© 2025 Kansas Public Radio

91.5 FM | KANU | Lawrence, Topeka, Kansas City
96.1 FM | K241AR | Lawrence (KPR2)
89.7 FM | KANH | Emporia
99.5 FM | K258BT | Manhattan
97.9 FM | K250AY | Manhattan (KPR2)
91.3 FM | KANV | Junction City, Olsburg
89.9 FM | K210CR | Atchison
90.3 FM | KANQ | Chanute

See the Coverage Map for more details

FCC On-line Public Inspection Files Sites:
KANU, KANH, KANV, KANQ

Questions about KPR's Public Inspection Files?
Contact General Manager Feloniz Lovato-Winston at fwinston@ku.edu
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Headlines for Wednesday, October 16, 2024

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

Kansas Legislators Hold Informational Hearing on Medical Marijuana

TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Members of the public filled a committee room at the Kansas Statehouse Wednesday morning as lawmakers held an informational hearing on medical marijuana. The Kansas News Service reports that legislators heard about the history of the drug and what it might look like if Kansas legalizes it for medical use. Dustin Rogge of the Kansas Pharmacists Association says that if medical marijuana is legalized in Kansas, it should be dispensed through existing pharmacies. “Pharmacists are uniquely positioned to provide essential services related to cannabis use, including screening for medication cannabis interactions, monitoring usage and potential misuse, and counseling patients on proper use and storage,” he added. The Kansas House passed a medical marijuana bill in 2022 but the Senate never voted on it. Lawmakers will host a second hearing later in October.

==========

Kansas Attorney General Among Those Asking Judge to Restrict Access to Mifepristone

UNDATED (KNS) – Republican Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and officials from Missouri and Idaho are asking a federal judge to make it harder to access the abortion pill mifepristone. The Kansas News Service reports that they want the court to reinstate older restrictions around the drug that would limit its use after seven weeks of pregnancy instead of 10, and require three in-person doctor’s visits. None are currently required. It would also ban prescribing to minors. The request is more limited than a previous challenge to the drug that the U.S. Supreme Court rejected this summer. Mifepristone is used in around 60% of abortions in Kansas.

==========

Reading Scores Improve Slightly for Kansas Students

WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Reading scores for Kansas students have improved slightly, and education leaders credit a change in literacy instruction. The Kansas News Service reports that over the past three years, the Kansas Department of Education has spent $25 million to train teachers in the science of reading. The strategy teaches kids to sound out letters and words rather than focus on context clues. Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson says the number of students scoring in the lowest level on reading dropped last spring by about a tenth of a percent, which is progress. “I wanted Level One to go down more. I wanted Level Three and Four to go up more. But they both trended in the right direction now for the last two years,” Watson added. About a third of students scored in the bottom level on reading this year, compared with 20% a decade ago.

==========

Kansas Communities Get More than $17 Million to Shore Up Energy Grid

TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – Eleven Kansas communities have secured more than $17 million to shore up the energy grid. The investment combines nearly $12 million in federal funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and more than $5.8 million in matching funds from the Kansas Infrastructure Hub and Build Kansas Fund. Governor Laura Kelly announced the funding Tuesday.

“By leveraging federal funds to supplement our state and local investments, we are strengthening opportunities for economic growth across Kansas,” Kelly said. “The Grid Resiliency program ensures our communities have the resources to build, operate, or maintain critical infrastructure.”

“The survival and economic development of our rural communities are dependent on a solid infrastructure,” said Representative Troy Waymaster, chair of the Build Kansas Fund Advisory Committee. “The awards made through the Build Kansas Fund Advisory Committee, and ultimately approved by the U.S. Department of Energy, ensure that these communities will continue to thrive. I am glad these eleven Kansas projects were selected for this program.”

“The importance of grid resiliency cannot be overstated,” said Rick Pemberton, energy division director for the Kansas Corporation Commission. “Safe and reliable power infrastructure is vital to our rural economy.”

The 11 Kansas projects receiving grid resiliency funding are:

City of Garden City – Underground Conductor and Transformer Replacement
Total project cost: $928,638

City of Pratt – Substation Hardening
Total project cost: $3.175 million

Victory Electric in Dodge City – South Dodge City Grid Resiliency
Total project cost: $2.195 million

Heartland Rural Electric Cooperative in Girard – Resiliency Enhancements to Strategically Transfer Optimized Reliable Energy
Total project cost: $615,030

Ark Valley Electric Cooperative in Hutchinson – System Resiliency Project
Total project cost: $722,500

Holton Electric – Transformer and Feeder Circuit Improvements
Total project cost: $2.444 million

City of Blue Mound – Substation, Electric Line & Pole Replacement
Total project cost: $445,674

City of Anthony – Circuit Reconstruction
Total project cost: $402,530

Pioneer Electric Cooperative in Ulysses – Grid Resiliency, Vulnerability, and Innovation Initiative
Total project cost: $4.835 million

City of Horton – Substation Upgrade
Total project cost: $1.625 million

City of Attica – Rebuild High-Voltage Feeder Line
Total project cost: $440,000

In recent months, the Build Kansas Fund has also been used to leverage federal grant awards in the cities of Ozawkie, Manhattan, Russell, Concordia, Dodge City, Topeka, Nortonville, Ellsworth, Edgerton, Hutchinson, Independence; Coffey and Morton County; Southwest Kansas Groundwater Management District; and the Salina Airport Authority. The combined total investment by the Build Kansas Fund in all projects is just over $28.5 million, which has resulted in federal grant awards of more than $44 million.

The Kansas Infrastructure Hub connects multiple state agencies and serves as a resource center for Kansas communities to identify best practices for maximizing funding opportunities. The Build Kansas Fund provides state matching dollars for projects throughout Kansas that successfully apply for federal grants. In 2023, the Kansas Legislature approved $200 million for the Build Kansas Fund to provide state-matching dollars to Kansas entities and projects to meet federal-local match requirements.

(See Scott Carlberg's commentary on the need to modernize and strengthen the energy grid.)

===========

Donald Hall, Longtime Hallmark CEO and Civic Leader, Dies at Age 96

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) — Donald J. Hall, the longtime chairman and chief executive officer of Kansas City-based Hallmark, has at the age of 96. The company announced Tuesday that Hall died on October 13. KMBC reports that Hall led Hallmark for 20 years, and was heavily involved in many civic initiatives throughout the Kansas City area, including the construction of Crown Center in the late 1960s. Hall, the son of Hallmark founder J.C. Hall, joined his father's company at the age of 17, becoming president and CEO in 1966. He served in those roles until 1986. Hall had served as chairman emeritus since 2016. He chaired the Hall Family Foundation for many years, and was a founding member of the Kansas City Community Foundation. He also served as a member of the Nelson-Atkins Board of Trustees for 31 years. (Read more.)

The Hall Family Foundation is a major supporter of the Hall Center for the Humanities on the University of Kansas campus.

(–Additional reporting–)

Former Hallmark CEO and Philanthropist Donald J. Hall Dies

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – Former Hallmark chairman, civic leader and philanthropist Donald Joyce Hall has died at the age of 96. KCUR reports that Hall’s tenure as Hallmark president and CEO saw the construction of Crown Center and other growth for the iconic Kansas City company. Hall’s successor, Irv Hockaday Jr., says Hall was an innovator who could see into the future. "He was a giant in his corporate life, his civic life, philanthropic life, and family life. We see lots of people in positions of prominence who are good at one, but not all of them. He may have looked like Clark Kent, but he was really Superman," Hockaday added. Hall was involved in multiple civic initiatives over the decades, and his legacy includes the Donald J. Hall Sculpture Park at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. (Read more.)

The Hall Family Foundation is a major supporter of the Hall Center for the Humanities on the University of Kansas campus.

==========

Former Frito-Lay Employee Sues Company over Alleged Retaliation, Interference Claims

TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) – A former Topeka Frito-Lay plant employee has filed a lawsuit against the company. Jeffery R. Scott alleges retaliation and interference, and is seeking damages in the amount of $100,000 or more. Frito-Lay was sued earlier this year by former employee Tiffany Norris, who alleged sexual harassment and wrongful termination. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that a jury trial in that case has been set for July 7. Scott was hired in May 2019 to work at Frito-Lay’s Topeka plant, according to the lawsuit complaint. It said that he filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Kansas Human Rights Commission in August of 2022 alleging he had been a victim of age discrimination. The first count of Scott’s suit alleges retaliation in violation of the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967. The second count alleges interference in violation of the Family and Medical Leave Act. Scott's attorney, Alan Johnson, requested that a jury trial be held in Topeka.

===============

Lawrence City Commissioners Vote to Keep City Hall Downtown

LAWRENCE, Kan. (The Lawrence Times) – Lawrence city commissioners on Tuesday voted 3-2 against purchasing a building near Sixth and Iowa Streets to become the city government's new home. Staff members had asked the commission to approve the purchase of a building, at 2000 Bluffs Drive, for an estimated total of $15.9 million, once figuring in the cost of renovation. The Lawrence Times reports that exceeds the amount budgeted by the commission by almost $4 million, meaning that a future budget amendment would be necessary to complete the acquisition. The approximately 35,500 square foot City Hall facility, located at 6 E. Sixth St., was built in 1980. City staff members and consultants say there is no longer enough space for staff. Planning and Development Services and Lawrence Municipal Court staff already work in leased space in the Riverfront building next door. Commissioners at Tuesday's meeting heard from more than 30 people, almost all of whom supported keeping city hall downtown. Members of the public shared concerns ranging from traffic to building access, to the current symmetry of the downtown area between City Hall and the Douglas County Courthouse, to building and moving expenses, and more. Commissioner Brad Finkeldei said he agreed with community members that City Hall should stay downtown. Mayor Bart Littlejohn agreed that the city needs a presence downtown, but it could possibly utilize another space for employees. Vice Mayor Mike Dever said he was concerned about the ramifications of taking the Bluffs Drive building off the tax rolls, and about building issues that had been found during inspections.

==========

KU Gets State Grant to Expand Sexual Violence Prevention Work

UNDATED (KNS) – The Sexual Assault Prevention and Education Center at the University of Kansas is getting a grant from the state health department to expand its violence prevention work. The Kansas News Service reports that the project is called Cultivating Protective Communities, and will allow the center to replicate work it’s done with KU fraternities and sororities at other sites around Kansas, including Wichita, Hays and Garden City. Center director Jen Brockman says it’ll focus on changing attitudes and behaviors through community education, and also making environmental changes, like improving lighting. “We see some success in programs that have implemented environmental design in bar settings, and educating bar staff on how to be aware of what’s happening, or in house parties,” she explained. Brockman says those interventions can help prevent violence before it occurs. KU expects to receive around $30,000 per year through 2029.

==========

KC Business Where 5 People Were Shot Has Been Shut Down

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - A Kansas City business where five people were shot and injured last week has been shut down. City officials say Westport Media Collective did not have a valid license to operate. The business also did not have a current inspection from the fire marshal. KCTV reports that the business was forced to close immediately because of the violations. A shooting at the Westport business on October 9th injured five people. Three suffered critical injuries. No one has been charged in that shooting.

==========

KBI, KHP Look to Build New Joint Headquarters

TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) - The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Kansas Highway Patrol are considering whether to build a new joint headquarters in Topeka. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the two law enforcement agencies are in the early stages of potentially building a new joint headquarters building and vacating their current facilities in Topeka.

The KBI and KHP recently told lawmakers that they may be asking for funding next session. The estimated cost for a new joint headquarters could be around $134 million. But that estimate does not include land acquisition and site development costs.

==========

Number of Drug-Related Deaths in Kansas Children on the Rise

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KNS) – The number of children in Kansas dying from drug-related incidents is rising. According to the Kansas News Service, a new report from the State Child Death Review Board shows the trend is related to increasing fentanyl overdoses. The report analyzes the deaths of Kansas children up to the age of 17 in 2022. It shows that 16 children died of drug-related incidents that year. That’s a significant rise from three drug-related deaths in 2018. Most of the deaths were among teens who were unknowingly using fentanyl-laced drugs. The report recommends raising awareness of the dangers of using opioid drugs.

See this related story about fentanyl in Johnson County, Kansas.

==========

Autopsy Shows Kansas City-Area High School Football Player Died of Heat Stroke

UNDATED (KCUR) – An autopsy shows that a 15-year-old football lineman from Shawnee Mission Northwest High School died from heat stroke after a workout in August. According to KCUR, the autopsy report says Ovet Gomez Regalado was sweating profusely before he collapsed after the workout. The autopsy, first reported by KSHB, said the teen weighed 384 pounds. An open records request revealed the teen ran a series of 120- and 40- yard sprints before he collapsed. Heat stroke expert Scott Anderson says linemen should not be subjected to that kind of workout. “Linemen don’t run 120 yards up and down the field in a game...they don’t even run 40 yards,” Anderson added. The district said in a statement that coaches acted in accordance with state rules and school emergency protocols. (Read more.)

==========

KC Ranked Worst for Handling Chronic Homelessness

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KC Star) - Out of all major U.S. cities, Kansas City ranks the worst for handling chronic homelessness. That's according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The Kansas City Star reports that the share of Kansas City’s chronically homeless population living outside and not in some kind of shelter is bigger than any other major city in the country.

The report from HUD says the Kansas City area has the highest percentage of people experiencing chronic homelessness living unsheltered of any major U.S. city. That rate is worse than places known for significant homeless populations like Los Angeles.

==========

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).