Severe Storms Knock Out Power to Thousands, Bringing Heavy Rains, Flooding
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Thousands of Evergy customers lost power in Kansas and Missouri as severe storms rolled across the area overnight and into Wednesday morning. The National Weather Service issued several Tornado Watches and Flood Warnings Wednesday morning but all were cancelled or allowed to expire by 10 am.
As of 7:00 pm Wednesday, the Evergy outage map still showed more than 900 customers without power.
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Tornado Sweeps Through Salina; No Reports of Severe Damage or Injuries
SALINA, Kan. (KAKE) - Crews from the National Weather Service are surveying storm damage across Kansas. KAKE TV reports that a tornado briefly swept through Salina Tuesday night but did not cause any injuries or significant damage. Tornadoes were also reported near Kanopolis Lake, in Ellsworth County, and in rural Saline County.
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Number of Measles Cases in Kansas Increases, but Rate is Slowing
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas health data released Wednesday shows the number of measles cases in the state continues to increase, but the rate is slowing. The Kansas News Service reports that twenty-four people in Kansas have tested positive for measles since the start of the year, according to data from state health officials. That’s one additional case from last week. The outbreak remains clustered in six counties in southwest and south central Kansas. Dr. Dana Hawkinson with the University of Kansas Health System says vaccination rates have decreased since the COVID-19 pandemic, which has contributed to the outbreak. “There is that significant distrust of the medical establishment, government and public health entities as well, so we are all battling against that,” he explained. Health officials say the Kansas cases are likely linked to outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico.
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National Weather Service Offices Scale Back Weather Balloon Launches
UNDATED (HPM) – National Weather Service offices across the Midwest are eliminating or scaling back weather balloon launches. Harvest Public Media reports that a staffing crisis is behind the the major shift. Weather balloons collect atmospheric information that informs forecasting models. Now the National Weather Service is ending balloon launches in Omaha, Nebraska and Rapid City, South Dakota and reducing them in other offices in both states and Wisconsin and Michigan. Adam Houston, an atmospheric sciences professor at the University of Nebraska Lincoln, says fewer balloon launches could be the tip of the iceberg. "Losing them is a problem. But I think in some ways, my biggest concern is what this portends for other types of observations,” he added. Experts say a staffing shortage was already a problem before the Trump administration announced a federal hiring freeze in January.
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Governor Laura Kelly Hopes Legislators Will Revise Budget
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly says she wants state lawmakers to change the budget they passed last week. The Kansas News Service reports that Kelly says the current plan is irresponsible. The budget would put Kansas at an estimated $461 million deficit within three years, partially thanks to new income tax cuts. Kelly told KCUR that the Legislature approved the budget weeks before revenue estimates reflecting last year’s tax cuts are available. “So the legislature passed a budget where they have no idea what the revenues will actually be moving forward,” she explained. She wants lawmakers to reconsider the budget when they return to Topeka next week, or call a special session to do so after revenue numbers come out later this month. Republicans say the budget bill further cuts taxes and fully funds public schools.
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Some Kansas Legislators Say Property Tax Measure Doesn't Go Far Enough
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas lawmakers have passed a measure to reduce state property taxes, but some in Topeka say it’s not nearly enough. The Kansas News Service reports that most property taxes that the state collects go to school districts. But a small piece helps the state construct and maintain buildings. The legislature passed a bill to eliminate that piece. Building costs would instead be covered by other streams of tax revenue. Republican Senator Caryn Tyson believes the cut would give a break to homeowners. “And we can go home and hold our heads high that we worked for our constituents,” she said. Most Democrats voted for the bill but criticized it as providing an insignificant amount of property tax relief. The bill now awaits action from Democratic Governor Laura Kelly.
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Literacy Promotion Program Funding Left Out of Proposed State Budget
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – A program to promote literacy in Kansas schools could end after Republicans left funding for it out of a proposed state budget. The Kansas News Service reports that last year, lawmakers from both parties approved the Blueprint for Literacy. It trains teachers to better instruct kids how to read. But Republican leaders cut the $10 million for the program out of their proposed budget this year. They have not given a specific reason. Democratic Representative Nikki McDonald says she feels ashamed the Legislature might reverse course on the funding, adding that “...a budget is a reflection of our priorities, and I had hoped that we would prioritize our children more.” Legislators return for a brief veto session next week. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly has asked them to continue working on the budget due to its projected cost.
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Federal Tariffs to Increase Cost of Highway and Road Projects
UNDATED (The Beacon) – Federal tariffs are going to make highway and road projects more expensive in Kansas and Missouri. Calvin Reed with the Kansas Department of Transportation told The Beacon that highway projects will cost more because of federal tariffs. President Trump already imposed 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum with the promise of other tariffs coming on April 2, which he calls “liberation day.” Reed said in mid-March that construction costs are already 40% higher than projections without tariffs. With tariffs, some projects could be cut. “If tariffs go up, if prices continue to go up, if revenues go down, if more money is transferred away, then there are projects that will likely have to be sacrificed,” he added. It isn’t clear what all of Trump’s tariffs could look like in April.
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Law School Applications Increase in Kansas and Missouri, Mirroring National Trend
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) – Law school applications in Kansas and Missouri have skyrocketed in the last year. The Law School Admission Council says applications nationwide are up 20 percent from last year. UMKC Law School Dean Lumen Mulligan told KCUR that applications are up about the same amount, and says it mostly has to do with politics. “When you have changes in administration and politics are in the news much more aggressively that tends to correlate to people attending law school,” he explained. Mulligan also says the employment picture for lawyers is good. The University of Kansas Law School says its applications have surged 70 percent in the past two years, and Washburn Law in Topeka says applications have spiked 49 percent from a year ago.
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City of Leavenworth Suing CoreCivic over Proposed Immigrant Detention Center
UNDATED (KNS) – The city of Leavenworth is suing CoreCivic, a private corrections company seeking to operate an immigrant detention center in the city. The Kansas News Service reports that the city is asking a federal court to block the corporation from housing detainees on behalf of federal immigration authorities. The filing says CoreCivic needs a special use permit before it can reopen the former prison, which has been inactive since 2021. CoreCivic argues that local rules do not require a permit, which would involve several weeks of public hearings. The company has said it plans to resume operations in the coming weeks. In an email to the Kansas News Service, a CoreCivic spokesperson reaffirmed the company’s position that they do not need a special use permit to operate in Leavenworth.
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Inmate Dies at Federal Prison in Leavenworth
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (KCTV) – The Federal Correctional Institution in Leavenworth reported that an inmate died over the weekend. KCTV reports that 28-year-old Denix Heredia-Chang was found unresponsive on Saturday, March 29th. Prison employees started life-saving measures until paramedics arrived, but he was pronounced dead at the scene. His cause of death was not disclosed. The release said that the Federal Bureau of Investigation and United States Marshals Service were notified, but there was never any danger to other employees or inmates. Heredia-Chang had been in Leavenworth FCI since May 2024 on an indictment for alleged synthetic narcotic sale.
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Only Women's Prison in Kansas Approaching Capacity
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – The Topeka Correctional Facility, the only women’s prison in Kansas, is approaching full capacity, continuing a decades-long trend of rising female incarceration rates. KWCH reports that before the COVID-19 pandemic, the facility was already overcrowded. However, the pandemic brought an unexpected relief for the women’s prison, as judges were less likely to issue prison sentences. Now, however, the numbers are rising again. The Kansas Sentencing Commission projects that the facility will reach full capacity by 2026.
According to the Commission’s recently released 2024 sentencing statistics, 75 fewer women were sentenced to jail or prison compared to 2023. However, the system faces delays. On average, nearly a year and a half passes between an offense and the final sentencing. Some judges attribute this backlog to a shortage of lawyers.
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Kansas Settles with Inmate After Allegations of Failing to Protect Him from Gang Violence
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) - The Kansas State Finance Council has approved a $4,000 settlement with an inmate who accused the state of failing to protect him from multiple prison gangs. The Topeka Capital Journal reports that the prisoner acted as a confidential informant while serving time at the Lansing Correctional Facility in 2015. The Kansas Department of Correction was investigating allegations of corruption at the facility. But despite assurances that he would remain anonymous, the prisoner's involvement was allegedly revealed by employees at the facility.
After his involvement was made known, the inmate said he was a targeted by members of the Bloods, the Crips, the Aryan Brotherhood and other violent gangs. The inmate was transferred out of state in 2017 but was since returned into the custody of the Kansas Department of Corrections. He stated in court documents that staff informed him that other prisoners were still planning to attack him, when he was transferred to the El Dorado Correctional Facilities.
Despite the warnings, he was housed with an inmate that the prisoner claims was a threat. Later, the prisoner alleges he was given an option to transfer to Larned Correctional Mental Health Facility but he says he was again targeted for attack by games.
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