Flu Season Hitting Hard in Kansas
UNDATED (KNS) – Federal data shows Kansas has some of the highest influenza activity in the nation. The Kansas News Service reports that flu activity in Kansas, Nebraska and eight other states is “very high” – the highest level of classification by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Amanda Applegate with the Immunize Kansas Coalition says most people are getting sick with Influenza A, a strain of the virus that causes severe illness and can be deadly. “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure across the board. By far and above the best thing you can do to protect yourself from influenza is getting a flu shot,” she urged. Applegate says a flu shot does not always mean you won’t get the flu, but it does mean you’ll have a much better chance of avoiding hospitalization or severe illness.
==========
Potential FBI Layoffs Could Affect Kansas Law Enforcement
UNDATED (KCUR) – With President Trump's new FBI director in place, employees at local field offices are bracing for possible layoffs. KCUR reports that there are about a hundred agents at the FBI office in Kansas City that covers all of Kansas and western Missouri. If the administration fires agents, Johnson County Sheriff Byron Roberson says, local crime fighting will be damaged, adding that “...it will severely hamper the ability of local law enforcement to do their job.” Local police and deputies work hand-in-hand with FBI agents on task forces, like the Joint Terrorism Task Force. In the last ten years, terrorism task force members have foiled bomb plots at Fort Riley, the Wichita airport and a plot to bomb a mosque in Garden City. (Read more.)
==========
Kansas Closer to Opening New Mental Health Hospital
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas lawmakers have advanced a bill that will bring the state one step closer to opening a psychiatric hospital in South Wichita. The Kansas News Service reports that officials say the hospital would help address a growing need in the region. Half of the hospital’s 104 beds will serve adults who are in mental health crisis. The other half will be used to evaluate criminal defendants for competency. It’s in response to a shortage of mental health beds in the region that has pushed patients into emergency rooms, raising safety concerns. Work at the site began three weeks ago. Officials expect construction to be completed by October of next year and the hospital to open in January 2027. Lawmakers already appropriated money for the project, but the bill will formally establish the hospital in state code.
==========
People in Western Kansas Anxious Following Trump's Crackdown on Illegal Immigration
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) - In the wake of the Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration, some residents in southwest Kansas are feeling anxious. The Kansas News Service reports that those living in the state without legal status fear deportation. Promises of mass deportations have caused anxiety for many, particularly those living in the southwest part of the state. (Read more.)
==========
Key Fertilizer Ingredient Could See Price Spike from Canadian Goods Tariffs
UNDATED (HPM) – The Trump administration has discussed adding a 25-percent tariff on Canadian goods. Farmers and agriculture officials are worried that might make a key ingredient needed for fertilizer more expensive. Harvest Public Media reports that farmers across the Midwest rely on potash, a key mineral compound used to produce fertilizer. America imports over 80 percent of its potash from Canada. The White House threat to place tariffs on Canadian imports is currently on a 30-day freeze set to expire in March. Bill Knudsen, an Agricultural Economist at Michigan State University, says a tariff would hurt U.S. farmers. "Just about any crop, you're using potash in some ways, so that's gonna reduce your profitability. We're already looking at kind of a decline in farm income, especially for field crop producers in the upcoming year," he explained. A potash mine in Michigan is waiting to see if the Department of Energy will move forward with a loan worth over $1 billion that was conditionally approved by President Joe Biden.
==========
Kansas Catholic Priest Advances One More Step Toward Sainthood
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – A Kansas Catholic Priest who died during the Korean War has been declared Venerable by the Vatican. The Kansas News Service reports that this move brings Father Emil Kapaun one step closer to sainthood. Father Kapaun was born in the small Central Kansas town of Pilsen. He was awarded a Medal of Honor for dragging wounded soldiers to safety in Korea before being captured. Scott Carter, coordinator for Kapaun’s Cause for Sainthood, says “...he (Kapaun) eventually died in the prison camp May 23, 1951, but for the men there, and for all of us, his story continues to reach out beyond the grave.” The Vatican will next investigate alleged miracles attributed to Kapaun after his death. Two confirmed miracles are needed for canonization as a saint. The decree comes as 88-year-old Pope Francis battles double pneumonia.
==========
New Law Could Aid Thousands of Kansans with Suspended or Revoked Driver's Licenses
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) – More than 120 thousand Kansans started the year unable to drive legally because of a suspended or revoked license. KMUW reports that Kansas used to automatically suspended the licenses of drivers who failed to comply with a traffic citation. That could be because they failed to pay fines or appear in court. Suspended drivers can't drive legally until they deal with these issues, although many still do. This can lead to their license being revoked for three years or more. Sheila Officer is with Wichita’s Racial Profiling Advisory Board. She advocated for a new law, which took effect last month to help those drivers, saying that “... it gives some relief to the thousands of Kansas that have a revoked driver’s license. They can now apply for what we call the restricted driver’s license.” That license allows people to legally drive to school, work, the grocery store or religious services while working on their case.
==========
Co-Owner of Nationally Recognized Kansas Bar Dies in Car Crash
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – The co-owner of a nationally recognized bar in Kansas has died in a car crash along with his new wife. KCUR reports that the staff at the bar Drastic Measures, in Shawnee, are grieving the loss of Justin Burnell and Simone Mele. The pair were married last week and were returning from their honeymoon Sunday night when a wrong-way driver struck and killed them in Pineville, Missouri. Both were pronounced dead at the scene.
Burnell was a partner at Drastic Measures – which was twice nominated for a James Beard, Most Outstanding Bar award. Mele was a hospitality professional at the Kansas City, Missouri bar Swordfish Tom's. Drastic Measures was already scheduled to be closed this weekend so the staff could attend a cocktail convention in Arizona.
==========
Married Couple Charged with Robbing a Bank in KCK
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KSHB) — A husband and wife are accused of robbing a bank in Kansas City, Kansas. Prosecutors in Wyandotte County have charged 51-year-old Willie Sampson and 50-year-old Kimberly Thomas-Sampson in the January 31st armed robbery of a U.S. Bank branch (at 10959 Parallel Parkway) in Kansas City, Kansas. KSHB TV reports that the couple is also facing charges of non-residential burglary, conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, aggravated assault and theft. Their bonds were each set at $250,000.
==========
Kansas Legislature Considers Transferring Shawnee Mission Historical Site
JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. (Johnson County Post) – Kansas lawmakers will once again consider transferring ownership of a significant historical site in Johnson County out of the state’s hands. The Johnson County Post reports that nearly 200 years ago, Native American families sent their children to a boarding school run by Methodists at the Shawnee Indian Mission in present-day Fairway. A Kansas House committee this week will discuss a bill that would transfer ownership of that roughly 12-acre site to the Shawnee Tribe. A similar bill was introduced two years ago but didn’t get very far. This time, the bill has the backing of several other tribes in Kansas. Shawnee tribal leaders have long maintained that the mission site, which is under the control of Fairway and the state of Kansas, is deteriorating and needs millions of dollars worth of updating. Fairway officials oppose transferring ownership, and have suggested without direct evidence that tribal leaders would develop the site, possibly into a casino.
==========
Kansas Bill Would Address Nonprofit Community Theater Taxation
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW/KNS) — Music Theatre Wichita is pushing for legislation that staff members say would save the theatre around $75,000 dollars a year. The bill aims to provide a sales tax exemption for nonprofits operating community theaters, like Music Theatre Wichita. Currently, the theatre pays sales tax on building and set items as well as the tickets it sells, meaning it gets taxed twice. Angela Cassette, managing director of Music Theatre Wichita, says other entities often only pay sales tax on their end product. “I'm going to use Spirit Aerosystems as an example because they buy a lot of steel. When they buy steel, they do not pay sales tax on that steel. The tax comes on the end product. Music Theatre Wichita also buys a lot of steel because we build our sets with them. When we buy steel, we pay sales tax on our steel, and then we also pay tax on the end product, which is our tickets," she said. This is the fourth year the bill has been proposed to the legislature, but it's finding difficulty passing once again.
==========
Small Kansas Town Offers Up to $15,000 in Incentives to Attract New Residents
NEODESHA, Kan. (Governing Magazine) — A small town in southeast Kansas is offering a variety of incentives, including student loan repayment, tax breaks and housing to encourage people to move there. Governing Magazine reports that Neodesha, a town of 2,300 people in Wilson County, is working to attract new residents and combat rural population decline. The small town is about a two-hour drive from Wichita.
Through a partnership with the company MakeMyMove, Neodesha is offering various incentives to lure people. The full incentives package includes up to $15,000 in student loan repayment assistance, 100% Kansas state income tax waiver through 2026, a college scholarship incentive reaching up to $25,000 and more.
New residents can also receive a one-year family pass to the Neodesha splash zone, a six-month subscription to the local newspaper, a USD 461 school activities pass, two tickets to the Neodesha Chamber of Commerce’s annual auction and dinner, and more.
Chris Bauman, the city’s community development director, said they’ve seen interest from several states. “We’ve had some… interest from a variety of different states, New Mexico, Florida, Kentucky, Minnesota, Texas,” he said.
==========
Salvation Army Gets $400,000 Gift to Help Residents Pay Gas Bills
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — The Salvation Army in Kansas City has announced it's getting $400,000 from the state of Kansas. The money will be used to supplement utility assistance programs. The Salvation Army’s news release claims that the money comes from a settlement with an energy supplier in Kansas. WDAF TV reports that the Attorney General sent the money to the Salvation Army to help residents pay their gas bills.
‘We were excited to hear about this gift and grateful to Attorney General Kris Kobach,” said Major Kelly Collins. “This $400,000 gift will surely make a difference for struggling Kansans and provide relief for seasonally high utility bills.” The AG’s office says the money will be made available in time for the March utility cycle.
==========
KU Jayhawks Fall Out of AP Top 25
UNDATED (KPR) - For the first time since 2021, the KU Jayhawks are unranked in the AP's Top 25. The Jayhawks went 1-1 last week while ranked number 23 in the country. Notably, KU lost 91-57 to BYU last Tuesday in Provo, Utah. The Hawks bounced back in a 32-point victory over Oklahoma State on Saturday. And on Monday night, the Jayhawks beat Colorado 71 to 64 in Boulder.
==========
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).