Dangerously Cold Temperatures Descend on Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR/WIBW) - It's bitterly cold across Kansas. In the eastern third of the state, sub-zero temperatures were recorded Tuesday morning. The National Weather Service issued a Cold Weather Advisory, saying wind chills could drop to 25 degrees below zero, despite a sunny sky.
In weather this cold, experts say hypothermia and frostbite become a concern. If traveling outdoors, they caution people to wear appropriate clothing - a coat, hat and gloves, and to keep pets indoors as much as possible.
It's been more than 100 years since it was this cold in Topeka on January 21. WIBW TV reports that Topeka set a record-low temperature for Tuesday morning when the mercury dipped to minus-12 degrees. According to the National Weather Service, that breaks the previous low of minus-11 set in 1888.
Get the latest weather from the National Weather Service.
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Kansas Governor Recommends Pay Raises for Government Employees
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCL) - In her budget proposal, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has included pay raises for state government workers. She's requesting a 2.5% pay raise for almost all state employees and a 5% raise for those who work at facilities that operate 24 hours a day, like state prisons and state hospitals.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Republican lawmakers have generally favored pay raises for state workers based on how salaries compare to market rates, rather than the universal pay bump proposed by the Democratic governor.
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Kansas Legislature Examines Bill to Reduce State Property Taxes
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – A Kansas bill would reduce state taxes for property owners. That's something Republicans say is a top priority this year. The Kansas News Service reports that most property taxes in Kansas go to school districts. But a small piece of the revenue helps the state construct and maintain its buildings. Republicans want to eliminate that piece. Instead, costs would be covered by revenue from other taxes, like retail and income. Proponents say it would provide relief for property owners. But some say the change could hinder repairs at college campuses in Kansas. Colton Gibson, who lobbies for companies that contract with state universities, said “...make no mistake, if we don’t pay for these repairs now, we will pay for it later at a higher cost.” The GOP is pursuing several kinds of tax cuts this session. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly says she’d rather not pass any more tax cuts this year.
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Kansas Lawmakers Expected to Consider Health Care-Related Proposals
UNDATED (KNS) – Analysts expect Kansas lawmakers to consider proposals to expand access to sedation dentistry and behavioral health care this year. The Kansas News Service reports that other proposals could face pushback from an expanded Republican supermajority. Kansans on Medicaid who live in rural areas have few options for sedation dentistry. In part, that’s due to low Medicaid reimbursement rates for dental providers. It's something that Linda Sheppard with the Kansas Health Institute says lawmakers could address this year. “They want to make sure that that service is being reimbursed in a way that will make it possible for patients to have access to that,” she explained. Dentists say sedation is especially important for children and people with disabilities. Efforts to expand Medicaid are again unlikely to succeed this year due to a Republican supermajority. It’s also unclear whether lawmakers will have the votes needed to legalize medical marijuana.
editor's note: The Kansas Health Institute receives funding from the Kansas Health Foundation, which also provides some funding to the Kansas News Service and is a Kansas Public Radio underwriter.
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Dismissed Cases Against January 6th Participants Include 6 from Missouri and Kansas
UNDATED (KCUR) – The interim U.S. Attorney in Washington moved rapidly Tuesday to dismiss cases against January Sixth rioters from Missouri and Kansas. KCUR reports that there are six active January 6th cases, four from Missouri and two from Kansas. By noon Tuesday, the government had offered motions to dismiss those cases with prejudice, meaning they can’t be refiled. A judge will still have to grant the motions. Four Missouri men are still in prison following their convictions. Motions to dismiss those cases have yet to be filed. The man in charge of all of this is interim U.S. Attorney Ed Martin, a St. Louis lawyer who was prominent in the “Stop the Steal” movement and who tweeted from the Capitol on January 6, 2021.
(–Additional reporting–)
KC Area Residents Charged in Capitol Riot Pardoned by President Trump
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) — Seven Kansas City-area residents charged in the January 6 riot have been pardoned by President Trump. KSHB TV reports that 1,500 people were pardoned for charges and convictions related to the attack.
The Kansas City-area residents affected by the president's pardons are:
Jennifer Parks, of Leavenworth
Esther Schwemmer, of Leavenworth
Carey Jon Walden, of Kansas City, Missouri
William Chrestman, of Olathe
Christopher Kuehne, of Olathe
Louis Enrique Colon, of Blue Springs
Ryan Ashlock, of Gardner
The action provides an unconditional pardon to all individuals convicted of offenses related to events that occurred at or near the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021.
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Possible House Explosion Under Investigation in Chanute
CHANUTE, Kan. (KOAM) - Investigators are looking into a possible explosion at a house in Chanute. KOAM TV reports that fire officials were dispatched to the home (in the 600 block of West 16th) Monday afternoon on a report of a structure fire with a possible explosion. The Kansas State Fire Marshal has been called in to investigate.
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Wichita City Council Votes to Provide Funding for Health Testing Connected to Groundwater Contamination
WICHITA, Kan.(KMUW) – Wichita's City Council voted Tuesday to provide some funding for health testing for communities impacted by groundwater contamination. KMUW reports that in 2022, residents learned about a decades-old site of groundwater contamination near 29th and Grove in northeast Wichita, affecting around 2800 addresses. Last June, Kansas legislators made $2.5 million dollars available for cancer screenings for impacted residents. But the state required a $1 million dollar local match to make all the funding available. Months later, the city has now approved $125,000 in matching funds. City council member Brandon Johnson says the vote was months in the making, adding that he is "...looking forward to getting the rest of the funds to make this plan work, and looking forward to getting people in there to get tested so they can learn what's going on with them." Johnson says the rest of the matching dollars will come from the county and private donors, such as the Kansas Health Foundation.
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Osage County Sheriff IDs Duck Hunter Who Fell from Boat and Drowned
OSAGE COUNTY, Kan. (Hays Post) — Authorities have identified the Kansas man who drown at Melvern Lake over the weekend. The Osage County sheriff's office says 28-year-old Justin T. Steinman, of Overland Park, fell from his boat and drowned Saturday afternoon. The Hays Post reports that a lengthy search by land, air and water was conducted before Steinman was located and pulled from the water. Life-saving measures were performed, but he was later pronounced dead at an area hospital.
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Kansas Forest Service Warns of Timber Theft
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KNS) - Tree theft is becoming a thing in the Sunflower State. It may sound crazy, but Kansas has seen at least two cases of timber theft from wildlife areas in recent years. Tree thieves often target black walnut, which sells well for flooring, gunstocks, cabinetry and more. Dave Bruton, with the Kansas Forest Service, says the theft of timber is becoming a problem. “If a person thinks that a property is not being very well watched, then it’s more tempting for them to possibly cut those and hope that they don’t get caught," he said. Both recent cases of timber theft from public land in Kansas went to court. One case, in state court, ended with the accused being required to pay thousands of dollars of restitution. The other is a multistate case that’s still ongoing in federal court, where potential penalties are steeper.
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Federal Grant Expands Health Care Options in Rural Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KNS) - Some rural Kansans have more options for health appointments outside regular work hours thanks to a federal grant. Konza Prairie Community Health Center provides medical, dental and behavioral care to people at three Kansas locations: Junction City, Manhattan and Chapman.
CEO Danielle Halgren says the federal grant helps them expand hours of operation at their Manhattan clinic. “We have already hired the additional medical provider and dental provider and pharmacist for that location so that we can extend til 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday.” Halgren says they serve a lot of uninsured or underinsured people, so the money helps fill health care gaps in the region.
Jason Wesco, president of the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, one of the grant recipients, says the $500,000 grant they received will help them extend hours at three of their locations: Pittsburg, Pleasanton and Garnett. Wesco says patients in those areas typically can’t afford to take off from work or school to visit a clinic. “And so our goal is to help them avoid more expensive care by being here in mornings and evenings and weekends so they can get the right care that they need at the right time," he said. Wesco says they serve about 90,000 patients a year at 15 spots in Kansas and two in Oklahoma.
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USDA Says High Price of Eggs Linked to Bird Flu
UNDATED (HPM) – The average price for a dozen eggs has soared to over $4 in recent weeks. Harvest Public Media reports that bird flu is a big reason why. More than 13 million egg-laying hens died last month because of bird flu, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That’s the most of any month last year. The losses are a big factor in higher egg prices, says Jada Thompson, a poultry economist at the University of Arkansas. “One of the hard parts is there's this regional concentration of production. And so when a disease is going through and and hitting farms in that area it's gonna affect multiple farms, and that's gonna affect the supply of eggs, and that supply then will affect our prices,” she explained. Thompson says egg prices will likely fall as bird flu cases drop and the egg supply recovers. But more outbreaks of the virus could push prices back up.
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State Prepares for Panasonic Plant to Start Producing Batteries
DE SOTO, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas leaders say lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, or EVs, will start coming out of De Soto’s Panasonic plant this spring. State lawmakers approved more than $800 million in tax incentives in 2022 to help build the plant. They say the massive facility has already brought an influx of commerce and construction to De Soto and surrounding areas. Democratic Lt. Governor David Toland is the state secretary of commerce who pushed to bring the plant to Kansas. He says it will be the first of many alternative energy investments in the state. “Kansas has momentum," he said. "We’re seen nationally and globally in the EV world as the up-and-comer, and we're going to make sure that we fully leverage that as we go forward.” Executives at Panasonic say the first batteries should come off the production line in March.
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EPA Fines Pottawatomie County Farm
WESTMORELAND, Kan. (WIBW) - A farm in Pottawamtomie County has been fined by the Environmental Protection Agency for allegedly violating federal pollution standards. WIBW TV reports that Wickstrum Farms and Wickstrum Cattle LLC have been fined $70,000. In 2023, EPA inspectors discoverd that the cattle farms had allowed unauthorized discharges into Pleasant Run Creek, in violation of the Clean Water Act.
Those discharges could include manure, animal feed or other pollutants. The EPA says the farm has since addressed the issue.
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KBI Investigates Topeka Shooting
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is investigating an officer-involved shooting that wounded a man in Topeka. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says a police officer stopped a bicyclist in an alley Friday night. The man on the bicycle -- later identified as 37-year-old Joseph Pham-Gardner -- fled. The KBI says a struggle ensued and Pham-Gardner threatened to shoot the officer, who then fired multiple shots hitting the man. He was taken to a Kansas City hospital for surgery and his injuries do not appear to be life-threatening. No law enforcement officers were injured. The investigation continues.
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Kansas Highway Patrol: Too Many Motorists Driving 100+ MPH
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) - Kansas state troopers busted thousands of drivers last year for speeding more than 100 miles-per-hour. One driver was caught speeding more than 160 mph. KSNT TV reached out to the Kansas Highway Patrol and learned that in 2024, state troopers issued more than 2,600 citations to motorists driving that fast. Since 2013, there's been a steady increase in the number of drivers in Kansas exceeding 100 mph.
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