UPDATE: Embattled Instructor No Longer Works at KU
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS/KPR) - The University of Kansas says an instructor who was caught on tape saying inflammatory political remarks no longer works for KU. In the video, Phillip Lowcock tells a class that some men won't vote for a woman because they don't think women are smart enough to be president. He then says those men could be lined up and shot. KU initially placed Lowcock on administrative leave, but KU Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer announced Friday that he had left the university. She did not specify whether he quit or was fired.
(Earlier reporting...)
KU Instructor Placed on Leave After His Inflammatory Remarks Were Caught on Video and Shared Online
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) – 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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USPS, Kansas Secretary of State Meet Over Ballot Concerns
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab says he had a productive conversation with U.S. Postmaster General Louis DeJoy about mail-in ballot concerns. The announcement comes after Schwab said the Postal Service mishandled around 1,000 ballots in the state’s August primary elections - resulting in those ballots not being counted. Schwab says the Postal Service plans to take additional measures to make sure all mail-in ballots are handled correctly in the general election. But Schwab maintains that the most secure options for casting a ballot are to use drop-boxes outside polling locations or to vote in-person, either on or before election day.
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Kansas Joins Lawsuit 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. (KPR) - 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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KC Police Investigate Westport Shooting
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) - Kansas City police are investigating after a shooting that injured five people in the Westport area. KMBC TV reports that officers responding to the shooting just after 8pm Thursday found three victims with gunshot wounds who were transported to area hospitals in critical condition. Two additional victims arrived at a hospital later with serious wounds. No suspect information has been released.
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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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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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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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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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Another Chance to See the Northern Lights in Kansas? Maybe.
UNDATED (KSNT) - The Northern Lights may 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 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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Events in Topeka Celebrate Menninger's 100th Anniversary
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) - Next year marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of Topeka's Menninger Clinic, which became one of the world's most famous psychiatric hospitals. Two programs commemorating that centennial will be held next week and next month in Topeka. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that a presentation about the history of Menninger's former "West Campus" will be given at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library Monday evening. Then, on November 18th at the library, current and former staff members will take part in a round-table discussion about the clinic, which was founded in Topeka in 1925. The programs are sponsored in part by the Shawnee County Historical Society.
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Yankees Knock Royals Out of Postseason in Game 4 of ALDS
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) - The New York Yankees beat Kansas City 3-1 last (THUR) night, eliminating the Royals from the American League playoffs. Greg Echlin has more. The Yankees won the best-of-5 series three games to one. They scored in the first inning and never trailed. Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr. watched the Yankees celebrate on the field after the game and says it motivates him for next year. "For the Kansas City Royals baseball, this is what we want," he said. "This is what we’re going to do every year. Be in the postseason. Now it’s: How far are we going to go? It’s not how we’re going to get there. It’s how far are we going to go?"
Bobby Witt Jr. singled and scored in the sixth inning when Vinnie Pasquantino doubled. But that was the only run the Royals were able to score off Yankee starter Gerrit Cole, who pitched seven innings and got the win.
While the Royals season came to an end Thursday night, their success this year is still a remarkable turnaround from last season, when the team tied a franchise record for 106 losses. (Listen to Greg Echlin's report on the Royals.)
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