Shawnee County Teen Arrested for Allegedly Threatening School
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW-TV) — A teenager has been arrested after allegedly making comments about bringing a gun to a Shawnee County school. Police say the 15-year-old was taken into custody Thursday, after a school resource officer received information about the threat. Neither the student nor the school has been identified. The student was booked into the Shawnee County Juvenile Detention Center on charges of criminal threat. WIBW-TV reports the incident remains under investigation.
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Explosive Device Found Detonated on Road in Newton
NEWTON, Kan. (KSN) — The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is investigating after an explosive device was apparently detonated in Newton, in south-central Kansas. Remnants of the device were found Thursday morning by a cyclist on North Anderson Road in the Harvey County town. Police cordoned off the area. ATF agents arrived in the afternoon and cleared the scene. KSN reports Newton Police and the Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office are assisting the ATF in the investigation.
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A.G. Fines Town for Violating Kansas Open Records Act
HAYSVILLE, Kan. (KWCH) — The Kansas Attorney General’s office is fining the Haysville city council $250 for violating the Kansas Open Records Act. The AG’s office says Haysville failed to provide copies of photographs requested by a citizen and did not offer any explanation for not producing them. KWCH reports the Attorney General’s office believes the violation was unintentional. But city officials must now undergo additional training to ensure compliance with open records laws.
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Civil Rights Advocate Sues Wichita, City Officials
WICHITA Kan. (KSN) — A well-known civil rights advocate is suing the city of Wichita. Mary Dean claims she was forcibly removed from a city council meeting on August 7. She also says the council has refused to take up an ordinance that would pay reparations to Black residents of Wichita. KSN reports she is suing the city, the mayor, members of the city council, the city manager, and the city attorney. The lawsuit is seeking $1.8 million. City officials declined to comment on the suit.
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Restored Constitution Hall in Topeka to Reopen
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Topeka’s historic Constitution Hall will reopen next month after years of restoration. The Shawnee County Historical Society says the official re-opening will take place on September 27 with a program about the underground railroad. Constitution Hall is one of the state’s most historically significant buildings. The simple, two-story structure was built in 1855. It’s where the Topeka Constitutional Convention was held and later served as the temporary state capitol. A $3.7 million grant in 2022 helped pay for the restoration.
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Prominent Kansas Architect Warren Corman Dies at 99
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — The last living architect who helped build the Allen Fieldhouse on the University of Kansas campus has died. Warren Corman was 99. KU says Corman was one of seven architects who worked on the project. He was also a season ticket holder for Kansas men’s basketball games for more than 60 years. Corman was a KU graduate and World War II veteran. He was also the director of facilities for the Kansas Board of Regents.
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Kansas Senator: Rural Hospitals Can Survive Despite Loss of Some Medicaid Funding
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) — Republican U.S. Senator Jerry Moran says rural hospitals in Kansas can still survive despite losing some 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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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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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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Goats Clearing Vegetation at Lawrence Elementary School
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — If you see some goats grazing outside Langston Hughes Elementary School in Lawrence, don’t disturb them, they’re working. The herd will be visiting the school over the next month to clear overgrown vegetation. The Lawrence Journal World reports the goats arrived Thursday from a farm in Paola, Kansas. The farm is part of an organization called Goats on the Go, which provides goat grazing services. Throughout September, the district will have 34 goats inside an enclosure on the school’s property. The enclosure will be moved throughout the month, allowing the goats to clear six acres of the property in all.
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