Thousands Lose Power as Severe Storms Roll Across Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR/WIBW/KWCH) — Nearly 20,000 people in northeast Kansas lost power Tuesday morning when severe storms rolled across the area. By 5 p.m., Evergy's outage map showed about 3,600 customers were still without power. Temperatures were predicted to hit 90 degrees Tuesday afternoon. WIBW TV reports storm damage to trees and power poles in Topeka, Rossville and Wamego. High winds up to 70 mph toppled tents at the Fiesta Topeka event, near Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, causing damage to the stage area. Organizers say the storm damage wouldn’t affect the start of the Fiesta, which is set to begin its five-day run Tuesday evening.
In western Kansas, wind gusts approaching 100 mph overturned campers and knocked down power lines. KWCH TV reports tree and power line damage as well as power outages in Russell, Lincoln and Ellis counties. In Sylvan Grove, two campers were overturned due to high winds. No injuries were reported.
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Kansas Nursing Home Owners Say they Can’t Afford to Hire More Staff; Advocates Say It’s Essential
UNDATED (KNS) — New rules from the Biden administration will force most Kansas nursing homes to hire more staff. The owners of those nursing homes aren’t happy. The Biden administration finalized its new federal staffing mandate this spring. Once it takes effect, nursing homes must provide at least 3.48 hours of daily nursing care for each resident — nearly double the current minimum set by Kansas regulators. They must have a registered nurse on duty 24/7. Facilities in urban areas have two years to comply; those in rural areas have three.
Fewer than 40% of Kansas nursing homes currently meet the new requirements, according to an analysis by the health research organization KFF.
There’s been fierce pushback: from Republican and Democratic politicians, including Kansas Senators Roger Marshall and Jerry Moran, Republicans who are fighting the mandate in Congress. And the state’s Democratic Governor, Laura Kelly,has urged federal officials to delay implementation of the new rules.
But the response has been fiercest from the nursing home industry, which is seeking to block the new mandate in court. In a federal lawsuit, the American Health Care Association describes regulators’ actions as “a baffling and unexplained departure” from the past, and the new standards as “impossible” to meet. In Kansas, nursing home operators say the problem is rooted in an acute lack of health care workers. (Read more.)
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President Biden Approves Major Disaster Declaration for Kansas Following April Storms
WASHINGTON (KPR) — FEMA has announced 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.
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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.
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Body Found Floating in the Missouri River in KC
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) — A body seen floating in the Missouri River has been recovered in Kansas City. Firefighters found the body Monday evening. The body was located near a boat ramp about 50 feet offshore in the Berkley Riverfront area. KMBC TV reports that no other information has been released.
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Mexican National Indicted in Drug Trafficking Operation in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A federal grand jury has indicted a Mexican national in Kansas City for his involvement in a drug trafficking operation. The indictment accuses Jose Feliciano Cordova Rodriguez with conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. He also faces charges of possessing meth and fentanyl with the intent to distribute. KMBC TV reports that authorities searched Cordova Rodriguez’s home last month and discovered more than 54 kilograms of meth and more than 430 grams of fentanyl.
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Thousands of Kansans Missing Out on Child Care Subsidies Annually
UNDATED (The Beacon) — Tens of thousands of Kansas families are missing out on thousands in child care benefits a year, a new report found. The Beacon reports that only 12% of Kansas families eligible for federal child care subsidies in 2020 got the help. The Center for Law and Social Policy estimates that's around 88,000 Kansas families who missed out on thousands each in yearly benefits. Stephanie Schmit worked on the study, and says “...it is an injustice to not provide the support that families need to meet what is a basic need of their life.” Families miss out for multiple reasons. Some don’t know the program exists. Others run into road blocks when the child care centers where they take their kids don’t sign up for the program.
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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.
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Researchers Recruiting Kansans to Participate in Dementia Prevention Clinical Trial
UNDATED ( KNS) — Researchers are enrolling eligible Kansans in a clinical trial to study whether a common diabetes drug can help prevent dementia. The trial is led by Columbia University and is taking place at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Wichita. It’s testing whether the inexpensive and widely available drug metformin can slow the progression of memory decline. Columbia professor Jose Luchsinger says the research could be especially pivotal for states with aging populations. “It is necessary, definitely, from a public health standpoint that states such as Kansas prepare for this; that the health care system prepare for this,” he explained. According to Wichita State University, the state’s 65-and-older population is projected to grow faster than any other age group over the next 50 years,
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988 Crisis Line Marks 2-Year Anniversary
UNDATED (KCUR / Side Effects Public Media) — This week marks two years that people experiencing a mental health crisis have been able to dial 988 for help. Roughly 24,000 people in Kansas have used the hotline in the past year, and the state answered an average of 89% of those calls. Side Effects Public Media reports that some 10 million Americans have contacted the line. But according to national polling, just about a quarter of people are familiar with the services 988 provides. Chuck Ingoglia is the President and CEO of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing. He says that’s because states have been slowly building the capacity of call centers to handle an increased call volume. “States and the federal government were really reluctant to do too much promotion right until we had that capacity in place," he said. This summer, the federal government is expected to launch a national campaign to promote 988.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call, text or chat with the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988, or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741741.
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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.
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Wichita Schools Running out of Time to Pass Bond Issue
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — Wichita, the state’s largest school district, is running out of time to pass a major bond issue without raising local taxes. The Kansas News Service reports that a plan calls for a $450 million bond issue to rebuild and repair Wichita schools. Right now, that technically would not require a tax increase. It would extend a tax from the district’s 2008 bond issue for a dozen or more years. But consultants say the bond mill levy could drop to zero next fall, and they advised the board to get a bond issue on the ballot before May of next year. Board member Julie Hedrick told KNS “...I think it gives us things we need to think about. But I do think that it says to us, ‘Time is of the essence.’” Board members have until August 15th to put a bond issue on the November ballot. After that, they would have to pay for a special election.
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Democrats Vying for Kansas State Senate Seat Disagree on Royals Move
UNDATED (KCUR) — The Democratic candidates for the 4th Senate District in Kansas disagree on moving the Royals to their Wyandotte County district. KCUR reports that incumbent David Haley says he is leading the charge to bring the Royals to Kansas City, Kansas. He said that "...similar to the site that was proposed for downtown Kansas City, Missouri, that failed…we have a downtown site that is in the northeast area of Kansas City, Kansas." Haley's challenger, Ephren Taylor the Third,says a stadium would be hard on low-income residents, adding that "...when I've looked at the studies on subsidizing stadiums, they don't really bring that many jobs, and if they do, they're low paying, it gentrifies neighborhoods, and the places most vulnerable to gentrification is going to be the Northeast." The primary election is August 6th.
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TripAdvisor Rates the Best Free Things to Do in Kansas
UNDATED (KSNT) — Not everything enjoyable costs money. In fact, KSNT reports on a roster of completely free things to do in Kansas this summer. Using date compiled from Tripadvisor, the website Stacker Media compiled a list of the highest-rated free things to do in Kansas. The list includes:
- Touring the Kansas Statehouse or the Brown v. Board of Education Historical Park in Topeka
- The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Strong City
- The Great Plains Nature Center and the Keeper of the Plains in Wichita
- The Booth Family Hall of Athletics and the original rules of basketball in Lawrence
- The Oz Winery in Wamego
- Monument Rocks in Oakley
- Coronado Heights in Lindsborg
- The Louisburg Cider Mill
- Fort Scott, Fort Larned, Fort Leavenworth
- And, of course, the World’s Largest Ball of Sisal Twine in Cawker City, Kansas
(Get out there, Kansans... and see something!)
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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. 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 KSOutdoors.com.
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Wichita Swimmer to Compete in Paris Olympics
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS/KMUW) — A 20-year-old swimmer from Wichita will compete in the Paris Olympics later this month. Ariana Dirkzwager learned to swim at the Wichita Swim Club when she was 5. She went on to win seven state championships at Wichita East High and a swimming scholarship to Georgia Tech. Next, she will compete in the women’s 200-meter freestyle at the Olympics. She will represent her mother’s home country of Laos. Dirkzwager remembers signs in her childhood bedroom that boasted, “Future Olympian.” Now, that dream is coming true. “I am extremely grateful for this opportunity," she said. "And especially, like, the Wichita community. I know I’m here in Georgia Tech, but it’s honestly the Wichita people who brought me here.” The qualifying heats for her Olympic event begin at 4 am Central time on July 28th.
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