Manhattan Lands $650 Million Bio-Manufacturing Business; Hundreds of New Jobs Expected
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KPR) - Governor Laura Kelly has announced the development of a new bio-manufacturing facility that she says will create 500 new, high-paying jobs in the Manhattan area in the next seven years. Kelly says it's the most significant economic development project to date during her administration. Scorpion Biological Services plans to invest $650 million in the state and build a new, 500,000 square foot bio-manufacturing facility. The facility will support the development of vaccines that enable an accelerated response to global biological threats. In addition, the company intends to provide commercial level development, manufacturing, and bio-analytical testing services at every stage for biopharmaceutical products on a fee-for-service basis to the global health care industry. This project came together as a result of partnerships between the Kansas Department of Commerce, Kansas State University, Kansas State University Innovation Partners, the City of Manhattan, the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, Pottawatomie County, Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation, Manhattan Area Technical College, Evergy, CRB and Realty Trust Group. ( Read more.)
(AP version...)
Manhattan Lands $650 Million Bio-Manufacturing Plant Bringing 500 New Jobs
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP/KPR) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and other officials say a bio-manufacturing firm will build a $650 million plant that will bring hundreds of jobs to the Manhattan region. Kelly says Scorpion Biological Services, based in San Antonio, Texas, is planning to bring 500 jobs to the region within seven years. The plant helps to develop vaccines to respond to global biological threats. The project still requires local, county and state approvals for incentive packages. The plant will help develop vaccines to respond to global biological threats, and provide development, manufacturing, and bio-analytical testing services for medicines on a commercial level.
==========
Oklahoma Governor Seeks Massive Incentives to Lure Company; Kansas and Texas in the Running to Land Same Company
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt is asking lawmakers to approve a massive package of financial incentives to help lure an unnamed company to the state. Stitt made the request at a news conference today (MON). He told reporters he was prohibited from naming the company or the total cost of the package. Japanese broadcaster NHK reported last week, citing unnamed sources, that Panasonic Corporation was looking at both Kansas and Texas as a potential location for a factory to produce electric-vehicle batteries for Tesla and other vehicle makers. Kansas earlier this year authorized more than $1 billion in state incentives in hopes of attracting a $4 billion project.
==========
Kansas Could Start Cracking Down on "Porch Pirates"
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) Kansas may soon start cracking down on "porch pirates." Governor Laura Kelly’s signature on a bill would increase the penalty for stealing multiple packages. A bill to do just that is sitting on her desk. The increased popularity of online purchases means more packages are sitting on people’s porches unattended. And police say theft is becoming more common in Kansas and elsewhere. The bill makes it a felony to steal three packages within 72 hours. The goal is to crack down on repeat offenders. Rep. Boog Highberger voted in favor of the bill, but he is concerned it’s too harsh if the packages have little value. “A crime that would otherwise be a misdemeanor makes it a felony. Under this bill, somebody could take three, $20 packages off three different porches. That is a felony now. That was my major concern," he said. Under current law, stealing multiple packages would be a misdemeanor unless the items had a significant dollar value.
==========
KC Man Convicted Again in Fatal Gas Station Shooting
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A Kansas City man has again been convicted of carrying out the fatal shooting of another man outside a central Kansas City gas station. Television station WDAF reports that a judge on Friday found 45-year-old Timothy Fernandez guilty of second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the February 2019 death of 40-year-old Michael Bryan in the city's Crossroads District. Police say surveillance video showed the two men briefly speaking before Bryan walked away. Police say the video then shows Fernandez shooting Bryan in the back. Police used DNA gathered from a tissue discarded by the shooter to link Fernandez to the killing. Fernandez was found guilty of the same counts in 2020, but was granted a new trial. He'll be sentenced at a later date.
==========
Officials Identify Kansas Woman Killed in Shootout with Deputies
WINFIELD, Kan. (AP) — State investigators in Kansas have identified a woman killed in an exchange of gunfire. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says 32-year-old Andrea C. Barrow of Arkansas City was killed Friday in Cowley County after she pulled out a handgun as deputies tried to remove her from a vehicle. Investigators said Saturday that two of the deputies are recovering at home. A third remains hospitalized in good condition. Authorities say the deputies were responding to a call about a suspicious vehicle when Barrow pulled out the gun and “gunfire was exchanged.”
==========
Washburn University President Plans to Retire in September
TOPEKA, Kan (AP) - Washburn University President Jerry Farley says he plans to retire in September. The university announced today (MON) that Farley will retire on September 30. He's led the school in Topeka since July 1997. After retirement, Farley will become president emeritus to focus on fundraising and international student recruitment. The Washburn Board of Regents will release details about its search for Farley's replacement in the coming weeks.
==========
Independence Community College Professor Arrested on Rape, Sexual Battery Charges
INDEPENDENCE, Kan. (Montgomery County Chronicle/KPR) – A music instructor at Independence Community College was arrested Friday on charges including rape. Lawrence Markiewicz, associate professor instrumental music at ICC, is currently being held without bond at the Montgomery County jail. The Montgomery County Chronicle reports that the Independence Police Department is recommending charges of rape, aggravated sexual battery, and furnishing alcohol to a minor. Independence Community College president Dr. Vince Bowhay told the Chronicle he was prohibited from discussing the matter publicly, but did say that the school was conducting its own investigation. The 53-year-old Markiewicz is a nationally-recognized music instructor. Prior to taking his teaching position at ICC, he was a public school teacher in New Jersey. However, the Chronicle reports that Markiewicz was suspended from a position in the Bridgewater, N.J. school district in 2013, and that his teaching license was revoked by the New Jersey Department of Education in January 2016.
==========
Jon Wefald Remembered as Leader Who Made K-State "Relevant"
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Jon Wefald is being remembered as a Kansas State University president for more than two decades who increased its enrollment, improved academic programs and boosted research funding — while finally finding a coach who could win football games. Kansas State says Wefald died Saturday at age 84. The Manhattan Mercury newspaper reports that he suffered a heart attack at his home in Minnesota. Wefald was Kansas State president from 1986 until the end of the 2008-09 school year. His best known decision might have been hiring Bill Snyder as football coach. He also was a former head of the Minnesota State university system. Pat Bosco, a former Kansas State vice president for student life, says Wefald "moved our school from very good to great, but most importantly, he made us relevant."
==========
With Growing Caseload, Kansas Supreme Court Creates More Judicial Positions
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - The Kansas Supreme Court is creating 23 new judicial positions across the state. The new positions were made possible by additional funding approved by lawmakers and the governor. The new positions are needed because caseloads continue to grow in the Kansas court system. It’s the first time new judge positions have been created since 2008. New judges will take over all across the state but some of the more populous judicial districts in Kansas will get new positions, like districts that include Shawnee, Johnson and Sedgwick County. Some of the judges will be elected to their positions and take over in January. The other judges will be appointed and then must stand for retention elections.
==========
Kansas City Juvenile Suspect in Fatal School Stabbing Denied Home Detention
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 14-year-old suspect in a stabbing death at a Kansas City middle school will remain in juvenile custody. A Jackson County judge has denied a request that the suspect be released to home detention. He is charged in juvenile court with first-degree murder in the death of 14-year-old Manuel Guzman at Northeast Middle School. Police say the suspect, whose name has not been released because of his age, stabbed Guzman after an argument in a school bathroom. After a brief hearing, the judge ruled the teen would stay in a juvenile detention facility out of concern for his and the community's safety.
==========
University of Kansas Hosts Program to Support Ukrainian Students, Faculty
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - The University of Kansas Department of Slavic and Eurasian Languages is hosting an event tonight (MON) in support of Ukraine, with personal stories, poetry, theatre performance and music. Tonight's (MON) event at Maceli’s Banquet Hall (1031 New Hampshire St.) in Lawrence begins at 7 pm. Doors open at 6:30 pm. The event, designed to show support for Ukrainians both at home and abroad, is part of a larger effort to support Ukrainian students at KU and enable KU to host displaced Ukrainian scholars and students on campus. KU Provost Barbara Bichelmeyer will provide opening remarks. The KU Department of Slavic and Eurasian Languages & Literatures, in conjunction with KU International Affairs and the KU Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies, have set up a dedicated fund for donations. KU is collaborating with Ukrainian Global University, an emerging consortium of higher education institutions in Ukraine to identify needs and hosting opportunities for displaced students and scholars. ( More information available here.)
==========
KPR Completes Successful Spring Membership Drive
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas Public Radio raised more than $336,000 during its spring membership drive, which wrapped up Friday. The 8-day fund drive began April 8 and concluded April 15. Recent budget cuts reduced the station's operating budget by about $500,000 a year. The station has about 20 full and part-time employees and serves more than 100,000 listeners. A charter member of National Public Radio, the station has been broadcasting since 1952, serving listeners across eastern Kansas via numerous transmitters and translators.
==========
Negro Leagues Museum in Kansas City Honors Jackie Robinson
KANSAS CITY, MO. (KCUR) - On the 75th anniversary of the day Jackie Robinson broke Major League Baseball's color line, Kansas City’s Negro Leagues Baseball Museum unveiled a marker commemorating his birthplace. The marker was defaced and vandalized by gunfire in 2021 before officials moved it from Georgia to Kansas City. The now-restored marker is on temporary display at the museum's Field of Legends before becoming a permanent feature in the museum. Bob Kendrick, president of the museum, said the marker is a reminder of what Jackie Robinson stood for. "His connection to Kansas city is deep and it is meaningful because had it not been for the Negro Leagues, we don't get Jackie Robinson," he said. Robinson began his baseball career with the Kansas City Monarchs of the Negro Leagues in 1945 before becoming the first Black player to break the Major League Baseball color barrier on April 15, 1947.
==========
Kansas Governor Signs New Legislative, School Board Maps
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ Democratic Governor Laura Kelly has signed a redistricting measure expected to preserve Republican supermajorities in the Kansas Legislature. The measure she signed Friday also would make it possible for conservatives to elect more members to the state school board. Kelly didn't say why she signed the measure in announcing her action, but she previously had praised the new House and Senate maps. The new legislative lines also had bipartisan support. The State Board of Education map was more contentious because there were board members opposing it. The Kansas Constitution requires the state Supreme Court to review the legislative maps and rule on their validity within 45 days.
==========
Kansas Governor Nixes Bills on Trans Athletes, Parents' Role in School Curriculum
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Governor Laura Kelly has vetoed conservative Republicans’ proposed ban on transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s sports and a GOP proposal aimed at making it easier for parents to try to remove materials from public school classrooms and libraries. Neither measure vetoed Friday cleared the Republican-controlled Legislature with the two-thirds majorities in both the House and Senate necessary to override a veto. Kansas lawmakers are on their annual spring break but are scheduled to reconvene April 25. Kelly argued both were driving by politics. Republicans say the measure on transgender athletes protects competition and called the other measure a proposed “Parents' Bill of Rights.”
==========
Report: Kansas May Have Overpaid Private Medicaid Companies by Millions of Dollars
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) —A new report from the Kansas Attorney General’s office found evidence that Kansas Medicaid programs may have overpaid millions of dollars for home-based care. The report says the state is overpaying private companies by millions of dollars for some types of Medicaid benefits. For example, the report suggests Kansas paid $8 million to rent Life Alert equipment for hundreds of people in recent years, even though the state could have paid as little as $55,000 for that equipment rental. The report also suggests the private companies that run Kansas Medicaid are not doing a good job of checking whether enrolled people remain eligible. Kansas privatized most of its Medicaid system in 2013.
==========
Kansas GOP Ties New School Funds to 'Choice,' Other Policies
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — State funds for Kansas’ public schools have been held up as Republican lawmakers push for policies critics say would punish educators for court rulings that forced the GOP-controlled Legislature to boost its spending. A legislative proposal ties $6.4 billion in spending to policies pushed by conservative Republicans that include an “open enrollment” proposal to allow parents to send their children to any public school with enough space. Republicans drafted the package before lawmakers began their annual spring break earlier this month. Legislators reconvene April 25. Conservatives argue that they're trying to make schools more accountable. Critics say it's payback for seven Kansas Supreme Court rulings that forced spending increases.
==========
Evacuation Lifted Near Reno County Gas Plant Rocked by Explosion, Fire
HAVEN, Kan. (AP) — Authorities are allowing people to return to their homes near a Reno County gas plant a day after an explosion rocked the plant and led to a fire there. Officials lifted the evacuation order Friday morning after about 90 people were evacuated Thursday and sent to hotels for the night. Fire and emergency management crews were called to the Haven Midstream plant Thursday afternoon for an explosion and fire. Two people suffered minor injuries and were taken to a Wichita hospital. Residents within a 2-mile radius of the plant were evacuated following the explosion. The plant is located near Haven, which is about 33 miles northwest of Wichita. Kansas Highway 96 near the plant was also closed but has since reopened.
==========
Independence, Missouri, Candidate Sues After Election Winner Dies
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — An Independence city council member who lost his re-election bid last week is suing to retain his seat after a winning candidate died. The Kansas City Star reports Mike Huff says he should be declared the winner after Karen DeLuccie died of cancer days after the election. DeLuccie and Jared Fears were elected to at-large seats on the council, with Huff coming in third in the voting. In his lawsuit, Huff says election officials should not have certified DeLuccie as a winner because she was incapacitated by her illness. Sara Zorich, a director at the Jackson County Election Board, said the city will have to decide how to proceed.
==========
2 Bird Flu Cases Confirmed in U.S. Zoos as Avian Virus Spreads
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Two cases of bird flu have been confirmed in U.S. zoos, but officials said they won’t order widespread euthanasia of zoo birds the way they have on farms. Agriculture Department spokesman Mike Stepien declined to release any details about the zoo cases Thursday. Many zoos across the country have closed down their aviaries and moved birds inside whenever possible to help protect them from bird flu that officials believe is primarily being spread by the droppings of wild birds. Nearly 27 million chickens and turkeys have been slaughtered in 26 states to limit the spread of bird flu during this year’s outbreak. Officials order entire flocks to be killed when the disease is found on farms.
==========
Feds Agree to Return $1.1 Million to Company Busted for Hauling Legal Weed Money in Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) - In a possible harbinger of how a similar case in Kansas might end, the government has agreed to return more than $1 million it seized from an armored car company that was transporting cash from state-licensed cannabis businesses in California. Last year, a Dickinson County, Kansas, sheriff’s deputy stopped one of Empyreal Logistics’ vehicles on I-70 and seized nearly $166,000 it was transporting to Colorado from legal marijuana dispensaries in Kansas City, Missouri. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Kansas later filed a forfeiture action against Empyreal, arguing the seized cash came from sales that violated federal law. Empyreal ran into a similar problem in California, where authorities also seized cash it was transporting from legal cannabis businesses. Empyreal sued over the seizures, and now the Justice Department has agreed to return the money it seized in California. Empyreal, in turn, has dropped its lawsuit. In court documents, the U.S. Attorney in Kansas says it’s working toward a resolution of the case here. ( Read more from KCUR Radio.)
==========
UPDATE: Family IDs 1 of 2 People Killed in Wichita Hit-and-Run Crash
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — One of two people killed in a hit-and-run crash involving a motorcycle in Wichita over the weekend has been identified by his family. Television station KAKE reports that 20-year-old Levi Ward died from injuries sustained in the early Saturday morning crash. Ward's stepmother, Lana Ward, confirmed his death to KAKE. Police say the crash happened when a sport utility vehicle collided with a motorcycle carrying two people. Police say the crash killed both people on the motorcycle, which included Ward. The other victim's name has not been released. Police say the 23-year-old driver of the SUV fled the crash, but was later arrested when his father brought him back to the scene talk to investigators.
(Earlier reporting...)
Kansas Man Arrested After Hit-and-Run Crash Kills 2 on Motorcycle
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a man has been arrested in a hit-and-run crash in west Wichita that killed two people on a motorcycle. Police say they received a call shortly before 2:30 am Saturday about a collision between a green SUV and a motorcycle. A male who had been thrown off the motorcycle was pronounced dead at the scene. Another male was transported to a local hospital where he died of his injuries. Investigators say the 23-year-old driver of the SUV drove off but his father brought him back to the scene to talk to police. The driver faces two charges of failure to stop at an accident resulting in death.
==========
Kansas Man Who Fatally Hurt Baby, then Played Video Games, Sentenced to More than 26 Years in Prison
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas father who reportedly played video games after fatally injuring one of his twin infant children has been sentenced to more than 26 years in prison. Television station KAKE reports that 25-year-old Marlin Williams Jr. was sentenced last week to 316 months in prison. He pleaded guilty earlier this year to second-degree murder in the January 2020 death of his 2-month-old son, Marrell, and to three counts of aggravated battery for abusing the baby and his twin sister. Williams told police he was frustrated with the infants' crying and squeezed his son's head “extra hard" before leaving the room to go play video games for around a half-hour. Doctors later found that Marrell had suffered two skull fractures and that his twin sister had suffered a broken femur.
==========
Chiefs Gather with Mahomes in Texas to Begin Offseason
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The new faces of the Kansas City Chiefs offense are getting to know each other in the warm Texas sun, rather than the cold Kansas City rain, after Andy Reid decided to make voluntary offseason workouts a virtual exercise this season. In a departure from his previous three decades of offseason work, Reid said Monday that he's encouraging his players to Zoom into voluntary meetings — rather than attend in person at the Chiefs practice facility — so that they can continue their workouts from anywhere in the country ahead of more formalized team activities next month. "There's a number of guys here lifting," Reid said, "but again, these are all voluntary camps, all three phases."
That hasn't stopped a number of players from congregating around Patrick Mahomes in Texas, where the star quarterback spends the offseason. Many of them are new faces that the Chiefs have added to the offense after trading three-time All-Pro Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins and losing wide receivers Demarcus Robinson and Byron Pringle in free agency.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling and JuJu Smith-Schuster are the biggest names that Chiefs general manager Brett Veach has landed to help fill Hill's void in the offense. The Chiefs also have signed Ronald Jones II to help at running back, and there are several other players that have been signed to compete for a spot on the roster next season.
The work toward that goal began this week in the virtual meeting room with Reid and his coaches, and on the Texas practice fields with Mahomes, who knows the foundation for a successful season begins long before kickoff in September. "The biggest thing for the work we've been getting in Texas is to build those relationships," Mahomes said by Zoom. "That's what has made us great the last few years, the bond of our team, the chemistry we have, so we can be who we are. I wanted to get everybody together so they can meet each other, get to know each other and build those friendships."
There are always new faces, even for the most successful of franchises, but the near-total revamp that the Chiefs have had this offseason is rare for a club so stable that it has hosted the past four AFC championship games.
Hill was the biggest departure, shipped to the Dolphins for a slew of draft picks that could further remake the offense next week. It was a move that made eyebrows raise across the league both for the value that Hill has had for Kansas City and for the record contract that Miami gave him the moment he arrived in South Florida.
Smith-Schuster, who showed flashes of stardom in Pittsburgh, and Valdes-Scantling, who must be living right to go from Aaron Rodgers to Mahomes as his quarterback, are high-upside players that Veach believes can balance Hill's production. "Myself and Brett keep it wide open with Patrick. There's a pretty good chance change will take place throughout your career. That's all part of it," Reid said off the offseason maneuvering. "It's important that they see that it's part of this game, and change does take place, and I think you beat around the bush on it, I don't think that's good, either."
The change hasn't been solely on the offensive side of the ball, either.
Veteran safety Tyrann Mathieu, who was so important in setting the defense the past three seasons, remains on the free-agent market. The Chiefs also released linebacker Anthony Hitchens, who often relayed the defensive plays. The Chiefs signed Justin Reid, formerly of the Texans, to take over Mathieu's spot in the secondary. The linebacker group is being turned over to second-year pro Nick Bolton and Willie Gay Jr., a pair of younger players with higher ceilings. "In this day and age, unfortunately, you can't just pay everybody," Reid said. "It's hard thing to do to extend contracts. You're going to lose a guy here and there. There's how it works."
The result is a team that is certain to look very little like the one that lost in the AFC title game to Cincinnati, and even less like the one that went to back-to-back Super Bowls and won the Chiefs' first championship in five decades. "I don't need them here right now," Reid said. "We've played a lot of games the past four or five years, maybe more than anybody in the National Football League. I think some time away and bonding with new players is important. And when they get here, they'll be revved up, and we'll be here for quite some time. So these next two weeks they can work and get to know each other away from here and I think that's important."
==========
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!