Heavy Rains Lead to Flash Flooding in Central Kansas; McPherson County Under Threat
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Heavy rains have led to flash flooding in parts of central Kansas. The National Weather Service says life threatening flash flooding has been taking place in McPherson County since late Tuesday morning. Between 2 and 4 inches of rain had fallen by 11:30 am and additional rainfall up to 1 inch was possible across the area. Some of the affected communities include: Mcpherson, Lindsborg, Galva, Canton, Marquette, Windom, Mcpherson Airport and Roxbury.
A Flood Watch remains in effect for much of the KPR listening area, including Manhattan, Topeka, Emporia and Chanute through Wednesday afternoon.
(Earlier reporting...)
Severe Weather Predicted; Weather Radios May Be Offline
UNDATED (KPR) — Eastern Kansas could be in for some stormy weather Tuesday. The National Weather Service says severe thunderstorms may form in the mid to late afternoon and continue into the evening. Very large hail, damaging winds, tornadoes, and flash flooding could result. Then, late Tuesday night, a cluster of severe thunderstorms is expected to move east to southeast across the area. Large hail, damaging winds, and flash flooding could result from these storms. (Click here for the latest forecast.)
The Weather Service has issued a Flood Watch beginning Tuesday afternoon for parts of the region. The watch area includes the cities of Chanute, Emporia, Junction City, Manhattan, and Topeka. The watch runs through Wednesday afternoon.
The Weather Service also says weather radios may be offline in northeastern Kansas on Monday while transmitters that serve the area are upgraded. Service will be intermittent through Wednesday, and the Weather Service is urging residents to monitor its website or local broadcasters for severe weather updates.
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Kansas Measles Cases Stand at 78
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Eleven Kansas counties have recorded measles cases this year. As of Monday, state health officials said the state had 78 cases, mostly in southwest and south-central Kansas. Most of the cases are in just three counties - Gray, Haskell and Pawnee. Doctors say the best way to prevent the spread of measles is to get the vaccine.
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Kansas Officials Hear About Pandemic-Era Fraud and Raise Questions
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — The Kansas Department of Labor says it’s recovered about $11 million from fraudulent unemployment claims filed during the COVID-19 pandemic. The recovered money is a small piece of the $460 million the state paid out in fraudulent claims. State officials say an influx of unemployment requests during the pandemic overwhelmed the labor department’s dated computer system. Kansas Labor Secretary Amber Shultz says scammers in other countries filed most of the fake claims. “What we started seeing is either people stealing identities, or they would hijack claims. And our system, being from the ‘70s, simply wasn’t prepared for that," she said.
Republican state Senator Rick Billinger says Kansas paid much more in fraudulent claims compared to states like Colorado that also had dated computer systems. “I believe Colorado and several others had the same system, and they didn’t lose near the money that Kansas did," he said. The state recently launched a new system and website for unemployment claims.
(Additional reporting...)
Kansas Recovers Only 2.4% of Fraudulent Pandemic-Era Claims
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR / Kansas Reflector) — The Kansas Labor Department paid out roughly $460 million in fraudulent payments during the pandemic. A small percentage of those stolen funds has now been recovered. The Kansas Department of Labor processed hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent unemployment payments during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than half of that money came from state funds. The Kansas Reflector reports that the state has recovered only about 2.4% of fraudulent funds, or $11 million.
Kansas Labor Secretary Amber Shultz recently told state lawmakers that sophisticated international crime rings filed the majority of fraudulent claims, making investigations and prosecutions difficult.
State senator Rick Billinger, a Goodland Republican, wondered at a meeting of the Senate Committee on Government Efficiency, why Kansas lost the money it did when other states had similar computer systems and didn’t lose nearly as much. He pointed to Colorado, which had a similar computer system to Kansas and reportedly paid out around $73 million in fraudulent claims. He called it a “drop in the bucket” compared to Kansas’ total. “That’s why this bothers me,” Billinger said.
Nationwide, the U.S. Department of Labor estimates it processed between $100 billion and $135 billion in fraudulent unemployment claims during the pandemic. Less than 1.5% has been recovered.
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Business Dean Named Haskell's Interim President
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — The dean of Haskell University’s business school has been named the university's interim president. The U.S. Bureau of Indian Education announced Monday that Mackie Moore will serve in the role while a national search for the next permanent president is underway. The school’s former president Frank Arpan announced his resignation last month. Tuesday is his final day at the school. Moore, the new interim president, is a Haskell alum with more than twenty years of tribal and higher education leadership experience.
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Two Injured After Small Plane Crashes at New Century AirCenter
JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. (KSHB) — Two people on board a small aircraft were injured Monday afternoon after their plane crashed on top of an airport hangar in Johnson County. Crews received reports around 1:15 pm that an aircraft was on top of a hangar at New Century AirCenter. KSHB TV reports that the plane, a twin-engine Beechcraft King Air 90, landed on top of the Butler Avionics Hangar. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, the plane had been cleared for landing just before the incident. The two people in the plane, a pilot and a trainee, were rescued from the roof and transported to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. A spokesperson for the Highway Patrol did not know which person had been flying the plane at the time of the crash.
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Where Will the Chiefs and Royals Land? Kansas and Missouri Offer Competing Proposals
UNDATED (KCUR) — Now that Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe has signed legislation aimed at keeping the Chiefs and Royals in Missouri, what’s next? Many observers say all eyes are now on Topeka. Kehoe quietly signed the $1.5 billion incentive plan over the weekend. KCUR Radio reports that money would use bonds to cover 50% of construction costs. That counters an offer by Kansas to fund up to 70% of the cost of building brand new stadiums for the teams.
But the Kansas offer expires at the end of the month, so the next move would come from a committee of legislative leaders who act on behalf of lawmakers when they’re not in session. Right now, the committee has no meetings scheduled. This is the same path the De Soto Panasonic plant traveled before bonds were approved for that project. (Read more.)
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Changes to ACA Could Make Access Harder for Some Immigrants
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KNS) — Federal lawmakers want to tighten eligibility for Affordable Care Act health insurance and critics say the changes will make it more difficult for some immigrants to access health coverage. The proposed changes are part of the Trump administration’s budget reconciliation bill. The bill also includes cutting funding for Medicaid. It aims to cut federal spending and lower taxes. The eligibility restrictions would block lawfully present immigrants earning low incomes from the federal health insurance marketplace.
Justin Gust of El Centro, a Kansas City, Kansas group serving Hispanic families, says some of the affected people could qualify for Medicaid, but only those who have been in the U.S. legally for five years. “For the immigrant population that we serve, it’s going to be very impactful in a negative way.” Gust said. The bill would also shrink the enrollment period and make it more difficult to apply for federal health insurance plans.
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In Wake of Political Violence, Kansas Lawmakers Worry About Security
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) - The political assassination of a Democratic Minnesota lawmaker is prompting conversations about lawmaker security here in Kansas. The Kansas News Service reports that one state lawmaker says she feels like she has a target on her back.
Democratic Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes says Kansas legislators are discussing ways to increase security, like making their home addresses less visible. She worries an increase in political violence could dissuade some people from running for office in Kansas. “What does this do to potential candidates? Because you're putting yourself out there, you're putting your family out there," she said.
A Kansas City, Missouri, Congressman was on a hit list believed to be written by the Minnesota assassination suspect. Sykes says she and other Democratic lawmakers have received death threats in the past. She says legislative leaders are considering making lawmakers’ home addresses less accessible, and other ways to increase security. “We need to make sure that our lawmakers and staff are aware of, you know, things to be, like, cautious of if something happens," she said.
Sykes says the recent assassinations and attempted assassinations could dissuade candidates from running for office. It comes two years after over 100 Republican Kansas lawmakers received threatening letters containing suspicious powder. No injuries were reported.
(Earlier reporting...)
Missouri Congressman Cleaver on Minnesota Assassin’s “Hit List”
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) — The name of a lawmaker from Kansas City was found on a list of potential victims allegedly made by the man in custody for the murder of a Minnesota politician and her husband and the wounding of two other people.
KCTV reports that Rep. Emanuel Cleaver’s office announced that investigators had confirmed that the congressman’s name appeared on a list believed to be written by the alleged killer, 57-year-old Vance Boelter.
Boelter surrendered to police in Minnesota Sunday after they found him in the woods near his home. Hundreds of officers were involved in the massive manhunt over nearly two days near Minneapolis.
Cleaver said he was relieved that the suspect has been apprehended, and is coordinating with law enforcement to ensure his safety and that of his family and staff. Cleaver added that he will not allow the threat of political violence deter him from continuing his work.
Minnesota authorities say Boelter is accused of posing as a police officer and fatally shooting former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home early Saturday. Police say he also shot Democratic Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, who lived a few miles away from the Hoffman’s in a suburb north of Minneapolis.
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In the Air Capital of the World, Tariffs Come with Challenges — and Opportunities
WICHITTA, Kan. (KNS) — One Wichita manufacturer says tariffs are buoying demand for its products. But industry leaders warn of long-term harm to American planemakers. Etezazi Industries is working overtime. On a recent afternoon at the north Wichita manufacturer, machinists fashioned sheets of metal into airplane parts: one for a passenger plane’s engine pylon; another to hold a jumbo jet’s black box computer. The 35-person company’s customers include major planemakers like Boeing and Airbus, along with their suppliers. And here, steel and aluminum are king. Both materials now carry a 50% tariff when imported from abroad — which cuts into Etezazi Industries’ bottom line.
“We noticed some increases in a lot of costs,” CEO Amir Etezazi said. “We don’t know if some of that are due to inflation or if it’s due to some of the tariffs — we don’t see an itemized invoice. But we have seen some increases.” The situation at the company offers a window into how sweeping tariffs enacted by the Trump administration are already reshaping global commerce. That includes the Kansas aircraft manufacturing industry, with major businesses like Wichita’s Spirit Aerosystems and Textron Aviation and Olathe’s Garmin and Honeywell. Aviation employs tens of thousands of Kansans and contributes more than $7 billion annually to the state’s gross domestic product.
Some of Etezazi’s customers in Canada and Mexico have pulled back on orders in response to 25% tariffs against those countries initiated by President Donald Trump earlier this year that spurred reciprocal tariffs by their governments. “That has impacted our customers,” Etezazi said, “as far as doing business with U.S. companies.”
Amid the tumult, Etezazi said he’s also finding new opportunity. (Read more.)
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Set Off to See the Wizard and See the Farmhouse that Landed in Oz
WAMEGO, Kan. (KPR) — For years, fans of the Wizard of Oz have been flocking to the OZ Museum in Wamego. If it's been a while since you visited, you might want to get there soon. An important prop from the 1939 movie is currently on display that's never been seen in public. And since it's on temporary loan from a private collection, who knows how long you'll have to see it in person. The prop is a model of the Gale family farmhouse, where Dorothy lived. Three of the models were built for the movie, but this is the only one that survived. Two others were destroyed during the filming of the tornado scene. (Learn more.)
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