Kansas City Chiefs Kick Off New Season in Brazil
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) — One day after the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles kicked off the NFL season with a victory over the Dallas Cowboys, the AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs begin their own season in Brazil Friday night. The Chiefs open as the visiting team against the Los Angeles Chargers. Since the Super Bowl last February, the Chiefs rebuilt their offensive line and quarterback Patrick Mahomes says the newcomers, like rookie left tackle Josh Simmons, are ready to mix in with the veterans. "We’ve got a lot guys on our football team that have won a lot of games, so how can we bring those guys in that are new? Up to the standard that we hold every single day at practice, in the film room and on the game days," Mahomes said. "I think we’ve done that so far and now it’s about going out and proving it on game day." This is Mahomes’s eighth season as the Chiefs starting quarterback. Kickoff is set for 7 pm Central Time in Sao Paolo.
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Kansas and Missouri Football Teams Renew Their Border Showdown
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KPR) — The Kansas Jayhawks will kick off at 2:30 Saturday afternoon in Columbia for a renewal of what’s being called the "Border Showdown.” Both teams have come out of the gates with strong defensive performances. In KU’s first two games, the Jayhawks have allowed a total of 90 rushing yards. That and a total of 14 points is the best start by a KU defense since 2009 in the Mark Mangino era. In a rivalry game, current Jayhawks coach Lance Leypold wants to make sure KU is poised. "We always want to be an enthusiastic team and not an emotional team. Emotions can sometimes take you in directions that can be counterproductive sometimes." he said. KU’s last win in Columbia was in 2004..
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Radio Rivalry: While KU and MU Battle in Football; Public Radio Stations Battle for Donors
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - While Kansas and Missouri take on each other in football, the public radio stations in Lawrence and Columbia are having a Border Showdown of their own, with each station trying to out-fund raise the other - AND sign up more NEW listener-members.
KBIA in Columbia and KPR in Lawrence are using the Border Showdown to raise money. All contributions are worth a point but NEW members are worth two points to each station. The station with the most points Monday morning will be declared the winner. The losing station will have to play the other state’s official state song on the radio Monday afternoon. We're hoping to hear Home on the Range on KBIA. And you can help! Make a $5, $10 or $20 donation to KPR before Monday. Remember: each separate contribution is worth one point. Contributions from NEW members are worth two points. Rock Chalk, Go KU and KPR!
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Roof Torn Off Kansas Elementary School; Storm Damage Repair Will Be Costly
MCPHERSON, Kan. (KSNW) — A McPherson County elementary school was left without a roof after storms moved through the area Wednesday night. Elyria Christian School canceled classes on Thursday due to the damage. KSNW TV reports that winds up to 71 miles-an-hour were measured in an area stretching from Salina to Wichita. The school’s principal estimates the cost of repairing the roof to be as high as $20,000. Books and student laptops were also damaged.
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Kansas School Superintendent Placed on Leave
COLDWATER, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — The superintendent of a south central Kansas school district has been placed on administrative leave after allegations he sexually harassed a student. The superintendent is alleged to have made inappropriate comments to a female student who was a member of the high school’s golf team, which he coached. The Kansas Reflector reports the student’s family reported the incident to both the school district and the Comanche County Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff says the case has since been transferred to Ford County for further investigation. KWCH TV reports that the Kansas Association of School Boards is also looking into the matter.
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August Tax Collections in Kansas Come in 3.9% Above Estimate
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – The State of Kansas took in more money than expected in tax revenue last month. The state ended August with total tax collections of $692 million. That's about $26 million, or 3.9%, above projections. Total tax collections were up 4% from August of last year. Governor Laura Kelly praised the stronger-than-expected numbers, but said she remains concerned about the budget’s impact on the long-term fiscal health of the state.
Individual income tax collections were up in the latest report. Corporate income tax collections came in lower than expected. Click here to view the August 2025 revenue numbers.
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Kansas Highway Patrol Blocks Access to Lawrence Kia Dealership in Operation Connected to Department of Revenue
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — Multiple Kansas Highway Patrol troopers spent hours Thursday blocking the driveway and scouring the property of the Lawrence Kia dealership in an operation that was connected to the Kansas Department of Revenue. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the status of the Kia dealership - and exactly what law enforcement officers were doing - remained unclear as of Thursday evening.
A law enforcement official on the scene told a Journal-World reporter that there was no spokesperson on site, but that questions should be directed to the Department of Revenue. That department is the lead agency when businesses fail to pay sales taxes and Kansas withholding taxes. An attempt to reach an owner/operator of the dealership was not successful on Thursday afternoon. A passerby later reported that the dealership appeared to be open and the law enforcement presence had left. Lawrence Kia did not post any information about the incident on its active Facebook page on Thursday.
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Lawrence School District Staff Rally for Living Wage
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — Lawrence school district employees held rallies this week ahead of next week’s contract talks with the district. The employees are “education support professionals,” or ESPs. They include custodians, administrative assistants, food service professionals, and others who work in the schools but are not teachers. They are, however, represented by the teachers union. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the district has offered the ESPs a 54-cent hourly raise. But the workers are demanding a bigger raise. They say the district should offer all workers a living wage.
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Kansas Supreme Court Addresses Attorney Shortage
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — The Kansas Supreme Court is moving forward with a plan to address the critical need for attorneys in rural communities. KSNT reports that 47 Kansas counties are classified as “legal deserts.” That means they don’t have enough practicing attorneys to properly serve the population. The state Supreme Court is establishing a “Rural Justice Initiative Committee” to address the issue. The committee will implement recommendations made in an earlier report. Those recommendations include creating a statewide rural attorney training program and a student loan repayment program.
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Lawmakers Consider Money for Technical Training as Part of School Funding Overhaul
UNDATED (KNS) — As lawmakers consider an overhaul to school funding, they’re debating how much money to give career and technical education programs. The Kansas News Service reports that CTE programs, as they’re called, aim to give Kansas students workforce training in fields like agriculture and marketing, or in trades like welding. In an education task force, officials discussed how to fund those programs. Some lawmakers suggested the money would be better spent on reading, writing and math. But the whole task force did not see it that way. Frank Harwood is deputy commissioner of the Kansas State Department of Education. He says the career and technical programs are pulling their weight. “Students are completing programs, they're getting certificates and they're getting placed in positions. That’s going to be much more important for the workforce,” he said. Lawmakers are working on a long-term school finance formula that will decide how the state allocates money for education.
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Wichita Teachers' Union Endorsements Lead to Disputes with Members
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — Some members of the Wichita teachers union say they plan to leave the group over endorsements in this year’s school board races. The Kansas News Service reports that the United Teachers of Wichita union is not endorsing a candidate in two of the four BOE races, opting instead to label all four candidates as “public school friendly.” That includes Diane Albert and Hazel Stabler, whom the union opposed in 2021. Union leaders say the women have responded to teacher concerns and voted favorably on key issues. But teacher Elizabeth Vest says Albert’s views still don’t reflect union values. “They know that she usually votes in alignment with them, but they don’t know what that’s going to look like if there’s a conservative majority,” she cautioned. Albert and Stabler were elected as part of a conservative slate of candidates who opposed mask mandates and school closures during the COVID pandemic. Since then, both voted in favor of teacher pay raises and a proposed bond issue.
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Legal Protections Proposed for Douglas County Renters Facing Eviction
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — Housing advocates are calling on the Douglas County Commission to pass a measure that would guarantee legal representation for all renters facing eviction, regardless of income. The Lawrence Journal World reports the measure is supported by the advocacy group Lawrence Tenants, as well as Kansas Holistic Defenders and the National Coalition for a Civil Right to Counsel. It would require the county to provide tenants counsel for legal proceedings in which they could lose their housing or housing subsidy. If enacted, it could take effect before the end of next year.
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Generous Rainfall Gives Some Parts of Kansas Drought Relief
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) — Kansas is getting some rare relief from drought after some places in the state experienced their wettest summer in decades. The Kansas News Service reports that at this time last year, only 8% of the state was facing no dry conditions. But right now, 80% of Kansas is without any dry conditions, which the state hasn’t experienced since September 2016. The tenfold change in dry conditions is because of high amounts of rain this year. The National Weather Service reports some southern Kansas towns like Wichita and Sedan had their top ten wettest summers. Soil moisture is mostly in good condition, along with crop conditions for most of the state.
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Small Kansas High Schools Embracing Six-Man Football
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) — Small western Kansas high schools are switching to six-man football to keep their teams alive, while their towns' populations shrink. The Kansas News Service reports that it’s a trend likely to grow, as low-enrollment schools are switching to a smaller teamed version of football in order to keep the Friday night lights on. It’s where there are only six players on both sides of the ball, as opposed to 11. The high-flying and high-scoring game was sanctioned by the Kansas State High School Activities Association in 2021. Its popularity has grown since. Mark Lentz with the association says even with fewer players on the field, the fundamentals are the same. “It's just an opportunity for smaller schools who don't have the enrollment, or may not have a lot of boys in their school to play the game of football,” he said. Twenty-three teams played last season. Lentz projects more small-town schools will field six-man teams in the future.
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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).