Heat Advisory in Effect Through Monday Evening
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Kansas and Missouri are bracing for another day of dangerously hot temperatures. The National Weather Service has issued a Heat Advisory for all of Kansas and Missouri. Meteorologists are forecasting highs in the upper 90s to near 100 degrees today, with heat index values as high as 110 degrees. The Heat Advisory remains in effect until 8 pm Monday. The Heat Advisory also covers northern Oklahoma and almost all of Nebraska; the southeast corner of Nebraska is under an Excessive Heat Warning.
The National Weather Service warns that hot temperatures and high humidity can cause heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and even heat stroke. The National Weather Service is forecasting a break from the heat on Tuesday, with high temperatures in the lower 90s and rain expected on Wednesday will likely drop afternoon high temperatures into the mid 80s.
==========
Area Politicians React to Trump Assassination Attempt
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KNS) — Politicians throughout the region reacted swiftly to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Pennsylvania over the weekend. Kansas Senator Roger Marshall said in a statement that the nation needs to pause and grasp the magnitude of the event. The bullet, he said, was centimeters away from killing Trump. Republican Congressman Tracey Mann said on X that hate and violence are not the answer to the country’s political problems. Democratic Kansas City Congressman Emanuel Cleaver issued a statement calling the attack despicable and cowardly and said that violence only begets more violence. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said on X that having been too close to a shooting recently, he continues to pray for President Trump and all who were present. Republican Senator Jerry Moran said he was praying for President Trump, those who attended the rally, and for the country and Democratic Congresswoman Sharice Davids said she was horrified by the shooting and said political violence is never acceptable.
==========
Kansas City PD Sends Officers to Republican National Convention in Milwaukee
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KNS) — A massive security presence at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee could grow even larger following the assassination attempt on Donald Trump and it will include police from the Kansas City area. The Kansas City Police Department says it’s sending officers to help at the convention. A spokesman says the KCPD officers are assigned overnight perimeter duty. The Missouri State Highway Patrol is also sending troopers to the RNC. No officers from Kansas will work the convention. More than a hundred departments from around the country have been brought in to assist Milwaukee police. According to the group Urban Milwaukee, all the outside officers will live in college dorm rooms. The extra security is being paid for with a $75-million-dollar grant from the US Justice Department.
==========
Court Reverses Conviction of Former KU Researcher
TOPEKA, Kan. (LJW/Reuters/KPR) — The U.S. Court of Appeals has reversed the sole remaining conviction against a former University of Kansas researcher. Reuters reports that the court found insufficient evidence to support Feng Tao's 2022 conviction of making a false statement. Dr. Tao was among about two dozen academics who were charged as part of the Trump administration's "China Initiative." Tao had been accused of concealing a connection with a university in China. Three previous wire fraud convictions against Dr. Tao were overturned in 2022. (Read More)
==========
Douglas County Sheriff: Body of Topeka Man Recovered from Clinton Lake
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KMBC) — The body of a 23-year-old Topeka man has been recovered from Clinton Lake. Douglas County sheriff's deputies were called to the lake around 5 p.m. on Saturday. KMBC TV reports that 23-year-old Cesar Cardenas Olivas of Topeka was reported missing after friends saw him struggling in the water. His body was recovered Saturday night near the Bloomington Beach area. Authorities say the group was in an area that was recommended to be closed to swimmers due to flooding. The Lawrence Douglas County Fire Medical Department and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks were also on the scene to offer assistance in the search.
==========
President Biden Approves Major Disaster Declaration for April Storms
WASHINGTON (KPR) – FEMA announced Monday that federal disaster assistance is available to the state of Kansas to supplement recovery efforts in areas affected by severe storms, straight-line winds, tornadoes and flooding from April 25 to 30, 2024. Public assistance federal funding is available to the state, tribal and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the April weather events. The major disaster declaration covers Allen, Anderson, Bourbon, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Elk, Greenwood, Linn, Morris, Neosho, Pottawatomie and Wilson counties.
==========
Experts: Climate Change Affecting Midwestern Temperatures
UNDATED (KNS) – Heat and storm advisories are sweeping across Kansas this summer. The Kansas News Service reports that climate experts say it’s due to climate change. Jen Brady, a senior data analyst with Climate Central, says winter generally brings the most drastic temperature changes in Kansas and other Midwestern states due to climate change. But she says summers in Kansas are hotter, too, and extreme temperatures are starting earlier than they used to and lasting longer. She says the heat can negatively impact people and crops, adding that “...this is kind of the new normal. I mean, this is not like, oh, we're having a rough 2024. We’re probably gonna have a rough 2025 and 2026.” Brady says Kansas may have to create more cooling centers, in both urban and rural areas, and reduce the use of fossil fuels.
==========
Shawnee Mission School District Revises Student Handbook
JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. (JoCoPost) – A suburban Johnson County school district has tweaked its student handbook in response to fallout from a fight last year that involved one student yelling racist slurs. The Johnson County Post reports that the fight caught on video at Shawnee Mission East High School last fall showed a white male student rushing a Black female student, exchanging blows with her and calling her the N-word. The incident drew national attention, and prompted some students to urge the Shawnee Mission School District to do more to address what they said was a tolerance for racial slurs in schools. Now heading into a new school year, the district’s student handbook includes specific consequences for using racist slurs, jokes or other derogatory language. A first offense could result in a parent conference or an apology. Repeat offenses could warrant an out-of-school suspension or, in some cases, an expulsion.
==========
Kansas High School Football Team Escapes from Burning School Bus
CENTRAL KANSAS (Wichita Eagle) — A bus carrying Kansas high school football players and coaches caught fire... but everyone onboard safely escaped. The Wichita Eagle reports that a bus carrying the Marion High School football team caught fire Friday on I-135 between Salina and McPherson. The football team was headed back home from a football camp in Salina. All 29 people on the bus escaped unharmed, but the bus went up in flames, destroying everything inside.
==========
KC Man Arrested In Connection with Kidnapping Plot
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KC Star) — A Kansas City man is being held in connection with a drug-related kidnapping plot. The Kansas City Star reports that 50-year-old Carlos Niebla-Machado has been charged with attempted kidnapping for plans to kidnap and torture a Kansas City man who owed a drug debt of $300,000. Undercover agents say Niebla-Machado took agents to a rural property in Wabaunsee County where the attack against the man would take place. He also allegedly identified a California man that he planned to kidnap and have killed. Niebla-Machado was arrested earlier this month in Alma, Kansas, and is being held at the Leavenworth Federal Correctional Institution. The next hearing in the case is set for July 17th.
==========
Atchison Schools Offering Free Breakfast and Lunch to All Students in the 2024-25 School Year
ATCHISON, Kan. (KWCH) - Atchison Public Schools will provide all district students with free breakfast and lunch for the upcoming school school year. The district recently made the announcement on its Facebook page. KWCH TV reports that the free meals come from the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs called the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP). School officials say all students will receive a healthy breakfast and lunch without having to pay a fee or submit any kind of meal application.
==========
Farmers Urged to Keep Wheat Stubble on Their Fields
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KPR) — Kansas State University soil scientists are encouraging wheat farmers to leave the crop residue on their fields after harvest. Most Kansas wheat was harvested by early July. After the harvest, some farmers clear the field. Some burn the wheat stubble and till the ashes into the ground, others sell it as livestock bedding. DeAnn Presley is a soil specialist at Kansas State University Research and Extension. She wants farmers to consider leaving the stubble instead. “If you keep removing that wheat straw, hauling it away, then you have to bring fertilizer back to replace those nutrients,” Presley says. The soil scientists also say keeping the wheat stubble can support healthy soil and reduce erosion.
==========
Kansas Officials Plan Outdoors Workshop for Women
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Kansas wildlife officials will run a three-day workshop in Junction City this fall where women can learn about outdoor recreational activities such as camping, fishing, hunting, kayaking and more. Tanna Wagner, at the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, says outdoor activities are growing in popularity among women. So the agency runs a biannual workshop where women can learn outdoors skills from women teachers. “We have 26 different classes offered,” Wagner says. “Like hunting and fishing, camping, backpacking. The list goes on and on.” Registration for the September workshop opens Monday. For details, visit KS outdoors dot com slash B-O-W (ksoutdoors.com/bow)
=========
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,).