Haskell Women's BB Coach Loses Job; Stays on as Volunteer
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KC Star / LJW / KSHB) — A basketball coach at Haskell Indian Nations University is one of nearly 40 probationary employees laid off at the federally-funded school as a result of budget cuts announced by the Trump administration earlier this month. The Kansas City Star reports that Adam Strom, the 48-year-old head coach of the women's basketball team, was told on Valentine's Day that he had been terminated. Rather than walking away from his team right before the playoffs, Strom decided to stay on and coach the team for free.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports that a nonprofit dedicated to supporting Haskell is now raising donations to support the needs of the university in the wake of layoffs. The Haskell Foundation says on its website that it's hoping to raise at least $350,000 to support the school. A large part of the money raised would be used to fund temporary contracts for laid off workers - including coaches, a bus driver, custodians and dining staff. The Haskell Foundation website explicitly states that it is not raising funds to hire back dischared workers. As of 7:30 Wednesday morning, nearly $64,000 had been raised.
KSHB TV reports that students and staff members from Haskell University held a protest outside the Kansas Statehouse on Monday to draw attention to the layoffs.
==========
KU Students Protest Changes in Gender-Inclusive Scholarship Hall Accommodations
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) – Some University of Kansas students are protesting the school’s plan to eliminate gender-inclusive housing options in one co-ed student living facility. KU also proposes to enforce the use of separate bathrooms in that scholarship hall based on students’ legal gender identity. KU student Anthony Alvarez has lived at Grace Pearson Scholarship Hall for three years. He says he and others worked hard to make the dormitory an inclusive, welcoming space for people who are transgender, like himself, or non-binary. “I know a lot of people are in the position where GP is their home and over the summer they feel as though they’re waiting to come back home. And I’m really upset that that’s not gonna be there anymore,” he explained. Alvarez says the new rules are harmful to trans or non-binary students. In an emailed statement, a KU spokesperson said the change was made to comply with building codes that require separate facilities.
==========
Advocates Say Federal Cuts to Medicaid Could Affect Health Care Access for Some Kansans
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Advocates in Kansas say potential federal cuts to Medicaid could impact access to health care for low-income Kansans. The Kansas News Service reports that Republicans in the U.S. House passed a bill mandating nearly $900 billion in cuts to the committee that oversees Medicare and Medicaid. April Holman with Alliance for a Healthy Kansas says that could mean significant cuts to services for children, pregnant women and low-income Kansans. She says it could also affect people with disabilities who receive in-home care, adding that “...it could mean that people have fewer choices to receive those services at home.” Republicans who voted for the bill, including U.S. Representative Ron Estes of Kansas, say they can pay for the cuts by targeting Medicaid fraud.
==========
Kansas Catholic Priest Moves Closer to 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.
==========
Final Results of Wichita School Bond Issue Still Pending
UNDATED (KNS) – Leaders in the Wichita school district say they’re waiting for final results of Tuesday's bond issue election before deciding next steps. The Kansas News Service reports that the district is seeking a $450 million bond issue to build and renovate schools. Unofficial results show bond opponents leading by fewer than 300 votes, with more than 4,000 potential votes still to be counted. School board president Diane Albert isn’t saying whether the district will force a recount, or if they’ll ask for a smaller bond issue if this one fails. “We still have things to solve and needs to address. And so it’s all hands on-deck, and we’re going to look for creative solutions to solve the problems that we face,” she said. Mail-in ballots postmarked by Election Day can be counted through Friday. Results won’t be final until a vote canvass next week (March 6).
==========
New Law Could Help 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.
==========
USDA Releases Some Promised Funding in Kansas and Other Agricultural States
UNDATED (HPM) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released some funding for environmental and agricultural projects in Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri. But the freeze is still in place for many others. Harvest Public Media reports that the back-and-forth has caused a lot of uncertainty. Jason Grimm runs a family poultry farm in Williamsburg, Iowa. He was awarded a fifty thousand dollar grant to buy a refrigerated truck to sell his chicken and turkey further from his farm. But that grant is funded with federal dollars. Grimm is not making any purchases because he’s worried he won’t be reimbursed. Grimm says the Trump administration’s policies are hurting common farmers. “Unless you are a wealthy, well connected person in rural America, you are going to be very negatively impacted by these policies,” he said. The USDA says it will be releasing more money soon as it continues to review federal grants.
==========
Woman Charged with Bank Robbery Works as Special Education Teacher 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). KCTV reports that the woman who was arrested is a special education coordinator for Kansas City, Kansas, Public Schools. She has been placed on administrative leave. 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.
==========
Tariffs on Canadian Goods Could Result in Price Hike for Fertilizer
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.
==========
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.)
==========
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.
==========
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.
==========
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.
==========
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).