National Weather Service Narrows Severe Thunderstorm Watch to Just One County
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - The National Weather Service has now cancelled the Severe Thunderstorm Watch for the Kansas City area. Only one Kansas county - Linn - remains under the Severe Thunderstorm Watch until 2 pm.
Get the latest weather from the National Weather Service in Topeka.
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Missouri Has One of the Worst Drug Problems in the Country
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KC Star) - A recent study reveals that the drug crisis in Missouri is one of the worst in the U.S. The personal finance website WalletHub analyzed statistics from many sources, including the CDC, FBI and federal Drug Enforcement Administration. Its study found that Missouri is the sixth-worst state for drug usage. Kansas ranked as the 19th worst state for drug usage. WalletHub used the data to compare all 50 states and the District of Columbia across 20 key metrics, ranging from arrest and overdose rates to opioid prescription use and employee drug testing laws.
The survey ranked New Mexico as the state with the biggest drug problem in the country. West Virginia, Nevada, the District of Columbia and Colorado rounded out the top five. (Read more in the Kansas City Star.)
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FAFSA Form Leaves Kansas Students Scrambling
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW/KNS) - Some Kansas students are scrambling to decide on a college and pay tuition deposits after errors with the new federal financial aid form, known as FAFSA, kept them waiting on financial aid. Wichita East High School senior Karen Ochoa applied to several colleges and filed her financial aid form on time. But because of delays in processing those forms, she just received her financial aid offers this week. Now she’s crunching numbers to figure out what she can afford. “The scary part about that is that for seniors, the last day is Monday. So, it’s kind of like everything’s coming at you at once." she said. Some colleges in Kansas, including the University of Kansas and Newman University, are postponing their deposit deadlines because of the FAFSA delays. Federal education officials say there’s still time to file, and online applications are processed in one to three days.
May 1st usually marks decision day for high school seniors. But a botched rollout of the new FAFSA form earlier this year has gummed things up for millions of students. Cammie Kennedy is a college counselor at East High School in Wichita. She says some seniors are getting financial aid offers this week after months of waiting. “They just weren’t ready. And because of that and because of some of their errors, it has delayed students to just now discovering what they really got in aid a little late," she said. Students and their families can continue working with school counselors after graduation to finalize forms or compare aid offers from different schools.
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Spirit AeroSystems Posts Major Loss Q1
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) - Spirit AeroSystems - the largest private employer in Sedgwick County - has posted a major first quarter loss in revenue. A slowdown in deliveries due to safety concerns led to a significant operating loss for Spirit AeroSystems in the first quarter of 2024. Spirit announced Tuesday that it lost more than $500 million from January through March. That’s a five-fold increase from the same quarter last year. Much of the loss was due to a decrease in the delivery of 737 components to Boeing. Spirit CEO Patrick Shanahan says deliveries slowed after Boeing established stricter safety inspection requirements in Wichita. The increased scrutiny was sparked by an incident in January where a door blew off of a 737 commercial flight. "The inspection process change by Boeing, in effect, paused our ability to receive payment for completed fuselages," he said. Shanahan says Spirit remains in talks with Boeing about a possible sale of the company.
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Wichita Recovering After Cyber Attack Affects City's Website
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) - The City of Wichita is struggling to recover after its official city website fell victim to a cyberattack last weekend. Many services remain unavailable to residents after the city took its computer network down in response to the incident. It's one of the latest government entities in Kansas and across the nation to be targeted by malware. Officials continue to investigate what data may have been compromised.
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$10,000 Reward Offered for Information in Kansas Homicide
BUTLER COUNTY, Kan. (KPR) – A $10,000 reward has been offered for information about a homicide in south-central Kansas. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Augusta Police Department have been investigating the murder of 93-year-old Joanne R. Johnson, of Augusta, since she was discovered deceased in her residence September 3, 2023. Governor Laura Kelly has issued an executive order offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who provides information that leads to an arrest and conviction and the victim's family has offered to match the reward, increasing the total amount to $10,000.
Johnson was found by a family member after she was killed in her home (at 1711 Robbins Street) in Augusta, last Labor Day weekend. Anyone with information about this crime, no matter how small the detail might seem, is asked to contact the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME. Anonymous tips can also be submitted online.
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Kansas Bar Association Offers Free Legal Advice
TOPEKA, Kan. (KMUW) - Kansas residents can get some of their legal questions answered for free as part of a new Kansas Bar Association program. Low-income Kansans who have questions regarding civil issues can now get help online from a volunteer attorney. Residents are limited to three questions per year. Attorneys will not provide advice about criminal cases. Laura Ice is president of the Kansas Bar Association. She says the program is necessary for people who may not have access to legal counsel, especially those who live in rural areas. "Sometimes a person just needs to know where to start. They may have a simple question. They may need guidance, and the lawyers are there to help get them started in the right direction," she said. Residents who want to get their legal questions answered must apply online atKansas.FreeLegalAnswers.org.
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Midwestern Farmers Turning to Industrial Hemp Production
UNDATED (HPM) - A report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture shows farmers in the Midwest have turned away from growing hemp for its CBD oil, used in products like lotions and gummies. But as Harvest Public Media reports, other types of hemp production are on the rise. Floral hemp is the plant grown for its essential oils, including CBD. USDA reports show farmers in the Midwest and Great Plains have grown less floral hemp over the past two years. David Lakeman with the Illinois Department of Agriculture says farmers are finding a stronger footing in industrial hemp, which is often used for manufacturing goods like building materials or textiles. "Which is less likely to generate profits at the percentage that those CBD products did initially, but more likely to be steady, relatively level returns on investment," he said. The hemp industry may indirectly benefit from President Joe Biden’s recent plan to reclassify marijuana as a less-regulated drug.
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Kansas Lakes Affected by Harmful Algae
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) - As the weather warms in Kansas, more people are getting out on the water. But experts warn them to be on the lookout for harmful types of algae. Tony Stahl, with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, says as temperatures rise, algae flourish, especially in lakes and ponds. If they grow too big too fast, this can cause what’s called a harmful algal bloom. Stahl says blue-green algae can make humans sick, but the blooms are especially dangerous and could be fatal for livestock and pets. He says dogs are often drawn to the algae’s scent, so they’ll ingest lots of it. “One of the first things you would notice is they become disoriented or stumble around or experience difficulty breathing," he said. "And in some cases, even experience seizures or a paralysis.” Stahl says to check for harmful algal bloom advisories before heading out and avoid water that looks dull, smells bad or has a foamy-film on top.
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