Severe Storms Knock Out Power to Thousands Across Northeast Kansas and Western Missouri
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Powerful storms rolled across northeast Kansas and western Missouri Thursday night, knocking out power to as many as 17,000 customers of Evergy. The utility company says 4,000 homes in the Topeka area lost power. Another 500 homes were hit in Jefferson County. As of 9 o'clock Friday morning, about 600 customers remained without service, according to Evergy's outage map.
Evergy officials say power should be restored to everyone by 4 pm Friday but most customers should have service restored by noon.
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Noted Topeka Physician and Community Leader Roy Menninger Dies at Age 97
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – Dr. Roy Menninger, former CEO of the Menninger Foundation, has died at the age of 97. He was born in Topeka in 1926, and became a psychiatrist in the 1950s. He was also a founding member of the group that became Physicians for Social Responsibility. He assumed the leadership of the Menninger Foundation in Topeka in 1967 and served as chairman of the Menninger Foundation trustees until 2003, when the Menninger Clinic moved to the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He also served as chairman of the KPR Advisory Board for many years. The family is suggesting memorial donations to Doctors Without Borders in lieu of flowers.
Click here to see Roy Menninger's obituary.
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Two Hurt When SUV Collides with Horse-Drawn Buggy in Southeast Kansas
PARSONS, Kan. (KAKE) - Two people have been hospitalized after a vehicle collided with a horse-drawn buggy in southeast Kansas. The Highway Patrol says the crash happened Thursday morning on a highway near Parsons, in Labette County. KAKE TV reports that a Ford Escape struck the rear of the buggy, which was in the outside lane and partially on the shoulder of the highway. Witnesses told the Montgomery County Chronicle that the force of the crash ejected the buggy's occupants onto the highway. The two people in the buggy, a 35-year-old woman and 16-year-old girl from Cherryvale, were taken to a hospital in Parsons. the 27-year-old woman driving the Ford was not hurt.
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Kansas GOP Legislative Candidates Shift Messaging on Reproductive Rights Issues
UNDATED (KNS) – In Kansas, Republican messaging on abortion is shifting as state lawmakers defend competitive seats in Johnson County. The Kansas News Service reports that several GOP candidates have new sections on their websites with titles like “Just the facts” and “Setting the record straight.” The near-identical language on each says the candidates oppose a total abortion ban and support access to IVF treatment. Last session, State Senator Mike Thompson voted against debating a bill to protect IVF. But his site says he supports the right, and he views the issue as an empty talking point for Democrats. “The IVF thing is one of those straw man arguments that are trying to distract the public from actual policy discussions,” he added. Thompson says his constituents in Shawnee care more about lowering income and property taxes.
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KU Cybersecurity Expert Warns Proposed Consolidated State IT System Faces Risks
UNDATED (KNS) – The Kansas Legislature’s plan to consolidate the state’s information technology systems comes with some caveats. The Kansas News Service reports that a cybersecurity expert says moving to a centralized system could expose the whole network during a hack. A new state law calls for consolidating the state's cybersecurity systems into a centralized structure over the next several years. Lawmakers want to beef up security partly because of a hack of the state’s court system last year. Alex Bardas is a computer scientist for the University of Kansas. He says a lot of hacks occur when attackers are able to slip into a system after a user with high-level access makes an error. “That user had a lot more privileges that they needed and the attackers just take advantage of that,” he explained. Bardas says sensitive information and services need to be in modules within the centralized system so they can be closed off from one another when hacks occur.
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Kansas Grass Fire Season Has Arrived
WICHITA, Kan. (KAKE/KPR/KSNW) — Fire season has arrived in Kansas. On Thursday, firefighters battled a 300-acre grassfire in northeast Wichita. KAKE TV reports that no one was hurt. The cause of the fire is unknown. The large grass fire in Sedgwick County was just one of many around the state this week. KSNW TV reports that crews battled other grassfires in Sumner, Chase and Finney counties.
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Spirit AeroSystems Still Expects to Be Acquired by Boeing Despite Lackluster Earnings Report
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – Spirit AeroSystems says it still expects to be acquired by Boeing, despite dismal earnings reports this week from both companies. Spirit is reporting a net operating loss of $350 million dollars for the third quarter. KMUW reports that brings losses for the year to more than a billion dollars. Boeing reported losses of $6 billion dollars for the quarter as it deals with an ongoing labor strike. The work stoppage has caused both companies to lay off or furlough workers. About 700 employee furloughs begin Monday at Spirit. Despite the difficult financial news, Spirit says it expects to become a wholly owned subsidiary of Boeing by the middle of next year. Spirit is Wichita’s largest employer.
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Cities of Hays and Russell Take Edwards County to Court over Water Project
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) – Low water levels have sparked a legal conflict in western Kansas. The cities of Hays and Russell in Northwest Kansas are suing neighboring Edwards County over alleged attempts to slow down a water transfer project. The Kansas News Service reports that the cities say their water source is susceptible to contamination and drought. To solve this issue, thirty years ago, they bought land in Edwards County to draw water from. But the lawsuit argues Edwards County imposed zoning regulations to try and keep the water from leaving. Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty says Edwards County can’t decide how the water is used. “The only entity that can tell you what you can and can't do with that property right is the state of Kansas, because they own the water. Everything else is superficial,” he added. An attorney for Edwards County says he's still reviewing the lawsuit.
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Low Water Levels Reveal Hidden Hazards in Kansas Lakes
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – Federal and state officials are monitoring a drop in water levels at many Kansas lakes and reservoirs this fall. In some cases, the drop in water levels has revealed hidden dangers beneath the surface. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks recently warned boaters about the potential hazards. In places like Cheney Reservoir, lake levels have fallen nearly nine feet. Tuttle Creek, near Manhattan, has dropped around five feet over the past two months. Low water levels have exposed logs, sandbars, mud flats, and other hazards.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reports that there has been a noticeable drop in the amount of water in the reservoirs monitored by the Corps. KSNT reports that all but one reservoir are below their desired level for this time of year. A combination of dry conditions, drought and little - if any - rain have all contributed to the problem.
According to the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS), more than 60% of Kansas is experiencing abnormally dry or drought conditions.
(-Related-)
Federal Funds Coming to Kansas to Mitigate Effects of Drought
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas is getting $9 million in federal funding aimed at mitigating the effects of drought. Governor Laura Kelly announced Wednesday that funding from the federal Inflation Reduction Act has been designated for two projects in Kansas.
One of the projects is the Kansas Equus Beds Aquifer Recharge, Storage and Recovery Project near Wichita, which is getting $7 million. Another Kansas project, which will receive $2 million, aims to conserve approximately 10,000 acre feet of water in south-central Kansas in part, by retiring water rights.
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Wildlife Officials to Install Preventive Grate at Bowersock Dam
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas wildlife officials hope to block a species of invasive carp from moving upstream of a dam in Lawrence. The Bowersock Dam on the Kansas River is a relatively low one. And the silver carp are excellent jumpers. When the river is high, they could leap over the hydroelectric dam. The Kansas News Service reports that the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks plans to install a kind of grate to prevent the carp from expanding its range. Liam Odell, a biologist with the agency, said “...the way I can describe it is – it will kind of be like these metal fingers will come off of that north powerhouse, where we’re worried about them potentially jumping over. And those will prevent them from being able to achieve enough height to go into the other side." Wildlife officials want to block this species because it’s a prolific spawner that grows fast and competes with native fish for food.
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More Cases Reported in E. Coli Outbreak Linked to McDonald’s Quarter Pounders
UNDATED (KPR) - More cases have been reported in an outbreak of E. coli linked to McDonald's restaurants. The Centers for Disease Control says 26 new illnesses have been reported, bringing the total to 75 cases across 13 states, including Kansas and Missouri. So far, one person has died and 22 have been hospitalized.
The CDC says most people in this outbreak had consumed Quarter Pounder hamburgers at McDonald’s before becoming sick. It is not yet known which specific food ingredient is contaminated.
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State of Missouri Limits Release of Federal Grant Funding for Some Farmers
UNDATED (HPM) – A federally-funded grant program is providing millions to help small farmers across the U.S. get their products to market. But Harvest Public Media reports that the state of Missouri limited that funding in its state budget for this year. Missouri received nearly $7 million in federal funding for the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure grant program. The money is meant to help farmers with projects like buying equipment or constructing farm buildings. But state lawmakers included only about $2 million of that funding this fiscal year, leaving some projects without money for the time being. Emily Wright is a producer in mid-Missouri who is waiting on the grant funding. “Fourteen projects like ours are in what I'm calling bureaucratic purgatory, right? We just, we can't start. There's no contract,” she said. Missouri Representative Greg Sharpe says the limited amount is likely a result of lawmakers rushing to finish the budget. He expects the funding will be released early next year.
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National Survey Sheds Light on Transgender Students' Experiences
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – The first national survey of transgender teens shows that trans students experience higher rates of bullying and suicidal thoughts. The Kansas News Service reports that the 2023 survey by the Centers for Disease Control is the first to ask students whether they identify as transgender. About 3% of U.S. high school students say they identify as trans, and another 2% question their gender identity. Seventeen-year-old Miles Wilson, a trans student at East High School in Wichita, says higher rates of depression among trans teens are the result of a culture war over gender identity, adding that “...these mental health issues are not caused by the fact that we’re trans. It’s by the fact that so many people around us aren’t accepting.” Nearly three-fourths of transgender students report persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, and one in four attempted suicide.
(Read more.)
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Top Ranked KU Basketball Team Plays Charity Exhibition Game Against Arkansas
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KPR) - A high-profile charity exhibition basketball game gets underway Friday night between the top-ranked Kansas Jayhawks and the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Jayhawks, ranked preseason #1, will play before a sold-out crowd in Fayetteville at 8 pm.
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KU Takes on K-State in Manhattan for 122nd Football Matchup
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KPR) - The 16th ranked Kansas State Wildcats are still in the running for a Big 12 football championship, but they’re hoping to avoid a stumble at 7 o’clock Saturday night in Manhattan against the Kansas Jayhawks. Only BYU and Iowa State remain unbeaten in the Big 12, both with 4-0 conference records and 7-0 overall. But the Wildcats are tied with three other teams with 3-1 conference records. The Wildcats have beaten KU 15 straight times, but Wildcats coach Chris Klieman says he had no plans to bring up the topic. "The last few years have been really competitive games and we’ve found a way," he said. "Last year, we were down 11 in the second half and found a way." KU enters the game with an overall record of 2-5, and won its first conference game last weekend against Houston. Kickoff is at 7pm.
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