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Headlines for Wednesday, January 31, 2024

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

Kansas Attorney General Shows Support for Texas in Border Dispute

TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and a coalition of 26 attorneys general are showing their support for Texas in its border dispute with the federal government. Kobach's group sent a letter to the Biden Administration demanding that the president start enforcing existing immigration laws. WIBW TV reports that the group also wants President Biden to reinstate former President Trump's "remain in Mexico" policy and finish building the southern border wall started by Trump.

Kobach says Biden has allowed millions of illegal immigrants, dangerous drugs and human traffickers into the country ever since taking office, when he reversed Trump's immigration policies. Officials from 27 states have signed on to the letter. The State of Texas remains locked in a dispute with the federal government over securing the nation's southern border. Texas officials accuse the feds of failing to secure the border and say they will secure it themselves.

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State Lawmakers Considering Changes to How Kansas Fills U.S. Senate Vacancies

TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – A Kansas lawmaker wants to change how the state fills vacancies in the U.S. Senate. The Kansas News Service reports that under current law, if one of the two Republican U.S. senators from Kansas were to step down, Democratic Governor Laura Kelly would choose their replacement until the next election. But Republican state Senator Caryn Tyson wants Kansas to host a special election whenever there’s such a vacancy. That’s currently law in 13 other states. “We are founded on a government of elected representatives, and so therefore we should improve this process to have those election cycles and allow the people to be the voice,” Tyson said. She initially proposed giving state political parties the authority to fill U.S. Senate vacancies in Kansas, but state officials expressed concerns that it could violate the U.S. Constitution.

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Lawmakers Continue to Examine Public Universities' Hiring Policies and DEI Initiatives

UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas lawmakers are again debating whether public universities should be able to ask job candidates about diversity, equity and inclusion. The Kansas News Service reports that at a hearing over a bill that would ban the practice, state Representative Stephen Howe discussed a job posting from the University of Kansas that asks candidates to describe their experiences working with people from diverse backgrounds. Howe, a Republican who introduced the bill, opposes universities asking those types of questions. “It can limit academic freedom, and it can limit our intellectual diversity or diversity of thought on our campuses,” Howe said. Opponents say asking candidates about diversity is important as college campuses become more diverse. A similar proposal narrowly failed last year after lawmakers could not override a veto from Democratic Governor Laura Kelly.

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Kansas Legislation Would Prohibit Bans on Single-Use Plastic Products

TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas lawmakers are considering legislation that would prevent local governments from banning single-use plastic products, like bags and straws. The Kansas News Service reports that in 2023, Lawrence became the first city in Kansas to ban disposable plastic bags. That will take effect this March. Proponents of such bans say they help the environment and are within the rights of city and county governments. But critics say the bans create extra costs for consumers and put businesses at a disadvantage. The bill would also prevent local governments from implementing extra taxes or fees on single-use plastic products. A similar bill passed in 2022 but was ultimately vetoed by the governor.

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Push Underway to Legalize Medical Marijuana in Kansas

TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR/KNS) - Another push is underway in the Kansas Legislature to legalize medical marijuana. The renewed effort comes as many neighboring states have legalized pot for medical and/or recreation use. Surrounding states, like Missouri, Colorado and Oklahoma, all have some form of legalized pot. And, according to a 2023 poll conducted by Fort Hays State University, most Kansas residents seem to favor the idea. (Read more.)

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Wichita Woman Suspected in Death of 14-Year-Old Son Is Wounded by Police After Standoff

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police have shot and wounded a Kansas woman who is suspected of fatally shooting her 14-year-old son, authorities said. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation announced Tuesday that the 43-year-old woman is expected to survive. She was shot early Monday after hours of negotiations. Officers went to an apartment Sunday night after the father of Claude Hodges called to request a welfare check because the teen had not shown up at a designated exchange spot and could not be reached, authorities said.

No one answered the door, police said. But when officers noticed a bullet hole in the apartment's exterior wall, they obtained a key and went inside. The woman was holding a handgun with a shotgun nearby, so officers quickly left, the KBI said in a news release. After several hours of negotiations, the woman exited the apartment. Initially she left her handgun on the ground. But the KBI said she picked it up around 1:40 am Monday and began to walk toward the officers while pointing it in their direction.

The KBI said two SWAT officers from the Wichita police department each fired one shot, striking the woman. She was rushed rushed to a hospital, where she underwent surgery and is expected to survive, the KBI said. Inside the apartment, officers found Hodges dead from a gunshot wound, police and the KBI said.

Police are still investigating the teen's shooting and had not yet submitted their findings to the prosecutor to make a charging decision. The KBI, meanwhile, is investigating the woman's shooting.

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Complaint Dismissed Against Johnson County DA

TOPEKA, Kan. (KCUR) - The Kansas office that investigates attorneys has dismissed a complaint against Johnson County District Attorney Stephen Howe over how he handled a 2018 police shooting. Sheila Albers, who filed the complaint, alleges Howe made false statements about the night a former Overland Park police officer shot her 17-year old-son, John, to death. Albers said she’ll continue working to ensure that doesn’t happen to other families. "This is not about John any longer," she said. "This is about getting a system to protect the community rather than a system protecting itself." The disciplinary office said it did not find the complaint meritless and issued Howe a letter of caution. However, the district attorney said in a statement that he was grateful the office dismissed the complaint. (Read more.)

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Good Samaritan Law Expansion Advances out of Committee

WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – A Kansas House committee has unanimously passed a bill to include drug overdoses in the state's Good Samaritan law. The Kansas News Service reports that the bill would protect most people from prosecution if they call 911 to get medical attention for someone who’s experiencing an overdose. An amendment was added to protect people on parole or probation if they call. Advocates say the change will allow people to feel more comfortable about calling for help without fear of prosecution for being in possession of an illegal substance. The bill now moves to the full House for consideration.

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Regional COVID-19 Numbers Decrease in Recent Days

UNDATED (KCUR) – COVID-19 case numbers have been low since they spiked as temperatures dropped last year. KCUR reports that the University of Kansas Health System says it has just 23 patients with serious cases of COVID. Last year at this time, it reported 51. Sheryl Beard is the chief medical officer at Ascension Via Christi, where cases are also down. “We have less than...10 hospitalizations of COVID patients and we have no real effect on our supplies...and no, really no differences in staffing, ” she said. The latest wastewater testing from the CDC shows decreased levels of transmission, although they are still higher than last summer.

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Donations Pour in to Replace Destroyed Jackie Robinson Statue on His 105th Birthday

UNDATED (AP) – Donations poured in Wednesday to replace a destroyed statue of Jackie Robinson on what would have been the 105th birthday of the first player to break Major League Baseball’s color barrier. The total raised just through one online fundraiser surpassed $140,000, which is far in excess of the estimated $75,000 value of the bronze statue that was cut from its base last week at a park in Wichita, Kansas. Police are searching for those responsible.

Only the statue's feet were left at McAdams Park, where about 600 children play in a youth baseball league called League 42, which is named after Robinson’ s uniform number with the Brooklyn Dodgers, with whom he broke the major leagues' color barrier in 1947.

Fire crews found burned remnants of the statue Tuesday while responding to a trash can fire at another park about 7 miles away. A truck believed to be used in the theft previously was found abandoned, and police said the theft was captured on surveillance video.

Bob Lutz, executive director of the Little League nonprofit that commissioned the sculpture, said Wednesday in a message on X, formerly Twitter, that the MLB commissioner’s office and 30 clubs had committed funding toward the cost of replacing the statue and providing other support.

“Amazing, huh?” he said.

Lutz had said earlier that the money raised also could enhance some of its programming and facilities. In April, the group opened the Leslie Rudd Learning Center, which includes an indoor baseball facility and a learning lab. “We’re not just baseball,” Lutz said. “We have after school education, enrichment and tutoring.”

One of the largest donations is a $10,000 pledge from an anonymous former Major League Baseball player who won a World Series. Wichita police Chief Joe Sullivan, who announced the donation over the weekend, has urged anyone involved in the theft to surrender and vowed that arrests were imminent.

“The community, along with the business community and the nation as a whole, have demonstrated an incredible outpouring of support,” Sullivan said in a statement Wednesday. “This effort highlights the kindness of the people and their determination to rebuild what was taken away from our community.”

Lutz, whose friend, the artist John Parsons, made the statue before his death, said the mold is still viable and anticipated that a replacement can be erected within a matter of months.

“We value what it represents,” he said. “It’s important that our 600 kids understand what it represents. And, we make every effort to educate our kids about the role that Jackie Robinson played in life and civil rights, his life beyond sports. He’s the absolute best role model you could imagine.”

League 42 drew attention to Robinson’s birthday Wednesday in a Facebook post, noting that “his legacy will hold up forever” and asking for donations.

Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, paving the way for generations of Black American ballplayers. He’s considered not only a sports legend but also a civil rights icon. Robinson died in 1972.

Lutz said that the league appeals to “all kids, but especially to kids of color" and that the connection to Robinson resonated.

“We can’t imagine, being named League 42 without a Jackie Robinson statue in our park," he said. "It was a no-brainer when we went about trying to name our league. And the name League 42 came up. It was like lightning and struck. We knew we had our name.”

(–Earlier reporting–)

Missing Jackie Robinson Statue Found in Pieces

WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – The Jackie Robinson statue stolen from League 42’s baseball facility in north Wichita has been destroyed. KMUW reports that Wichita police say they found the statue in pieces after a dumpster fire in Garvey Park in south Wichita. League 42 is a youth baseball league at McAdams Park that serves about 600 children in the city’s core neighborhoods. The league’s director Bob Lutz says that the statue is not salvageable. But they’re working to get a replacement. “We’re going to move forward here and not look back. Today is a day where we know what’s ahead of us, and we’re going to confront that head on, ” Lutz added. Police say they are continuing their investigation. No arrests have been made in the case. A GoFundMe link is available to help pay for a new statue. (Read more.)

(–Additional reporting–)

Burned Remnants of Prized Jackie Robinson Statue Found After Theft from Wichita Public Park

WICHITA, Kan. (AP/KPR) – Fire crews found the burned remnants Tuesday of a prized bronze statue of Jackie Robinson that was stolen last week from a public park in Wichita. The city's fire department received a call about a trash can on fire at Garvey Park in the southern part of the city and discovered what appeared to be pieces of the statue. At a news conference Tuesday, the statue was described as “not salvageable." The statue, which was cut at the figure's ankles, went missing Thursday morning. It honors the first player to break Major League Baseball’s color barrier in 1947. “If it turns out it was racially motivated, then obviously that is a deeper societal issue and it certainly would make this a much more concerning theft,” said Bob Lutz, Executive Director of League 42, the Little League nonprofit that commissioned the sculpture. “We’ll wait and see what this turns out to be.”

League 42 is named after Robinson’s Dodgers number. League 42 paid about $50,000 for the model, which was installed in 2021 in McAdams Park, where roughly 600 children play in the youth baseball league. It also offers educational programs. Jackie Robinson played for the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers, paving the way for generations of Black American ballplayers. He’s considered not only a sports legend but also a civil rights icon. The theft was discovered shortly before Black History Month.

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Mother Charged in Death of 5-Year-Old Boy Who Fell from KC Apartment Building

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) — Prosecutors in Kansas City have charged a mother in connection with the death of her 5-year-old son, after he fell 17 stories from an apartment building window. Corrinne O'Connor is charged with endangering the welfare of a child in connection with her son's death in November. Investigators say the mother's apartment was filthy - with feces, food debris and trash piled inside.

In the area near the window where Grayson fell, investigators found a "copious" amount of chocolate on the sill and exterior ledge of the window. The chocolate was smeared with what appeared to be child imprints. Chocolate was also found on the exterior ledge of the window. Detectives say Corrinne didn't report the fall to police. Instead, that information came from passersby. KSHB TV reports that neighbors contacted the Missouri Department of Social Services on Grayson’s behalf two years before his death, citing neglect and other problems. Corrinne O'Connor is due in court Monday.

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Federal Funds Available to Kansas Farmers Willing to Try Planting More Specialty Crops

LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas farmers are being encouraged to experiment with more specialty crops in 2024 through federal funding. The Kansas News Service reports that the state has received more than $300,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to increase the competitiveness of farming projects and organizations looking to plant specialty crops. Specialty crops are defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts and horticulture. Right now, Kansas imports 95% of its produce. But the state has been trying to expand specialty crops for more diversity, economic growth, and healthier communities. The grants could help producers research specialty crops and identify challenges on a local and regional level. The money also could expand access to these crops for more sustainable agriculture.

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Amelia Earhart's Missing Plane - Found!?

UNDATED (NPR/KPR) - Ocean explorers believe they have discovered the wreckage of Amelia Earhart's airplane, which disappeared 87 years ago over the Pacific Ocean. Amelia Earhart, who grew up in Atchison, Kansas, became the world's most famous female pilot, setting a number of aviation records. She and her navigator, Fred Noonan, were trying to fly around the world in 1937 when their Lockheed-Martin airplane disappeared, launching the biggest search and rescue effort the world had ever seen. The discovery has not yet been confirmed, but the team that found the plane wreckage seems confident it has located the famous pilot's missing aircraft. (Read more.)

Earhart's fame has endured for nearly a century. Toy maker Mattel even created an Amelia Earhart Barbie Doll.

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KU Study Shows Program Treating PTSD, Depression, Holds Promise

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KNS) – A pilot study by the University of Kansas finds that Warriors’ Ascent, a program for veterans and first responders, shows promise in treating issues like post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. The Kansas News Service reports that when longtime Kansas resident Matt Hastings retired from the U.S. army in 2016, he says he felt like he lost his purpose. In 2022 when Hastings says he was at his lowest point, he heard about Warriors’ Ascent. The 5-day retreat combines multiple treatment methods for issues that many veterans struggle with, like PTSD, depression and substance abuse. Hastings says bringing people with similar experiences together is powerful. “We all thought we were the only ones thinkin’ the way we were thinking. And found out that every single one of us was thinkin’ exactly the same," he added. The KU study found about 3% of participants drop out of the program, compared with the 36% veteran dropout rate in other PTSD treatments.

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KPR Community Spotlight Shines on Foster Village Lawrence

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - Foster Village Lawrence is in the KPR Community Spotlight this month. Jenny Lichte says her non-profit organization helps bridge the gap between foster families and those who want to help them by meeting practical needs. "The most common thing we do is provide welcome packs for families when children first come into placement in the homes. And each welcome pack - for sure - will have a water bottle, a stuffed animal, a blanket, a book and then it depends on the children's ages... usually a hygiene kit," she said. Foster Village Lawrence is a non-profit aimed at helping foster families and foster children in Douglas and surrounding counties. (Read more.)

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KU Announces Venues for 2024 Home Football Games During Memorial Stadium Reconstruction

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) – The University of Kansas Jayhawks football team will play their 2024 home games in the Kansas City area. The Jayhawks’ first two non-conference games will be at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas as Memorial Stadium in Lawrence is undergoing a major renovation. Those two games will be against Lindenwood University and UNLV. KU’s Big 12 home games will be at Arrowhead Stadium beginning in September, against TCU. There will also be one Arrowhead game in October and two in November. KU’s reconstructed Memorial Stadium is expected to be ready for the 2025 season.

(–Additional reporting–)

Kansas to Play Entire College Football Season on the Road Amid Stadium Construction

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will spend next college football season playing on the road. At least the Jayhawks' home games will be only a bit down the road. With their old stadium being razed, and a new stadium anchoring a massive development project expected to open for the 2025 season, the Jayhawks had to find an alternate location for their home games. They decided to split them with its nonconference games being played at Children's Mercy Park, the home of MLS club Sporting Kansas City, and its four conference games being played across the state line at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Both of the stadiums are less than an hour drive from the Kansas campus in Lawrence.

The school initially thought it could play part of the season at Memorial Stadium while construction was ongoing. But that did not prove to be feasible, so Kansas moved all its home games in order to keep the progress on its new stadium on track. “While we are disappointed we can't play in Lawrence, ultimately, we want to create the best possible experience for all involved,” Jayhawks athletic director Travis Goff said. "This decision allows that construction to continue on a necessary timeline while also benefiting the overall budget of the project and the 2024 fan experience.”

The Jayhawks will play Lindenwood and UNLV at the soccer stadium in Kansas City, Kansas, but the much smaller capacity of about 18,500 means that the school will not sell individual tickets for those games. They will only be part of season-ticket packages.

Their Big 12 games scheduled for Arrowhead Stadium will be against TCU, Houston, Iowa State and Colorado.

“I'm confident our fans will be able to create a home field that our players will be energized to play in,” said Kansas coach Lance Leipold, who led the Jayhawks to a 9-4 record with a victory over UNLV in the Guaranteed Rate Bowl this past season.

The new stadium is the centerpiece of a new campus gateway that will include multi-use spaces designed to generate revenue throughout the year. That includes a conference center, dining and retail space, office space and housing. “While we had hoped to play these games in Lawrence, the move to alternate venues is needed to ensure that our fans, student-athletes and all constituents have the best possible gameday experience and that we stay on schedule to complete construction for the 2025 season," Kansas chancellor Doug Girod said. "We recognize this move is not ideal for some members of the Lawrence community, and we hope they will understand this is a necessary one-year move to ensure the Gateway District can begin benefiting Lawrence as soon as possible in 2025.”

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Big 12 Reveals Football Schedule, the First Without Texas and Oklahoma

IRVING, Texas (AP) — The Big 12 has revealed its football schedule for the 2024 season, its first without Southeastern Conference-bound marquee programs Texas and Oklahoma. The slate incorporates new members Arizona, Arizona State and Utah and marks the return of Colorado to the now 16-team league. Each league team will continue to play nine conference games without being separated by divisions. Some will renew old rivalries lost during prior realignment and other pre-scheduled match-ups will be played as non-conference games.

Among the notable matchups, BYU will travel to Utah on Nov. 9 for the 101st meeting of the intense rivals. It will be the first time since 2010 that the schools will face off as conference foes.

Arizona will host Arizona State on Nov. 30 for the Territorial Cup in a rivalry that began in 1899. Baylor will visit Houston on Nov. 30 for the first time since they were both Southwest Conference members in 1995 and Kansas will visit Kansas State in the Sunflower Showdown on Oct. 26.

Previously scheduled games between Arizona and Kansas State and Baylor and Utah will be played as nonconference games to fulfill those commitments.

The 29th season of Big 12 football will kick off conference play when UCF visits TCU on Sept. 14. Dates for several scheduled games have not been determined as yet, leaving them in play to be televised nationally on Thursday or Friday nights. Conference play will conclude Thanksgiving weekend with eight games slated.

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Las Vegas Super Bowl Tickets Fetching Record Prices on the Secondary Market

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Tickets on at least one secondary-market site were the most expensive in Super Bowl history on Monday, underscoring the anticipation of the game's Las Vegas debut between the defending champion and what likely is the most popular team in the West. Oh, and the great possibility Taylor Swift will be on hand when the Kansas City Chiefs play the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 11.

The average purchase price on TickPick was $9,815 on Monday morning. That's nearly double the final average price of $5,795 for last year's game between the Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles in Glendale, Arizona, although current prices could decline. It's also more than the previous high of $7,046 for the 2021 game in Tampa, Florida, between the Buccaneers and the Chiefs. The stadium was at 33% capacity because of COVID-19 restrictions, increasing the demand for each ticket.

TickPick's highest non-COVID Super Bowl was in 2020 at Miami Gardens, Florida, when the Chiefs and Niners met for the first time in the championship game. That average price was $6,370. The cheapest ticket on TickPick for this year's game was $8,188 on Monday, more than the $5,997 low price at this point last year. “Location has always impacted demand for a Super Bowl, but Vegas takes things to a whole other level,” TickPick co-CEO Brett Goldberg said in a statement to The Associated Press. "It’s already the entertainment capital of the world, and could very well become the sports capital of the world after the Super Bowl. “With both teams having made at least one Super Bowl appearance in the past five years, we would typically expect there to be slight fatigue from fans, in turn causing prices to dip. Instead, we’re seeing demand hit record highs and a big driver being that fans want to experience their team winning a Super Bowl in Vegas.”

StubHub was experiencing similar demand with an average price of tickets sold at $9,300 on Monday, though that trails the Super Bowl two years ago. The average at the same time was $9,797 for the game in Inglewood, California, when the hometown Los Angeles Rams were preparing to play the Cincinnati Bengals.

The lowest-priced ticket on StubHub for this year's game was $6,500. Sales on that website are 90% greater than last year at this time and 147% greater than the 2020 meeting between Kansas City and San Francisco. The convenient location for 49ers fans is helping drive demand, with California residents accounting for 26% of tickets sold on StubHub. That's more than the combined tickets sold to those who live in Nevada (8%) and Kansas or Missouri (7%). “As predicted, the first Super Bowl in Vegas is seeing strong numbers — sales are nearly double this time last year and early demand has far surpassed the last time Kansas City and San Francisco met in Miami,” StubHub spokesman Adam Budelli said in a statement.

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Super Bowl-Bound Chiefs Tight End Travis Kelce to Taylor Swift: 'Thanks for Joining the Team'

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Travis Kelce is happy to have Taylor Swift on the Kansas City Chiefs bandwagon heading to the Super Bowl.

As if that wasn't evident by their on-field smooch after the AFC title game.

On the latest episode of their “New Heights” podcast, the Chiefs tight end and his brother, Eagles center Jason Kelce, joked about how the 12-time Grammy winner has come along at just the right time. Swift began dating the younger Kelce after he invited her to a game earlier this season, and she has been a frequent attendee at Chiefs games ever since.

“Shout out to the newest member of the Chiefs Kingdom, Swift, who has officially reached the Super Bowl in her rookie year,” Jason Kelce said in the podcast released Wednesday, before Travis added with a laugh: “Shout out to Tay. Thanks for joining the team.”

Whether Swift makes it to the Super Bowl against the 49ers on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas remains to be seen.

Swift is scheduled to resume her Eras Tour next week with four shows in Tokyo. The finale is scheduled for Saturday night and should end around 10 p.m. local time, or about 5 a.m. in Las Vegas. If she took a private plane between the two cities, Swift could cover the distance in roughly 12 hours, giving her plenty of time to make it to Allegiant Stadium before kickoff.

Speaking of flights, American Airlines and United Airlines got on board, so to speak, with the Taylor-and-Travis romance this week. Flight 1989 — Swift was born that year and it's the title of her fifth studio album — will run twice from Kansas City to Las Vegas next week, while Flight 87 — Kelce's jersey number — leaves from Kansas City the day after the Super Bowl.

“To our customers who are huge sports fans, look what you made us do," American said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Kelce and Swift have tried to keep their relationship out of the spotlight, though it has become increasingly difficult. That's been especially true during game broadcasts, when networks have received pushback from NFL fans for showing too much of the “Shake It Off” singer's in-suite celebrations, often with Brittany Mahomes, wife of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Still, the Swift effect appears to be real when it comes to expanding the NFL audience.

CBS, which aired the Chiefs' 17-10 win over Baltimore on Sunday, shattered the AFC title game record with 55.473 million viewers in the afternoon window; the previous record was 54.85 million for the Jets-Steelers game in the late window in 2011. That represented an uptick of 17% over last year's early conference championship game between San Francisco and Philadelphia.

In fact, the Chiefs-Ravens game was the most-watched non-Super Bowl program on CBS since the 1994 Winter Olympics.

That isn't all due to Swift, of course. The Chiefs, who are headed to their fourth Super Bowl in five years, are one of the league's most visible franchises. Mahomes and Kelce have played charity golf matches, the latter has hosted “Saturday Night Live” and both have become almost ubiquitous in TV ads selling everything from insurance to soup.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid said last week that he appreciates the way Kelce has focused on his job amid everything else.

“I haven’t really seen it affect him in any way," Reid said. "I haven’t seen anything with his relationship, with his off-the-field stuff, with the commercials, ‘Saturday Night Live,’ all that stuff. He just goes. I think all that plays into what he is. That’s just part of it. He does all that stuff real easy. I don’t think that gets him out of his personality and he has to change at all.”

Kelce has certainly been playing his best during the playoffs this season. He had seven catches for 71 yards in a wild-card win over Miami, five catches for 75 yards and two scores in a divisional win in Buffalo, and then he ripped apart the Ravens' seemingly impregnable defense last weekend with 11 catches on 11 targets for 116 yards and a score.

Along the way, the four-time All-Pro passed Jerry Rice for the career record for postseason receptions with 156. He matched Rice with his record eighth playoff game of at least 100 yards receiving. And his 21 playoff starts are easily a franchise record.

That's a lot for Swift — and the Chiefs — to celebrate.

“Listen, she's been great,” Reid said on SiriusXM this week. "I knew her before, from Philadelphia. Her dad played at Delaware and was a big football fan and good guy. So I had met him there, and her. And so that was the last thing Trav wanted to hear, that I knew her before him. She told him, ‘I know your coach,' and he went: ‘Oh, God. Come on!’

“She's a good girl,” Reid added, “and I'm happy for Trav. And there have been no distractions that way at all. And Trav's handled it right. She's handled it right. And we just move forward. So it hasn't been a problem at all.”

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U.S. Sportsbooks Won't Take Bets on Possible Taylor Swift Appearance at the Super Bowl

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Fans have been wondering for days whether Taylor Swift will make it to the Super Bowl next week to cheer on boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs and, if so, how many times she'll show up on TV during the game. They can speculate all they want, but they won't be able to bet on it legally in the United States.

Those types of wagers can be made offshore with sportsbooks such as BetUS, which is based in Costa Rica, and potentially in the Canadian province of Ontario. BetMGM public relations manager John Ewing said he was waiting for word from Canadian authorities there if such bets will be OK.

But in the U.S., where betting laws vary from state to state, the general rule is that wagering is limited to what happens on the field. A handful of states allow bets to be placed on the color of Gatorade dumped on the winning coach — red or pink is this year's plus-260 favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook — but even that type of wager is not allowed in Las Vegas.

Las Vegas, the longtime epicenter of sports betting in the U.S., has some of the strictest rules regarding the kinds of wagers made.

Swift's romance with Kelce became one of the prominent stories this NFL season and she has attended several Chiefs games, including their victory in the AFC championship game at Baltimore on Sunday, where she joined the team for its on-field celebration and greeted Kelce with a kiss. Since she's performing in Japan the weekend of the Super Bowl, fans began wondering whether she'll make it to Las Vegas to watch Kelce and Kansas City face the San Francisco 49ers.

It seems only natural they would be able to put money on it in Vegas.

As a matter of principle, though, Ewing said it makes sense not to allow bets on things apart from the on-field action, such as the length of the national anthem.

"We don’t want any subjectivity in a prop (bet),” Ewing said. “We want it to be either it won or it didn’t win or went over or went under, and that’s the concern for regulators as well. That’s why typically we stick to if it’s in the box score, it can be posted."

Caesars Sportsbook assistant trading director Adam Pullen’s position is the more bets, the merrier.

“We’ve come a long way, but some stuff like we’re talking about here (about Swift) or betting on elections, there still might be a few years before we get to that point,” Pullen said. “But I like anything that drives action and gets people to bet. But we’re dependent on what the regulators in each particular state has to say.”

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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.