Three Wounded in Apparent Topeka Shooting
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) — Topeka police are investigating an apparent shooting at a McDonald’s Sunday night that left three people wounded. It happened at the McDonald’s at 12th and Gage. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports police were called to the scene around 8:20 p.m. The investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Topeka police.
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Tire Comes Loose from Semi, Causes Crash in Southeast Lawrence
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — A man and two children were lucky to escape serious injuries when their vehicle was hit by a tire that came unattached from a passing semi. It happened around 1:30 p.m. Sunday on K-10 in southeast Lawrence. The Kansas Highway Patrol says the man’s SUV was traveling westbound when the loose tire crossed the center median and struck the vehicle, which then overturned in the median. The 34-year-old man from Olathe and his two children, four and seven, suffered only minor injuries. All were wearing seatbelts and the children were in car seats.
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Lawrence, Douglas County Officers to Step up Enforcement This Week
LAWRENCE, Kan. (Lawrence Times) — Police in Lawrence and Douglas County are advising motorists that they will be increasing enforcement of seat belt laws this week. The Lawrence Police Department and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office will both have more units on the streets as travel ramps up for Thanksgiving. The Lawrence Times reports extra officers and deputies will be out looking for seat belt infractions and distracted and impaired drivers. It’s estimated about half of all traffic fatalities in Kansas involve someone not wearing a seat belt. The Kansas Department of Transportation provides funding for overtime to make the extra patrols possible.
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Fire Damages Eureka Hardware Store
EUREKA, Kan. (KSN) — A small business in Eureka, Kansas, was badly damaged by fire on Saturday afternoon. The fire at S & L Hardware was reported around four p.m. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the flames, but KSN reports the building suffered significant smoke, heat, and water damage. The State Fire Marshal’s preliminary investigation finds the fire was electrical in nature. In a Facebook post the owners of the business say they are broken hearted, but grateful for the community’s response.
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Thousands Flock to Newly Renovated Kansas Museum of History
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Thousands of people showed up over the weekend to tour the renovated Kansas Museum of History. Many were impressed by the changes made during the three-year renovation project. "I think that this flows so nicely," Connie Rasmussen of Wakarusa told KPR. She said she likes the way exhibits now flow through eight themed galleries. They were laid out chronologically in the old museum.
Blake Ramsey of Topeka also gave the $6 million transformation a thumbs up but wondered why it took so long. "Three years down is a long time," he said. “But overall, the museum was great." Because of the long wait for the reopening and a short list of remaining work to be completed, museum officials have promised free admission through the end of the year.
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Senator Roger Marshall Wants to Replace ACA, Not Extend Subsidies
UNDATED (KNS) — Kansas Senator Roger Marshall wants to replace the Affordable Care Act, rather than extend subsidies for plans purchased through the marketplace. The Kansas News Service reports that the credits help more than 200,000 Kansans pay for health insurance, and they are set to expire in December. But Senator Marshall says the system is flawed. He wants to use the federal funds meant for those subsidies as individual health savings accounts instead. “Rather than give that money, or at least not all of it, to the big insurance companies, I want to give it to you, the consumer,” he explained. Experts say that it will not lower insurance premiums, but it could help consumers with out-of-pocket costs. Disagreements over extending the credits were a major reason for the government shutdown.
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End to Federal Shutdown Hasn't Eased Demand for Food Assistance
UNDATED (KCUR) — The demand for food assistance in Kansas and Missouri hasn’t subsided after the federal government shutdown ended last week (Nov. 13). The food bank Harvesters says requests for food assistance doubled for some of their agencies during the shutdown, and food is going out to pantries as fast as it's coming onto their shelves. Valerie Nicholson-Watson is Harvesters’ interim president and CEO. She says families were already stretched thin financially before the shutdown began. "Now they also have to start preparing for colder weather, higher utility bills, the cost of food, as we all know, has been rising. So that is a continuous stressor," she added. Staff say cash donations go further for the food bank, but canned goods are helpful to address immediate needs during supply chain delays.
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Kansans Warned of Misleading “Economic Relief” Mailer
UNDATED (KMBC) — If you get a piece of mail promising “economic relief for affected Kansas families,” it’s not a check from the government, it’s an ad for an unsecured loan. Consumer advocates are warning Kanans to be on the lookout for such a letter and others like it that seem to be offering government aid. KMBC reports one letter looks like a government-issued check, including the fine print and a reference to the United States Code. Kansas Legal Services says that’s just meant to dupe recipients into believing the letter is urgent and legitimate. Their advice when it comes to mailers like this: “Be cautious and be suspicious.”
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Sen. Moran Warns Shutdown Could Still Affect Thanksgiving Air Travel
WASHINGTON, D.C. (KNS) — Republican senator Jerry Moran of Kansas says the recently concluded government shutdown could still impact Thanksgiving air travel. Moran recently held a hearing to discuss the effect of the 43-day shutdown on the country’s aviation system. Thanksgiving is traditionally the busiest travel period of the year, and officials expect 31 million people to fly. "While we anticipate the airlines will be fully, or nearly fully, recovered,” Moran said, “lingering strain and fatigue on the system perhaps is to be expected."
Moran says he would like to see Congress approve legislation he introduced in March. It would allow the Federal Aviation Administration to access funds during a shutdown in order to pay air traffic controllers and maintain operations. Moran says the U.S. Travel Association estimated losses of about $6 billion dollars during the shutdown because people were concerned about flying.
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Small Business Owners Reporting Lower Confidence Levels for Holiday Season
UNDATED (HPM) — Business owners with fewer than three full-time employees reported lower confidence levels for this year’s holiday season, according to a Main Street America national survey. Harvest Public Media reports that tariffs, inflation and a downturn in consumer spending were big factors for many of the survey respondents. Melissa Fabian, owner of Simply Nourished Market & Mercantile in Mason City, Iowa, says she’s seen a drop in revenue this year with less foot traffic. Small Business Saturday after Thanksgiving is typically her biggest day of the year. “Believe me, we appreciate it, and we need people there to do that. But we really need the people there to come every week. People can't shop one day a year with us and be surprised six months later that we're gone,” she cautioned. Fabian says supporting small businesses circulates dollars locally and helps downtowns thrive.
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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).