Investigation Continues into McPherson Homicide
McPHERSON, Kan. (KPR) — The investigation continues into a weekend shooting in McPherson that left a young man dead. It happened early Saturday morning after a house party. A disagreement between two groups of partygoers ended in a physical altercation between an 18-year-old male and a 19-year-old male. The 18-year-old shot and killed the 19-year-old. The victim has been identified as Joshua Soden. The 18-year-old who shot him turned himself into police. No charges have been filed yet. The McPherson County Sheriff's Office and the KBI are investigating.
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Wyandotte High School Closed Monday after Reported Fire
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KMBC) — Classes were canceled at Wyandotte High School on Monday. The cause: a small fire that was reported in a stairwell. Other schools in the KCK district remained open as usual. There’s no word yet on the cause of the fire or the extent of the damage. KMBC reports district officials were expected to release more information later Monday.
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England Soccer Team to Stay in Prairie Village for World Cup
PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. (KC Business Journal) — The English national soccer team will make Kansas their home base for this summer’s World Cup. The Kansas City Business Journal reports the team will stay at The Inn at Meadowbrook in Prairie Village, Kansas. The Business Journal says the boutique hotel’s “English cottage” decor may have played a role in the decision. Situated on a 136-acre property, the hotel will also give the team privacy.
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Sticky Substance in Kansas Town Identified but Mystery Remains
GARNETT, Kan. (KSN) — Environmental officials say they have identified the sticky substance that was spilled on the streets of a small eastern Kansas town, but still don’t know who was responsible for the spill. It happened on New Year’s Eve in the Anderson County town of Garnett. More than 200 cars that drove through the sticky stuff had to be cleaned with a solution of water and vinegar. KSN reports the substance has been identified as sodium aluminate, a chemical compound that is considered hazardous. Investigators say they are still trying to identify the truck that spilled the chemical.
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Kansas Board of Regents President Stepping Down
TOPEKA, Kan. (LJW) — The president of the Kansas Board of Regents is stepping down. Blake Flanders has announced he will retire from the position on June 30. The regents oversee the state’s public universities. Flanders has been board president since 2015. During his tenure, the board implemented a plan called Building a Future, which aims to make college more affordable and expand the universities’ research capabilities. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the board has not yet announced the process for replacing Flanders.
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Lobbying Group Pushes to Block All Medicaid Funding at Facilities Providing Abortions
UNDATED (KNS) — Kansans For Life, an anti-abortion lobbying group, is pushing to block Medicaid funding from paying for any services at facilities that provide abortions. The Kansas News Service reports that the move is part of the group's new legislative agenda. Jeanne Gawdun, the organization’s director of government relations, says a recent Supreme Court ruling allows the change, adding that “...the state does have a right to be able to say, you know, ‘This is something that we do not feel is a good use of taxpayer dollars.’”
The state in the past tried to block any Medicaid funding from going to abortion providers, but ultimately lost in court and ended the effort. There’s currently also an effort by the federal government to cut Medicaid eligibility for some reproductive care centers.
Kansans for Life is also pushing legislators to extend taxpayer funding for pregnancy resource centers, which counsel women against abortion and provide items like baby clothes and diapers.
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Lawrence Landfill Could Be Changing Hands
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — The company that owns the landfill that the city of Lawrence uses is planning to sell it to a major national corporation. Hamm Companies have owned the landfill for decades. They are selling it to Allied Waste Systems, a subsidiary of Republic Services, which operates hundreds of landfills across the U.S. Republic is listed on the New York Stock Exchange. The city of Lawrence must consent to the sale. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the city commission will vote on the sale on Tuesday. No word on how the sale might affect the price the city pays to use the landfill.
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New Federal Dietary Guidelines Rekindle Dairy Fat Consumption Controversy
UNDATED (HPM) — The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans endorse whole-fat dairy products, ending a longstanding recommendation that consumers should opt for low-fat and nonfat alternatives. Harvest Public Media reports that nutrition experts say the science behind which fat option is the healthiest is a little less clear-cut. Saturated fat is known to raise a person's cholesterol level and increase their risk of heart disease. That's why nutritionists have recommended low-fat and nonfat dairy products for decades. But in recent years, a growing number of studies have found people who consume whole milk and full-fat yogurt are not more likely to develop heart disease. Sander Kersten, Director of the Division of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University, says so far researchers can't explain why these products are different than other sources of saturated fat. "This is such a complex subject, and you can weigh the evidence very differently," he explained, saying that's why he thinks sticking mostly to low-fat dairy is still the healthiest choice. He also worries that the change in the Dietary Guidelines has been influenced more by pro-dairy interest groups than scientific evidence. (Read more.)
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Location of Chiefs’ Proposed Stadium, Facilities in Kansas Disclosed
OLATHE, Kan. (KNS) — The Kansas City Chiefs want to build their new $3 billion domed stadium near 126th and State Avenue, about a mile west of the Kansas Speedway. Their $300 million practice facility is planned for Ridgeview Road, just south of K-10 in Olathe. The Kansas News Service reports the Olathe City Council and the Unified Government will hold hearings on the projects on Tuesday. Details of the construction plans were released on the meeting agendas. Officials in both the U.G. and Olathe would have to approve the use of sales tax bonds. The STAR bonds, already approved by the state legislature, would fund up to 60% of both projects. The U.G. says the Chiefs would pay $7 million a year in rent for 30 years and the stadium complex would create 4,000 permanent jobs.
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Topeka Native, Former KU Star Mark Turgeon named UMKC Hoops Coach
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KPR) — Mark Turgeon has been hired by UMKC in Kansas City as its basketball coach for the 2026-27 season. Turgeon has been out of coaching since 2021, when he left Maryland. His head coaching stops before Maryland were at Texas A&M, Jacksonville State, and Wichita State. He’ll take over for Marvin Menzies who’s stepping down after this season. The ’Roos are currently 4-19. At KU, Turgeon played on the 1986 Final Four team under coach Larry Brown before starting his coaching career at KU as an assistant.
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Groundhog Day 2026: Punxsutawney Phil Predicts Six More Weeks of Winter
PUNXSUTAWNEY, Pa. (Yahoo News) - Punxsutawney Phil predicted six more weeks of wintry weather Monday. His annual prediction and announcement that he had seen his shadow was translated by his handlers in the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club at Gobbler’s Knob in western Pennsylvania. Yahoo News reports that the prediction was greeted with a mix of cheers and boos from the thousands of people in attendance.
Groundhog Day falls on the midpoint between the shortest, darkest day of the year on the winter solstice and the spring equinox. The tradition is rooted in European agricultural life, but the science behind it is questionable at best. According to Yahoo News, this was the 140th celebration of Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney.
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