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Headlines for Friday, August 7, 2020

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UPDATE: Kansas Governor Tests Negative for Coronavirus, Aide Says

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly tested negative for the coronavirus on Friday after being in a public meeting last month with a legislative leader who’d been infected and hospitalized, a spokesman said.  Spokesman Sam Coleman said the governor was tested Friday morning and received her results quickly. She decided to get tested after Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr. disclosed in an email to fellow GOP House members Thursday that he’d tested positive for the coronavirus on July 13.  The Kansas House speaker, a Republican, is the highest-ranking official in Kansas known to have been infected as the number of reported cases in the state approaches 30,000. GOP Gov. Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma tested positive last month.  Ryckman attended a July 29 meeting at the Statehouse of the State Finance Council with Kelly and other top lawmakers. The Democratic governor and eight leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature make up the council, and state law requires it to review Kelly’s orders on the coronavirus pandemic.

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Governor Tests Negative; Kansas COVID-19 Cases Jump Past 30,000 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has tested negative for the coronavirus. Her result Friday came as a Republican legislative leader faced criticism from some Democrats for not telling colleagues until this week that he’d been infected and hospitalized before a public meeting last month. Fellow Republican leaders defended House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., and accused the Democratic governor of politicizing his case. But Senate Democratic Leader Anthony Hensley said he believes the House speaker “can’t be trusted. Kelly spokesman Sam Coleman said the governor took her test Friday morning and received her negative result quickly. Ryckman is the highest-ranking Kansas official infected. 

Kansas House Speaker Had Coronavirus; Governor Getting Tested for Virus

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A top Republican legislator in Kansas was hospitalized last month after testing positive for the novel coronavirus and didn't disclose it to colleagues until this week. The state's Democratic governor declared Thursday that she'll get tested because the two of them attended a meeting together after he was hospitalized. Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr. is the highest-ranking official in Kansas known to have been infected. Ryckman notified fellow Republicans in the Kansas House in an email after Tuesday's primary election. He said he had a doctor's clearance to attend a Statehouse meeting July 29 with Kelly and other top lawmakers. She called the action "reckless and dangerous."

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Kansas Reports 380 Deaths Caused by COVID-19; Nearly 31,000 Have Tested Positive    

TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Since the coronavirus pandemic began, nearly 31,000 Kansans have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus.  Kansas health officials released the latest numbers today (FRI), revealing 30,638 people have now tested positive and 380 people have died.  A new round of data will be released online Monday.

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Kansas Counties with Mask Mandate Doing Better Against Virus; Show Steep Drop in COVID-19

BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — The top health official in Kansas says counties that have mask mandates in place have seen a rapid drop in cases, while those that only recommend their use have seen no decrease in cases. Dr. Lee Norman said this week that 15 counties stayed with Governor Laura Kelly's mask mandate last month while 90 counties abandoned it.  Norman said the reduction in new COVID-19 cases took place entirely in counties that require residents to wear masks.

University of Kansas Will Test Everyone on Campus for COVID-19

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas will require students, staff and faculty who are returning to campus in Lawrence and Overland Park to take a free COVID-19 test. Chancellor Douglas Girod said the drive-up tests will be administered at various locations before the fall semester begins August 24, with results available within 24 to 48 hours. The tests will begin later this week when students begin moving in on a staggered schedule to campus housing. Meanwhile, Wabaunsee County health officials are encouraging anyone who attended the county fair in Alma on July 24-27 to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms because one person who attended the fair has tested positive.

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Kansas Poised to Elect Its First Openly Transgender Lawmaker

BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — A retired music teacher would become the first openly transgender member of the deeply conservative Kansas Legislature if she’s elected from a Democratic-leaning district she’s expected to win in November. Stephanie Byers, of Wichita, would join the ranks of other transgender people who have served in legislatures in other states, including four who currently hold such office in New Hampshire, Colorado and Virginia. Byers advanced to the general election after running unopposed in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. The 57-year-old faces Republican Cyndi Howerton for the seat being vacated by Democratic state Rep. Jim Ward, who is running for state Senate. The district previously backed President Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly.

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Topeka Police: 1 Shot to Death in Barrage of Gunfire

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Police in Topeka say a barrage of gunfire in the west end of the city led to the death of one person.  Police say the shooting happened around 11:30 pm Wednesday, when officers were called to Southwest Gage Boulevard near a shopping district and not far from the Topeka Zoo. Arriving officers found one person suffering gunshot wounds who was pronounced dead at the scene. The person's name and other details of the shooting have not yet been released. Police said the size of the crime scene led it to issue a plea for residents to avoid the area while detectives conducted a forensics investigation.

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Kansas Prison Operator, Phone Provider Will Pay $3.7 Million to Settle Lawsuit

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The operator of a privately-run federal prison in Kansas and its phone provider have agreed to pay $3.7 million to settle a lawsuit filed by attorneys who allege calls with their clients at the Leavenworth facility were illegally recorded. The Kansas City Star reports that CoreCivic, the operator of the Leavenworth Detention Center, and its phone provider Securus Technologies agreed to pay the money into a fund that will be distributed among attorneys who had in-person or phone communications intercepted. A federal judge in Missouri approved the agreement Wednesday. The settlement comes a year after the companies agreed to pay $1.6 million to detainees who had made similar claims.

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Multi-State Search Underway for Overland Park Mother of 3, Wife of Leawood Pastor

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KWCH) - A multi-state search is underway for a Kansas mother of three and the wife of an area pastor.  KWCH reports that family members say Marilane Carter left her home in Overland Park on Saturday, August 1 around 8:15 pm.  They said she was headed to Birmingham, Alabama, to seek mental health treatment. She also has family there.  Police said Marilane was in contact with her family in Alabama during her drive, but they stopped hearing from her when she got to Memphis. Now, authorities in Memphis and West Memphis, Arkansas, are assisting with the search.  Marilane is the wife of Leawood Baptist Church pastor Adam Carter.  Overland Park police say the missing woman is listed as an endangered person, but they have no reason to believe she has been harmed. A Facebook group has been set up to help “ Find Marilane.”

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Foul Play Not Suspected in Shooting of 6-Year-Old Boy in Lawrence

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Police say a 6-year-old boy was seriously injured when he was shot at a Lawrence home. Police found the boy suffering from a gunshot wound Wednesday night. The boy was in critical but stable condition at a Lawrence-area hospital Thursday. Police spokesman Patrick Compton said the shooting remains under investigation but police do not currently believe foul play was involved.

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Colorado Trucker Sentenced in Kansas Crash That Killed 5

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A truck driver from Colorado who caused a fiery crash that killed five people in Kansas has been sentenced to five years in jail. Fifty-nine-year-old Kenny Ford, of Greeley, Colorado, was sentenced Friday in the July 2017 wreck on Interstate 70 near Bonner Springs, Kansas. Investigators said Ford did not heed signs warning of possible traffic backups before his semi-trailer truck hit three vehicles in stalled traffic. Ford pleaded no contest in January to five counts of vehicular homicide, a misdemeanor. Each count carried a maximum one-year prison sentence. Two of the victims were from Illinois and three were from Kansas. 

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As Missouri Lawmakers Resume Work, 4 People Returning to Jeff City Test Positive for Virus

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Four people have tested positive for COVID-19 following open testing at the Missouri Capitol. On Wednesday, the state health department said 228 lawmakers, staffers and other Capitol workers were tested in total. The health department offered free testing in advance of lawmakers returning to work for an ongoing special session on crime. Statewide, the health department reported another 1,241 confirmed positive cases Wednesday. Of those tested statewide in the past week, close to 10% were positive for COVID-19. A new federal report lists Missouri as among 21 states in the “red zone” for the outbreak.

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Man Whose Children Say Has Bigoted Views Wins Missouri Race

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City Republican, whose children urged residents not to vote for him because of what they say are his racist, homophobic and anti-Semitic views, has narrowly won his GOP primary for a Missouri House seat. Steve West defeated Adam Richardson on Tuesday by 61 votes and will face Democrat Maggie Nurrenbern in November's election. The winner will represent a district that includes Gladstone and part of northern Kansas City. West also won the GOP primary in 2018 before losing in the general election. The Missouri GOP said it will not offer West any help in his general election campaign.

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Overland Park Councilman Charged with Misdemeanor Battery

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — An Overland Park City Council member who is charged with misdemeanor domestic battery has been removed from the city's public safety committee, which oversees police procedures. Scott Hamblin was charged after police were called to his home on July 21. No one was injured. Six fellow council members on Monday called for Hamblin to resign but he says he will not do so. Mayor Carl Gerlach said Thursday he removed Hamblin from the committee because it would be a conflict of interest to serve while being investigated by police. Hamblin's wife, Curstin, issued a statement defending her husband and accusing the council of trying to score political points from a personal matter.

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Police: Man Found Shot to Death in Kansas City, Kansas

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Police in Kansas City, Kansas, are investigating after a man was found shot to death late Thursday. Police say the shooting was reported around 10 p.m. Thursday in near North 62nd Street and Nebraska Avenue, and responding officers found a man with a gunshot wound. The man was rushed to a hospital, where he later died. Police have not yet released his name. Police say one person was arrested, but it's not known whether that person has been charged in the shooting.  

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Illinois Man Hit by Anchor Dies on Lake of the Ozarks

CAMDENTON, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say an Illinois man has died after being hit by a boat anchor on Lake of the Ozarks. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says the incident happened Wednesday afternoon, when 55-year-old Craig Gathmann, of Manito, Illinois, began operating a boat with the anchor still in the water. The patrol says once the anchor released, the tension in the rope caused it to catapult out of the water, hitting Gathmann. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Patrol records show the incident was the second boating death on the lake this year.

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Highway Patrol: Omaha Man Killed in Head-On Crash in Kansas

HOLTON, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Highway Patrol says a man from Omaha, Nebraska, died in a head-on crash involving a car and a semitrailer in northeast Kansas. KAKE TV reports the crash happened early Thursday morning on U.S. Highway 75 north of Holton. The patrol says a northbound car driven by 24-year-old Mohammad Alnosif, of Omaha, veered into the southbound lanes and hit a tractor-trailer head-on. Investigators say Alnosif was thrown from the car and died at the scene. The patrol says the 38-year-old semi driver and a 66-year-old passenger with him were hospitalized for injuries.

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Missouri Man Killed in Pearl Harbor Attack Laid to Rest

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Mo. (AP) — Nearly eight decades after he was killed in the attack at Pearl Harbor that launched the U.S. into World War II, a Missouri man has been laid to rest next to his parents. KYTV-TV reports that the remains of Navy Seaman 1st Class Orval Austin Tranbarger of Mountain View were buried Wednesday. People lined highways and streets to pay their respects. Tranbarger was stationed at the Hawaii base and was among the 429 crew members aboard the USS Oklahoma who were killed in the Japanese attack. It wasn’t until September that DNA testing confirmed the remains were his.

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SOLD! Audio-Reader Successfully Sells Vintage Audio Gear on Facebook Live

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - The Kansas Audio-Reader Network sold every piece of audio equipment featured Thursday evening, during its 2nd Facebook Live fundraising event.  The big audio sale included vintage speakers, receivers, turntables and other audio gear.  Twenty-one items, all modestly-priced between $22 and $175, went up for sale Thursday.  An hour-and-a-half later, every item had been sold.  In all, the sale raised nearly $1,300 for the radio reading service for the blind and vision-impaired.  During its first Facebook Live sale July 16, not every item sold, but Audio-Reader still managed to raise more than $1,200.

A series of Facebook Live events is replacing Audio-Reader's "For Your Ears Only" event, an annual audio sale at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.  That two-day event became Audio-Reader's single-biggest fundraiser and drew hundreds of audiophiles and vinyl record fans to the fairgrounds each September.  But the coronavirus pandemic forced the sale to go online.  All audio equipment, vinyl records, CDs and musical instruments sold by Audio-Reader is donated throughout the year.  Due to the ongoing threat from COVID-19, the radio reading service is no longer accepting donations, but it still has a virtual warehouse of vintage audio gear, records and CDs in storage that it is hoping to sell during the Facebook Live fundraisers.  

Based at the University of Kansas, Audio-Reader has been broadcasting since 1971.  It's the nation's second oldest radio reading service for the blind and vision-impaired.  In 2018, KU announced plans to phase out the university's financial support over a three-year period.  Audio-Reader employs a half dozen full and part-time staff members and relies on more than 450 volunteers.  The free service operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, providing reading services for the blind and vision-impaired in Kansas and surrounding states. The service is accessible on special radios, over the telephone and online. Audio-Reader also provides live audio description services at theater performances.

The next Facebook Live event, set for August 27, will feature vinyl records, including many rare and collectible LPs.  The August 27 sale will also feature CDs, DVSs and other media.  For more information on Audio-Reader or its upcoming audio sale events on Facebook Live, visit reader.ku.edu.
  
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KPR's daily headlines are generally posted by 10 am weekdays and updated throughout the day. KPR's weekend summary is usually published by 1 pm Saturdays and Sundays.