University of Kansas Enacts Sweeping Salary Cuts
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR/KNS) - The University of Kansas has announced sweeping salary cuts for all employees making $50,000 a year or more. KU is the latest school where employees have been affected by COVID-related financial issues. KU expects a $120 million budget shortfall because of the pandemic and the pay cuts are expected to save about half that amount. The new salary cuts will begin in late August and will last at least six months. KU employees making $50,000 or more will see a 1% reduction in pay. Higher-salary employees will see steeper cuts. The salary reductions won’t affect student employees or those working on a visa. KU officials have not ruled out furloughs. Already, Kansas State University has furloughed 430 employees since May. Both schools have also instituted hiring freezes.
Salary Tiers / Salary Adjustment
< $50,000 = 0%
$50,000 to $59,999 = 1% cut
$60,000 to $69,999 = 2%
$70,000 to $79,999 = 3%
$80,000 to $89,999 = 4%
$90,000 to $99,999 = 5%
$100,000 to $119,999 = 6% cut
$120,000 to $139,999 = 7%
$140,000 to $159,999 = 8%
$160,000 to $179,999 = 9%
$180,000 to $199,999 = 10%
$200,000 or more = 11%
KU says the temporary salary reductions will not impact employee health insurance coverage or premiums or leave accruals. Employer and employee contributions to the mandatory retirement plans will be adjusted as contributions are based on a percentage applied to an employee's gross salary. ( Visit KU's FAQ webpage for more information.)
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Judge Allows Swatting Lawsuit to Move Forward
BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) - A federal judge in Wichita says a lawsuit can move forward against a Wichita police office who fatally shot an innocent man in 2017 while responding to a hoax emergency call. It stemmed from an online dispute between two gamers. Judge John Broomes denied Officer Justin Rapp's request to end the lawsuit. The death of 28-year-old Andrew Finch drew national attention to the issue of "swatting," where someone uses a false emergency call to draw police to an address.
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Kansas-Based Theater Chain to Require Masks
LEAWOOD, Kan. (KPR) - Leawood-based AMC Theaters is changing course on masks, saying they will be required when their theaters reopen next month. AMC is the largest movie theater company, with bout 600 locations nationwide. Yesterday, the CEO of the company said it would not require masks because that would draw the company into a "political controversy." That drew backlash, and the company now says it has consulted with experts and will require everyone visiting AMC theaters to wear a mask.
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Head-On Crash Claims 6 Lives on K-10 Thursday Night
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) - Six people have been killed in a head-on crash on Kansas Highway 10 in Lawrence. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the crash happened around 6:40 pm Thursday when a westbound vehicle and an eastbound vehicle collided. The crash happened on K-10 just west of the interchange with U.S. Highway 59, or Iowa Street. Both vehicles were on fire when Douglas County Sheriff’s Deputies arrived. A GMC vehicle was partially burned. Its female driver and sole occupant was taken to an area hospital with serious injuries. The other vehicle, a Ford Fusion, was completely burned and six occupants were killed. K-10 was closed for several hours as detectives investigated the crash.
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Kansas Governor Praises Supreme Court’s DACA Decision
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is praising today's (THUR) Supreme Court decision to uphold DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program. Kelly said the nation's high court made the right decision to uphold protections for immigrants known as Dreamers. She said ending DACA would have cost the state more than $335 million every year. Kelly said there are more than 6,000 DACA recipients in Kansas, adding that some of the Dreamers are serving in our military and in our hospitals. "They were brought here as children," Kelley said, "this is their home, they belong here.”
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KCC Investigates Agreement Between Evergy & Investment Firm
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas regulators will investigate an agreement between Evergy and activist investment firm Elliot Management that looks to increase infrastructure spending or put the utility up for sale. The Kansas News Service reports state regulators seem skeptical of the deal. Staff at the Kansas Corporation Commission, which oversees utilities, requested the investigation because they feel some of the proposals in the agreement between Evergy and Elliot Management would benefit investors at the expense of customers. The investigation will allow regulators and other stakeholders to stay better informed of negotiations and will require Evergy to answer a long list of questions. In a statement, Evergy said it remains committed to balancing the interests of its shareholders and customers, and supports a transparent process involving state regulators.
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KU Implements Mandatory Mask Policy for All of Those on Campus - Effective Immediately
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - Effective immediately, anyone on the University of Kansas campus is required to wear a mask or face covering to slow the spread of the coronavirus. KU Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer made the announcement Thursday. KU officials are drafting new personal safety requirements for the Lawrence campus and the Edwards Campus in Overland Park. The face-covering policy will likely be in effect for the next academic year. This new requirement applies to all faculty, staff, students and visitors while they are in common areas of a building and within 6 feet of any person on campus. The provost said further public health policies are being finalized and will be released in the coming days.
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"Daily" Southwest Chief Set to Run Fewer Days This Fall
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Amtrak passenger service across Kansas will likely slow down this fall. Right now, the Southwest Chief runs daily from Chicago to Los Angeles, with stops in a half-dozen Kansas towns, including Topeka, Lawrence and Dodge City. Amtrak says it will scale back daily service in October. The Washington Post reports Amtrak will start offering service along the route just three times a week. The Kansas News Service reports Amtrak ticket sales have suffered nationally amid the pandemic.
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Authorities Investigate Death of Kansas Man After Fight
Authorities are investigating the death of a Kansas man following a fight. Police in Pratt say officers were responding to a disturbance Wednesday when they found 57-year-old Frank "Butch" Sturgeon lying on the floor of a garage. The man had sustained a head trauma and was unconscious. He was rushed to a hospital, where he died. Police say a preliminary investigation found that Sturgeon, who was from Pratt, fell during an altercation. No other information has been released, including whether anyone has been arrested.
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Construction Underway on New Addition to Wind Farm in Southwest Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – Governor Laura Kelly says construction has begun on a new addition to an existing wind farm in southwest Kansas. Kelly announced that Enel Green Power has started building a 199 Megawatt addition to the Cimarron Bend wind farm in Clark County.The $281 million expansion will consist of 74 wind turbines. She says it will also be responsible for creating more than 250 temporary jobs as well as five to 10 permanent positions in operations and maintenance. The expansion alone is estimated to generate an additional $49 million in lease payments to local landowners and over $18 million in new revenue to fund schools and public services over its lifetime. Kansas currently ranks No. 2 in the nation for wind energy production as a share of total electricity generation, according to the AWEA annual market report. Last year, wind energy surpassed coal for the first time as the largest energy source for generating electricity in Kansas. Wind energy provided 41% of electricity generation in Kansas, the second-largest share for any state.
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Kansas Needs More Contact Tracers to Track Spread of COVID-19
TOPEKA, Kan. (KCUR) - A new report shows that even as Kansas is reopening, local health departments are still short on contact tracers to help stop the spread of COVID-19. An NPR analysis shows that Kansas doesn’t have enough contact tracers, workers who contact people who may have been exposed to the virus to tell them to isolate. KCUR Radio reports local and county health departments are currently hiring for these positions, and Johnson County health department spokeswoman Barbara Mitchell says the county is currently understaffed and would be strained even further if there were a surge. A spokesperson for the state health department, however, insisted that Kansas would be able to handle surges with the help of backup tracers provided by the state. Health departments are also struggling with people who are not cooperating with contact tracers’ instructions to take steps to prevent the spread of the disease.
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Kansas Cases of COVID-19 Top 12,000, Including 254 Deaths
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — As of today (FRI), Kansas health officials are reporting 12,059 cases of COVID-19, including 254 deaths. Cases have been reported in 91 of the state's 105 counties. ( Updated COVID-19 case numbers for Kansas are released Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons.)
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KDHE Adds States to Travel Quarantine List, Removes Others
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has added three states to the quarantine list: Alabama, Arizona and Arkansas, and removed six states from the list: Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Rhode Island. The list became effective June 17 and will remain in effect until further notice. The state will review and possibly update the list on July 1. For more information, visit the KDHE website.
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2-Day Spike in Confirmed COVID-19 Deaths in Missouri
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) _ The number of deaths from the coronavirus in Missouri rose by 37 Thursday -- the second straight day that Missouri reported a big increase in fatalities. Health officials reported 27 deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday. The 64 total deaths is the most over two consecutive days since the pandemic began. Overall, Missouri has recorded nearly a thousand deaths.
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Governor Tours Spirit's New Ventilator-Making Plant in Wichita
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) - Spirit AeroSystems says it's currently making about 100 ventilators per day, designed to help patients with COVID-19. On Thursday, Governor Laura Kelly toured Spirit's new facility in Wichita that makes the medical equipment. She says the company has undeniably been going through a tough time. "And they were so creative and innovative in finding ways to move forward and to keep employees on the floor, working, getting paychecks, able to feed their families," she said. Spirit recently announced furloughs for about 900 workers because of issues with the Boeing 737 Max, a plane Spirit helps manufacture. The aerospace company says making the ventilators will keep more than 1,000 workers employed before they revaluate the demand for more ventilators at the end of October.
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Kansas City Police Shooting Gets Renewed Attention
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Three candidates seeking the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate have launched ads this past week opposing transgender rights. The Kansas City Star reports former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach said if elected he would offer legislation to withhold federal funds from institutions that allow transgender students in women's sports. Kansas Congressman Roger Marshall attacked businessman Bob Hamilton over his former company's support of an LGBT business group, and Hamilton himself released an ad against what he called "transgender bathrooms." The August 4 primary election will determine which Republican candidate moves on to the general election and compete for the seat being vacated by Kansas Senator Pat Roberts.
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