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Headlines for Friday, June 12, 2020

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Person Who Attended Topeka Protest Tests Positive for Virus

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A protester who attended a demonstration over the death of George Floyd in downtown Topeka last week has tested positive for the coronavirus, health officials say. According to a news release from the Shawnee County Health Department, the person attended June 1 protests at the city’s Law Enforcement Center, The Topeka Capital-Journal reports. The department encourages anyone who attended protests that day to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms.  The City-Cowley County Health Department also says a 14 year old likely exposed people to the virus in Cowley and Sedgwick counties this week. New data released Friday shows that the state has 11,047 cases, up 2% or 235 from Wednesday. The state health department also said that the number of COVID-19 deaths since the pandemic began rose by three to 243.

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Kansas Cases of COVID-19 Exceed 11,000, Including 243 Deaths   

TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — As of Friday, state health officials reported 11,047 cases of COVID-19, including 243 deaths.  Cases have been reported in 90 of the state's 105 counties.  ( Updated COVID-19 case numbers for Kansas are released Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.) 

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CVS Pharmacy Opens COVID-19 Testing Site in Lawrence; More to Come in Topeka, Wichita and Kansas City

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — CVS Pharmacy officials have opened a new COVID-19 test site in Lawrence.  The drive-thru testing site opened today (FRI) at the company's Iowa Street location.  CVS officials are opening 10 testing sites across Kansas, including Topeka, Wichita, Leavenworth, Shawnee, Olathe, Overland Park and Kansas City, Kansas,   The company will utilize self-swab tests, which can be administered while patients remain inside their vehicles.  The CVS testing sites in Kansas are among more than 1,200 company testing locations across the country.   A complete list of CVS Pharmacy drive-thru test sites can be found here.  

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Feds Offer $100,000 Reward for Information in 2004 Death of Black Man in Eastern Kansas

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) - Calling it a potentially racially motivated crime, federal authorities are now offering a $100,000 reward in a 16-year-old cold case involving a black man whose body was found in a creek in Kansas.  The FBI reopened the investigation more than a year ago into the death of 23-year-old Alonzo Brooks, whose body was found in La Cygne, Kansas, on May 1, 2004.  An autopsy did not determine a cause of death.  Investigators reviewed the evidence and re-interviewed witnesses who attended a party at a farmhouse where Brooks was last seen alive. They also interviewed new witnesses and collected forensic evidence.  Brooks was one of only three black men at the party he attended with about 100 people at a farmhouse on the outskirts of La Cygne. Brooks rode to the party with friends, but they left before him and he eventually had no ride home to Gardner, where he lived.  His family and friends contacted the Linn County Sheriff's Department when he failed to come home the next day. His body was found a month later by a group of family and friends who organized a search.  ( Read more about this story.)

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Wichita Police to Ban Kneeling on Necks of Cuffed Suspects

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police plan to ban officers from kneeling on the necks of people in handcuffs. The Wichita Eagle reports that several other proposed policy changes that protesters have called for are included in a document that police provided Thursday to the Citizen's Review Board. Other proposed changes to the use of force policy include a duty to intervene for officers witnessing unethical behavior, a requirement to provide medical aid after deadly force is used and a general prohibition on shooting at vehicles. The document said those and other changes were added at the police chief's request.

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Former Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer Dies

WICHITA, Kan. (KPR/Wichita Eagle) - Former Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer has died.  The Wichita Eagle reports Brewer died today (FRI), following a long illness.  He was 63.  Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued a statement saying Brewer was "an outstanding mayor who served for more than two decades in the Kansas National Guard and was a strong supporter of the Kansas Labor community."  Brewer served on the City Council or as mayor in Wichita from 2001 to 2015 and ran unsuccessfully for Kansas governor in 2018.  He served in Governor Kelly's administration during her transition into office.  As Wichita's mayor, Brewer oversaw much of the revitalization of downtown Wichita and was a key figure in the development of Eisenhower Airport.

(–additional reporting–)

Former Wichita Mayor and Gubernatorial Candidate Brewer Dies

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Carl Brewer, Wichita’s first elected African American mayor and a former Democratic gubernatorial candidate, died Friday after a long illness. He was 63. His family confirmed his death in a statement in which they requested privacy. Memorial service details were pending. The Wichita Eagle reports Brewer served on the City Council or as mayor from 2001 to 2015, the maximum terms that Wichita law allows its city officials. He ran unsuccessfully for Kansas governor in 2018. He got has start in politics after working in the aircraft industry for more than 30 years.

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Kansas Supreme Court Justice Announces Retirement 

TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas News Service) -- Kansas Supreme Court Justice Carol A. Beier announced today (FRI) that she’s retiring in mid-September. She’s been on the state’s high court since 2003 when she was appointed by Democratic then-Governor Kathleen Sebelius. In a statement, Beier said, quote, “ I will pack it away with pride.” Democratic Governor Laura Kelly will name Beier's replacement, but she’ll be limited to three names submitted to her by a commission. That commission is made up of lawyers and non-lawyers from across the state. It’s headed by a person chosen by the state’s lawyers. 

(–additional reporting–)

Kansas Supreme Court Justice Carol Beier Plans to Retire

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Supreme Court Justice Carol Beier says she will retire effective Sept. 18. Beier announced her retirement Friday. Her decision will give Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly the opportunity to appoint a third justice to the state Supreme Court. Beier was served on the court since September of 2003, after being appointed by former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. Voters retained her in four elections since then. The Supreme Court Nominating Commission will choose three finalists to replace Beier, and Kelly will make the final selection. State law does not require the Legislature to approve Supreme Court appointments.

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Kansas Supreme Court Upholds 2 Identity Theft Convictions

BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has upheld two state identity theft convictions following a decision by the nation’s highest court that makes it easier for states to prosecute immigrants who use fake Social Security numbers to secure employment. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in March that nothing in federal immigration law prevents states from going after immigrants who use phony documents and numbers. On Friday, the Kansas Supreme Court affirmed the convictions of Donaldo Morales and Ramiro Garcia. It backed off its earlier decision that the federal government has exclusive authority to determine whether an immigrant can work in the country.

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Topeka Police Investigate Racist Graffiti at Park

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities are investigating after racist graffiti that included white power slogans, swastikas and expletives denouncing the Black Lives Matter movement was found at a Topeka park. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that parks and recreation workers went to Santa Fe Park in the city’s Oakland neighborhood around noon Thursday to investigate. The graffiti has since been painted over. Mayor Michelle De La Isla condemned the vandals, saying that hate speech “will never be tolerated.” Police are urging anyone with information to come forward. Police Chief Bill Cochran said the graffiti is “truly despicable.” 

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Man Accused of Firing on Wichita Officers During Unrest

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita man accused of firing a gun at police during civil unrest last week has been charged with more than 20 counts in the case. Television station KAKE reports that 28-year-old Henry Parker made his first appearance in court earlier this week. Police say he fired multiple shots at police during civil unrest on a Wichita street following protests on June 1. None of the officers was shot, but police say one officer’s helmet was hit by bullet pieces that had ricocheted near the officers. Parker is charged with two counts of aggravated battery of an officer, 19 counts of aggravated assault of an officer and a weapons count.

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Kansas Wants to Test 60,000 Residents a Month for COVID-19 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The state's top public health official says Kansas has reached the point where it can test  2% of its population, every month, for the novel coronavirus.  State Health Director, Dr. Lee Norman, also says his department plans to send a mobile lab to communities to help with testing.  On Thursday, Dr. Norman and Governor Laura Kelly unveiled what the health department described as the state’s first formal coronavirus testing strategy. It calls for testing 60,000 people each month, through the end of the year, and assisting with local drive-through testing.

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Wichita Priest Infected with COVID-19, Church Temporarily Closes

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Catholic church in Wichita has temporarily closed after a priest tested positive for COVID-19. Matt Davied of the Church of the Magdalen said he underwent testing after waking up feeling ill.  He's now in isolation. Since the priests live together in the rectory, a second priest is also under quarantine. The Wichita Eagle reports that all Masses at the church have been suspended and live streams will be temporarily discontinued.

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2nd COVID-19 Case Tied to Missouri Memorial Weekend Parties

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Health officials in suburban Kansas City have linked a new coronavirus case to Memorial Day weekend parties at the Lake of the Ozarks. Epidemiologist Elizabeth Holzschuh told the Johnson County, Kansas, board of commissioners Thursday that the infected resident visited the same bar as a resident of Boone County in mid-Missouri who previously tested positive. Social media postings of the event showed large crowds of mostly young people without masks and not adhering to social distancing guidelines at pools along the central Missouri lake that is a popular weekend getaway spot. Health officials urged anyone who attended the parties to self-quarantine for 14 days.

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Kansas and Missouri Unemployment Numbers Aren't Good but They're Getting Better

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Kansas City Business Journal) - New Kansas jobless claims are up 484% over last year.  In Missouri, new jobless claims are up 329% from 2019.  According to the Kansas City Business Journal, new data from the U.S. Department of Labor show that 105,000 Kansas residents and 230,000 Missouri workers were collecting unemployment benefits during the week that ended May 30. That's 7% of the Sunflower State's labor force and 7.6% of the Show Me State's work force.  Despite the continued decrease in initial unemployment claims in Missouri and Kansas, the jobless claims remain far above normal and stubbornly high compared with the same period in 2019. 

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Wichita Man Charged in Crash That Killed Longtime Radio DJ

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita man has been charged in a crash that killed a longtime radio DJ. The Wichita Eagle reports that 43-year-old Ray Anthony Watkins faces a charge of involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence in the April 29 death of 70-year-old Don Hall. District Attorney Marc Bennett said in an email that the felony carries a sentence of 3 to 14 years. Police said they believe Watkins ran a red light before the crash. He had minor injuries, but Hall died at the scene. Watkins was originally arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder.

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Man Arrested in Fatal Shooting in Kansas City, Kansas

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Police say a 31-year-old man has been arrested and charged in the shooting death of another man last week in Kansas City, Kansas. Police say Tika Ram Sarki, of Kansas City, Kansas, is charged with second-degree murder and aggravated assault in the June 4 shooting death of 26-year-old Narbu Tamang. Police were called to the scene of the shooting around 8 pm and found Tamang with gunshot injuries. He died at the scene. Police have not detailed what events led to the shooting.

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Spirit AeroSystems Counting on Feds to Weather Financial Storm

WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) - Spirit AeroSystems has received $80 million from the federal government to boost its defense production work. KMUW Radio in Wichita reports that the funds come as Spirit tries to weather a storm hitting its commercial aviation division.  The money from the Department of Defense will expand Spirit’s existing work for all four military branches - work that includes the fuselage and other parts for the Boeing KC-46 refueling tanker.  Duane Hawkins, president of defense and fabrication at Spirit, said, "When things might go a different direction in the aviation industry, the defense business gives us an opportunity to keep moving along as things get a little better on the aviation side.”  The company has already shifted more than 400 employees to defense work from commercial programs. CEO Tom Gentile says more may move over.  “And that will reduce the number of people who are laid off at Spirit on the commercial side,” he said.  Gentile re-emphasized at a news conference Thursday that he expects it will take two to three years for commercial air travel to return to pre-pandemic levels.  This week, Spirit announced it would furlough about 900 hourly workers on the Boeing 737 Max program beginning Monday.  

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Judge Denies Request from Kansas Indian Tribe Regarding Federal Funding

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) - A federal judge in the nation's capital has denied a request from a Native American tribe in Kansas to halt further distribution of coronavirus relief funding for tribal nations. The Prairie Band of Potawatomi Nation recently sued the U.S. Treasury Department, alleging it was shortchanged in an initial distribution of $4.8 billion.  The tribe argued during a hearing yesterday (THUR) that the Treasury Department should have relied on tribal enrollment data, not federal data.  The U.S. District Judge (Amit Mehta) says he lacks jurisdiction because Congress gave the Treasury Department discretion in how to dole out the funding. A hearing in a related case is scheduled for today (FRI).  

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River Market Restaurant Gets Backlash After KC Officer Told Not to Wear Police Uniform Inside

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) – A controversial conversation at a Kansas City restaurant has led to bad reviews and even death threats.  FOX4 WDAF TV reports that the owner of The Bite said it’s all a big misunderstanding, and everyone is welcome in his restaurant as they are.  Owner Carlos Mortera said he and his employees take a stand on a lot of social issues.  “We support the Black Lives Matter movement; we support DACA; we support immigrants coming into this country," Mortera said.  However, Mortera said one part of the restaurant’s perceived philosophy was a misunderstanding.  In a letter to the Kansas City Police Department, an officer said an employee asked them not to wear their uniforms if they return to the restaurant.  Mortera said it happened on Sunday, June 7. He said the officers believed the employee had been given direction from him to say this but this wasn’t the case.  Mortera said the employee wanted to do something to respect the death of George Floyd and only asked if they could not come into the restaurant in uniform for the week.  Part of the email was posted on Facebook, and what happened next was a string of negative reviews. Mortera said he’s even receiving death threats.  Some customers said the misunderstanding won’t keep them away and they even support what the employee said. The employee has since resigned.  City Market released a statement on the incident, which said it part: “City Market has always been a place of diversity and inclusion, and all our shops and restaurants welcome everyone without exception.”  ( Read more about this story.)

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Court Sides with Former Kansas Teacher in Student Rape Case

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has sided with a former middle school counselor who argues she shouldn’t have been been convicted of raping a student who forced himself on her then blackmailed her into a sexual relationship. Writing for a unanimous Kansas Supreme Court, Justice Eric Rosen held Friday that Brooke Dinkel’s claims she was forcibly raped is relevant to the crime of rape of a child under the age of 14. The Supreme Court ordered a lower court to hold a hearing on whether the trial defense was ineffective.

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2 Wichita Men Charged, Accused of Holding Teens at Gunpoint 

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Two Wichita men have been charged after police say they stopped a car full of teens they suspected of trespassing, then held the teens at gunpoint. The Wichita Eagle reports that Christopher Perry and Michael Morris have been charged with three felony counts of aggravated assault and three misdemeanor counts of criminal restraint. The incident happened around 2 am on May 30, when the teens were driving in a west Wichita neighborhood. Police say Perry and Morris believed the teens had earlier jumped a fence into a back yard of one of the men. Police say the men followed the teens, used a truck to block their car, then pointed a handgun at them and demanded identification.

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Future Up in the Air for Sports Attraction in Western Kansas

GARDEN CITY, Kan. (HPPR/KNS) - The future of a sports complex partially funded by Kansas sales taxes is now up in the air.  Construction of Sports of the World, a massive sports complex, began in Garden City last fall. The state commerce department approved $25.4 million dollars in Sales Tax Revenue bonds, or STAR bonds.  But work on the project stopped this spring when a legal dispute arose between the developers.  Garden City Manager Matt Allen says the city stopped reimbursing GC Investments at the development company’s request after one partner in the firm sued another over financial disputes.  “That was at the request of GC investments. That we not reimburse until they had worked out their internal, I guess, separation of their partnership,” he said.  6.6 million dollars has already been paid to the developer. But it’s unclear how the state or city would recoup those costs if the project doesn’t get built.  

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Kansas Man Driving Farm Tractor in Nebraska Killed in Cash with Semi

DUBOIS, Neb. (AP) — Authorities in southeastern Nebraska say a Kansas man has died in a crash on a Nebraska highway involving the man's farm tractor and a semitrailer.  The crash happened Monday on Nebraska Highway 50 south of DuBois, near the Kansas state line. Investigators say 86-year-old Arden Bredemeier, of Sabetha, Kansas, was driving a farm tractor north on the highway when he tried to turn into a private drive and and was hit by a southbound semitrailer.  The crash closed a stretch of the highway for about two hours. Pawnee County Attorney Jennifer Ladman says no charges are expected in the crash.

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Report: Kansas Farmers to Harvest Smaller Winter Wheat Crop 

UNDATED (AP) — A new government report shows Kansas farmers are forecast to harvest a smaller winter wheat crop this year. The latest forecast is based on crop conditions on June 1. The Agriculture Department’s National Agricultural Statistics Service now estimates the size of the crop at 319 million bushels. That is down 6% from last year’s harvest. The new government forecast is based on projected average yields of 49 bushels per acre, down 3 bushels from a year ago. The expected harvested acreage in Kansas is the same as last year at 6.5 million acres.

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Officials Hope to Capture Alligator Spotted in Creek Near Manhattan

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) _ Authorities in northeastern Kansas have closed a trail around Wildcat Creek as they try to catch an alligator spotted there. The Manhattan Mercury newspaper reports that the 5-foot alligator is believed to be one of two stolen from a Manhattan pet store last weekend. On Wednesday, a man called 911 to report seeing an alligator while he was walking along Linear Park Trail. Local animal control officers responded and saw the animal lounging on log in the water. The trail was closed, and officials set traps.  Authorities say they don't know how the alligator made it into the creek or whether the other alligator stolen Friday night from Manhattan Reptile World is also on the loose.

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Officials Issue Health Advisories for Several Kansas Lakes

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Health officials in Kansas have issued public health advisories for several lakes and ponds across the state where toxic algae has been found. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment issued the advisories this week for Rock Garden Pond in Shawnee County and Cheney Lake, which is in Reno, Kingman and Sedgwick counties. Others under watch include Kanopolis Reservoir in Ellsworth County, Gathering Pond at Milford Reservoir in Geary County, Lake Perry in Jefferson County and Marion County Lake. A watch means that a blue-green algae bloom has been detected or is likely to develop. People are encouraged to avoid areas of algae accumulation and keep pets and livestock away from the water.

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Body Found in River in Kansas Identified as Homicide Victim

MULVANE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a badly decomposed body that was pulled from the Ninnescah River in southern Kansas over the weekend is believed to be a homicide victim who was reported missing two months ago. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said Friday that pending DNA confirmation, authorities have identified the victim as 27-year-old Shalan Niccole Gannon, of Wichita. She was reported missing to the Wichita police on April 11. A fisherman spotted her body Sunday afternoon in northeastern Sumner County, west of the Kansas Turnpike. No other information was released, including how she died. The KBI said the investigation was ongoing and urged anyone with information to come forward.

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Damaging Winds Hit Western Kansas

SCOTT COUNTY, Kan. (KSNW) - Hurricane-force winds hit parts of western Kansas this week.  KSNW TV reports that wind gusts topped out at 78 miles per hour at Scott State Lake near Scott City.  At Camp Christy, just two miles south, the winds caused damage.  With numerous limbs on the ground, the main damage came from a large tree that fell across a camp bridge, leaving parts of the bridge destroyed.  Camp Manager Danielle Massaglia says they're grateful that there wasn’t any severe structural damage to their buildings at the campsite.

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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.