Kansas Labor Officials Quash Shawnee Mission Teacher Contract
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Department of Labor has ordered the Shawnee Mission School District to stop enforcing its labor contract with teachers after finding the district wrongly imposed a three-year contract that wasn't negotiated. Television station KMBC reports that the state Labor Department issued the ruling Friday, saying the three-year contract was not a good-faith negotiation and was done to interfere with the teachers' rights. The teachers union and school district have typically had year-to-year deals. District officials maintained the contract was a good deal, with district spokesman David Smith saying the average wage and benefit increase to teachers over the three years was about 11%.
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Kansas Highway Patrol: One Killed in I-70 Crash in KCK
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Police in Kansas City, Kansas, say one person has died in a crash on Interstate 70 just west of Interstate 435. The Kansas Highway Patrol tells the Kansas City Star that the crash happened around 5:30 a.m. Saturday when a sport utility vehicle rear-ended a disabled semitrailer on I-70. Authorities say the crash killed the driver of the SUV. The victim's name has not yet been released. The Kansas Turnpike Authority is investigating the crash, which shut down a portion of the interstate Saturday morning.
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Police: Low Meth Prices Prompt Drop in Wichita Burglaries
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita police official says a significant drop in methamphetamine prices led to a nearly a 20% decline in burglary last year. The Wichita Eagle reports that the theft of guns and other items from inside vehicles also was down from 2018 to 2019. Wichita Police Department Deputy Chief Jose Salcido says meth now sells for $2,400 per pound, which is the lowest price in 20 years. A 2018 Kansas Bureau of Investigation report shows that the street value of meth was $13,000 to $15,000 for a pound in 2014. Police also attribute the crime decline to public education campaigns focusing on crime prevention.
