Blaise Mesa
KMUW
Topeka, KS, United States
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Past articles by Blaise:
Kansas is taking a nationally unprecedented move to let foster teens pick their families
The SOUL Family program is specially designed to help older foster youth who are aging out of care. → Read More
Kansas foster families say attorneys representing foster kids in court are failing those children
Guardians ad litem say their heavy caseloads make it hard to be everywhere at once. Foster parents want them to know the children they represent better. → Read More
A 15-year-old runaway foster child was found dead in Kansas City, Kansas
The child reportedly had a medical condition, but authorities haven't released many details. → Read More
Public defenders in Kansas got more pay, but still have the same crushing workloads
The Kansas Legislature didn’t approve money for additional public defenders, but it did support pay raises. → Read More
Roe v. Wade decision will mean Kansas abortion rights hinge on a state vote in August
The U.S. Supreme Court appears poised to strike down abortion protections, making an upcoming Kansas vote on abortion rights even more important. → Read More
Addiction derailed their lives. These Kansans say the criminal justice system made it worse
Kansans with substance use problems say they are falling through the cracks of a legal system that’s more concerned with punishing them than getting them sober. → Read More
Finding child care in Kansas was a challenge before the pandemic. Now it’s even harder
Finding child care in Kansas has become so hard that some Kansas parents now plan pregnancies around open child care slots. → Read More
Finding child care in Kansas was a challenge before the pandemic. Now it's even harder
Facilities closed down during the pandemic. Those that survived are now struggling to find workers. → Read More
Kansas is on path to make it easier to get your seized property back from police
Supporters of the bill say this will prevent “policing for profit” while making the system easier to navigate. → Read More
Kansas wants more Black foster parents to better match families with kids in crisis
Black children are overrepresented in the foster care system, and that has created a demand for more Black foster parents to give kids a more familiar environment after being taken from their biological families. → Read More
Kansas prisoners can’t vote, but some critics say they are gerrymandered anyway
The census defines a prisoner’s home address as the prison they are held at, but there is some effort to change that. → Read More
Critics say the Kansas criminal justice system’s fees and fines trap people in a cycle of poverty
Legislators have discussed multiple proposals to change the state’s reliance on fines and fees. Some want the state to make even broader changes. TOPEKA, Kan. (KCUR/NPR) — After Tyler Williams spent much of his teenage years locked up in the juvenile jail system, he found himself at 19 owing more than $1,000 to the state […] → Read More
Family and friends who take on foster kids in Kansas say they need more support from the state
Kinship placements can be a better option than a licensed foster home, but kinship parents say they need more support → Read More
Kansas lawmakers will consider bill that would prevent rape kits from taking too long to be tested
New legislation in Kansas will reduce rape kit backlogs. Advocates say it's another step in the right direction. → Read More
State finally clears backlog of rape kits and is poised to require quicker processing
New legislation in Kansas will reduce rape kit backlogs. Advocates say it's another step in the right direction. → Read More
‘Is this person going to hurt me?’: Transgender inmates say Kansas prisons put them in danger
Transgender inmates say they were targets of harassment by staff and inmates that put them in danger. → Read More
Transgender inmates say the way they're treated in Kansas prisons puts them in danger
Transgender inmates say they were targets of harassment by staff and inmates that put them in danger. → Read More
A Kansas commission says one step toward racial equity is to stop using Native Americans as mascots
The report offers dozens of other recommendations advocating for expanding tracking of demographic information, targeting use of COVID-19 relief funds and incentive programs to diversify workforces. → Read More
Kansas judge throws out abortion regulations, saying they infringed on women's access to care
The 2011 law was blocked because a judge said it could have made it harder to get an abortion in Kansas. → Read More
The Kansas prison staff shortage means Lansing inmates won't be able to see their families
The Kansas Department of Corrections has been losing staff throughout 2021. Now, it doesn't have enough people to have in-person visitation at one of its prisons. Visits were also shutdown earlier in the pandemic. → Read More