Kansas City Receives Life Sentence in Deputies' Deaths
WYANDOTTE COUNTY, Kan. (KMBC) - A Kansas City man will serve life in prison for killing two Wyandotte County sheriff's deputies. KMBC TV reports that Antoine Fielder pleaded guilty in December to two counts of capital murder and one count of aggravated robbery in the deaths of Patrick Rohrer and Theresa King. Prosecutors say the officers were transporting inmates in 2018 when they were overcome by Fielder, who took a gun from the deputies and shot them. Fielder's trial was delayed multiple times since 2019; he was scheduled to go to trial in February when he entered the guilty plea. He received the life sentence today (THURS) in Wyandotte County court.
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Lawrence Church Receives Cultural Heritage Grant
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - An historic church in Lawrence will get much-needed help from the National Trust for Historic Preservation's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. Ninth Street Missionary Baptist Church is one of 30 churches in the U.S. awarded a grant this month, as part of an effort to preserve buildings that are important to Black history. Senior Pastor Eric Galbreath says the church has been a become for the Black community ever since it was founded by formerly enslaved people 162 years ago. The first stage of the $600,000 grant will create a plan to address needed repairs to the church.
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Congress Honors Lives Lost in Wichita-DC Crash
WASHINGTON, DC (KCTV) - Members of Congress honored all 67 lives lost during the January 29th collision between a military helicopter and an American Airlines airplane in Washington DC. KCTV reports that the resolution was introduced by Congressman Ron Estes and other members of the Kansas delegation, and cosponsored by more than 80 other members of Congress. American Airlines flight 5342 originated in Wichita and was preparing to land when it collided with a Black Hawk helicopter. The resolution honoring the victims passed the U.S. House of Representatives unanimously by voice vote.
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Charges Filed in Deaths of 3 KC Chiefs Fans Whose Bodies Were Found in Friend's Backyard
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) - Charges have finally been filed in connection with the deaths of three Kansas City Chiefs fans whose bodies were found in a backyard more than a year ago. The bodies were discovered two days after the friends got together to watch a Chiefs game. WDAF TV reports that Jordan Willis and Ivory Carson are each charged with involuntary manslaughter and delivery of a controlled substance in a case that gained widespread attention.
The mystery began in early January 2024 when three frozen bodies were found in Jordan Willis' backyard. The victims - 38-year-old Ricky Johnson, 37-year-old David Harrington and 36-year-old Clayton McGeeney - were all friends with Willis. Their bodies were discovered when McGeeney's girlfriend went looking for him two days after the game.
A forensic lab later determined that the men had died from a toxic combination of fentanyl and cocaine. A lawyer for Willis says there's no evidence that Willis bought the drugs or provided them to his friends.
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Jury Awards Kansas City Whistleblower More than $900,000
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KC Star) - The former director of communications for Kansas City government has won his whistleblower lawsuit against the city. Chris Hernandez filed suit against the city, alleging he was forced out of his job because he resisted a suggestion that it would be okay for city officials to lie to the news media. The Kansas City Star reports that on Wednesday, Hernandez won his whistleblower lawsuit and a unanimous jury in Jackson County, Missouri, awarded him more than $900,000.
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Kansas Schools Review New Federal Guidance on DEI Programs
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - School leaders in Kansas say they’re reviewing new federal guidance that targets programs related to D.E.I. or Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Last month, the U.S. Department of Education threatened to pull federal funding from schools with DEI programs or policies. But Kansas school leaders say the new directive remains vague. Diane Albert is president of the Wichita school board. "We are and will continue to be law-abiding, and we will be reviewing policies that the U.S. Department of Education believes may be incongruent to their current guidance," she said. At least six Kansas school districts have equity directors, and several focus on cultural diversity in teacher training programs.
The Education Department has also launched an End DEI website to encourage the public to report schools they believe are discriminatory. Wichita Superintendent Kelly Bielefeld says the directive is vague, and the new public hotline is unnecessary. “We don’t need a special portal at the federal government level for people to let us know when they’re concerned about something," he said. "They let us know. We already have those mechanisms in place.”
Federal education officials say cultural celebrations like Black History Month are not illegal as long as they are open to all. But schools cannot have identity-based graduation ceremonies or scholarships.
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KBOE to Vote to Remove Controversial Kansas High School Graduation Requirement
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – A controversial requirement for Kansas high school graduation may soon go by the wayside. Last year, the state Board of Education approved a new requirement for students to fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA form. The 10-member board is set to vote on the removal of that requirement later this month. KSNT reports that the requirement received criticism from parents, students and school administrators shortly after it was approved. The board will vote on removing the FAFSA requirement at its meeting on March 11.
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Wisconsin Teenager Appears in Kansas Court, Awaits Extradition After Parents Found Dead
TREGO COUNTY, Kan. (WISN) — A Wisconsin teenager, whose parents were found dead in their home last Friday, appeared in a western Kansas courtroom for an extradition hearing this week. Authorities say 17-year-old Nikita Casap, was arrested Saturday evening by police in WaKeeney, Kansas, for running a stop sign. Police say the car he was driving had been stolen and that he was a "person of interest" in a double homicide.
WISN TV reports that authorities in Wisconsin found a man and a woman dead inside a home. Family membrs later identified the victims as the teenager's parents (Tatiana Casap, Nikita's mother, and Donald Mayer, Nikita's stepfather).
So far, prosecutors in Trego County, Kansas, have only charged the 17-year-old Casap with operating a motor vehicle without the owner's consent and theft for being found in his stepfather's car with his stepfather's gun. The teenager agreed to be extradited to Wisconsin.
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Farming Groups Worried About Trump Tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China
UNDATED (HPM) - As soon as President Trump imposed new tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China this week, major farming groups repeated warnings that the tariffs will hurt American farmers. The American Farm Bureau Federation says farmers will suffer under retaliatory tariffs. That includes higher prices for fertilizer --- which Farm Bureau president Zippy Duvall explained during a Senate Ag Committee hearing last month. "Over 80 percent of the potash comes out of Canada, and it goes on our cropland. And that would be devastating to our farmers," he said. Meanwhile, the National Farmers Union said in a statement that the damage tariffs cause to farmers will eventually spread to consumers.
Farmers are concerned about the new tariffs President Trump has imposed on other countries - and the tariffs those countries have announced in response. But Harvest Public Media reports some farmers are hoping the use of tariffs will be brief - and effective. At the annual All-Day Ag Outlook held on the Indiana-Illinois border, central Illinois farmer Steve Warters said he’s worried about how Canada and Mexico’s retaliatory tariffs could cut into sales of his corn and soybeans. But he supports President Trump’s stated goal of getting those countries to do more to block fentanyl from coming across the border. “We’re talking about going to Mexico, our largest corn buyer. But I see what Trump’s trying to do, trying to slow down this drug traffic.” Commodities analyst Mike Zuzolo says the farmers he talks to are waiting to see if the tariffs will be effective quickly.
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KU Wind Ensemble Tours Parts of Kansas
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — The University of Kansas School of Music is hitting the road. The KU Wind Ensemble, under the direction of Matt Smith, will embark on a two-day tour of eastern, central and western Kansas later this month. The ensemble will perform five public concerts at high schools in Clay Center, Junction City, Hays, Garden City, and Dodge City.
The tour schedule is as follows:
Monday, March 31
• 9:45 am – Clay Center Community High School
• 1:15 pm – Junction City High School
• 7:30 pm – Hays High School
Tuesday, April 1
• 10:00 am – Garden City High School
• 2:00 pm – Dodge City High School
The "School of Music Across Kansas" initiative is part of the KU School of Music’s ongoing commitment to expanding access to high-quality musical experiences and fostering connections between KU musicians and students across the state.
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