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Headlines for Monday, September 23, 2024

A graphic representation of eight radios of various vintages, underneath the words "Kansas Public Radio News Summary"
Emily DeMarchi
/
KPR

Report: Kansas Senator Roger Marshall May Have Misused Taxpayer Money on Personal Travel

TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – New reporting by POLITICO suggests Republican U.S. Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas may have improperly spent $4,500 in taxpayer money on travel. Since 2021, Marshall has reportedly spent public funds on eight trips to Sarasota, Florida, where two of his adult children live. He also has a vacation home there. A spokesperson says Marshall is on committees that require trips around the country. They say the travel was for official Senate business. But The Kansas News Service reports that POLITICO reporter Daniel Lippman told KCUR’s Up To Date that Marshall’s staff didn’t provide evidence of what he did there, saying that “...I think readers and listeners just have to kind of make up their own judgment about these trips.” If Marshall did use public funds for personal travel, it would be a violation of Senate rules.

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Lactaid Milk Sold in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Iowa and Other States Recalled

UNDATED (WDAF) — A popular milk alternative has been recalled in more than two dozen states, including Kansas, Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska. The 96-ounce containers of Lactaid Milk, made by HP Hood, are being recalled because the product may contain trace amounts of almonds, which is not listed on the label. Those who are allergic to almonds may experience a serious or life-threatening allergic reaction. WDAF TV reports that so far, no illnesses have been reported.

The Lactaid Milk was shipped to retailers earlier this month (September 5-18) in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and 24 other states, including Alabama, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

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Levees in Kansas City, Kansas, Will Be Taller Following Construction Project

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KNS) — Residents of Kansas City, Kansas, will soon have taller levees shielding their neighborhoods from floods. So much rain fell on the Great Plains and Midwest in 1993, that hundreds of levees in the region failed and 50 people died. In Wyandotte County, the Kansas River came within inches of spilling over its levees. Now, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is raising about 17 miles of levees in the area. Scott Mensing manages the program. “We’re doing about an average of a five-foot raise. It’s a big reduction in flood risk.” That work should be done next year. The Corps also upgraded pump stations that protect Kansas City, Kansas, neighborhoods - to handle more water per hour.

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Machinists Union Members at Textron Aviation Go on Strike in Wichita

WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Machinists Union workers at Textron Aviation began their strike Monday after voting down a contract offer over the weekend. Many workers on the picket line say they weren’t satisfied with the company’s offers dealing with health insurance and time off. No date has been set for the company and union to resume contract negotiations. The Kansas News Service reports that nearly 5 thousand employees are represented by the union at Textron Aviation, one of Wichita’s largest employers. Workers say they will continue to strike at the company's east and west campuses until a new contract is approved.

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GM Prepares For Layoffs at Fairfax Assemble Plant in KCK

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (Reuters) — In November, General Motors will begin laying off nearly 1,700 workers at its Fairfax Assembly plant in Kansas City, Kansas. Reuters reports that the first of two rounds of layoffs will begin November 18, affecting almost 700 full-time workers temporarily. The company is also terminating 250 temporary employees. The assemble plant will shut down until the middle of 2025, when it will start building the Chevy Bolt EV and resume production of a Cadillac crossover. Another round of layoffs will take place in January. GM originally announced the shutdown and temporary layoffs in May.

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Elementary School in Wichita Goes into Lock Down After Man Allegedly Shoots Wife

WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – An elementary school in south Wichita was locked down Monday morning after a man allegedly shot his wife in the chest while they were dropping off kids. Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter says a deputy who was in the area arrived at Cessna Elementary School and saw a man holding a gun to his wife’s head. The deputy then shot the man. Both the man and his wife are in critical condition. Easter says some children were outside the school at the time, but no students or school employees were hurt, adding that “...law enforcement showed up within two minutes of the shooting coming out, and it never got into the school itself where the kids were in danger.” The Kansas News Service reports that parents were allowed to pick up students about an hour after the shooting. Wichita district leaders say additional counselors were dispatched to the school.

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JetBlue Flight Makes Emergency Landing in Salina

SALINA, Kan. (KSNW) — A JetBlue flight from New York to California had to make an emergency landing in Salina. The Airbus plane, flying from JFK Airport to San Diego, reported an alert for smoke in the cargo bay Saturday evening. KSNW TV reports that fire crews from Salina were dispatched to the airfield about 10 minutes prior to the flight landing. No one was hurt and all 130 passengers and crew members were offloaded safely. JetBlue says the smoke alert turned out to be a false alarm. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating.

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KU Health System and K-State University Team Launch Project with Phillips County Hospital System

UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas State University and the University of Kansas Health System are teaming up with a hospital system in Phillips County, Kansas, to improve rural health care. The Kansas News Service reports that the pilot program in Phillips County, in the northwestern part of the state, is part of the K-State 105 program, an initiative designed to build the economy across Kansas. K-State and KU will help facilitate meetings with community stakeholders in Phillips County to talk about what health services they need. Hospital CEO Tara Overmiller says they’ve held similar forums in the past but didn’t have the bandwidth to do what the pilot will. “Coming up with the formats, coming up with the questions, mining all the data, giving it back to the community members and keeping the train moving forward. It was very difficult for us to do all that heavy lifting,” Overmiller explained. Overmiller says she’s excited to see what comes of the pilot.

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Report: Abortions Increase in U.S. Despite Restrictions in 20 States

UNDATED (KFF Health News) – Last year, the number of abortions provided in the U.S. topped 1 million for the first time in about a decade. KFF Health News reports that abortions are rising, even though 20 states banned or limited access to the procedure since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. That includes most of Kansas’s neighbors. To handle the ensuing influx of out-of-state patients, Planned Parenthood Great Plains has opened two new clinics in the state. The most recent opened last month in Pittsburg, just a few miles from the borders of both Missouri and Oklahoma. But the majority of the increase in U.S. abortions last year actually came from people who already lived in the states where the procedure remains legal. Increased access to telehealth is also increasing access to medication abortions.

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Man Extradited from El Salvador in 2005 Lenexa Murder

LENEXA, Kan. (KMBC) — A man charged with killing a Johnson County woman has been extradited to the United States, 18 years after he fled to Mexico. KMBC TV reports that Angel Maria Herrera was brought back to the U.S. from El Salvador in connection with the 2005 death of Maria Morfin-Rojas. She was 30 years old when she was murdered in an apartment in Lenexa.

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New Citizens Sworn in at Naturalization Ceremony in Wichita

WICHITA, Kan. (KNS/KMUW) — More than 120 people have become new U.S. citizens. Last week's naturalization ceremony in Wichita was the last ceremony in Kansas before voter registration closes for the November elections. Immigrants from 33 different countries took the oath of citizenship. After the ceremony, they celebrated with family and friends… and many registered to vote. Barbara Bell with the League of Women Voters Wichita handed out registration paperwork. She says she’s seen rising voter interest ahead of the November presidential election. “We have had extreme interest starting in 2024. Yeah, the word is getting out.” The deadline for Kansans to register to vote in November is October 15. One in 10 eligible U.S. voters are naturalized citizens, and experts say they could play a decisive role in this year’s election.

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Texas Doctor Loses Medical License in Kansas After $1.4 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — Kansas health officials have revoked the medical license of a Texas doctor following his conviction in a Medicare fraud scheme. The state Board of Healing Arts took away the license of Rodney Sosa, a Texas chiropractor who practiced telemedicine in Kansas. In 2023, Sosa was convicted in Dallas of defrauding the U.S. government and sentenced to nearly four years in prison. KSNT reports that Sosa and two other co-conspirators submitted $1.4 million in fraudulent claims to federal health care programs, like Medicare.

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New Concert Venue on Missouri River Coming to KC's Northland

RIVERSIDE, Mo. (KC Star) — A new outdoor concert venue is coming to Kansas City’s Northland. The Kansas City Star reports that the Riverside Board of Aldermen recently approved $120 million in bonds to build the new amphitheater along the Missouri River within the next two years. The facility will be leased by global entertainment company LiveNation.

LiveNation will pay $95 million for the project. LiveNation is also getting tax incentives and a 10-year property tax abatement. The city of Riverside, which owns the site, will pitch in $5 million. The state of Missouri will contribute $20 million. The theater is expected to be located northwest of Horizons Parkway and Interstate 635. The stadium will seat 15,000 people. The opening date is yet to be announced. The Star reports that groundbreaking will take place soon in Riverside.

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KU School of Music to Celebrate 100th Vespers Performance in December

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — The University of Kansas School of Music will celebrate a major milestone this year as the annual Vespers Concert turns 100. A celebration is planned December 8 at the Lied Center of Kansas. There will be two performances - one at 2:30 pm and another at 7:30 pm. The School of Music will also feature a special Alumni Choir filled with performers from decades past. In addition, the KU School of Music will present Jazz Vespers at 7:30 pm on December 11 at the Lied Center.

"This celebration is a testament to the rich musical tradition and cultural legacy that Vespers has built over the past century,” said Paul Popiel, dean of the School of Music. “It’s a joy to reflect on the countless performers, conductors and audience members who have been part of this cherished event." (Read more.)

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Final Steel Beam Raised for KU’s New Football Stadium

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — The University of Kansas celebrated a milestone last week as the final steel beam for the new David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium was erected on the Lawrence campus. On Thursday, members of the KU Football program visited the stadium to sign their names to the final steel beam put in place. More than 300 construction workers also signed the beam. The placement of the final beam marks an important milestone for the project, allowing the construction team to focus more work on the inside of the stadium. Turner Construction, the primary contractor for the $300 million project, expects the first phase of the project to be completed by August of next year.

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Researchers Raise Concerns About Possible Soil Erosion in Western Kansas

LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) — As the sorghum and corn seasons come to an end, researchers are concerned Kansas soil will be blowing away. The Kansas News Service reports that researchers are worried that conditions might line up just right for wind erosion to become a problem. Almost 100 years after the Dust Bowl, Kansas farmers are much better at managing wind erosion. But drought, combined with high wind speeds can blow away that progress. Most of the state is currently under a moderate drought. Soil specialist DeAnn Presley, from Kansas State University, says some farmers might have to resort to emergency tilling. That can prevent erosion in the short term, but make the field more susceptible in the long run. “Emergency tillage is definitely nothing that anybody ever wants to go do. Like having a generator back up for your house in the case of a storm,” she explained. But Presley says that there are alternatives like spreading manure to cover the ground. Loss of topsoil can lead to smaller crop yields and dirtier drinking water.

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Slow Down! Fall Harvest Underway in Kansas

TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Fall harvest is underway in Kansas and state troopers are asking motorists to slow down and be aware of their surroundings as farmers collect their crops. The Kansas Highway Patrol is also asking drivers for patience as they may find themselves sharing the road with large farm equipment and machinery like trucks, tractors and combines.

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Chiefs Beat Falcons 22-17 on Sunday Night Football

ATLANTA (KPR) — The Kansas City Chiefs held on to beat the Atlanta Falcons Sunday night, 22-17. The Chiefs didn’t grab their first lead until the third quarter. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a pair of touchdown passes in the game, one of them to Rashee Rice, who ended up as the game’s leading receiver with 12 catches for 110 yards. "He’s a legit, No. 1 receiver," Mahomes said. "You see that every single week. He’s making more and more plays. I’m super proud of what he’s done already." It was the Chiefs defense that nailed down the win. Linebacker Nick Bolton broke through to make a tackle for a loss on the Falcons’ last offensive play of the game in a fourth-down situation.

The Chiefs stay on the road next weekend, taking on the Chargers in So-Fi Stadium in Los Angeles:

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Giants Beat Royals 2-0

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) — The San Francisco Giants beat the Royals 2-0 Sunday in Kansas City. The Royals remain in second place in the AL Central but they are now 7.5 games back. : - (

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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).