Author

Sherman Smith
Sherman Smith is the Kansas Press Association’s journalist of the year in 2021 and 2022. He has written award-winning news stories about the instability of the Kansas foster care system, misconduct by government officials, sexual abuse, technology, education, and the Legislature. He previously spent 16 years at the Topeka Capital-Journal. A lifelong Kansan, he graduated from Emporia State University in 2004 as a Shepherd Scholar with a degree in English.
She killed her rapist after months of abuse. Advocates say Kansas governor should set her free.
By: Sherman Smith - February 5, 2023
TOPEKA — Sarah Gonzales-McLinn regrets killing Hal Sasko. She also regrets moving into his Lawrence home, where he repeatedly raped her until she channeled a lifetime of trauma into psychotic rupture. On a January night in 2014, she drugged her captor, zip-tied his limbs and slit his throat. “That is the moment that my pain […]
Kansas voters defeat abortion amendment in unexpected landslide
By: Sherman Smith and Lily O'Shea Becker - August 3, 2022
OVERLAND PARK — Kansas voters in a landslide Tuesday defeated a constitutional amendment that would have stripped residents of abortion rights, defying polling and political observers who expected a close result. The ballot measure was failing by a 60-40 margin late Tuesday after voters responded to an intense and costly campaign marked by dubious claims […]
Kansas, Montana senators unveil plan to provide VA care for burn pit exposure
By: Sherman Smith - February 1, 2022
TOPEKA, Kansas — U.S. Sens. Jerry Moran and Jon Tester say swift action is needed to ensure post-9/11 combat veterans who were exposed to burn pits can receive medical care. Moran, a Kansas Republican, and Tester, a Montana Democrat, in a news conference Tuesday outlined a billion-dollar plan to offer access to VA medical care […]