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Headlines for Tuesday, May 21, 2024

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Emily DeMarchi
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KPR

NWS: 2 EF1 Tornadoes Hit Central Kansas Sunday

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - A stormy night that featured straight-line winds of 100 miles-per-hour in several areas of Kansas also produced a pair of tornadoes. The National Weather Service has confirmed that tornadoes touched down in Russell and Ellsworth counties Sunday afternoon. KSNT reports that severe storms near Hays tracked east and generally along I-70, producing a few tornadoes along the way.

The first EF1-rated tornado touched down about two miles northwest of Russell and was on the ground for about 10 minutes. It caused minimal damage, mostly to power poles. A second EF1 tornado touched down about five miles northeast of Wilson. This tornado was on the ground for about five minutes.

Harvey County, in south-central Kansas, suffered extensive storm damage Sunday, but meteorologists say the damage in Burrton, Halstead and Newton was caused by severe straight-line winds and not a tornado.

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Clemency Urged for Woman Convicted of Lawrence Murder

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - Advocates are seeking clemency for Sarah Gonzales-McLinn, a woman convicted in 2014 of killing 52-year-old Hal Sasko, a Lawrence businessman. The woman's supporters say the jury that convicted her was never told about the abuse she suffered at the hands of the man she killed. Those advocates held a public meeting in Lawrence Monday night. Sarah Gonzales-McLinn was 19 when she brutally murdered 52-year-old businessman Hal Sasko in the Lawrence home they shared. But the jury that convicted her wasn’t allowed to hear about how Sasko turned from father figure to sexual predator. How he used drugs and financial coercion to enslave the troubled teen who turned to him for help. With that abuse now documented, advocates are seeking public support for the clemency request they’ve submitted to Democratic Governor Laura Kelly. Social worker Sky Westerlund. “Clemency is about justice for people. And to me, 10-years serving, being incarcerated, is enough," she said. Gonzales-McLinn is serving a 25-year-to-life sentence.

Roxanne Merriman was once Gonzales-McLinn’s cellmate at the women’s prison in Topeka. She’s now among those urging Governor Laura Kelly to grant her clemency. “Her story deserves to be heard because she’s not the monster that the world portrays her and sees her as," she said. "For her to do what she did; there’s a lot more to it.” So far, there's been no word from the governor's office on what action - if any - might be taken on the woman's behalf.

Clemency advocates will present another informational session Wednesday at 6 pm at the Topeka-Shawnee County Public Library.

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Kansas Senator Hopes Iran President's Death Not Blamed on U.S.

WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) - Kansas Republican Senator Jerry Moran hopes the death of Iran’s president in a helicopter crash isn’t blamed on the West. But in some ways, that's already happened. Iran’s former foreign minister says the U.S. is responsible for the crash because of sanctions it imposed on the country’s aviation industry. "I hope that this doesn’t become another reason for Iran to blame the West, United States and others," Moran said. "This was apparently an accident." Moran spoke Monday in Wichita. The U.S. State Department has called Iran the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism. Iran backs Hamas, the militant group that attacked Israel in October, leading to the current conflict in Gaza.

(-Related-)

Kansas GOP Senator Concerned About Possible Sale of Spirit AeroSystems

WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) - Kansas Senator Jerry Moran says he's concerned about Boeing's possible purchase of Spirit Aerosystems in Wichita. Moran is worried about the effect the sale could have on defense work in Wichita. Boeing has reportedly been in talks to acquire Spirit since March. Both companies came under scrutiny in January when a panel on a Boeing airplane blew out in mid-flight. Spirit, Wichita’s largest employer, primarily focuses on making parts for Boeing’s commercial aircrafts. But it also contracts with defense suppliers like Lockheed Martin and Northrup Grumman. Moran says he's encouraging Boeing and Spirit to consider those defense contracts in their negotiations. "We would not want Boeing to acquire spirit and to lose the 1,500 to 2,000 employees who do defense work at Spirit for companies other than Boeing." Spirit announced a loss of $500 million dollars in the first quarter, and it said last week that it would lay off between 400 to 450 workers due to a slowdown in operations.

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Kansas Abortion Providers Challenging New State Law

UNDATED (KNS) – Abortion providers are challenging a new Kansas law that will soon require them to ask patients why they’re ending their pregnancy, and report the data to state officials. The Kansas News Service reports that the lawsuit says the law is unconstitutional and violates patient privacy. Emily Wales with Planned Parenthood Great Plains says the law is designed to shame abortion patients, adding that “...those conversations that happen in the exam room are private, they're confidential, they are in no way something that the Legislature should have access to.” The providers want to add the challenge to a larger case against several existing abortion restrictions in Kansas. That case is set to go to trial next year. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach says the state will oppose the effort to expand the case. Anti-abortion advocates proposed the new law, saying it could help anti-abortion groups better support women with unplanned pregnancies.

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KCK Community Developer Seeks Kansas Congressional Seat

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KNS) - The race to replace a Kansas Congressman has gained a new contender - a former University of Kansas basketball player. Wyandotte County community developer Matt Kleinmann says he'll enter the race as a Democrat.

Kleinmann first set foot on the court as a University of Kansas basketball player in 2004. Twenty years later, he’s entering the political arena and announcing his candidacy for the 2nd Congressional District of eastern Kansas. Republican Jake LaTurner, who has held the seat since 2020, recently announced he would not seek reelection. As a Democrat running in a solidly red district, Kleinmann is emphasizing unity and cooperation. “The bonds that unite us are stronger than those who seek to divide us," he said. Republicans Jeff Kahrs of Topeka and former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt seek election to the same seat.

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Governor Declares Disaster Emergency Following Sunday's Storms

TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Governor Laura Kelly has declared a state of disaster emergency in the aftermath of Sunday's severe weather. Violent storms caused thousands of power outages across Kansas and into Missouri. The declaration activates the Kansas Response Plan and the ability to expedite state agency assistance to communities that need help.

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With Special Session Looming in Kansas, Some GOP Lawmakers Call It a Waste of Money

TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Sometime this week, Governor Laura Kelly will announce when she'll call lawmakers back to Topeka for a special session. The Democratic governor and Republican legislative leaders will try to hammer out a compromise deal to cut taxes. So far, the governor has vetoed three previous tax-cutting proposals, including the most recent bipartisan plan. As lawmakers prepare to return to the Statehouse, some Republicans say it’s an unnecessary expense. Kelly is calling the special session after vetoing the latest tax cuts proposed by lawmakers. She supports cuts but says she wants a less costly bill. Republican Senate President Ty Masterson says the session is a waste of tax money. He says it will cost about $84,000 per day. Kelly seems more focused on the cost of potential tax cuts. She says the last bill she vetoed would have put the state $1.3 billion underwater by 2029. Kelly plans to announce the session’s start date this week.

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Children's Mercy Offering Rural Genetic Disorder Testing

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KNS) - Children’s Mercy researchers are working to expand access to diagnostic testing for rare genetic disorders in children. It's happening through a pilot program in rural Kansas. Children’s Mercy researchers are partnering with primary care physicians in Salina. Instead of referring families to specialists in Kansas City for testing, the physicians collect genetic samples from children and mail them to the hospital for analysis. Researcher Ana Cohen says kids with rare genetic disorders generally receive a diagnosis by age 3. But she says most of the kids they diagnosed in Salina were between ages 7 and 13. “Which kind of suggests that somewhere along the line, they just were missed.” Cohen says it usually takes 9-12 months to get diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder. But the pilot program cut wait-times in half. She says they recently expanded to four other clinics in rural Kansas.

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Kansas High School Senior Drowns Just Hours After Graduation

COFFEYVILLE, Kan. (Montgomery County Chronicle) - A southeast Kansas high school is mourning the loss of a senior class member who died just hours after receiving a diploma. The Montgomery County Chronicle reports that a graduate of Field Kindley High School in Coffeyville drowned at Big Hill Lake in Labette County Saturday afternoon, just hours after receiving a diploma at a commencement ceremony. The loss of this high school senior comes six weeks after another senior from Field Kindley High School was killed in a vehicle crash west of Independence.

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Half a Million Kansans Expected to Hit the Road for Memorial Day

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - A week from today (MON) is Memorial Day. Triple-A Kansas says nearly a half million Kansans will hit the road for the long holiday weekend. Triple-A says 488,000 Kansans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the holiday travel period, which runs from Thursday through Monday. Most people will drive to their destination. The average price of gas is around $3.15 a gallon, slightly less than last year.

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KU Takes Control in Ninth Inning to Beat K-State in Big 12 Tournament Opener

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Hunter Cranton struck out two in the ninth inning to help earn his seventh save and No. 7 seed Kansas held off sixth-seeded Kansas State 2-1 on Tuesday in the opening game of the Big 12 Tournament.

Kansas (30-21), which is playing in the tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2017-19, avenged last year's season-ending 7-1 tournament loss to Kansas State to advance to the winner's bracket. Kansas State (31-23) also continues in the double-elimination tournament.

Kansas broke a tie in the ninth when Lenny Ashby sent a fly ball to the wall, resulting in a triple and Collier Cranford hit a sacrifice fly to bring in pinch runner Sam Hunt.

Cranton struck out the first two batters, then got the previously 3-for-3 Kaelen Culpepper to fly out.

Kansas opened the scoring in the fourth when Ben Hartl hit a solo shot to left center for his 11th homer of the season.

Culpepper tied it with an RBI single in the fifth. Culpepper and David Bishop each went 3 for 4.

Kansas starter Evan Shaw allowed only one run and four hits in five innings, while striking out six. Reliever Tegan Cain (1-2) retired the side in order in the eighth to help earn his first win of the season.

Tyson Neighbors (1-2) took the loss for Kansas State.

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Chiefs Receiver Rashee Rice Won't Face Charges from Person over Alleged Assault, Dallas Police Say

DALLAS (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs receiver Rashee Rice won't face charges from the injured person over his reported involvement in an alleged assault a little over a month after Rice was one of the speeding drivers in a chain-reaction crash that led to multiple charges.

Dallas police said Tuesday the reporting party had signed an affidavit of non-prosecution over the incident at a downtown nightclub, but that the investigation is continuing.

Law enforcement officials have told The Dallas Morning News that Rice was suspected of assaulting a person early May 6, and that the person went to a hospital after the encounter.

Dallas police did not name Rice as the suspect in detailing a report of the incident to The Associated Press.

Rice’s attorney, Texas state Sen. Royce West, didn’t respond to a message from the AP seeking comment. The NFL declined to comment.

Rice reported to the Chiefs for voluntary workouts last month, not long after turning himself in to Dallas police over multiple charges, including aggravated assault, involving the high-speed crash.

West has previously acknowledged Rice was speeding in a Lamborghini SUV when the crash involving six vehicles happened March 30. Police said Theodore Knox was driving a Corvette.

According to a Texas Department of Transportation report, Rice was driving the Lamborghini at a top speed of 119 mph before impact, while the Corvette that Knox was driving had a top speed of 116 mph.

Rice, a former SMU and Dallas-area high school player who turned 24 last month, and Knox have been charged with one count of aggravated assault, one count of collision involving serious bodily injury and six counts of collision involving injury. Knox also played for SMU.

Four people were injured in the crash, and police said the occupants of the Lamborghini and Corvette left the scene without providing information or determining whether anyone needed medical attention.

Rice was drafted in the second round by Kansas City last year and played in 20 games, including the Chiefs’ 25-22 overtime victory over San Francisco in the Super Bowl. He led the team with seven touchdowns receiving in the regular season.

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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 X (formerly Twitter,).