Retired KU Chemistry Professor Helps Develop Drug to Treat Parkinson's Disease
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - A retired University of Kansas chemist has helped develop a new drug therapy to treat Parkinson’s disease. Valentino Stella worked at KU for more than 40 years. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved seven of his drugs. That includes his most recent, Vyalev, which treats Parkinson’s disease. Unlike other drugs for Parkinson’s, which are taken in doses throughout the day, Vyalev continuously provides medication through a pump. Stella says Parkinson’s disease reduces dopamine levels in the brain, making it difficult for patients to function. The new drug helps keep those levels steady. “So, this is designed to help those patients feel better and be able to function and be around family and be responsive," he said. The drug is marketed by AbbVie, a pharmaceutical company.
Sella says people with Parkinson’s disease experience declining dopamine levels in the brain. Most drugs to boost those levels are taken multiple times a day, but Vyalev is administered continuously through a wearable pump.
“It’s in a pump about the size of your cell phone, a little bit deeper but physically it’s about the same size as your cell phone," Stella said. "It essentially sits on your belt.” Stella says he’s proud to help improve the quality of life for people experiencing Parkinson’s.
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Kansas Woman Killed in Christmas Morning Crash
DONIPHAN COUNTY, Kan. (WDAF) - A 22-year-old Kansas woman was killed in a car crash Christmas morning. The Kansas Highway Patrol says the crash happened around 8:40 Wednesday morning about nine miles north of Atchison on Kansas Highway 7. WDAF TV reports that the driver of a Toyota Tundra was traveling north on K-7 when the truck crossed the center line and collided head-on with a Chevy Suburban. The drivers of both vehicles suffered minor injuries but a passenger in the Suburban was pronounced dead at the scene. She has been identified as 22-year-old Katlyn Folsom, of Troy.
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State Sales Tax on Food Finally Dropping to Zero
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) - The state sales tax on food and groceries will finally fall to zero next week. Grocery bills will get a bit cheaper January 1, when the state sales tax on groceries ticks down from 2% to 0%. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the tax cut is the third installment of a gradual elimination of the state's sales tax on groceries that was 6.5% before the Legislature and Governor Laura Kelly approved the tax cut in 2022.
The tax cut is only for the state's share of the food sales tax, and other taxing entities can still levy a sales tax on food.
There is non-qualifying food that will remain at the 6.5% tax rate. Kansans won't pay state sales tax on things like produce, milk, meat, bread, bottled water, soft drinks and dietary supplements, but prepared food won't qualify for the cut.
The Kansas Health Institute said at 6.5%, Kansas had one of the highest sales tax rates on food in the country. On Wednesday, Kansas will be among the 38 states that don't currently tax food. KHI says greater food sales taxes are associated with higher food insecurity rates, changes in purchasing behavior and poorer health outcomes.
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Pesticide-Free Parks Coming to KC and Elsewhere
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (HPM) - Several Midwest communities are working with an environmental group to stop the use of certain fertilizers, weed killers and insecticides used in public parks and fields. In Kansas City, the environmental group is trying to phase out certain fertilizers and pesticides at two local parks. Harvest Public Media reports that it's part of a national program, and more cities could soon follow suit. Outdoor spaces that are piloting the program are switching to organic practices that focus on monitoring soil health and enhancing nutrients over the next two years. The project is a partnership with Beyond Pesticides - a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit. Rika Gopinath, who works for the nonprofit, says the goal is to help cities around the country make the switch to improve community and environmental health. “It's a paradigm shift away from chemical landscape management into healthy soils, healthy places and regenerative organic land management," he said.
Audrey Tran Lam is an environmental health program director at the University of Northern Iowa. She says the program is accessible to small cities. "No matter what the resources you have at your fingertips, you're able to implement solutions in your parks, your playscapes and your schools... and that is protective of human and public health," she said. A children’s park and an outdoor sports complex in Kansas City are the latest additions to the program. Implementation in Kansas City is planned for the spring. And plans are underway to bring the program to other Midwestern cities and states. (Read more.)
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Kansas Renters Fear Retaliation If They Complain About Landlords, Housing Conditions
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas law prohibits landlords from evicting tenants for reporting housing violations. But the law lacks an enforcement mechanism. The Kansas News Service reports that a recent survey suggests many low-income renters fear retaliation from their landlords. The University of Kansas study shows low-income renters will not report poor living conditions because they fear eviction. Some renters in the survey said their landlords have harassed or assaulted them. Wichita City Council member Mike Hoheisel says renters in his community face similar issues. The city has passed an ordinance to enforce the state law. Hoheisel says many renters do not know their rights. And some landlords use intimidation tactics to evict them. “These landlords rely on ignorance of the system in order to move through the process in what I view as an unfair manner," he said. The Wichita ordinance can fine landlords for retaliating, and it requires mediation with tenants. (Read more.)
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K-State Defeats Rutgers in Thursday's Rate Bowl
PHOENIX (KPR) - The Kansas State Wildcats football team beat the Rutgers Scarlet Knights 44-41 to win the Rate Bowl in Phoenix on Thursday evening. K-State had trailed by double digits, but staged a comeback to take the lead with 4:15 left in the game. The Wildcats end the year with a 9-and-4 record, and the program's second straight bowl game victory.
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KC Beats Pittsburgh, Secures Top Seed in AFC Playoffs
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (KC Star) - The Kansas City Chiefs have clinched the top seed in the AFC playoffs after defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers on Christmas Day, 29-10. The Chiefs now get a first-round playoff bye and will play all of their AFC playoff games at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs' next game will take place January 5th against the Denver Broncos, in Denver.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce made his 1,000th career reception during Wednesday's game. He also passed Tony Gonzalez to become the Kansas City Chief with the most touchdown receptions in franchise history, with 77. Kelce passed 90 receptions for the season during the game. The Kansas City Star reports that's the longest streak by any player in NFL history, and no other tight end has ever had 90 or more catches in more than two consecutive seasons.
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