Month: February 2022

Funding announced for local law enforcement and community organizations tackling domestic violence and sexual assault crimes

U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids, D-3rd Dist., recently announced federal funding for six local organizations to strengthen law enforcement and community-based responsiveness to victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, rape and stalking.

Kansas received more than $1.8 million through these awards, with six agencies receiving $511,813.

Recipients of the 2022 S.T.O.P. VAWA grant award in the Kansas 3rd District included:

• $147,409 to the Unified Government District Attorney’s Office in Wyandotte County.
• $84,616 to the Unified Government Legal Department in Wyandotte County.
• $61,060 to the Gardner Police Department in Johnson County.
• $46,650 to Friends of Yates in Wyandotte County.
• $41,621 to Safehome in Johnson County.

Recipients of the 2022 SASP grant award in the Kansas 3rd District include:
• $130,457 to the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault in Wyandotte County.

“Our local law enforcement officers and community-based support organizations do life-saving work to ensure all victims and survivors of domestic abuse receive the care, protection, and justice they deserve—and that offenders are brought to justice,” Rep. Davids said. “I am proud to have voted twice to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act and to bring this crucial funding to our community.”

“We fund and focus on issues that we deem important. Governor Kelly and Representative Davids support of VAWA and related grant funds focused on stopping violence against women and children has allowed the Wyandotte County District Attorney’s Office to support survivors of domestic violence in a transformational manner,” said Mark A. Dupree Sr., district attorney of Wyandotte County. “These grant funds provide the necessary resources for our office to effectively prosecute and hold offenders accountable, while also allowing us the ability to support survivors of domestic violence, by pursuing protective and preventative efforts.”

“In Wyandotte County and beyond, providers of domestic violence services, victims, and their dependent children are so grateful to Representative Davids for all she does—both through her votes and by using her voice—to advocate for domestic violence services and funding,” said LaDora Lattimore, executive director-CEO-emeritus of Friends of Yates. “We are grateful for this grant and look forward to continuing to serve our community.”

Rep. Davids has voted twice to reauthorize the bipartisan, long-term Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and became the second Native woman to preside over the House floor during the VAWA reauthorization in 2019. Davids also secured strong measures in the bill to addresses the crisis of violence against Native women and girls. The reauthorization provides funding and access for tribes to federal criminal information databases and expands tribal jurisdiction to cover the crimes of domestic and sexual Violence, sex trafficking, and more.

In fiscal year 2022, Rep. Davids submitted a Commerce-Justice-Science budget request which included $233 million for S.T.O.P. VAWA and $100 million for SASP.

  • Story from Rep. Sharice Davids’ office

Kansas agrees new mail ballot restrictions are unconstitutional, will pay legal fees

by Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — A federal court on Friday struck down parts of a new Kansas law that criminalized the distribution of advanced mail ballot applications.

The state agreed not to object to arguments raised by nonprofit organizations that said the 2021 law violates the First and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The state also agreed not to appeal the decision and will pay attorney fees and court costs of the plaintiffs.

Gov. Laura Kelly vetoed House Bill 2332 last year, but the law was upheld by the GOP supermajority in the Legislature. Motivated by bogus claims of widespread voter fraud in other states, lawmakers targeted out-of-state groups that bombarded voters in 2020 with applications to receive advanced ballots.

VoteAmerica and the Voter Participation Center, which were represented in court by the Campaign Legal Center, filed the lawsuit last year against Secretary of State Scott Schwab, Attorney General Derek Schmidt and Johnson County District Attorney Stephen Howe.

U.S. District Judge Kathryn Vratil issued a temporary order in November blocking enforcement of the law. In her Friday order, Vratil said the contested sections of the law violate the U.S. Constitution.

“This is a big win for civic engagement groups nationwide,” said Danielle Lang, voting rights director at Campaign Legal Center. “Legislators are taking needless aim at folks that are just trying to give voters the materials they need to participate. This decision should serve as a warning to those who target them.”

The law banned the distribution of mail ballot applications by out-of-state groups and made it a crime to send mail ballot applications with the voter’s name and address already filled out.

Tom Lopach, president and CEO of the Voter Participation Center, said the court order will allow civic engagement groups to continue working to make voting access easier.

“We’re proud that we fought back against this effort to limit access to our democracy and won,” Lopach said. “At the Voter Participation Center, we will keep fighting to overturn anti-voter efforts and ensure every American can make their voice heard.”

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2022/02/28/kansas-agrees-new-mail-ballot-restrictions-are-unconstitutional-will-pay-legal-fees/

Warming trend predicted this week

National Weather Service graphic

A warming trend will continue through the week, according to the National Weather Service forecast.

Dry surface conditions will yield relative humidity values around 20 to 30 percent Monday through Wednesday, the weather service said.

Winds should remain light, with some stronger guests on Tuesday, according to the weather service.

The next chances for rain will come this weekend, the weather service said.

Skies at 7 a.m. Monday were mostly cloudy, with a temperature of 33 and a wind chill of 25, according to the weather service. The relative humidity was 45 percent.

Today, skies will be partly cloudy, with a high in the low 60s, the weather service said. A south southwest wind will be 4 to 7 mph.

Tonight, skies will be clear and in the lower 30s, with a west southwest wind of around 5 mph, according to the weather service.

Tuesday, skies will be sunny, with a high in the lower 70s, the weather service said. A west southwest wind between 6 to 13 mph will gust as high as 24 mph.

Tuesday night, it will be clear, with a low in the lower 40s and a west southwest wind of 5 mph, according to the weather service.

Wednesday, it will be sunny, with a high in the mid 70s, and a south southwest wind of 4 to 8 mph, the weather service said.

Wednesday night, it will be clear, with the low in the upper 30s, according to the weather service.

Thursday, it will be mostly sunny, with a high in the lower 60s, the weather service said.

Thursday night, skies will be partly cloudy, with a low in the lower 40s, according to the weather service.

Friday, skies will be mostly cloudy, with a high in the upper 60s, the weather service said.

Friday night, there is a 30 percent chance of rain, with the low in the lower 50s, according to the weather service.

Saturday, there is a 50 percent chance of rain, with a high in the middle 60s, the weather service said.


Saturday night, there is a 30 percent chance of rain before midnight, with a low in the lower 30s, according to the weather service.

Sunday, there is a 30 percent chance of rain in the afternoon, with a high in the upper 40s, the weather service said.