KU Instructor Placed on Leave After His Inflammatory Remarks Were Caught on Video and Shared Online
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) – The University of Kansas is investigating after one of its instructors appeared to advocate violence against men who refuse to vote for a woman for president. A video of the remarks is circulating online. The video shows instructor Phillip Lowcock telling a class that some men won’t vote for a woman because they don’t think women are smart enough to be president. Lowcock then says, "...we could line all those guys up and shoot them; they clearly don’t understand the way the world works." KU officials authenticated the video and confirmed Lowcock was the instructor who made the remarks earlier this semester. He is now on administrative leave.
Some Republicans, including Kansas Senator Roger Marshall, have called on KU to fire the instructor, who works in the Department of Health, Sport, and Exercise Sciences. A KU spokeswoman says Lowcock has apologized for his remarks.
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Kansas Joins Suit Against New Nursing Home Staffing Requirements
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) - Kansas has joined 20 other states in a lawsuit challenging a new federal rule that, the states say, will cost nursing homes and senior care facilities tens of billions of dollars over the next decade. The Topeka Capital Journal reports that the suit is seeking to strike down a federal mandate that would set a national standard for nursing care staffing in facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid funding.
The attorneys general from mostly Republican-led states are challenging the government's Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities, a rule finalized earlier this year that will set a national standard for nursing care in facilities that receive Medicare or Medicaid funding.
The rule requires facilities to have a registered nurse on site 24 hours a day and meet minimum standards for registered nurse and nursing assistant staffing. The attorneys general argue that the rule exceeds the authority of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The complaint cites studies finding that 94% of skilled nursing facilities lack the staffing to meet new requirements and would have to hire more than 100,000 new full-time employees at a time when there is already a shortage of nurses and care workers.
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Aetna Appeals Medicaid Contract Ruling
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - The health insurance company Aetna is continuing its legal battle over how Kansas awarded contracts to manage the state’s Medicaid program. Aetna is appealing a recent court ruling that said the state was justified in awarding contracts to three other companies and not Aetna. The company objects to some of the criteria Kansas health officials used to determine the winning bidders. Aetna also claims the process was marked by a conflict of interest. But a district judge in Shawnee County ruled the bidding process was legal and found no evidence of a conflict of interest. Aetna could not immediately be reached for comment on the latest filing.
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Kansas Activists Seek to Increase Latino Voter Registration
MISSION, Kan. (KNS) - Latinos are the second-fastest growing ethnic group in the country since the last election, but U.S. Census figures show they are registering to vote at lower rates. National news outlets have called Latino voters a “sleeping giant” because of their inconsistent voting patterns. One nonprofit group in Kansas contends that elected officials are not doing enough to engage those voters. Audé Negrete leads the nonpartisan Kansas Latino Community Network. She says that Hispanic people across the state have felt ignored by political leaders and that politicians have not made long-term commitments to Hispanic voters. “Can we have bilingual information, can we have year-round engagement,” Negrete asks. “Can we have some space where we feel like we belong?” Wyandotte County activists have campaigned for their election commissioner to voluntarily offer Spanish-language materials, but they say that request has been ignored. Negrete says her group hears similar concerns from Latinos across Kansas.
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Kansas GOP Chair Faces Election Challenge
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas Republican Party Chairman Mike Brown is now facing a challenge for his seat after some criticism about his party leadership performance and his own divisive rhetoric. In weekly newsletters, Brown has claimed that a shadowy organization he calls the “Deep State” controls parts of the government from behind the scenes. He advocates for dismantling or overhauling federal agencies such as the FBI and the Department of Education.
Danedri Herbert is challenging Brown. She is a longtime ally and spokeswoman for Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach. Herbert says Brown’s divisive rhetoric is a distraction from important issues facing the state GOP. “If I'm elected chair, it will not be the Danedri Herbert show in any way shape or form. I want the focus to be on our candidates and our policies,” Herbert said.
Brown says his campaigning and fundraising efforts have been successful, and he says that most Republicans in Kansas agree with him on the issues. Party members will vote for their next chair early next year.
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Minor Earthquake Strikes Central Kansas
DICKINSON COUNTY, Kan. (KSNT) – The U.S. Geological Survey reports that an earthquake was detected in central Kansas Thursday morning. KSNT TV reports that the magnitude 3.5 earthquake occurred about four miles west of Woodbine in Dickinson County. Kansas does experience earthquake occasionally, with some being attributed to the Humboldt fault zone, according to the Kansas Geological Survey.
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Kansas School Districts Continue to Grapple with Teacher Vacancies
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – A growing number of Kansas teachers are leaving the profession, and districts still struggle to fill teaching jobs. The Kansas News Service reports that this fall, Kansas school districts are reporting nearly 2,000 teacher vacancies. That's more than last year, even though schools hired hundreds of teachers in the meantime. Shane Carter with the State Department of Education says the shortage remains a challenge because a record number of Kansas teachers are leaving classrooms well before retirement. “If we take a look at the individuals that left the profession, it’s continued to increase since 2021. So this is the highest that I’ve seen it — ever,” Carter added. He says the largest percentage of teachers leaving have five to 10 years of experience. State education leaders say they plan to focus on retention efforts.
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Five Shot and Wounded in Westport
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) - Authorities are reporting more violence in Kansas City's Westport entertainment district. Police say five people were shot and injured just after 8pm Wednesday, near West 40th Street and Westport Road. Three victims sustained critical injuries. Two others suffered serious injuries. KMBC TV reports that no suspect information has been released.
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Longtime Democratic Lawmaker Appointed to Kansas Board of Regents
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has appointed a longtime Democratic lawmaker to the board that oversees the state’s public universities and community colleges. The Kansas News Service reports that the governor’s pick for the Kansas Board of Regents is Kathy Wolfe Moore, a close ally of Kelly’s who served 12 years as a state representative. Wolfe Moore currently works as an external liaison for the University of Kansas Health System and serves on the Wyandotte Economic Development Council. She has a bachelor’s degree in social welfare and a master’s in social work from the University of Kansas. Regent nominees go before the Kansas Senate for confirmation. If approved, Wolfe Moore would succeed Cynthia Lane, who resigned from the board in June.
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Drought Conditions Return to Great Plains and Midwest
UNDATED (HPM) – Fall is typically a drier time of the year for the Great Plains and Midwest. Harvest Public Media reports that drought conditions have now returned to the region, and experts are not seeing relief anytime soon. It’s dry and warm in much of the Midwest and Great Plains. Above normal temperatures and below normal precipitation are expected through the middle of October. For producers, this means some crops are drying out quickly during harvest. But it’s also leading to more serious issues, according to Dennis Todey, the director of the U.S Department of Agriculture Midwest Climate Hub. “We're starting to get low flow issues on the Mississippi River, and it's also starting to manifest itself in fire issues,” Todey warned. In the beef industry, ongoing drought conditions have shrunk cattle herds. Experts say if production continues to get tighter, beef prices will continue to rise. (Read more.)
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Another Chance to See the Northern Lights in Kansas? Maybe.
UNDATED (KSNT) - The Northern Lights may - MAY - just be visible once again in parts of Kansas and Missouri. The Space Weather Prediction Center says a geomagnetic storm in space means people on Earth have an increased chance of seeing the Northern Lights Thursday and Friday night. According to KSNT, experts recommend that people find a dark place away from city light pollution after the sun goes down for the best chance of seeing the Aurora Borealis.
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Flags to Fly at Half-Staff Friday to Honor Former House Speaker
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – Flags in the State of Kansas will be flown at half-staff on all state buildings, grounds, and facilities from sunup to sundown on Friday in honor of former Kansas Speaker of the House Marvin Barkis. He died in July.
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Bison Slated for Auction Next Month
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) - Anyone looking to start their own bison herd will have a big opportunity next month. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks is holding a bison auction at the Maxwell Wildlife Refuge in McPherson County on November 6th. KSNT reports that wildlife officials plan to thin their herd by auctioning off 66 of their animals. The Maxwell Wildlife Refuge is located about six miles north of Canton in the Smoky Hills.
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Yankees Slip Past Royals in Game 3 of ALDS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) - The New York Yankees have put the Kansas City Royals on the brink of elimination after winning Wednesday, 3-2, in Game 3 of the American League Division Series. The first pitch in Game Four is scheduled for 7:08 pm Thursday. The Yankees lead the best-of-5 series two games to one. Royals second baseman Michael Massey, who tripled home the tying run in the fifth, says the team knows what it’s like to have its back against the wall, "Yeah, we’re going to have to bounce back. We’ve done it all year. I’ve seen the Royals win two games in a row and that’s what we’re going to have to do. Just take it one play at a time," he said. Yankees DH Giancarlo Stanton hit the game-winning homer in the 8th to break the 2-2 deadlock. In Game Four, the Royals will send 13-game winner Michael Wacha to the mound.
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