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Headlines for Friday, December 27, 2024

A graphic representation of eight radios of various vintages, underneath the words "Kansas Public Radio News Summary"
Emily DeMarchi
/
KPR

Kansas Child on Life Support After Alleged Abuse

BELLEVILLE, Kan. (KPR) - The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says a Kansas child is on life support at a hospital in Nebraska, after a suspected case of child abuse. The case began Christmas Day when the girl’s parents brought her to the Republic County Hospital in Belleville, Kansas. The unconscious child was then transported to a hospital in Omaha. Hospital staff in Belleville contacted local police, who then contacted the KBI. The pediatrician overseeing the child's care in Omaha says the girl has no brain activity and remains on life support due to severe injuries. No word on any arrests so far.

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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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Kansas Joins Effort to Save Nation's Grasslands

UNDATED (KPR) - Republicans and Democrats from six states, including Kansas, have introduced federal legislation to help save the nation’s grasslands. The North American Grasslands Conservation Act would create a plan and a grant program to protect and restore prairies and sagebrush. Kansas Democratic Congresswoman Sharice Davids is cosponsoring the bill. The Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance is one of 50 groups in favor of it. CEO Shaun Grassel says the grants would support controlled burns, for example, which can help to mitigate wildfires. “It’s a great bill," he said. "Tribes will have a say in the national grasslands strategy.” Most of North America’s grasslands are gone - used now for crops or other development.

The bipartisan legislation would put money into saving the nation’s rapidly disappearing grasslands. The Buffalo Nations Grasslands Alliance works with 16 tribes that are trying to conserve land across the Great Plains. More than 50 hunting, farming and conservation groups have also endorsed the bill.

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Retired KU Chemistry Professor Helps Develop Drug to Treat Parkinson's

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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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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Sociological Study Looks at Attempts to Control Nature, Taking Ogallala Aquifer Use as Example

LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) - A recent study from a group of sociologists focuses on western Kansas and how humans attempt to control nature. The Kansas News Service reports that the researchers from universities in Kansas and Germany say we live in an era where humans modify their environment. They say a perfect example is western Kansas, where groundwater is used for irrigation to support an entire agriculture system. But with that water running out, Kansans are questioning if the lives they have built will last. Lead author Georg Schaefer says cultural barriers are getting in the way of water conservation. “It's just people who grew up in a culture that doesn't work anymore, and who don't see a way out,” he explained. Schaefer says the region once benefited from the Euro-American culture of progress and innovation. But he thinks that same attitude is slowing water conservation efforts in western Kansas.

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KU Head Volleyball Coach Announces Retirement

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KU Athletics) – Ray Bechard, head volleyball coach for the University of Kansas, announced his retirement Friday after leading the program for 27 seasons. A release from KU Athletics says he is the winningest coach in Kansas volleyball history and a five-time Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year. A native of Grinnell, Kansas, Bechard came to KU in 1998 after 13 seasons at Barton County Community College. He was named the 2015 National Coach of the Year after leading the Jayhawks to the Final Four in that season. He is a member of the Kansas Volleyball Association Hall of Fame, the NJCAA Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and is a three-time AVCA Region Coach of the Year. Bechard coached 26 All-Americans during his time at Kansas and led the Jayhawks to 13 NCAA Tournament appearances, amassed a 496-313 record at KU. His .613 winning percentage is the best by a Kansas volleyball coach in program history.

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KSU Beats Rutgers to Win Rate Bowl in Phoenix

PHOENIX (KPR) - In a huge comeback, the K-State football team rallied from a 17-point deficit in the third quarter to win the Rate Bowl in Arizona. The final from Phoenix Thursday night: K-State 44, Rutgers 41.

Out of necessity, K-State coach Chris Klieman gave sophomore running back Dylan Edwards more playing time and he responded with 196 yards on the ground to earn the offensive player of the game. "I knew that our running backs had to show up and play really well. I know Dylan gets the award," he said. Junior running back D.J. Giddens, of Junction City, was among those who did not play. He opted out to prepare himself for the 2025 NFL Draft.

In Klieman’s six seasons as the Wildcats head coach, the Wildcats have played in five bowl games. The Cats finish the season with a 9-4 record.

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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).