Kansas Senator Among GOP Senators Proposing Less Expensive COVID Aid Plan
WASHINGTON (KNS) - Kansas Senator Jerry Moran is one of 10 Republican senators who signed onto a COVID-19 relief package as an alternative to President Joe Biden’s plan. Moran said on Twitter over the weekend that the almost 2-trillion-dollar plan put forward by Democrats is “filled with an unrelated partisan wish list.” Moran and nine other GOP senators are proposing a $600 billion alternative. Maine Republican Senator Susan Collins challenged President Biden to keep his promise to promote bipartisanship and meet with the group, as Democrats prepare to move forward with their relief bill today (MON). Moran and the other Republicans propose reducing relief checks from $1,400 to $1000 and removing the provision that would raise the minimum wage to $15.00 an hour. ( Read more.)
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President Biden to Meet Republicans Proposing $618 Billion Coronavirus Aid
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is set to meet late today (MON) with a group of 10 Republican senators who've proposed $618 billion in coronavirus aid, about a third of what he's seeking. Kansas Senator Jerry Moran is one of the 10 Republicans proposing slimmer benefits, including $1,000 in direct payments to individuals earning up to $40,000 a year, or $80,000 for couples. White House press secretary Jen Psaki says Biden has spoken with the leader of the group, Senator Susan Collins of Maine. The White House invitation came hours after the lawmakers sent Biden a letter urging him to negotiate rather than try to ram through his $1.9 trillion package solely on Democratic votes. Congressional Democrats are poised to move ahead without Republican support. ( Read more.)
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Kansas Governor: Medical Pot Should Fund Medicaid Expansion
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly is proposing that Kansas legalize marijuana for medical use to generate revenues that would finance an expansion of the state’s Medicaid health coverage for the needy. Kelly's announced her proposal Monday. Kelly has made expanding Medicaid for as many as 165,000 additional Kansas residents a top priority since becoming governor two years ago, but top Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature have prevented its passage. Kelly also previously said she’d sign a medical marijuana bill but she hadn’t actively pushed the idea. She is wedding two ideas that are likely to face strong opposition among Republican legislative leaders and many rank-and-file GOP lawmakers.
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Troubled Foster Care Agency Gets Big Boost from Nebraska
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska has agreed to pay millions more to a troubled Kansas-based foster care contractor that was rapidly running out of money after significantly underbidding the company that used to provide child welfare services in the Omaha area. KMTV reports that the total cost of the new 25-month contract with St. Francis Ministries totals more than $147 million. St. Francis won the Nebraska job in 2019 by offering to do it for less than 60% of the bid from PromiseShip, the Omaha-based agency that held the previous contract. At the time, PromiseShip executives and some state lawmakers questioned how St. Francis could provide care in Douglas and Sarpy Counties for that much less money. As it turned out, they couldn't.
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Sheriff: Four from Kansas Killed in Southeast Nebraska Crash
NEBRASKA CITY, Neb. (AP) — A southeast Nebraska sheriff says four people from Topeka died in a crash Sunday evening. Cass County Sheriff's Capt. David Lamprecht says all those killed in the crash were from Topeka. The wreck happened on Highway 75 just south of Union, Nebraska. Lamprecht said a pickup truck driven by a La Vista, Nebraska, man crossed the center line and hit an SUV registered in Topeka. Those who died at the scene were identified as the SUV driver, 21-year-old, Ashley Bracken; 22-year-old passenger Tatiyana Wade; 4-year-old Malaysia Reece and 5-year-old Keniah Robinson, all of Topeka. Wade's 20-year-old sister, was hospitalized with serious injuries. The pickup truck driver suffered minor injuries.
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Kansas Lawmakers Plan Strategies Ahead of Abortion Vote
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — Kansans will be hearing a lot about a constitutional amendment on abortion over the next year and a half. Advocates and opponents will be campaigning in advance of a public vote in the August 2022 primary election. Approval by a majority of voters would change the Kansas Constitution to say there’s no right to abortion. But first, legislators on both sides of the issue are preparing for court fights over the decision to put a question on the amendment before voters in the primary election. They are also expecting legal battles over some of the language used in the proposed ballot question. Democratic Representative Lindsay Vaughn started planning a day after the amendment passed. “Mark your calendars for Tuesday, August 2nd of 2022.” Vaughn said. “Make it a habit to vote in every election.” Supporters say that without the amendment, Kansas abortion restrictions could be overturned in court. Critics of the amendment say it opens the door to completely banning abortion.
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Female Workers Allege Harassment at Kansas Highway Patrol
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Six women have sued top officials of the Kansas Highway Patrol, alleging they discriminated against female employees and created a hostile work environment. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that former and current employees allege in a lawsuit filed Friday that the agency violated federal anti-discrimination law, the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment and their First Amendment speech rights. The Highway Patrol did not immediately return a message Monday seeking comment. The women's lawsuit comes on the heels of a lawsuit filed last month by two former majors who allege their own dismissal was retaliation for attempting to help women report the behavior.
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Time Running Out for Iconic Menninger Clock Tower
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Time may be running out for the iconic Menninger clock tower in Topeka. It's now one step closer to being torn down. The famed Menninger Clinic moved operations to Baylor College of Medicine 20 years ago and ever since, the building has sat empty. That's left the current owner, the Sisters of Charity Leavenworth Health System, footing the bill for security, taxes and maintenance -- at a cost of more than $200,000 a year. SCL has tried and failed to donate the building, so now, they've applied to the city for a demolition permit. And that’s got former Menninger employees like Siebolt Frieswyk upset. "I think it’s a terrible, heinous crime to do so," he said. The city of Topeka says the process of approving demolition of a historic building is lengthy. Dates are not yet set for the next phase, which will be a review by the city council. ( Read more.)
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Infection Growth Rate Slows as COVID-19 Caseload in Kansas Passes 275,000
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) reported Monday that there have been 276,668 cases of COVID-19, including 3,809 deaths, since the pandemic began. That's an increase of 1,983 cases and 30 deaths over the last weekend. Another update from KDHE is expected Wednesday.
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Kansas: Coronavirus Variant Did Not Cause Prison Outbreak
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says a coronavirus variant did not cause a fast-moving outbreak at a Kansas prison that infected dozens of inmates and staff. Health department spokesperson Kristi Zears said Monday that testing showed the COVID-19 outbreak at the Winfield Correctional Facility in south-central Kansas was not caused by virus variants first detected in Great Britain or South Africa. The state Department of Corrections reported that the Winfield prison had 14 active cases among staff and 112 among its population of about 450 inmates as of Thursday. Public health officials had feared a coronavirus variant was responsible because the outbreak developed only over a few days.
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Frustration, Lines Common as Kansas Expands Vaccine Rollout
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A long line of seniors, some clutching walkers, waited in the cold this week when Kansas’s most populous county began vaccinating its oldest residents against the coronavirus. Johnson County isn’t alone in struggling with demand as the state moved beyond vaccinating health care workers and long term residents. Health officials and hospitals are being deluged with calls, and appointment slots are filling up in minutes. The challenge is that the second phase is massive, including about 1 million people, or about one-third of the state’s residents. It prioritizes those 65 and older, essential workers such as teachers and police and those living in communal settings such as prisons and homeless shelters.
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Police: Pedestrian Crossing Wichita Street Killed in Crash
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police say a pedestrian died after being hit by a pickup truck as he crossed a Wichita street over the weekend. Police say the incident happened Friday night just north of downtown Wichita. Investigators say a 62-year-old Patrick Stramel was crossing the street when he was hit by a northbound pickup truck driven by a 20-year-old man. Police said speed and alcohol are not believed to be factors in the accident. The case remains under investigation.
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Some Questioning Kansas System to Appoint Election Officials
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Some people are questioning a Kansas law that allows the secretary of state to appoint election commissioners in the state's most-populated counties. The questions come after Secretary of State Scott Schwab fired Sedgwick County's election commissioner for accessing a voter database when working from home while undergoing treatment for cancer. Critics question why voters can't choose the person who oversees elections in Sedgwick, Shawnee, Johnson and Wyandotte counties just as they do in 101 other counties in the state. Schwab's spokeswoman Katie Koupal said the current system "maintains the delicate balance of protecting local election officials from potential conflicts of interest while also holding them accountable" to county leaders who set their budgets.
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Police Seek Man Linked to Homicide in Kansas City, Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Police are searching for a man they believe is connected to a man's death and a possible kidnapping in Kansas City, Kansas, on Saturday. Officers found a man in his 40s dead inside a home in the 1800 block of Minnesota Avenue Saturday evening. Police did not immediately release the victim's identity. Kansas City, Kansas, police spokeswoman Nancy Chartrand said 27-year-old Kenneth Crowley is a person of interest in the homicide. Chartrand said Crowley is also being sought in connection with the possible kidnapping of 37-year-old Laneia Taylor. Crowley and Taylor may be in a dark blue 2006 Hyundai Azera.
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20-Year-Old, 19-Year-Old Drivers Killed in Kansas Crash
OTTAWA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say two people have been killed in a head-on collision on Interstate 35 in eastern Kansas. The Kansas Highway Patrol reports that 20-year-old Samuel Caldwell was headed southbound in the northbound lanes early Saturday when his Jeep Patriot collided with Volkswagen Beetle about 2.5 miles east of Ottawa. The impact killed Caldwell, of Overland Park, and the Beetle's driver, 19-year-old Kaitlen Riley, of Concordia.
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Attorneys Seek Nearly $3.3 Million in Kansas Voting Rights Lawsuit
BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas could be on the hook for nearly $3.3 million in attorney fees and expenses after losing a lawsuit that challenged a state law requiring documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. The filing Thursday by the American Civil Liberties Union asks the U.S. Court for the District of Kansas to award the plaintiffs' attorneys fees of more than $2.9 million and non-taxable expenses of nearly $383,000. The U.S. Supreme Court last month rejected an appeal from Kansas that sought to revive the law after the federal appeals court declared it unconstitutional.
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Affidavit: Molestation Admission Triggered Deadly Stabbing
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Court records say a Wichita man charged with first-degree murder in the fatal stabbing of his cousin told police that the killing happened after his cousin acknowledged molesting two people. The affidavit released Friday in the case against 39-year-old Jason Payne said he told police that he tucked the body of 34-year-old Michael Montgomery in a basement crawl space and then drank and used drugs until he decided to surrender. Authorities received a 911 call on the morning of January 13 about a man who appeared to be disoriented who was lying down in the street. Officers who checked out the report heard Payne say that "he had 'killed his cousin'" before he was taken to a Wichita hospital for help.
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Kansas City Man Charged in Stabbing Deaths of Aunt and Uncle
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 29-year-old Kansas City man is charged in the stabbing deaths of his aunt and uncle in Raytown. The Jackson County Prosecutor's office announced Friday that Desmond Richardson is charged with two counts each of first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Raytown police say Etta and Kenneth McKenzie were found dead in their home on January 13. Police say when officers arrived, they found a naked man inside suffering from several gunshot wounds and covered in blood. When they went inside, they found the victims. Prosecutors requested a bond of $500,000 cash.
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Man Charged in Kansas City Death of Stranger After Robbery
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jackson County prosecutors say a 27-year-old Kansas City man has been charged in the shooting death of a stranger who was robbed as he walked home from his bus stop. Douglas Griffin was charged Friday with second-degree murder in the November 2019 death of 46-year-old David Como. Police say DNA from Como's back pocket was matched to Griffin's DNA. Griffin was in custody on an unrelated robbery in October when he was questioned about Como's death. He allegedly admitted to reaching into Como’s pocket during the robbery. Prosecutors say he also called several people and admitted to his mother that he was involved in the shooting.
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Kansas Governor Picks Lawrence Woman to Run Labor Department
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Laura Kelly has tapped a Lawrence woman with a technology background to run the Kansas Department of Labor. Amber Shultz will lead an agency that has struggled for months to process a surge in claims from workers left unemployed by the coronavirus pandemic. The governor said Friday that Shultz will serve as acting labor secretary until the Kansas Senate confirms her as the new head of the agency. Kelly’s first labor secretary, Delia Garcia, resigned in June amid problems with the system for distributing unemployment benefits. Shultz most recently worked as general manager of the municipal services and operations department for the city of Lawrence. The nomination comes days after Kelly announced a temporary halt to the processing of unemployment claims because of a big influx of fraudulent ones. Payments to some unemployed people will be delayed while the state installs new safeguards. The state labor department told KMBC-TV that its leadership received “credible death threats and threats of violence” just hours before the system was set to go offline to receive the security upgrades. It cancelled a scheduled interview with the station. “Out of an abundance of caution with the governor’s office, we are going to stop doing television interviews,” department spokesman Jerry Grasso said. “I can’t tell you how long it will be or not be. It’s just where we are right now.”
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Midwest Economy Improving, but Pandemic Still Taking a Bite
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new monthly survey shows continued economic improvement in nine Midwest and Plains states, but business leaders indicated the coronavirus pandemic is still hurting business. The overall index for the region in January suggests improved growth, coming in at at a strong 67.3 from December’s 64.1. Any score above 50 on the survey’s indexes suggests growth, while a score below 50 suggests recession. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey. He estimated a rosier economic outlook in the coming months, citing an increase in the survey's confidence index. The monthly survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
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Black Kansas Cheerleader Kicked Off Squad in Dispute over Hairstyle; Coach Resigns
OTTAWA, Kan. (AP) — A white woman has resigned as the head cheer coach at a private Kansas university after a Black cheerleader said she was kicked off the squad over an argument about her nearly 3-foot-long braids. The Kansas City Star reports that Casey Jamerson, said in a statement that continuing to coach at Ottawa University would likely be "a distraction" for the team, staff and community. Twenty-year-old Talyn Jefferson previously told The Star she refused to remove a hair bonnet earlier this month during cheerleading practice because she worried her long braids could hit a teammate in the face. A junior from Lawrence, she said she was kicked out of practice and off the squad.
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Missouri Man Charged in Storming of U.S. Capitol
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A Missouri man has been arrested on charges alleging that he took part in the storming of the U.S. Capitol and livestreamed it from inside the building. FBI spokeswoman Bridget Patton says in a news release that agents and police in Springfield arrested Zachary Martin without incident on Thursday on federal charges of engaging in illegal activities on Capitol grounds, disorderly conduct and demonstrating inside the Capitol. She says she doesn't know if Martin has an attorney yet. According to an FBI affidavit, several of Martin’s Facebook friends tipped off the agency that they had watched parts of his livestream from the deadly January 6 insurrection by supporters of then-President Donald Trump.
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Latino Advisory Commission Pushes for Driver's Licenses for Non-Legal Immigrants
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly’s Latino Advisory Commission is pushing to give undocumented immigrants access to driver’s licenses. The group says that when more people in the community have licenses, it gives police a reliable source of identification and means fewer uninsured motorists on the roads. Catalina Velarde is an Overland Park attorney who spoke during Hispanic Day at the Capitol. Velarde says that changing the Kansas driver's license law could have lasting benefits. “It would certainly engender trust between policing and the communities that they serve." Velarde said. "It would also solve a lot of the language issues." The commission also lobbied for allowing change a state law that prevents non-citizens from becoming police officers. Immigrants who have a green card are legally allowed to live and work in the U.S., but Kansas state law prohibits them from working in law enforcement. The commission said that hiring non-citizens for law enforcement jobs would make those agencies more representative of the communities they serve and could also help police departments who are struggling to find new recruits. Some police departments in states like Colorado and Illinois have already begun hiring green card holders.
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Kansas Treatment Clinic Owner Faces Drug Trafficking Counts
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The operator of a Kansas drug treatment clinic has been indicted on federal charges of drug trafficking. Federal prosecutors for western Missouri say 44-year-old Trevor Robinson has been indicted on one count each of possessing methamphetamine, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and ecstasy, with the intent to distribute the drugs. Robinson is listed as the office manager of Nuvista, an an opioid addiction clinic in Olathe. Prosecutors say the case got its start in October when Kansas City police stopped a 2014 Maserati driven by Robinson and found methamphetamine, pills, cocaine, heroin, a digital scale and more than $12,500 in cash.
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Missouri Governor Wants Shuttered Prison to Become Training Academy
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Governor Mike Parson has proposed transforming a shuttered northwest Missouri prison into a training ground for incoming correctional officers. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Parson’s recently unveiled budget plan includes $671,714 to convert the idled Crossroads Correctional Center in Cameron into an academy where would-be prison guards can get more real-world experience before being assigned to one of the state’s 20 lock-ups. The state has training academies in Jefferson City, St. Joseph and Farmington. Those facilities may be consolidated once the conversion is complete.
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Chiefs Prepare to Defend Title in Next Sunday’s Super Bowl
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) — Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid says he already has a game plan in place for Super Bowl 55. Even with another week to plan to for it. Reid is preparing for his third Super Bowl. He coached one with the Philadelphia Eagles and Sunday will be his second with the Chiefs. Reid says it’s better to have the game plan set early because of media obligations in the week before the big game. Because of the pandemic, the Chiefs will not travel to the host city early but will remain in Kansas City and travel to Tampa on Saturday, just one day before the game.
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Chiefs' Robinson, Kilgore on COVID-19 List as Close Contacts
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs placed a pair of backups, wide receiver Demarcus Robinson and center Daniel Kilgore, on the COVID-19 list as close contacts as they begin their final preparations for the Super Bowl against Tampa Bay. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Monday he was told of the situation Sunday but could provide no other information. Neither of the players actually tested positive for COVID-19, which means Robinson — a regular contributor — and Kilgore could still play in the Super Bowl. Both would need to return negative tests throughout the week to get off the list.
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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.