By Brian Grimmett

At a campaign rally in Topeka earlier this month, the tough talk on immigration from Republican gubernatorial nominee Kris Kobach was a crowd pleaser. 

“We’ve worked on a number of things, but the most important is stopping illegal immigration,” Kobach said to a cheering audience. 

Kobach was standing next to President Donald Trump, who had kind words for the Kansas secretary of state, who’s advised the president on immigration and proposed wording for a citizenship question on the 2020 census.

“He is a tireless champion for border security,” Trump said. “He’ll fight for you every single day. He doesn’t stop. He’ll protect your family. He’ll protect your children.” 

Kobach’s campaign for governor is one of two hotly contested races in Kansas revealing a divide over immigration policy. In the 3rd Congressional District, incumbent Republican Kevin Yoder has rejected the Trump administration’s harshest tactics and rhetoric. 

Kobach has made a career out of stoking anti-immigrant sentiment. As secretary of state, he’s pushed for rules to require that people show proof of citizenship when registering to vote. As a private attorney, he worked with cities across the country to help pass ordinances that make hiring or renting to undocumented immigrants unlawful. 

At the rally, Kobach warned that immigrants here illegally are a drain on the state’s finances. 

“It’s time to put Kansans first, not illegal aliens,” he said. Once again the crowd cheered in approval. 

That sentiment plays well with voters who helped Trump win Kansas by a wide margin in 2016. It also plays in rural parts of the state where some people are anxious about immigrants bringing crime. 

However, the influential Kansas Farm Bureau couldn’t agree on who to endorse for governor. Rich Felts, the group’s president, said Kobach’s hardline stance on immigration may have factored in the lack of consensus.

And Kobach’s rhetoric may also hurt him with voters in the growing suburbs of Kansas City.

That’s where Rep. Yoder is taking a more moderate tone when it comes to immigration. He’s been endorsed by Trump but didn’t appear at the rally. 

Yoder supports Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration and the border wall but has said he’s also willing to work across the aisle. 

“I … supported a Democratic plan that would make sure that DACA kids can’t be deported,” Yoder told host Steve Kraske on KCUR’s Up To Date. “I also supported a Democratic plan that would ensure that we can’t separate parents from their children.” 

Yoder came to the aid of an Indian woman who lost her legal status in the United States after her husband was murdered in a hate crime in Olathe. Sunayana Dumala has endorsed the congressman in a new ad. 

Yoder is clearly trying to win over moderates, but his approach has alienated some further to the right, including Fox News host Laura Ingraham. 

Ingraham blasted Yoder for supporting a Democratic plan that would make it easier for migrants fleeing domestic abuse to get asylum in the United States.

“Your family history shouldn’t be allowed to thwart the president’s immigration agenda, and frankly imperil the party’s prospects in the midterms,” she told her television audience. 

Yoder eventually backed away from the Democratic plan citing concerns that it would allow millions of people to potentially make fraudulent claims and take advantage of the system. 

The 3rd District is increasingly home to wealthy, college educated people. And it’s skewing more Democratic. Hillary Clinton narrowly won the district in the presidential race two years ago. 

“You know, [Yoder] really hasn’t walked away from Trump’s policies,” said University of Kansas political science professor Patrick Miller. “Yet he’s attempted to say things or express concern over things like children being detained that might seem more sympathetic to what’s really a swing district that he represents.” 

To further demonstrate he’s the centrist in the race, Yoder has tried to make his Democratic challenger, Sharice Davids, seem too radical for his district. 

“Certainly, I’ve had moderate people tell me they don’t like the gubernatorial nominee,” Yoder said. “But for the same reason you shouldn’t like [Sharice Davids] for Kansas.” 

He’s focused a lot of attention on comments she made about defunding Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Congressional Republicans’ super PAC and Yoder’s campaign have both turned those comments into attack ads. Davids put out her own ad saying they twisted her words. 

In several recent polls Yoder is trailing Davids. And Kobach is in a dead heat with his Democratic rival, Laura Kelly, in the governor’s race. 

It’s unclear which strategy will work for the two Republicans — reaching out to moderates, or ignoring them and relying on Trump’s base. 

Brian Grimmett, based at KMUW in Wichita, is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a statewide collaboration between KMUW, Kansas Public Radio, KCUR and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. Follow him on Twitter @briangrimmett. 

CAMDEN, Mo. (AP) – Toxicology tests show that a boater was drunk when he slammed into a bluff at Missouri’s Lake of the Ozarks in a crash in which the Kansas man and two others died.

The Kansas City Star reports that 24-year-old Daniel Lewis, of Overland Park, Kansas, had a blood alcohol level of 0.088, which is just above the legal limit of .08.

Lewis died in the May 19 crash, along with 23-year-old Joseph LeMark, also of Overland Park, and 21-year-old Hailey Hochanadel, of Olathe, Kansas.

Two others including Ashley Lamb, 22, a senior at Kansas State University survived with injuries.

One of those who died initially was identified as the driver of the boat. But the patrol later said that person wasn’t driving. The autopsy result described Lewis as the “boat operator recovered the boat following collision with bluff.”

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man has pleaded no contest to sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl with a mental disability.

Steven Capps, 39, Lawrence, entered the plea Thursday, and was convicted of two felony counts of aggravated indecent liberties. He initially was charged with two counts of rape and one count of aggravated criminal sodomy.

Charging documents say another adult caught Capps in a room with the girl and called police. The affidavit says the girl used anatomical diagrams to explain what happened and “indicated she was not a willing participant.” The affidavit says Capps admitted to police that he removed the girl’s clothing and touched her inappropriately but denied raping her.

Sentencing is set for Nov. 15.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an attack on two Sedgwick County Detention Deputies in the Detention Facility.

Just before 9p.m. Thursday, two detention deputies were preparing an inmate for movement from booking to housing, according to Sedgwick County Sergeant Lanon Thompson.

Part of the procedure includes having the inmate showered, searched and then issued clothing. During this procedure, the inmate became non-compliant and combative and assaulted the deputies.

The altercation resulted in minor injuries to one deputy and potentially serious injuries to the second deputy.  One deputy was admitted to the hospital for treatment. The deputy’s injuries were evaluated and should return to work in a couple of weeks, according to Thompson.

The inmate 34-year-old Stephanie Dawn Beltz had previously been booked into the facility on a misdemeanor charge of Criminal Trespass by the Wichita Police Department. She has now been booked for Aggravated Battery of a Law Enforcement Officer.

The case will be presented to the District Attorney for review, according to Thompson.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — A Reno County sheriff’s deputy driving a sports utility vehicle has suffered minor injuries after colliding with three horses.

Deputy John Hendricks was traveling Thursday evening in the department’s 2017 Ford Explorer when he ran into three horses headed the same direction on the road.

Two of the horses rolled onto the SUV’s windshield during the wreck and the third hit the front passenger side.

The police report lists one horse in critical condition and another with multiple injuries.

Capt. Steve Lutz says he doesn’t know if any of the horses were put down or died.

He says the deputy was traveling within the 55 mph speed limit at the time of the wreck.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Someone has snatched a giant, inflatable colon used to teach about the dangers of colon cancer.

The University of Kansas Cancer Center said Friday in a news release that it was stolen from a pickup bed in Brookside.

Surgical oncologist John Ashcraft says colon cancer is a tough subject for many to talk about and the giant inflatable colon is a great conversation starter.

It is 10 feet-long, weighs 150 pound and is valued at $4,000.

It is owned by the Cancer Coalition, which hosts walking and running events under a campaign called “Get Your Rear In Gear.”

The Cancer Coalition ships the inflatable colon across the country to help see in a unique way the progression of colon cancer.

One in 20 people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer.

MCPHERSON COUNTY  — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a robbery and have two suspects in custody.

Just after 3a.m. Friday, police were dispatched to a report of an armed robbery at Holiday Inn Express Hotel, 2302 E. Kansas Avenue in McPherson, according to a media release.

The hotel clerk reported that two black males came into the hotel, with their faces covered, armed with a hand gun and demanded money.

The clerk complied and gave the suspects $171.00 cash from the cash register. One of the suspects took the Clerk into a back room, while the other suspect attempted, unsuccessfully, to break into an ATM inside the Hotel, causing damage to the ATM.

The suspects then fled from the Hotel. The Clerk told Officers, she recognized the clothing one of the suspects was wearing, a red hoodie, as that of a black male, who had been in the Hotel just prior to the robbery, and left in a red SUV. 

By STEPHEN KORANDA

The two top candidates for Kansas governor sparred in a debate over a familiar name: former Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback.

The two distanced themselves from Brownback, who left office earlier this year with sagging approval numbers.

Democratic state Sen. Laura Kelly has tried to connect her Republican opponent, Secretary of State Kris Kobach, to Brownback throughout the campaign. She said the 2012 tax cuts, pushed by Brownback and reversed by lawmakers last year, hurt state services such as schools, health care and roads.

“It’s all been devastated by the Brownback tax experiment,” Kelly said. “Do we hand the wheel to a man who has every intention of driving us back into the ditch?”

Kobach has promised to cut taxes and balance that with a spending reduction. Kelly said that’s bad for the state.

“Kris Kobach has promised to bring back the Brownback tax experiment and cut even more,” she said.

Kobach criticized Kelly for focusing so much on the state’s former governor.

“It seems like she wants to run against Sam Brownback,” he said, “not run against me.”

Kobach went to turn the tables on Kelly, and to tie her to Brownback. He said Kelly and Brownback had both supported increases in spending and the two share a lack of appetite for fighting illegal immigration.

“Will the real Sam Brownback,” he said, “please stand up?”

The two top candidates tilled much of the same ground as in past debates, but they shared different policy plans for boosting transparency in Kansas government.

Kobach said much of the Legislature’s work is accomplished in committees, but the votes are often unrecorded voice votes. Kobach argued for recording all committee votes.

“If you want to know how your representative or senator voted on an issue, you have to be present in the room watching their lips move,” Kobach said. “That’s outrageous.”

The state should stop using no-bid contracts, Kelly argued. She said millions of dollars had been spent on contracts without a public bidding process. Kelly said she would stop the process and review the contracts already in place.

“We need to shine the sunlight on those, and make sure that they were in the best interests of Kansans,” she said. “My guess is that many of them are not.”

The two shared the stage with Independent candidate Greg Orman. He pushed back against the idea that he could simply be a spoiler in the race. Several polls have shown him in a distant third place with the support of around 10 percent of voters.

Orman said rather than a spoiler, he’s offering a true alternative in the race.

“We don’t have to choose fear and hate,” he said. “We don’t have to vote for a bad candidate just to avoid a worse one.”

Orman said after the debate that he has every intention of staying in the race.

Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for KPR, a partner in the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @kprkoranda.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Mega Millions jackpot has soared to an estimated $1 billion, as the second-largest lottery prize in U.S. lottery history gets even bigger.

Lottery officials increased the grand prize just hours ahead of the Friday night drawing. The prize climbed from $970 million.

Although the jackpot keeps increasing, the odds of winning remain stuck at a miserable one in 302.5 million.

The prize has grown so large because no one has hit the jackpot since July 24, when a group in California won $543 million.

The $1 billion prize refers to the annuity option. Most winners opt for cash, which for Friday night’s drawing would be $565 million.

Officials say that if there isn’t a winner, the prize for Tuesday night’s drawing would be $1.6 billion, tying the largest U.S. lottery prize.

WASHINGTON —President Donald J. Trump declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Kansas and ordered Federal assistance to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the areas affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, and flooding from September 1 to September 8, 2018, according to a media release Friday from the White House.

Federal funding is available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe storms, straight-line winds, and flooding in the counties of Barber, Clay, Kingman, Kiowa, Marshall, Pratt, Rice, and Riley.

Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

Brock Long, Administrator, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Paul Taylor as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected areas.

Additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the State and warranted by the results of further damage assessments.

SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Another man has been convicted in the contract killing of a Salina man whose battered body was found on a path near a popular fishing area in June 2017.

Brandon St. Clair is scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 21 for multiple counts, including felony murder and aggravated kidnapping, in the death of 29-year-old Brandon Lee Shelby.

Charging documents say another man, Charles Rodgers, beat, choked and stabbed Shelby, expecting James Pavey to pay him with money or drugs. St. Clair and a fourth man, Austin Bott, were accused of helping.

Pavey and Rodgers entered no contest pleas, although Rodgers since has filed a motion to withdraw his plea. Bott has pleaded to lesser charges of kidnapping and aggravated robbery.