Will the Royals Find a New Home in Kansas?
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KMBC) - Will the Kansas City Royals move to Johnson County, Kansas? So far, no one is officially saying that - not the team and not any government officials. However, speculation is building that the ball club is now exploring two or three potential sites for a new stadium in Johnson County. KMBC TV reports that the host of a morning radio sports show in Kansas City - Bob Fescoe - is now citing multiple sources who claim state officials in Kansas are in advanced talks with the Royals on potentially moving from Missouri to Kansas. Fescoe says a potential announcement on the future home of the Royals could come before the Baseball Winter Meetings, which begin in early December.
===========
Police: Five Dead Across Wichita in String of Related Shootings
WICHITA, Kan. (KPR/KNS) - Investigators in Wichita are still piecing together what happened over the weekend when five men were shot and killed in the same part of town. Sunday's fatal shootings, at three different residences, are believed to be related. The men were found dead in three homes in south Wichita and ranged in age from 39 to 68. Wichita police are still investigating, but in a social media post, they said they believe the victims knew each other and that one of the victims was the shooter. Police also say there is not an ongoing threat to the community at this time.
==========
Advocates: Law Enforcement Can't Solve the Problem of Homelessness in Kansas
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - Some Kansas lawmakers say police are not doing enough to address crime stemming from homelessness, including violations like trespassing, vandalism and even jaywalking. Advocates serving homeless populations say that puts law enforcement in a difficult position. The Kansas News Service reports that arresting homeless people probably won’t address the underlying issues. Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister said, " We can't arrest our way out of homelessness." (Read more.)
==========
Local Kansas School Districts Can Decide on Student Cell Phone Policy
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS/KMUW) - Kansas education leaders will leave it up to local school districts to set policies on cellphones and other devices. Members of the state’s screen time task force spent four months studying issues around cellphones and their effect on students’ mental health. In the end, though, the Kansas State Board of Education decided to let local districts decide whether and how to ban devices from classrooms. Board chairwoman Melanie Haas says the state board can’t impose statewide restrictions, but she supports offering advice to local leaders. “We’ve definitely heard from local districts that they’re looking to us to at least start this conversation and give them something to discuss in their own local meetings," she said. The task force report urges schools to ban cellphones at all grade levels and to limit the use of other technology in classrooms.
==========
Federal Grants Help Kansas Kids Exposed to Illegal Drugs
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas health officials are distributing money from a federal grant to 29 organizations across the state to help children exposed to illegal drugs by a parent or guardian. The funding, a total of $3 million, was first announced last fall. Dream Incorporated, a nonprofit in Hays that tackles substance use in families, is one of the latest recipients. Founder Sheryl Butler says they’ll use the money to expand their summer camp for children living with people who have substance use issues. Butler says children exposed to drug use typically have difficult home lives. “There’s just a lot of unknown, it’s like waiting for the other shoe to drop all the time until that person, the person with the substance use issue gets into treatment and gets into recovery," she said. Butler says they host about 40 campers each summer but hope to triple that number with the grant.
==========
KU Researcher's Project Advances to Final Round of NASA Consideration
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - In October, NASA announced that a space probe project proposed by a University of Kansas astronomer had advanced to the final round of consideration for a billion-dollar mission planned for the 2030s. Dr. Elisabeth Mills, an assistant professor of astronomy at KU, recently spoke to KPR's Laura Lorson about the project, and her area of expertise. (Check it out here.)
==========
Johnson County Makes History with New Sheriff
JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. (KNS/KCUR) - Johnson County sheriff-elect Byron Roberson says he thinks residents are ready for law enforcement to go back to the basics - keeping the community safe. Voters in Johnson County made history last week when they elected Roberson as the first African-American sheriff to the department. Roberson - currently the chief of police in Prairie Village - will take over for outgoing Sheriff Calvin Hayden who spent years and taxpayer dollars investigating the accuracy of the 2020 election. "I am about law enforcement," he said. "I've built the previous police department to be a law enforcement that is putting people in jail that need to be in jail." Roberson joined the Prairie Village police force in 1995 and became chief in 2021. Roberson is the first Democrat to win the office in nearly a century.
==========
J6 Defendant in Kansas Asks for Delay in Sentencing
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - A Kansas man charged in the January 6th attack on the U.S. Capitol is asking to delay his trial now that former President Donald Trump has won reelection. Will Pope of Topeka is one of several January 6th defendants who have requested a continuance since the election. Pope’s trial date is set for December 2nd, but he’s asking to push it back until after the new administration takes over. Pope and others argue Trump’s re-election represents a mandate from the American people to stop prosecuting those involved in the capitol riot on January 6th, 2021. Trump said he would pardon some of the 1,400 defendants - though he hasn’t specified which ones.
==========
Kansas Truck Driver Charged with Smuggling Migrants into U.S.
UNDATED (KRGV) - A Kansas truck driver has been arrested at a southern border checkpoint after agents discovered two dozen migrants inside his refrigerated trailer. Authorities say Robert Monkel has been charged with knowingly - and with reckless disregard - transporting people illegally into the United States.
The Border Patrol says 24 people - not legally authorized to be in this country - were discovered inside a 35-degree refrigerated trailer. One of them was a 4-year-old boy. KRGV TV reports that Monkel is accused of trying to smuggle people from Mexico, El Salador, Honduras, Guatemala and other countries into the U.S. He's scheduled to appear before a judge in Corpus Christi Tuesday morning.
==========
Report: Kansas Mothers Getting Inadequate Prenatal Care
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - A report by the child advocacy group Kansas Action for Children finds that 1 in 6 Kansas mothers do not receive adequate prenatal care while pregnant. In recent years, the percent of women receiving adequate prenatal care in Kansas has been relatively constant at around 83%. Still, access is much lower in Southwest Kansas, where many counties are maternity care deserts. Heather Braum, a senior policy advisor with KAC, said the state "should be looking into policy solutions like providing adequate funding to recruit and train prenatal care providers.” Infant mortality in Kansas remains slightly higher than the national average, and Black infants continue to be much more likely to have low birth weights or die within their first year of life.
Learn more in the 2024 Kansas Kids Count Data Book.
==========
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).