If They Build It, T-Mobile Will Leave Overland Park
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (WDAF-TV) — T-Mobile says it will leave its Overland Park location if the Kansas City Royals decide to build a new ballpark nearby. About 3,500 people work at the T-Mobile facility in Aspiria, as the former Sprint campus is now known. The Royals have purchased land in the area as the team searches for a site for a new ballpark. T-Mobile confirmed on Tuesday it will relocate if the ballpark is built in Aspira. In a statement to WDAF-TV, T-Mobile says the campus “cannot accommodate both our workforce and a stadium.” Overland Park Mayor Curt Skoog said Tuesday the ballpark “is an exciting possibility,” but, “It has to be good for Overland Park.”
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Four Homes Damaged by Fire in Topeka
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW-TV) — A fire in Topeka Tuesday night damaged at least four homes. It was in the 500 block of SW Polk. When firefighters arrived three houses were on fire. The blaze then spread to a fourth house. WIBW-TV reports the house where the fire is believed to have started was under renovation. No injuries have been reported.
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Potawatomi Tribe Fires Officials over ICE Contract
MAYETTA, Kan. (TCJ) — The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation has fired senior members of the tribe’s subsidiary after they agreed to a $30 million dollar contract with ICE to design immigrant detention centers. The subsidiary is known as Prairie Band LLC. After the agreement with ICE became public, tribal leaders posted a statement on social media acknowledging the contract does not “align” with the tribe’s values. The message does not say whether the contract will be fulfilled. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the contract calls for Prairie Band LLC to design so-called "secure structures" that fulfill federal requirements for immigrant detention centers.
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Suit Claims Kansas Living-Will Law Violates Rights of Pregnant Women
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — A Douglas County judge heard testimony this week on a challenge to Kansas’s living-will law. The law allows adults to refuse life-saving medical care if they have a terminal illness and are unable to communicate their wishes. But the law excludes pregnant women from having that option. The Lawrence Journal-World reports three women and two doctors have filed a civil suit challenging the law. They say it discriminates against pregnant women and violates their rights. The state has made a motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Judge Mark Simpson has not yet ruled on the motion.
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Topeka Company Acquires 15 Kansas Assisted-Living Facilities
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW-TV) — A Topeka company has acquired 15 assisted-living facilities across Kansas. Midwest Health announced the purchase on Tuesday. The price was not disclosed. The facilities have operated under the name Vintage Park. Midwest Health was founded in Topeka in 1977. WIBW-TV reports the company operates more than 100 senior communities in six Midwestern states.
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Proposal Targets Kansas Drivers Who Ignore Stop Signs on School Buses
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — The Kansas Board of Education is asking state lawmakers to pass a law that would make it easier to punish drivers who ignore the stop signs on stopped school buses. The law would allow school districts to install cameras on the buses that would record the license plate numbers of vehicles that ignore the stop signs. The registered owners of the vehicles would be fined by mail. Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson told KSNT the violation often goes unpunished. In 2020 a first-grader in Abilene was struck and killed by a car that ignored a bus stop sign.
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Deck the Halls but Not the Cars in Kansas and Missouri
UNDATED (KCTV) — You can deck the halls —but not your car. Police in Kansas and Missouri are reminding motorists that it’s illegal to attach decorations, including lights, to the outside of vehicles. Cars with decorations can be ticketed in both states. KCTV reports state laws regulate the colors of lights that can be on the front or back of any vehicle.
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Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Announces Property Tax Reduction Proposal
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — A Republican candidate for governor announced details Tuesday of his proposal to reduce property taxes for business and homeowners. The Kansas News Service reports that Secretary of State Scott Schwab calls the proposal “Better Affordable Living by Decreasing Property Taxes” — or “BALD” for short. The plan’s name pokes a bit of fun at the fact that Schwab himself has no hair. “It’s BALD. It’s bold. And it basically forces big government to take a haircut,” Schwab said at an event in Wichita. The plan would require the public to vote when local governments propose a mill levy increase. It also would make changes to the tax appeals process. If a property owner wins an appeal, their property’s assessed value growth would be kept flat or at a constant rate for three to six years. Many other Republicans in the race are also calling for property tax reform, including former Governor Jeff Colyer and Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson.
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KCK Police Investigate Church Vandalism as Possible Hate Crime
UNDATED (KCUR) — Kansas City, Kansas, police are investigating a possible hate crime at a church where Wyandotte County District Attorney Mark Dupree is pastor. KCUR reports that police say officers responded to the Grace Tabernacle Family Outreach Center on Sunday after a report of a racial epithet spray-painted across a sign. Dupree is lead pastor at the predominately Black church. He told KMBC-TV that in addition to the racist graffiti, the church has received death threats. Dupree says that while he is angry, he will forgive whoever defaced the sign – but will also hold that person accountable.
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Groundbreaking Held for Kansas Nuclear Reactor Project Despite Regulatory Questions
UNDATED (KNS) — Nuclear company Deep Fission broke ground on a nuclear reactor project Tuesday in Parsons, Kansas. The Kansas News Service reports that the project includes placing small reactors one mile underground to provide power at an industrial park. The first-of-its-kind reactor is part of a U.S. Department of Energy program to accelerate nuclear development. The project has bipartisan support from Kansas officials but questions remain about how this new type of reactor would be regulated.
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New Wichita Sales Tax One Step Closer to Implementation
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) — Wichita is one step closer to implementing a sales tax after a City Council vote Tuesday. KMUW reports that the council approved a request to place a sales tax question on a March special election ballot. The plan for a seven-year, 1 percent sales tax was pitched by Wichita Forward, a new nonprofit. The group's proposal would direct up to $850 million dollars toward public safety, housing and cultural projects. Council member Dalton Glasscock called the plan a watershed moment. "Wichita is at one of the rare moments where we get to choose the future instead of just settling in one by default. And I support today's ask because I believe investing ourselves in safer neighborhoods, stronger infrastructure and the kind of spaces and opportunities that make Wichita home," he added. The council will take a final vote on the special election next week.
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Trump Administration Promises $12 Billion to Farmers
UNDATED (HPM) — The Trump Administration will be sending farmers $12 billion to help them stay in business and compensate for their trade war losses. Harvest Public Media reports that many Midwestern farmers lost money this year. President Trump’s trade wars didn’t help. Tariffs boosted the already high cost of fertilizer and farm machinery. Retaliatory tariffs temporarily hobbled export markets for American farm commodities. The administration will use a U.S. Department of Agriculture fund to cover the funding package. Missouri corn and soybean farmer Richard Oswald says most of the bailout money will go straight to banks and suppliers. "There's money to pay the bill now. Liquidity is another word for it. A lot of farmers right now, I'm hearing from people have liquidity problems," he explained. Oswald says the bailout will let some farmers pay off last year’s operating loans, so they can borrow more to cover planting this spring. (Read more.)
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