GOP-Led Council Extends Kansas Governor's Coronavirus Order
LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly's emergency declaration meant to slow the spread of the coronavirus will remain in effect until October 15. The State Finance Council voted unanimously Friday to extend the order, which was set to expire Tuesday. The vote came after a contentious meeting during which Kelly, a Democrat, and GOP members of the council, sparred over the governor's power to order the closing of businesses during the pandemic. The governor said repeatedly that she would not order a statewide business closure. But the council approved the extension only after a clause was inserted saying Kelly doesn't intend to use her authority to close businesses in response to the virus.
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Kansas Reports Over 48,000 COVID-19 Cases, 511 Deaths Since Start of Pandemic
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas health officials say the state has recorded more than 48,000 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. The Department of Health and Environment reported Friday that there are now 48,386 cases, an increase of 976 since Wednesday. The death toll for Kansas now stands at 511. Another update will be released Monday.
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Missouri Health Department: 99,000 Infected by Coronavirus
ST. LOUIS (AP) — More than 99,000 people have been sickened by the coronavirus in Missouri. State health department data released Friday also show 1,701 deaths attributed to the virus since it first struck Missouri in March. An Associated Press analysis of Johns Hopkins University’s COVID-19 tracking project data shows an additional 9,099 new cases were reported statewide in the past week. That's about 1,300 new cases per day. Hospitalizations because of the virus are also up. And more than 12% of those tested for the virus in the past week were positive.
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COVID-19 Death Toll Among Kansas State Prisoners Reaches 5
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — State prison officials say a fifth inmate has died from COVID-19. The Kansas Department of Corrections announced this week that 68-year-old Junior Lee Chrismon died from the coronavirus. Chrismon tested positive for COVID-19 August 15 and was taken from Larned Correctional Facility to a hospital, where he died Monday. The agency says Chrismon had underlying health conditions. He was in prison for drug charges out of Montgomery County. Four inmates at Lansing Correctional Facility have also died from the virus, as well as two staff members at Lansing and an employee from the Topeka Correctional Facility.
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CVS to Add More Coronavirus Testing Sites in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — CVS pharmacies are adding coronavirus testing at more sites across Kansas starting today (FRI). The chain already had 15 testing sites in Kansas City, Kansas, Johnson County, Wichita, Leavenworth, Topeka and Lawrence. It is adding 10 more, mostly in the Kansas City metro and Wichita, but now there will be testing in Junction City as well. Kansans have to register on the drugstore’s website before going for a test. The service is limited to people over the age of 12 who have symptoms or a known risk of exposure to the virus.
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Mizzou Leader Backtracks After Blocking Students on Twitter
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The leader of the University of Missouri is backtracking after blocking students who criticized his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic on Twitter. Spokesman Christian Basi on Thursday said system President and Columbia campus Chancellor Mun Choi unblocked the accounts Wednesday. Lawyer Chris Bennett warned he would sue if Choi didn't unblock the students. Basi says some of the tweets were abusive and used expletives. But Bennett says others didn't even directly criticize Choi.
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Police Identify Victim of Deadly Shooting in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police identified on Friday the victim of a deadly shooting earlier this week in Kansas City, Missouri. Police responding to a reported shooting at the home Wednesday night found the victim in the doorway. He was identified as 36-year-old Roget Davis. Relatives inside the home told police a few adults were drinking alcohol when one person picked up a gun and began to threaten another person in the house, according to a news release. That person picked up a gun and shot him.
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Kansas City Teen Charged in Shooting that Killed Man
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police say a Kansas City teenager has been charged with murder and other counts in a June shooting that killed one person and injured two others. Television station KSHB reports that 17-year-old Alvin Muldrew III is charged in Jackson County Circuit Court with second-degree murder, four counts of armed criminal action, two counts of assault and unlawful use of a weapon. The charges involve a June 17 shooting that killed Deveon Edward and injured two women. Police say all three were in a car when they were shot. Investigators believe the shooting stemmed from a marijuana deal.
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Kansas Supreme Court Tosses Convictions in 2 Criminal Cases
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has thrown out a first-degree premeditated murder conviction after finding that a trial judge erred in refusing to give jurors instructions of self-defense and involuntary manslaughter. The court on Friday sent the case of Michael Alan Keyes back to Grant County District Court. In its ruling, the Supreme Court said whether Keyes used self-defense boils down to a "credibility question." It said it cannot be sure that the failure to instruct the jury on self-defense did not affect the trial's outcome. Keyes had been sentenced to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 50 years in the 2016 death of Jimmy Martin.
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Report: Kansas Forecast to Harvest Record Soybean Crop
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is forecast to harvest a record soybean crop this fall, but corn production in the state is expected to be down from last year. The National Agricultural Statistics Service said Friday in its monthly crop update that the state's corn expected corn production of 782 million bushels is down 2% from a year ago. Soybean production in the state is forecast at a record 231 million bushels, up 24% from last year. Kansas growers are also expected to harvest 217 million bushels of sorghum for grain, up 6% from a year ago.
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Several Low Temp and Snowfall Records Broken Across Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The National Weather Service says several low temperature and a snow record across Kansas have been broken this week as unseasonably cold weather moved across the region. National Weather Service meteorologist Andy Kleinsasser tells the Wichita Eagle that a large weather system over the Rockies this week has pushed an unprecedented cold front into Kansas. Among new records this were were a low of 47 degrees in Wichita on Tuesday, where the previous record had been 48 in 1890, and low of 41 degrees in Russell, where the previous record was 44 in 1962. Goodland also saw its earliest measurable snow on record Wednesday with about a half-inch.
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Indictment: Kansas Man Threatened Black Teen in Racist Rant
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a Kansas man used social media to send a racist threat to a 15-year-old Black student. A federal indictment made public Friday charges 20-year-old Gage H. Clausen of Cheney, Kansas, with one count of making a threat via interstate communications. Clausen is accused of threatening the Derby High School student and using racist slurs via Snapchat that referred to the teenager as "a filthy farm animal." The U.S. attorney's office says in a news release that if convicted, he could face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
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George Washington Professor, Who Posed as Black Woman, Resigns
WASHINGTON (AP) — The George Washington University history professor, who confessed to posing as a Black woman for her entire career, has resigned. The university announced on Twitter that Jessica Krug, "has resigned her position, effective immediately." Krug, who taught African American history and specialized in issues of African culture and diaspora, admitted last week in a blog post that she had presented herself as Afro-Caribbean from New York when she is in fact a white Jewish woman from suburban Kansas City. She expressed deep remorse and blamed her years-long deception on "unaddressed mental health demons" dating back to childhood.
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Chiefs, Texans Booed as Racial Justice Stand Sparks Outrage
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The NFL’s new stance encouraging players to take a stand against racial injustice got its first test as some fans of the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs booed during a moment of silence to promote the cause, touching off a fresh debate on how players should use their voice. The controversy erupted Thursday night just moments before the league’s 101st season kicked off. After the Houston Texans remained in the locker room during the national anthem, fans booed them when they emerged from the tunnel at its conclusion. The booing continued as the two teams walked to midfield and shook hands.
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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.