Eight People Killed in Fiery Franklin County Crash
FRANKLIN COUNTY, Kan. (WIBW / KCTV) — Authorities now say eight people were killed Sunday night in a fiery, two-vehicle crash in extreme southeastern Franklin County. WIBW TV reports that the crash was reported around 5:45 pm on U.S. Highway 169 between the Anderson County and Miami County line, about three miles northeast of Greeley. KCTV reports that both vehicles burst into flames following the collision. One person survived and is recovering at a nearby hospital. Authorities are now in process of notifying family members of the victims. The highway was closed down for about nine hours Sunday night but reopened early Monday morning. The Kansas Highway Patrol continues to investigate.
UPDATE: Oklahoma Schools Confirm Loss of at Least 2 Students, 1 Staff Member in Fatal Kansas Crash
According to KOTV in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a Union Public Schools student, a Tulsa Public Schools Student, and one staff member died in Sunday night's crash in northeast Kansas. Tulsa Public Schools confirmed that the students were returning home from a youth basketball tournament when the crash happened on U.S. Highway 169, about three miles northeast of Greeley, Kansas.
This is a developing story.
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Kansas Governor Appeals to State Congressional Delegation to Protect Medicaid Funding
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is asking the state Congressional Delegation to protect residents from potential federal cuts to Medicaid funding. The Kansas News Service reports that proposed Republican spending cuts would likely require steep cuts to the health care program. Under the plan, Kansas could lose billions in federal Medicaid funding over the next decade. Kelly, a Democrat, says that would hurt vulnerable Kansans and rural hospitals. Medicaid provides health care to over 400 thousand low-income Kansans. The majority are children. Most Republicans support the budget plan but some, including U.S. Senator Jerry Moran, have warned that it could harm rural communities in states like Kansas. Kansas House Speaker Dan Hawkins, a Republican, says Kelly is fear-mongering. He says the plan would make the Medicaid program more sustainable.
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Kansas Loses Millions in AmeriCorps Funding
UNDATED (KNS) – Kansas recently lost more than $3 million in federal funding through AmeriCorps, a national public service organization. The Kansas News Service reports that the cut in funding is hurting nonprofit groups in the state. The reduction in federal money is part of President Donald Trump’s cost-cutting measures. Kelsey Dachman with the Center For Supportive Communities in Lawrence says her organization will lose 20 AmeriCorps members. Those members help provide mental health services to kids in crisis in Douglas County. “A lot of families will be left without the critical support that they desperately need and rely on. So the ripple effects will definitely be felt across the whole community,” Dachman says. She added that she’s urging the community to donate to organizations like her own to help cover funding shortfalls.
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Man Killed in Small Plane Crash in Rural Ellsworth County
ELLSWORTH COUNTY, Kan. (KWCH) — One person was killed after a small plane crash Sunday afternoon, near the town of Wilson in rural Ellsworth County. KWCH TV reports that 77-year-old Ronnie Thompson was flying from Lucas in Russell County back to Wichita. According to a witness, the plane went down for no apparent reason. The National Transportation Safety Board, FAA and Kansas Highway Patrol are investigating.
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Wichita School Board to Consider AI Policy
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — The Wichita school board will consider a new policy Monday night that would guide the use of artificial intelligence in schools. The policy was drafted with help from the district's technology committee, which includes teachers and parents. It says students will get lessons on A-I literacy in the classroom, including when and how to use it effectively. The policy prohibits students from submitting AI generated work as their own.
Rob Dickson is chief information officer for Wichita schools. He says the policy would be one of the first of its kind in Kansas. "If you look even around our area, there's not many places that have an AI policy, even in the Kansas City area," he said. "So, I think it will be an opportunity for us to lead in that way." The policy says the district will not use AI in ways that compromise teacher or student privacy.
The policy was drafted with help from district leaders and parents. Dickson says the policy will allow the district to use AI tools where appropriate. "We've gotten a lot of apps that have come in that have these features, and we've really kind of held off on adopting those because we want to make sure we have the right policies and procedures in place," he said. The proposed policy says the district will not use AI in ways that compromise privacy or lead to unauthorized data collection.
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Federal Research to Cut Fertilizer Use Put on Hold; KU Scientist Affected
UNDATED (KNS) — The Trump administration has put research on hold that was meant to cut fertilizer use on farms. The Department of Energy has a branch known as the Moonshot Factory that invests in cutting-edge ideas. It was going to launch nine projects to cut how much fertilizer is needed for biofuel crops. Maggie Wagner is a plant genetics expert at the University of Kansas who was contracted for one of the projects. “The reduction in groundwater pollution that would result from this would be such a big deal for people - especially people living in agricultural communities, but also way downstream in the Gulf," Wagner said. Fertilizer pollution enters drinking water and it’s a key reason there’s now a massive zone in the Gulf of Mexico almost entirely devoid of life.
The Trump administration has paused the program that plans to cut emissions related to biofuel. The $38 million Department of Energy investment aims to grow abundant corn and sorghum crops with dramatically less fertilizer. When fertilizer is put on fields, a portion of it converts to a potent greenhouse gas called nitrous oxide. Wagner is one of the scientists who would conduct that research. “Who can argue with something that would save farmers billions of dollars? And yet here we are, with no movement at all," she said. The energy department previously said its goal is also to keep farmers cost-competitive - and to cut U.S. reliance on imported fertilizer. Currently, it’s unclear if that research will proceed. (Read more.)
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KCK Celebrates Cinco de Mayo
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCUR) — Residents of Kansas City, Kansas, gathered over the weekend for the “Good of All People’s Rally.” KCUR Radio reports that the demonstration was meant as a show of support for the area’s growing Latino population amid growing fears of harassment by immigration authorities. The rally was held alongside the Central Avenue Betterment Association’s annual Cinco De Mayo celebration. It featured 11 different speakers, including immigration attorneys and advocates, community leaders and local celebrities. The rally’s keynote speaker, Earl Watson Jr., is a KCK native and the first Hispanic head coach in the NBA. He asked Latino residents to find the courage to be more vocal about their struggles, to help stop the demonization of their community. “The narrative has to be told by us," he said. "We can’t let people capture our narrative and deliver it on a platform with no response.”
Saturday's event was organized to highlight the resilience of the area’s large Mexican-American community in the face of an increasingly hostile political climate for Latinos. One of the rally’s speakers, Latino community advocate and local business owner Laura Palacios, says the event helped remind her of how much support there is for Latinos in and outside of their communities. “Anytime there is an attack against one of our communities, there's always a battling cry of, ‘This is not okay. This is not right.’ And I feel like this event is a little bit of that battling cry," she said. Organizers plan to hold similar rallies at future community events.
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Pork and Soybean Producers Watching New Tariff Issues Closely
UNDATED (HPM) – A month after the Trump administration announced sweeping tariffs on imports to the U.S., the pork and soybean industries are closely watching how countries respond. Harvest Public Media reports that weekly export sales for U.S. pork recently hit a marketing year low, in part because China cancelled 12,000 metric tons. Iowa State Extension economist Chad Hart says agricultural export sales fluctuate, but aggregate data over the last four months shows countries are buying less U.S. pork. “We've been seeing a fairly downward trend, and I think pork producers have been factoring that in as they're looking at how they're marketing their animals over time,” he explained. Hart emphasizes THAT the tariff impacts vary by industry. The time of year matters, too. He says the majority of soybean export sales have already been made and delivered this marketing year, which ends in August. The US-China trade war could have a much greater impact on the soybean industry if retaliatory tariffs are still in place this fall.
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Topeka Records 6th Homicide of the Year
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) — Topeka has recorded its 6th homicide of the year. WIBW TV reports that 30-year-old Derrick Mitchell has been charged with first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of 27-year-old Treveon Carrington, Of Topeka. Just before 10:30 pm Friday, officers responded to SW 13th and SW Boswell on reports of gunshots in the area. Upon arrival, officers found a person suffering from life-threatening injuries. Medical personnel pronounced Carrington dead at the scene. Mitchell is being held at the Shawnee County Jail. The case remains under investigation.
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99 Victims Identified Through Child Porn Files Found on KC Man's Computer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) — Authorities say they have identified 99 girls as victims of child sex abuse. They identified the girls from thousands of files of child pornography allegedly found on a Kansas City man's computer. KCTV reports that 66-year-old John C. Menard has been charged with possessing child pornography in Platte County, Missouri. Investigators say a forensic review of Menard's computer revealed more than 2,000 files depicting toddlers and young girls.
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Spirit AeroSystems Furloughing Workers
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) — Spirit AeroSystems says it will temporarily furlough hundreds of workers later this month. KWCH TV reports the company overproduced some parts for 737s and accumulated a surplus. The pause in production is designed to reduce surplus inventory of those parts. A spokesperson says about 300 workers will be laid off for a month; those workers will not lose benefits or health insurance during the furlough. Spirit is Wichita's largest private employer, with about 12,000 workers.
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Royals Set Franchise Record for Home Runs in 11-6 Victory over Orioles
BALTIMORE, Md. (KPR) — The Kansas City Royals set a club record with seven home runs when they defeated the Baltimore Orioles 11-6 on Sunday. The Royals are in 3rd place in the AL central, just three games back. They'll return to Kansas City Monday night to face the White Sox.
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Rugby Game Sets Attendance Record
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) — A record 10,000 people turned out for a women's rugby game Saturday in Kansas City. KCTV reports that the Women's Eagles -- the USA women's rugby team -- lost to Canada at CPKC Stadium Friday night (26-14). But the game was a win for women's rugby overall because the attendance far surpassed the previous record of just over 2,000 for a standalone women's rugby event.
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