Icy Roads and Slick Conditions Persist Across Eastern Kansas Through Tuesday Morning
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect until noon Monday. The National Weather Service in Topeka reports that a mixture of rain and freezing rain can be expected across eastern Kansas Monday and Monday night into Tuesday morning.
Several schools and universities have either cancelled classes or delayed opening. Click here to see more.
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Freezing Rain Leads to Slick Conditions in Eastern Kansas
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — Freezing rain and freezing drizzle have created a thin layer of ice on roadways, driveways, parking lots, sidewalks and everything else. Meteorologist Bill Gargan, with the National Weather Service in Topeka, says even a thin film of ice can create deceptively slick conditions. While many of the main roads have been treated or are being treated, secondary streets, sidewalks, driveways and parking lots may remain slippery. "We've had some freezing rain. Now, there's some freezing drizzle developing across the area and that should continue, probably until the mid or late morning hours," he said. "Then, temperatures may hover or just get a degree above freezing, which should help out with the slick roads."
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Kansas Foster Care Sees Key Improvements, But Still Lags Behind Many States
TOPEKA, Kan.. (KNS) – The Kansas foster care system has seen some improvements in recent years but it still lags behind most of the U.S. in some key areas. The Kansas News Service reports that the rate of kids who enter foster care each year in Kansas is at its lowest in 18 years, but it’s still nearly twice the national rate. The Kansas Department of Children and Families largely credits the improvement to additional funding for prevention services. Those help families with things like mental health and parenting skills. The department says it’s seeking grant funding to further expand those services. It also hopes to reduce how much time children spend in foster care before adoption. Right now, that averages out to nearly three-and-a-half years.
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Non-Profit World Cup Group Seeks Funding from State of Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – The nonprofit preparing the Kansas City region to host World Cup matches in 2026 wants up to $32 million in Kansas state funding. The Kansas News Service reports that KC 2026 says the funding would support marketing, transit and security. Matches will be held at Arrowhead Stadium in Missouri, but Kansas will host teams and visitors for practice and more. Katherine Holland, with KC 2026, says the money would help keep the World Cup from overwhelming Kansas communities.
“We can’t shut these communities down for 40 days. We need to make sure that we are providing support to continue with regular host city operations.,” she added. The nonprofit estimates the event will bring about $163 million to the Kansas economy. Kansas Democratic Governor Laura Kelly included about two-thirds of the nonprofit’s request in her 2024 budget proposal. But GOP leadership seems skeptical about providing funds. The 2026 World Cup will be held across 16 cities in North America. It’s the first time World Cup matches will be played in the U.S. since 1994.
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Analysis Shows Lowest-Paid Kansas Workers Made Gains in Last 4 Years
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – A new analysis finds the lowest-paid workers in Kansas saw their wages increase faster in the last four years than the highest-paid workers. KMUW’ reports that an analysis by Stateline shows hospitality workers’ wages in Kansas rose 29% between 2019 and 2023. Meanwhile, the highest paid workers - which includes federal employees - saw wages rise just 17 percent. That’s a result of the state’s labor shortage, says Donna Ginther, a labor economist at the University of Kansas. She says many baby boomers retired when COVID hit, leaving openings in the workforce. "We have a lot of jobs, and they're not being filled…so the only way to attract workers to those jobs was to increase the wages," Ginther added. She also says that a labor shortage can limit the state’s economic growth, but it has also helped decrease wage inequality between the lowest- and highest- wage earners.
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KC Couple Accused of Cashing Dead Man's Retirement Benefits for Six Years
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — An Overland Park couple is charged with fraudulently collecting more than $215,000 in retirement benefits on behalf of a dead relative while they concealed his body inside their home for six years. Authorities say Mike Carroll's pacemaker showed that he died in 2016 at the age of 81, but Overland Park police didn't discover his body until 2022 after his son-in-law, Kirk Ritter, called police to report his death. Prosecutors accuse Mike Carroll's daughter - Lynn Ritter and Lynn's husband Kirk Ritter - with keeping Mike Carroll's body in a mummified state on a bed in the home he owned. Investigators say Lynn and Kirk Ritter continued depositing Carroll's retirement funds and spending money out of his bank account. The couple is due in federal court February 2 where they face several charges.
(Additional reporting...)
KC Couple Charged with Collecting Man's Retirement Payments While Keeping His Body in Their Home Six Years
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas couple has been charged with fraudulently collecting more than $215,000 in retirement benefits on behalf of a dead relative while they concealed his body inside their home for six years. Authorities say Mike Carroll's pacemaker showed that he died in 2016 at age 81, but Overland Park police didn't discover his body until 2022 after his son-in-law, Kirk Ritter, called police to report his death in the Kansas City suburb. Prosecutors say Lynn Ritter and Kirk Ritter, both 61, continued depositing and spending from Carroll's bank account even while his body became "mummified" on a bed in the home he owned. Family members told the Kansas City Star they were led to believe Carroll was still alive.
Prosecutors say Lynn Ritter and Kirk Ritter, both 61, continued depositing and spending from Carroll's bank account even while his body became "mummified" on a bed in the home he owned. Lynn Ritter is Carroll's daughter.
Family members told the Kansas City Star that the Ritters would repeatedly give them excuses about why Carroll could never take a phone call or visit while leading them to believe that Carroll was still alive. The couple is due to appear in federal court to face several charges on Feb. 2. They didn't respond to phone and email messages from the newspaper, and court documents do not list a defense attorney representing them.
Prosecutors said the pension and Social Security payments Carroll received over the six years after his death totaled $216,067. But bank records from that time showed checks being written from his bank account and cashed by Lynn and Kirk Ritter.
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Independent Candidates in Kansas Could Face More Challenges
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Independent candidates would have a harder time running for statewide office under a bill being considered by Kansas lawmakers. The bill would require independent candidates to collect 25,000 signatures to get on the ballot. That's five times the current requirement. It would also prevent independent candidates from paying to get on the ballot in lieu of signatures. The bill, filed by a Republican, is likely in response to Kansas Senator Dennis Pyle’s independent campaign for governor in 2022. Some Republicans say Pyle helped Democratic Governor Laura Kelly win. But he ultimately received fewer votes than the difference between Kelly and GOP candidate Derek Schmidt.
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KU Obesity Study to Target Parents and Children in Rural Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KNS) – Parents in rural Kansas who are struggling with their weight may be eligible for free online access to a health coach and more. That’s through a study at the University of Kansas Medical Center aimed at fighting obesity in elementary-school-aged children and their parents. KU professor and researcher Christie Befort has been studying this topic for years. She says she often sees parents who enroll their kids in weight-loss programs struggle with their own weight. She explained, “I just kind of saw in doing that how so many of them didn’t have the confidence for themselves, let alone like, being able to pass that on to their kid.” Befort says this study is taking a different approach to childhood obesity by counseling parents on weight loss first and later adding a family component. The program aims to enroll 240 parent-child pairs.
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Montgomery County Refinery to Use Soybean Oil to Produce Jet Fuel
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) — A Canadian company intends to build a refinery in southeast Kansas that uses soybean oil to produce renewable jet fuel. Azure Sustainable Fuels hopes to churn out soybean-powered airplane fuel by 2027. The Montgomery County Chronicle reports that the county commission offered incentives for the project including 10 years without property taxes. The paper says Azure’s $900 million project would bring 150 long-term jobs. The county has a new $375 million soybean crushing plant that will start operating this year. Azure would build its refinery next to that plant to source oil for jet fuel.
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County Legislators Override Executive, Ensuring Vote for Potential KC Stadium Funding
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Legislators in Jackson County, Missouri, voted Monday to override the veto of Jackson County Executive Frank White and place the renewal of a sales tax on the April ballot to help fund a new ballpark for the Kansas City Royals.
The tax of three-eighth of a cent, which is used under the current lease agreement for stadium upkeep at the Truman Sports Complex, also would help pay for future renovations to Arrowhead Stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs.
As recently as last week, it appeared there would not be enough votes to override the veto. But legislators Jalen Anderson and Sean Smith changed their minds after an outpouring of public pressure, and after continued negotiations with the teams, and the result was a 7-2 vote in favor of advancing the proposal to the April 2 ballot.
“I am grateful that so many of my colleagues joined me in voting the overturn,” said Jackson County legislator DaRon McGee, who called White's decision to veto the proposal “tone deaf" by taking away the rights of voters to make their own decisions.
White was a five-time All-Star for the Royals and is a member of their Hall of Fame.
“Thanks to overwhelming support from our citizens, including business, labor, nonprofit and other community organizations, we prevailed, and can now proceed to do the important work ahead,” McGee said. “There is much work to do so that the voters are fully informed before the April election. I join my colleagues in saying we are prepared to do that work.”
Legislators initially voted 8-1 to approve ballot language for the tax, but White said in vetoing it that “it’s not a good deal for taxpayers” because it did not provide enough assurance of the franchises’ commitment to the county.
The Royals and Chiefs released a joint statement after White’s veto that said they respected his authority but that “we will continue working with the legislators to ensure that this ordinance is on the ballot.” The teams also ramped up their social and traditional media campaigns for public support, and they had support of many commerce groups and labor unions.
“We took an important step forward today,” the teams said in a statement Monday. “We thank Jackson County legislators for their attention and care in this matter. We look forward to continuing to work with them and enabling the voters to decide on extending the longstanding partnership between the county and our teams on April 2.”
The Royals had been weighing competing offers from Jackson County and Clay County, which sits just across the Missouri River, for locations for their new ballpark. They intended to make their decision in September but pushed it back indefinitely, and only in recent weeks have said they plan to build in Jackson County.
They still have not decided on a site, though. The initial plan was to build in an area known as the East Village, but they are also considering a location closer to the Power & Light District, where there are existing shops and restaurants.
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KC Chiefs Beat Bills in Buffalo, Head to AFC Championship Game
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) — The Kansas City Chiefs have advanced to the AFC Championship game for the sixth straight year after a 27-24 win at Buffalo Sunday night. The Chiefs defense rose to the occasion again, preventing the Bills from coming up with any play longer than 20 yards. Meanwhile, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a pair of touchdown passes to tight end Travis Kelce. It was the first true road game Mahomes has played in the playoffs. "I love playing at Arrowhead," he said. "I love being at Arrowhead in front of that crowd, but when you’re on the road it’s you vs. them. It’s you versus everybody in the stadium. You have to come together as a team and the guys do that." The Chiefs will now travel to Baltimore for the right to play in Super Bowl 58. The Ravens are hosting as the No. 1 seed in the AFC.
(Additional reporting...)
Travis Kelce Scores Twice as Chiefs Beat Bills to Advance to AFC Championship Game
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Travis Kelce caught two touchdown passes and the Kansas City Chiefs advanced to their sixth straight AFC championship game following a 27-24 divisional round playoff win over the Buffalo Bills. Isiah Pacheco scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 4-yard run 40 seconds into the fourth quarter in a game the teams traded leads five times. The Chiefs clinched the win by running out the clock after Buffalo's Tyler Bass missed a 44-yard field goal attempt wide right with 1:43 remaining. The defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs move on to face the conference's top-seeded Baltimore Ravens.
No matter the setting — Arrowhead Stadium or Orchard Park — Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs keep finding ways to beat Josh Allen and Buffalo Bills in the playoffs. Mahomes threw two touchdown passes to Travis Kelce and the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs advanced to their sixth straight AFC championship game with a 27-24 win over the Bills on Sunday night. The Chiefs move on to Baltimore to face Lamar Jackson and the conference's top-seeded Ravens, who beat Houston 34-10 on Saturday.
Kansas City is 0-1 in the playoffs against the Ravens, following a 30-7 loss in the 2010 wild-card round. Baltimore defeated Kansas City 36-35 in their most recent regular-season matchup in Week 2 of the 2021 season. "There's no weakness there," Mahomes said of the Ravens. "It's going to take our best effort. Defense, offense, special teams, they do it all. It's always a great challenge and that stadium's going to be rocking, so we're excited for the challenge." Mahomes passed his first test by winning his first true road playoff game — not including Super Bowl neutral sites — and improving his postseason record to 13-3. "First of all, this is a great environment, man," Mahomes said of Buffalo. "It really is. We did hear it all week, man, about playing a road game, and we're here to prove a point and show that we can play anywhere."
The Chiefs are accustomed to ending the Bills' season, having done it now in three of the past four playoffs, with the first two wins coming at home in the 2020 AFC championship game and the 2021 divisional round. "All-time classic again. Any time we play Sean's teams, it comes right down to the end," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, referring to Bills coach Sean McDermott.
The Chiefs scored on five of their first six possessions, not including a kneeldown at halftime, and went ahead for good on Isiah Pacheco's 4-yard touchdown run 40 seconds into the fourth quarter. Neither team led by more than seven points and they traded leads five times. The outcome was decided when Buffalo kicker Tyler Bass missed a potential game-tying field goal wide right from 44 yards, allowing the Chiefs to run out the remaining 1:47.
"Ultimately, completely on me," said Bass, who had a field goal blocked and missed from 27 yards in a playoff-opening 31-17 win over Pittsburgh last week. "I feel terrible. I love this team, man. It hurts. This one hurts bad."
Allen blamed himself for having Buffalo's final drive stall at the Chiefs 26 following two incompletions — the last a throwaway after he was flushed out of the pocket. "I wish he wouldn't have been put in that situation. You win as a team you lose as a team. One play doesn't define a game, doesn't define a season," Allen said. "Losing sucks. Losing to them, losing to anybody."
The Bills keep finding different ways to lose to the Chiefs. After being blown out 38-24 at Kansas City in the 2020 season AFC championship game, Buffalo came up short in a 42-36 overtime loss in the divisional round a year later.
The game has since been dubbed "13 Seconds" because that's how much time was left for Mahomes to march the Chiefs 44 yards on two plays to set up Harrison Butker's 49-yard field goal. Mahomes then clinched the win with a 9-yard touchdown pass to — who else? — Kelce.
The tight end didn't stick around to address reporters after this win, as he was perhaps busy rushing out to visit with girlfriend, pop music superstar Taylor Swift, and his brother Jason, who celebrated watching his two-TD outing from a suite. Travis Kelce celebrated his first touchdown catch — a 22-yarder — by making a heart gesture with his hands and directed toward Swift's suite at the opposite end of the field. And Jason Kelce celebrated the touchdown shirtless while holding a can of beer.
Mahomes was 17 of 23 for 215 yards, and the two TD passes to Kelce were the 15th and 16th times they've combined for scores in the playoffs. They have one more than Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski for the NFL record for most playoff TDs for a quarterback-receiver combination. "It speaks to Travis and his work, to be able to go out there and make plays in big games," Mahomes said. "Passing anything that has Brady and Gronk in it is special. Because those are two of the greatest players."
Allen went 26 of 39 for 186 yards and a touchdown, and also ran for two scores. His team-leading 72 yards rushing increased his career playoff total to 563, the second most among NFL quarterbacks in league history and trailing only Steve Young (594).
It was another disappointing finish for a Bills team that won its fourth consecutive AFC East title, and was on a six-game roll since a 20-17 win at Kansas City on Dec. 10. "Just lost in the playoffs to a team that's kicked us out," safety Jordan Poyer said. "It's tough. You work so hard throughout the season to fight and claw back, our backs against the wall, everybody doubting us midway through the season and we get here and just that close."
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Bills Have a Familiar Feeling, Eliminated by the Chiefs in Playoffs for Third Time in Four Years
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — The Buffalo Bills' season ended in familiar fashion. For the third straight year, the Bills were eliminated in the divisional round of the playoffs. And for the third time in four seasons, it was the Kansas City Chiefs who ended Buffalo's postseason run. Two years ago, it was "13 Seconds" — the amount of time it took Patrick Mahomes to lead the Chiefs to a tying field goal at the end of regulation. On Sunday night, the key words were "wide right." Tyler Bass missed a field goal with less than two minutes left that would have tied the game.
Different season. Familiar heartbreaking finish. Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills know the feeling all too well. "Here, there, doesn't matter," the Bills quarterback said. "Losing sucks. I don't know what else to say." Buffalo (12-7) showed plenty of resolve in 2023, winning its last five regular-season games to claim its fourth straight AFC East title. But the Bills fell short of their ultimate goal Sunday night with a 27-24 loss in the divisional round — again — and against the Kansas City Chiefs — again.
It was the third straight year the Bills' season ended in this round of the playoffs. And they've been eliminated by the Chiefs in three of the past four years, with losses after the 2020 and 2021 seasons at Arrowhead Stadium. Two years ago, it was "13 Seconds" — the amount of time it took Patrick Mahomes to drive the Chiefs for a tying field goal. This time, the Bills brought back two words familiar from their history of heartbreak: wide right.
Tyler Bass missed a 44-yard field goal attempt with 1:43 left, and the Chiefs ran out the clock from there. Wide right became infamous in Buffalo when Scott Norwood missed a 47-yard field goal attempt in the closing seconds of a 20-19 loss to the New York Giants in the Super Bowl on January 27, 1991. "I feel terrible," Bass said. "This one hurts bad."
They all hurt in Buffalo, where a team led by one of the league's most exciting quarterbacks found new ways to come up short, this time in a game where the teams traded the lead five times. "I'm extremely disappointed. I mean, you put so much time into this, you put so much time into a season, let alone this game and the preparation for it. And to come out and to not perform the way I'd hoped we would have, it's extremely disappointing and frustrating," coach Sean McDermott said. "I've been to two Super Bowls and there's only one team that's happy. It's that type of business and you keep working at it."
There were plenty of personal subplots in this loss to the Chiefs. McDermott lost to his mentor, Chiefs coach Andy Reid, who gave McDermott his NFL break by hiring him to his staff in Philadelphia in 1999. Reid praised McDermott, saying: "All-time classic again. Any time we play Sean's teams, it comes right down to the end." For Allen, it was losing to good friend and occasional offseason golf partner in Patrick Mahomes, who consoled Allen afterward.
"I said, 'Heck of a year, man.' I've been on the other side of that," Mahomes said. "He played his tail off to give them a chance to win in the end. We were just able to come out with the win in the end." Allen didn't have a turnover and finished 26 of 39 for 186 yards and a touchdown while rushing for a team-high 72 yards and two TDs. He deflected the criticism of Bass for missing the field goal, instead placing the onus on himself for not leading the Bills to the end zone on their last drive. "I wish he wouldn't have been put in that situation," Allen said. "You win as a team. You lose as a team. One play doesn't define a season, doesn't define a game."
Bass' kick hardly would have guaranteed a win — or even overtime. The Chiefs would have gotten the ball back with nearly two minutes on the clock and two timeouts. In the "13 Seconds" game, Buffalo blew a late lead, allowing Mahomes to move his team 44 yards in two plays, and lost in overtime. Asked if this loss was harder to accept, center Mitch Morse said: "No, it's always hard."
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UConn, Purdue Remain Atop Jumbled AP Top 25; KU Drops to No. 7
UNDATED (AP) – The AP Top 25 had another week of upheaval, with teams bouncing around like kernels in a popcorn maker. The same two teams remain at the top amid the poll turmoil. Reigning national champion Connecticut stayed No. 1 in The Associated Press men’s college basketball poll, receiving 44 first-place votes from a 61-person media panel. No. 2 Purdue had 17 first-place votes. A loss by Kansas jumbled the rest of the top five. No. 3 North Carolina, No. 4 Houston and No. 5 Tennessee all moved up a spot by sweeping two games each last week. Kentucky moved up two spots to No. 6. The Kansas Jayhawks dropped four spots to No. 7 following a 91-85 loss to West Virginia that ended their six-game winning streak in the series.
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Kansas State Jumps to 4th in Women's AP Top 25; South Carolina Remains at No. 1
UNDATED (AP) – Kansas State has its best ranking in 21 years after the Wildcats moved up to fourth in The Associated Press women’s basketball poll. The Wildcats, who climbed three spots, were last ranked this high in 2003. South Carolina remains the unanimous choice at No. 1 in the poll, receiving all 35 votes from a national media panel. The Gamecocks cruised to easy wins over Kentucky and Texas A&M. There was some shifting in the top 10, with UCLA moving back up to No. 2 after beating Colorado on the road. The Buffaloes remained in the third spot. Iowa dropped to fifth after falling in overtime to Ohio State.
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KSU Study Shows Kansas Farmers Could Lose Income from Extreme Heat
UNDATED (KNS) — A new study from Kansas State University finds that farmers in Kansas may lose up to 66% of their income from extreme heat. And that doesn’t bode well for the future because the study also suggests climate change will bring more droughts and days of extreme heat in the coming decades. K-State professor Jennifer Ifft worked on the study. Ifft they aimed to take advantage of the farm data Kansas has and quantify the financial impact excessive heat has on farms, adding that “...agriculture is about 14% of the Kansas economy. If you care about rural areas, broadly, I think this kind of shows that extreme heat, extreme weather is one of many challenges that the rural areas and agriculture are facing.” The study found that over the past four decades, a rise of 1 degree Celsius led to a drop in farm profits by 7%. But Ifft says crop insurance and conservation programs can help farmers.
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