Kansas GOP Legislative Leaders Agree to Hearings on Medical Marijuana
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Republican leaders in the Kansas Legislature will allow two days of hearings on medical marijuana later this year. The Kansas News Service reports that the Legislature formed a special committee on medical marijuana in light of a recent federal proposal to reclassify low-potency cannabis to a less restricted scheduling. The joint committee will hold hearings on how other states implemented medical cannabis and the potential impact if the U.S. government reschedules the drug. Hearings have not yet been scheduled but could happen as soon as this summer. Currently, 38 states and Washington, D.C. have legal medical cannabis. In Kansas, some Republican leaders in the Legislature have opposed it.
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Federal Trial Date Set for Accused Former KCK Police Detective
UNDATED (KCUR) – A federal judge on Wednesday set a trial date for disgraced former Kansas City, Kansas, Police Detective Roger Golubski. KCUR reports that it comes nearly two years after his arrest. Golubski’s federal trial on charges of rape and kidnapping will begin on December 2nd and run through January of next year. He’s accused of using his badge to get away with abusing vulnerable Black women for decades. He was arrested by the FBI in September 2022 and has been on home detention since then. The trial will be held on a Monday, Wednesday and Friday schedule to work around Golubski's dialysis appointments.
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Salina Girl Draws Inspiration at U.S. Adaptive Golf Championship
NEWTON, Kan. (KNS) - The final round of the U.S. Adaptive Open Championship for the world’s best disabled golfers takes place Wednesday in Newton. The event has not only raised awareness of disabled golfers, it's been inspirational for a young girl from Salina. Ashton Hooper, a soon-to-be 4th grader from Salina, has been attending the Open. Hooper, who was born without fingers on her left hand, was delighted to watch so many other people with similar disabilities playing golf.
The U.S. Adaptive Open Championship wraps up today (WED) at the Sand Creek Station course in Newton. Nearly 100 men and women golfers from across the nation and 11 different countries entered this year's competition. (Learn more.)
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Missouri Man Accused of Imprisoning and Torturing a Woman for Weeks Now Indicted for Murder
CLAY COUNTY, Mo. (AP) - A Missouri man accused of keeping a woman hidden in his basement while repeatedly raping her has been indicted for murdering another woman. The local prosecutor on Tuesday said the latest indictment against Excelsior Springs resident Timothy M. Haslett is for the murder of 36-year-old Jaynie M. Crosdale. Haslett now faces 10 felony counts, including rape, sodomy, kidnapping, assault and child endangerment. Associated Press messages seeking comment from his public defender were not immediately returned Tuesday. Haslett is jailed on a $5 million cash bond. A woman who says she escaped his basement after weeks of rape and torture told deputies that he said he had killed two women.
(-Additional reporting-)
CLAY COUNTY, Mo. (AP) – A Missouri man accused of keeping a woman hidden in his basement while repeatedly sexually assaulting her was indicted Tuesday for allegedly murdering another woman. Clay County Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said Timothy M. Haslett was charged with murder in connection with 36-year-old Jaynie Crosdale’s death, adding that she was killed “by an act of homicidal violence.” He said her remains showed impact wounds consistent with a gunshot. Haslett, of Excelsior Springs, previously was indicted on one count of rape, four counts of sodomy, two counts of second-degree assault and one count each of kidnapping and endangering the welfare of a child. He is being held in the Clay County Detention Center on $5 million bond.
Haslett’s public defender, Tiffany Leuty, did not immediately return an Associated Press call and email seeking comment Tuesday.
Police arrested Haslett in October 2022 after a woman told law enforcement that she had escaped from weeks of torture in his locked basement, according to a probable cause statement. She fled to a neighbor's house wearing a trash bag, a padlocked collar around her neck, and duct tape.
The survivor said Haslett had offered her money, and she agreed to go with him to his home. Once she was in his pickup truck, the woman told law enforcement that he held a gun to her, raped her and forced her to take narcotics.
He then took her to his basement, restrained her arms and legs, and raped, whipped, tortured and choked her every day for weeks, according to the probable cause statement. She escaped after slipping out of the chains while she believed he was taking his child to school. The woman who survived also told authorities that Haslett had described killing two other women he previously kidnapped: one by suffocating her with a gas mask, and another who died after violent sexual torture. He told her “if she did not listen to him, he would suffocate her and put her in a barrel like the rest of 'them,” according to the probable cause statement.
Thompson had said law enforcement officers followed more than 100 leads and spent more than 1,200 hours on the case, including searching for Crosdale and posting a missing person billboard with her photo in Kansas City.
Police made progress after kayakers in June 2023 found a blue, 30-gallon barrel with a skeleton inside while camping off the Missouri River in Saline County, according to police. The remains were identified as Crosdale in July 2023, the Kansas City Star reported.
The charges filed Tuesday are based on the evidence authorities currently have, Thompson said. He said the investigation is ongoing, and he urged anyone with information to come forward.
“Today’s indictment represents the next step in our pursuit of justice for the victims, the families and our community,” he said. “The physical, psychological and sexual torture described by the defendant’s surviving victim is brutal and barbaric.”
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KPR Frequencies in Lawrence Fall Silent
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas Public Radio's transmitter in Lawrence will be off the air for the rest of the day Wednesday as crews perform maintenance work. Tower crews are trying to fix the station's antenna, located high atop the 800 foot broadcast tower on the west campus of the University of Kansas. This means FM 91.5 and FM 96.1 in Lawrence will remain silent. Affected communities include, but are not limited to, Lawrence, Topeka and parts of the Kansas City metro. Other KPR stations - the FM frequencies serving Emporia, Manhattan, Junction City and Chanute - will not be affected.
Listeners can still listen to KPR and KPR-2 online at KansasPublicRadio.org and by using the free KPR app.
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Kansas Board of Education Gets Rid of FAFSA Requirement for High School Students
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – The Kansas State Board of Education voted Wednesday to remove a new requirement that students apply for college financial aid. The Kansas News Service reports that the board voted last month to require that Kansas high school students — starting with the class of 2028 — complete the FAFSA in order to graduate. Now board members have walked back that mandate, saying completion of the form should not be tied to a student’s high school diploma. Board member Jim Porter says many students miss out on college aid because they’re confused by the application, and schools need to do more to help. “How in the world are we going to assure that they have all the information they need to be successful? I’ve struggled with this from the beginning, and quite frankly, I’m struggling with it today,” he added. Some board members say helping students with the FAFSA could be part of a district’s accreditation requirements.
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Kansas Board of Education Discusses In-School Student Screen Time Issues
UNDATED (KNS) – Some Kansas education leaders say schools should do more to limit students’ use of cell phones during the school day. State school board members this week discussed research that ties screen time to higher rates of teen anxiety and depression. Board member Cathy Hopkins pointed to states like New Hampshire and Louisiana, which have offered advice to schools about screen time and social media. “I agree it’s a local decision," she said. "But I would definitely like to think, as a state board, that we would at least try to give some kind of recommendation, guidance, to local districts to do something.”
Kansas lawmakers briefly considered a bill earlier this year that would have required local school boards to prohibit students from using cell phones during school hours. That bill died in committee.
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Johnson County 2020 Voter Fraud Investigation Could Resurface Following 2024 Election
JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. (KCUR/JoCoPost) – Even though Johnson County’s sheriff has paused a controversial investigation into voter fraud, that probe could resume after this fall’s elections depending on who wins. The Johnson County Post hosted a sheriff's candidate forum, and reports that Sheriff Calvin Hayden insisted his years-long investigation into county election systems is justified. The probe has yielded no criminal charges, and Hayden still did not produce evidence to suggest any widespread irregularities. But he kept open the possibility of relaunching the probe if he wins reelection. Hayden is facing an internal Republican challenge from one of his former undersheriffs, Doug Bedford. Bedford said Johnson County residents deserve to see Hayden’s evidence, and county taxpayers should also know how much the investigation has cost. When asked, neither candidate directly committed to accepting the results of the August primary.
(–Related–)
Johnson County Election Investigation Concludes
UNDATED (KCUR) – After almost three years, the investigation into irregularities in the 2020 election in Johnson County is over. KCUR reports that the probe by Sheriff Calvin Hayden produced zero convictions. Hayden made his decision public in a news release posted to social media. Political opponents said Hayden was caught up in an election conspiracy theory. But in his statement, Hayden said he was investigating complaints from residents about the security of voting machines, drop boxes and how ballots were transported to the election office. The investigation produced one case that the district attorney declined to prosecute. Hayden’s decision comes just a month before the Republican primary where he faces a tough race against Doug Bedford, a former Johnson County undersheriff.
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State of Kansas Awards $1.3 Million in Grants to Reduce Chronic Disease Risks
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas health organizations have received a total of $1.3 million in grants from the state health department to reduce chronic disease risks. The Kansas News Service reports that many will focus on tobacco use. Kansans making less than $25,000 per year and those with poor mental health are much more likely to smoke cigarettes, as are American Indian and Black Kansans. Danielle Ramirez with Tobacco Free Wichita says that’s partly because of targeted advertising by the tobacco industry. Her organization is receiving part of the grant money to fund tobacco recovery efforts, including a program that helps pregnant women quit smoking. “We know that pregnant people are very motivated to quit, for their health and the baby’s health. So getting them connected is something that we’ll be working on over the next year,” Ramirez said. All Kansans who want to quit can get free counseling, nicotine replacement therapy and more at KSquit.org.
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Missouri Fire Official Drowns in Flash Flood After Performing Water Rescue
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — An assistant fire chief in central Missouri has died after the boat he was in capsized during a water rescue in a flash flood. The Boone County Fire Protection District said Monday that Matthew Tobben and another firefighter had just rescued two people from flooded Bear Creek in Columbia when the boat overturned. The other firefighter and the two rescued people were OK after being pulled from the water, but Tobben drowned. Heavy rain led to several water rescues in the Columbia area. More rain is expected through Tuesday as the remnant of Tropical Storm Beryl makes it into Missouri. Tobben’s death was the second blamed on flash flooding in Boone County in about a week.
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What's Happening in the Kansas 2nd Congressional District?
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR/KNS) - Just two years after Kansas lawmakers reshaped the state’s four congressional districts, there’s an open seat in the 2nd District. Now, there’s a scramble on both sides of the aisle to secure that seat as the two major parties compete for control of the U.S. House.
Learn more in this report from KPR and the Kansas News Service.
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Melissa Etheridge Connects with Incarcerated Women in New Docuseries 'I'm Not Broken'
NEW YORK (AP) — Melissa Etheridge realized two career dreams with her new docuseries “Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken”: performing for incarcerated women and recording the concert for a live album.
The singer-songwriter grew up in Leavenworth, Kansas — an area home to a well-known federal penitentiary and other state and military prisons — and when she was starting out, she found a receptive audience in people incarcerated there. Inspired by Johnny Cash’s famous prison concerts, the two-time Grammy winner won permission for a live show at the Topeka Correctional Facility, a Kansas women's prison, with a film crew documenting the process.
In the series, which starts streaming on Paramount+ this week, Etheridge meets and corresponds with several people in the prison, learning how they ended up there. Their stories inspired her to write her new song, “A Burning Woman.” Many of the women had experienced drug addiction, and Etheridge said she connected with them after her 21-year-old son's 2020 opioid-related death.
Etheridge, 63, spoke to The Associated Press recently about her emotional 2023 performance and the new album. Answers have been edited for clarity and brevity.
AP: How was the experience of meeting the inmates and hearing their stories?ETHERIDGE: When I went and heard their stories, I was blown away that they were all mothers. That just really broke my heart. And then just how relatable. This could be my sister. This could be my friends. There but for the grace of God go I.
AP: How was realizing your dream of recording a live album?
ETHERIDGE: When I grew up in the ’60s and ’70s, live albums were it. I mean, “Frampton Comes Alive!” That’s what you do if you can get to a point as a rock ‘n’ roll artist. I always wanted to and by the time I got there in the '90s, they were like, “No, there’s no live albums.” So finally! And I love this. It’s a really special concert. The setlist was curated for them. It had the few hit songs in it, but it had really deep tracks that really dealt with that longing and guilt and pain.
AP: You performed the new song at the live concert and it echoes some of the pain you heard in the inmates’ stories. How did it feel to see their supportive response?ETHERIDGE: It was even more than I thought it would be. That they jumped right on the call-and-response, and that they’ve got footage of the women saying “I’m not broken!” means everything. Because just saying “I’m not broken,” just saying “I’m worth it,” that was the whole intention for it. I hope people love it because it’s a rockin’ song. It’s a Melissa Etheridge song. I really like that.
AP: In the series, you play the new song for your wife, TV writer-producer Linda Wallem for feedback. Do you often solicit her opinion on new music?
ETHERIDGE: I love living with a creative woman. I love being married to someone whom I really trust their taste, because she doesn’t like a lot of things. She’s in entertainment — she’s been a director, a producer. She’s really used to telling people, “Hey, you might be able to do it a little better” — very famous people. So I know she’s not pulling any punches for me. And when she likes (the work) it means a lot to me because I don’t really have a lot of people that I can trust and be so raw with. I’m blessed to have a partner like that.
AP: There were several emotional moments in the concert, including when you sang about your son Beckett, who died from an opioid addiction — how was that experience?
ETHERIDGE: Before we walked on stage, I was with the band, and we all kind of huddled together and I just was like, “You know, this is a real dream come true.” And I went (mimics crying) “Oh, no, I’m on the edge here. This is not OK!” So I gathered myself together and I was all good until I started talking about that. To see 500 women who have been through more than I’ll ever — they’ve been through their trials and are not with their children. To see them show such empathy and compassion for me, that blew me away.
AP: It’s so moving to hear you talk about Beckett. You’re so wise and calm about his death in the series — how do you separate your grief, and did surviving cancer help you get clarity in that process?
ETHERIDGE: Plant medicine, plus cancer, and kind of a new outlook on life — and that was 20 years ago — it’s really worked for me because I’m very healthy and very happy. The idea that you suffer all your life and then at the end you’re going to get some sort of (reward) — that’s OK for some people, but I just don’t believe that. And that my son is in nonphysical (world), that life doesn’t end when we end, that there’s something in all of us that is eternal — those things comfort me, and so I believe them. It is the way that I walk through this, and I hope to inspire. But also, it helps me when I can speak directly. And every time I do say to someone, “Yes, he would want me to be happy,” I believe that and I know it.
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Royals-Cardinals Game Postponed to Wednesday Because of Rainfall from Hurricane Beryl
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The game between the Kansas City Royals and St. Louis Cardinals originally scheduled for Tuesday night was postponed because of heavy rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Beryl, which was moving through eastern Missouri on its way north from the Gulf of Mexico. The cross-state rivals will play a split doubleheader on Wednesday at Busch Stadium. The first pitch for the opener will be at 12:45 p.m., and the nightcap will begin at the originally scheduled time of 6:45 p.m.
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Commissioner Brett Yormark Says Big 12 Has Solidified Itself as One of Nation's Top 3 Conferences
UNDATED (AP) – Brett Yormark believes the Big 12 has clearly solidified itself as one of the nation's top three conferences in a period of drastic change in college athletics, and the commissioner said the expanding league is more relevant than it has ever been in its nearly three-decades history. “We are truly a national conference in 10 states, four time zones, and all eyes are now on the Big 12 for all the right reasons,” Yormark said at the start of league's football media days Tuesday in Las Vegas.
While the league's past national champions, Oklahoma and Texas, left for the Southeastern Conference, a move that became official last week, Yormark touted the additions of the Four Corners schools from the Pac 12: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah. Those schools are participating in media days before their Big 12 membership formally begins at the start of August to make it a 16-team league for the first time. “On the football front, we will be the deepest conference in America. Every week will matter,” Yormark said, then repeating that for emphasis before moving on. “We have star power and parity. We boast some of the top players and coaches in the game. November will be incredibly exciting and we will brand it as a race to the championship.”
The SEC and Big Ten, the wealthiest and most powerful conferences, have worked together and at one point this year had proposed multiple automatic bids for their conferences in the College Football Playoff, which expands from four to 12 teams this season.
Yormark, going into his third year as the Big 12 commissioner after years in the entertainment industry, including a stint as CEO of Roc Nation, said his only thought each day is making the Big 12 the best version of itself. The Big 12 in 2022 extended its media rights deal with ESPN and Fox Sports through the 2030-31 school year, a move that came with two years left on the old deal and created stability and clarity for the league. “Everything else doesn't really matter. And if we take care of business, we're going to be just fine,” he said. “Not only have we had a great 24 months, but we continue to get better.”
The Big 12 last month announced that the 14 schools that participated in the 2023-24 academic year shared a record $470 million of revenue distribution, an increase of about $30 million from the previous year. Without giving specific numbers, Yormark said the Big 12's sponsorship business grew 79% in the first year after that was streamlined to be handled directly by the conference instead of outside parties and that ticket sales grew 23% across the league.
Yormark said the league's top priority as a business is growth and creating value for its schools. “As we build our brand, we will continue to build our business,: he said. ”We will not stumble into this new era following settlement. In fact, we will be aggressive and very proactive."
That settlement is the agreement in May by the NCAA and the nation’s five biggest leagues to pay nearly $2.8 billion to settle a host of antitrust claims. That decision sets the stage for a groundbreaking revenue-sharing model that could start steering millions of dollars directly to athletes, expected to be more than $20 million per school per year, as soon as the 2025 fall semester. “We are going through a change, but I would rather call it a necessary reset," Yormark said. “In 10 years, I think we look back at this period as a positive moment in collegiate athletics history."
The commissioner said the settlement provides a very “crystal clear future and path forward” for college athletics and the Big 12. “I often refer to our league as a mature startup,” Yormark said. “This means our brand can be younger, more progressive, and innovative compared to some of our peers.”
Yormark said the league is exploring all options, including Big 12 naming rights and private equity. But he didn't want to get into a conversation about private equity, then later said nothing is imminent on naming rights.
When he became the Big 12 commissioner two summers ago, Yormark was an executive with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation and a former CEO of the NBA’s Brooklyn Nets. He spent almost 15 years with the Nets and previously was with NASCAR, where he oversaw a $750 million agreement with Nextel Communications for naming rights to the circuit’s top racing series. “Do I believe in naming rights? I do. I’ve done quite a few in my career,” Yormark said. "I see the value, if they’re the right naming rights, and it’s the right partner. So we’re going to explore it and we’ll see where we land.”
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What Does Ben Franklin Have to Say About Living a Useful Life?
Find out in this edition of Dan Skinner's Conversations. Former KPR General Manager Dan Skinner interviews former NPR reporter Eric Weiner about his book, Ben & Me – In Search of a Founder’s Formula for a Long and Useful Life. Check it out!
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