Winter Storm Warning Issued for Eastern Kansas
UNDATED (KPR) — The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for eastern Kansas from Friday evening through Sunday evening. Forecasters are predicting at least five inches of snow and wind chills as low as the -20s. A Cold Weather Advisory is also in effect, from 6:00 p.m. Friday to noon Sunday. Nathan Griesemer, a Weather Service meteorologist in Topeka, says potentially we could see “nine inches or so” of snow. The Kansas Department of Transportation is warning motorists to be aware of hazardous driving conditions, especially blowing snow that will reduce visibility. Up-to-date road conditions can be found at KanDrive.gov.
Keep tuned to Kansas Public Radio for the latest weather updates. Click here for the latest forecast.
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Report: Lawrence Will Host Algeria World Cup Team
LAWRENCE, Kan. (WDAF-TV) — A Kansas City TV station is reporting that the Algerian national soccer team will be based in Lawrence for this summer’s World Cup. WDAF-TV says its report is based on sources who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The report has not been confirmed by KPR or other news outlets. If correct, the Algerian national team would be based at Rock Chalk Park in Lawrence. WDAF also says three other teams will be based in the Kansas City metro area: Argentina, England, and the Netherlands.
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Plan to Move Local Elections in Kansas Draws Scrutiny
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — Election officials in Kansas are pushing back against a proposal to move local elections to even-numbered years. Republican state representative Pat Proctor says his bill would improve voter turnout. But the Kansas secretary of state’s office says putting local races on the same ballot as federal elections would make the ballots much longer, resulting in voter fatigue and longer lines at polling places. The Kansas Reflector reports Proctor, the bill’s sponsor, chairs the House Elections Committee and is running for the GOP nomination for secretary of state.
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Kansas Legislature Closely Examining Chiefs Stadium Deal
UNDATED (KNS) — The Kansas City Chiefs are coming under increased scrutiny from Kansas lawmakers over their multi-billion dollar stadium deal. The Kansas News Service reports that in a tense committee meeting, Chiefs attorney Korb Maxwell defended the use of Kansas STAR Bonds, which will allow future sales tax revenue from the development to pay for its construction. But he acknowledged there is still a lot to iron out. Democrat Lynn Melton is a state representative in Wyandotte County, where the stadium will be built. She said the bond-funded Legends shopping district has not created the tax relief she had hoped. “We were told, ‘Oh, when the STAR bonds pay off, it's going to be wonderful. You guys are going to have so much property tax relief. The schools aren't going to be hitting you with bonds all the time.’ Well, none of that has been true,” Melton added. Maxwell responded that similar projects like the Legends and the Kansas Speedway have created jobs and boosted the economy in Wyandotte County.
(–additional reporting–)
Chiefs Say Stadium Deal Good for Kansas, Critics Disagree
TOPEKA, Kan. (KMBC) — Officials with the Kansas City Chiefs have given Kansas lawmakers an update on the team’s plan to move to the Sunflower State. KMBC reports the attorney representing the team, Korb Maxwell, told lawmakers Wednesday the agreement with the state won’t raise taxes, and he said the STAR bonds financing the new stadium could be paid off sooner than the authorized 30 years. But critics of the deal said it will end up impacting the state budget for years to come. Still to be finalized are the boundaries of the new STAR bond district around the stadium and the team’s proposed practice facility in Olathe.
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Bill Would Raise Minimum Age for Marriage in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — A bill under consideration at the Statehouse would raise the minimum age at which couples can get married in Kansas. State law currently allows teens as young as 15 to get a marriage license if a judge determines “it is in [their] best interests.” KSNT reports the bill proposed by a bipartisan group of lawmakers this week would raise the minimum age to 18, with no exceptions. According to the Kansas Annual Summary of Vital Statistics, 3.4% of brides and 1.9% of grooms were under the age of 20 when they got married in 2024.
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Kansas Health Officials Report Rise in Respiratory Illnesses
PITTSBURG, Kan. (KNS) — State health officials say respiratory illnesses are on the rise in Kansas. The Kansas News Service reports that last month, almost one in five emergency room visits were for illnesses like influenza. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Kansas has a moderate level of illness rates as of last week, but it’s hitting some local communities even harder, like in southeast Kansas.
Dr. Domonique Cunningham, with Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas says misinformation is making the situation worse. "All of the stuff about vaccines and the news and the government and everything, there are a lot fewer people getting immunized against the flu and COVID. And so those numbers, I feel like, are higher than we've seen in previous years," she said.
Cunningham recommends frequent hand washing, staying home if you’re sick and getting vaccines to help prevent illness.
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New Congressional Bill Could Ease Eligibility Requirements for Some USDA Loans
UNDATED (HPM) — A new bill introduced in Congress aims to make it easier for farmers to be eligible for federal loans. Harvest Public Media reports that the USDA Loan Modernization Act would allow someone who has a 50 percent ownership in the farm to be eligible for federal loans. Right now, that person must be the sole owner-operator. A handful of farm financing and lobbying groups say this a common sense update. One of those groups is the Illinois Corn Growers Association. ILCGA Secretary Mike Shane says the change could help younger farmers, who are more likely to be joint owners. "We got to keep younger people involved in it. Like I said, the average age is in the 60s, and I don’t see anything bringing that down until we can get younger people involved easier," Shane explained. Just 8% of the youngest farmers fully own their land, according to the most recent USDA data. For farmers over 65, it’s 43%.
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Kansas DOC Ends Wild Horse Program for Inmates
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (KWCH) — The Kansas Department of Corrections is canceling a program that taught inmates how to train wild horses. The Wild Horse Program at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility will end next month. Now a rescue organization is scrambling to find homes for the horses that will be displaced. KWCH reports an estimated 750 inmates have trained wild horses through the program over the past 25 years. The prison says it was forced to end the program due to federal funding cuts.
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Kansas City Restaurants and Bars Named as Semifinalists for Prestigious Culinary Awards
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) — Five Kansas City area restaurants and bars are semifinalists for one of the culinary world’s most prestigious awards. KCUR reports that an outstanding cocktail service, a Japanese-inspired pub, and a speakeasy in Shawnee are among the latest nominees for what’s often called the Oscars of the culinary world: the James Beard Foundation Awards. For the second year in a row, The Town Company received two separate nods - for Outstanding Pastry Chef Helen Jo Leach, and for Executive Chef Johnny Leach. “We're just very proud to be amongst such a great community of culinarians here in KC," Johnny Leach said. The James Beard Foundation will announce winners in June in Chicago. (Read more.)
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Marion County Record Documentary to Compete for Award at Sundance Film Festival
UNDATED (KCUR) — When the Sundance Film Festival opens Thursday in Utah, a documentary about the police raid on the small-town newspaper in Marion County, Kansas, will be up for an award. When police confiscated computers and phones from reporters in the rural newspaper’s headquarters in August 2023, reactions from residents were mixed. Not everyone liked the way the paper covered local news and had issues with the editor. KCUR reports that the film’s director, Sharon Leis, says she and her team saw the incident as a cautionary tale. “When I went there, I thought ‘oh boy, this is what is starting to happen in America. We’re starting to see this.’ I had no idea that 2 ½ years later it was going to be even more important,” Leis explained. The police chief who ordered the raid was to go on trial next month, but a judge postponed the trial because of the documentary’s release.
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