Teen Leading in Kansas Race Admits Blackmail, Revenge Porn
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democrats are scrambling to deal with the strong possibility that a 19-year-old candidate for a Kansas House seat in Kansas City will unseat a veteran lawmaker despite making incendiary comments on social media and acknowledging abusive behavior online toward girls in middle school. Dishwasher and student Aaron Coleman holds a five-vote lead over 69-year-old state Representative Stan Frownfelter. Officials in their home of Wyandotte County are set to finish vote counting Monday. Coleman garnered headlines for social media posts on abortion and the coronavirus and for acknowledging online bullying, blackmail and revenge porn. He apologized for the comments and said his past actions were those of "a sick and troubled” 14-year-old.
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After 5-month Break, Classes Resume in Some Kansas Schools
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A handful of Kansas students have returned to the classroom this week with masks and temperature checks, while several dozen more mostly rural districts geared up for classes to begin next week. Columbus school district Superintendent Brian Smith has spent the week hauling furniture out of classrooms to make more space for students to socially distance. He said, “It is almost like you are preparing for war." Governor Laura Kelly sought to delay the reopening of the state’s K-12 schools for nearly a month until after Labor Day because of a resurgence in reported coronavirus cases. But the Republican-controlled State Board of Education blocked the plan last month.
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KBI Received 205 Reports of Priest Abuse, Opened 120 Cases
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says it has received 205 reports of abuse by Catholic priests and has opened 120 cases. Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt asked the KBI nearly two years ago to investigate Catholic clergy sex abuse. A task force of six agents is investigating abuse reports received from the public and reviewing church documents. The investigation involves the state's four Catholic dioceses and the Society of St. Pius X, a breakaway Catholic group with a large branch in St. Marys. KBI spokeswoman Melissa Underwood said the agency is continuing its investigation and it's unclear when it will be completed.
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Wichita Musician Sues City over Injuries from Police Chase
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita musician Jenny Wood is suing the city over a police chase last year that killed two of her family members and left Wood with permanent injuries. The car being pursued by a Wichita police officer in May 2019 hit the Wood family's car, killing her mother and niece. Wood has permanent disabilities because of the crash. The lawsuit contends the officer who started the chase was not properly trained. The chase ran through downtown Wichita at speeds up to 75 mph before the collision with the Woods' car. City spokesman Jim Jonas declined to comment on the lawsuit.
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Ag Equipment Manufacturer Plans Salina Facility with 120 New Jobs
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — An agricultural equipment manufacturer plans to invest $43 million to put in a facility in Salina, that will create 120 new jobs. Governor Laura Kelly's office said in a news release Thursday that Great Plains Manufacturing plans to acquire an existing building in Salina to renovate for the new facility. The Salina-based agricultural equipment manufacturer has been in Kansas since 1976 and has several plants in north-central Kansas. It was acquired by Kubota Corporation of Japan in 2016.
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Kansas Congressional Candidate Tests Negative for COVID-19
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Republican Congressional candidate Amanda Adkins and her family tested negative for COVID-19 but will remain in home quarantine until Tuesday. Adkins, her husband and their two children were tested Monday after the campaign learned a person at her victory party after the August 4th primary tested positive for the virus. She is facing Democratic incumbent Representative Sharice Davids in the Kansas 3rd District. Adkins campaign spokesman Matthew Trail announced in a news release Wednesday that Adkins and her family will follow federal guidelines and remain in quarantine until Tuesday. He said the person who tested positive is showing no signs of the infection.
