KC Man Pleads Guilty in Ralph Yarl Shooting
LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City man took a plea deal today (FRI) in the 2023 shooting of Ralph Yarl, a Black honor student who rang the white man’s doorbell by mistake. The Associated Press reports 86-year-old Andrew Lester was scheduled to stand trial next week on charges of first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the shooting of Yarl, who survived and has since graduated from high school. As part of a plea deal, Lester pleaded guilty to second-degree assault. Lester will be sentenced on March 7th. The charge carries a sentence of up to seven years in prison, compared to first-degree assault, which carries a sentence of 15 to 30 years, depending on the circumstances. Yarl, who was then 16 years old, showed up on Lester’s doorstep on the night of April 13, 2023, after he mixed up the streets where he was supposed to pick up his twin siblings. Lester’s attorney, Steve Salmon, has long argued that Lester was acting in self-defense and that he was terrified by the stranger who knocked on his door as he settled into bed. Authorities say Lester shot Yarl twice: first in the head, then in the arm. A judge previously ordered a mental evaluation of Lester. The results of that evaluation were not released publicly.
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Topeka Mental Health Centers to Merge
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Two mental health clinics based in Topeka will be merging in the next year. WIBW TV reports that the Family Service and Guidance Center and Valeo Behavioral Health Care have approved plans to merge. The merger will create one Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic. Officials say no layoffs or staffing cuts are expected with the merger, which is expected to be complete by January 1st, 2026. Family Services and Guidance Center was founded in 1904 and currently employs 335 people. Valeo Behavioral Health Care was founded in 1967 and employs 340 people.
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KBI: Teen's Death in Junction City Detention Center Accidental
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has ruled accidental a teen's death at a state juvenile detention center last November. In a press release, the KBI says that the 17-year-old had been at the North Central Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention Center for about three months when he died November 5th, 2024. The final autopsy report determined the teen's death was combined intoxication by several prescribed medicines, with a heart condition, obesity, and asthma contributing factors. The Kansas State Child Death Review Board reviews all child fatalities in the state and will evaluate the findings in the case.
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Proposed Cuts to NIH Could Result in Loss of Funding for Biomedical Research in Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) - An order by the Trump administration could result in millions of dollars in lost funding for biomedical research in Kansas. Last year, Kansas institutions received more than $140 million from the National Institutes of Health for cancer research and other health studies. The University of Kansas Medical Center received the majority of that funding. KU Medical did not respond to a request for comment from the Kansas News Service. A significant portion of the money is threatened by a directive last week from the Trump administration that would slash the amount of NIH money that can go toward overhead costs. That could make it more difficult for Kansas research institutions to do things like hire staff, maintain security and keep the lights on. A federal judge temporarily blocked the directive this week, but it’s unclear how the case will progress.
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Kansas Congressman Hopes to Move "Food for Peace" Program to USDA
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KPR) – Republican members of Congress from Kansas are hoping to move a food assistance program from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The 70-year-old U.S. program, called "Food for Peace" sends surplus agriculture commodities around the world, for free, to feed malnourished and starving populations. Kansas Republican Representative Tracey Mann and Kansas Senator Jerry Moran have signed on to legislation that would move the program to USDA, which already runs two international food assistance programs that deal with in-kind food donations (Food for Progress and the McGovern-Dole Food for Education program). Officials credit Food for Peace with feeding more than 4 billion people in more than 150 countries.
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Lenexa Police Identify Women Killed in Double Homicide; Son Taken into Custody
LENEXA, Kan. (KMBC) — Police in Lenexa are investigating the deaths of two women who were found during a welfare check at a home. Investigators believe the son of one of the victims shot and killed both women. Officers were dispatched to the home (in the 15400 block of West 90th Street) early Wednesday morning to check on the welfare of two women after receiving a report about a possible shooting. Police had been to the same home two other times during the week on domestic disturbances calls. When officers arrived, they found the bodies of two women inside the home. KMBC TV reports that the women have been identified as 71-year-old Joyce Austin and 63-year-old Valerie Howard.
The women are former sisters-in-law and lived together. Police say 34-year-old Luke Howard was taken into custody after the shooting. The suspect is the son of Valerie Howard. He's now been charged with two counts of first-degree murder.
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Great Backyard Bird Count Happening This Weekend
UNDATED (HPM) – Bird watching is a fast-growing hobby around the United States and the world. But you don’t need to be an expert to participate. Harvest Public Media reports that you can help researchers learn more about the birds in your backyard during a global bird counting event this weekend. Each year, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and other bird organizations coordinate the “Great Backyard Bird Count.” The event encourages people to go outside and report what birds they’re seeing. Becca Rodomsky-Bish, the project leader, says it's meant to help scientists gather data… all while exposing newcomers to the songs and colors of bird species like northern cardinals, bluejays, and chickadees. “Birds? I mean, they’re fun… And so I find that birds are this really wonderful entry point for a lot of people to sort of become awoken to the mysteries and wonders of the natural world,” she explains. People who are interested can visit birdcount.org.
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Ichabods Finally Lose a Game - But it Took an Overtime Game on the Road
FORT SMITH, Ark. – In men's college basketball, someone was finally able to beat Washburn University. The No. 1 Ichabods suffered their first loss of the season Thursday to Arkansas-Fort Smith, 87-80 in overtime and on the road. The Washburn men are now 22-1 on the season. The Ichabods are back in action Saturday at Northeastern State.
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