New Abortion Clinic Opening this Fall in Southeast Kansas
PITTSBURG, Kan. (KNS) - Planned Parenthood in Kansas says it will open a new abortion clinic in southeast Kansas. The facility will open in Pittsburg this fall. The news comes as abortion providers in Kansas report overwhelming demand from out-of-state patients. Since many nearby states have banned abortion, most patients at Planned Parenthood Great Plains’ Kansas clinics now travel from out-of-state, more than half from Texas alone. President Emily Wales says she hopes the new Pittsburg clinic will help alleviate some of that demand, in addition to providing services like contraception and STI testing. “There are not enough health care providers there, and there are certainly not enough providers of sexual and reproductive care, particularly gender-affirming services," she said. Wales says her organization only has room to treat a fraction of those seeking appointments. “We were somewhat braced for it. And we had adapted a number of things about our operations. But at the end of the day, you can only provide so much care in a physical facility," she said.
It’ll be the third new clinic offering abortions to open in Kansas since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Abortion remains legal in Kansas until 22 weeks, but anti-abortion groups are celebrating legislative wins including a law that will require patients to tell their doctors why they’re getting an abortion.
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KU, Other State Schools Seek Tuition Hikes for Next School Year
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) - The University of Kansas says it is seeking a 3.5% increase in tuition for next school year. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that KU implemented a 5% increase a year ago, but before that, the university went four consecutive years without an increase. KU is on pace to have its highest enrollment ever when classes resume next fall. but school leaders are still seeking approval from the Kansas Board of Regents to boost tuition. But it's not alone. Every public university in the state is asking for a tuition hike, ranging from 2.8% at K-State to 6% at Fort Hays State. Emporia State seeks a 4% increase, Wichita State wants a 3.9% increase and Pittsburg State is seeking a 3.5% hike.
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Lesser Prairie Chicken Still Under Threat in Southwest Kansas
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) - It’s mating season for the lesser prairie chicken, but bird watchers will have fewer feathered friends to watch as the population continues to dwindle in southwest Kansas. The lesser prairie chicken used to roam the plains by the millions, but Audubon of Kansas estimates only around 25,000 remain. It is a metric that animal conservationists use to gauge the health of native grassland ecosystems, but 90% of the bird's habitat has been lost. Wayne Walker is with Common Ground Capital, an endangered species organization in the southern plains. “Imagine if 90% of the rainforest was cut down. People would be freaking out about that," he said. Walker and others are working on a program to pay ranchers for protecting the grasslands. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a lawsuit last year to remove the bird from the threatened species list.
Proponents of the lesser prairie chicken say the species is synonymous with the Great Plains but the bird could go the way of the buffalo. Most of the bird’s remaining habitat is located in southwest Kansas. There are fewer places overall for the chicken to roam and less biodiversity in the prairies. Walker says that’s because cropland has replaced native prairie ecosystems. “I mean, it’s this massively complex and cool ecosystem. And you know, we look at a field full of wheat. And it's just like golly, you know, we plowed up this to make that?, he said.
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Hearing Delayed in Super Bowl Parade Shooting Case
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) - A hearing to review the $1 million bond of one of the accused Super Bowl parade shooters has been postponed until June 10. Eighteen-year-old Dominic Miller, one of three defendants charged in the shooting on February 14, made a court appearance Monday. He had been hospitalized since the shooting until May 3, when he was transferred to the Jackson County jail. Miller is asking to have his bond reduced but the judge postponed his hearing. Miller, of Kansas City, is accused of firing the bullet that killed 43-year-old Lisa Lopez-Galvan outside of Union Station. Two other men are also charged with murder after gunfire erupted and sent two dozen people to hospitals. The judge handling the case has already refused to reduce bond for the other two defendants.
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Three Injured in Barber County Explosion
MEDICINE LODGE, Kan. (KWCH) - Three people have been injured in an explosion in south-central Kansas. KWCH reports the explosion occurred late Monday morning in Sharon. Barber County Sheriff Jason LeClair said three people were trying to conduct a controlled burn in a cellar, when they poured fuel on the cellar and lit it on fire. All three were taken to the hospital with injuries. The state fire marshal was called to the scene but investigators don't think the incident appears to be criminal in nature.
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Good Samaritan Law to Include Drug Overdoses
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Drug overdoses will be included in Kansas’ Good Samaritan law once it goes into effect later this year. The bill would protect most people from prosecution if they call 9-1-1 to get medical attention for someone experiencing an overdose. The bill was amended to not protect people on parole or probation if they call for help after push back from law enforcement groups. Advocates say they worry about what that could mean for a population that’s most likely to be affected by substance use. Kansas was one of two states without a Good Samaritan overdose law.
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Kansas Governor Orders Flags Flown at Half-Staff
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has ordered flags to be flown at half-staff on Wednesday, Peace Officers Memorial Day. Kelly ordered flags lowered to pay tribute to local, state, and federal law enforcement officers who have been killed or injured in the line of duty.
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KC Highway Called One of Nation's Deadliest
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KC Star) - A stretch of Interstate through Kansas City is being called one of the deadliest roads in the nation. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says 12 people died on Interstate 670 between 2018 and 2023. According to the Kansas City Star, that's the third most traffic deaths per mile for any road in the country. I-670, also known as the Jay B. Dillingham Freeway, runs under the Kansas City Convention Center.
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NFL to Open Season with Chiefs-Ravens Match
UNDATED (AP/KPR) - The Kansas City Chiefs will open the regular season at home against the Baltimore Ravens on September 5th. The NFL announced the news Monday. The Ravens-Chiefs opener at Arrowhead Stadium will be a Thursday night game. The NFL will release the entire 2024 season schedule Wednesday night on the NFL Network. The Chiefs season opener will be a rematch of the AFC title game, when the Chiefs beat the Ravens 17-10 in January and went on to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime in the Super Bowl. Kansas City will be going for a third straight Super Bowl title and fourth in six years this season.
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This Month Marks 13th Anniversary of Joplin's Deadly Tornado
UNDATED (AP) - This month marks the anniversary of the deadly Joplin tornado. It was on May 22, 2011 - 13 years ago - that a tornado devastated Joplin, Missouri, with winds up to 250 mph. The tornado claimed at least 159 lives and destroyed about 8,000 homes and businesses.
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