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Headlines for Monday, August 8, 2022

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KCK Man Arrested for Role in January 6th Capitol Riot

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KC Star) - A Kansas City, Kansas, man has been arrested in connection with the January 6th riot at the U.S. Capitol. The Kansas City Star reports that 47-year-old Kasey Von Owen Hopkins is the ninth Kansan to be charged. Hopkins faces four misdemeanor counts, including entering a restricted building and disorderly and disruptive conduct. According to an affidavit from an FBI agent, authorities tracked Hopkins down using video and cell phone data. Earlier this week, a federal judge ruled that another Kansas man will be allowed to represent himself against January 6th charges.  Thirty-six-year-old William Pope, of Topeka, faces eight charges, including allegedly trying to force open a door in House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office. Last week, 36-year-old Jerod Thomas Bargar, of Centralia, Missouri, became the 23rd Missourian to be charged in connection with the riot.

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Lansing Inmate Death Ruled Homicide

LANSING, Kan. (KPR) – The death of an inmate Sunday at the Lansing Correctional Facility has been ruled a homicide. A press release from the Kansas Department of Corrections says 56-year-old Fred Patterson III was found dead at the facility. The death is currently under investigation by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation which is the routine protocol when a resident dies in the custody of the Department of Corrections. KDOC officials say Patterson had been convicted in Douglas County for one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child older than 14 and less than 16 years of age, and one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child less than 14 years of age. The department says Patterson violated his parole and was admitted to the facility on May 24th.

(–AP Version–) 

Kansas Inmate's Death Investigated as Apparent Homicide

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities are investigating the death of an inmate at a Kansas prison as an apparent homicide. The Kansas Department of Corrections said in a news release that 56-year-old Fred Patterson III died Sunday at the Lansing Correctional Facility. He had been there since May after violating parole in a child sexual assault case. The release said there would be an independent autopsy but provided no details about a cause of death or a suspect. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is assisting with the investigation.

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Study: Black Drivers More Likely to be Pulled Over than White Drivers in Douglas County

LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) - Black drivers are nearly three times as likely as white drivers to be pulled over for traffic stops in Douglas County.  The Lawrence Journal-World reports that that's the finding of a study commissioned by the Douglas County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, which collected data from the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, and the Lawrence, Baldwin, Eudora, and University of Kansas police departments.  The study shows that 4.3% of the county's driving-age population is Black, but Black drivers represented 11.9% of the county's traffic stops in 2020 and 2021.  The study also found that Black drivers were more likely than white drivers to receive a citation rather than a warning.

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Report: Dozens Got Sick After Visiting Kansas Splash Park in 2021

GODDARD, Kan. (AP) — A new federal study said dozens of people got sick after visiting a splash park near Wichita last summer. The study by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that 21 people contracted Shigella bacteria and six others became sick with the norovirus after visiting the splash park at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Goddard. The Wichita Eagle reported that another 36 people reported gastrointestinal illnesses after visiting the splash park but didn’t have lab tests confirming what caused their illnesses. At least four people were hospitalized. Previously, state and local health officials hadn't detailed how many people got sick. The splash park was allowed to reopen last July after upgrading its filtration system and passing a health inspection.

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Kansas Schools Issue COVID Guidance for Upcoming School Year

TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Most students in Kansas will not be required to wear face masks or be tested regularly for COVID-19 when they return to school this month. Kansas school districts are waiting for updated guidance from the federal government on curbing the spread of the virus but most are already easing rules that were put in place early in the pandemic. Officials for the state’s largest district in Wichita say students or employees who test positive for COVID should isolate at home for at least five days or until their symptoms resolve. But they won’t have to test negative to return to school. Kansas districts no longer notify people who have been exposed to the virus. The CDC is emphasizing the importance of building ventilation to stop the spread of COVID. 

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Health Officials Urge People to Protect Themselves from Monkeypox

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KPR)  - The U.S. has declared monkeypox a public health emergency, and officials are asking people to protect themselves. Kansas and Missouri have identified 14 cases of monkeypox so far, with one in Kansas and the other 13 across the state line. Infectious disease expert Dr. Dana Hawkinson from the University of Kansas Health System, says most infections are in men who have sex with men, but widespread public education is needed. “It doesn’t stick to demographics,” Hawkinson said. “The infections don’t care who you are. We know that other people can be infected.” The virus does not spread nearly as easily as COVID. It spreads primarily through close physical contact. More than 7000 cases have been identified in the U.S. Federal health officials suggest that people limit the number of sex partners to lessen their risk.

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Lawrence Police Arrest Man Wanted in Ohio Quadruple Murder

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - Lawrence police have arrested a man wanted in connection with a quadruple murder in Ohio.  39-year-old Stephen Marlow was taken into custody Saturday night after a nation-wide search.  The shootings took place Friday at multiple crime scenes in a suburban neighborhood north of Dayton, Ohio.  Butler Township police have identified the victims as 82-year-old Clyde Knox, 78-year-old Eva Knox, 41-year-old Sarah Anderson, and 15-year-old Kayla Anderson. In a press release, Lawrence police said investigators had reason to believe Marlow was in Lawrence and initiated a city-wide search.  He was taken into custody without incident after police identified his vehicle at 23rd Street and Ousdahl Road. Police said they had not yet determined a motive for the shootings. Marlow will be extradited to Ohio to face charges. 

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Two People Arrested in Topeka Motel Homicide

TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ/KPR) - Two people have been arrested in connection with a homicide at a Topeka motel.  The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that 18-year-old Jahlel Brundidge of Topeka was pronounced dead at the Travelers Inn Friday afternoon.  39-year-old Andrew Quinton Jr. and 31-year-old Cassie Holden, both of Topeka, are being held on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated robbery, and aggravated burglary.  It's the second homicide in less than a year at the Travelers Inn near Interstate 70 in south Topeka.

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Buffalo Injures Deputy; Animal's Owner Found Gored to Death

BUSHTON, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a buffalo charged and seriously injured a Kansas sheriff’s deputy one day before the animal’s owner was found gored to death. Ellsworth County Sheriff Murray Marston said in a news release that the buffalo had wandered onto a state highway and the deputy was trying to get the animal back in a pasture when it charged. A deputy from a neighboring county “put down" the animal. Then, Monday morning, dispatchers got a call from a woman who said that she had found her nephew, 56-year-old Scott Schroeder, of rural Bushton, dead in a pen and that she thought a buffalo had killed him.

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Junction City Stabbing Leaves One Dead, Two Wounded

JUNCTION CITY, Kan. (AP) - Police have arrested a man in connection with a stabbing in Junction City that left one woman dead and two men injured.  Authorities responded to a call Saturday morning and discovered a man suffering from a stab wound.  He was transported to Geary Community Hospital, where he was listed in serious but stable condition.  Police later learned that a 30-year-old Fort Riley woman had been transported to Irwin Army Hospital, where she died from stab wounds. The suspect, a 21-year-old Junction City man, drove himself to Geary Community Hospital to be treated for a non-life-threatening stab wound.  He was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder, aggravated battery, domestic battery, and aggravated assault.

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Kansas City Police Shoot, Kill Driver of Stolen SUV

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say Kansas City police shot and killed a man who sped toward an officer in a stolen sport utility vehicle and struck a police van. Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Bill Lowe says the shooting happened around 9:45 p.m. Sunday after police spotted the unoccupied SUV in a gas station parking lot. Lowe says police approached the man after he exited the store. He accelerated backward then drove forward toward one of the officers. Lowe said the officer dived out of the way and that the SUV struck the police van before officers opened fire. Lowe said the driver was declared dead at a hospital. His name hasn't been released.

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Report: Poverty Still Affecting Hundreds of Thousands of Kansas and Missouri Children

TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - The annual Kids Count report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation has found that 70,000 fewer kids lived in poverty in 2020 in Kansas and Missouri, than in 2015. But poverty remains a problem that affects about 1 in 6 children in the two states. The report says the parents of more than 500,000 Kansas and Missouri kids lacked full-time, year-round jobs, making family finances less stable. But, the report says, that’s an improvement in recent years. 

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Lawrence Police Step Up Weekend Patrols

Lawrence, Kan. (KPR) - The Lawrence police department is stepping up its presence around downtown Lawrence and the University of Kansas campus.  In a press release, the police department said the increased police presence on Saturday nights isn't due to any specific concern over safety or crime, but to "help students transition" to living on their own.  The visible patrols started Saturday and will run Saturday nights through most of October.

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5th Abortion Clinic Opened in Kansas in Lead-Up to Vote

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Planned Parenthood quietly opened another abortion clinic in Kansas in the lead up to a decisive statewide vote in favor of protecting abortion access. The Wyandotte Health Center in Kansas City, Kansas, had long been in the works but opened with little notice this summer as neighboring Missouri banned nearly all abortions in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Other nearby states took similar actions. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, highlighted the clinic while discussing abortion access in a conference call with reporters.

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Kansas Supreme Court Issues Ruling in Highway Patrol Case

TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) - The Kansas Supreme Court issued a ruling that could support a lawsuit brought by a former Kansas Highway Patrol superintendent.  The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that former superintendent Mark Bruce claims he was forced to resign after his term ended and he should have been allowed to return to his former rank of major.  Supreme Court Justice K.J. Wall said in his written opinion that state law defined the rank of KHP major as being within the classified or civil service system. Employees in classified state government positions have a right to continued employment; unclassified workers are considered at-will employees and subject to immediate termination. Friday's ruling sends the case back to federal court.

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Bald Eagles Still in Danger in Kansas

MANHATTAN, Kan. (KPR)  - Bald eagles are increasingly common in Kansas, but some are still dying because of human activity. Wildlife officials say there are around 200 eagle’s nests across the state, up from only a single nest counted in 1989. Conservation measures like the 1972 federal ban on DDT pesticide saved bald eagles from disappearing in the last century. Man-made reservoirs probably made Kansas more attractive to the birds, which hunt fish and waterfowl. But, the eagles still face threats in the state. Michelle McNulty, a biologist for the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Manhattan, says lead poisoning from various sources is probably the number one threat for eagles in Kansas.  Often, McNulty says, the raptors are poisoned by lead buckshot in prey and carrion. The birds also die from contact with power lines by flying into wind turbines. Conservation measures like the 1972 federal ban on DDT pesticide saved bald eagles from disappearing in the last century.

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Former Kansas City Chiefs Coach Dick Vermeil Enters Football Hall of Fame 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR)  - Part of the Kansas City Chiefs’ past was linked to the present over the weekend at the Pro Football Hall of Fame ceremonies. Former NFL coach Dick Vermeil, who coached the Chiefs for five seasons, entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The Chiefs current coach Andy Reid traveled to Canton, Ohio, on Friday to show his appreciation. Vermeil says he was moved by the gesture, knowing that Reid is in the middle of Chiefs training camp. The 2022 Chiefs are preparing for their first preseason game in Chicago this Saturday. 

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Jayhawks' Lance Leipold Settled in, Optimistic About Year 2

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Lance Leipold took over the football program at the University of Kansas after a winless season and a somewhat scandalous departure of his predecessor, Les Miles. And while the long-time small-school coach won just twice in Year 1, he is full of optimism heading into fall camp this season. One of Leipold's wins came in overtime at Texas, and that momentum carried into his first full recruiting cycle and a productive spring program. The program is more stable than it has been in years, and Leipold hopes that translates into more success on the field this season.

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Blood Drive Set for This Week at Lawrence Church

LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) - A Lawrence church will host a blood drive benefiting the region’s local blood supplier later this week. The  Lawrence Journal-World reports that the drive will take place at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints meeting house (3655 W. 10th St.) in Lawrence Thursday, August 11, from 2 to 6 pm.  It will benefit the Community Blood Center, which is the primary provider of blood donations to more than 70 hospitals and medical centers in the greater Kansas City region, including LMH Health. Donors must be 16 years old or older and will need to bring a valid ID. Those who are age 16 will also need a signed parental consent form.  Donors can pre-register online, but walk-ins will also be accepted as time allows.

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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.