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Headlines for Thursday, March 21, 2024

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

State of Kansas Agencies Report Loss of Online Service, as Disruptions Occur Nationwide

TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – State of Kansas agencies reported problems with online access Thursday. Other state agencies nationwide had similar issues. KSNT reports that the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City had interruptions to its motor vehicle services. Lyon, Pottawatomie, and Clay Counties reported problems via social media, and the outage also affected the Kansas Department of Revenue and Motor Vehicle Registration Solution software. Other sources quoted by KSNT report that DMV facilities across the U.S. were affected by network outages. As of 4 p.m. Thursday, the Kansas State Office of Information Technology said most services had come back up, but that "not all may be functioning yet."

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Google Announces $1 Billion Data Center in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) – Google plans to build a $1 billion data center in Kansas City, Missouri. The news was announced Wednesday. Google data centers help power digital services, like Google Cloud, search functions and maps for people and organizations worldwide. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas praised the news saying, "“Kansas City continues to be one of the fastest-growing technology markets in the country."

(–Additional Reporting–)

Google to Build Billion-Dollar Facility in North Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – Google is building a $1 billion data center in North Kansas City, which will help run all of the tech company’s apps and services, including cloud and AI. The development includes a skilled trades and readiness program that will begin next year. Matt Sexton, a spokesperson for Google, said the center will employ more than 1,200 workers during construction, and about 100 people once it’s up and running. "Kansas City has so many factors in its favor, particularly for a project like this, including you know available land, and a talented workforce," he added. Google also donated $100,000 to the North Kansas City School District. The company does not currently have a timeline to finish construction. The data center has been in the works since 2019. Sexton said Kansas City will join 16 other data center campuses in the U.S.

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Medicaid Expansion Unlikely to Reach Kansas House Floor

UNDATED (KNS) – A proposal to expand Medicaid in Kansas is unlikely to reach the full House floor after a blind vote Thursday. The Kansas News Service reports that only five members of the House health committee supported advancing the bill to the House floor…that’s the same number as the number of Democrats on the 17-person committee. Health experts and activists urged lawmakers to expand Medicaid at hearings Wednesday. The proposal would provide health care to an additional 150,000 low-income Kansans. But Republican leadership says it’s too expensive, and would give health care to people they think should have to work harder for it. Kansas is one of only 10 states that has not yet expanded Medicaid.

(–Related–)

Republican Majorities Block Efforts to Expand Medicaid in Georgia and Kansas

ATLANTA (AP) — Plans to expand Medicaid coverage to over half a million more people in Georgia and Kansas were defeated by Republican-led committees in the states' legislatures Thursday.

There are currently only 10 states that don’t cover people with incomes up to 138% of the federal poverty line, after North Carolina began offering Medicaid to uninsured adults last December.

In Georgia, Democratic Sen. David Lucas of Macon argued that lawmakers from both parties should grab federal bonus money that would pay for the first two years of extending coverage.

“We can’t kick the can down the road anymore. $1.2 billion is in D.C., waiting for Georgia to expand. But how long will it be there?” Lucas asked the committee.

More than 430,000 uninsured Georgia adults and 150,000 Kansans could gain coverage if Medicaid is broadened, health research group KFF has projected.

Kansas’ Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly had expected federal funds and bonus dollars to cover the $715 million cost of expanding Medicaid, wipe out the state’s costs and even cover an additional $62 million in other social services spending.

But Republicans, skeptical of the governor's projections and medical providers’ ability to take on thousands of new Medicaid patients, wouldn’t move the bill out of the health committee to the full House. The only yes votes on the 17-member committee came from its five Democrats.

Democrats in Georgia claimed Republican leaders in the state’s GOP-controlled legislature had gone back on their promise to advance the Medicaid expansion bill in the Senate. The bill called for the state to buy private health insurance for uncovered, lower income adults. Private insurance could result in higher payments to medical providers than under Georgia’s existing Medicaid plan.

The Georgia Senate’s Regulated Industries and Utilities Committee rejected the plan on a 7-7 vote; two Republicans and five Democrats voted to advance it.

Republicans' rejection of Medicaid expansion has its roots in their opposition to Democratic President Barack Obama’s signature Affordable Care Act, which has the federal government covering 90% of the cost. Some conservatives also are wary of what they see as a major expansion of government.

“I do look at this as Medicaid expansion being socialized medicine and, you know, the United States of America is not a socialist country,” said Kansas Rep. Carrie Barth.

In Georgia, one key issue is Republican Gov. Brian Kemp's existing Pathways plan, which offers coverage to adults earning up to the poverty line. To be eligible, people must document 80 monthly hours of work, study, rehabilitation or volunteering. But only about 3,500 people have signed up since the plan took effect in July, far fewer than the 100,000 that the Kemp administration projected.

“I think we need to give this a little more time,” Republican Sen. Ben Watson, a Savannah physician, told the state Senate committee. “I think we need to let it mature a little bit.”

Watson isn't normally a panel member but was added specially for the meeting by Republican leaders, providing the deciding “no” vote. Other Republicans pointed to the price tag, which Lucas estimated at $580 million a year, as well as other details.

Hopes for Medicaid expansion in Georgia multiplied this year after Republican House Speaker Jon Burns said he wanted to explore the idea. Legislation never advanced and Burns instead opted for a study committee to meet over the next year.

Georgia's governor hasn't outright said he would veto a broader expansion, but has repeatedly said he was focused on Pathways. It covers adults earning up to the poverty line — $15,060 for an individual. Lucas' plan would have covered people up to 138% of the poverty line, or $20,782.

The governor's decision to sue the federal government to try to extend the program's life was widely seen as a sign that he opposed an expansion of health care coverage. Pathways would expire in 2025, but Kemp sued to extend it to 2028. The proposed new plan, which would have required special federal approval, wouldn't have started until Pathways ended.

As in North Carolina, Georgia Democrats have tried to link Medicaid expansion with discussions over reducing the requirements for health care permits, known as certificates of need. Some Democrats voted for a Senate version of the bill, which would reduce permit requirements more than the House had proposed. However, Democratic Minority Leader Gloria Butler of Stone Mountain said that support was conditioned on Medicaid expansion talks.

(–Earlier Reporting –)

Testimony Begins at Kansas Statehouse on Medicaid Expansion Proposal

UNDATED (KNS) – Politicians and advocates packed Kansas Statehouse meeting rooms Wednesday to debate Medicaid expansion for the first time in four years. The proposal would provide health care to an estimated 150,000 more low-income Kansans. Wichita teacher Marcillene Dover said not being able to afford health care during college forced her to wait years to get treated for multiple sclerosis. “If you know about multiple sclerosis, it is a progressive disease with permanent disability that accrues. And having no ability to get diagnosis or treatment meant having more physical disability that is permanent,” she added. But opponents say the proposal is too expensive and Kansas shouldn’t provide free health care to able-bodied adults who don’t work. That includes Republican Senator Beverly Gossage, who said “...instead, I would like to rather see our focus on obstacles that might discourage Kansans from seeking employment, and barriers that might prevent employers from expanding businesses to hire workers.” The proposal is unlikely to advance because of steep opposition from Gossage and other Republican leaders.

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Kansas House Advances Anti DEI Bill

TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) - The Kansas House has tentatively approved a plan that would impose a $10,000 fine for every instance in which a public university or college tied student admissions or faculty hiring to an ideological pledge or statement related to diversity, equity and inclusion. The Kansas Reflector reports that the measure would not apply to private or parochial colleges and universities in the state. The bill was crafted by Representative Steven Howe, the chair of the House Higher Education and Budget Committee. He says House Bill 2460 would protect freedom or speech and academic freedom. Critics, like Representative Tom Sawyer, say the bill fails to define diversity, equity and inclusion. The bill is scheduled for final action today (THUR) in the Kansas House.

( - AP version - )

Kansas Lawmakers Aren't Defining DEI, but Attacking It Along with GOP Colleagues Elsewhere

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Kansas have joined their GOP counterparts in other states in trying to restrict diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on university campuses, but the proposals they've advanced are written to avoid having to agree on how to define DEI.

The Kansas House on Thursday approved a bill aimed at preventing universities, community colleges or technical colleges from basing a student's admission or an employee's hiring or promotion on any statement or pledge about diversity, equity or inclusion. While the bill includes those words, it also says universities cannot require a statement about “any political ideology or movement.”

The House's 81-39 vote, mostly along party lines, came a week after the Senate approved a proposed $25 billion state budget with a provision designed to force universities to eliminate such requirements and mandatory DEI training. The provision would withhold $35.7 million from the state's six universities until they report to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly and the Republican-controlled Legislature's leaders that they have done so.

Republicans in at least 20 states have sought to limit DEI initiatives, arguing that they are discriminatory and enforce a liberal political orthodoxy. Alabama's governor signed into law an anti-DEI bill on Wednesday; Utah enacted a law earlier this year; and proposals in Kentucky and South Carolina advanced this week.

“Universities have chosen to embrace ideologies that discriminate against people who do not hew to their orthodoxy,” state Rep. Steve Howe, a central Kansas Republican and the chair of a committee on higher education, said during a House debate Wednesday.

The House measure now goes to the Senate. As for the anti-DEI budget provision, negotiators for the two chambers expect to discuss it as they draft the final version of the annual budget.

Paulette Granberry Russell, president and CEO of the National Association of Diversity Officers in Higher Education, called the Kansas proposals “mean-spirited” and said they attempt to force universities to “turn back the clock on all the progress made in the past 70 years to support students, faculty, and staff.”

“The backlash against diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives and programs is rooted in ignorance and prejudice,” Granberry Russell said in an email responding to questions. “The ability to support, educate, and provide services that address the diverse needs of students should be an expectation.”

The Kansas House bill sets up a process for hearing DEI complaints, giving universities time to reverse contested actions. But it also allows the attorney general to file civil lawsuits against the universities and colleges and seek fines of up to $10,000.

A legislative audit released last month said 1.6% of the spending by Kansas' six state universities, or $45 million, went to DEI initiatives but noted that each university defined DEI differently. Besides initiatives traditionally seen as DEI, such as training and recruiting, they also included food pantries for poor students and services for military veterans and disabled students.

But neither Kansas measure defines DEI.

“It’s hard for me to pass a bill to punish a university for doing something that we don’t define," said Democratic state Rep. Tom Sawyer of Wichita. “The words diversity, equity and inclusion to me, in themselves, are positive words.”

Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said his chamber's bill creates a simple test — whether a university requires ideological statements from students, job applicants or employees — that doesn’t require everyone to agree how to define DEI.

“Everybody’s got a different definition,” Hawkins said. “To get everybody to aspire to one definition is pretty difficult.”

In statehouses across the U.S., Republicans and Democrats have been pushing opposite definitions of fairness and opportunity in education and state workplaces.

Democratic lawmakers in more than a dozen states are promoting more than 30 measures this year to require greater consideration of diversity, equity and inclusion. Republican state lawmakers have countered with more 60 measures to prohibit or restrict it, according to an Associated Press analysis using the bill tracking software Plural. Five of those GOP bills have won final approval.

The new Utah law prohibits government agencies, universities and K-12 schools from having diversity, equity and inclusion offices.

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb, a Republican, signed legislation last week barring higher education institutions from considering statements about diversity, equity and inclusion in decisions about employment, benefits or student admissions. That legislation also specifies that any diversity programming must address both “cultural and intellectual diversity.”

Republican lawmakers in Idaho and Wisconsin last week passed bills barring higher education institutions from conditioning employment and admission decisions on diversity statements.

In Wisconsin, Democratic Gov. Tony Evers is expected to veto his state's legislation. In Kansas, Kelly hasn't said what she would do if either GOP proposal passed, but she vetoed an anti-DEI provision included in budget legislation last year.

The measure approved by Alabama lawmakers would prohibit state agencies, universities and K-12 school systems from sponsoring DEI programs. It also would prohibit them from forcing students or employees to adhere to “a divisive concept," a term that covers concepts such as white privilege, systemic discrimination and the idea that merit-based systems actually are “racist or sexist.”

The new Alabama law, which takes effect Oct. 1, would prohibit universities, K-12 school systems and state agencies from sponsoring DEI programs, defined under the bill as classes, training, programs and events where attendance is based on a person’s race, sex, gender identity, ethnicity, national origin or sexual orientation.

Legislation that passed the Kentucky House this week includes similar language in its definition of “discriminatory" concepts that state universities would be barred in using in training programs or course requirements.

In the Kansas House, the higher education committee wrestled with drafting a definition. Republican Rep. Clark Sanders, another central Kansas Republican, initially expressed misgivings about the lack of one but later came around.

“I may not be able to give you an explanation or a definition, but I'd know it when I saw it,” he said.

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More Charges Filed in Fatal Shooting at Chiefs Rally

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – Two more people were charged Thursday in the fatal shooting at the Super Bowl rally. KCUR reports that the number of people facing criminal charges now stands at six. Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker announced second-degree murder charges against Terry J. Young, who also faces two counts of armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon. Police say the 20-year-old pulled out a gun during the verbal argument that escalated in seven seconds to the shooting that killed 43-year-old Lisa Lopez-Galvan. A 15-year-old was also charged in family court. That means three adult men and three minors face charges stemming from the February 14th shooting. Baker says she expects more charges to be filed.

(–Additional Reporting–)

Third Man Charged with Murder in the Kansas City Super Bowl Rally Shooting

UNDATED (AP) – A third man was charged with second-degree murder Thursday in connection with the shooting during the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl rally that killed a woman and injured nearly two dozen others.

Terry Young, 20, of Kansas City, Missouri, was also charged with unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action. He is jailed on $1 million bond and doesn't yet have an attorney. Phone messages left for his family weren't immediately returned.

Lyndell Mays and Dominic Miller were also charged with second-degree murder and several weapons counts soon after the Feb. 14 shooting at a parade attended by an estimated 1 million people as Kansas City celebrated the Chiefs' second straight Super Bowl win. Two juveniles are also in custody, and three other men face gun-related and resisting arrest charges, accused of illegal purchase of high-powered rifles and guns with extended magazines, including weapons used at the rally.

Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney Jean Peters Baker said the investigation has reached an important milestone.

“Everyone we’ve identified who discharged a firearm in response to the verbal altercation detailed here has been taken into custody,” she said in a statement.

Though all of the suspected shooters are accounted for, Baker said additional charges are expected.

Police and prosecutors have said the gunfire broke out when one group of people confronted another for staring at them. Authorities have said a bullet from Miller’s gun killed Lisa Lopez-Galvan, who was in a nearby crowd of people watching the rally. She was a mother of two and the host of a local radio program called “Taste of Tejano.” The people injured range in age from 8 to 47, police said.

The latest man charged and two others approached someone in the other group, and an argument broke out, according to a probable cause statement. When someone else pulled out a gun, the man pulled out his own weapon, the document stated. Surveillance video showed him appearing to shoot several times.

The man's social media postings showed him wearing the same distinctive backpack seen in the surveillance video, and his phone data showed the device was in the area of the shooting when it happened, according to Baker and the probable cause statement.

Court documents unsealed earlier this month said 12 people brandished firearms and at least six people fired weapons at the rally. The guns found at the scene included at least two AR-style rifles, court documents said. U.S. Attorney Teresa Moore has said at least two of the guns recovered from the scene were illegally purchased.

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Federal Judge Rules Women Claiming Assault Can Testify at Golubski Trial

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – A federal judge has ruled that seven women who say they were assaulted by a former Kansas City, Kansas, police detective can testify at his trial. KCUR reports that U.S. District Judge Toby Crouse ruled federal prosecutors can use the testimony of the seven women to try to prove their case against Roger Golubski, who is charged with depriving two women of their civil rights through sexual assault and kidnapping. Prosecutors say Golubski showed a pattern against all nine of the Black women – using rape, his status as a police officer, and threats to hurt them or their families if they told anyone. Crouse has yet to set a trial date for Golubski – who was arrested in September 2022.

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Douglas County Launches Mental Health Program for Jail Inmates

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) – Some Kansas inmates are required to receive mental health care to be able to stand trial. But they often have to wait months to get it. The Kansas News Service reports that a Douglas County program hopes to help reduce those wait times. The Douglas County initiative will provide competency restoration care to inmates locally so they can resolve their cases sooner. Until recently, those inmates had to receive care at a state facility, like Larned State Hospital. But the hospital is plagued by a long wait list and some inmates wait more than a year to get in. Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister says that means some inmates spend more time in jail waiting than the prison time they are ultimately sentenced to, adding that "...it’s stasis. You’re just stuck and you can’t go forward or backward.” Douglas County has about 10 inmates on the waitlist. The local program is set to launch April 1.

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1 Person Killed, Others Injured in Chanute Apartment Building Fire

CHANUTE, Kan. (AP) — A fire engulfed an apartment complex in Chanute early Thursday morning, killing one person and injuring several others. The blaze damaged the roughly 15-year-old, 24-unit Cornerstone Apartments throughout the building, The Iola Register reported. The apartment building's company president said the cause is unknown. The building was fully occupied with sprinkler systems, fire alarms and smoke detectors that all appeared to function, he said. The number and types of injuries weren't immediately announced.

Firefighters arrived to find the south side of the building engulfed in flames. The Iola, Parsons, and Thayer fire departments helped Chanute firefighters fight the blaze. Chanute police helped evacuate the building. Local, state and federal officials were investigating the fire's cause Thursday afternoon.

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Kansas Senator Urges Continuation of Work on Farm Bill

UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas Senator Jerry Moran is urging his colleagues to resume work on the farm bill. The Kansas News Service reports that the nation’s current farm bill must be revised or extended before the end of 2024. It’s currently stalled in Congress. The farm bill protects the nation’s food supply by providing support for farmers during weather events and economic downturns. Experts predict that farm income will fall by $42 billion this year. Moran argued this week on the Senate floor that the losses are unsustainable. “Farmers can't manage these circumstances. These challenges don’t just impact farmers, but ultimately, they impact American consumers trying to feed their families,” he said. Moran says agriculture is the state’s top economic driver and contributes $81 billion to the Kansas economy. It also supports about 250,000 jobs, more than 10% of the state's workforce.

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Barbie Comes to Bonner Springs; Mattel Plans Theme Park in Wyandotte County 

BONNER SPRINGS, Kan. (WDAF) — Barbie is coming to Bonner Springs. Toy maker Mattel says it will build a new theme park in Wyandotte County: a Mattel Adventure Park. The attraction will feature Hot Wheels roller coasters as well as a Barbie rooftop restaurant and bar. WDAF TV reports that crews plan to break ground this year and open the new theme park in Bonner Springs in 2026.

“Mattel Adventure Park Kansas City" will feature a theater, dining options and family-friendly attractions. This will be the second Mattel Adventure Park from Mattel. The company's first-ever theme park opens this year in Glendale, Arizona.

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Roofing Manufacturer to Invest $300 Million and Build Facility in Newton

TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – North America’s largest roofing and waterproofing manufacturer, GAF, will invest more than $300 million in Newton by constructing a new shingle plant. Company officials say the facility will create more than 130 manufacturing jobs. Governor Laura Kelly announced the news today (WED).

The company says it will build a 275,000-square-foot facility beginning in June. Production at the plant is expected to begin in 2027, reaching full production capacity by mid-2029. GAF has more than 4,800 employees and operates in 30 locations across the U.S. producing commercial and residential roofing and waterproofing products and services for customers across North America. The Kansas Logistics Parks in Newton will be the company’s first location in Kansas.

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Kansas House Republicans Abandon Flat Tax Rate Proposal

TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas City Star) – Republicans in the Kansas House have made no secret that their top policy goal for 2024 is a single-rate income tax. Now, the Kansas City Star reports that Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins of Wichita is admitting defeat on that priority, weeks after the House was unable to override Democratic Governor Laura Kelly's veto of an earlier flat-rate tax plan.

Earlier this week, Hawkins and other House Republicans introduced a new tax plan that eliminates one of the state's three income tax brackets, which would move Kansas to a dual-rate income tax. The plan would adjust income tax rates, but would also phase out taxes on Social Security income over the next four years, and reduce the overall amount of income tax the state collects.

Kelly has repeatedly said she would veto any tax package including a flat-rate income tax. However, she has discussed an openness to negotiation on other tax items. Last month, the Kansas House fell four votes short when Republican lawmakers sought to override Kelly’s veto. After weeks of conversation, Hawkins said that it was clear a flat tax was not possible this year.

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Kansas Bill Pushes Pilot Program for Medical Cannabis

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - After numerous failed attempts to legalize marijuana in Kansas, a new effort is underway. Kansas is one of 10 states that does not have a medical cannabis program. KWCH TV reports that newly proposed legislation would change that. If the bill is passed, the medical cannabis pilot program would run from July 1, 2024, to July 1, 2029.

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Kansas Legislature Considers Limits to Property Valuation Increases

WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – The Kansas legislature is considering two potential constitutional amendments to limit rising property valuations as residents complain of high property taxes. KMUW reports that in Sedgwick County, three in five homes increased in value this year, with a median increase of 10 percent. Legislators are looking at options to bring down property taxes. One proposed constitutional amendment would cap the valuation of most property at a maximum of 4 percent. The Sedgwick County commission opposes this because of its potential impact on the budget. County commissioner Jim Howell expressed concern about the long-term ramifications of a valuation cap, saying "...one of the problems we have right now is property taxes seem to be the one persistent tax that continues to come to the county, and other sources of revenue have gone away." Another option the legislature proposed is to value properties based on a 10-year rolling average, to smooth out any extreme increases. If the legislature passes one of the amendments, it would be placed on the November ballot for a public vote.

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Lansing Man Arrested in Connection with Overdose Death of 15-Year-Old

LEAVENWORTH COUNTY, Kan. (KPR) – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) says a Lansing man has been arrested in connection with a fentanyl overdose death. Late Wednesday morning, 19-year-old Torin M. Baughman was arrested for first-degree murder. He's accused of causing the death of a 15-year-old Lansing boy. The KBI identified the victim only by his initials - N.C.B. Investigators say he was found dead in his home on January 18, 2023. After his arrest, Baughman was booked into the Leavenworth County Jail. Bond was set at $500,000.

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Ogallala Aquifer Summit Draws Attendees to Discuss Preservation

LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) – Roughly 200 people met in southwest Kansas this week to discuss ways to preserve the Ogallala Aquifer. The Kansas News Service reports that the group of researchers, farmers and conservationists agreed solutions for sustainable agriculture need to come from a local level through technology and water reduction plans. Katie Durham, groundwater manager for District 1, emphasized the need for difficult conversations with fellow producers and local industries, saying “If we do not do something, we are not going to be here. And really helping people to understand what we could do if we stretch that resource.” Durham’s region is one of two districts in Kansas that has a local water management plan, which saw an increase in water levels last year. The plan encourages producers to reduce water use by 25% to keep the aquifer healthy. Instead, they have reduced it by 39%, moving closer to a stabilized aquifer.

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CEO of Kansas health Nonprofit Resigns in Wake of Credentials Scandal

UNDATED (KNS) – The CEO of Kansas health nonprofit GraceMed has resigned following allegations that she falsified her educational credentials. The Kansas News Service reports that the Christian organization serves low-income patients at more than a dozen clinics in Wichita, Topeka, Clearwater and McPherson. Venus Lee joined GraceMed 14 years ago and was named CEO in 2020. Her salary in 2022 was more than $240,000. She claimed to hold a Doctorate of Theology and a master's degree. Last week, GraceMed removed the credentials from her biography and confirmed she did not hold them under any names she’s known to have used. In a release, GraceMed’s Board of Directors commended Lee’s “extraordinary service" to the organization.

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Wichita Weighing an End to the Practice of Publishing Public Notices in Newspaper

WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Wichita will consider ending its contract with the Eagle and McClatchy, the paper's parent company, to publish the city's public notices. If approved, Wichita will become one of the largest cities to do so. The Kansas News Service reports that the city spends $150 thousand dollars a year to publish its notices in The Eagle, its paper of record. Council members argued that they’d rather continue publishing notices on the city's website or find other publications. But other council members said that older members of the community still read the notices in the paper. Emily Bradbury is with the Kansas Press Association. She says publishing notices in the paper helps keep local governments accountable: “At the end of the day, it's about transparency, and we feel like we're advocates for the public. And we know, that transparency will be harmed, and the public will be harmed if the public notices are pulled from newspapers.” Council members will discuss the contract at their April 2nd meeting.

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Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Pulls over Driver Going 107 MPH

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — A Kansas Highway Patrol trooper recently pulled over a motorist who was driving 107 mph. The driver was in a 75 MPH zone at the time. KSNW TV reports the driver was pulled over in northeast Kansas and given a ticket for $333. In a separate incident in mid-February, a driver in Lincoln County, Kansas, was pulled over for driving 151 MPH. Troopers say they are seeing an increase in the number of motorists exceeding 100 MPH.

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Jayhawks Face Samford in First Round of NCAA Tourney

SALT LAKE CITY (KPR) — The NCAA men's basketball tournament is underway. The Kansas Jayhawks will take on Samford at 8:50 Thursday in the first round of action at the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. KU is a #4 seed. Samford is a 13 seed.

(-Related-)

Jayhawks' Center Hunter Dickinson Says Shoulder Feels Good on Eve of March Madness

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — University of Kansas center Hunter Dickinson said he's good to go for the Jayhawks in their NCAA Tournament opener after a dislocated shoulder that sidelined him last week.

“The shoulder feels good — good enough to be out there with my teammates,” Dickinson said Wednesday, on the eve of fourth-seeded KU's first-round game against Samford. That was the good news for Kansas. The rest of it — rough. The Jayhawks will be without leading scorer Kevin McCullar Jr.

They have lost four of five, including a 72-52 loss at the hands of Cincinnati last Wednesday. In that game, they were missing both McCullar (18.3 points per game), who has been dealing with a bone bruise on his knee since January, and Dickinson (18 ppg), who dislocated his shoulder on March 9 against Houston. All this has turned Kansas into a popular pick to suffer an upset on opening day. Guard Dajuan Harris said none of that talk resonates inside the Jayhawks locker room. “Not really because we beat some pretty good teams without Kev this year,” he said.

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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.