Kansas City Amazon Workers at 4 Facilities Join Teamsters Union Strike
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) — Members of Local 41 of the Teamsters Union were on the picket lines at four Amazon facilities in the Kansas City area on Friday, as part of the nationwide strike against the company. Teamsters Union representatives are calling this the largest strike against Amazon in US history. KSHB TV reports that the strike began Thursday morning with local union members picketing outside Amazon facilities in Liberty, Missouri; Edgerton, Kansas; and two facilities in Kansas City, Kansas. The union says its members want higher wages, better benefits, and safer working conditions. Amazon says the company has not seen any impact on their operations and says it remains focused on getting holiday presents to customers. Company officials say the strike will not affect those deliveries.
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Missouri Governor Commutes Sentence for Former Kansas City Police Detective
UNDATED (KC Star) – Missouri Governor Mike Parson announced Friday afternoon that he had commuted the prison sentence of Eric DeValkenaere, the former Kansas City police detective convicted of second-degree involuntary manslaughter for killing Cameron Lamb in 2019. The case was racially charged because De Valkenaere is white and Lamb was Black. The Kansas City Star reports that DeValkenaere was the first Kansas City officer ever convicted of killing a Black man.
DeValkenaere was sentenced to six years in prison but remained free on bond during the appeals process. He surrendered to authorities in 2023 when the Missouri Court of Appeals upheld his conviction. The Missouri Supreme Court later declined to hear the case. DeValkenaere, 46, had been serving his sentence outside the state of Missouri, but authorities didn’t identify where he was incarcerated. It wasn’t immediately clear whether DeValkenaere was still in prison or when he would be freed.
The governor's commutation of DeValkenaere's sentence is not a full pardon; it places him on parole, “subject to the conditions imposed by the Parole Board.” Furthermore, the commutation does not spell the end of DeValkenaere's legal problems. He still faces a federal lawsuit brought by Lamb’s family alleging a violation of the Fourth Amendment and claims of use of excessive force. The family is seeking more than $10 million in damages. Earlier this year, a federal judge ruled DeValkenaere isn’t entitled to qualified immunity because he violated Lamb’s constitutional rights.
Kansas City, Missouri does not exercise legal control over its police department, making it one of the few state-run forces in the country. The Missouri Constitution gives governors the power to delay, reduce or eliminate the punishment of state-level crimes.
The Kansas City Law Enforcement Accountability Project, or KCLEAP, in a statement said it was “saddened but not surprised” by the commutation.
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Federal Shutdown Would Idle Thousands in Leavenworth
UNDATED (KCUR) – Greater Kansas City has a huge federal workforce, and if the government shuts down, more than 38,000 people would either be furloughed or expected to work without pay. KCUR reports that no city in the metropolitan area would be hit harder than Leavenworth, Kansas. A shutdown would cut pay to more than 8,000 people at Fort Leavenworth. About half of those are active duty Army soldiers who would continue to work without pay, the rest are civilian employees on the post. Garrison spokesman Scott Gibson says that if a shutdown stretched into weeks, the city of Leavenworth would take a hit. "When we’re not getting paid, we’re not shopping in town. We’re not spending our money outside the gate," he explained. Gibson says there’s no good time to be furloughed, and he can only hope that politicians are doing all they can to avert a shutdown.
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Avian Influenza Found in Game Birds in 2 Kansas Counties
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas officials say they’ve found new cases of avian influenza in commercial game bird operations in two counties. Other than a few cases recorded in backyard poultry flocks and wild birds this fall, the bird flu hadn’t hit commercial flocks in Kansas since early spring. But the Kansas News Service reports that the Kansas Department of Agriculture now says it identified the bird flu in two commercial game bird operations in Doniphan and Rooks counties. The news comes as human cases of the bird flu tick up. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says more than 60 human cases have been recorded this year, including the country’s first severe case announced this week in Louisiana. Health officials say the risk to the public remains low.
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FBI Searching for Two Jewelry Store Robbers in Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) —The FBI is searching throughout Kansas for two fugitives wanted in connection to multiple jewelry heists. KSHB TV reports that arrest warrants have been issued for Vasile Sava and Onita Rostas. The pair have been indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with two jewelry store burglaries in 2022, one at Marks Jewelers in Lawrence and another at Calhoun's Jewelers in Topeka. Authorities say the pair stole nearly $60,000 worth of jewelry at the two stores. A court document alleges the pair were part of a large Romanian-based conspiracy in which other suspects are alleged to have stolen more than $37,000 from jewelry stores in 2023 in McPherson and Manhattan. During these robberies, groups of two or more people distracted jewelry store employees, while the other thieves removed and concealed items that were on display.
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Jobs Market Report Released for Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – State officials say the jobs market in Kansas is relatively healthy. That’s according to the latest monthly report from the Kansas Department of Labor. The Kansas News Service reports that the state’s unemployment rate is about a percent higher than this time last year, but still remains low at 3.5%. Economists say an unemployment rate around 3% is considered normal and not a cause for alarm. The number of people working in the private sector jumped slightly in November compared to the month before. Experts say that correlates with the end of temporary layoffs at Spirit AeroSystems in Wichita. The report says the state has added about 2,000 jobs each month since September.
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Governor Laura Kelly Says She Hopes to Focus on Water Resource Issues in Final Years of Term
UNDATED (KNS) – In her last two years as Kansas governor, Democrat Laura Kelly says she wants to focus on water sustainability. Usually, politicians on their way out of office hold less sway over what gets done. But Kelly told the Kansas News Service that not running for reelection has its perks. For example, she says she can focus on projects that are less attention-grabbing, but still important. That's the case with the issues of preserving the Ogallala aquifer in western Kansas. It’s a huge underground reservoir that props up the state’s agriculture and economy — and without a solid conservation plan, it could dry up in a matter of decades. “I mean, we've had lots of water plans before that were great but they were never funded and never prioritized and it's gotten us into a world of hurt,” Kelly said. She added that it’s up to lawmakers and industry leaders to help set up a long-term investment.
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Kansas Governor Announces Recipients of Law Enforcement Grants
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) - Governor Laura Kelly has announced nearly $2 million in Justice Assistance Grant Program funds to help improve public safety. KSNT reports that the JAG funds were announced via a press release from the Governor's office on Thursday. The grants are going to local and state agencies across the state intended to reduce and prevent crime, and to assist with equipment and technology needs. Among the grant recipients are: the Gardner Police Department, the Merriam Police Department and the Johnson County Crime Lab. The Kansas Highway Patrol and the Shawnee County Department of Corrections will also receive a portion of the JAG funds.
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Rural Justice Initiative Committee Releases Report on Attorney Availability
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) – A committee tasked with addressing the attorney shortage in rural Kansas has released its final report and recommendations. The report found almost 80% of practicing attorneys in Kansas are in only five urban counties. The Kansas News Service reports that findings indicated most of the rest of the state has one attorney per 1,000 residents. And most of those attorneys are nearing retirement. The Rural Justice Initiative Committee formed two years ago to look at possible solutions. Committee member and Kansas Supreme Court Justice K.J. Wall says one barrier for rural attorneys is the fear of isolation, saying that attorneys may be asking themselves “...am I going to be kind of out on an island on my own? So that's sort of the biggest professional barrier.” However, the committee saw potential in a network that could support rural attorneys and give them a sense of community within their profession.
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Ottawa Police Find Body Under Bridge
OTTAWA, Kan. (KCTV) - A search for a missing person has led police in Ottawa to the body of a man. KCTV reports that officers with the Ottawa Police Department found the body under the Main Street bridge yesterday. They discovered the remains while investigating a person’s disappearance. The department is still trying to identify the remains, but officers believe it is likely the person they were initially trying to locate.
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Experts: Space Heaters Cause Thousands of Fires Annually
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – Kansans using space heaters to keep warm this year need to be cautious. According to the Electrical Safety Foundation, heating equipment such as space heaters cause more than 65,000 fires each year. Courtney Lewis, a spokeperson for Evergy, told KCUR it is essential that those appliances are off when you aren’t using them anymore. “Don’t use them while sleeping. If you can use a space heater with a timer. Heat your room in advance and then shut it off when you go to bed. When space heaters are going and they're unattended, that's when that risk of fire has really increased,” she cautioned. Lewis said proper certification is important and your space heaters should have a tag that shows they have been tested to meet safety standards.
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Biden Commutes Sentence of Kansas Man Jailed After 2000 Bust at Missile Silo LSD Lab
UNDATED (TCJ) - President Joe Biden has commuted the sentence of one of the men involved in the operation of an LSD laboratory at a decommissioned nuclear missile silo near Wamego, Kansas 24 years ago. The Topeka Capital Journal reports that 69-year-old Clyde Apperson will be released Sunday from a federal prison in Seattle, Washington.
Apperson was part of a drug arrest in November, 2000 that was described by authorities as the single largest seizure of an LSD lab in the history of the Drug Enforcement Administration. DEA agents testified that the defendants were responsible for the manufacture of the majority of the LSD sold in the country. Apperson was found guilty of conspiracy to manufacture and distribute LSD and sentenced to 30 years behind bars. He was one of 1,499 people whose sentences were commuted by President Biden last week in what was the largest act of clemency in a single day in presidential history.
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Douglas County Commission Approves Measures for Proposed Solar Project
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) - Douglas County commissioners approved two significant plans for an 8 million-square-foot solar project Wednesday night after hearing more than two hours of comments from members of the public. The Lawrence Journal World reports that the commissioners unanimously voted to approve the two plans, a stormwater management plan and an agrivoltaics plan, for the solar farm project. The Kansas Sky Energy Center is proposed for an area north of Lawrence.
These are some of the last items left for county commissioners to approve before the project can proceed. Many of the people at the meeting voiced concerns about how the implementation of the plans might impact farmland and stormwater infrastructure and some said they were concerned that there hadn’t been enough time for the public to review the plans. Some supporters of the project also spoke at the meeting and said the solar facility would reduce carbon emissions and enhance pollinator habitats.
On Tuesday, a Douglas County District Court judge ordered that construction on the project not be allowed to move forward until after a status conference scheduled for January 10.
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Audit Shows Gaps in Kansas Commerce Department Economic Development Database
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) – The Kansas Legislature's auditing agency says the Kansas Department of Commerce has not been fully maintaining a public database tracking economic development incentives. The Kansas Reflector reports that a state statute authorizes the department to manage an accessible, searchable, and printable database of economic incentive awards of more than $50,000 per year. The audit indicated that the database did not include all required economic development programs. It also found shortcomings in the data due to missing information and unreported details on some incentive recipients. Commerce Department staffers told auditors that the STAR bond program in particular was difficult to standardize into the required format for the database. Senator Mike Thompson of Johnson County said legislators should put together a bill making the requirements of the database explicit. Senator Caryn Tyson, chair of the Legislature's audit committee, said it would be necessary for lawmakers to acquire some of the missing information, such as the estimated return-on-investment of individual projects.
The director of legislative affairs for the Commerce Department, Rachel Willis, responded by saying that the statute on transparency is extremely broad, and difficult to customize to a wide variety of economic incentive programs. She also said the audit didn't show the scope of efforts to comply with the current transparency law, and that the Legislature provided only partial funding of a budget request for the database.
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Former County Attorney Facing 6 Felony Charges of Perjury and Witness Intimidation
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) – Former Neosho County Attorney Linus Thuston is now facing six felony charges. This comes after Thuston was jailed earlier this year for misdemeanor convictions on charges of misusing a county credit card and falsifying the purchase price of a vehicle in order to avoid paying sales tax. The Kansas Reflector reports that the current charges were filed Monday by a special prosecutor, and accuse Thuston of lying during testimony in July while appearing as a witness in an opioid drug case. The special prosecutor's case is separate from investigations conducted by the Kansas Attorney General's Office that led to the misdemeanor convictions. The attorney general's office agreed not to pursue more serious charges for other crimes it had investigated in the course of its inquiry into the misdemeanors, in exchange for Thuston stepping down from his position and pleading guilty.
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Economists Warn of Possible Retaliation Against Tariffs
UNDATED (HPM) – President-elect Donald Trump has pledged new tariffs on imports from some of America’s biggest trading partners. While the scope and scale of his plan are in flux, Harvest Public Media reports that U.S. agriculture is often vulnerable to retaliatory tariffs. U.S. agricultural exports last year exceeded 170 billion dollars. Glynn Tonsor, an ag economist at Kansas State University, says products go where they’re most valuable. A lot of bacon stays in the U.S. while a lot of ham goes to Mexico. But during a trade war, retaliatory tariffs on U.S. products can dampen demand abroad. Tonsor says livestock producers at the start of the supply chain – "The person with the sows, and the person with the mama cow" – have a harder time quickly adjusting to market changes. “Once I have a sow like in the system, ready to give me piglets for three years, or a cow to give me calves for 10 years, those are very long term decisions,” he explained. The American Farm Bureau is urging Trump to be cautious with tariffs. (Read more.)
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Derby School District Rejects Social Studies Curriculum Due to Accusations of Bias Against Donald Trump
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – A Kansas school district has rejected a social studies curriculum because some board members say it’s biased against President-elect Donald Trump. The Kansas News Service reports that leaders of the Derby school district near Wichita voted down a proposed contract with Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Derby teachers had tested and recommended the company’s high school social studies curriculum. But board member Cathy Boote says some materials do not accurately reflect Trump’s actions during his first presidency, including a 2017 order suspending travel from seven predominantly Muslim countries. “Safety was the top priority. But they leave it sit there, with no explanation, to make you think he was xenophobic,” she said. Other board members say they oppose the publisher’s stance on diversity issues and a Black Lives Matter message posted on the company website.
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State Geological Survey to Measure Western Kansas Groundwater Levels in January
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Crews from the Kansas Geological Survey will work across western Kansas in January 2025 to measure the state’s groundwater resources. The Kansas News Service reports that water levels are measured each winter at about 1,400 wells that tap into the High Plains aquifer. This massive network of underground rocks is the main source of water in western Kansas. Brownie Wilson, water-data manager for the Kansas Geological Survey, says dry conditions last summer likely meant more irrigation and a decline in water levels. “That, then, will probably dictate that we had a little more stress on the aquifer. We’ll probably see declines are a little bit more, a little more greater than we’ve seen in maybe the last couple of years.” Kansas groundwater levels have been declining for the past 50 years. Annual measurements for each well are available on the Kansas Geological Survey website.
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Ruling Issued in Legal Battle over Thomas Hart Benton Works
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – A five-year legal battle between the heirs of Missouri painter Thomas Hart Benton and the Kansas City bank that handled his trust has ended. KCUR reports that Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Mark Styles Jr. concluded after a five-month trial that UMB Bank did not breach its duty to the Thomas Hart Benton trust. The artist’s heirs first sued the bank in 2019, seeking $85 million. They claimed it lost more than 100 pieces of Benton’s art, engaged in self-dealing and sold pieces for less than their market value. The judge ruled there were only five works UMB could not account for, and awarded the heirs $35,000. The family’s lawyers are considering an appeal.
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Auditors Say Kansas Department of Commerce Should Add Background Checks to Hiring Process
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Auditors say the Kansas commerce department should add criminal background checks to its hiring process after a former employee was accused of mismanaging grant funds. The Kansas News Service reports that Jonathan Clayton went missing this summer after his time at the commerce department came under scrutiny. He was later found dead in a one-car crash. Before leaving in 2023, he reportedly awarded more than $400,000 to an organization he helped manage. Clayton previously pleaded guilty to theft and forgery in Pennsylvania, but commerce officials say they didn’t know at the time. They say an executive order bars them from doing background checks. Lawmakers like Republican Senator Caryn Tyson disagree. “You hired a felon to manage millions of dollars in grant money. And you’re looking for a scapegoat,” Tyson said. The order says state agencies can’t ask about criminal history early in the hiring process, but can perform background checks.
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Kansas Reporting Rise in Flu and COVID-19 Cases
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Holiday travel has brought a rise in flu and COVID-19 cases to Kansas. The Kansas News Service reports that experts say people should get vaccinated and take other precautions. Emergency department visits related to flu and COVID-19 are rising in Kansas. Topeka family physician Dr. Courtney Huhn says one of the best ways to protect yourself and others is to get vaccinated. “The other things that people can do to prevent transmission is the things you always hear us health professionals talking about. Washing your hands, wearing masks if you feel sick...you know, maybe don't go,” she added. Huhn says masking is especially important if you’re spending time with people who are immunocompromised. More tips are at vaccine.gov and cdc.gov/risklessdomore.
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Stormont Vail Announces Upgrades to NICU
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) –Stormont Vail Hospital has announced new upgrades to its Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. WIBW TV reports that the enhancements will include new “state-of-the-art” infant isolettes, also known as care-stations, a training simulator for the medical teams and new amenities for mothers and families. Hospital administrators say the upgrades to the NICU are being paid for with the help of a large gift from Advisors Excel, a Topeka-based financial consulting company. Stormont Vail officials say the hospital is home to Topeka’s only Level III NICU. It serves about 4-hundred infants every year.
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Wichita City Council Moves Forward on New Homeless Camping Ordinance
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – Wichita is a step closer to altering how it enforces homeless camping around the city. KMUW reports that proposed changes approved by the City Council on Tuesday afternoon would let city employees execute quicker camp clean-ups around the city. It also allows for shorter notices, if any, before clearing encampments. The ordinance additionally lowers the current maximum fine for camping from $500 dollars to $200 dollars. City staff say individuals can perform community service to avoid paying. Mayor Lily Wu says the ordinance is not meant to criminalize homelessness, adding that “...we have to balance both compassion and a way to encourage a way for individuals to go to the emergency winter shelter.” The ordinance will be revisited next month and could be in place by mid-January.
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AAA Predicts More Than One Million Kansans Will Travel During the Holidays
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - More than one million Kansans are expected to travel 50 or more miles from their homes over the holidays. AAA Kansas is projecting at least 1.2 million Kansas residents will travel during the year-end holidays. AAA says the vast majority will be driving to their destination, and the auto club reminds motorists to have their vehicle inspected and serviced to make sure it’s road-ready for their holiday trip. WIBW TV reports that the travel projection, which was released Tuesday morning, fits with AAA’s earlier forecast of record-setting travel volume across the United States during the upcoming year-end holiday period which runs from December 21 through January 1.
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Mahomes Set to Play in Saturday Game Versus Houston Texans
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) – Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes says he plans to play in Saturday’s match-up against the Houston Texans. The quarterback was injured with an ankle sprain late in last Sunday’s game. KCTV reports that the Chiefs did not list Mahomes with any injury status on the final injury report ahead of the Saturday game at Arrowhead Stadium. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid says Mahomes participated fully in all three practices this week but he did not say whether Mahomes would start Saturday. Reid says backup quarterback Carson Wentz is ready in case he is needed. The team also announced that wide receiver Hollywood Brown would likely play Saturday. It will be the first game for Brown since suffered a shoulder injury during the Chief’s first 2024 preseason game. The 13-and-1 Chiefs need just two more wins to secure the AFC’s one-seed, and a valuable week off during the playoffs. They will have a short turnaround following Saturday’s game with just three days of rest before a Christmas Day game at the Pittsburgh Steelers. Kickoff against the Texans is at noon on Saturday.
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