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Headlines for Wednesday, August 7, 2024

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Emily DeMarchi
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KPR

Derek Schmidt, Nancy Boyda Advance in Kansas 2nd Congressional District

TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS/KPR) - Former Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt won a crowded Republican primary in the 2nd Congressional District. Schmidt will face Democrat Nancy Boyda this November. Boyda came out on top in a close Democratic primary race for the 2nd District. She’s a former member of Congress who held the seat almost 20 years ago.

Schmidt won against four other Republicans running for the district that covers much of the eastern third of Kansas. He was endorsed by a number of high-profile Republicans, including former President Donald Trump. Schmidt says his priorities include lowering the cost of living and increasing security at the U.S. border with Mexico. “We are Kansans who love liberty, and who believe that God put us in this place so that we could live the sort of lives that are examples to people all around the world," he said. Schmidt served in the Kansas Legislature for 10 years before becoming state attorney general. He ran for governor in 2022, losing to incumbent Democrat Laura Kelly.

Boyda is a former member of Congress who held the 2nd District seat almost 20 years ago. Boyda has framed herself as a centrist willing to break from Democratic Party leaders on some issues. Boyda has split with the party over several issues, including border security and allowing transgender girls to play in girls’ school sports. “I think that Kansans are mainly moderate, practical people," she said. "And it’s very practical, if you want a Democrat to win this seat, you’re going to need somebody who might not be the best Democrat.” Boyda has split with the party over several issues, including border security and allowing transgender girls to play in girls’ school sports.

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Johnson County Doctor Wins GOP Race in 3rd District

JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. (The Beacon) - In the Kansas City area, Republican physician Prasanth Reddy won his party's nomination for the 3rd Congressional District. He now faces incumbent Democrat Sharice Davids in the general election. Reddy is a cancer doctor, in the U.S. Air Force Reserves and immigrated to the U.S. from India when he was a child. He sports core conservative values in a district that is increasingly blue. He wants to secure the border, is against abortion and wants to stand up to China. Davids has held the seat since 2018 and continues to brush off GOP challengers. In fact, she’s won her elections by larger and larger margins.

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No Surprises in 1st and 4th Congressional District Races in Kansas

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - While there were competitive primaries in the state's 2nd and 3rd congressional districts... there were no surprises in the state's 1st and 4th congressional district races.

In the Big First District, which includes Lawrence and most of central and western Kansas, Republican Congressman Tracey Mann advanced to face Democrat Paul Buskirk, who won his uncontested primary.

In the 4th Congressional District, in the Wichita area, GOP Congressman Ron Estes will face Democratic challenger Esau Freeman. Both men sailed through their uncontested primaries.

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Two Conservatives Advance in Kansas Board of Education Races

WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) - Two conservative candidates are in the running to replace outgoing moderate voices on the Kansas State Board of Education. Debby Potter, a homeschooler who supports school choice, was the top vote-getter in the Republican primary for District 10 near Wichita. That’s the seat currently held by Jim McNiece, a former high school principal. McNiece had endorsed Potter’s opponent, Marvin Miller. In District 4 in northeast Kansas, Connie O’Brien edged out two challengers in a close race for the Republican nomination. O’Brien is a retired teacher who served four terms in the Kansas House. Both candidates face Democratic challengers in November.

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Dakota Loomis Wins Democratic Primary, Ousting Douglas County DA Suzanne Valdez

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR/LJW) - In Douglas County, Democrat Dakota Loomis defeated the current district attorney, Suzanne Valdez. Loomis, a defense attorney, will advance to the November 5th general election to face a former federal prosecutor, Republican Mike Warner. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Loomis won his contested primary in a landslide, capturing 64% of the vote to oust the controversial Valdez, who received less than 10% of the ballots cast.

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Kansas House Minority Leader Loses Primary Race

TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas House Minority Leader Vic Miller will no longer have a seat in the Legislature next year. The Kansas News Service reports that Miller's defeat was one of the more notable losses in Tuesday night's primary election. Miller left his seat in the Kansas House to run for the state Senate, but he lost the bid for the Democratic nomination to Patrick Schmidt, who was endorsed by Governor Laura Kelly. In Miller's former House district, communications specialist Alexis Simmons won the Democratic nomination. The governor’s PAC focused on electing moderate Democrats and Republicans spent at least $32,000 against Miller’s campaign. House Democrats will select a new minority leader once the session starts in January.

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GOP Incumbent Sheriff Ousted in Johnson County

JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. (KC Star) - The Republican sheriff of Johnson County, Calvin Hayden, has lost his bid for reelection. Hayden was unseated by Johnson County Undersheriff Doug Bedford, a former Navy SEAL.

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Projections Forecast Kansas Public School Enrollment to Decline in Coming Years

WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – New projections show that the number of students attending Kansas public schools will continue to fall over the next decade. The Kansas News Service reports that when the COVID pandemic hit, public school enrollment in Kansas took an immediate dive. The National Center for Education Statistics projected a short-term bounceback, but that didn’t happen. Now the center projects much lower enrollments for the rest of the decade. Kansas could lose more than 32,000 students — or nearly 7% — by 2031. The decline is due to several factors, including lower birth rates and a shift to private schools and homeschooling. Urban districts like Kansas City and Wichita have closed schools, and so have some rural areas across the state. School leaders aren’t sure how a new open enrollment law will affect trends. The official count date will happen next month.

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Ransomware Attacks Causing Concern in Kansas, Missouri and Nationwide

WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) - Ransomware attacks on hospitals are rising in Kansas and nationally. New research suggests they’re especially costly for rural facilities. Rural hospitals are less likely to be the target of ransomware attacks but those attacks are likely to be more detrimental. The University of Minnesota’s Hannah Neprash says rural hospitals are probably less likely to be victimized because hackers know smaller hospitals have less money to pay ransoms. But Neprash says that lack of money makes the attacks especially damaging when they do happen. “Inpatient admission volume drops, emergency room visits fall and the effects are considerably worse for rural hospitals because they need every dollar coming in the door," she said. She also says hospitals should try to prevent ransomware attacks and prepare to minimize the impact if they occur.

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Cases Against Teens Connected to Super Bowl Parade Shooting Resolved

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – Three teens who were accused of being part of the fatal shootings at the Super Bowl parade last February have wrapped up their cases in Jackson County Court in Missouri.

KCUR reports that the three boys were never named, as is required by law, and a family court judge ruled that they would not be tried as adults. Jackson County Court officials say they amended the felony charges of unlawful use of a weapon against a 16-year-old with the initials “A.M.” and his case is being resolved. A 15-year-old with the initials “R.G.” pleaded guilty to the same charge and was ordered to be committed to the state Division of Youth Services for less than a year. Officials say the third teen faced lesser gun charges and that’s also been resolved.

Three adult men also face second-degree murder charges in the shooting that killed one and injured 24 others.

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Prosecutors Will File Charges Against Former Marion Police Chief

UNDATED (KNS) – An investigation by a special prosecutor says a local police chief broke the law and should be charged in the wake of a 2023 police raid on the Marion County Record newspaper. The Kansas News Service reports that prosecutors say they’ll file a criminal charge against Gideon Cody, former police chief of Marion, Kansas who led the raid. Report documents allege Cody attempted to interfere with the judicial process after the search warrants were executed. The investigation also concluded that staff at the Marion County Record did not commit any crimes when accessing public driving records. The report notes several civil lawsuits were filed as a result of the raid.

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KC Woman Guilty in $900,000 PPP Fraud Scheme

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) - A Kansas City woman has pleaded guilty to helping defraud the federal Paycheck Protection Program out of nearly a million dollars. Prosecutors say 55-year-old Renetta Golden-Larimore admitted to conspiring to commit wire fraud. KMBC TV reports that her guilty plea involves submitting false loan applications to the Paycheck Protection Program, which resulted in the federal government giving $900,000 in loans to ineligible recipients. Some of these loans were then forgiven despite being used for unauthorized purposes. Prosecutors say Golden-Larimore herself earned about $76,000 in the scheme.

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Kansas Poet Laureate Receives Academy of American Poets Fellowship

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) – The Academy of American Poets has awarded a $50,000 fellowship to Kansas Poet Laureate Traci Brimhall. She is one of 22 poets laureate nationwide to receive the award. The money will be used for public poetry programs in each laureate's state, region, or community. Brimhall's project will connect Kansas's agricultural roots, foods, and cultural histories with poetry, and will help create a community poetry cookbook. Her project will also involve a poem game called "Pie-ku," designed to bring food and poetry to younger audiences.

For more information on the Kansas fellowship project and the 2024 recipients, visit poets.org.

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Time Running Out to Pass New Farm Bill; Extension Expected

LINCOLN, Neb. (HPM) - It’s now looking likely that Congress will not pass a new Farm Bill this year. The calendar is running out of days for Congress to debate a new Farm Bill, especially amid tough negotiations on food assistance and farm support programs. Most observers are expecting Congress to extend the 2018 Farm Bill for a second time. But Tony Hotchkiss, who leads the agricultural and rural bankers committee for the American Bankers Association, says an extension is not the best option for farmers and ranchers. Especially as they stare down a tough economy. "We need a farm bill that we can count on for the next five years and not something that we're doing year-to-year because the agricultural industry is much too dynamic for a year to year kind of scenario," Hotchkiss said. Agriculture experts say farmers need more help than the 2018 Farm Bill can provide against today’s high input costs and low crop prices.

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Kansas Volleyball Voted No. 1 in Big 12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) – The Kansas volleyball team will enter the upcoming season as the conference favorite, having secured the top spot in the 2024 Big 12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll. It marks the first time the Jayhawks have been designated in the top spot in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

“This reflects what this group has done over the past couple seasons and we have a lot of veteran players returning,” said KU head coach Ray Bechard, who's entering his 27th season at KU. Bechard has guided the Jayhawks to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances, including each of the past three seasons.

The Jayhawks concluded the 2023 season with a 24-6, 14-4 conference record, finishing second in the Big 12 and making it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they fell in a tight five-set match to Penn State.

Kansas will open the 2024 season on Saturday, August 24, at 1 pm when it plays host to Drake in an exhibition match at the Horejsi Family Volleyball Arena. KU's regular season will begin on the road at the Duke Tournament from August 30-September 1.

2024 Big 12 Volleyball Preseason Coaches’ Poll

1 Kansas
2 BYU
3 Arizona State
4 TCU
5 Baylor
6 Iowa State
7 K-State
8 Houston
9 Utah
10 Colorado
11 UCF
12 Arizona
13 Cincinnati
14 West Virginia
15 Texas Tech

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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).