Textron Strike Ends in Wichita; Workers Return Wednesday
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) — The four-week strike at Textron Aviation in Wichita has ended. Over the weekend, members of the machinists union voted to accept the company's latest contract offer. The new contract runs for five years. It includes increased cost of living adjustments and caps on health insurance premiums. The new contract increases pay by 30% over five years. Employees will also get an annual $3,000 bonus. Striking workers are scheduled to start returning to work on Wednesday.
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Spirit AeroSystems Gets Ready for Furloughs
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) — The city of Wichita is bracing for hundreds of temporary layoffs. Spirit AeroSystems says it will furlough about 700 employees this month due to the ongoing Boeing strike in Seattle. Spirit says the three-week furloughs will begin October 28th. They will include both white and blue-collar employees. Officials say if the Boeing strike continues past Thanksgiving, more furloughs or layoffs are possible. Spirit is Wichita's largest employer.
The three-week furloughs will affect employees who work on the 767 and 777 programs. Spirit makes the fuselage for both aircraft. But because of the strike by Boeing Machinists, Spirit cannot ship the parts to the Seattle-area. Spirit says it does not have room to store the excess fuselages in Wichita. The Boeing strike began in mid-September. Spirit has implemented a hiring freeze and eliminated all overtime and travel to reduce costs.
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Kansas Attorney General Leading Effort to Block Federal Rule on Health Insurance for DACA Recipients
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach is leading an effort to block a federal rule that would extend health insurance to recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, also known as DACA. DACA allows certain people who immigrated to the U.S. as children to work and temporarily avoid deportation. Karla Juarez, executive director for Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation, told the Kansas News Service that DACA recipients deserve the right to choose their own marketplace health insurance. “They are taxpayers. DACA recipients are taxpayers. Even undocumented immigrants pay taxes,” she said. The new rule is set to go into effect November 1. Kobach and attorneys general from 18 other states, including Missouri and Nebraska, are working to stop it. They say subsidized health insurance for DACA recipients would be at the expense of U.S. citizens.
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KBOE Advisory Group Recommends School Cell Phone Ban
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – An advisory group created by the Kansas State Board of Education is recommending that schools ban cell phones for students at every grade level. The Kansas News Service reports that the 36-member task force has been exploring issues around electronic devices and the effect of social media on students’ mental health. It will present its report to the state board next month. Kim Whitman, a member of the task force and a parent in the Shawnee Mission school district, says schools should take a hard line against cell phones. “This age range is really impacted by social media and the harms from that, and kids, they need and they deserve that seven-hour-a-day break.” The Kansas board plans to issue guidance for local school districts but not impose statewide restrictions.
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Evergy Announces New Natural Gas-Powered Plants in Kansas
UNDATED (KNS) – Utility company Evergy plans to add two new natural gas plants in Kansas by 2030 to increase electricity generation in the state. The Kansas News Service reports that Evergy says the two new plants are part of a 20-year plan that factors in rising energy demand and the need to ultimately retire older plants. It also says these plants can quickly ramp up or down when demand changes or when output from wind and solar facilities fluctuates. The natural gas plants will be built in south-central Kansas, in Sumner and Reno counties. The company says they will be high-efficiency designs and will serve customers for 40 years.
(–Related–)
Sierra Club Criticizing Evergy Natural Gas Plant Plan
The Sierra Club in Kansas is criticizing Evergy’s decision to build two new natural gas plants in Sumner and Reno counties. The Kansas News Service reports that the utility company says the plants will be efficient and will help it generate more electricity and ultimately retire older plants. But the Sierra Club in Kansas questions why customers should pay for two more fossil-fuel burning facilities that hurt air quality and contribute to climate change. The group wants Evergy to lean harder into renewable sources, energy storage and energy efficiency measures. It points to an extreme winter storm three years ago that caused natural gas shortages and steep price spikes.
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Hutchinson Inmate Dies in Custody
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (KPR) — An inmate has died at the state prison in Hutchinson. Prison officials say 26-year-old Kevyn Lopez died unexpectedly Monday morning. The cause of his death will be determined by an independent autopsy. Lopez was serving a nearly 8-year sentence for convictions of voluntary manslaughter in Wyandotte County.
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Invasive Beetles Found in Nemaha and Lyon Counties
UNDATED (KNS) — Invasive beetles that kill ash trees have been found in two more Kansas counties. Emerald ash borers are now all over Missouri, except the Bootheel. And they’re in 15 northeast Kansas counties. Nemaha and Lyon counties are the newest on the list. Matt Norville, of the Kansas Forest Service, says to help control the beetle’s spread, people should not move firewood from one place to another. “You know, each tree has different diseases and insects, " he said. "And by moving the wood, you’re spreading that outside of areas that we can try to control them.” Although nurseries are still allowed to continue selling ash trees, Norville doesn’t recommend planting one. Moving firewood is one known way that tree pests and diseases spread faster across the landscape than they otherwise would. Also, although it’s still possible to find ash trees for sale in Kansas, the Forest Service’s advice is: Do not buy and plant these trees.
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KSU Scientists: Silage Could Be Major Source of Greenhouse Gas
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KNS) — Scientists at Kansas State University say silage could be the third- biggest farm source of a potent greenhouse gas. And... they may have a solution to deal with it. A K-State team offers the best picture yet of how much nitrous oxide may come from fermented livestock feed, or silage. This gas warms the planet and hurts the Earth’s ozone layer. The team identified the bacterial source of the gas in silage and found a chemical treatment that can stop this almost entirely. Civil engineer Jeongdae Im is the lead researcher. “It’s just a simple solution that can effectively control the emissions from the source," he said. The proposed fix would cost 4 cents to treat 1 ton of silage. Im thinks programs such as carbon credits could help incentivize the treatment.
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Effort Underway to Restore Walt Disney's Laugh-O-Gram Studio in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) — A campaign is underway in Kansas City to restore Walt Disney's Laugh-O-Gram Studio, where the illustrator first created his iconic character, Mickey Mouse. Walt Disney’s dream began in Kansas City, and one group now hopes it will continue to inspire future generations.
KCTV reports that a group called "Thank You Walt Disney" plans to announce a new fundraising campaign this week. Supporters are raising money to redevelop the historic building at 31st Street and Forest Avenue that formerly housed Walt Disney’s Laugh-O-Gram studio. Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II has already secured $2 million in federal funding for the project. The group says it needs nearly $7 million to finish the restoration and expansion project.
The entire project includes:
- Adding a state-of-the-art teaching facility for digital media training
- Recreating Laugh-O-gram’s offices to honor Walt Disney and other animators
- A space to support entrepreneurs
- Adding a theatre and lecture hall
The organization also received a grant last year to produce an educational movie about Disney’s time in Kansas City in the early 1920s.
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KDOT Encourages Residents to Take Bus Transportation Survey
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — The Kansas Department of Transportation is launching a bus survey to better understand public transportation services across the state. Anyone can take the survey, especially users of public transit and intercity bus services. The bus survey takes about six minutes to complete and is available online. The survey will close on November 30.
The study will assess the current long-distance bus services provided by public transit agencies and private intercity carriers. Kansas supports three intercity bus carriers: Greyhound, Jefferson Lines and Village Travel.
For more information on the study, a list of frequently asked questions and more, click here.
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Officials Caution Farmers over Wildfire Risks During Harvest
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) — Climatologists say warmer, drier Kansas weather has led to the expansion of wildfire season, and harvest time can be especially risky. The Kansas Forest Service has been asking farmers to pause their harvests this week. The Kansas News Service reports that harvest machinery can cause sparks, and right now, thanks to a wet summer and dry fall, there is plenty of fire fuel around Kansas. Kansas State University meteorologists say it has been over 25 days since the state experienced substantial rain. And wind speeds have been consistently reaching 60 miles per hour in western Kansas, making perfect conditions for a fast spreading wildfire. Most corn and soybean harvests are nearing the finish line, giving many farmers the option to pause harvests.
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The 2018 Farm Bill Has Expired for a Second Time. So, Now What?
UNDATED (HPM) — The extension of the 2018 farm bill expired last month. The legislation’s largest programs – like food assistance and crop insurance – are still going. Harvest Public Media reports that the bill is stalling out as farmers are facing natural disasters and low income. With hurricanes in the southeast, wildfires in the west and drought blanketing the Midwest, farmers are in a tough spot right now. That’s on top of federal data that shows farm income is falling for the second year in a row. Roger Cryan, chief economist for the American Farm Bureau Federation, says an updated farm bill would help the agriculture industry. "If that had gotten done in 2023, then 2024’s economic crisis would not be nearly what it is now. The amount of help that’s needed now would not have been as great." Cryan says today’s high input costs and low crop prices overpower any assistance farmers get from the old farm bill. He’s hoping lawmakers can approve a new bill before the year ends.
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Officials in Topeka Find More than 1,000 Service Lines in Need of Replacement
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — Officials in Topeka have completed a review of the pipes running beneath the streets and buildings of the Capital City and found that more than 1,000 service lines are in need of replacement. KSNT reports that the city has discovered nearly 200 lead service lines and more than 800 galvanized lines. The city plans to work at identifying the remaining unknown service lines over the next three years. Crews plan to begin replacing the old and outdated lines soon.
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Chiefs Beat 49ers and Stay Unbeaten at 6-0
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (KPR) — The Kansas City Chiefs are now 6-0 and the only undefeated team in the NFL, following a 28-18 win over the San Francisco 49ers Sunday afternoon. It was a rematch of Super Bowl 58 last February. But unlike the Super Bowl, which went into overtime, the Chiefs put this game away early in the fourth quarter when Patrick Mahomes scored on a one-yard run. That play was set up by what may have been the play of the game - Mahomes scrambling for a career-high 33-yards. "The O-line stepped up and we were able to run it down there," he said. "We found a way to get into the end zone. When you get in the end zone and you get points on the board... now it’s about cleaning up the turnovers. If we can do that, we could start hitting our stride."
Mahomes was intercepted twice, but the Chiefs defense came up with three interceptions of their own against 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy. The Chiefs next game will be in Las Vegas against the Raiders. The division rivals are 2-5.
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