Douglas County's Plan to End Homelessness Could Cost $100 Million
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) - Douglas County's plan to "virtually eliminate" homelessness by 2028 would cost as much as $100 million. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that much of that money would go toward building and operating permanent affordable housing units. City leaders in Lawrence and county officials are holding a joint session Wednesday at city hall to consider the plan.
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Arctic Air Temps Ease Up Wednesday, But More Cold on the Way
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) - The Arctic air mass that broke daily records in several Kansas communities is beginning to ease. But there’s another cold front is on the way. Meteorologists say Kansans can expect a brief and minor reprieve Wednesday from the bitter temperatures and dangerously cold wind of the past several days. Daytime highs in the 30s are predicted across much of Kansas. But Andy Kleinsasser, with the National Weather Service in Wichita, says another, smaller spell of cold air is on track to start blowing through Thursday. “Thursday evening, Thursday night, that’s when another shot of arctic air blast south across Mid America here," he said. Wind chills could reach well below zero. Kleinsasser expects that cold air to hang around through Saturday, with Sunday daytime highs likely inching back above freezing in many parts of the state.
Chelsea Picha, another meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Topeka, says residents should brace themselves for another extreme cold spell. “Not as prolonged as what we just had, but (we) still could see wind chills in the teens and 20s below zero to start off Friday and Saturday mornings," she said. "And then once we get into next week, we'll see a pattern shift with temperatures returning to more seasonal values.”
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Bitter Cold Sent 15 People to Hospitals During Chiefs Playoff Game
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) - Temperatures at Arrowhead Stadium got so cold last weekend that some football fans had to be hospitalized. The Kansas City Fire Department says crews responded to 69 calls at GEHA Field during the Chiefs/Dolphins game Saturday. KSHB TV reports that the effects of the cold weather also sent 15 people to area hospitals. Officials say some people suffered from hypothermia and others were treated for frostbite. It was the coldest game on record at Arrowhead and the fourth coldest game in NFL history. The official temperature when the game began was -4 with a wind chill factor of 27 degrees below zero. More than 71,000 attended the game.
KC Pet Owners Cited for Leaving Pets Outside in Brutal Cold
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Some pet owners in Kansas City have been cited for leaving their pets outside in the bitter cold. KCTV reports that animal service officers have been working around the clock to save animals in freezing conditions. Several pet owners have been cited for neglect. In one case, authorities found a dog with a wounded leg that couldn't stop shivering. The KC Pet Project also treated a cat for exposure. A local shelter says both of those animals are now doing much better.
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Kansas GOP Leaders Propose Tax Plan
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Republican leaders in Topeka are proposing a compromise on taxes that includes many of Democratic Governor Laura Kelly’s suggestions but also a modified version of a flat tax. The Kansas News Service reports that the GOP plan includes getting rid of taxes on social security income, cutting state property taxes and eliminating the food sales tax this year rather than in 2025. All of those measures are supported by the governor, but the plan also includes a modified version of a single-rate income tax, often called a flat tax. That's something Kelly opposes. Kansans would pay 5.25 percent on income over $6,000. A spokesperson for the governor’s office says the new GOP proposal disproportionately benefits the wealthy.
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Bill Would Require Kansas Schools to Have Defibrillators on Campus
UNDATED (KNS) – A bill introduced in the Kansas Legislature would require schools to plan for cardiac emergencies and have defibrillators on campus. the Kansas News Service reports that testimony about the bill took place Wednesday at the Statehouse. Amanda Herman’s daughter Reagan was playing in a high school basketball tournament in Topeka last summer when she went into sudden cardiac arrest. Bystanders saved her life using an automated external defibrillator, or AED. Now Herman is advocating for a bill that would require schools to have defibrillators on hand. “They should be right outside gymnasiums or sports facilities. They have to be right there and accessible,” she said. The Kansas measure is modeled after laws in about two dozen other states. School officials say they support the idea but would need more funding for AEDs, which cost more than $1,000 each.
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Cybersecurity Incident Disrupts IT Services at Kansas State University
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KPR) — A cybersecurity incident disrupted part of the computer systems at Kansas State University in Manhattan. The incident interrupted the university's VPN, K-State Today emails and videos on Canvas or Mediasite. School officials say they were able to confirm that these disruptions were the result of a recent cybersecurity incident. As a result, affected systems were taken offline and will remain offline as an investigation continues. K-State will use third-party IT forensic experts during the investigation. Updates will be posted at k-state.edu/update.
(–Additional reporting–)
Cybersecurity Incident Shuts Down Some Network Systems at K-State
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas State University officials say a cybersecurity incident has shut down several network systems on campus. The Kansas News Service reports that the incident has disrupted K-State’s private network, as well as emails and video platforms that let students access lectures and other materials. University officials say impacted systems were taken offline and will remain down while the investigation continues. It will also affect shared drives and printers, and university listservs. Officials say they’re working with information technology forensic experts to determine the source of the problem. They urge students and faculty to follow cybersecurity best practices and report any suspicious activity.
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Top Official Says Kansas Courts Need at Least $2.6 Million to Recover from Cyberattack
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas court system needs at least $2.6 million in additional funds to recover from an October cyberattack that prevented the electronic filing of documents and blocked online access to records for weeks, the state's top judicial official told legislators Tuesday. State Supreme Court Chief Justice Marla Luckert included the figure in a written statement ahead of her testimony before a joint meeting of the Kansas House and Senate Judiciary committees. The Republican-controlled Legislature must approve the funding, and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly also must sign off.
Luckert's written statement said the courts needed the money not only to cover the costs of bringing multiple computer systems back online but to pay vendors, improve cybersecurity and hire three additional cybersecurity officials. She also said the price tag could rise. “This amount does not include several things: recovery costs we will incur but cannot yet estimate; notification costs that will be expended to notify individuals if their personal identifiable information has been compromised; and any services, like credit-monitoring, that the branch may decide to provide for the victims,” Luckert's statement said.
The attack occurred October 12. Judicial branch officials have blamed a ransomware group based in Russia, saying it stole data and threatened to post it on a dark website if its demands were not met.
Judicial branch officials have not spelled out the attackers' demands. However, they confirmed earlier this month that no ransom was paid after responding to an Associated Press request for invoices since October 12, which showed as much.
Luckert said little about the costs of the cyberattack during Tuesday's joint committee meeting and did not mention the $2.6 million figure. She and other judicial branch officials also met with the House committee in private for about 15 minutes to discuss more sensitive security issues. “The forensic investigation is ongoing,” she said during her public testimony to both committees. Luckert said courts' costs include buying a new firewall as well as software and hardware. She said the court included the three new cybersecurity jobs in its proposed budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1 but now wants to be able to hire them in April, May or June.
State Rep. Stephen Owens, a Republican from rural central Kansas who serves on both the House judiciary and budget committees, said the courts are asking for “an awful lot of money” because of the cyberattack. “That being said, I also think that we have to prioritize cybersecurity,” he said after Tuesday's meeting. “We have to prioritize safeguarding of the information that we store on behalf of Kansans.”
Separately, Kelly is seeking $1.5 million to staff an around-the-clock, 12-person cybersecurity operations center, hire an official to oversee the state's strategy for protecting data and hire someone to create a statewide data privacy program.
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KDHE Announces End to Boil-Water Advisories for Winchester, Belvue, and Muscotah
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has announced that the boil-water advisories for the cities of Winchester, Belvue, and Muscotah have been lifted. No matter which municipality or utility declares a boil-water order, it must be lifted by the KDHE. You can read the details surrounding the rescinding of these individual orders at the KDHE website, or click the following links:
- City of Winchester, Jefferson County
- City of Belvue, Pottawatomie County
- City of Muscotah, Atchison County
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Bill Would Include Drug Overdoses in Good Samaritan Law Protections
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – A bipartisan group of Kansas lawmakers has introduced a bill to include drug overdoses in its Good Samaritan law. The Kansas News Service reports that the bill would protect most people from prosecution if they call 9-1-1 to get medical attention for someone they’re with who’s experiencing an overdose. Advocates say it will allow people to feel more comfortable calling for help without fear of prosecution for being in possession of a substance. Thomas Simmons of the Kansas Recovery Network in Reno County says that if the bill is passed, it can help save lives. “My take on this is how many people are dying that don't have to be because we are threatening the people that are trying to save them,” he explained. The lawmakers have already received support from law enforcement groups, which removes a major hurdle in getting the bill passed.
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Kansas Bill Would Limit Ways for Kansans to Request Mail-In Ballots
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas voters would have fewer ways to apply for mail-in ballots under a bill being considered by state lawmakers. Under current state law, voters can apply for mail-in ballots through sources like advocacy groups and the Kansas Secretary of State’s office. But the Kansas Senate will soon discuss a bill that would allow only county election officials to send out applications - and only at the request of a voter. Some Republicans have criticized mail-in ballots, claiming they are more susceptible to fraud. Millions of unsolicited ballots were mailed to voters during the 2020 election, during the pandemic. Kansas election officials have defended the legitimacy of voting by mail.
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Kansas Bill Targets Hair Discrimination
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas residents who wear hairstyles linked to their ancestry may soon have more protection in the workplace. A bill would amend the Kansas Act Against Discrimination to forbid workplace prejudice based on a person’s ancestral hairstyle. It would bar discrimination based on hair texture or protective styles such as locs, braids or twists. Stacey Knoell, executive director of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission, urged lawmakers to pass the bill. Knoell says the bill will tell people of color they are welcome and protected in Kansas. "What my hair looks like has no bearing on whether or not I can do my job," she said. "It’s purely a cosmetic decision.” Similar efforts have not passed the statehouse but some local communities, like Lawrence and Wichita, have created protections.
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Authorities: Kansas Man Accidentally Kills Wife While Deer Hunting
OSWEGO, Kan. (KAKE) - Authorities say a man accidentally shot and killed his wife while deer hunting in southeast Kansas. KAKE TV reports the accidental shooting happened Saturday in the Grand Osage Wildlife Area near Oswego. According to the Labette County Sheriff's Office, the man laid his rifle in the back seat of their pickup truck and attempted to unload the weapon. When he switched off the safety mechanism, the gun fired - striking his wife. The woman, identified as Christina Hall, died at an area hospital.
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ACLU Raises Concerns About KCK Public Safety Program
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCUR) – A new public safety program that gives police direct access to private security cameras … is raising concerns for a Kansas civil rights group. KCUR reports that the ConnectKCK program lets residents and businesses in Kansas City, Kansas, register security cameras and doorbells so KCK police can request footage. It includes the option to give police direct access to the video feed in case of nearby emergencies. But Micah Kubic, who leads the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas, has major privacy concerns. “There are lots of examples of surveillance technology being used … in ways that really undermine the rights of individual people,” Kubic said. The ACLU of Northern California sued San Francisco in 2020, after police there used a network of private cameras without permission to surveil protestors.
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Students in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska Riding "Greener" School Buses
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - Hundreds of students in Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska will soon ride greener buses to school, instead of traditional diesel buses. The Environmental Protection Agency is granting $33 million to schools and bus operators in Kansas City, Missouri, Topeka and other places. The new buses will reduce or eliminate tailpipe emissions. That means they will be electric buses or buses that run on propane or compressed natural gas. First Student, a national company, says this helps toward its phaseout of 30,000 diesel school buses by 2035. The EPA says diesel is linked to health problems, so cleaner vehicles will benefit bus drivers and students. Topeka's USD 501 is among the districts where students will soon be riding more environmentally-friendly school buses.
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TCU Women Cancel K-State Game Because of Shortage of Available Players
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — The Big 12 says TCU's next two women's basketball games have been canceled because the team does not have enough available players. The Horned Frogs were scheduled to play No. 7 Kansas State Wednesday night and at No. 24 Iowa State on Saturday. The conference did not disclose the reason for TCU's player shortage. Under conference rules, a school unable to field a team will forfeit the contest if no extraordinary circumstances exist. As a result, Iowa State and Kansas State each will be credited with a win in the league standings and TCU will pick up two losses.
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Helmet Manufacturer: Patrick Mahomes' Shattered Lid in Playoff Game "Did Its Job'
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The manufacturer of the helmet that Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes shattered during their AFC wild-card game with Miami says it "did its job" by protecting him on a helmet-to-helmet collision Saturday night. The game was the fourth-coldest in NFL history. The temperature at kickoff was minus-4 degrees Fahrenheit, and winds gusting to more than 25 mph made the wind chill approach minus-30 during the game. Certor Sports, which makes the VICIS helmet that Mahomes was wearing, said the extreme conditions "are bound to test the limits of even the highest-performing products." But the helmet still protected the NFL MVP.
Mahomes was scrambling toward the end zone in the second half of the Chiefs' 26-7 victory when he was hit by Dolphins safety DeShon Elliott. Their helmets clashed and, likely because of the extreme cold that made the outer shell brittle, a fist-sized chunk went flying from Mahomes' helmet just above the facemask covering his left eye.
"I'm sure it had to do with it being really cold," Mahomes said afterward, "but yeah, I didn't know that happened in the moment. I got to the huddle and everyone was telling me, and I was like, 'I got you all, but I'm not coming out of the game.'"
The VICIS ZERO2 uses a proprietary multilayer technology that creates a "deformable outer shell," the company said, and that is wrapped around a stiffer inner shell. The design is similar to that of car bumpers, which might appear to be inexpensive plastic at first glance but are in fact engineered to absorb and disperse energy at the point of impact.
The ZERO2 line, which includes specific models for linemen and quarterbacks, held the top five spots in testing this season by the NFL and NFLPA. "VICIS helmets are extensively tested in high-impact conditions across a range of temperatures," the company said. "We are committed to continuing our development of the safest helmets in football, and working with our partners in the NFL and other organizations to constantly gain knowledge and continuously advance protective technology."
VICIS was founded in 2017 and quickly became a venture-capital darling, raising more than $85 million from current and former NFL players that included Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson and Jerry Rice. And with a focus on innovation, the company produced helmets that ranked No. 1 in NFL and NFLPA testing from 2017-19.
But the company struggled to compete with established manufacturers Riddell and Schutt, and that took a toll on its finances. Co-founder and CEO Dave Marver resigned in November 2019, the company's board of directors voted to place it in receivership the following month, and more than 100 employees were laid off in an attempt to avoid bankruptcy.
Innovatus Capital Partners bought the assets of VICIS in 2020 and it was incorporated into Certor Sports, which also produces the Schutt brand of helmets and TUCCI, which produces wood and metal baseball bats. VICIS has continued to innovate when it comes to helmet design. A few years ago, the company relaunched the ZERO2 platform of helmets that Mahomes was wearing, and introduced the TRENCH, a helmet designed specifically for linemen.
The NFL has been under pressure for years to improve player safety, which led to stronger concussion protocols, and some of that pressure has been passed on to helmet manufacturers to design equipment that better handles the forces of impact. As far back as 2016, the NFL pledged $100 million to player safety that included the "Play Safe, Play Smart" initiative.
Mahomes said he'd never had a helmet shatter on him — "It was a first for me," he said. And he didn't immediately know that a shard had broken free until he returned to the huddle Saturday night and teammates began pointing it out to him. Mahomes initially played on with the broken helmet before officials intervened and made him get a backup from the sideline. But the backup had been sitting in the extreme cold all night, and it was difficult for Mahomes to get on his head. It took some work with equipment managers on the sideline between series to finally get it comfortable for him. "We have to talk about where we store the backup because it was frozen," Mahomes said with a smile. "It didn't look great. We were able to adjust it on the sideline, get it kind of warmed up a bit and get rolling from there."
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Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes Hitting the Road for First Time in the Playoffs to Play Buffalo
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes has done just about everything in his NFL career, particularly when it comes to the postseason.
Five straight AFC title games. Three conference championships. Two Super Bowl titles. One shattered helmet.
Mahomes will try something entirely new Sunday night, though, when he leads the Kansas City Chiefs into Buffalo for the divisional round of the playoffs. His previous 15 postseason games have been played in the friendly environment of Arrowhead Stadium, including a pair of wins over the Bills, so Mahomes never has been forced to go on the road.
“It kind of is what it is,” he said Wednesday. “I've been lucky enough to play a lot of games at home, at Arrowhead Stadium, and things have fallen that way. Now we get to go on the road to a hostile environment, and one I have not played in with fans in the stands. But it's what you want to do when you grow up watching these games.”
The only time Mahomes has played at Highmark Stadium was in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic saved him from having to tune out all of those Bills fans. He threw for 225 yards and two TDs in leading Kansas City to a 26-17 win that day.
The reason the Chiefs are hitting the road following their wild-card win over the Dolphins is in part because of a rare offensive offside penalty on Kadarius Toney in their regular-season game against Buffalo last month. The call wiped out a miraculous play in which Travis Kelce lateraled to Toney for what would have been the go-ahead touchdown in the final minutes.
The Bills wound up winning, eventually secured the No. 2 seed and that relegated Kansas City to the No. 3 seed.
It might not be such a bad thing that Mahomes is going on the road, though. He has a higher completion percentage, throws for more yards per game and has a significantly better quarterback rating during road games in his career.
He's even taken eight fewer sacks away from home, despite playing in two more games.
Asked to explain that one, Mahomes replied: “It's just Coach (Andy) Reid preaches communication.”
“You have to have nonverbal communication when you're on the road. We preach that,” Mahomes continued, “and then not letting anything be too negative or too positive, just going about your business the right way.
“On the road,” he said, "one big plays seems to be magnified more, and one bad play is magnified more, too.”
All of that bodes well for the Chiefs. So does this: Mahomes is better in the divisional round than any other round, going 5-0 with 11 touchdowns, no interceptions and a completion rate of 70% that is well above his career average.
“I know he looks forward to playing. He gets fired up for every game,” Reid said. “That's a great venue up there (in Buffalo). If you can't get fired up for that, it's hard to get fired up. But he's always ready and excited.”
Mahomes has certainly been a problem for the Bills, but mostly in the postseason. He won that pandemic game at Highmark Stadium, but is winless in three tries against Josh Allen and Co. in regular-season games at Arrowhead Stadium.
The playoffs are another story. He has ended Buffalo's season in two of the past three years.
The first time came during the AFC championship game in the 2020 season, when he went 29 of 38 for 325 yards with three touchdowns and no picks in a 38-24 romp. The second came one year later, when he needed a mere 13 seconds to drive Kansas City within range of a tying field goal to end regulation, then hit Kelce for the winning touchdown in overtime in the divisional round.
In those two games, Mahomes completed 76% of his throws for 703 yards with six TD passes, no picks and a touchdown run.
“The Bills are a great challenge. I think everybody understands that,” he said. “They've gotten my number a number of times. They beat us earlier this year. We know we'll have to play great football to win the game. It's not about ending their season for us. It's about advancing. Finding a way to get to the next round.”
NOTES: DT Derrick Nnadi (elbow) did not practice Wednesday. LT Wanya Morris (concussion) and WRs Justyn Ross (hamstring) and Kadarius Toney (hip and ankle) did practice after missing last week's game against Miami. ... WR Skyy Moore (knee) returned to practice, beginning a 21-day window to return to the active roster. Moore has been on injured reserve since mid-December, and the Chiefs would have to make room on the 53-man roster for him to play against Buffalo. ... LB Cam Jones (chest) was put on IR and LB Cole Christiansen promoted from the practice squad to take his place.
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Neither Snowstorm nor Driving Ban Prevents Bills from Practicing in Preparation for Hosting Chiefs
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Despite a second major lake-effect storm hitting the Buffalo region in less than a week, Bills quarterback Josh Allen had no trouble getting to practice on Wednesday morning because much of the snow was falling north of his home.
That doesn’t mean the quarterback lacks a backup plan in his neighbor, who goes by “Squirrel.”
“Nope, no Squirrel yet,” he said, referring to Dave “Squirrel” Winter, a retired farmer, who has dug Allen out in the past. “But I’m sure the next few days,” he added, before asking how much longer the storm might last.
Informed the snow might keep falling through Friday, Allen shrugged and said: “Yeah, Buffalo weather. We’ll figure it out.”
The ever-resourceful Bills have become accustomed to Mother Nature throwing a snowball or two into their schedule.
It happened in 2022, when a major storm forced the Bills into relocating their home game against Cleveland to Detroit. It happened again last weekend, when a winter storm led to Buffalo’s playoff-opening 31-17 win against Pittsburgh being moved from Sunday to Monday.
On Wednesday, neither frigid blowing winds, the prospect of another 2 feet of snow being dumped on the region nor an Erie County-imposed travel ban could prevent the Bills (12-6) from showing up for practice in preparation to host the Kansas City Chiefs (12-6) in a divisional round playoff game on Sunday night.
The storm is not expected to impact the game, with Sunday’s forecast calling for no precipitation, with partly cloudy skies and a low of 11 degrees Fahrenheit (minus-12 Celsius). And snow removal crews were already busy at the stadium clearing parking lots and concourses.
More important for the Bills was not losing a day of meetings and practice during an already shortened week following a Monday game, and with the Chiefs rested after their 26-7 win against Miami on Saturday night.
“The sport thrives on routine,” center Mitch Morse said. “Just to be able to have an opportunity to work it in person, that’s great. It’s just so hard to do sometimes over Zoom.”
With the sun shining and major roads clear around the Bills facility in Orchard Park, coach Sean McDermott said all players were in attendance for meetings and a brief walk-through practice, which he pushed back an hour to take into account the morning snowfall.
“We prioritized the players’ safety and everyone’s safety as best we could here, and just a phenomenal job by everyone that’s out there working so hard to clear the roads,” McDermott said.
County executive Mark Poloncarz did not respond to messages from The Associated Press seeking comment on whether the Bills were given permission to violate a travel ban that included Orchard Park and its surrounding towns. Poloncarz, however, did post a comment on X, previously known as Twitter, in which he specifically thanked “most” for staying off the roads.
The storm, which spent much of the day centered on Buffalo, led to the NHL shifting the Sabres' home game against the Chicago Blackhawks from Wednesday to Thursday.
At the Bills facility, defensive tackle Ed Oliver has become adept to dealing with Buffalo storms. From Houston, Oliver said he now owns a tractor with a snowblower attached to the front, which he can direct from the driver’s seat.
“I knew it was coming,” the fifth-year player said, referring to the storm. “We’ve been spared up until this point and then, all of a sudden in typical Buffalo fashion, it decides it’s gonna snow for the next week or two.”
The wintry weather is new to rookie guard O’Cyrus Torrence, who’s from Greensburg, Louisiana, and split his college career between Louisiana-Lafayette and Florida.
“It’s a job. You gotta make sure you wake up early in the morning and see how bad it is and give yourself time to clean out and get ready,” said Torrence, who woke up an hour earlier than normal to make sure he could make it to practice. “I’d be lying if I said I’m accustomed to it.”
All safety Micah Hyde has known through his past seven seasons in Buffalo and first four in Green Bay is dealing with snow at this time of year.
He sighed heavily when asked if it ever gets old.
“I’m not gonna lie. When I woke up today, I was like, 'Ugh.’” Hyde said, smiling. “Yeah, I’ve been in it before. Obviously, this is nothing new. But that took me for a loop this morning.”
NOTES: The Bills signed P Matt Haack to their practice squad as insurance in the event Sam Martin is unable to play after hurting his left hamstring on Monday. Haack is a seventh-year player who spent the 2021 season in Buffalo. ... CB Rasul Douglas (knee) and LB Tyrel Dodson (shoulder) practiced on a limited basis after both didn’t play Monday. ... McDermott said the team is taking a day-by-day approach to the six injured players who did not practice, including WR Gabe Davis (knee), LB Terrel Bernard (ankle) and CB Christian Benford (knee).
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