Deborah Shaar

A new poll by Emerson College in Massachusetts finds the Kansas governor’s race is a statistical tie with five weeks to go until the general election.

The poll reports 37 percent of voters surveyed chose Republican Kris Kobach and 36 percent chose Democrat Laura Kelly if the election was held now.

Independent candidate Greg Orman received support from 9 percent of voters. About 15 percent of those surveyed are still undecided.

The poll indicates President Donald Trump is popular in Kansas with a 55 percent approval and 45 percent disapproval rating.

Starting next year, Kansas counties are required to do post-election audits. The check will make sure the voting process — from equipment to office procedures — is done correctly, and the election results are accurate.

According to legislation approved earlier this year, a county election board will review at least one contested race on federal, state and county levels.

According to legislation approved earlier this year, a county election board will review at least one contested race on federal, state and county levels.

A prescription drug monitoring program in Kansas will receive a federal grant worth more than $736,000 to expand.

The Kansas Board of Pharmacy oversees K-TRACS, a system for monitoring prescriptions for controlled substances.

Tuesday is National Voter Registration Day, a single day set aside for a coordinated awareness campaign to get more people registered to vote.

American Red Cross chapters in Kansas are sending volunteers and equipment to the East Coast ahead of Hurricane Florence.

The massive, slow-moving hurricane is set to plow into the southeast coast by Thursday.

Rachelle Lipker, interim communications director with the American Red Cross of South Central and Southeast Kansas, says the goal is to get disaster relief crews and emergency response vehicles in place before the hurricane hits.

Kansas farmers are heading to Washington, D.C., next week to meet with members of Congress and the Department of Agriculture.

The family farmers and ranchers will attend the National Farmers Union's Legislative Fly-In.

Kansas Farmers Union President Donn Teske says the team from Kansas will focus its discussions with lawmakers on several priorities.

"The farm economy is first and foremost," Teske says, "and an appropriate Farm Bill with an adequate safety net, which is what the farm program was designed for."

A Kansas trade expert says a new U.S. trade agreement with Mexico could help grow Kansas companies and the economy of south-central Kansas.

Karyn Page, president of Kansas Global Trade Services, says the tentative agreement announced Monday is a sign that trade negotiations are moving forward.

Representatives from the U.S., Mexico and Canada began talks to update the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) more than a year ago. The trilateral trade pact was implemented in 1994 to eliminate barriers to trade and investment.

Every year, 232 women in Kansas endure the heartache of losing a baby to stillbirth or infant death.

To help reduce that rate, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment began a partnership with "Count the Kicks," an Iowa-based stillbirth prevention awareness campaign.

The program teaches expectant women to count their babies’ movements daily in the third trimester. That way, women will know to call their doctor if there is a change in the baby’s normal pattern.

Law enforcement agencies throughout Kansas are increasing their patrols for impaired drivers the next few weeks.

The stepped up enforcement is part of a national traffic safety campaign called “You drink. You drive. You Lose.” Expect to see billboards and commercials with the message, too.

Officers will target drivers who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Chris Bortz with the Kansas Department of Transportation says men under 34 are the biggest offenders.

Kansas high school juniors will have a chance to take the ACT college admission test for free this school year.

Kansas education officials plan to offer the ACT at no cost statewide in February.

The test measures a student’s readiness for college and provides standardized data on achievement.

The state is also paying for students to take the ACT WorkKeys assessment to gauge essential workplace skills.

Kansas officials will soon have an up-to-date map of broadband service availability across the state as a way to help close the coverage gap.

Finding health and human services help in Kansas is now as easy as sending a text. The United Way of the Plains launched a new texting option for its 211 information helpline.

Here is how it works: all you need to do is send a text to 898211 with your zip code. A call center operator will answer the text and get more details about the situation.

A proposal to strengthen Kansas’ laws against elder abuse is expected to come before lawmakers during the upcoming legislative session.

Health navigators are available in Wichita to help people complete applications for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act marketplace before Friday's enrollment deadline.

One of the community sites offering free, in-person enrollment assistance is the La Familia Senior/Community Center north of downtown Wichita. A bilingual health navigator is taking appointments through Friday to help people get signed up for a health plan.

La Familia executive director Carla Lee says this is the third year the organization has offered the one-on-one assistance.

It’s easy to order food, get a ride or transfer money using a mobile phone, so now the U.S. Department of Education wants to make filing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, just as easy.

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas is part of a bipartisan congressional effort trying to get legislation passed that would continue a federal student loan program.

Updated Wednesday at 10:34 p.m.

Tyson Foods is considering Sedgwick County and two other locations in Kansas as possible sites for a new $320 million poultry processing complex.

The list of Republican candidates running to become the next governor of Kansas continues to grow. Wichita businessman and former state Rep. Mark Hutton launched his campaign on Monday in Wichita.

A prescription drug monitoring program in Kansas will receive a federal grant worth more than $178,000 to help fight the opioid crisis.

The Kansas Board of Pharmacy oversees K-TRACS, a system for monitoring prescriptions for controlled substances.

Board Executive Secretary Alexandra Blasi says doctors, dentists and pharmacists who participate in the program report their prescription activity to the state to verify a patient’s history.

Disasters can happen at any time, so emergency responders say the best way to survive is to plan ahead.

The reminder comes as part of September’s National Preparedness Month.

For the past 16 years, emergency management officials have conducted a public campaign to get people ready to face a disaster.

They recommend placing non-perishable food, water and supplies into a container to be used when needed.

Cody Charvat with Sedgwick County Emergency Management says it’s important to plan for the possibility of losing electricity for up to 72 hours.

Small companies in Kansas looking to expand their export business can get financial assistance through the state's Department of Commerce.

The Small Business Administration awarded the State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) grant to the Kansas Department of Commerce and the Kansas Department of Agriculture. The $380,000 grant was awarded on Tuesday.

The money will be used to help small and medium-sized businesses begin exporting for the first time or expand their existing export business.

U.S. House and Senate lawmakers are still months away from passing a new Farm Bill. The legislation, which governs an array of federal agricultural and food programs, is set to expire in 2018.

Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry. That committee and the House Committee on Agriculture are currently working to rewrite the Farm bill.

Roberts says his goal is to get the bill passed in October, or at the very latest, early next year.

U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas says local governments should enact hate crime laws to give law enforcement more options when protests and demonstrations turn violent.

Kansas’ senior senator called the weekend violence in Charlottesville, Virginia, a “terrible tragedy.”

He said cities should enact ordinances on hate crimes so that law enforcement could step in ahead of violence, which he said was not done in Charlottesville.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency is offering disaster assistance to dozens of counties in western Kansas which were affected by a late spring snowstorm.

The storm dumped heavy snow, and straight-line winds up to 60 miles per hour created drifts and knocked downed power lines and trees. The snowstorm affected 27 counties, mainly in western and northwestern Kansas, from April 28 to May 3.

FEMA will reimburse state and local governments, agencies and nonprofits for recovery projects.

Girl Scout troops in Kansas provided input on one of the new badges that scouts nationwide will be able to earn this year.

The national Girl Scout organization added 23 new badges focused on science, technology, engineering, math and the outdoors.

The effort takes a progressive approach to STEM and also encourages girls to become citizen scientists using the great outdoors as their laboratory.

There's a small-scale charity movement starting to take hold in neighborhoods across the country. Think of those "little free library" boxes, but with a twist: These are small pantries stocked with free food and personal care items like toothbrushes and diapers for people in need.

They're found near churches, outside businesses and in front of homes. Maggie Ballard, who lives in Wichita, Kan., calls hers a "blessing box."