Latest Kansas Headlines
All the headlines from our Kansas Topic Page, ordered by recency.
Farm Bureau Health Coverage Plan Favored by Rural Kansas Lawmakers
Feb 24 2019 // Rural state lawmakers are pushing a plan to allow the Kansas Farm Bureau to offer health insurance coverage to members without having to comply with federal Affordable Care Act mandates in hopes that the influential...
I.I.I. Adds Ruiz, NAIC’s Holeman to Communications Team
Jan 29 2019 // The New York-based Insurance Information Institute (I.I.I.) has appointed two new full-time employees with experience in consumer education, media relations, public affairs and strategic communications to the...
Jones Named Anti-Fraud Director at Kansas Insurance Department
Jan 25 2019 // Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt has appointed Dennis Jones as director of Anti-Fraud at the Kansas Insurance Department (KID). Jones brings over 30 years of legal experience having previously served as a city...
Researchers Looking into How Drones Can Predict Wildfire Spread
Jan 21 2019 // A University of Missouri researcher is teaming up with scholars in Kansas and Georgia to develop drone technology to monitor and potentially predict the spread of wildfires. The $1.2 million research project that began...
At Least 5 Dead in Crashes During Midwest Snowstorm
Jan 14 2019 // A massive winter snowstorm that blanketed several Midwest states was a factor in at least five road deaths on Saturday and forced the grounds crew to scramble to clear snow from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City ahead of...
Kansas Insurance Department Issues Alert on Potential Auto Insurance Scam
Jan 11 2019 // Kansas Commissioner of Insurance Ken Selzer has issued a warning about a potential auto insurance telephone scam. According to information from insurance officials, the caller uses the following introduction: “Hi...
Midwest Legislative Priorities Include No-Fault Auto, Distracted Driving, Contractor Fraud, Tort Reform
Jan 7 2019 // With some of the highest auto insurance rates in the nation, Michigan’s no-fault insurance laws — much maligned by the insurance industry and business interests — are sure to be a target for legislative...
New Kansas Insurance Chief to Name Rankin as Assistant Commissioner
Jan 4 2019 // Kansas Insurance Commissioner-Elect Vicki Schmidt has picked a high-ranking Kansas Department of Transportation official to serve as her top deputy. Schmidt announced that upon taking office, she will appoint Barbara...
Kansas School District to Settle with Student Who Broke Leg in Slip and Fall
Jan 3 2019 // The Wichita, Kansas, school district plans to pay up to $25,000 to settle a lawsuit with a student who fell on a wet floor at a middle school on a rainy day and broke his leg. The Wichita Eagle reports that a court hearing...
Massive Fire Destroys 28K Square-Foot Kansas Warehouse; Loss Tagged at $1.6M
Dec 17 2018 // Authorities say a massive fire has destroyed a 28,000 square-foot warehouse in a Wichita, Kansas, suburb. Television station KSNW reports that the fire at the Park City warehouse was reported around 9 p.m. on Dec. 14....
Suit Filed in Kansas Says Cessna Crash Caused by Drill Bit Left During Repair
Dec 5 2018 // A drill bit left during repair of a single-engine Cessna aircraft is responsible for a 2015 crash in Arkansas that caused minor injuries to the pilot and destroyed the new $712,290 aircraft, a federal lawsuit filed in...
Kansas Company: Feed Truck Caused Amtrak Derailment
Nov 28 2018 // The upcoming trial over the Kansas derailment of an Amtrak passenger train has been cancelled after Cimarron Crossing Feeders admitted its runaway feed truck damaged the railroad track. Trial had been scheduled to start...
A.M. Best Upgrades Credit Ratings of Kansas’ Upland Mutual Insurance
Nov 21 2018 // A.M. Best has upgraded the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) to B++ (Good) from B+ (Good) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) to “bbb” from “bbb-” of Upland Mutual Insurance Inc. in...
Kansans Elect Schmidt to Insurance Commissioner Post
Nov 19 2018 // Kansas voters on Nov. 6 favored Republican Vicki Schmidt in the race to become the state’s next insurance commissioner. Schmidt won 63 percent of the vote, with all 3556 precincts counted, according to the Kansas...
People
Nov 19 2018 // Terry Miller has been named president and chief executive officer at Bloomington, Minnesota-based SFM Mutual Insurance Co. Miller has worked at SFM for more than 30 years, serving as the company’s original...
Schmidt Elected to Kansas Insurance Commissioner Post
Nov 7 2018 // Kansas voters on Nov. 6 favored Republican Vicki Schmidt in the race to become the state’s next insurance commissioner. Schmidt won 63 percent of the vote, with all 3556 precincts counted, according to the Kansas...
Lawsuit: Superheated Steam Killed 2 Men at Kansas Plant
Nov 5 2018 // The family of one of two Kansas men killed at an energy plant says in a lawsuit that the men died when the elevator they were in filled with superheated steam because of a faulty safety valve. The federal lawsuit was filed...
Kansas Waterslide on Which Boy Died Being Torn Down
Nov 1 2018 // Demolition has begun on a giant waterslide that a 10-year-old Kansas boy was riding on when he was decapitated two years ago. KMBC-TV reports that deconstruction of the 17-story Verruckt, which was billed as the...
Lockton Names Gibson Sr. VP, Director of Marketing, Communications, External Affairs
Oct 17 2018 // Kansas City, Missouri-based insurance services firm, Lockton Companies, has named Julie Gibson senior vice president, director of marketing, communications and external affairs. She is based in Kansas City. Gibson will...
Workers’ Comp Rates to Decline in Kansas Next Year
Oct 11 2018 // For the fifth consecutive year, many Kansas business owners will pay less for workers’ compensation insurance again in 2019, the Kansas Insurance Department reported. “With another rate decrease, Kansas...
