KU Chancellor Changes Course, Reinstates Indoor Mask Requirement on Campus
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - The University of Kansas will reinstate an indoor mask policy on its Lawrence and Edwards campuses for students, faculty and staff, effective Monday, August 9, regardless of vaccination status. Chancellor Doug Girod made the announcement in an email today (FRI). Last week, concern about the COVID-19 Delta variant led the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to advise that all individuals – regardless of vaccination status – wear masks in indoor spaces in regions of the country experiencing substantial COVID-19 transmission. Since then, Girod says the variant has continued to spread nationally and is now putting significant strain on healthcare systems throughout Kansas and neighboring states. In addition, KU officials say masks are strongly recommended in outdoor crowded spaces on campus. Other state-owned universities have taken similar steps, including Kansas State University, Wichita State University, and the University of Missouri.
( View the full text of KU's mask policy.)
Girod said, "The best way each of us can protect ourselves and the community, and enable society to get back to normal, is to get vaccinated. All members of the KU community are urged to get vaccinated now – before they return to campus – if they have not already done so." Vaccines are widely available at no cost in Douglas County and elsewhere. Information about upcoming clinics is available through Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health. Additionally, KU is offering opportunities to get vaccinated. Members of the KU community may make an appointment through Watkins Health Services. KU is also offering a vaccine clinic specifically for international students, along with walk-in opportunities for all students, as the semester begins. State law limits the university’s ability to require vaccines or proof of vaccination.
==========
More Kansas Places Requiring Masks to Control Delta Variant
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A small but growing number of places in Kansas are requiring people to wear masks indoors. The spread of the more contagious delta variant across the state prompted the University of Kansas to reverse course and impose a mask mandate on its main campus in Lawrence and a satellite campus in Johnson County in the Kansas City area. The mandate takes effect Monday and applies whether someone is vaccinated or not. Washburn University in Topeka also announced an indoor mask mandate, and Wyandotte County has one in place for most residents. Meanwhile, Governor Laura Kelly released a new public-service announcement urging people to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
(-Related-)
Wyandotte County Requiring Most Residents to Wear Masks Indoors
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas county in the Kansas City area is requiring most residents to wear masks in indoor public spaces and on public transportation. Wyandotte County's mandate is a response to the spread of the more contagious COVID-19 delta variant. The county commission approved the mask mandate Thursday night on an 8-2 vote, and The Kansas City Star reports that it took effect immediately. The commission imposed the requirement for county residents above the age of 5 but exempted the small towns of Bonner Springs and Edwardsville. The delta variant has caused new COVID-19 cases to rise steadily in Wyandotte County and across Kansas over the past six weeks.
Johnson County Mandates Masks for K-6 Schools
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The most populous county in Kansas has imposed a mask mandate for students and staff in elementary schools in hopes of checking the more contagious COVID-19 delta variant. The Johnson County Commission voted 5-2 Thursday for a mask requirement for schools from kindergarten through the sixth grade. The commission faced criticism both from health care providers who urged members to go further and from parents and other residents who opposed a mask mandate. The mandate would affect roughly 50,000 students, though critics questioned whether the commission has the authority to set policy for school districts. Supporters of the mandate said it's crucial to having in-person learning.
==========
Kansas Rep. Sharice Davids Contracts COVID-19 Despite Vaccination
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Representative Sharice Davids has tested positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated against it and is in isolation. Davids said Friday in a statement that she has had only mild symptoms from her breakthrough case. She said she was tested after undergoing outpatient surgery involving the parathyroid glands in the neck that regulate calcium levels in the blood. The two-term Democratic congresswoman for the state’s portion of the Kansas City metropolitan area said she’s been following precautions recommended by health officials, including wearing masks indoors. She said she’s grateful for COVID-19 vaccines and urged people to get inoculated. Her statement did not say how she contracted COVID-19.
==========
Kansas City Zoo to Vaccinate Some Animals Against COVID-19
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Officials with the Kansas City Zoo say they plan to begin vaccinating some animals housed at the attraction against COVID-19. Among those slated to be vaccinated are the zoo's great apes, including chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas, and its big cats, including lions, tigers, cheetahs and leopards. Zoo officials say those species are the most susceptible to the virus. The animals will receive the Zoetis vaccine, which was developed specifically for animals and won't affect the supply of vaccines for humans. More than 11,000 doses of that vaccine have been distributed across 70 zoos in 27 states.
==========
Missouri Lawmakers Seek to Ban Business Vaccine Mandates
LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — Six Republican state senators have asked Missouri Governor Mike Parson to call a special session to prevent private businesses in the state from requiring COVID-19 vaccines. The request drew a rebuke from the head of the Missouri Chamber of Commerce, who said Thursday that federal and state law and the courts have upheld the rights of employers to require vaccines. Some Missouri businesses, such as restaurants in St. Louis and Kansas City, have said they will require customers and workers to have the vaccine. The senators' letter to Parson focused on employees that are required to have the vaccine. They suggested the requirement violates an individual's freedom and liberty.
==========
KBI: Record Number of People Murdered in Kansas Last Year
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says more people were murdered in Kansas last year than any year since the inception of national crime statistics. The bureau says in a news release Friday that the number of murders committed in Kansas last year hit a record at 193. That surpasses any year since 1959, when the Federal Bureau of Investigation first began publishing national crime statistics. The KBI released on Friday its annual Kansas Crime Index Report, which compiles crime statistics reported to the bureau by state and local law enforcement agencies across the state. The report shows that violent crime in Kansas increased by 9.5% from 2019.
==========
Kansas Court Rejects Woman's Appeal in Ex-Boyfriend's Murder
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The state Supreme Court has upheld the convictions of a northeast Kansas woman serving a "Hard 50" prison sentence for shooting the father of her child six times and setting his body on fire in his mother's home. The court on Friday unanimously rejected arguments from Tria Evans' attorney that a Douglas County judge shouldn't have allowed testimony that 34-year-old victim Joel Wales told others he feared Evans would kill him. The now 42-year-old Evans was convicted of first-degree murder and arson over Wales' death in November 2017. She was sentenced to life in prison with no chance of parole for 50 years.
==========
Man Who Attacked WIBW Employees Convicted in Jail Assault
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A 57-year-old Topeka man who was in jail for attacking WIBW-TV employees in 2012 has been convicted of assaulting a corrections officer. Ray Miles was convicted Friday of attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery and battery against a corrections officer. Prosecutors said Miles tried to stab Shawnee County corrections officer Kourtney Flynn several times in July 2019 before other workers restrained him. Miles was in the jail to serve the remaining year of his sentences for attacking several WIBW-TV employees in 2012, stabbing two of them.
==========
KCK Police: Man Found Shot to Death
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Police are investigating after an officer found a man shot to death behind a convenience store in Kansas City, Kansas. Police say the discovery was made after officers were called just after 7 pm Thursday to an area along Kaw Drive for a report of a shooting. Arriving officers searched the area and found the man with gunshot wounds. He died at the scene. Police did not immediately release the man's name, and no arrests have been reported.
==========
Missouri Highway Patrol: Man Retrieving Ladder from Highway Hit, Killed
GRANDVIEW, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri State Highway Patrol says a man has died after being hit by a vehicle as he ran into a busy highway in suburban Kansas City to retrieve a ladder that had fallen from his van. The patrol says the crash happened Thursday morning in the southbound lanes of Interstate 49 at Grandview. Patrol Sgt. Bill Lowe says the man was in the roadway trying to reach the ladder when he was hit. That crash caused a chain reaction crash involving two more cars and resulting in three other people injured. The name of the man killed has not been released.
==========
Man Convicted in Road Rage Killing of Missouri National Guardsman
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A jury has convicted a 61-year-old man in the road rage killing of a Missouri National Guardsman. The Jackson County Prosecutor's office announced Thursday that Nicholas Webb was convicted of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the 2018 death of 23-year-old Cody Harter, of St. Joseph. Court records say Lee's Summit officers called to a site on Interstate 470 found Harter suffering from a stab wound. Witnesses and surveillance video indicated Harter and another man had a confrontation on the highway before the suspect drove away. As a Guardsman, Harter served in Iraq and Qatar, and helped with hurricane relief in Houston and Puerto Rico.
==========
Ex-KU Forward de Sousa Found Not Guilty of Battery
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A jury has found former University of Kansas forward Silvio de Sousa not guilty of aggravated battery for hitting a man in the face during a New Year's Day bar fight. The Kansas City Star reports de Sousa hugged his lawyer and praised God following the jury's decision on Thursday. Douglas County prosecutors alleged that de Sousa hit 32-year-old Shawnee native Grant Davis so hard during the January 1, 2020 bar fight in Lawrence that it blinded him in one eye. De Sousa says he hit Davis with an open palm but didn't touch his eye.
==========
Joplin: City Computer Shutdown Was Ransomware Attack
JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) — Joplin officials say the city's computer system was shut down last month by a ransomware attack. City Manager Nick Edwards announced Thursday that the city's insurer paid an unknown person $320,000 to keep sensitive information from being exposed. Edwards said the investigation into the attack is continuing. Computer servers and programs that operated the city’s online services were shut down July 7. The city’s internet-based telephone system was restored two days after the attack. Cybersecurity firms were hired and nearly all of the systems needed for normal operations have been restored. An investigation into what data might have been accessed is continuing.
==========
Farm to School Fresh Produce Programs Struggle During Pandemic
HAYS, Kan. (KNS) - The Kansas Farm to School program pairs family farms with school districts who want to buy fresh products for student meals. The statewide program has helped dozens of Kansas schools contract with local farmers to bring fresh fruits and vegetables to cafeterias. But pandemic-related uncertainty about the coming school year is disrupting the system and making it harder to form those connections. Carol Buck grows hydroponic lettuce at her family’s farm in Grinnell, in northwest Kansas. She sold to dozens of schools prior to the pandemic but has seen a drastic decline in orders this year. She says even if more schools decide to come on board, it won’t solve the problem overnight, because the crop takes at least three months to grow. “We can't just say, ‘Well, Dodge City wants to come on so next week, we've got the lettuce.’ It doesn’t work that way,” Buck said. Prior to the pandemic, Buck delivered lettuce and other leafy greens to the Garden City and Dodge City school districts. But so far this year, only one school in Dodge City has placed an order. The school districts say that even when classes met in-person last year, many parents chose to keep their kids at home, so it’s hard to know how many students will show up this year and difficult to plan meal programs.
==========
New Data Shed Light on Why People Are Leaving Rural Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – Population growth in Kansas isn’t keeping up with the rest of the country, according to a map from the U.S. Census Bureau, and one reason is people are leaving rural parts of the state. Television station KNST reports that the Kansas Sampler Foundation and the Kansas Office of Prosperity recently released the results of their own survey after getting input from hundreds of young people in rural areas. Childcare, internet access, and housing are some of the biggest motivations for people deciding not to stay in Kansas. Some issues like broadband may be a bigger concern in small towns, but not all are specific to rural areas. “Issues like childcare and childcare services - that’s not just a rural issue, that’s across the state,” said Trisha Purdon, director for the Office of Rural Prosperity. Bigger cities are also having to find new ways to attract young people to stay. The survey results stressed the importance of attracting young families. Purdon said a big part of getting people to live in a rural town is enticing students already there to live there in the future.
==========
Smoke from Western Wildfires Still Affecting Midwest Air Quality
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Smoke from wildfires in the Western United States has been impacting air quality in Kansas. According to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, atmospheric winds have been pushing smoke across the Midwest. While most of the smoke has been staying in the upper atmosphere, some is making it to the surface. KDHE says smoke can cause health problems in even healthy individuals, however, those with breathing issues, heart and lung diseases, the elderly, and children are at most risk. Common problems include burning eyes, runny nose, and coughing. KDHE recommends limiting strenuous outdoor exercise, drink lots of water and contact your doctor should you experience chest pains, tightness, shortness of breath or severe fatigue. For those with heart or respiratory issues, KDHE recommends staying indoors. (Check the Air Quality Index to learn more.)
==========
Patrol Says Salina Woman Killed in Crash with Semitrailer
CLAY CENTER, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Highway Patrol says a Salina woman died when her car collided with a semitrailer on a northern Kansas highway. The patrol says the crash happened Wednesday morning on U.S. Highway 24 several miles west of Clay Center. Investigators say a westbound car driven by 49-year-old Kimberly Hinkle hit the eastbound semi head-on. The patrol says Hinkle died at the scene. Two men in the semi were not seriously injured.
==========
DCF Announces Plan to Help Kansans Find Child Care
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - A new state program will provide Kansas job seekers with money for childcare. The project is being tested in 62 central and western Kansas counties. The program has been launched with $500,000 in federal funding to provide childcare so that parents are able to work outside the home. Andy West, of the Kansas Department for Children and Families, says the goal is to help parents find employment without having to worry about childcare costs. “It’s tough for a young person, or anyone for that matter, first starting a job to be able to afford to pay for daycare” West said. “Sometimes having to budget that makes it real tough on families.” People can apply online through DCF or Kansas workforce centers. If the program is a success, it could be expanded to more counties. More information is available at KansasWorks.com.
=========
CDC Issues New Eviction Ban for Most of U.S. Through October 3, 2021
WASHINGTON (AP/KPR) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a new moratorium on evictions that would last until October 3. The Biden administration is trying to quell intensifying criticism that it was allowing vulnerable renters to lose their homes during a pandemic. The new moratorium could help keep millions in their homes as the coronavirus delta variant has spread and states have been slow to release federal rental aid. It would temporarily halt evictions in counties with "substantial and high levels" of virus transmissions and would cover areas where 90% of the U.S. population lives. The eviction reprieve is designed to give tenants more time to pay back rent to landlords. Many legal scholars say the CDC has exceeded its statutory authority in implementing the eviction moratorium and the U.S. Supreme Court has signaled the move could be unconstitutional. Nonetheless, the Biden administration says the legal wrangling over the issue will take time and that could more tenants to bring their rent payments up to date.
Thousands of Kansas tenants are still in danger of losing their homes. As many as 24,000 Kansas renters who are behind on their rent could be forced to find a new place to live once the new eviction moratorium expires. Financial assistance is available to help Kansas tenants and landlords avoid the eviction process.
==========
K-State Athletic Director Replaces Texas AD on Football Playoff Committee
IRVING, Texas (AP) — Kansas State University athletic director Gene Taylor has been added to the College Football Playoff selection committee, replacing Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte. The CFP's announcement comes less than a week after Texas and Oklahoma announced they would be leaving the Big 12 to join the Southeastern Conference in 2025. The 13-member selection committee is comprised of mostly sitting athletic directors along with former players and coaches. Each Power Five Conferences is represented by an active athletic director. With Texas in the process of leaving the conference, the Big 12 nominated Taylor to replace Del Conte.
(–Related–)
Expanded Playoffs Means More Games and ... More Injuries?
UNDATED (AP) — Few college football coaches know the mental and physical grind that comes with navigating an extended playoff better than Chris Klieman. The Kansas State coach was formerly at FCS juggernaut North Dakota State, where teams routinely play for national titles in a division where that means playing 15-plus games. Klieman says it's a grind but you find a way to get through it when a title is on the line. The College Football Playoff is considering expanding from four to 12 teams to determine its champion, reserving six spots for the highest-ranked conference champions with the rest going to at-large selections.
==========
Native Clover Species Makes Comeback, Dropped from Endangered List
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — A native plant called running buffalo clover is being removed from the federal endangered species list. The perennial was once thought to be extinct but turned up in West Virginia in 1983. It since has been found in Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The clover needs open areas and periodic disturbance to thrive. Historically, it did well in areas where bison herds trampled and grazed. Running buffalo clover is different from the clover commonly found in yards, most of which originated in Europe.
==========
These area headlines are curated by KPR news staffers, including J. Schafer, Laura Lorson, Kaye McIntyre and Tom Parkinson. Our headlines are generally posted by 10 a.m. weekdays and by 1 p.m. on weekends. This news summary is made possible by KPR listener-members. Become one today!