Winter Weather Advisory Issued for Much of Kansas
UNDATED (KPR) — The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for eastern Kansas. It covers all but the southernmost tier of counties. The advisory is in effect until 6 pm Monday. The Weather Service is predicting snow accumulations of 2 to 4 inches north of I-35, and 1 to 2 inches south of I-35. Click here for the complete advisory. Click here for the latest forecast.
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Crews Cleaning Up after Jefferson County Train Derailment
PERRY, Kan. (WIBW-TV) — Clean-up crews are still at work at the site of a freight train derailment in Jefferson County. The derailment occurred Saturday night west of Perry. WIBW-TV reports more than 20 cars derailed, including multiple boxcars, tankers, and the engine. The train was operated by Union Pacific. No injuries have been reported.
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Kobach Sends More Letters to School Districts on LGBTQ Student Policies
UNDATED (KNS) — Republican Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach has sent school districts another round of threatening letters. The Kansas News Service reports that letters sent last month say Wichita, Lawrence and Cherryvale public schools could face lawsuits and lose federal funding because of their policies for LGBTQ students. In a recent interview, Kobach said he can challenge policies about honoring a transgender student’s pronouns or locker room use — even if no one has complained. “If the policy is written down and the policy is being enforced, that's enough for the federal government to say, ‘Well, there's a Title IX violation here," Kobach explained.
Earlier this year, Kobach supported a federal investigation into four other Kansas school districts for similar reasons.
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Kansas Hospitals Rank in Bottom Half of Nation for Patient Safety
UNDATED (KNS) — Kansas hospitals ranked 29th in the nation for patient safety, according to Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit, independent organization. The Kansas News Service reports that this year's 29th place is an improvement from 36th, which was the state's score earlier this year. Leapfrog assigns letter grades to hospitals based on the facilities' ability to avoid injuries, infections, accidents and medical errors. Alex Campione says 23% of the 30 Kansas hospitals they graded scored As. She says for hospitals with low grades, they provide guidance on how to improve. “We want to encourage hospitals to be transparent with their community and with their patients as well as their staff,” Campione explained. The Kansas Hospital Association didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
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One Person Killed in Wichita Fire
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) — One person was killed in a fire in Wichita over the weekend. KWCH reports it happened Saturday night in a building near Boston and Mosely. Firefighters removed a 39-year-old man from the burning building. He later died of his injuries. The fire is still under investigation.
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Wildflower Beautification Effort Underway in KC for World Cup
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KNS) — Volunteers are planting wildflowers in Kansas City to give next year’s World Cup visitors a sense of the region’s natural beauty. The Kansas News Service reports the Missouri Department of Conservation and nearly 100 volunteers added native wildflowers and grasses in high-visibility spots like the River Market and around Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums. Tim Collins is a volunteer organizer. He hopes the plantings won’t just impress tourists. “They’re also in high-visibility locations so that people that live here go, ‘Oh I like that, let’s do that.’” he says. Native plants are gaining popularity in the Kansas City metro and some cities in the area incentivize homeowners to plant them to help absorb stormwater.
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Kansas Social Work Advocate Loses Job in National Restructuring
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — The restructuring of a national organization for social workers has left Kansas without a dedicated state representative. The National Association of Social Workers recently announced it was combining 14 state chapters into pairs overseen by a single director. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Kansas is now paired with Iowa, and the group's executive director in Kansas has been laid off. The association says it is "undergoing a national, internal realignment to strengthen operational efficiency and support for social workers." The Kansas chapter, however, says the realignment was undertaken without its input.
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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 added. Fabian says supporting small businesses circulates dollars locally and helps downtowns thrive.
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National Tyson Plant Closures Could Affect Kansas
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) — Tyson Foods, a major meat packing company with facilities in Kansas, recently closed and downsized major plants in neighboring states. The Kansas News Service reports that this could have an impact on Kansas plants. The company announced it will lay off 1,700 people at a plant in the Texas panhandle. Tyson Foods also said that they will close a plant in Lexington, Nebraska that employs 3,200 people, the biggest employer for the town. A similar Tyson meatpacking plant of the same size in Finney County supports the beef industry in southwest Kansas. In a press release Tyson said production will be increased at other facilities, which could affect the work load in Kansas. Tyson is closing plants to try to make its beef production profitable.
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Broadband Grant Changes Could Affect Kansas Internet Infrastructure
UNDATED (The Beacon) — The Trump Administration changed a broadband grant program, and that will mean weaker internet infrastructure for Kansas. Kansas was awarded $451 million under the Biden Administration. The Beacon reports that under Trump, the new goal of the money was to find the best deal available rather than the best value. Erik Sartorius of the Communications Coalition of Kansas says the change will mean less investment in high-speed internet projects than can last for decades. Instead, it’ll mean investment in decent speed internet projects that’ll last for years. “As you see in your own life and in road building or anything else, cheap does not generally equal the best solution,” he said. Kansas submitted its grant proposal in November.
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Kansas Board of Regents Considers Expanding College “Apply Free” Days
UNDATED (KNS) — The Kansas Board of Regents could expand a program that waives college application fees for three days each fall. Kansas universities launched their Apply Free Days two years ago as a way to encourage more students to apply for college. Over three days in early October, Kansas residents can apply for undergraduate admission to any of the state’s public universities, community colleges, or technical colleges with no application fee. A new report shows that students saved nearly $300,000 the first year of the program. Mistie Knox of the Kansas Board of Regents says the program encourages students to apply early: “This is creating kind of like a due date, where students know, ‘OK, I need to be applied by this date in order to follow the typical college-going timeline.’” The Kansas News Service reports supporters of the program are urging Regents to extend it to a full week next year.
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Court Ruling Blocks Leavenworth CoreCivic Re-Opening
UNDATED (KNS) — A planned immigration detention center in Leavenworth will stay closed for now after a court loss for a private prison company. A state court ruling has blocked the company, CoreCivic, from using its dormant facility to detain immigrants awaiting deportation proceedings. CoreCivic asked a federal court to remove that barrier to reopening. The Kansas News Service reports that the judge has refused, meaning the 1,000-bed detention center will remain inactive — at least until a state court hearing in February. Meanwhile, in a change of tone, CoreCivic says it will consider applying for a permit with the city of Leavenworth to reopen the facility, though the company maintains that it does not legally have to do so.
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KU, K-State Both Advance to NCAA Women’s Volleyball Tournament
UNDATED (KPR) — Both the Kansas Jayhawks and Kansas State Wildcats were selected as at-large teams in the NCAA women's volleyball tournament. KU will host first and second round matches on Thursday and Friday this week. The Jayhawks will open against High Point University of North Carolina. K-State, meanwhile, will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, for a first-round match against the University of San Diego on Friday.
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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).