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Headlines for Tuesday, March 19, 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

It's Presidential Preference Primary Day in Kansas. Polls Are Open Until 7 PM

TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR/TCJ) — It's Presidential Preference Primary Day in Kansas. Polls will remain open until 7 pm. It will be the first time Kansans vote for their preferred presidential candidate in decades after primarily using a caucus system to select candidates. While advance voting has been underway, Tuesday marks the last chance people have to cast a ballot. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have already received enough delegates to secure their respective party nominations, but the Topeka Capital-Journal reports several other candidates will appear alongside them on the ballot.

Tuesday's election is limited to just the presidential race. Primaries for local races will be held August 6 and the general election will be held November 5. Visit voteks.gov to find your polling place.

(–Related–)

Kansas Presidential Preference Primary Marks Shift from Caucuses

UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas is holding a presidential preference primary Tuesday after years of using a caucus system. But as the Kansas News Service reports, Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump have already clinched the nominations. Kansans trickled into polling centers to vote in the primary, even though President Biden and former President Trump have already secured spots on the November ballot. Lawmakers allocated $5 million to hold the primary in the hopes it would boost voter turnout. Wichita poll worker Michael Almack says turnout appears low, but he hopes this year’s primary encourages more people to participate. “Some people like having an actual primary election versus the caucus, because that's more of a longer process. So voting in person, I think is more expedient for the voter,” he explained. Voting closes at 7 p.m., local time.

Kansas Voters Using Democratic Presidential Primary to Make Statement on Biden's Performance

UNDATED (KNS) – Democratic voters in Kansas Tuesday cast ballots in the presidential primary to make a statement about President Joe Biden’s performance. The Kansas News Service reports that some voters say they support Biden’s work on the economy, while others criticize his foreign policy actions. Biden has already secured enough delegates to clinch the Democratic nomination. Josh Sigler, a Democratic voter in Johnson County, says he wanted to vote for Biden even though the race is over. “I just think it’s important to do our civic duty, first of all, and then the way the economy is going and abortion rights is big for me as well," he explained.

Moe Hamid, another Democratic voter in Johnson County, says he left his ballot blank because of Biden’s support of Israel as it attacks Gaza, adding that “...he gave America a really bad reputation as the leader of the free world, as a moral leader in the world.”

Democrat David Murrell of Johnson County says he wanted to show that Democratic voters are strongly supporting Biden’s re-election. “He’s pumped up the economy," Murrell said. "The economy has never been better, and Biden is not getting a bunch of credit for it.”

Former President Donald Trump has also secured enough support to be the Republican nominee. Biden and Trump will face off in a rematch of the 2020 election.

Kansas Republicans Turning Out to Support Trump

UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas Republicans are turning out to vote for Donald Trump in Tuesday's presidential preference primary. Former President Trump and current Democratic President Joe Biden have already secured their spots on the November ballot. The Kansas News Service reports that Wichita attorney Gerald Domitrovic says he still wanted to cast his vote for Trump. “He’s more than a good candidate, he’s like a hero… He's the best on everything. And he's brave. And he's funny. And this country is dying. And frankly, I don't think even he'll be able to save it. But at least he’ll give it a good fight,” he added.

Vera Bolinger of Wichita is a lifelong Republican. She’s voting for Trump because she says he’s tough on immigration. “The country is in a disaster right now...and the border’s open. I'm not against legal immigration. I'm against illegal immigration,” she explained.

The election comes as Trump faces nearly a hundred felony charges for his political and business dealings. Polls are open until 7 p.m. Tuesday. Kansas lawmakers opted to hold a primary instead of a caucus for the first time in decades in the hopes it would boost voter turnout.

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Kansas Pharmacist Group Takes on the Prescription Drug Industry

PAOLA, Kan. (KNS) — A group of four Kansas pharmacists is trying to revolutionize the multi-billion dollar prescription drug industry that they say is taking advantage of clients and locally-owned pharmacies. The group hopes to make positive changes in the industry. The four pharmacy owners formed their own pharmacy benefit manager to take on the huge companies that currently influence how much people pay for medications. After years of frustration with mega companies, the group of Kansas pharmacists is now working to change the pharmacy benefit manager trade from the inside out, by creating their own, different kind of pharmacy benefit manager called Oread Rx.

Nate Rockers, owner of Rockers Pharmacy in Paola, Kansas, said the current pharmacy benefit manager situation is dire. “The industry has morphed away from what we think is the right practice, in an industry that is rife with opportunities for abuse,” Rockers said. The Kansas company formed in late 2018 is aimed at disrupting a multi-billion dollar industry where major companies decide how much people pay for drugs in their insurance plans, and critics say the pharmacy benefit managers are making big profits in the process while lacking transparency. (Read more.)

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Olathe School District Hourly Workers Seek to Form Union

JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. (JCP) – Hourly workers in one of the Kansas City metro’s largest suburban school districts are trying to unionize for higher pay and better benefits. The Johnson County Post reports that some hourly workers in Olathe Public Schools — including classroom aides, food service staff and custodians — have signed a petition seeking to form a union. Their demands include a $20 per hour minimum wage, full-time health insurance and retirement benefits. Olathe schools have roughly 1,800 hourly workers who could be eligible. The push comes as Olathe and other local districts continue to struggle with staff turnover which is due, in part, to relatively low pay. Superintendent Brent Yeager says that Olathe plans to hold a series of roundtable discussions soon to hear more from employees.

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Teenager Faces New Felony Charge over the Shooting at Chiefs' Super Bowl Celebration

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 16-year-old boy is facing a new felony charge over the mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl celebration that killed one person and wounded almost two dozen others, local juvenile authorities said Tuesday.

Authorities said the teenager was arraigned Tuesday on a charge of unlawful use of a weapon in shooting at a person. He was being held since the Feb. 14 mass shooting on a lesser felony charge of resisting arrest. For an adult offender, the new charge would be punishable by between five and 15 years in prison.

Authorities said that a Jackson County Family Court judge will hold a hearing to determine whether the teenager will be tried as an adult.

A second 16-year-old also continues to be held on a lesser gun charge.

State authorities also have charged two men with second-degree murder and several weapons counts in connection with the shootings. Police said the shooting happened when one group of people confronted another for staring at them.

In addition, three other Missouri men have been charged in the shooting aftermath with federal counts related to the illegal purchase of high-powered rifles and guns with extended magazines.

Unsealed federal court documents said 12 people brandished firearms and at least six people fired weapons at the rally, which drew an estimated 1 million people to downtown Kansas City.

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JetBlue to End Service in Kansas City, Some Other Destinations

UNDATED (AP) – JetBlue Airways will end service at several cities and reduce flying out of Los Angeles in a move to retrench and focus on stronger markets after years of losing money. The changes will also help the airline cope with the grounding of some of its planes for inspections of their Pratt & Whitney engines, an executive told employees Tuesday.

Beginning June 13, JetBlue will pull out of Kansas City, Missouri; Bogota, Colombia; Quito, Ecuador; and Lima, Peru.

“These markets are unprofitable and our aircraft time can be better utilized elsewhere,” Dave Jehn, the airline's vice president of network planning, said in a memo to employees.

Also in June, the New York-based airline will drop several destinations from Los Angeles including Seattle, San Francisco, Las Vegas and Miami. It will end flights between Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Nashville; New Orleans and Salt Lake City, and service between New York and Detroit.

JetBlue has lost more than $2 billion since its last profitable year, 2019. The airline tried to grow through a partnership and a merger, but the Biden administration’s Justice Department sued to kill both deals.

Last May, a federal judge ordered JetBlue and American Airlines to dissolve a partnership they created in Boston and New York. In January another judge blocked JetBlue from buying Spirit, saying the proposed $3.8 billion deal violated antitrust law.

The architect of those unsuccessful deals, Robin Hayes, stepped down as CEO in February and was replaced by Joanna Geraghty.

Frustrated by the courtroom defeats, JetBlue under Geraghty is turning toward growing on its own, which will take much longer.

Even before the change in CEOs, investor Carl Icahn began to buy nearly 10% of JetBlue stock, and his side got two seats on the airline board.

The airline has struggled to improve its operation. JetBlue ranked ninth out of the nation’s 10 largest airlines in both canceled flights and on-time arrivals last year, according to U.S. Transportation Department numbers.

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Positive Signs Reported in 2023 Ogallala Aquifer Survey

LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) — After a wetter than normal year in western Kansas, geologists find the Ogallala aquifer declined significantly less in 2023 than in previous years. The Kansas News Service reports that results from the study of 1,400 wells across western Kansas indicate a step in the right direction for the aquifer that provides drinking water for people and crops alike. After years of substantial decline– almost two feet in 2022 and one foot in 2021– the aquifer averaged only two inches of decline last year. But Brownie Wilson of the Kansas Geological Survey says relying on heavy precipitation alone hasn’t been enough to stop the decline. “People are cutting back their usage intentionally to save that water and to try to mediate those declines a little bit,” he explained. Areas in northwest Kansas that have established water management plans actually saw an increase in water levels compared with districts without similar plans.

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Wildfires Remain a Threat Across Midwest

UNDATED (HPM) — This year, wildfires have already charred thousands of acres across the Great Plains. Harvest Public Media reports that dry conditions and unseasonably warm temperatures have created ideal settings for wildfires. Those fires have already caused evacuations in parts of Oklahoma, Nebraska and Texas, where the Smokehouse Creek Fire began on February 26 and became the largest wildfire in Texas history. Ben Bohall, a Nebraska Forest Service public information officer, says his state used to have a bad wildfire season about once every five years, but since 2022, the season is longer and more intense. “So, you know, we're not really having fire seasons anymore. We're just having fire years," he said. Bohall says about 90% of the state’s wildfires are caused by humans. For instance, Nebraska’s recent 70,000 acre-fire sparked when a mower hit a rock.

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Prosecutors Charge KC Man with Multiple Kidnapping and Rape Crimes Dating Back to 2012

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) — Prosecutors in Kansas City have charged a man they say has been involved with sexually assaulting multiple women during the last 11 years. On Monday, 65-year-old Warren Carter was charged with kidnapping, rape, sodomy and other crimes. Prosecutors say the Kansas City man offered women rides or forced them into his vehicle with threats. KCTV reports that Carter is charged with sex crimes that date back to 2012. He was booked into the Jackson County Detention Center Sunday.

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Lawrence Hit-and-Run Critically Injures 74-Year-Old Woman, Kills Her Dog

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KCTV) — The Lawrence Police Department wants the public’s help in finding a vehicle involved in a hit-and-run Monday morning. Police say a 74-year-old woman was walking her dog (at 23rd and Barker) Monday morning when she was hit by a car. The car never stopped. KCTV reports that the woman was hospitalized with critical injuries and her dog died as a result of the hit-and-run. The suspect vehicle is a grey Dodge sedan with front-end damage, specifically on the passenger side. Anyone with information on the car or its driver is asked to contact the Lawrence Police Department.

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Kansas Car Dealer Indicted for Rolling Back Odometers

WICHITA, Kan. (KPR) — A Kansas car dealer has been indicted for allegedly rolling back the odometers on used cars. It's the latest case of odometer fraud in the U.S. - a crime that federal authorities say costs American car buyers more than $1 billion a year. Prosecutors say 31-year-old Adam Newbrey, of Derby, was indicted Monday. He's charged with 27 counts of criminal misconduct.

Newbrey operated three used car dealerships in Wichita: iDeal Motors, Midwest Wholesale and Prestige Motors. He's accused of tampering with odometers, ID theft, mail fraud and other crimes. Newbrey allegedly purchased used vehicles in Kansas and Oklahoma and altered the odometers. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that more than 450,000 vehicles are sold each year with false odometer readings.

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Crime Numbers Fall at University of Kansas Campus in Lawrence

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — Reported crimes were down last year at the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence. According to statistics released by the KU Police Department, officers took reports of 514 criminal offenses in 2023. That's a 1.2% decrease from 2022. When looking at the 10-year average, the number of crimes reported on campus in 2023 is nearly 14% below the average number of crimes. Property crimes, such as theft and criminal damage to property, continue to make up the greatest number of offenses reported on campus.

KU Police Chief Nelson Mosley credits the decrease in reported crimes to more proactive patrols despite lower staffing levels and working with university partners to address their specific needs. “Campus safety is a community effort,” Mosley said. Locations adjacent to, but not part of, the Lawrence campus — such as apartments and sorority and fraternity houses — are served by the Lawrence Police Department and are not part of the KU crime statistics. (Read more.)

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KU Study: Removing Barriers to Medicaid Coverage After Imprisonment May Not Prevent Recidivism

UNDATED (KNS) — A study from the University of Kansas shows removing barriers to Medicaid coverage for formerly incarcerated people might not be enough to stop them from re-offending. The Kansas News Service reports that David Slusky, KU professor and co-author of the study, says they examined a program in South Carolina that paused Medicaid services for incarcerated people instead of terminating them, making it easier to re-enroll after release. Slusky says the study found the program did not prevent people from re-offending, but that’s not always the case: “The broad research shows that these Medicaid suspend programs do reduce recidivism because they get people back onto Medicaid faster.” Slusky says expanding Medicaid, something Kansas and South Carolina have not done, might have a bigger effect. In Kansas, Medicaid is terminated when people are incarcerated, which Slusky says can cause a lapse in health care.

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Medicaid Expansion in Kansas Is About to Get Its First Public Hearings in Four Years

TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) — The Kansas Legislature is gearing up for the first public committee hearings on Medicaid expansion in four years. Wednesday is the day when both the House and Senate will have hearings. They will be the first since 2020, when the Legislature scuttled a bipartisan plan by Democratic Governor Laura Kelly and Republican Jim Denning, who at the time was the Senate majority leader.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Medicaid expansion is Democratic Governor Laura Kelly's top legislative priority. "I'm urging the Legislature to get the proposal to the floor for debate on the bill as soon as possible so that we don't waste any more time," Kelly said. "Because when it comes to Medicaid expansion, time is money, literally."

The Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee is scheduled to have a joint meeting with the Senate Ways and Means Committee at 10:30 am Wednesday for an information hearing on Medicaid expansion. The House Health and Human Services Committee is scheduled to have a hearing on House Bill 2556 at 1 pm Wednesday.

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Kansas Supreme Court Overturns Part of Wichita "Noisy Conduct" Ordinance

WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — The Kansas Supreme Court has ruled that Wichita’s noisy conduct ordinance is unconstitutional. The Kansas News Service reports that the case stems from a 2020 protest led by Gabrielle Griffie over the death of George Floyd. Griffie was arrested after police watched social media videos from the protest. The city cited its ordinance that criminalizes noisy behavior that can reasonably arouse alarm, anger or resentment towards others. The court ruled that the ordinance was overbroad because it could prohibit some activities protected by the First Amendment. The city says it will review its ordinance to comply with the court's opinion.

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Kansas Finalizes Bradford Pear Tree Restrictions; Missouri May Do Same

TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — Kansas has finalized restrictions on ornamental pear trees. And Missouri lawmakers are considering a similar ban on such trees and other invasive species. Starting in 2027, Kansas tree farms and nurseries won’t be able to distribute and sell invasive Callery pears - also known as Bradford pears. More than 300 people wrote to the Kansas Department of Agriculture on the topic, with more than 90% in favor of restrictions. Last week, the Missouri Senate held a hearing on banning Callery pears and four other invasive plants. This would include Japanese honeysuckle, which is taking over woodlands and sericea lespedeza, a brush that Kansas already restricts and that costs ranchers money by invading pastures.

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UPDATE: Self Rules out McCullar for NCAA Tournament

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — The University of Kansas men's basketball team will be without star guard Kevin McCullar Jr. during the NCAA tournament, coach Bill Self said Tuesday.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Self addressed the media in Salt Lake City, Utah, after the team arrived for its first round matchup against Samford. Self said McCullar is not healthy enough to play. McCullar has been out with a bone bruise to his left knee. His injury forced him to miss playing in the Big 12 Conference tournament, and Bill Self said McCullar hasn't been able to practice in six weeks.

(–Earlier Reporting–)

With Ailing Jayhawks and Injured Eagles, Health Could Help Decide 2024 NCAA Tournament

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Bill Self was downright curious to see what Kansas would look like in the Big 12 Tournament when injuries to Hunter Dickinson and fellow All-American candidate Kevin McCullar Jr. ruled them out for the games in Kansas City. Turned out to be game — singular — because the undersized, depth-challenged Jayhawks were blown out by 20 by Cincinnati before they could even unpack their bags. And as curious as Self might have been last week, the game underscored just how little he wants to put a team on the floor without Dickinson and McCullar for the NCAA Tournament this week. “Gosh dang it, if we can get whole we can play with anybody. We’ve proven that,” said Self, whose team is seeded fourth in the Midwest Region and stuck with a tough opening game against No. 13 seed Samford on Thursday in Salt Lake City. Problem is the Jayhawks have not been healthy in a while. While the shoulder injury that sidelined Dickinson occurred just over a week ago in a 30-point loss to Houston, the knee injury that benched McCullar has been lingering for weeks.

The 7-foot Dickinson did some non-contact work over the weekend, and Self expected to put in a full practice Monday and be ready for the NCAA tourney. He also was optimistic — though far from certain — that McCullar would be able to play. “The entire game plan on (McCullar) was hopefully on Monday he can be good to go and if he’s not good to go, then he won’t be, and then we’ll hope on Tuesday. But I don’t know as much about Kevin as I do Hunt,” Self said. “When we get Hunter back, I think he automatically gives you confidence. He’s different that way, and he’ll give us more this time of year than ever.”

The Jayhawks aren't the only team fretting their health, though. Whether it's top-seeded teams such as Purdue and Houston or bubble teams such as Colorado and Northwestern, many of their NCAA tourney hopes could rest with the training room.

NO. 1 SEED SITUATIONS
Houston lost Terrance Arceneaux to a torn Achilles tendon in December, Ramon Walker Jr. to a torn meniscus in February and Joseph Tugler to a broken bone in his foot a week later. So, the Cougars' front line already was thin even before J'Wan Roberts hurt his right leg in their Big 12 semifinal win over Texas Tech. Roberts started the title game against Iowa State but did not play in the second half, when the Cougars were clobbered 69-41 on Saturday night.

Purdue, which like Houston earned a No. 1 seed, will be closely monitoring the calf of All-Big Ten guard Braden Smith. He hurt it in a conference quarterfinal win over Michigan State but did not appear too bothered by it in a semifinal loss to Wisconsin.

BIG 12 BUMMING
Texas Tech, seeded sixth in the South, has been without 7-foot center Warren Washington for a month because of a foot injury, while Darrion Williams hurt his ankle in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 tourney against BYU. Williams tried warming before the semifinals but did not play in the lopsided loss to Houston. Meanwhile, BYU forward Aly Khalifa hurt his ankle in the second half of its loss to the Red Raiders. The Cougars, seeded sixth in the East, already had been without Mark Adams Jr. and Dawson Baker for most of the season because of injuries.

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AP All-America Team Selections Announced; KU's Hunter Dickinson Named to All-America Second Team

UNDATED (AP) – For the second straight year, Purdue's Zach Edey is the unanimous headliner for The Associated Press men's college basketball All-America team.

The 7-foot-4, 300-pound senior topped all 62 ballots from AP Top 25 poll voters in results released Tuesday. The reigning AP national player of the year claimed all 58 votes last year.

Tennessee's Dalton Knecht and North Carolina's RJ Davis joined Edey (310 points) in a clear top trio. Knecht (298) was a first-team pick on 56 ballots, Davis (296) on 55 and both appeared among the top 10 players on every ballot.

Houston's Jamal Shead and Tristen Newton of reigning NCAA champion Connecticut rounded out the first team.

Edey leads the country in scoring at 24.4 points and ranks third in rebounding (11.7). Named the AP's Big Ten player of the year for a second straight time, Edey has the chance to be the first player to repeat as AP national player of the year since another 7-4 star: Virginia's Ralph Sampson in 1981, 1982 and 1983.

Edey became Purdue's career scoring leader during a loss to Wisconsin in the Big Ten Tournament.

“The thing here is, at the end of the day, he won’t take credit for himself,” teammate Braden Smith said. “He’ll always point to us and say he got here because of us and we were helping him. Awesome accomplishment for him.”

Knecht, a 6-6 transfer from Northern Colorado, is the AP's Southeastern Conference player of the year. He is only the fourth Volunteer to earn first-team honors, joining Grant Williams (2019), Dale Ellis (1983) and Bernard King (1977) after averaging 21.1 points to help the Volunteers win their first SEC regular-season crown since 2008.

“His journey is one that you kind of read about, like fairy-tale type deals,” Vols associate head coach Justin Gainey said. “Just to see him get to this point and achieve what he's achieved, it's amazing. But it goes to his hard work, his work ethic, his mindset, his confidence and belief in himself.”

Davis, a 6-0 guard, led was named the AP player of the year for the Atlantic Coast Conference after averaging a league-best 21.4 points. He is UNC's first first-team AP All-American since 2017.

“RJ has been our closer, and in (close games) it's a huge luxury to know you can put the ball in our guard's hands and he'll either make the right shot or make the right play,” big man Armando Bacot said of Davis during the ACC Tournament.

Shead, a 6-1 senior, has been the floor leader for a Houston team that won the Big 12 regular-season crown in its first year in the rugged league. The honor for Shead, the AP player of the year in the Big 12, follows the Cougars having a first-team selection last year with guard Marcus Sasser.

Newton, a 6-5 graduate, has elevated his game to give UConn the look of a team that could become college basketball's first repeat champion since Florida in 2006 and 2007. With the departures of Final Four most outstanding player Adama Sanogo and Jordan Hawkins, Newton increased his scoring from 10.1 points last year to 15.2 points on the way to becoming the AP's player of the year in the Big East for the league champion. Newton is UConn's first first-team AP All-American since Shabazz Napier in 2014.

SECOND TEAM
Marquette's Tyler Kolek headlined the second team and was the only other player to earn at least 10 first-team votes. The guard was an AP third-team All-American last season.

Alabama’s Mark Sears joined Kolek in the backcourt of that second quintet, which boasts an imposing front line with Dayton's DaRon Holmes II (6-10), Duke's Kyle Filipowski (7-0) and Kansas's Hunter Dickinson (7-2) — a second-team selection in 2021 when he was at Michigan.

THIRD TEAM
San Diego State's Jaedon LeDee led the third-team selections, joined by Auburn's Johni Broome, Pac-12 player of the year Caleb Love of Arizona and Creighton's Baylor Scheierman. The final spot went to Illinois' Terrence Shannon Jr. (54 points), the nation's No. 3 scorer at 23 points per game.

HONORABLE MENTION
Kentucky's Antonio Reeves and Kansas' Kevin McCullar Jr. finished right behind Shannon to stand as the leading vote-getters among players who didn't make the All-America teams. Players earned honorable-mention status if they appeared on multiple voters' ballots. While 21 players qualified, Reeves (52), McCullar (52) and Providence's Devin Carter (36) were the only players to get more than 15 points in voting from that group. The honorable-mention list also included Bacot, a preseason All-American pick who was a third-team All-American last year.

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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.