Blaise Mesa, The Beacon

Blaise Mesa reports from the Kansas statehouse for The Beacon.

Stories by Blaise Mesa, The Beacon

The state doesn’t have caseload data, but it did say it regularly meets timely investigation metrics. (Fernando Salazar/The Beacon)

One elder abuse investigator has 70 cases. Kansas doesn’t say how swamped other caseworkers are

By Blaise Mesa, The Beacon | May 27, 2025

Stacy Crow made sure to check the outdoor cameras at Shirley Crow’s house in Wichita every now and again. Stacy lived five hours away from her 85-year-old mother-in-law, and the video check-ins were necessary because Shirley had Alzheimer’s disease and needed regular medication. “We did like to just see her out on her porch drinking…

Kansas state Rep. Stephanie Clayton, an abortion rights supporter who was a Republican and is now a Democrat, reacts as a referendum to strip abortion rights out of the state constitution fails.

Kansas Voters Overwhelmingly Say ‘No’ to Stripping Abortion Rights from the State Constitution

By Dylan Lysen, Kansas News Service, Laura Ziegler, KCUR 89.3, Blaise Mesa, The Beacon | August 3, 2022

Kansas was the first state to vote on abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June. The vote preserves the right to an abortion in the Kansas Constitution.