Governor: Kansas Moves Toward 'Endemic Normalcy' on COVID-19
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Laura Kelly is formally declaring that Kansas is moving toward treating COVID-19 as a disease like the flu that spreads regularly in parts of the state and isn't considered a pandemic requiring emergency measures. Kelly said Thursday that the state health department will continue to support access to free COVID-19 testing, work to ensure that vulnerable populations can get vaccinated, see that providers serve a broad population and give “comprehensive guidance” about the virus. She called the new phase “endemic normalcy.” The Democratic governor’s announcement came more than nine months after top Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature ended a state of emergency for the coronavirus pandemic.
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With 'Endemic Normalcy,' Kansas Plans Fewer COVID Updates
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is planning fewer updates of its data about COVID-19 now that Gov. Laura Kelly is formally declaring that the state is moving toward treating COVID-19 as a disease like the flu that spreads regularly and isn't considered a pandemic. Kelly said Thursday that the state health department will continue to support access to free COVID-19 testing, work to ensure that vulnerable populations can get vaccinated, see that providers serve a broad population and give “comprehensive guidance” about the virus. She called the new phase “endemic normalcy.” The health department plans to update data about cases and vaccinations once a week rather than the current three times a week.
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Bill Prohibiting "Sanctuary Cities" in Kansas Headed to Governor's Desk
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - A bill pushed by Republicans to stop Kansas cities and counties from adopting "Sanctuary City" policies is on its way to the governor's desk. The legislation prevents Kansas communities from adopting policies that Republicans say make them havens for illegal immigration. The bill nullifies policies in a handful of Kansas communities that limit police cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The measure specifically targets Wyandotte County’s recently adopted “Safe and Welcoming” ordinance. Democratic Senator Cindy Holscher says backers of the bill are recklessly undoing years of work by local officials in order to score political points with conservative voters. “Wyandotte County spent five years developing this plan. We spent one hour in a rushed committee process," she said. In addition to encouraging compliance with federal immigration laws, supporters of the bill say it increases election security, by prohibiting people from using special ID cards issued by local governments when they go to vote. The bill cleared both the House and Senate with veto-proof majorities.
(AP version)
Kansas GOP Lawmakers Approve Measure to Nullify Local "Sanctuary City" Rules
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican lawmakers have passed a measure to overturn three communities’ policies that could help immigrants stay in Kansas illegally. Their action Wednesday highlighted an issue the GOP is likely to push in the governor’s race. The bill is a response to an ordinance enacted last month by Wyandotte County, a Democratic stronghold. The ordinance provides local identification cards for immigrants and other residents and declares that the county won’t help federal officials enforce immigration laws absent a threat to public safety. Lawrence and Roeland Park also have such immigration policies. Attorney General Derek Schmidt called on lawmakers to intervene. He is the presumed Republican nominee for governor.
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Legalized Sports Gambling in Kansas? Idea May Not be Dead in Topeka
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - The Kansas Legislature has revived a bill to establish sports gambling - just a day after it stalled in committee. On Wednesday, the Kansas House advanced the plan after using a procedural move to bring it to the full chamber for consideration, where it received wide bipartisan support. The bill allows the Kansas Lottery to outsource sports gambling to casinos. It allows for placing bets in person or online. Backers of the plan said it's time for Kansas to join dozens of other states that have made betting on sports legal. Democratic Representative Tom Sawyer says it would also legalize what some Kansans are already doing anyway through online betting services. “Let’s move Kansas forward and regulate and tax something we need to regulate," he said. Critics of the bill opposed bringing it to the floor for a vote after it failed in committee, and they raised concerns about gambling addiction. The Senate approved a slightly different sports gambling plan last year. The two chambers would need to agree on a proposal soon to send it to the governor before the session ends.
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Kansas Lawmakers Approve New Districts, Education Board Map
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers have given final approval to a redistricting measure that's likely to preserve Republican super-majorities in the Legislature while possibly moving the state school board to the right. The votes Wednesday night were 29-11 in the Senate and 83-40 in the House on a single bill containing plans for lawmakers and the State Board of Education. The measure goes next to Democratic Governor Laura Kelly, and she said earlier this week that she thinks lawmakers did a good job on legislative redistricting. Republicans currently have majorities of 29-11 in the Senate, 86-39 in the House and 6-4 on the state board.
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Kansas Health Officials Identify Active Tuberculosis Cases in Wyandotte County
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Unified Government Public Health Department said there are a handful of active Tuberculosis (TB) cases in the county. According to WDAF TV, the health department said that while there are fewer than 10 patients with the disease, some of the strains are resistant to multiple antibiotics that are normally used to treat the illness. State and county health leaders are working to make sure that the patients are getting treatment and that disease doesn’t spread to even more people. Health officials are also investigating where the small outbreak started and spread. Experts said there is minimal risk to the general public at this time. TB is treatable. The disease is spread through the air, similar to the way that cold and flu viruses are spread. Symptoms include sickness or weakness, fever, night sweats, coughing, chest pain or coughing up blood.
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State Inspectors Won't Enforce CMS Vaccine Mandate
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - State inspectors will not enforce federal vaccine mandates in the Kansas facilities they inspect, like nursing homes. State employees survey and accredit facilities such as nursing homes. Part of that work is ensuring staff are up to date with COVID-19 vaccine requirements, but Democratic Governor Laura Kelly says she worked with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to end those checks. Kelly has opposed federal vaccine mandates and worries imposing them now will intensify staffing shortages. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said last week it would cut the state’s funding for surveyors if the mandates were not enforced. But Kelly’s office says CMS will not cut funding to facilities that do not implement the mandate.
(AP version)
Kansas Won't Enforce Vaccine Rule for Nursing Home Workers
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Governor Laura Kelly says Kansas won't enforce a federal mandate that nursing home workers get vaccinated against COVID-19. She acknowledged Wednesday that the mandate conflicts with a state law she signed four months ago. Kelly’s move won’t allow nursing home employees to avoid the vaccination mandate. The federal government informed the state last week that it will charge Kansas nearly $349,000 for the year to have federal teams survey nursing homes for compliance. The law enacted in November makes it easy for workers to claim a religious exemption from vaccine mandates. Meanwhile, Republican legislators want to limit the restrictions officials can impose during future outbreaks.
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K-State Researchers: Feeding Hemp to Cattle Calms them Down
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KNS) - Researchers at Kansas State University say industrial hemp could find a new use as cattle feed. A new study shows hemp makes cattle more relaxed. The K-State researchers fortified cattle feed with industrial hemp — a horticultural cousin of marijuana that has much lower levels of the psychoactive component THC. They found that the diet lowered stress levels in the cattle and increased the amount of time they spent lying down. That could prove beneficial to ranchers because relaxed steers are healthier. Researchers say hemp may be a natural way to decrease stress and inflammation that happen when cattle are being transported or weaned. After the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp production in the U.S., interest has grown in hemp as feed for animals. More research and FDA approval would be required before hemp could be fed to livestock or pets.
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Late Kansas State Grad Leaves $17 Million to University
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas State University graduate has left $17 million to the school to fund scholarships and recognition. The university announced Thursday that Wichita businessman Robert “Bob” Campbell graduated from Kansas State's business college in 1950 and eventually opened Robert E. Campbell Oil and Gas Operations, which he operated for 56 years. The new scholarship funds set up in Campbell's estate plan are in addition to a $1 million gift to the College of Business Administration in 2018. Campbell died in March 2021.
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Kansas Law Enforcement Officers May Get More Time to Execute Search Warrants
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas lawmakers are considering giving law enforcement officers more time to execute a search warrant. It’s an alternative to legislation that would ban controversial no-knock warrants. Critics of no-knock warrants say entering a home without warning is dangerous to both police and the people inside. The Lawrence Police Department banned no-knock warrants this weekend for that reason. Lawmakers say increasing the amount of time a search warrant can be served from four days to 10 days should address those concerns. They say giving police more time will allow them to do the search in a safer way. Republican Sen. Molly Baumgardner says this legislation is critical for safety. “The two most dangerous times for law enforcement is when they answer a call for domestic violence and when they go to serve a warrant," she said. But House and Senate lawmakers disagree on some technical details and will have to negotiate a final version of the plan.
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Kansas Among States Challenging CDC Transit Mask Rule
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Florida and 20 other states have sued to halt the federal government's pandemic requirement that people wear masks on planes, trains and other public transport. The lawsuit was filed this week in federal court in Tampa, Florida. It contends that the mask mandate exceeds the authority of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC rule took effect February 1, 2021. It requires “the wearing of masks by people on public transportation conveyances or on the premises of transportation hubs,” according to the agency website. The rule has been relaxed somewhat but was recently extended until at least April 18 for domestic and international travel in general. The states filing the new travel mask lawsuit are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.
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Anti-Transgender Speaker Causes Controversy at Washburn University
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Washburn University President Jerry Farley said he does not support the message an anti-transgender speaker is scheduled to deliver at the university today (THUR). The speaker, Michael Knowles, will give a speech titled “Banning Transgenderism,” hosted by the school's College Republicans group. Thursday is International Transgender Day of Visibility. Farley said in an email to the campus that he supports free speech rights but Washburn does not condone Knowles's beliefs. Knowles responded with a tweet challenging Farley to show specific incidents of hate or misinformation in his speeches. A demonstration in support of Washburn's LGBTQ community is planned before Knowles's speech.
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After Spate of Strikes, Big Raises for Workers at KCK's Kellogg's Plant
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Several hundred workers at a Kellogg's plant that makes Cheez-Its won a new contract that delivers more than 15% wage increases over three years after 1,400 workers at the company's cereal plants went on strike for nearly three months last fall. The union that represents those 570 workers in Kansas City, Kansas said Wednesday that the wages and benefit improvements secured this week are the biggest ones the local union has ever seen. The deal comes as many companies are struggling to fill the more than 11 million job openings across the country and workers are demanding more after keeping plants operating throughout the pandemic.
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Wacky Kansas Weather Brings Tornado Warnings, Wildfires
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - Tornado Warnings were issued for several Kansas counties Tuesday night, including Jefferson, Leavenworth and Atchsion. No injuries were reported but utility company Evergy says thousands of Kansans lost power during the storms. Other parts of the state have been on fire. A number of wildfires cropped up in Kansas Tuesday, fueled by high winds and low humidity. Crews battled multiple wildfires in the southwest part of the state - in Hodgeman, Kearny and Seward Counties. Other fires flared up in central and south-central Kansas - in Sedgwick, Stafford and Pawnee counties. And a wildfire in Jewell County, in north-central Kansas, caused so much smoke it temporarily closed a highway near the Nebraska border. Fire crews battled the blaze north of Burr Oak, Kansas, for several hours and into the night Tuesday.
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Woman Gets Probation for DUI Crash that Killed 5-Year-Old
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A Kansas woman who pleaded guilty to being drunk when she caused a crash that killed her 5-year-old daughter has been sentenced to three years' probation. KSNW TV reports that Nory Lam was sentenced last week after pleading guilty in January to involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence. Police investigators say Lam was behind the wheel of her sport utility vehicle around 3 am on March 7, 2021, when she went off the road and crashed. Arriving deputies found her holding 5-year-old daughter Aleah Reyes in her lap in the backseat. The girl died at the scene. Investigators say Lam told a deputy she had consumed several shots of tequila at a party before the crash.
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Kansas City Police to Pay $325,000 to Teen After Arrest
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City teenager will receive a $325,000 settlement in an excessive force lawsuit filed against police after his arrest in October 2019. The Kansas City Star reports the teenager, who is Black, alleged in his lawsuit that he was punched more than 10 times and hit with a stun gun by three white officers while he was waiting for friends after a homecoming dance. The lawsuit said the 17-year-old had not committed any traffic violations. He was never charged with a crime. The Kansas City Police Department has paid out $1.3 million for the three incidents involving Black teenagers this year.
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Flamingo that Escaped Kansas Zoo in 2005 Spotted in Texas
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Wildlife officials say one of two flamingos that escaped from a Kansas zoo during a storm 17 years ago has been spotted on the coast of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife officials confirmed Tuesday that the African flamingo, known as No. 492 because of the number on its leg band, was seen near Port Lavaca, Texas. An environmental activist shot video March 10 that featured the bird with the leg band visible. The bird and another flamingo had not yet had their wings clipped when they escaped from the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita in June 2005.. The other flamingo was never seen again, but 492 has been spotted in Wisconsin, Louisiana and Texas.
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Could the Kansas City Chiefs Move to Kansas?
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) - Could the Kansas City Chiefs move to Kansas? The Chiefs are reportedly considering sites for a new stadium in the Sunflower State, but officials on the Missouri side of the state line are saying, “not so fast.” The idea was first reported by Kevin Clark, who covers the NFL for The Ringer. It apparently came from Chiefs president Mark Donovan, who is in Florida for annual NFL owners’ meetings. According to Clark, Donovan said real estate developers have pitched the team on options for a stadium in Kansas. The Chiefs lease at the Truman Sports complex in Jackson County doesn’t expire until 2031. Jackson County Executive Frank White said in a statement that he looks forward to making sure the team stays in Jackson County for, quote, decades to come. Arrowhead Stadium has been home to the Chiefs since 1972. Donovan’s comments come as the Royals have been considering a downtown stadium.
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Royals Exercise Option to Keep Matheny Through 2023 Season
UNDATED (AP) – The Kansas City Royals exercised their club option on Mike Matheny for the 2023 season. The move eliminates any uncertainty over whether their manager will remain with the club after the coming season. Matheny is entering his third season with the Royals, which includes the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season and his first 162-game run as the manager last season. He is 100-122 with Kansas City and 691-596 overall. That includes seven seasons as the manager of the cross-state St. Louis Cardinals.
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KU's Ochai Agbaji Among Finalists for College Basketball's John Wooden Award
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Kansas Jayhawk Ochai Agbaji is among five finalists for college basketball's John R. Wooden Award. He's joined by Wisconsin's Johnny Davis, Iowa's Keegan Murray, Gonzaga's Drew Timme and Kentucky's Oscar Tshiebwe for the Wooden Award, which honors college basketball's player of the year. The winner will be announced April 5 on ESPN's "SportsCenter." The finalists have been invited to Los Angeles for the 46th annual presentation on April 8.
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Jayhawks Prepare for Final Four in New Orleans
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - The Kansas Jayhawks are headed to the Final Four in New Orleans and are now focused on their next opponent, the Villanova Wildcats. The two teams meet in the first national semifinal game this Saturday. Villanova has been responsible for KU’s biggest heartbreaks in recent years. But Jayhawk coach Bill Self says he likes the makeup of his team in this year’s matchup. "They do play for each other and when we play the way that I think that we're capable of playing, I have total faith that we can play very well," he said. In their last postseason meeting, Villanova beat KU at the 2018 Final Four. Two years before that, the Wildcats dashed KU’s hopes of reaching the Final Four after winning a region final in Louisville.
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Final Four Teams Heavily Recruit Talent in Their Backyards
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The four blueblood programs that have descended upon the Superdome for the men's Final Four all have the ability to recruit on a national scale. Their coaches are able to hop aboard a jet on a moment’s notice to sit in a living room or take in a game. Yet all of the teams in New Orleans have pulled talent from their own backyards. Kansas has mined stars from Kansas City, Villanova from the fertile recruiting grounds of Philadelphia, and Duke and North Carolina have gone head-to-head for local talent with their campuses separated by about 10 miles.
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NCAA President Decries Pace of Basketball Investigations
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — NCAA President Mark Emmert says investigations into allegations of major violations against several high-profile men’s college basketball programs have taken “way too long.” The implicated programs include current men’s Final Four participant Kansas. Emmert did not specify what solutions to speed the process are on the table. But there’s increasing acknowledgement that the process is broken. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey says the Division I Transformation Committee he co-chairs is working to recommend ways to modernize and reform NCAA governance and regulatory policies. Emmert also is urging Congress to draft national name, image and likeness policies governing permissible athlete endorsement deals. He says transfer rules also remain under constant scrutiny.
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These area headlines are curated by KPR news staffers, including J. Schafer, Laura Lorson, Kaye McIntyre, and Tom Parkinson. Our headlines are generally posted by 10 am weekdays, 11 am weekends. This news summary is made possible by KPR listener-members. Become one today!