Winter Weather Advisory Takes Effect for Part of KPR Listening Area
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — A Winter Weather Advisory will be in effect Friday for Manhattan, Holton and Atchison as well as points further north. Freezing drizzle is expected, along with a light glaze of ice. The National Weather Service says this will create slippery conditions on sidewalks, driveways, roads and bridges. Drivers should slow down and use caution. Residents should prepare for possible power outages. The latest road conditions for Kansas can be obtained by calling 5 1 1.
Get the latest weather from the National Weather Service.
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Kansas Biologist Estimates 14,000+ Birds Ill or Dead from Bird Flu
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — KPR has been reporting on a spike in bird flu in wild birds. At first, a few dozen geese and ducks were reported dead at eight different reservoirs and wetlands across the state. Now, KSNT reports that a Kansas wildlife expert estimates that number could be as high as 14,000 sick and dead geese. That estimate comes from Shane Hesting, Wildlife Disease Program Coordinator for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. Hesting says that's a conservative estimate of the birds that have become sick or died since the end of November. He says total mortality is likely much higher because of birds dying in more remote and rural areas not being reported. Health and wildlife experts say it's best to leave sick birds alone and let nature take its course.
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USDA to Begin Testing National Milk Supply for Bird Flu Virus
UNDATED (HPM) — Starting next week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin testing the national milk supply for bird flu. Harvest Public Media reports officials say it will help them determine exactly where the virus is spreading in dairy cattle. Under a new federal order, facilities and farms will have to share samples of unpasteurized milk to be tested for bird flu. The virus first appeared in cattle earlier this year and has infected hundreds of herds across 16 states. It’s also infected nearly 60 humans… mainly through exposure from infected cows or birds. Until now, testing has been mostly voluntary. Catalina Picasso, a veterinary epidemiologist at Michigan State University, says this new approach will help pinpoint the virus’s movement. “We as a country are gonna be able to understand where the disease is and where the disease is not,” she added. Michigan is one of six states that will be part of the first round of the new testing strategy. The others are California, Colorado, Mississippi, Oregon and Pennsylvania. (Read more.)
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Out-of-State Patients Push Number of Kansas Abortions Up for 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – New state data shows that Kansas clinics provided nearly 20,000 abortions in 2023. The Kansas News Service reports that out-of-state patients have pushed that number up in recent years. 2023 was the first full year after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and many nearby states banned abortion. The data shows abortions were up nearly 60% from the year prior and up 150% from 2021. Texans make up the largest number of patients at Kansas clinics by far, followed by Kansans, Oklahomans and Missourians. More than 9 in 10 abortions occurred before the 13th week of pregnancy. None happened after 22 weeks, which is the legal limit in Kansas.
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Mega Pop Star Taylor Swift Visits Children's Mercy Hospital in KC
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (NBC) - Mega pop star Taylor Swift has been spreading holiday cheer in Kansas City. NBC News reports that Swift visited patients at Children's Mercy Hospital Thursday, just days after wrapping up her Eras Tour in Canada. Photos on social media showed Swift posing with children and staff members. She gave away gifts, including autographed Eras Tour books, and posed for photos and videos. Swift celebrates her 35th birthday Friday.
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Gun Vigil in KCMO Honors Survivors and Victims of Gun Violence
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – Mothers from Kansas and Missouri mourned together Thursday night after witnessing a year full of gun violence. KCUR reports that dozens of mothers from Moms Demand Action gathered at the corner of 43rd and State Line Road to honor survivors and victims of gun violence. They also demanded better gun laws. Kristen Blackton, a co-leader from the Johnson County chapter, said there are problems on both sides of the state line. “In Kansas, around 460 people are killed by a gun every year; in Missouri that number is even higher, about 1300. Threats of gun violence in our local schools so this is just an issue that is really important to us,” Blackton explained. As of December 8th, the Kansas City Police Department reported 547 non-fatal shootings this year. That's a 12% increase over to last year's total.
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Kansas Getting $8 Million to Help Close Digital Divide
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas is getting more than $8 million in federal funds to help close the digital divide. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly announced Thursday that the Kansas Office of Broadband Development will start accepting applications in February for funding from the federal grant. A total of $8.2 million in funds is available for a variety of projects designed to expand and improve internet access. Eligible entities encouraged to apply include community organizations, educational institutions, tribal nations and local government agencies. Applications will be open from February 3 to April 3rd, 2025.
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State of Kansas Launches Internet Access Grant Program
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – The Kansas Office of Broadband Development is launching a new grant program to help expand internet access and other digital infrastructure. The Kansas News Service reports that the grants will be funded by more than $8 million from the federal government. Uses for the grant money include expanding internet access, improving local websites for accessibility and training people in workplace skills. The money will be available to community organizations, local governments and other groups who demonstrate a need. Applications for the program will be open from February to April. More information is available at kansascommerce.gov.
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Group Says It Needs More Funding to Expand Services to Western Kansas Kids
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) – A group that helps children who are victims of abuse in western Kansas says it needs more funding to expand needed services. For a child who is a victim of abuse, talking to law enforcement or child protective services can be intimidating. Having child friendly mental health experts trained in trauma recovery available in rural places helps with those investigations. But trained experts and mental health services aren’t readily available in many rural areas. Director Layla Mumgaard told the Kansas News Service that extra funding for the Western Kansas Children’s Advocacy Center could help the kids they serve across 34 counties, saying that “...we have that ability to do that within our rural communities when a lot of people aren't able to drive two, three hours.” But Mumgaard says they want to offer more. They are turning to the public asking for donations to reach their goal of $1 million to renovate their building.
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KBI: Arkansas City Man Arrested this Week for Child Rape Reported Last Year
COWLEY COUNTY, Kan. – An Arkansas City man has been arrested on charges of raping a child. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office arrested 40-year-old Brian W. Black at his residence Wednesday morning on a warrant for three counts of rape, sexual battery and other child sex crimes.
In September 2023, the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office requested the KBI's assistance with a sexual assault investigation involving a 16-year-old female who had reported that Black had raped her. It's unclear why it's taken more than a year for agents to make an arrest. Black was booked into the county jail on $500,000 bond.
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Groups Scramble to Help DACA Recipients Following Court Ruling on Health Care Access
UNDATED (KNS) — Immigrant rights organizations in Kansas are regrouping after a recent blow to health care access. The Kansas News Service reports that over 4,000 migrants in Kansas who came to the United States as kids had hoped to expand their health care options through the Affordable Care Act. But Kansas led a group of 19 states to block that access. Immigrant rights groups say the current system might cost even more money because people are forced to seek expensive care at crowded emergency rooms instead. At the nonprofit Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation in Kansas City, Kansas, Itzel Vargas-Valenzuela says there are widespread misperceptions about immigrants receiving benefits. “People are gonna try to continue blaming the immigrants seeking care...instead of the people profiting off of our system,” she said. Her organization is boosting efforts to help folks find care they can afford.
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Wichita Group Gets Grant to Provide Free Job Training for Pollution Cleanup Work
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) — A Wichita nonprofit has received a nearly $500,000 federal grant to provide free job training for workers to clean up polluted sites. KMUW reports that Wichita has dozens of brownfield sites, or land with previous development on it that may be affected by environmental contamination. The grant to the Workforce Alliance of South Central Kansas will assist Wichitans interested in getting the training needed to clean those up. That includes asbestos abatement and hazardous waste training. Keith Lawing is the CEO of the Workforce Alliance. He says at least 90 people will receive job training. "We will have a pretty deliberate and intentional outreach program that is going to be - work with our community-based organizations, a lot of the neighborhood groups, certainly in some of our areas where we know there's high unemployment, there's poverty issues," he added. Lawing says the program can also assist trainees with childcare or transportation costs.
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Project to Restore Passenger Rail Service in Kansas Could Cost $573 Million
UNDATED (KAKE) — Restoring passenger rail service from Newton, Kansas, to Oklahoma City is projected to cost $573 million, with Kansas paying about a third of that. The Kansas Department of Transportation wants to expand Amtrak's "Heartland Flyer" route out of Ft. Worth, Texas, from Oklahoma City to Newton, with a stop in Wichita. Passengers would then connect with the Southwest Chief train that travels from Chicago to Los Angeles. Kansas would be responsible for at least $175 million of the cost of the expanded service.
KAKE TV reports that KDOT still needs approval from the state legislature for matching funds. Officials with KDOT are also monitoring how the incoming Trump administration could affect the plans.
Routes would be scheduled daily, with the train leaving Newton at 3 am. Trip times are estimated at 3.5 hours to Oklahoma City and 7.5 hours to Fort Worth, Texas. KDOT hopes to have the route in operation sometime in 2029.
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KU Professor Named One of Nation's Top Inventors
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — A professor at the University of Kansas has been named one of the nation's top inventors. Ron Barrett-Gonzalez, a professor of aerospace engineering, has been named to the National Academy of Inventors, which is considered the highest distinction for academic inventors in the U.S.
One of his latest inventions is guided hypersonic ammunition. The professor leads a student laboratory that's credited with creating super-fast micro quad-copters, a drone-like aircraft. Other designs include an unmanned hypersonic spy plane, an unmanned helicopter device to deliver disaster-relief supplies, a flying motorcycle and eco-friendly jets called Skyblazers.
Over the years, Barrett-Gonzalez has been interviewed many times on KPR - primarily because his engineering students routinely win major international design competitions for aircraft, spacecraft and even space stations. KU aerospace engineering students have won more prestigious design awards from the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics than any other school in the world.
Barrett-Gonzalez becomes just the seventh KU faculty member to be inducted into the National Academy of Inventors, but is the second in two years. Brian McClendon, one of the creators of Google Earth, was inducted in 2023 and is now a research professor at KU.
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Partnership Will Expand Ag Degree Access in Southwest Kansas
DODGE CITY, Kan. (High Plains Journal) — Garden City Community College and Kansas State University have joined forces to make bachelor’s degree programs available to students in southwest Kansas without requiring them to relocate. The High Plains Journal reports that the collaboration will allow students to complete their education locally, addressing a critical need in a region where less than 18% of residents hold a four-year degree (compared to the statewide average of nearly 34%).
The new initiative enables students to complete their first 60 to 75 credit hours at GCCC before finishing their bachelor’s degrees with K-State in Garden City. Programs will combine remote instruction with on-site lab experiences, offering flexibility and alignment with local workforce demands in fields like agriculture, education and health and human sciences. The partnership will initially work to develop a new bachelor’s degree through K-State’s College of Agriculture.
The degree program will be for students with an associate’s degree, allowing specialization in areas such as animal science, crop science or agribusiness. GCCC and K-State will soon launch a community survey to shape additional program offerings based on regional industry needs.
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Benedictine Football Team Ready for Playoffs
ATCHISON, Kan. (KPR) — An area college football team is headed to the next round of playoffs in the NAIA. The Benedictine Ravens will kick off at noon Saturday in the national semifinals against the defending champs. The game will take place in West Palm Beach, Florida, against Keiser University. At 11-0, Keiser is undefeated and the No. 1 seed in the NAIA playoffs. Benedictine is 11-2 and the No. 9 seed, but Ravens head coach Joel Osborne says the rugged regular-season schedule set them up nicely. "We felt good about our team coming into the playoffs," he said. "We knew we faced a really tough schedule. We felt like it prepared us for postseason play and that’s really shown itself in the last two weeks."
The other semifinal features an all-Iowa matchup between Grand View University from Des Moines and Sioux City’s Morningside University. Benedictine has played both of those teams this season. The Ravens opened the season with a win against Morningside. But two weeks later at home in Atchison, the Ravens lost to Grand View.
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Chiefs Quarterback Continues to Develop, as Team Prepares to Take on Cleveland Browns
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – The Chiefs are looking to improve their offensive output, but not at the expense of making mistakes, says offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. KCUR reports that Nagy says quarterback Patrick Mahomes continues to develop and learn how to balance playing it safe in key moments versus taking unnecessary chances, explaining that “...his mentality is not changing. Don’t get that part twisted. Like, he’s still going downfield. If they’re not going to give it to him, grow as a quarterback and don’t throw 30 interceptions and he’s done a great job with that.” The Chiefs play the Browns in Cleveland at noon Sunday.
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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).