's new electric vehicle battery plant.

Gov. Laura Kelly called the deal — the largest incentive in state history — a "transformative chapter" for Kansas. (1/2)

pro.stateaffairs.com/ks/flash/pan...

Meanwhile, Republican lawmakers are beginning to look for budget cuts: Troy Waymaster, chair of the House Appropriations Committee, has asked state agencies to look for areas where they could trim 7.5%.

Gov. Laura Kelly’s proposed budget basically flat, but still exceeds projected revenue Sustainability was Gov. Laura Kelly’s focus when crafting her budget proposal, Budget Director Adam Proffitt told lawmakers.

Gov. Laura Kelly's proposed FY 2026 budget is just a 0.7% increase over last year's — but it still calls for $10.6 billion in State General Fund spending, more than the $9.8 billion Kansas expects to collect in revenue. #ksleg

pro.stateaffairs.com/ks/flash/lau...