UPDATE: I-70 Reopens Across Kansas but Extreme Caution Still Necessary
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – The Kansas Department of Transportation has reopened westbound and eastbound I-70 to through traffic in both directions from Salina to the east Geary County line. That's the last section of I-70 that remained closed because of the blizzard conditions that affected the state on January 4 and 5. Other state highways continue to reopen elsewhere in Kansas, including I-135, U.S. 81, U.S. 75, and highways in Reno, Butler and Harvey counties. Motorists are still being advised to slow down, use caution and be prepared for changing road conditions as some highways remain icy and snow packed.
(Earlier reporting...)
State Roads Begin to Reopen in Kansas Following Winter Blast
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas Department of Transportation crews are making progress in reopening state roads across the state. Major state highways in northeast Kansas are open, including all interstate highways in the Kansas City metro area. I-70 remains closed in both directions from Hays to the K-177 exit south of Manhattan. The Kansas Turnpike is open. State highways in north central Kansas remain closed in Jewell, Republic, Washington, Mitchell, Cloud, Clary, Lincoln, Ottawa, Ellsworth, Saline, Dickinson, Geary, Morris, McPherson, Marion and Chase counties. Check KDOT’s updated traveler information website - kandrive.gov - for updates.
Blizzard Dumps a Foot of Snow on Kansas; State Government Shuts Down
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - The sun is shining over eastern Kansas but residents are still dealing with the effects of the first blizzard of 2025. While the actual blizzard is over, much of the state remains shut down and hundreds remain without power. Numerous schools and many roads are closed. State government in Topeka is shuttered. Many local governments, including Lawrence and Manhattan, are also closed Monday because of snow and ice-packed roads and because of dangerously cold weather.
The Kansas Turnpike is open.
Sarah Teefey, with the National Weather Service in Topeka, says Kansas picked up quite a load of snow. "And it looks like the snowpack will be around for a while because our temperatures are not expected to hit freezing until probably Friday," she said. "So, the artic air is moving in and we have a Cold Weather Advisory in effect until 11 am." Teefey says wind chills will drop to 15 to 20 degrees below zero Monday.
Teefey and her fellow forecasters spent the whole weekend holed up at the weather service office in Topeka because of the heavy snow. "It was even hard for us to believe some of the numbers we were forecasting - just because of how significant it was," she said. Many spots in Lawrence and Douglas County received 11 to 12 inches of snow. Topeka recorded 14 inches.
Hundreds of Evergy customers lost power. According to the Evergy Outage Map, about 200 customers remained without power Monday morning, mostly in the Kansas City area. Evergy expects to have power restored to everyone at some point Monday.
The Kansas Department of Transportation is urging motorists to avoid non-essential travel, following the winter storm that dumped a foot of snow and ice over much of Kansas. Many highways remain closed but the Kansas Tunrpike is open. For emergency assistance on the Kansas Turnpike, call *KTA or *582.
Stranded drivers and abandoned vehicles littered state highways after the blizzard moved in Sunday, dumping up to a foot of ice and snow. Troopers battled frigid conditions, harsh winds and deep snow. Troopers remain on the lookout for stranded drivers across the state.
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Whooping Cough Cases Trending Higher in Kansas
UNDATED (KNS) – Cases of whooping cough, a respiratory infection, are trending upward in Kansas. The Kansas News Service reports that federal data shows there were 253 cases in the state in 2024. That’s compared to only 69 cases in 2023. Angela Myers is division director of infectious diseases at Children’s Mercy hospital. She says cases of whooping cough typically spike in cycles of three to five years. But Myers explains that case numbers dropped during the pandemic. “We were socially distancing ourselves from others, we were wearing masks. We were probably a lot better about washing our hands and kind of all of those things to keep ourselves well,” she said. Myers says people should get the vaccine or booster shot for whooping cough. She says the disease is highly contagious and could be deadly, and that babies and elderly people are most at risk of severe illness.
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FDIC Imposes $20 Million Fine on Southeast Kansas Bank; Bank Challenges Penalty
WEIR, Kan. (BankingDive.com/KPR) - A single-branch bank in southeast Kansas is challenging a $20 million penalty imposed by the Federal Desposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC). The penalty was lodged against CBW Bank, of Weir, for failing to maintain adequate anti-money laundering controls. The FDIC says the bank “recklessly engaged in unsafe or unsound practices” and benefited financially from doing so. The website BankingDive.com reports that the FDIC's action was taken in November and made public in late December, 2024. CBW Bank has filed a lawsuit challenging the agency’s action.
Without explicitly saying so, the FDIC paints a picture that makes it look as though the bank either knowingly - or unknowingly - laundered money for Mexican drug cartels.
While the bank provides banking services to its rural, retail customer base, investigators say it also also ran a multibillion-dollar international money transfer business. The FDIC says CBW provided international financial services to about 30 foreign banks in Central and South America, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In 2018 alone, the bank processed about $27 billion in wire transactions for foreign banks. The FDIC says the bank also failed to file hundreds of suspicious activity reports.
The FDIC pointed to U.S. dollar repatriation services the bank provided, “including millions of dollars in bulk cash shipments from Mexico for five Mexico-chartered banks and a money services business.”
“Bulk cash shipments from Mexico are a major concern for U.S. law enforcement because they are often associated with money laundering in connection with drug trafficking activities,” the agency said.
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Kansas Man Sentenced for Stealing, Selling Human Remains
SCRANTON, Pa. (KPR) - A Wichita man has been sentenced to prison for stealing and selling human remains. Federal prosecutors in Pennsylvania say 39-year-old Angelo Pereyra was given 1.5 years behind bars for stealing body parts from a Kansas hospital where he was employed as a pathology assistant. He admitted to taking various organs, including human hearts, brains, intestines and other parts. Some of the specimens he stole came from deceased individuals, others came from living patients. Prosecutors say Pereyra even stole the corpses of miscarried and stillborn fetuses before they could be properly buried.
Pereyra sold the specimens to Andrew Ensanian, in Montgomery, Pennsylvania. He shipped them from Kansas to Pennsylvania using the U.S. Postal Service. Ensanian previously entered a guilty plea to similar charges. He awaits sentencing.
The crimes took place between 2018 and 2022. The charges resulted from a multi-year investigation into the nationwide trafficking of stolen human remains. Multiple defendants have been charged and five have thus far entered guilty pleas. An additional defendant has been convicted in Arkansas. The case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service.
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Still No Farm Bill in Sight
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) - It’s been two years since a new Farm Bill was supposed to be drafted by Congress. Instead, the 2018 version has been extended for another year, causing mixed reactions from Kansans working in agriculture. Congress is supposed to renew the Farm Bill every five years. The bill encompasses not just agriculture policy, but also rural development and nutrition programs. The extension provides disaster relief and economic assistance to farmers but doesn’t offer more funding for conservation. Ryan Flickner is senior director of advocacy for the Kansas Farm Bureau. He says although the extension was needed, a new Farm Bill is needed more. “Very different times here in 2025 than it was in 2018, so we got to make sure that we do update a farm bill, a safety net for modern agriculture," he said. Flickner says the Kansas Farm Bureau hopes a new Farm Bill will adjust for inflation and use recent data for developing new policies.
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Two People from Wichita Charged with Robbing Kansas Banks
WICHITA, KAN. (KPR) - A Kansas man and woman have been charged with a series of bank robberies involving a firearm. Federal prosecutors say 20-year-old Zane Tilcock and 18-year-old Emily Wise, both of Wichita, are facing various charges in connection with four robberies.
Tilcock is accused of brandishing a firearm to rob three banks in December of 2024. He allegedly robbed an Intrust Bank and an Emprise Bank in Wichita and a Sunflower Bank in Junction City. Wise is accused of robbing an Emprise Bank in Wichita. The FBI, Wichita police, Junction City police and the Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office are all investigating the case.
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Land Conservation Efforts Underway in Kansas
UNDATED (KNS) - The Nature Conservancy acquired hundreds of acres of threatened habitat in Kansas last year. The Nature Conservancy gained about 400 acres in the badlands of western Kansas. It owns a wildlife-friendly ranch there, plus Little Jerusalem - part of which is open to the public as a state park. The group now protects nearly 20,000 acres in total in that area, where rare species like lesser prairie chickens thrive on native mixed-grass prairie. The conservancy also gained several hundred acres at Cheyenne Bottoms in central Kansas. That’s the country’s biggest inland wetland basin. It’s critical to migrating birds. The group is converting farm fields back into wetlands.
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Star Player Caitlin Clark Endorses Possible Kansas City WNBA Team Franchise
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – Kansas City has been buzzing about the possibility of adding a professional women’s basketball team. And now a major player in that world has voiced her approval: WNBA star Caitlin Clark. KCUR reports that Clark is an Iowa native and lifelong Chiefs fan who now plays for the Indiana Fever. In an interview on the New Heights podcast, hosted by Travis and Jason Kelce, Clark said she hoped a Kansas City team could play at the T-Mobile Center. "It’s a great spot. And the Power & Light District down there. Women’s basketball could be great there, so I’d support it," Clark added. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes announced in October that he’s interested in bringing a WNBA expansion team to Kansas City. The league commissioner said she wants to add another franchise by 2028.
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Broncos Blow Out Chiefs in Denver
DENVER, Colo. (KPR) - The Kansas City Chiefs spent the night in Denver last (SUN) night after losing the regular season finale against the Broncos, 38-0. The Chiefs were also delayed on their Saturday departure to Denver because of the weather. For the first time since Andy Reid took over as the Chiefs head coach in 2013, the Chiefs failed to score a point. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes and several other starters sat out the game. Carson Wentz started in place of Mahomes. "Obviously the result was not good," he said. " But at the end of the day we got guys out there some reps that could become invaluable down the stretch here if needed." After the bye week, the top-seeded Chiefs, who finished the regular season with a 15-2 record, will have a home game on January 18th at the earliest against the highest remaining seed after this weekend’s games.
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