4/25/25: Vaccines, Daycare, and Art Reno

Kansas City, KS - Kansas has seen some major shifts in legislation, child-care, and their child reading programs. The Nelson-Atkins Art Museum has approved major, million-dollar renovations, and the Kansas City Chiefs draft a potential legacy player.

Legislative Developments

Child-Care Religious Vaccine Exemptions

Kansas Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly says she will sign a bill aimed at improving access to child care and other early childhood services. But some health experts are concerned about a provision codifying religious exemptions for vaccines required at day cares. This comes as the state is dealing with a measles outbreak in southwest and central Kansas, which is largely affecting people who are not fully vaccinated against the illness. Kansas Department of Health and Environment officials said the bill would codify the agency’s existing practices.

Kansas Governor Establishes Office of Early Childhood

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly on Thursday signed legislation consolidating the state’s early childhood services under one department and supporting creation of more child care openings. Kelly signed House Bill 2045, which created the Office of Early Childhood, effectively consolidating more than 20 Kansas programs that have to do with children, child care, and other issues under one banner. In addition, the bill is expected to increase the availability of much-needed child care slots, although critics have voiced concerns that it has softened licensure requirements.

Drug Takeback for Prescription Meds

Kansas law enforcement officers want to make sure your unused prescription drugs don’t fall into the wrong hands. The goal of National Prescription Drug Takeback Day is to prevent misuse by offering a safe way to dispose of your prescriptions. Solid medications like tablets and capsules are allowed, but you can’t bring liquids, syringes or illegal substances to dropoffs. Since the program began in 2010, more than 19.2 million pounds of medications have been collected and safely destroyed by the DEA.

KS Legislature turns Cold Shoulder on Child Reading Programs

There was $10 million in the state budget to develop instructional expertise through the Blueprint for Literacy. The idea was to enroll all Kansas elementary school teachers in graduate courses in the science of reading. The bottom-line objective: Significantly improve language arts skills of students in 3rd through 8th grades. Initially beginning with a budget of $10 million in 2024, the programs budget was slashed to $2 million in 2025. That financial setback won’t close the book on Blueprint for Literacy — at least not now, while the program remains in its infancy.

Community & Development

Nelson-Atkins Accepts New York firm’s Renovation Proposal

The Nelson-Atkins Art Museum in Kansas City, known for its large outdoor art of badminton shuttlecocks, chose a New York architecture firm’s proposal to lead a renovation that will preserve the main building and much of the outdoor space that surrounds the building.

Sports

Chief’s Draft Josh Simmons (OT, Ohio State) at No. 32

This was a great draft pick by the Chiefs, and if it all works out, they might have just found their cornerstone left tackle for a decade. On film, Simmons is the complete package. Quick feet, strong base, good hands for a college prospect, good flexibility through the hips, knees, and ankles, supreme athletic ability in space, and a good, nasty streak to finish plays. The most significant concern for Simmons had to do with the patellar knee injury that ended his 2024 campaign and limited him in offseason testing. The Chiefs had a top-30 visit with Simmons at the team's facility, and it was likely the results of this visit that gave the team the confidence to draft him at 32.