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Headlines for Thursday, January 25, 2024

A graphic representation of eight radios of various vintages, underneath the words "Kansas Public Radio News Summary"
Emily DeMarchi
/
KPR

When Will All the Fog Lift Across Eastern Kansas?

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - Here in eastern Kansas, we have clouds in the sky and on the ground. And another Dense Fog Advisory has been posted for eastern Kansas and western Missouri. Bill Gargan, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Topeka, says the dense fog should stay in the area at least through Saturday morning. Widespread dense fog has enveloped the KPR listening area for the past week. Get the latest weather here.

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Legislature Considering Bill Reducing Time Available for In-Person Early Voting

TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas voters would have less time to vote early in person under a bill being considered by state lawmakers. The Kansas News Service reports that the bill would end early voting by 7 p.m. the Sunday before an election. Under current state law, it’s held until noon on the Monday before an election. Some counties say they struggle to staff early voting on the same day they’re preparing for Election Day. But critics say the change could disenfranchise voters. Some lawmakers say if early voting is no longer held on Monday, county officials should be required to host early voting the weekend before an election. The bill currently leaves that up to the discretion of county election officers.

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Bill Would Expand Custodial Options for Older Foster Children

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas teens in foster care may benefit from a proposed alternative to finding a permanent home. The Kansas News Service reports that a bill in a Kansas House committee would allow foster children over the age of 16 to enter into custodial arrangements with relatives and close friends. The bill would allow multiple adults to serve as a custodian and also would require the teen's consent to the arrangement. Older foster children currently can be placed with foster parents or put up for adoption. However, many children end up bouncing around homes and aging out of care at 18 without being adopted. Advocate Nykia Gatson says she entered foster care when she was a teenager, but she never found a permanent home. “And my hope is that no other young person endures an abandonment, and they get connected to a family that they can call theirs,” she added. Supporters of the bill say Kansas could be the first state to establish this arrangement. The bill needs committee approval to advance to the House for consideration.

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Hundreds Rally at the Kansas Statehouse in Annual March for Life

TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Hundreds of pro-life Kansans rallied at the Kansas Statehouse in Topeka for the annual March for Life Wednesday. Activists urged lawmakers to direct more state money to anti-abortion counseling centers and to enact other policies they say would support women with unplanned pregnancies. Jeanne Gawdun, with the group Kansans for Life, say this year’s election is critical for the movement. “Right now, we are so blessed to have a supermajority of pro-life legislators in both chambers," she said. "And we will need that with two more years of Governor Kelly.” Democratic Governor Laura Kelly vetoed several anti-abortion laws last year but Republican legislators overrode her. Abortions in Kansas have increased sharply since 2022 when many nearby states banned the procedure.

Pro-life activists are calling on lawmakers to enact policies that help women carry pregnancies to term, like requiring child support during pregnancy. "The focus of the pro-life legislative agenda is on these life affirming proposals that protect the safety of pregnant women, highlight the humanity of the preborn child, and provide aid for women who choose life for their babies," she said. Rally-goers decried an increase in abortions in Kansas since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

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Kansas Lawmaker Wants New Rules for School, Library Book Bans

WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) - Banning books from a school or public library would be more difficult under a law being proposed by one Kansas lawmaker. Democratic Senator Cindy Holscher, of Overland Park, introduced a bill that would require anyone protesting a book to read it in full and give a detailed list of reasons why they think it should be removed. It says people filing complaints must live in the community served by the library. And the bill would require 5% of residents in a school district to sign a petition before a book ban could be requested. Holscher says outside actors have unfairly attacked certain books. “Parents have been voicing frustration that they want business to kind of return to normal vs. all of these side shows of people coming in from other areas, challenging books.”

Holscher says libraries serve all types of families and readers. "If my child brings home a book that I don’t want them to read, it’s up to me to say, ‘OK, I don’t want you reading that book.’ But I shouldn’t have the power to take it away from everybody," she said. A majority of books removed from Kansas libraries deal with issues like sexuality, gender or race. Holscher's bill has been referred to committee, but so far no hearing is scheduled.

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Advocates in Kansas Still Pushing for Medical Marijuana

TOPEKA, Kan. (KWCH) - Another push is underway in Kansas to approve the use of medical marijuana. Kansas is one of the few states where marijuana remains illegal. KWCH TV reports that a bill introduced last year went nowhere but remains in play this session. Cheryl Kumberg, president of the Kansas Cannabis Coalition, says the FDA now reports there is medicinal value to the drug, and she's hoping to educate more lawmakers about the benefits. Governor Laura Kelly supports the legalization of medical marijuana. So far, the Republican leadership in the Legislature has opposed it.

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Letters Pour into Kansas Ag Department to Support Ban on Pear Trees

TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - More than 350 people have written to the Kansas Department of Agriculture about restricting invasive pear trees - with more than 90% in favor of a ban. Kansas officials want to ban the sale of Callery trees starting in 2027. The trees are commonly called Bradford pear trees. Carol Baldwin is a rangeland management specialist with Kansas State University Research and Extension. She supports a ban to protect ranches and prairies. “If you look across the state line into Oklahoma, you can see the absolute devastating damage that these trees have done to the native rangelands," she said. The trees are spreading wild in at least 50 Kansas counties. And ranchers have a hard time stopping these trees from eating up grassland because prescribed burns usually don't kill them.

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Kansas Man Dies in Medical Helicopter Crash near Oklahoma City

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) - Family and friend are mourning the death of a Kansas man killed in a medical flight helicopter crash. Flight nurse Adam Tebben, of Wichita, was killed over the weekend when the helicopter he was riding in went down near Weatherford, Oklahoma, west of Oklahoma City. KSNW TV reports that Tebben was a travel nurse on assignment in Oklahoma. Tebben graduated from Chase County High School and Baker University in Baldwin City. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating what went wrong on the flight.

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Tax Credit Available to KS Businesses to Offset Child Care Costs

UNDATED (KC Beacon) - Kansas businesses can apply for a state tax credit to help offset the costs of child care for their employees. The Kansas City Beacon reports that over a year after the credit passed, businesses are not using it. The tax break goes unused for a few reasons. Some businesses would still struggle to offset child care even if they got money back. But the credit is also just overlooked. A business can get money back by building and operating a child care center or just contracting with a licensed provider. Paula Neth is the President and CEO of the Family Conservancy, a group that’s working with an online toolkit to spread awareness about kickback. “We’re hoping that this toolkit really demystifies that for our employers across the state of Kansas," she said. Businesses don’t need to build their own child care centers to cash in. Businesses can get thousands back by offering other day care subsidies to workers.

Businesses can learn more by going to RaisingWyCo.org.

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Developers Plan $150 Million Margaritaville Hotel in KCK

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KSHB) - Developers are planning to build a $150 million Margaritaville Hotel in Kansas City, Kansas. The Sunflower Development Group announced Tuesday that the hotel is scheduled to open in the spring of 2025. The hotel will include swimming pools, retail businesses, bars and restaurants. KSHB TV reports construction is already underway on the 229-room hotel, which will be located on the grounds of the former Schlitterbahn Waterpark at the northeast corner of I-10 and I-435.

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Iconic Steam Engine Could Become New Symbol for State of Kansas

TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – Kansas already has an official state flower, tree, animal, insect and reptile. Now, state lawmakers are considering whether to add an official state train, in this case, a 100-year-old historic locomotive, to the list of official state symbols. A bill introduced in the Kansas House this month (HB 2501) seeks to designate the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe train #3415 as the official state locomotive. KSNT reports that the bill has been referred to a committee. The locomotive in question was built in 1919 and currently sits at the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad yard, where it was moved to in 1996. It was previously located in the city park in Abilene for about 40 years.

Kansas Day is Monday, January 29th, when Kansas will turn 163 years old.

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Study: Urban Farm Carbon Footprint Exceeds that of Conventional Farming

UNDATED (HPM) – Fruits and vegetables grown on urban farms and gardens have a carbon footprint that’s six times larger than conventionally-grown produce. That’s according to a study out this week (Monday, Jan. 22) from the University of Michigan. Harvest Public Media reports that the necessary infrastructure is what increases urban farms’ carbon footprint. It takes a lot of carbon to build the raised beds, compost bins and sheds that a city garden needs. Meanwhile, conventional farms operate with massive economies of scale and efficiency. Jason Hawes, a lead author on the study, says conventional produce loses to urban growers when it travels by air. "Asparagus is the one that we highlight as a case where things are flown in from, for example, Chile. That's a really big carbon investment that you could offset by using urban agriculture," he explained. The study also suggests city farms preserve their infrastructure as long as possible and try to use recycled materials to build their raised beds and sheds.

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NWSL Releases Its Upcoming Season Schedule with Broadcast Details Under New Media Deal

UNDATED (AP) – The National Women's Soccer League announced its schedule for the upcoming season, including broadcast plans under the league's new $60 million per year media rights deal.

The Challenge Cup game will be played between 2023 NWSL champions Gotham FC and last year's Supporters' Shield winners, the San Diego Wave, on March 15 at New Jersey's Red Bull Arena.

The regular season opens the next day with the Portland Thorns visiting the Kansas City Current at the new CPKC Stadium, the first built specifically for a professional women's team. The game will be broadcast nationally on ABC.

“It's where we belong,” Portland Thorns midfielder Sam Coffey said about the increased exposure. “Honestly, every team in this league, every female athlete, it's where we belong. And it's so exciting to know we have that platform, we're on national television. It's taken a while for us to get here, but it's happening slowly but surely."

The league's new media rights agreement with CBS Sports, ESPN, Prime Video and Scripps Sports was announced last November. Combined, those platforms will broadcast 113 regular-season games, seven postseason games and the Challenge Cup.

The San Francisco Bay Area's new expansion team, Bay FC, will play its inaugural match on March 16 at Angel City in Los Angeles. The Utah Royals, also joining the league this season, host the Chicago Red Stars on opening day.

The league's 14 teams will compete in 26 regular-season matches, split between home and away. The regular season will end on Nov. 3. The playoffs, with an expanded field of eight teams, will start on Nov. 9 and the title game is scheduled for Nov. 23. The championship will be broadcast on CBS during primetime.

During the regular season, Friday matches will air on Prime Video. Every Saturday two games will be broadcast on Scripps' ION network. CBS and its sports channels, as well as Paramount+, will air a package of matches, as will ESPN's networks, including ABC and ESPN Deportes.

Matches that aren't included on the broadcast schedule will be available on NWSL+, the league's direct-to-consumer streaming service.

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AFC Title Game Means a Reunion for John Harbaugh and Andy Reid, Who Coached Together in Philadelphia

OWINGS MILLS, Md. (AP) — John Harbaugh once defeated his own brother in a Super Bowl, so going up against someone he used to work with may not be all that emotional. Still, there's plenty of respect between the Baltimore coach and his counterpart this weekend: Kansas City's Andy Reid. “Obviously, it’s a big deal in terms of the relationship,” Harbaugh said this week. “It goes back a long, long, long way. Utmost respect for Andy, utmost appreciation for what he’s accomplished as a coach. We were together for 10 years, the first 10 years there in Philly. We were in a lot of championship games, and a lot of playoff games."

They'll face each other as head coaches for the first time in a playoff game when the Ravens host the Chiefs on Sunday. That's somewhat remarkable given how successful they've been. This is Harbaugh's fourth AFC championship game with Baltimore and Reid's sixth in a row with Kansas City.

Reid leads their head-to-head series 5-2 since he and Harbaugh went their separate ways during the former's tenure at the helm of the Philadelphia Eagles. “John does a phenomenal job. He knows the whole game,” Reid said. "He was a great special teams coach, a great secondary coach and he’s been a great head coach. Very proud of him and all he’s done and accomplished.”

Lately, Reid's Chiefs have been the team to beat in the AFC. Their streak of six straight conference title games has been accompanied by two Super Bowl wins, one of which came last year. Reid also reached four NFC title games in a row in Philadelphia with Harbaugh on his staff. Aside from Harbaugh, Reid's coaching tree includes another Super Bowl-winning head coach in Doug Pederson, as well as Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills, whom Kansas City defeated last weekend.

“You think about all the great coaches that were on that staff that Andy assembled and mentored and taught us all so much,” Harbaugh said. “We were a close group of guys, a staff that loved each other. I see a lot of that on this (Ravens) staff, too.”

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Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes Calls This Season Perhaps the Most Challenging of His Career

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes was willing to admit Thursday that this season has been perhaps the most challenging of his career.

His statistics were down across the board. The Chiefs lost six games, including five in an eight-week stretch midway through the season. He had several very visible sideline blowups, his pent-up anger directed at teammates and officials alike.

“I would say it's just challenging in the fact that I had to deal with a lot of adversity, not having the success that I've had in the past,” Mahomes explained. “Knock on wood, I haven't had to deal with the injuries I have had before, but at the same time, being able to not win all the games and go out there and have big stats and all that kind of stuff has been different.”

Indeed, this has been a much different season for the Chiefs, even if the result has largely been the same: They will be playing in their sixth consecutive AFC championship game when they face the Ravens on Sunday in Baltimore.

But this was not the same sort of juggernaut that rolled through the regular season, had the No. 1 seed wrapped up by the middle of December, and had the luxury of playing all their playoff games at Arrowhead Stadium.

Rather, they ended up as the No. 3 seed, forcing the Chiefs to win last Sunday in Buffalo just to get the opportunity to play on the road again this week.

Only once before in six years as the starter did Mahomes lose five times in the regular season, but the Chiefs lost that many in a two-month span this season. And they weren't just losses but head-scratching, frustration-inducing defeats.

There was the loss in Denver that started it all, when the Chiefs turned the ball over five times. The one to Philadelphia, when Marquez Valdes-Scantling dropped a go-ahead TD pass in the final minutes. The one in Green Bay, when officials didn't throw a flag for pass interference that could have set up Kansas City for a go-ahead score. And the loss to the Bills, when Kadarius Toney's offensive offside penalty wiped out an audacious go-ahead touchdown throw.

The Chiefs' best offensive output during that midseason swoon was 346 yards against Buffalo. By comparison, the Chiefs only had three games with fewer yards all of last season, when they went on to beat Philadelphia in the Super Bowl.

Throw in the fact that Kansas City led the NFL by a wide margin in dropped passes, and penalties were rampant at what seemed to be the most inopportune times, and it makes some sense that Mahomes was frequently boiling over on the sideline.

“It's taught me how to win in different ways, though, and become the best quarterback for our team,” he said. “Not necessarily the best quarterback for stats and stuff like that, but the best quarterback for us to go out there and get wins.”

Just as they did in the wild-card round against Miami. And the divisional round against Buffalo.

In fact, all of the adversity Kansas City faced this season might have better prepared this team for a deep postseason run than the relatively easy path it followed to the AFC championship game the previous five seasons.

“It grows you, right?” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “There's a lot of parity in this league. You better figure that out early. It's not an easy ride. You've got to be able to battle, and battle through things. I can tell the guys, the veterans can tell the guys, but the young guys have to experience it. And I thought they handled it.

“They focused on the job at hand,” Reid said, “and they got better, and kept getting better at their game.”

Now, they might be playing the best they have all season at precisely the right time.

“At the end of the day, we want to compete. We want to win,” Mahomes said. “We don't care if we have a lot of yards, a lot of touchdowns. We want to win. It's about everyone's success...when you have a bunch of guys that want to win no matter what it takes, and nobody wants the shine, that's when you have great football teams."

NOTES: WR Skyy Moore (knee), DT Derrick Nnadi (tricep) and LG Joe Thuney (pectoral) did not practice Thursday. RB Isiah Pacheco (toe) went through the walkthrough but sat out the full practice. FS Mike Edwards also did some work as he tries to clear the concussion protocol in time to play Sunday.

LB Willie Gay Jr. (neck) remains a question after he failed to make it through the Buffalo game. He would be the primary spy on Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. “His neck is stiff. He can't turn,” Reid said. “Getting better, but that's what happened during the (Bills) game. It just wasn't working.”

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It's Mahomes vs. Jackson for the First Time in the Playoffs...with a Super Bowl Spot at Stake

BALTIMORE (AP) — Patrick Mahomes has already defeated an impressive list of quarterbacks in the playoffs: Andrew Luck, Deshaun Watson, Ben Roethlisberger, Trevor Lawrence, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa.

And of course, Josh Allen, who was eliminated for the third time by Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs last week.

One star AFC quarterback whom Mahomes has never run into in the postseason is Lamar Jackson. The Baltimore Ravens star could match Mahomes this season with his second MVP award — but is only now making his first appearance in the AFC championship game.

“He’s going to be the MVP for a reason," Mahomes said. “He leads his team. He scores, he runs, he throws, he does whatever it takes to win, and that’s what the greats do. It’s a challenge for our defense, but also a great challenge for our offense to keep up.”

Mahomes and the Chiefs face that difficult task Sunday at Baltimore in the AFC title game. It's their sixth consecutive year reaching this stage of the playoffs, but the first time in that span they'll have to play it on the road.

The Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl champions. The Ravens have the NFL's best record this season. It's a fascinating matchup made even more so by the presence of Mahomes and Jackson.

Even if Jackson would be happy to avoid such a tough opponent.

“I don’t like competing against him at all," Jackson said with a laugh. “He’s definitely a Hall of Famer. But I believe it’s just two greats — up-and-coming greats — just going toe to toe, like a heavyweight fight."

This is the first playoff matchup between former MVP quarterbacks who are both under 30.

That's not to say Mahomes hasn't been pushed in the quarterback-deep AFC. Allen has come close to knocking him off, and Burrow actually beat Mahomes in the AFC championship game two years ago before Mahomes won a rematch last season.

Jackson's most recent matchup with Mahomes was a 36-35 win by the Ravens in September 2021. Mahomes won their meetings in each of the previous three seasons.

“Listen, this league is a lot about the quarterbacks, right? We’re fortunate in this game we have two of the best ones in the league," Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said. "Our goal and what we talk about all the time is, ‘Let’s just get the ball back to our quarterback.’ That’s our job. And the only way to do that is make sure their quarterback doesn’t do the things that he’s capable of doing.”

Baltimore (14-4) reached this round with a 34-10 win over Houston. Kansas City (12-6) beat Allen and Buffalo 27-24 last weekend — with Taylor Swift in attendance watching her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

That romance could be headed to the Super Bowl next month — but the Ravens will do their best to end Kansas City's run.

LONG TIME COMING
This is the first time Baltimore is hosting the AFC title game since the Colts beat the Oakland Raiders in January 1971. The current Baltimore franchise has made it to this game four times previously, all on the road, and won twice on the way to Super Bowl titles.

This is Baltimore's fourth time reaching the game under coach John Harbaugh, but the Ravens haven't been this far since their Super Bowl run 11 years ago. Kansas City, of course, has made the AFC title game an annual part of its schedule lately.

“They’ve been in this situation many times. They’ve played in this game. I think they’re a very experienced team,” Harbaugh said. "They’re a hardened team. They’ve been through a lot. That experience always is helpful.”

POPS GOES PACHECO
Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco, affectionately known as “Pops” by teammates, has been a big reason why they have won their first two playoff games.

The second-year standout has run for 186 yards and two scores in wins over Miami and Buffalo, and his success between the tackles has opened up a downfield passing game that has been bottled up all season.

“I think leaning into him, leaning into our offensive line and what they do best is extremely important to our team,” Mahomes said. “It’s not always going to be high-flying, but we’re going to do whatever we can to win the football game at the end of the day. And if that’s running the ball, throwing the ball, whatever that is.”

TESTED
Of the Ravens' 13 regular-season victories this season, a record 10 were over teams that finished above .500.

“I think that we just do what we’re signed up to do, and that’s play for each other, at the end of the day. Give everything that we’ve got and try to send a message, play in and play out,” linebacker Roquan Smith said. "No bigger stage to do that than the game coming up this week.”

GET A KICK OUT OF THIS
Special teams is usually a factor in the postseason — look at the misses by Buffalo and Green Bay last week. And the Ravens and Chiefs have two of the game’s best kickers.

Justin Tucker is going to his seventh Pro Bowl in 12 seasons for Baltimore, while Harrison Butker was 33 of 35 on field-goal attempts for Kansas City this season and is perfect so far in the playoffs.

“He’s been there for such a long career, no injuries, and he’s made it look effortless,” Butker said of Tucker, whom he recalls watching on Youtube as far back as high school. “He’s kind of changed the kicking game, and pushed us younger guys to say, ‘It’s possible to make 65-yard field goals and these game-winning kicks.’ He’s just an artist.”

INJURIES
Ravens tight end Mark Andrews (ankle) hasn't played since November, but he has been practicing this week. Cornerback Marlon Humphrey (calf) also returned to practice after missing last weekend's win over Houston.

Pacheco (ankle/toe) and guard Joe Thuney (pectoral) missed practice time for Kansas City this week.

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This summary of area news is curated by KPR news staffers. Our headlines are generally published by 10 am weekdays and are updated through 7 pm. This ad-free news summary is made possible by KPR members. Become one today. And follow KPR News on Twitter.