Kansas Law Enforcement Officers Shoot and Kill Man in Exchange of Gunfire in Lawrence
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Law enforcement authorities say they shot and killed a man wanted by U.S. Marshals who led them on a car chase, then pointed a gun at them. The Kansas Highway Patrol said they initially located the man near Perry Lake, in northeast Kansas. Troopers followed the suspect's vehicle into Lawrence and at some point, a car chase ensued. Eventually, troopers were able to stop and disable the suspect's vehicle (near 19th and Mass). The patrol said the man got out of his vehicle and pointed a gun in the direction of troopers and a local law enforcement officer, as both sides exchanged gunfire. The patrol didn't identify the suspect, a white man who died at the scene.
- Earlier reporting -
Kansas Highway Patrol: Shootout with Law Officers Leaves Suspect Dead in Lawrence
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - Authorities say one man is dead following a shootout with law enforcement officers in Lawrence Monday afternoon. In a news release, the Kansas Highway Patrol said the Highway Patrol was assisting the U.S. Marshal’s service in locating a man around Lake Perry. Troopers followed the suspect into Lawrence and at some point, a car chase began. A trooper in a cruiser intervened with the suspect's vehicle and disabled it. The pursuit ended in the area of 19th and Massachusetts. Authorities say the suspect exited the vehicle and exchanged gunfire with troopers and an officer from a local law enforcement agency. The white male suspect sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene. The man's identity has not yet been released. As is standard procedure, the troopers involved in the incident will be placed on administrative leave while this case is investigated.
The Kansas Highway Patrol Superintendent has asked that the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office investigate the officer-involved shooting. Anyone with information regarding this case is encouraged to contact the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office at (913) 782-0720.
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SCOTUS Rules in Favor of Job Protections for LGBTQ Workers
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - The U.S. Supreme Court says people can’t be fired for their sexual orientation or gender identity. Today's (MON) ruling will have a significant impact in Kansas, which lacks statewide protections for LGBTQ workers. Tom Witt heads the group Equality Kansas, and he calls the ruling an important step. But, Witt says, there’s more to do in Kansas. He says LGBTQ people face discrimination in other areas, like housing, and the ruling won’t apply to many small businesses. “A lot of Kansans aren’t going go be covered by this, and we still need to pass discrimination protections at the state level.” State employees already have protections and some Kansas communities have put their own employment rules in place.
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KC Police Officer Fatally Shoots Man Suspected of Carjacking
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Authorities said a Kansas City police officer shot and killed a carjacking suspect Saturday afternoon. And that incident attracted a small group of protesters. Missouri Highway Patrol spokesman Andy Bell says the officer fired one shot after the man “presented some type of handgun.” The officer has been placed on administrative leave. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says the man who was shot was an “adult white male.” Additional details have not yet been released.
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Hot, Hot, Hot... for the Month of June
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS/KPR) - Drought is beginning to expand through Kansas as parts of the state see a record hot start to the month of June. Nineteen Kansas Mesonet weather stations, mostly in the southwest part of the state, set records for average temperatures over the first two weeks of the month. The statewide average temperature to begin the month was 76.4 degrees... good enough to be the 26th warmest in 127 years of records. The hot and windy weather has quickly dried out soil and now more than 60% of the state is experiencing some drought. The National Weather Service Climate Prediction Center forecasts the rest of the month will likely remain hotter than normal. Some temporary relief from the heat may be in sight for some parts of Kansas. There's a slight chance for rain Tuesday afternoon and on Thursday. On Thursday night, eastern Kansas has a 50-50 chance for showers and storms. Friday, Saturday and Sunday also include a good chance for rain.
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U.S. Treasury Withholding $679 Million in Virus Relief Funds for Tribes
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — The U.S. Treasury Department is withholding $679 million in coronavirus relief funding for tribes as a challenge over the agency's distribution method makes its way through court. A Kansas tribe has argued it was shortchanged because the Treasury Department relied on federal population data, rather than the tribe's own enrollment figures. The department says the money it's holding back will cover the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation if the tribe wins its case and any other tribes that might raise challenges. The Treasury Department says it has distributed the rest of the $8 billion set aside for tribes.
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Report: Kansas Wheat Harvest Underway
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas wheat harvest in Kansas is now underway in the state's southern counties, with progress about average for this time of year. The U.S. Agriculture Department's National Agricultural Statistics Service reports that 9% of the wheat in Kansas has now been cut. Winter wheat condition is rated as 6% very poor, 15% poor, 34% fair, 40% good, and 5% excellent, the agency said. Early reports from the harvest in the state's southern counties indicate that this year's wheat quality is good, with exceptional test weights, average or better yields and protein levels slightly below average, according to an industry update issued today (MON). The industry harvest report is put out by the Kansas Wheat Commission, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and the Kansas Grain and Feed Association.
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KU Releases Plan to Shorten In-Person School Year
TOPEKA, Kan. — The University of Kansas announced today (MON) that it will shorten the time students are on campus for the fall semester as it seeks to block a coronavirus wave. Under the plan, classes would begin in person as scheduled on August 24 and in-person instruction would end just before the Thanksgiving holiday, with students encouraged to leave campus. After Thanksgiving, there will be a week to study for finals, which will be done remotely like they were for this spring semester. “Undoubtedly, the fall semester will be unlike any in history. It will require flexibility, compassion and resilience,” Chancellor Douglas Girod said in a campus message. “And it will require each of us to behave responsibly and in a way that benefits the entire community. If this pandemic has taught us one thing, it’s that we are all in this together.” If approved by the Kansas Board of Regents, the spring semester will not begin until February 1. There also wouldn’t be a spring break halfway through the spring semester, instead adding that extra week to winter break. New data released today (MON) shows that Kansas has at least 11,419 coronavirus cases, up 3% or 372 from Friday. The state health department also said that the number of COVID-19 deaths rose by two to 245.
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Kansas Cases of COVID-19 Exceed 11,400, Including 245 Deaths
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — As of today (MON), state health officials are reporting 11,419 cases of COVID-19 and 245 deaths from 91 of the state's 105 counties. ( Updated COVID-19 case numbers for Kansas are released Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.)
- Governor Laura Kelly's Plan to Reopen Kansas
- KPR's Coronavirus Information and Resources Guide
- Live Coverage: Coronavirus in the Kansas City Area
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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 this month 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 department encourages anyone who attended protests that day to monitor themselves for COVID-19 symptoms.
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Kansas City Police Officer Fatally Shoots Man Suspected of Carjacking
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Authorites said a Kansas City police officer shot and killed a carjacking suspect Saturday afternoon, and the incident attracted a small group of protesters. Missouri Highway Patrol spokesman Andy Bell says the shooting happened Saturday afternoon. The Kansas City Star reports Bell said the officer fired one shot after the man “presented some type of handgun.” The officer has been placed on administrative leave. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said the man who was shot was an “adult white male.” Additional details have not yet been released.
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Topeka Police Investigate Fatal Shooting After Traffic Crash
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Topeka police are investigating a fatal shooting after a wounded man was found at the scene of a traffic accident. Police say the car's other occupant was arrested on several charges after the Saturday evening crash, but the woman wasn't immediately charged with the man's death. Authorities say the man and woman were found after a crash around 8 pm Saturday. The wounded man, 31-year-old Anterio Deshazer of Topeka, died. Police spokeswoman Gretchen Koenen said the car's driver, 31-year-old Neyl Beier of Topeka, is facing several charges including possession of a stolen firearm, driving on a suspended license and several unrelated traffic violations.
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Police Identify Body as that of Missing Wichita Woman
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have identified on Monday the body found alongside railroad tracks in a field south of Wichita as that of a 23-year-old Wichita woman who went missing two weeks ago. The Wichita Police Department said in a news release that investigators are working with the Regional Forensic Science Center to determine the circumstances of Savannah Schneider's death. Volunteers searching for Schneider found the body Saturday south of Haysville an area where her cell phone last pinged off a tower.
- Earlier reporting -
Body Found During Search for Missing Wichita Woman
HAYSVILLE, Kan. (AP) — Volunteers have found a woman's body alongside railroad tracks in a field south of Wichita while searching for a 23-year-old who went missing two weeks ago. The Wichita Eagle reports that the discovery was made Saturday near Haysville as 75 to 100 volunteers looked for Savannah Schneider in an area where her cell phone last pinged off a tower. The body hasn't been identified. Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office Capt. Brad Hoch said the discovery was made in the same area were the Wichita Police Department and Sheriff's Office had searched with cadaver dogs on Tuesday.
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Man Shot to Death in Southeastern Kansas
COFFEYVILLE, Kan. (AP) — Police in southeastern Kansas are investing the shooting death of a man in Coffeyville. Wichita television station KAKE reports that the shooting happened early Sunday morning, when police were called for a report of shots fired. Arriving officers found 38-year-old Otis Horner, who had been shot. Horner was taken to an area hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police are searching for two local people wanted for questioning in the shooting.
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Southwest Kansas Counties Record Low Census Response Rates
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Census organizers in Kansas are ramping up efforts to get people counted, particularly in southwestern counties where response rates are low. Fifteen percent to 30% of residents in Morton, Stanton, Haskell and Lane counties have responded to census forms delivered to their homes. Kansas as a whole has a 65% self-response rate, on par with other most states. The League of Kansas Municipalities is now mailing advertising to areas with less than a 40% self-response rate to encourage participation. Census date helps determine how much federal funding state and local governments receive.
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Patrol: 2 Killed in Motorcycle Crash in Southeast Kansas
CHANUTE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say two people have been killed in a motorcycle crash in southeast Kansas. The Kansas Highway Patrol reports that it happened around 12:30 am Saturday when the motorcycle went off a road just west of Chanute, continued across railroad tracks and overturned. The driver, 52-year-old Ronald Bigpond, and his passenger, 47-year-old Richard Standridge, were pronounced dead at the scene. Neither was wearing a helmet.
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Authorities Look for Woman Who Was Last Seen Police Station
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Authorities are looking for a woman who was last seen leaving a Kansas City police station more than two weeks ago. Police said 39-year-old Marina Bischoff hasn’t been seen since the morning of May 28. Police said Bischoff had been arrested the night before on suspicion of driving while impaired and leaving the scene of a crash. Police said she made multiple phone calls while in detention and didn’t appear impaired when she left the station. Police have conducted extensive searches of wooded areas and waterways with volunteers, drones and dogs. On Friday, police said detectives also have been investigating Bischoff’s prior contacts.
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Homeless Kansas City Woman Charged in Fatal Stabbing
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A homeless Kansas City woman has been charged with fatally stabbing her also homeless boyfriend. Forty-eight-year-old Ilene Davis is jailed on $150,00 bond after she was charged Friday with second degree murder and armed criminal action in the killing of 46-year-old Howard West. No attorney is listed for her in online court records. West’s body was found last month on a sidewalk in northeast Kansas City, with a trail of blood leading to a parked RV that was used by the homeless. Court records say witnesses in the RV awoke to the couple “tussling" in the RV, before they left. The stabbing later was captured on surveillance video.
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Missouri Sheriff's Deputy Fatally Shoots Woman During Traffic Stop
SEDALIA, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say a Pettis County sheriff’s deputy fatally shot a 25-year-old woman during a traffic stop. Missouri Highway Patrol spokesman Andy Bell said the shooting happened around 10 p.m. Saturday near U.S. Highway 50 and Winchester Drive in Sedalia, Missouri. Bell said the woman, who was identified as Hannah Fizer of Sedalia, was not compliant during the traffic stop. Bell said he doesn’t yet know if the woman had a weapon. The Highway Patrol said Fizer “refused to identify herself, stated she was armed & verbally threatened to shoot the deputy." The Highway Patrol is investigating the shooting. It wasn't immediately clear why Fizer was pulled over.
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Teen Killed in Single-Vehicle Crash in Northwestern Kansas
WAKEENEY, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a teen has died in a rollover crash in northwestern Kansas. Television station KAKE reports the crash happened Saturday near WaKeeney in Trego County. Authorities say 19-year-old Courtney Windholz, of Bucklin, was driving a sport utility vehicle southbound when she lost control and hit a dirt embankment, causing the SUV to roll. Officials say Windholz died when she was thrown from the vehicle. She was the only person in the vehicle.
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U.S. Senate Candidate Kris Kobach Reports 4 Guns Stolen from Truck
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — U.S. Senate candidate and former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach says he had four guns stolen from his pickup truck that was parked at a Kansas hotel. Wichita police say officers responded to a call from Kobach around 11:30 am Saturday at a hotel parking garage. Police say someone broke into the pickup overnight and took a rifle, two shotguns and a handgun. A spokeswoman for the Republican's campaign says he was in Wichita for a campaign event and had the long guns with him for a scheduled shooting event. Campaign spokeswoman Danedri Herbert says Kobach also "always has at least one firearm with him for personal protection."
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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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Blind Voters Fear Loss of Privacy with Shift to Mail Voting
ATLANTA (AP) — Blind voters fear a loss of control over their ability to cast a ballot as election officials across the U.S. plan a major expansion of voting by mail amid the coronavirus pandemic. They say they are being forced to choose between risking their health at a polling place or giving up their privacy by having someone else fill out an absentee ballot for them. Technology exists for them to cast their own ballots digitally, but few states choose to use that technology. Voting technology experts have raised security concerns about such Internet-based voting systems.
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Former Wichita Mayor and Gubernatorial Candidate Carl 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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Alligator Dies After Being Caught in Trap Near Eastern Kansas Creek
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — An alligator that was recently spotted near a Kansas creek has died after being caught in trap. The 5-foot (1.5-meter) alligator is believed to be one of two stolen from a pet store in the northeastern Kansas city of Manhattan earlier this month. The pet store, Manhattan Reptile World, said the alligator drowned after getting caught in the trap that was set out for the animal. The second alligator that was taken from the pet store has yet to be found. Authorities have said they don't know whether the other alligator stolen on June 5 is also on the loose.
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Golfer and Topeka Native Gary Woodland Finishes in 9th Place; Picks Up $219,000 Check
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - Gary Woodland earned a check for more than $219,000 after a ninth place finish Sunday at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth, Texas. The Topeka native was among an elite field in the PGA Tour's first tournament since the March shutdown because of the coronavirus pandemic. Woodland finished with an even-par 70 in the final round and ended up 12-under for the tournament. That was three strokes behind Daniel Berger, who eventually won the tournament in a playoff. Woodland, who played golf at the University of Kansas, captured first place in last year's U.S. Open.
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KU, KSU Athletes to Get Election Day Off
LAWRENCE, Kan. — (AP/KPR) All 10 men's basketball head coaches of the Big 12 conference have signed a statement declaring that Election Day will be a mandatory day off for athletes. On Friday, the NCAA encouraged its 1100 member schools to give athletes November 3rd off. The NCAA could not mandate a day off from athletic activities on election day because some schools already have competitions scheduled that would be difficult to move. KU Athletics Director Jeff Long said in a statement that KU would continue to provide voter registration and education to current and incoming student-athletes.
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Commissioner Rob Manfred Says Baseball Season in Jeopardy
NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred says there might be no major league games this year after a breakdown in talks between teams and the players' union on how to split up money in a season delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. The league also revealed several players have tested positive for COVID-19. Two days after union head Tony Clark declared additional negotiations futile, Deputy Commissioner Dan Halem sent a seven-page letter to players' association chief negotiator Bruce Meyer asking the union whether it will waive the threat of legal action and tell MLB to announce a spring training report date and a regular-season schedule.
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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.