Heat Advisory Issued for Northeastern Kansas
UNDATED (KPR) — The National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for northeastern Kansas. The advisory went into effect at noon on Friday and lasts until 8 pm Saturday. It includes the cities of Lawrence, Topeka, Manhattan, Junction City, and Emporia. The Weather Service is predicting afternoon temperatures in the mid to upper 90s through the weekend, with heat index values of 100 to 106 possible. As this will be the first instance of this level of heat this season, the Weather Service says it may cause greater impacts than usual. Hot temperatures and high humidity may cause heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and even heat stroke. (Click here for the latest forecast.)
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Two Killed in Emporia Home Explosion
EMPORIA, Kan. (KPR) — Police are investigating an explosion that killed two people in Emporia this week. City officials say emergency crews were dispatched to a report of a house explosion on East 6th Avenue near Weaver Street shortly before 5 p.m. Wednesday. When crews arrived the house had collapsed and was fully engulfed in flames. Emergency workers later found two bodies in the debris. The names of the victims have not been released pending notification of relatives. Investigators say the explosion appears to be accidental. The cause is being investigated by the Emporia Fire Department with help from the Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office and Emporia police.
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EEOC Sues KDHE for Alleged Age Discrimination
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) — The federal government is suing the state of Kansas for alleged age discrimination at the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) laboratory in Topeka. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed the suit June 16th in the U.S. District Court in Kansas City. The suit claims KDHE managers discriminated against a 58-year-old woman when they refused to promote her. The department declined to comment on the suit.
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Federal Cuts Mean Some DCF-Related Food Deliveries on Hold
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) – Low-income Kansans are not receiving expected food deliveries for soup kitchens and community shelters due to federal cuts. The Kansas Department for Children and Families helps distribute food to low-income families and community support organizations around Kansas. The Kansas News Service reports that earlier this year the U.S. Department of Agriculture cut millions of dollars of funding to the emergency food programs rural communities rely on. Without the funding, Kansas could not afford to ship food to community partners like the Stepping Stone Shelter, an emergency housing organization in Seward County. State officials say they are trying to secure federal funding for deliveries in July.
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Drug Overdoses Spike in Riley County
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KPR) — Health officials in Riley County are concerned about a recent spike in the number of patients being treated for drug overdoses. During the five-week period from April 27 to May 31 this year, hospitals recorded 35 visits to emergency departments in Riley County where a drug overdose was suspected. Officials say that number is well above a typical five-week span, which would see about 16 overdose cases.
The overdoses have been attributed to a variety of suspected substances, including alcohol, cocaine, methamphetamine and opioids such as fentanyl. In response to the increase, the Riley County Health Department is working to raise public awareness about available prevention and treatment resources.
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Panasonic Plant Facing Economic Headwinds
UNDATED (KCUR) – The State of Kansas devoted almost $830 million in tax breaks to win the $4 billion Panasonic battery plant nearing completion in De Soto. But KCUR reports that the plant is facing economic and political headwinds under the Trump Administration. The Panasonic plant is built to supply Tesla with batteries. That seemed like a winner two years ago, and Panasonic promised 4,000 new jobs. But now Tesla sales are down sharply and President Trump wants to end a $7500 subsidy for new EV purchases. Industry analyst Chris Kuehl with Armada says Panasonic is looking for additional customers. "They are, as I understand it, they're trying to shift a little bit more towards storage batteries, because the big limitation for solar and wind is you don't get energy all the time, so you have to store it," Kuehl explained. He says Panasonic also faces high tariffs for imported components, and materials, like lithium. All of that is squeezing company profits, possibly cutting production and shrinking the factory’s labor needs.
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Second Person Charged with Murder in Fentanyl Overdose Death
UNDATED (KCUR) — A 25-year-old Johnson County man is the second person charged with first-degree murder in a 2023 fentanyl overdose death of a pregnant woman in Kansas. KCUR reports that Nicholas Draven Gregg was charged this week – a year-and-a-half after the death of 31-year-old Alexandrea Hunter, who was pregnant. Hunter overdosed on fentanyl in a QuikTrip bathroom in Roeland Park. Earlier this month, 24-year-old Izabel Reed was also charged with first-degree murder. Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe said cases built on circumstantial evidence sometimes take a long time to build, but he sees charging dealers in drug overdoses as a way to fight the fentanyl crisis.
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Judge: ‘Jane Does’ Suing LMH, KU Health Must Use Real Names
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — A federal judge has ruled that two women suing LMH and KU Health for allowing their medical files to be accessed by unauthorized personnel must use their real names if they want the suit to move forward.
The two women initiated the suit using the pseudonym Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2. They say their files, including nude medical photos, were improperly accessed by a physical therapist at KU Health who had no affiliation to LMH or the plastic surgery clinic where the women were receiving treatment.
The women are seeking more than $5 million on behalf of at least 425 patients who had undergone procedures at the clinic, Plastic Surgery Specialists of Lawrence, which is an affiliate of LMH.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports U.S. District Judge Holly Teeter has ruled the women must use their real names or the case will be dismissed. Teeter said anonymity can only be granted in “exceptional and rare cases.”
LMH Health denies any wrongdoing but concedes “a very small number” of patients were impacted by a breach of health records.
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Kansas Governor Issues Disaster Declaration
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has issued a declaration of disaster due to widespread damage caused by recent storms and flooding. The declaration issued Wednesday was prompted by severe weather in parts of central Kansas on Monday and Tuesday. Kelly’s declaration allows for resources to be used to help provide state assistance to areas hit by the severe weather. The Kansas Division of Emergency Management has partially activated the State Emergency Operations Center in Topeka to monitor flooding and help counties with any weather-related recovery needs.
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Study: Childhood Vaccine Rates in Kansas Falling
UNDATED (KNS) — A new study shows childhood vaccine rates in Kansas have fallen in recent years. The study comes from the Commonwealth Fund, an organization focused on health disparities. It shows the percentage of Kansas children who had all their recommended childhood vaccines fell from 74% in 2019 to 70% in 2024. Researcher Kristen Kolb says vaccine skepticism from federal officials, like Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., could lead to even fewer fully-vaccinated kids. “We need,” she said, “clear messages from local, state and federal health officials regarding the importance of vaccination.” Kansas is one of 36 states that saw a decline in early childhood vaccine rates for illnesses like measles and tetanus since the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Wichita Schools Told to Hold Off on Bond Issue
WICHITA (KNS) — An advisory group told Wichita school leaders Wednesday that the district needs to rebuild trust in the community before seeking another bond issue. District leaders wanted the financial oversight committee to recommend putting a bond issue to voters by March of 2026. But committee members rejected that plan. They say the district has not made a solid case for why it needs a bond or precisely how it would use the money to repair and rebuild schools. The committee voted to continue meeting. It also recommended that the district use any year-end cash savings to repair and upgrade school buildings.
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Rare Albino Deer Spotted in Kansas
UNDATED (KPR) — Kansas wildlife officials reported seeing a rare albino fawn this week. They posted a picture of the all-white animal on the Department of Wildlife and Parks social media accounts. They did not specify the exact location of the encounter. Albino deer are very rare, with cases occurring at most once in 30,000 births.
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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).