UPDATE: Kansas Town Reverses Course, Atchison Residents Will Again Be Able to Register to Vote
ATCHISON, Kan. (TCJ) - Residents in a northeast Kansas city will be able to register to vote ahead of the August 2 elections after initially being frustrated over a move by the city government that effectively cut off voter registration weeks earlier than any other part of the state. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that all Kansans have until July 12 to register to vote for the upcoming partisan primary, as well as a hotly contested anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution. That gives voters who want to register, including those who need to update their party affiliation or address, a few more days to do so.( Read more.)
(Earlier reporting...)
Kansans Have Until July 12 to Register to Vote - Except in Atchison
ATCHISON, Kan. (TCJ) - Residents in a northeast Kansas community are frustrated over a move by the city government that effectively cut off voter registration weeks earlier than any other part of the state ahead of the August 2 elections. Kansans have until July 12 to register to vote for the upcoming partisan primary, as well as a hotly contested anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution. That gives voters who want to register, including those who need to update their party affiliation or address, a few more days to do so. But in Atchison, voter registration closed on June 23 due to another election: a July 14 ballot referendum on establishing a 1% sales tax in the city.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that state statute dictates voter registration must halt 20 days before an election, meaning that, unbeknownst to many residents, they will be out of luck if they wanted to vote in the August 2 elections and haven't already registered. City officials maintain the Atchison County clerk satisfied her responsibilities to inform the community of the sales tax referendum via the local newspaper and radio. Over a half-dozen residents spoke out at a July 5 city commission meeting, urging officials to cancel the sales tax referendum in order to re-open the registration window. Otherwise, residents will only again be able to register on August 3 for the November general election.
The issue even prompted Mike Kuckelman, chairman of the Kansas Republican Party and an Atchison County landowner, to speak out, invoking the city's contributions in establishing Kansas' free state bona fides as reason to rectify the situation. "We have too proud of a history in regards to our Kansas Constitution to allow anyone to fall through the cracks due to confusion, on no fault of anyone," Kuckelman said. Ryan Pickman, chair of the Atchison County Democratic Party, said he was sympathetic to the struggles of residents. But he said he felt city staff did their job properly, even if communication with the public could have been better. City officials declined a request for an interview on the matter but said in a statement that the referendum was a longstanding priority, with the sales tax intended to help fix aging infrastructure. ( Read more.)
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Man Charged with Sex Crimes Against Children at Lawrence Child-Care Facility
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) - A man who worked at a Lawrence child-care facility has been charged with aggravated indecent liberties with a child in connection with incidents involving two children at the facility. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the man, 19-year-old Mateo Emilio Clavel Wills, was taken into custody by police around 8 pm Wednesday. The Lawrence man has been charged with four counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child under the age of 14 for incidents that allegedly happened between November 2021 and this month. There are two counts involving a 3-year-old and two counts involving a 4-year-old, according to charging documents. The charges are off-grid felonies, which come with a potential life sentence.
During Wills’ first court appearance Thursday afternoon, Deputy District Attorney Joshua Seiden said that Wills had worked at the child-care facility since November 2021 and that he was responsible for watching children during nap time, which is when the crimes are alleged to have happened. Police did not identify the child-care facility, but two witnesses in the charging documents include the assistant head of school and the directress of Raintree Montessori School (4601 Clinton Parkway). The Journal-World reached out to Raintree Montessori School Thursday afternoon by phone and was told that Raintree would have no comment on the matter. Judge Blake Glover set Wills’ bond at $750,000. Defense attorney Michael Clarke was appointed to represent Wills, whose next court date is July 13. ( Read more.)
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KU Cancer Center Earns National Cancer Institute’s Most Prestigious Status
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KPR) — The University of Kansas Cancer Center has been designated as a “Comprehensive” cancer center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI). It's the highest level of recognition awarded by the NCI and is the gold standard for cancer centers. In addition to Comprehensive status, the KU Cancer Center was awarded a five-year, $13.8 million grant to support the center’s research programs. It also received an “outstanding” rating by NCI reviewers.
“Comprehensive designation is a crucial milestone in our journey to conquer all cancers,” said Roy Jensen, M.D., director of the KU Cancer Center. “You might ask, ‘What does Comprehensive designation mean for people with cancer?’ As one of just 53 NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation, it means patients will be cared for by the world’s leading cancer experts who have access to a robust portfolio of clinical trials. It also means we now have increased access to more federal funding and research dollars." The University of Kansas Cancer Center has nearly 350 researchers and 150 disease-specific oncologists. They conduct all phases of cancer research, from laboratory studies to clinical trials to population-based studies that address environmental and behavioral factors that contribute to cancer. The Stowers Institute for Medical Research and Children’s Mercy Kansas City are consortium partners with the KU Cancer Center, while The University of Kansas Health System is a clinical partner. ( Read more.)
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Governor: Kansas Still in the Running for $4 Billion Economic Development Project
TOPEKA, Kan. (LJW / KPR) - Governor Laura Kelly says Kansas is still in the running to land a $4 billion economic development project. Kelly told the Lawrence Journal-World that she believes Kansas is still the front-runner to win the huge, 4,000-job manufacturing facility. While the project has never been officially identified, previous reporting suggests the facility will be a Panasonic plant that will produce electric car batteries for Tesla and other electric vehicles. Other reports have suggested that the plant will be located on the grounds of the former Sunflower Army Ammunition Plant (SFAAP), south of De Soto, in Johnson County. State officials had expected an announcement on the project in the spring. Kansas reportedly is competing against Oklahoma for the project. As an announcement never materialized in the spring, there had been concern the project perhaps wasn’t moving forward or that Kansas no longer was being considered for it. On Wednesday, Kelly said that’s not the case. “I think we are very much still in the running,” Kelly said. “I think we will find out very soon for sure.”
Kelly didn’t confirm any of the speculation that the project is a Panasonic battery plant. State officials have signed nondisclosure agreements as they compete to land the project. But Kelly said the project stands to be special for the state. “It will be absolutely transformative for the entire state of Kansas,” Kelly said. “Right off the bat and then for years to come. It will be a game changer.” Kelly said that since the state approved the special incentive package — known as the Attracting Powerful Economic Expansion Act — the state’s Department of Commerce has fielded at least 12 calls from companies wanting to discuss $1 billion-plus economic development projects that could take advantage of similar incentives being offered to this project. “We haven’t had to go seek them out,” she said. “They’ve been coming to us," Kelly said.( Read more.)
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Increasingly Brutal Kansas Climate Threatens Cattle Health, Rancher Livelihoods
HAYS, Kan. (KNS) - A combination of dangerous weather conditions that struck southwest Kansas last month, killing thousands of cattle, took heat extremes to another level. The Kansas News Service reports that daytime high temperatures jumped from the mid-60s to well over 100 degrees in a matter of days, accompanied by unusually high humidity and calm winds. The seasons changed from cool spring to hot summer so quickly that a lot of cattle didn’t even have a chance to shed their long, thick winter coats. Some ranchers watched as cows climbed into their drinking water tanks as they desperately tried to cool off. As forecasts point to a warmer-than-average summer and climate change turns up nighttime temperatures, heat stress among the state’s millions of cattle continues to be a growing concern.
Ranching makes up the largest share of the state’s agriculture industry, generating nearly $9 billion per year. That compares to just over $5 billion a year generated by Kansas grain farming. So, finding ways to keep cattle cool in a warming climate is critical to the state’s economy. ( Read more.)
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Kansas Courts Will Make Changes that Could Help Those Facing Eviction
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Courts in Kansas will make changes that could help people facing eviction. The Kansas News Service reports that the state's highest court created a panel to review the best ways to deal with evictions. The court approved some of the panel’s recommendations, including giving judges materials that lay out how eviction proceedings should work. The courts will also create videos for the public that explain the eviction process. Judges will inform tenants and landlords about emergency rental assistance funds. The federal government and the state of Kansas blocked evictions when the pandemic hit, but those protections ended last fall. Evictions briefly spiked, then returned to pre-pandemic levels.
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Kansas Faces What Could Be Worst Ever Teacher Shortage
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW/KNS) - This fall, Kansas could face its worst educator shortage in modern history. According to the Kansas News Service, new research shows that frustration and stress — not low pay — lie at the heart of most teachers’ decision to leave. Researchers with the RAND Corporation surveyed thousands of teachers and principals this year. They wanted to gauge how teachers were feeling about their jobs coming out of the COVID pandemic, and whether they had considered leaving. Elizabeth Steiner, RAND’s director of research, said many educators surveyed painted a "a picture of stress and job dissatisfaction." Steiner says about three-fourths of teachers and 85% of principals experience frequent job-related stress. About one in four teachers said they were likely to leave their jobs by the end of the school year. “And teachers were more likely than other working adults to say that they were experiencing burnout," she said.
Kansas reported about 1,400 teacher vacancies this spring – nearly double the number two years ago. Numbers due in October will likely reveal an even worse teacher shortage. The same goes for principals and superintendents. Education Commissioner Randy Watson said, "We are worried that we’re going to have an educator shortage that may be the most severe we’ve ever seen.” The teacher shortage has been building for years, but mostly in specific areas like math, science and special education. ( Read more.)
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4 Children Removed After 5 Arrested in Northeast Kansas Juvenile Drug Ring Case
POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY, Kan. (WIBW) - Four children were removed from two homes after three adults and two teens were arrested in connection to an ongoing juvenile drug ring investigation in the town of Saint George, in Pottawatomie County. WIBW TV reports that the Saint George Police Department served two search warrants simultaneously late Wednesday morning at two different homes. Officers say the warrants were served in connection to an ongoing investigation into the distribution of marijuana, prescription pills and possibly fentanyl. According to police, adults in the case are alleged to have used teenagers to distribute illegal drugs in Pottawatomie County. Police say small children were present in both homes.
Five residents of Saint George were arrested on various drug and child endangerment charges:
44-year-old Dixie Rose Martin
30-year-old Kaley Rena Hamilton
23-year-old Wesley Darell Cook
18-year-old Aison Anderson Rodney
17-year-old Adam Scot Tirak
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Pedestrian Hit by Motorist and Killed in Olathe
OLATHE, Kan. (KMBC) - Police in Olathe are investigating after a pedestrian was hit and killed by a vehicle on Interstate 35, south of Santa Fe Wednesday night. KMBC TV reports that investigators shutdown the northbound lanes of I-35 in the area just after 9 pm, restricting access from 151st Street. No other information has been released.
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Bomb Threats Made to Campuses Across U.S. Include Threats Made to Kansas Schools
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - A report of a bomb threat Thursday afternoon at Dodge City Community College is the latest among similar threats made to campuses across the U.S. KWCH TV reports that authorities evacuated the area but no suspicious device was located. In Wichita, police responded to a similar bomb threat at the KU School of Medicine. The bomb threat in Wichita was made less than an hour after the call in Dodge City. Wichita police confirmed this also turned out to be a false alarm. State and federal intelligence officials say similar reports were made at multiple campuses across the nation but no bombs were found.
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Highway Patrol: Man "Darted Out in Front" of Semi Truck on Kansas Turnpike
TOPEKA, Kan. (KAKE) - The Kansas Highway Patrol says a 24-year-old man was struck and killed on the turnpike when he "darted out in front" of a semi. KAKE TV reports that the incident happened late Wednesday morning on I-470 in south Topeka. The patrol said Brandon Lummus was on the southbound right shoulder and darted out in front of the Freightliner. The Topeka man died at the scene. The 48-year-old driver of the semi truck was not hurt.
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Kansas Families Will Need to Reapply for Free Meals When School Starts in the Fall
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Families will have to reapply for food assistance when school starts back up this fall, something they have not done in years. The Kansas News Service reports that changes in a federal program mean some people will have to start paying for meals again. Free lunch waivers were part of a pandemic-relief package. The program was designed to feed kids year round – even when not in school. Free lunches are not going away, but lower-income families must reapply for aid because Congress changed the program. Haley Kottler, with the advocacy group Kansas Appleseed, says this could mean families eligible for help might not get it. Families should contact their school district with questions. Kottler says changes at the federal level have not hurt free summer meal programs, and it is not too late to sign up.
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Kansas Wraps Up Fiscal Year with More Tax Revenue Collections than Expected
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas has wrapped up the fiscal year and collected more money in taxes than originally projected. The Kansas News Service reports that the revenue has helped the state build a financial reserve. Retail sales tax, and income tax collections beat projections as Kansas closed out the fiscal year June 30th. All told, the state brought in $438 million more than expected, or almost 5% more. The money could be used by lawmakers for tax cuts or increased spending when they return to Topeka in January. It could also help the state whether there is a drop in revenue if the economy stalls. The additional tax collections also allowed the state to make record-breaking deposits into a rainy-day fund, which now holds more than $950 million.
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Sysco Accuses 4 Largest Beef Processors of Price Fixing
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The nation's largest food distributor has joined the other businesses accusing the four largest meat processors of working together to inflate beef prices. Sysco recently filed a federal lawsuit in Texas accusing Tyson Foods, JBS, Cargill and National Beef of price fixing. The lawsuit said those companies have conspired to suppress the number of cattle slaughtered to help drive up the price of beef. The allegations are similar to ones in lawsuits filed by grocery stores, ranchers, restaurants and other wholesalers. The companies didn't immediately respond to questions about the new lawsuit Thursday, but they have defended their actions in the other cases. The industry maintains that supply and demand drive beef prices, not anti-competitive behavior.
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Kansas State Troopers Association Endorses Derek Schmidt for Governor
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - An association of Kansas Highway Patrol troopers is endorsing Republican Derek Schmidt for governor. According to the Kansas News Service, the group says it's not supporting Democratic Governor Laura Kelly because of scandals during her tenure. The Kansas Highway Patrol superintendent appointed by Kelly was accused of sexual harassment and gender discrimination in 2020. An investigation eventually found no violations and Kelly publicly supported him. The troopers association says that and other leadership issues have tainted the highway patrol’s reputation and made recruiting troopers more difficult. Issues in the patrol aren’t new. A superintendent appointed by former Republican Governor Sam Brownback also faced allegations of mishandling sexual misconduct complaints.
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Lawrence Adds 60 Acres to City Boundaries; Project Will Build 200 Homes
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) - The City of Lawrence will soon get larger. Citing the need for more housing, city leaders have approved a request to expand the city’s boundaries to encompass about 60 acres in northwest Lawrence for the purposes of a residential development. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the Lawrence City Commission voted 4-1 Tuesday, with Mayor Courtney Shipley opposed, to approve a request submitted by BG Consultants Inc. on behalf of Williams Management LLC to annex and rezone three parcels east of 1760 East 1100 Road. The annexation is the first requiring a developer to provide a community benefit under the area’s new comprehensive plan, and commissioners in favor of the request agreed that the project met those new requirements. Commissioner Brad Finkeldei said the community “desperately needed” residential lots and he thought the provision of housing in and of itself — the project will accommodate about 200 new homes — qualified as a community benefit. Officially, the project’s benefits include preserving woodlands and providing land for a school, and Finkeldei said he was happy to see the additional benefits. Adam Williams, the developer, also told commissioners the plan was to work with local nonprofit Tenants to Homeowners to provide at least three of the project’s approximately 200 lots for permanently affordable housing. ( Read more.)
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KU to Give Most Employees 5% Raise; Increase Will Show Up on August Paychecks
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) - Nearly every University of Kansas employee will receive a 5% pay increase for the next school year. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that KU officials said the August 21st paycheck would include a 5% raise for “most KU faculty and staff” who were on the KU payroll on June 30. In an unexpected development, KU said the pay increase won’t be a traditional merit-based increase where the size of the raise is determined by employee evaluations. Instead, everyone who receives a raise will get the same 5% increase. The 5% pay increase doesn’t apply to KU affiliate organizations, such as Kansas Athletics and the Kansas Union. However, leaders of those organizations will determine any pay increases for their employees. KU’s Lawrence and Edwards campuses had about 8,300 full- and part-time employees during the last school year. ( Read more.)
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Kansas City Man Pleads Guilty to Hate Crime, Shooting Gay Teen
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Buzz Feed) - A 26-year-old Kansas City man has pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime after he shot a gay teen eight times after the boy made sexual advances toward him. Prosecutors say Malachi Robinson admitted using a gun to willfully injure the teen because of his sexual orientation on May 29, 2019. As Buzz Feed News reports, a plea agreement was entered into Thursday, where Robinson acknowledged that he met the teen, identified only in court documents as M.S., at a branch of the Kansas City Public Library. Outside the library in some nearby woods, Robinson shot M.S. three times in the chest, three times in his right arm, once in his left buttocks, and once in his right hand. The teen spent roughly two weeks in a hospital and continues to receive treatment. When Robinson is sentenced December 15, he could be sent to prison for life without parole.
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Kansas Public Radio Is Hiring a New Membership Director
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas Public Radio is hiring a new Membership Director. The position is open due to an internal promotion. Former Membership Director Joanna Fewins has become the station's new Development Director. Learn more about this position and how to apply. Unnamed sources tell KPR News that the University of Kansas-based radio station, on the air since 1952, is a "great place to work, with good benefits and mildly interesting employees."
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Invasive Asian Carp “Rebranded” to Entice Diners
URBANA Ill. (Harvest Public Media) - The fish species known as Asian carp has a new name. The rebrand is an effort to get more people to eat the invasive species. Copi is the new name of the fish that has invaded Midwestern waterways and threatened native fish species since first being identified in the 1990’s. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources is hoping the new name, along with a marketing campaign, will take more fish out of the water and onto our dinner plates. The department’s Joe Parkos says he supports the rebrand, but that it’s just a start. “We need to remove as many of these fish as possible, so you can consider this one tool in the toolbox,” Parkos says. As for what he’ll call the species going forward, Parkos says he’ll stick with its scientific name: “The Hypophthalmichthys molitrix.” (Read more.)
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Gary Woodland Tied for Second in Scottish Open Golf Tournament
UNDATED (KNS) – Former University of Kansas golfer Gary Woodland of Topeka is tied for second heading into the third round tomorrow (SAT) of the Scottish Open in North Berwick, Scotland. Woodland is at 4-under par for the tournament and trailing the leader, Cameron Tringale, by three strokes. After this weekend's Scottish Open, the British Open...the last of professional golf's four major tournaments this year... will take place at the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland next week.
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Defending Big 12 Football Champ Baylor Tabbed as Preseason Favorite
IRVING, Texas (AP) — Media who cover the Big 12 football have tabbed defending champion Baylor as the preseason favorite to win the conference football title again. It is the first time Baylor has been favored in the preseason vote. The Bears got 17 of the 41 first-place votes. Oklahoma had 12 first-place votes and was picked second ahead of Oklahoma State, which lost 21-16 to Baylor in the Big 12 championship game last December. Texas junior running back Bijan Robinson was named the preseason offensive player of the year in the media vote. Kansas State junior linebacker Felix Anudike-Uzomah was picked as the top defender.
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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 am weekdays, 11 am weekends. This news summary is made possible by KPR listener-members. Become one today. And follow KPR News on Twitter.