School Cell Phone Ban in Kansas? Education Advisory Group Recommends It
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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KU Researchers Recommend More Aid to Kansans on Disability Support Wait Lists
UNDATED (KNS) – University of Kansas researchers are recommending that state officials offer more help to Kansans waiting years for disability support services. The Kansas News Service reports that’s based on new research they presented to lawmakers Tuesday. Some Kansans with intellectual and developmental disabilities wait 10 years to get state support for daily activities. Tens of millions of dollars in new funding has reduced the number of people on the waiting lists by 800 since the spring. But there are still thousands of Kansans waiting for services. Evan Dean with the Kansas University Center on Disabilities urged officials to develop a system to connect those on the waitlist with interim services, adding that “...we're seeing people get sicker and and their health risk increase while they're on the waiting list. So being sure that there's some minimal amount of support for people to maintain their health, I think, is something to be considered.” State officials contracted with KU to produce the study.
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Superintendent of Lyndon Schools Arrested on Charges of Child Endangerment, Obstruction
LYNDON, Kan. (KSNT) — The superintendent of USD 421 in Lyndon has been placed on administrative leave following his arrest last week on charges of child endangerment and obstruction. KSNT reports that superintendent Brad Marcotte was arrested by the Lyndon Police Department on Friday. He was booked and released the same day after paying a $2,500 bond. A press release from USD 421 said the school board voted to place Marcotte on administrative leave following his arrest. No further information has been released by police or the school board.
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Early Voting Underway in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Voters lined up early Monday morning at the Shawnee County Elections Office for in-person advanced voting ahead of the November 5th election. WIBW TV reports that more than 3,000 cast their ballots in what election officials call an unprecedented level of voter turnout. Going to the polls on November 5 isn’t always an option for everyone and election officials say advanced voting offers more flexibility and helps increase voter participation. Early voting also started Monday in Wyandotte County and is now open in Douglas, Leavenworth, Johnson, Geary, Riley, Atchison and many other counties around the state. Get details on when and where you can vote at the Kansas Secretary of State’s office online at sos.ks.gov.
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Judge Dismisses Defamation Lawsuit Connected to Super Bowl Parade Shooting
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – A federal judge has dismissed an Olathe man’s defamation lawsuit against conservative lawmakers who falsely accused him of being a shooter at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl Parade. KCUR reports that police briefly detained Denton Loudermill after the parade shooting for not leaving the scene quickly enough. A photograph of Loudermill in handcuffs made its way to social media, where he was falsely accused of the shootings for which six other young men have since been charged. From there, three Republican Missouri senators helped circulate the misinformation, adding that he was an “illegal alien,” which is also false. The federal judge in Kansas dismissed the case, saying the misinformation wasn’t targeted at people there. Loudermill’s attorney says he will refile.
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Wichita Man Sentenced to Probation for Participation in January 6th Insurrection
UNDATED (Midwest Newsroom) – A federal judge sentenced a Wichita man to two years of probation Monday for breaching the U.S. Capitol during the January 6th insurrection. The Midwest Newsroom reports that according to court documents, Chad Dustin Suenram participated in the “Save America March” before breaching the Capitol. He spent roughly a half hour inside the building with other rioters. Suenram took videos on his phone and chanted “treason” at Capitol police officers alongside other insurrectionists. He wore a face mask with an American flag painted on it and painted stars and stripes into his hair. In addition to probation, Judge Ana C. Reynes ruled Suenram must pay $500 in restitution for damage to the Capitol building.
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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 Objects to Evergy's Natural Gas Plant Plans
UNDATED (KNS) — 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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Kansas Attorney General Leads 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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Kansas City Paid for Tiny Homes 3 Years Ago. Why Won't They Be Used to Shelter Homeless People?
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KC Star) — More than three years ago, Kansas City made a $200,000 down payment to purchase pallet homes intended to provide shelter for people who are homeless. The Kansas City Star reports that the city has yet to receive the materials it paid for from the company. And officials say once it does, the tiny homes will likely not be used to ease homelessness. Instead, city officials say the pallet homes could be used by the city’s emergency management department in situations like weather-related displacement.
According to a report by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Kansas City area has the highest percentage of people experiencing chronic homelessness living unsheltered of any major U.S. city.
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K-State Scientists: Silage - a Major Source of Greenhouse Gas - but Researchers Have a Fix
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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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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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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