No Charges Filed in Fatal Lawrence City Hall Shooting
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LT) — The Douglas County district attorney’s office says it won’t pursue charges related to the fatal shooting at Lawrence City Hall in January. Police say a 28-year-old man from Minnesota, Omar Dominguez Gavilan, broke into City Hall on the morning of January 5 and engaged in a fight with a security officer, who shot and killed him. In a statement released on Friday, the DA’s office said the security guard acted “in self-defense and defense of others.” Kansas Highway Patrol officers had noticed Gavilan acting erratically at the Turnpike rest stop east of Lawrence and took him to the city’s Amtrak station. For reasons unknown, Gavilan made his way to City Hall from there. Gavilan’s sister told the Lawrence Times her brother had schizophrenia.
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Lawrence Budget Proposal Calls for Property Tax Increase
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LT) — An early draft of the 2027 Lawrence city budget calls for a property tax increase. It also suggests asking voters to approve a sales tax increase for public transit. City commissioners will discuss the proposal on Tuesday. The Lawrence Times reports the suggested property tax increase is three mills. A three mill increase would cost a homeowner $3 for every $1,000 of a property’s assessed value.
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Kansas House Bill Would Create Authority to Oversee New Chiefs Stadium
TOPEKA, Kan. (KMBC) — The Kansas House is considering a bill that would create a new sports authority. The new Kansas Sports Authority would oversee the construction, financing, and management of a new football stadium for the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas. Supporters of the proposal say it’s necessary to ensure construction of the stadium, which is expected to cost $3 billion. Most of that cost would be paid for with state bonds. KMBC reports critics of the complicated proposal for a new sports authority say it’s being rushed through the legislature relatively late in the session.
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Kansas Lawmakers Seek Changes to Conservatorship Rules
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Kansas lawmakers want to create a middle ground between conservatorship, which is court-appointed decision-making by another adult, and people with mental health concerns going without help. The push to give people more autonomy began due to a tragedy for Mental Health Advocacy Day Chair Lori Barnes. Her son, who had bipolar disorder, took his own life half a decade ago. Barnes, like many parents, didn’t want to take away her son’s rights under a conservatorship. Since her son’s death, she has worked to get a supported decision making agreement bill passed at the Kansas Statehouse. Barnes said the legislation allows for people to get help when they need it. “Basically you're their copilot. So they get to keep their rights. They still get to make their decisions, but you're there to help them,” she explained. More than thirty states already have similar laws on the books.
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Kansas Judge Mulls Ruling on “Bathroom Law”
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — A Kansas judge could rule as early as Tuesday on a lawsuit challenging the implementation of the state’s new “bathroom law.” The law forces people to use bathrooms in government buildings based on their sex at birth. It also requires the gender markers on drivers licenses to reflect the license holder’s sex at birth. The ACLU is challenging the law, saying it discriminates against transgender Kansans. Douglas County District Judge James McCabria heard arguments Friday. He could issue a temporary injunction to stop enforcement of the law while the lawsuit moves forward.
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Man Pleads Guilty to Charges in Super Bowl Rally Shooting
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) — One of two men charged in the fatal shootings at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl rally in 2024 pleaded guilty Monday. KCUR reports that Dominick Miller and another man were charged with second-degree murder after the shootings that killed Lisa Lopez Galvan and injured 23 others. Now, under a plea deal, that charge was dropped and Miller pleaded guilty to one count of unlawful use of a weapon. A Jackson County judge sentenced Miller to two years in prison. The second-degree murder charge against the other man, Lyndell Mays, is still pending.
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Gasoline Prices Rise in Kansas and Missouri, Following Nationwide Trends
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) — As oil prices surge due to the war in Iran, gas prices in Kansas and Missouri have spiked. AAA says the average price in Kansas is $2.91 a gallon, 36 cents more than a week ago. KCUR reports that the price is slightly higher in Johnson and Wyandotte Counties. The national average is $3.25 a gallon, so the Kansas price is among the cheapest in the U.S. In Missouri, Triple A pegs the average price at $2.97 a gallon, a 31 cent increase in the last week. Missouri and Kansas are still two of the least expensive states to charge an electric vehicle. Triple A says it costs about 25 cents per kilowatt hour.
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Report Tags Kansas and Missouri as Lacking in Protections for Online Sports Gamblers
UNDATED (KCUR) — Kansas and Missouri rank among the worst in the country when it comes to protecting online sports gamblers. KCUR says that a report from the Center for Addiction Science, Policy, and Research gives both states failing grades. The report cites the lack of protections for sports bettors paired with the easy access and addictive nature of online betting apps as dangerous, according to The Beacon. The center is calling on states to implement more protections, including mandatory loss limits, higher tax rates on gambling, and requiring operators to intervene when users are showing high-risk behavior. The center also says Kansas and Missouri do not tax online gambling companies enough. Kansans have been able to place online sports bets since September of 2022, and Missourians gained access in December last year.
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Survey Shows Higher-Than-Average Rates of Some Health Challenges in Southeast Kansas
UNDATED (KNS) — A recent survey shows people in Southeast Kansas see higher-than-average rates of certain health issues, such as diabetes and hypertension. The Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas recently surveyed its patients in Kansas and Northeast Oklahoma to determine the biggest health issues and barriers to health care. Jason Wesco, the center’s president, told the Kansas News Service that the most common health problems in the region are heart disease, cancer and obesity. He says some of these may be related to regional factors like poverty and limited health care access. “There are myriad of things going on in a community that maybe people don't think about directly impacting someone's health, but they certainly do in the big picture,” he explained. Wesco says it will take collaboration between health care organizations and outside leaders to improve health outcomes.
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KU Reaches Tentative Agreement with Faculty and Academic Staff Union
UNDATED (KCUR) — Faculty and academic staff at the University of Kansas announced Friday that their union reached a tentative first contract agreement with the school. The United Academics of the University of Kansas represents the faculty and academic staff union,, which has been engaged in fraught negotiations with KU. KCUR reports that a statement from the union says the agreement ensures due process, job security, academic freedom and dignified compensation for all. The agreement includes a 13% median raise for several hundred workers, as part of a minimum salary structure. It also includes a first-ever path to promotion for lecturers.
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TerraPower Considering Kansas for Nuclear Plant Site
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — A nuclear power company founded by Bill Gates is looking for a plant site and Kansas is on its short list. TerraPower is set to build its first sodium-cooled plant in Wyoming. Another potential location the company told Kansas lawmakers about is on the land of Evergy’s Wolf Creek nuclear plant in Burlington. TerraPower’s Vice President of Governmental Affairs, Andrew Richards, says the next step is to hold public forums. “Our company will come and provide a technical presentation to anybody that's interested, and we will sit and listen and take questions from anybody who has questions,” Richards promised. Environmental groups that oppose TerraPower say the plant's setup could lead to safety issues.
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Kansas Winter Wheat Crop Coming in Ahead of Schedule
LIBERAL, Kan. (KNS) — Kansas has been unseasonably warm this winter, which has resulted in one of the state’s biggest crops — winter wheat — growing way ahead of schedule. That has put the crop at risk of damage from rapid temperature changes. Kansas farmers grow winter wheat, which stays dormant until temperatures rise and the plant begins to grow again. That happened earlier than normal this season because of the warm winter. Kansas State University agronomist Logan Simon says when the crop develops prematurely, it’s at greater risk from the elements. “We're going to see that crop become more sensitive to those cold temperatures,” Simon added. He says he’s also concerned about the lack of moisture that has accompanied the warm winter this season.
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Kansas City Region Collaborating on Stormwater Control Solutions
UNDATED (HPM) — Some cities in the middle of the country are reining in flooding and water pollution by requiring new property developments to absorb more rainwater. Harvest Public Media reports that the Kansas City region is the latest to take up the approach. Some places, like Minnesota and Austin, Texas, have been tackling stormwater pollution for years. Now, cities across the Kansas City area are considering similar steps to clean up local streams and reduce flooding. Tawn Nugent, past president of the American Public Works Association’s Kansas City chapter, supports the move. “I think there was a lot of concern that we weren’t looking at stormwater regionally. Stormwater doesn’t stop at city boundaries,” Nugent explained. City codes could change to make developers use rain gardens and other methods to absorb and filter stormwater. This approach is common on the East and West Coasts. (Read more.)
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Washburn Men’s, Women’s Basketball Teams Both Win Conference Tournaments
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — The men’s and women’s teams at Washburn University automatically qualified for the NCAA Division II basketball tournaments after winning their respective conference tournaments Sunday. The men’s team will host an eight-team regional that starts on Saturday. The Ichabods, ranked third nationally, enter the regional with a 31-1 record after beating Rogers State of Oklahoma, 91-59, in the MIAA tournament title game. They’ll open the NCAA Division II regional against Minnesota-Duluth. On the women’s side, the Ichabods won their first conference tournament title since 2012 with a 53-44 win over Central Missouri. For the regional, the Ichabods will travel to Mankato, Minnesota, for a Friday rematch against UCM.
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Former KU Jayhawk Mark Turgeon Hired as New Men's Basketball Coach at UMKC
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) — Topeka native and former Kansas Jayhawks guard Mark Turgeon, who went on to coach at Wichita State among other places, was formally introduced Monday as the new UMKC head men's basketball coach in Kansas City. Turgeon has been out of coaching since 2021, which was his last season as the University of Maryland head coach. But with his son, Will, at his side as an assistant coach, they’re teaming up to get UMKC, which finished with a 4-27 record this season, turned around.
"We’ve got work to do and I’ve had so many people tell me it’s not an easy job. I disagree. You hire the right people, you’re around the right people, you’re in a great area. You can do great things," he said.
Turgeon played on the Jayhawks' 1986 Final Four team under Coach Larry Brown. Later as a head coach, he guided Wichita State to the Sweet 16 in the 2006 NCAA tournament.
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