KBI Deleted Voicemail That Sparked Investigation of Official’s Citizenship
LENEXA, Kan. (Reflector) — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says it deleted the voicemail that triggered an investigation into the citizenship of a Lenexa city councilmember. The voicemail questioned councilmember Melanie Arroyo’s citizenship and her eligibility to hold her office. Arroyo is a naturalized American citizen and she is eligible for the office she holds.
The KBI tells the Kansas Reflector it deleted the voicemail after the “substance of the message” was forwarded to the Lenexa Police Department. The identity of the person who left the message has not been released. Arroyo said the false allegation and subsequent investigation were “shocking and disturbing.”
==========
Wyandotte County Commissioner’s Hand Gesture Causes Outcry
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KC Star) — A Wyandotte County commissioner is under fire for making a lewd hand gesture during a recent public meeting. The gesture mimes male masturbation. Commission member Philip Lopez made it while another commissioner was speaking during a lengthy board meeting. Lopez says things are being taken out of context. Two other commissioners want an ethics review. The Kansas City Star reports the gesture is often used to express boredom, annoyance, or to signal that something is self-indulgent or lacking purpose.
==========
Prosecutors: Kansas Accountant Pleads Guilty After Using Client Money to Build New Home
COLBY, Kan. (Wichita Eagle / KPR) — Federal prosecutors say an accountant in western Kansas has pleaded guilty to stealing money from clients and using part of the money to build his home. The Wichita Eagle reports that 45-year-old Quintin Flanagin, of Colby, used his position to write checks from the couple he worked for and then sent money to a business he concocted called "Middle Finger Ranch," which was linked to his bank account.
Flanagin was originally charged with 18 counts, including wire fraud, bank fraud and money laundering. Under a plea agreement, he will forfeit nearly $370,000 in assets and surrender his certified public accountant’s license. He's scheduled to be sentenced October 30.
==========
Sedgwick County Commissioners May Consider New Sales Tax
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — Some Sedgwick County commissioners say the county should consider a new, quarter-cent sales tax in an effort to reduce property taxes. The Kansas News Service reports that the sales tax would fund arts, recreation and cultural services. Republican Commissioner Jim Howell says that means the county could reserve property tax dollars for essential services like EMS. “People are losing their homes over property taxes. It better be really important – when I take someone’s money and they’re losing their home over it, it better be very important,” Howell added. A sales tax would generally have a wider tax base than property taxes, as visitors from outside the county would also contribute. But some groups that get county funding say revenue from a sales tax could fluctuate more than from property taxes. Three other commissioners say they’re open to the idea. Howell says he hopes they’ll put the proposal on the November 2026 ballot.
==========
Kansas Grants to Save Buildings in Historic Downtowns
UNDATED (KPR) — The Kansas Department of Commerce has awarded $362,000 to save buildings in five historic Kansas downtowns. Lieutenant governor and state commerce secretary David Toland says the restored buildings will be occupied by businesses that will drive economic growth. The buildings are in Burlington, Howard, LeRoy, Meriden, and Stockton. The funding comes from the Emergency Historic Asset Lifeline, a program that helps pay for urgent repairs to rural buildings damaged by fire, storms, or other disasters.
==========
Climate Change Brings Warmer Nights to Great Plains
UNDATED (HPM) — Some scientists call it the “warming hole.” It’s a recent trend of cooler summertime high temperatures over the middle of the country. Scientists say increases in moisture and humidity are keeping those daytime highs lower. But Harvest Public Media reports the same factor has the opposite effect overnight. “We're seeing more and more of these really hot nights where sometimes the low temperature doesn't even fall below 80 degrees,” says Zachary Labe, a scientist at the nonprofit Climate Central, “and that really stresses the body, causing a multitude of health issues.” Labe says many states just had the most humid July on record.
==========
Measles Transmission Slows in Kansas, but Outbreak Still Underway
UNDATED (KNS) — Kansas health officials have not recorded a new measles case since July 6 but that doesn’t mean the outbreak is over. Gray, Haskell, and Stevens counties are all still in active measles outbreak status, despite not recording a case for several weeks. That’s because the counties must clear two incubation periods. That’s 42 days from the date of the last case. And despite the plateau in case numbers, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is wary of increased transmission as people return from summer travels and school starts up. KDHE officials are encouraging parents to get their children vaccinated with the measles vaccine.
==========
Kansas City Teenager Fatally Shot Saturday Night
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — Kansas City police are investigating the shooting death of a 16-year-old girl. Authorities say Traelynn Sibley was killed around 10 pm Saturday. Officers were responding to a reported shooting (near E 36th Street and Norton Avenue) and were led to a home where they found the teenage girl inside with a gunshot wound. WDAF TV reports that Sibley was unresponsive and taken to the hospital, where she died. Investigations believe Sibley was inside the home when she was hit by gunfire from an unknown suspect or suspects outside. Her death marked the 100th homicide of the year in Kansas City.
==========
Battery Manufacturer EaglePicher to Build 2nd Factory in Pittsburg
PITTSBURG, Kan. (KRPS) — EaglePicher is building a second factory in Pittsburg, Kansas, to meet the demand for weapons batteries. KRPS reports that the new facility will supply parts for long-lasting batteries used in applications including missiles. The company says the new factory is in response to a greater demand for weapons. Daron Hall, the Pittsburg city manager, explained that "...they're willing to double down, if you will, in Pittsburg, and hopefully this will be the continuation of a very productive relationship that we've already had into the future." The project will create more than 50 jobs. Construction is set to end by April 2026.
==========
KGS Helping Educators Include Water Issues in Student Lessons
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) — The Kansas Geological Survey is helping teachers connect their material to the water problems the state faces today. The Kansas News Service reports that the Kansas Geological Survey is offering lesson plans, hands-on project ideas and materials. The resources focus on the state’s challenges like water tables dwindling and agriculture methods polluting streams. Blair Schneider, a geologist with the Survey, says the next generation of Kansans can be part of water solutions across the state. “We teach them not only can you test your water, you can treat it right like, there are things we can do, so you found nitrates in your water, you're going to put this kind of a system in there,” she said. Schneider also says the group hopes to attract young volunteers to gather more data on water in Kansas.
==========
Kansas Moves Closer to Getting First Dental School
WICHITA, Kan. (KSN) — Kansas has moved a step closer to getting its first dental school. KSN reports Wichita State University and Fort Hays State University are teaming up to study the feasibility of opening a dental school in Wichita, with a presence in rural Kansas through Fort Hays State. The schools say more than 80% of the state’s 105 counties are experiencing a serious shortage of dentists.
==========
Man Arrested After Allegedly Breaking into a Lawrence Home and Exposing Himself to Kids
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — A man was arrested over the weekend after he broke into a home and exposed himself to two young girls. Lawrence police were called to a home (near West 21st and Louisiana Street) around 2 am Sunday after taking a report of an unknown man entering a home and taking off his clothes. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that two girls had been asleep on the couch when they woke up to find a naked man in the room. As they yelled, an adult inside the home confronted the intruder and forced him outside. Police later arrested him nearby. Investigators say the man appeared to be under the influence of drugs. He was later taken to the Douglas County jail, where he was booked on several charges.
Jail records indicate that 19-year-old Jacob Dennis Gilbert was arrested in the 2100 block of Louisiana Street Sunday morning on suspicion of aggravated burglary, assault and aggravated indecent liberties with a child.
==========
Flint Hills Trail Enters Hall of Fame
UNDATED (Reflector) — The Flint Hills Trail State Park has been inducted into the national Rails to Trails Conservancy’s Hall of Fame. The 93-mile path runs through grasslands and prairie. The Kansas Reflector reports it beat out two others to win a spot in the Hall of Fame. The Flint Hills Trail is one of the longest rail-trails in the U.S., and the longest in Kansas. Rail-trails are multi-use paths converted from unused railway corridors.
==========
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).