UPDATED: Fire Claims Lives of an Entire Family of Four at Apartment Complex in KC Area
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (KMBC) - Unattended cooking is blamed for a fatal fire that claimed the lives of an entire family of four people, including two children, in the Kansas City area. KMBC TV reports that the massive fire broke out Wednesday morning at the Indy Ridge apartment complex in Independence.
Officials have now identified the victims of the fire, all members of the same family: 32-year-old Devante McShann, 28-year-old Katelyn McShann and their two young daughters, 8-year-old Bella and 3-year-old Aaliyah. All four were found dead in the bathroom of their apartment. A GoFundMe account has been established to help family members pay for burial expenses.
The Kansas City Star reports that at least two firefighters suffered from third-degree burns.
KMBC TV reports that 32 families were displaced by the fire.
Investigators say the cause was accidental: someone left a pan cooking on the stove. While the building was found to be fully compliant with safety codes, the structural design of the building played a part in allowing the fire to spread. Investigators say the absence of firewalls in the attic allowed the blaze to spread across the upper floors and down to the second floor. High winds also contributed to the spread of the fire, causing it to partially collapse.
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Kansas Tuberculosis Outbreak Becomes America's Largest in Recorded History
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ/KPR) - An ongoing outbreak of tuberculosis in Kansas has become the largest in the recorded history of the United States. Ashley Goss, with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), told state lawmakers this week that Kansas currently has the largest outbreak it's ever had. According to the Topeka Capital-Journal, public health officials have documented 66 active cases and 79 latent infections in the Kansas City, Kansas, area. Most of those cases have been in Wyandotte County, with a handful in Johnson County.
KDHE spokesperson Jill Bronaugh said the current TB outbreak in KCK is the largest documented outbreak in U.S. history. Bronaugh says the outbreak is still ongoing, which means that there could be more cases. While there may have been larger outbreaks in the history of the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention only began monitoring and reporting TB cases in the U.S. in the 1950s.
Tuberculosis is caused by a bacterium that typically affects the lungs. The illness is spread person-to-person through the air when a person with an active infection coughs, speaks or sings. It is treatable with antibiotics.
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Kansas Department of Education Issues Guidance on Immigration Enforcement Around Schools
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – The Kansas Department of Education issued guidance to school districts Thursday regarding immigration enforcement around schools. The Kansas News Service reports that the statement comes after a directive by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to rescind guidelines that limited law enforcement near sensitive areas. The change will allow Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Protection agents near schools, hospitals and places of worship. The State Department of Education says it will not share any student data without a warrant, subpoena or other lawful order. State officials reminded schools that students have a constitutionally protected right to receive an education. They urged schools to comply with state and federal laws and to update emergency contact information for all families.
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Kansas Lawmakers Consider Increase in Funding for Teacher Mentoring Program
UNDATED (KC Beacon) – Teachers in Kansas must undergo years of mentoring to keep their license. This mentoring is done by veteran teachers, and it should come with up to a $1,000 stipend. The Beacon reports that Kansas doesn’t always pay its mentors. State lawmakers are considering an increase in funding so every mentor gets paid. Shane Carter, who works with the state department of education, says more teachers are interested in the program when they can be compensated. It can also reduce burnout. “Some teachers, you know, have been leaving the profession. And the mentoring is, you know, one more thing that gets tacked on to their additional duties," Carter says. The Emporia School District says their teachers have been short changed before. That means using other money from their budget to cover the shortfall. Budget hearings have begun in Kansas. A final decision on this funding request isn’t imminent.
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Kansas Lawmakers Discuss Bill to Get Rid of Daylight Saving Time
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas lawmakers have been discussing a bill to exempt the state from daylight saving time. The Kansas News Service reports that the practice of clocks springing forward an hour in March and falling back again in November has been standard practice in Kansas for decades. Republican Senator Kenny Titus wants to end the practice starting this fall. He says it’s a hassle that can affect healthy sleep. “There’s a nearly universal consensus among health experts that standard time is better for us because it aligns with our circadian rhythms and our sleep cycles,” Titus explained. But some lawmakers say the change could hurt the economy in Kansas by putting it out of sync with other states. The bill would move Kansas to permanent daylight saving time instead if it becomes mandated by the U.S. government. Currently, Hawaii and most of Arizona do not observe daylight saving time.
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Kansas Legislature Considers Bill to Change Deadline for Mail-In Ballots
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas lawmakers are again considering an end to the three-day grace period for mailed ballots. The Kansas News Service reports that the bill would make Election Day the deadline for mail ballots to be returned. Kansas currently allows votes by mail to be counted if they are postmarked by Election Day and returned to county offices within three days after the election. But supporters of the bill say voters do not trust ballots counted after Election Day. Jason Snead of Honest Elections Project says the earlier deadline will ease voters' concerns. “It will have a profound impact both in terms of promoting the integrity of our elections and public confidence in our voting systems,” Snead added. Critics argue that votes by mail are closely tracked. They also say the bill amounts to voter suppression by making it harder to cast a ballot.
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Kansas Elections Officials Seek DMV Records to Identify Possible Non-Citizen Voters
UNDATED (KNS) – Election officials in Kansas want a new tool to check for noncitizens voting, and that’s driver’s license records. Under a proposed bill, the Department of Motor Vehicles would give the secretary of state a regular list of noncitizens with driver’s licenses. The Kansas News Service reports that officials would check that information against voter rolls. The secretary of state is investigating 20 possible noncitizens out of 2 million registered Kansas voters. Davis Hammet is president of Loud Light, a voting rights group. He says the way the bill is written, it could force election officials to strike lawfully registered voters off the rolls. “You can improve these things without putting up barriers that prevent citizens from engaging in elections,” Hammet said. It is already illegal and extremely rare for noncitizens to vote.
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Kansans for Life Announces Its 2025 Agenda
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas anti-abortion leaders want to expand funding for crisis pregnancy centers and increase abortion data reporting requirements. The lobbying group Kansans for Life’s 2025 legislative agenda includes further expanding funding for anti-abortion pregnancy centers. The Kansas News Service reports that lawmakers have directed more money to the centers in the past two years. The group also wants the state to collect more detailed data on abortions. A new law that requires doctors to ask women their reasons for obtaining an abortion...and to report that to state officials…is currently blocked by a judge. The organization says it will release more details on its agenda at the Kansas March for Life next Wednesday in Topeka.
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Kansas Bill Introduced to Ban Gender-Affirming Care for Transgender Children
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas Republicans have introduced a bill that would ban gender-affirming care for transgender children and teens. The Kansas News Service reports that the bill would prohibit doctors from prescribing treatments such as puberty blockers and hormone replacement therapy to people under 18. Advocates for gender-affirming care say an early transition can reduce the risk of depression and suicide in trans people. But some critics argue it amounts to mutilation. Republicans in Kansas have tried to pass similar bans in years past but haven’t been able to override vetoes by Democratic Governor Laura Kelly. The GOP has a better chance to do so this session after picking up more seats in the state legislature this past November.
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Governor's Proposal Would Expand Free School Meals to More Kansas Students
UNDATED (KNS) – More Kansas students would get free meals at school under a proposal from Democratic Governor Laura Kelly. The Kansas News Service reports that during her State of the State speech, Kelly put forward a plan some anti-hunger groups have wanted for years. Kelly’s plan would subsidize the family co-pay on reduced-price meals. It would cost the state between $4 million and $7 million a year. For two years during the COVID pandemic, federal subsidies allowed all students to eat free at school. Since then, nine states have passed laws to keep school meals free for everyone.
Haley Kottler, with the anti-hunger group Kansas Appleseed, says the meals children get in school cafeterias can make a big difference. “Students who participate in school meals benefit from improved health outcomes, better test scores, fewer school absences, the list goes on and on. School meals really do impact kids," she said. About 35,000 Kansas children are eligible for reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch program.
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Legislative Bill Would Allow Kansas Public Schools to Hire Chaplains
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Public schools in Kansas would be able to hire chaplains under a measure being considered by state lawmakers. The Kansas News Service reports that the bill is similar to one introduced in the Kansas House last year. It would allow unlicensed chaplains to volunteer or be hired as school counselors if they get approval from a local school board. Republican Rep. Bill Rhiley of Wellington is pushing the measure. He says chaplains would provide much-needed mental health support for students and teachers. Opponents say unlicensed chaplains could impose their religious beliefs on kids. Texas passed a law in 2023 allowing chaplains to be school counselors. Since then, more than a dozen states have floated similar proposals.
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Governor Attends Kansas Water Authority Meeting
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) – Governor Laura Kelly attended the Kansas Water Authority meeting this week to stress her commitment to tackling water issues in Kansas in her final years in office. The Kansas News Service reports that the water authority outlined the need for more funding to the State Water Plan. That’s focused on water quality, quantity and resilience to drought. Kelly says that she heard about water being a concern from many people when campaigning across the state, adding that “...we just can't afford inaction. Now is the time for the legislature to start building this type of program with a dedicated revenue source.” Besides additional funding, Kelly says state agencies need to collaborate. She has proposed moving water oversight into a single agency called the Office of Natural Resources.
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Foreign Ownership of U.S. Farmland Increased in 2023
UNDATED (HPM) – The amount of American crop, pasture and forestland owned by foreign investors continued to increase in 2023. That’s according to analysis by the American Farm Bureau Federation. The Farm Bureau says foreign citizens and companies now own 3.6% of American agricultural land. Investors from China and other countries deemed adversarial make up .03%. That’s not much, says University of Illinois agricultural land economist Bruce Sherrick. He told Harvest Public Media that he thinks concerns about foreign ownership are overblown. “Impact in food supply is always a sensitive political issue. But again, the fractions are so incredibly tiny in the US that (it’s) hard to find where the coverage is proportional to the potential impact,” he added. Sherrick says one area of legitimate concern is whether foreign-owned land is located near a government or other sensitive property.
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Kansas City, Wichita, Overbrook, and Lawrence Establishments Named as James Beard Award Semifinalists
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – Semifinalists in the so-called “Oscars of the culinary world” were announced Wednesday, and seven Kansas City-area restaurants made the cut. KCUR reports that a bar owner, a cocktail lounge, a baker and several local chefs were all named semifinalists for the 2025 national James Beard Awards. Nominees from Kansas include restaurants in Overbrook and Wichita, and John Brown's Underground bar in Lawrence. The Town Company in downtown Kansas City received two nods. Executive Chef Johnny Leach and his wife, Executive Pastry Chef Helen Jo Leach, create seasonal menus of popular Midwestern dishes. Johnny Leach says to be acknowledged on this platform is huge. “We're so humbled and honored to be a part of the culinary scene in Kansas City. We love Kansas City. We love being able to contribute to the local dining climate here so much,” Leach added. The James Beard Foundation will announce winners in June in Chicago.
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KC Prepares for Bills in AFC Championship Game
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) - A familiar foe awaits the Kansas City Chiefs this Sunday in the AFC championship game: the Buffalo Bills. The Chiefs face the Bills for the third time in the past four playoff runs. So far, Kansas City has found a way to win. Earlier this season, the two teams met in a game that the Bills won. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid says it's helpful to have plenty of film to prepare with. "I don't know how you weigh out the advantage of it, but I feel like we play these guys all the time, so they know us and we know them," he said. Kickoff is at 5:30 pm at Arrowhead Stadium. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-30s, dropping as the game progresses.
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