Two Shot Dead in Apparent Domestic Dispute Near Topeka
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW-TV) — Two people are dead after a shooting south of Topeka on Wednesday. Officers responding to a 911 call discovered the bodies in the Montara subdivision around 10 a.m. WIBW-TV reports the shootings are believed to be related to a domestic dispute. The incident prompted several nearby schools to temporarily go into lockdown. But the Shawnee County Sheriff says there is no ongoing threat to the community. The investigation is continuing.
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Funeral Arrangements for Slain KCK Officer Announced
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KC Star) — Officials have finalized funeral services for slain Kansas City, Kansas, police officer Hunter Simoncic. Simoncic was 26. He was struck and killed by a vehicle fleeing police on Tuesday. His funeral will be held at 10 a.m. next Wednesday, September 3, at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City. The service will be open to the public. The Kansas City Star reports a law enforcement processional will take place after the service.
Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree has charged Dennis Mitchell III, who was allegedly driving the vehicle that struck Simoncic, with capital murder. Dupree said he hasn't made a decision yet on whether he'll seek the death penalty against Mitchell. Dupree said evidence is still coming in, and his office is still talking to the officer's family.
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Senator Jerry Moran Says Rural Hospitals Can Survive Despite Loss of Medicaid Funding
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) — Republican U.S. Senator Jerry Moran says rural hospitals in Kansas can still survive despite losing Medicaid funding. The Kansas News Service reports that Moran toured some facilities this week to see the challenges they face. Rural Kansans on average travel twice as far for medical care than their urban counterparts, and the hospitals they go to are perpetually understaffed and unable to provide special services. Critics say the steep cuts to Medicaid that Moran voted for will hurt those hospitals even more because they rely on the federal funds to stay open. But Moran says he tried to counteract the financial losses with an emergency fund for hospitals at risk of closure. “Does this solve all the problems? No, but does it give us a fighting chance for hospital doors to remain open? In my view, yes,” he explained. Moran says financial support from the local level can also keep rural hospitals open.
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Kansas Nursing Board Accused of Violating Nurse’s Rights
TOPEKA, Kan. (KWCH) — A Kansas nurse is taking the Kansas State Board of Nursing to court after being accused of practicing without a license, in a case that raises free speech issues. Amy Siple is a nurse who says she had not realized her license had expired when she gave talks on her specialty, dementia, at conferences and senior centers. The state nursing board says those talks amount to practicing nursing. Siple and her attorney argue it’s protected speech. KWCH reports a judge will determine whether Siple violated the terms of her license on September 8. Even if the judge rules in her favor, the nursing board can still pursue its own disciplinary process. The board declined to comment on the case.
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KCK Catholic School Closes Due to COVID-19
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCTV) — A Catholic school in Kansas City, Kansas, has cancelled classes for the rest of the week due to an outbreak of COVID-19. Holy Name Catholic School has been closed since Tuesday. School officials say the building will be deep-cleaned. KCTV reports the school hopes to reopen on Tuesday after the Labor Day weekend. Officials hope students and staff will be healthy enough to return to school by then.
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Kansas City Man Sentenced for Embezzling $612,000
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) — A Kansas City man has been sentenced to nearly three years in prison for embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from the law firm where he worked. Federal prosecutors say 41-year-old Jeremy M. Ubben stole $612,000 by getting reimbursed for fictitious business-related expenses. In February, he pleaded guilty to wire fraud, tax evasion and money laundering. Ubben had been employed as the business manager at the law firm and had access to the company's payroll system.
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Fossils, Meteorite Stolen from Sedgwick County Theme Park
DERBY, Kan. (KSN) — Fossils, a meteorite, and other artifacts have been stolen from a small, science-themed attraction in Sedgwick County. KSN reports the items, described as irreplaceable, were swiped from Field Station: Dinosaurs, a theme park in Derby. In a social media post, the park is appealing to the public for the safe return of the items. The park opened in 2018. It features 44 animatronic dinosaurs.
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KU to Re-Dedicate Stadium to First World War Dead
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — The University of Kansas will re-dedicate its newly renovated football stadium to the memory of KU students and staff who lost their lives in the First World War. KU’s chancellor will be joined by service members at the ceremony on Friday. The stadium opened in 1921. It was originally known as Memorial Stadium in honor of the First World War dead. The stadium is now named after a major donor. The ceremony will take place in a new plaza area just outside the stadium’s gates at 11th and Mississippi streets. The plaza features a memorial walk with the names of 130 students and staff who died in the Great War.
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Kansas Turnpike Reopens After Flooding in South-Central Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) — The Kansas Turnpike has reopened in south-central Kansas after flooding forced the roadway to shut down Thursday morning. KWCH TV in Wichita reports that drivers were being diverted off the turnpike in the northbound lanes. The closure did not affect southbound traffic. Weather played a role in a head-on crash involving two vehicles in the area where traffic was being diverted. Two people were hospitalized with minor injuries.
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Leavenworth Man Chosen as National Commander of the American Legion
UNDATED (KPR) — A Leavenworth man has been selected as the new National Commander of the American Legion. Dan Wiley was elected by his fellow Legionnaires. He's an Air Force veteran, attorney and a former district court judge. Wiley is also a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Law.
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Cherokee County Turns to Zoning Changes to Stop Renewable Energy Projects
PITTSBURG, Kan. (KRPS) — A southeast Kansas county is attempting countywide zoning to prevent renewable energy projects. KRPS reports that two of the three Cherokee County Commissioners are against a Clearway Energy solar farm planned for their county. In response, Clearway presented a commitment to regulate the project by promising to repair infrastructure and land damaged during construction. Clearway’s Head of External Affairs, Barry Matchett, says the company is being flexible despite opposition, "...but for some reason, they're not particularly interested in solar. They're holding out hope that a different kind of industry will come to Cherokee and provide that kind of economic development." Polling commissioned by Clearway found a vast majority of residents opposed the county-wide zoning rules.
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Study: Kansas Homeowners Pay More for Home Insurance
UNDATED (KCUR) — Kansas homeowners spend almost twice as much of their income on homeowner’s insurance than the average American, according to a new study. KCUR reports that insuring a home in Missouri costs a lot less. A lot of factors influence insurance rates: personal finances, natural disaster risk, and wide swings in how the insurance industry is regulated from state to state. A survey put together by Bankrate shows Kansas homeowners pay, on average, almost $4500 a year, more than 6% of their incomes, to cover their homes. That’s more than Texas, with its hurricane-prone Gulf Coast. Across the state line in Missouri, the cost drops to $2400 a year on average, and about 3.5% of income. The upside for homeowning Kansans is that they don’t get dinged as hard for filing insurance claims. Collect on a fire in Missouri and your premium is likely to jump by about $350. In Kansas, the increase is just $66.
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Lawrence School Board Hits Pause on E-Sports Proposal
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — The Lawrence school board is putting plans to offer e-sports as an extracurricular activity on hold. The Kansas State High School Activities Association voted last spring to sanction competitive video gaming as an interscholastic activity. But at Monday night’s meeting, Lawrence school board members expressed concerns about the cost of allowing the district’s middle and high schools to establish their own e-sports teams. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the board tabled the measure.
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Salina OKs Open Containers Downtown
SALINA, Kan. (KSN) — You’ll soon be able to walk around downtown Salina with a beer in your hand. The city is establishing a “common consumption area” beginning September 1. Adults 21 and over will be able to openly carry and consume alcoholic beverages within that area. City officials hope it encourages people to spend more time downtown. KSN reports the common consumption area will be in effect from 9 a.m. to midnight. The city is installing signs to indicate the boundaries of the area.
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Smithsonian Exhibition Opens Kansas Tour in Lawrence
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — A new traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian kicked off its tour of Kansas at the Watkins Museum of History in Lawrence on Saturday. "Americans" examines how Native Americans have been portrayed in popular culture. “Native American people are a part of American culture,” explains Watkins director Steve Nowak, “and they are intertwined in the lives we live everyday.”
"Americans" will be on display at the Watkins Museum through October 5. It then continues its Kansas tour with stops in Highland, Wichita, Mayetta, Salina, Liberal, and Bonner Springs.
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