Kansas COVID-19 Vaccination Shots Rise, but So Do Cases, Hospitalizations
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is seeing COVID-19 vaccinations rise while the more contagious delta variant is increasing new cases, hospitalizations and deaths. State data showed that Kansas averaged 1,080 new COVID-19 cases a day for the seven days ending Monday. It was the first time the average topped 1,000 since February 2. Kansas averaged 30 new hospitalizations and eight new deaths a day for the same seven days. Hospitalizations dropped below 10 per day in mid-June. The latest average for deaths was the highest in five months. But federal data showed Kansas averaged 6,330 vaccine shots a day for the seven days ending Monday. The average had dropped below 3,000 in July.
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Biggest Kansas School District: No Mask Mandate for Students
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The largest school district in Kansas will not require students and staff to wear masks indoors despite the threat posed by COVID-19's more contagious delta variant. The Wichita Eagle reports that the Wichita school board instead decided to strongly recommend that students and staff wear masks whether or not they've been vaccinated against COVID-19 but to require visitors to wear masks inside. The board's vote for that policy Monday night was 4-3. The district's students are returning to classes this week. Kansas has seen new COVID-19 cases rise steadily over the past seven weeks as the delta variant has become more widespread. ( Discover more reporting on this topic from the Kansas News Service.)
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Pittsburg State University Offers Generous Vaccination Incentives for Students and Staff
PITTSBURG, Kan. (KNS) - Pittsburg State University could spend millions of dollars on COVID-19 vaccination incentives. PSU President Steve Scott announced the initiative Monday. He says it’s critical for students and staff to get the vaccine as the COVID-19 delta variant surges across the state, leading to increased hospitalizations and deaths. The university will offer employees a $1,000 incentive to get vaccinated. The program is retroactive for workers who already received the vaccine. The school is also offering a $500 scholarship to all the school’s 6000 students as an incentive to get the shot. Students who can prove they’ve received both doses of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine will qualify for entry into a raffle to win $8500. The scholarships will be applied to the spring 2022 semester. For students graduating in December, the scholarships will be applied retroactively to the fall 2021 semester and the university will issue refunds. Federal funding will pay for the incentives.
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Some Americans Getting COVID-19 Boosters Without FDA Approval
DENVER (AP) — An untold number of Americans have managed to get COVID-19 booster shots even though the U.S. government hasn't approved them. They're doing so by taking advantage of the nation’s vaccine surplus and loose tracking of those who have been fully vaccinated. Gina Welch says she got a booster by telling a clinic it was her first shot. The 26-year-old graduate student from Maine has asthma and a liver condition. An Associated Press review of a database run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found health care providers have reported more than 900 instances of people getting a third dose. However, reporting is voluntary.
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Only 35 Garth Brooks Fans Get Vaccines Before Concert
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Health Department says only 35 of the more than 70,000 people who attended the Garth Brooks concert in Kansas City on Saturday took advantage of a chance to get a COVID-19 vaccine. The health department ran the clinic for four hours before Saturday's concert, and offered a drawing for upgraded floor seats as an incentive. Brooks, who says he is fully vaccinated, has urged his fans to get the vaccine. Maggie Green, a spokeswoman for the Kansas City manager's office, said the 35 people were in addition to 333 vaccinations the health department administered at various events and clinics last week.
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Agreement Commits Kansas to Improving Mental Health Services
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Advocates and state officials say Kansas has committed to expanding mental health services to help move more than 600 people from adult care homes into their communities. The promises to improve services over the next eight years result from a 13-page agreement among two state agencies and five organizations announced Tuesday. The agreement heads off a potential lawsuit by the organizations. It also follows a 2019 report by the Disability Rights Center of Kansas alleging that the state was violating the federal Americans with Disabilities Act by keeping people in adult care homes unnecessarily. The state denied that but one official hailed the agreement as progress.
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U.S. Investigates Latest Case of Rare Tropical Disease
NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials are investigating the latest fatal case of a rare tropical disease typically found in South Asia. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday the unidentified person died last month in Georgia. It was the fourth U.S. case this year of melioidosis caused by a bacteria that lives in soil and water. None of the cases from Georgia, Kansas, Minnesota or Texas traveled internationally, puzzling experts. The CDC said two died. Federal health officials have sent an alert about the latest case to doctors. Experts say the infection is treatable if caught early and treated correctly.
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Deadline Approaching to Subsidized Health Plan on Federal Exchange
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Due to the pandemic, many more people qualify for free health insurance and August 15th is the deadline to pick a subsidized health plan on the federal healthcare exchange. Subsidies to buy a health plan on healthcare.gov have increased under the American Rescue Plan but in Kansas, thousands of people can get a health insurance plan for free or nearly free. Many who already bought exchange plans can go back to the marketplace to get a bigger discount. In Kansas, the average monthly premium for returning customers fell 40% to just under $100. ( Get more information.)
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Evel Knievel Museum Reportedly Leaving Topeka for Las Vegas
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — It appears the Evel Knievel Museum might be jumping from Topeka to Las Vegas. A Las Vegas newspaper reported Monday that a developer is working to move the museum. On Tuesday, Amanda Beach, the museum's marketing director in Topeka, said the report was premature but the deal is “imminent.” She said in a news release the change would not happen immediately and could take a couple of years. Beach said museum supporters believe Las Vegas is the best place for the tourist attraction. The museum filled with artifacts from the late daredevil's career opened in Topeka in 2017.
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Woman Dies in House Explosion in Southwest Kansas
JOHNSON CITY, Kan. (AP) — Authorities are trying to determine what caused a house explosion in southwest Kansas that killed a woman and left a man injured. Stanton County Sheriff Jason Stewart said the explosion and fire were reported Saturday morning in Johnson City. First responders found the woman dead at the scene. A man at the home was taken to a Wichita hospital and was in stable condition on Monday. Stewart said fire investigators had not determined the cause of the explosion as of Monday. No names have been released.
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Woman Charged in Hit-and-Run Death of Bicyclist from Kansas
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A 27-year-old Missouri woman has been charged with second-degree murder in the death of a Kansas teenager who was struck while riding her bicycle. Leavenworth County Prosecutor Todd Thompson said Amber Nicole Alexander, of Parkville, was charged Monday with second-degree murder or the alternative of DUI involuntary manslaughter. Prosecutors allege Alexander hit 16-year-old Miranda Lynch in Leavenworth on Saturday and then fled. Lynch was transported to a hospital but died later of her injuries.
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Railroad Bidding War for Kansas City Southern Reignited
NEW YORK (AP) — Canadian Pacific is upping its offer for Kansas City Southern to approximately $31 billion, potentially reigniting a bidding war with rival railroad Canadian National. Kansas City Southern is the smallest of the remaining major U.S. railroads, but it also controls critical cross-border routes with Mexico. Its size has long piqued the interest of other railroads as any bid could be the most likely to be approved by U.S. regulators long wary of signing off on railroad mergers out of antitrust concerns. But its cross-border rails give Kansas City a high premium in the eyes of bigger railroads hungry to expand, particularly now as the U.S. economy emerges from a pandemic-induced recession.
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Highway Patrol: 1 Dead in 2-Vehicle Crash in Southeastern Kansas
ERIE, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Highway Patrol says one person has died in a crash in Neosho County in the southeastern corner of the state. The patrol says the crash happened Monday afternoon, when a car traveling east on a county road turned left in front of a westbound semitrailer. The collision killed a passenger in the car, 71-year-old Charles Edward Greer. Officials say the 71-year-old woman driving the car suffered serious injuries. The 47-year-old truck driver suffered only minor injuries.
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Man Killed in Utility Vehicle Crash in Northeast Kansas Identified
DENISON, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have identified a man killed in a utility vehicle crash in rural northeastern Kansas. Television station KSNT reports that the crash happened late Friday night on a county road north of Denison. The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office says 34-year-old Jack Minde, of Holton, was driving the UTV when it briefly went off the road, overcorrected and then overturned, pinning Minde underneath it. Paramedics pronounced Minde dead at the scene.
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Kansas to Replace Trees Killed by Ash Borer Infestation
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KNS) - The Kansas Forest Service will soon begin replacing nearly 500 trees killed by the invasive emerald ash borer in Johnson and Wyandotte Counties. The trees will be planted in Overland Park and Bonner Springs. Ash trees make up more than 20% of Overland Park’s residential street trees and the state forest service says most of them will need to be cut down within five to ten years. The emerald ash borer is an invasive beetle from northeastern Asia that kills even healthy ash trees. At least 70 million trees in the U.S. have already been destroyed by the ash borer and arborists say it's likely that nearly 9 billion North American ash trees will eventually die. It was first discovered in Kansas in 2012 and has spread to 10 counties. The project will be funded by a $120,000 grant from the National Association of State Foresters.
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Kansas Lawmakers Commence Town Hall Meetings on Redistricting
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators have begun five days of town hall meetings on redrawing the state's political boundaries. Their first three sessions, held Monday, came ahead of the release of the census data they need to do the job and with Republicans facing accusations that they are rushing the hearings. The House and Senate redistricting committees had meetings Monday in Manhattan, Salina and Hays and a total of 14 events across the state set through Friday. Democrats have complained the GOP-controlled Legislature is stifling participation by scheduling the hearings over just five days. Republicans say the meetings are just a first step. Census data for cities and counties is to be released Thursday. ( Click here for information about town hall meetings in your area.)
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Guilty Plea in Police Pursuit Crash that Killed Illinois Man
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A 31-year-old Kansas City man has pleaded guilty in a crash in Kansas that killed an Illinois man. Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said Anthony Dorsey pleaded guilty Monday to second-degree murder in the death of 19-year-old Nathan Pena, of Brookfield, Illinois. The Kansas Highway Patrol says the crash occurred on Interstate 70 in Leavenworth County in September 2019 when Dorsey was fleeing troopers over an alleged vehicle registration violation. The patrol says Pena was driving another vehicle and both men swerved to avoid a collision but their vehicles crashed. Dorsey faces up to 49 years in prison when he is sentenced September 17.
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Kansas City Unveils $3 Million Plan to Restore Satchel Paige House
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A $3 million renovation plan for the fire-damaged former home of baseball great Leroy “Satchel” Paige in Kansas City, Missouri, has been unveiled on the 50th anniversary of his entry to the Baseball Hall of Fame. The Kansas City Star reports that some of the possible features announced Monday include a coffee shop, event and meeting space, and a bakery. The project will celebrate Paige’s legacy as a ballplayer in the Negro Leagues. He became famous striking out white major leaguers before the color barrier was broken and Black athletes were allowed into the Major Leagues.
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Kansas Lawmaker: Man Pretending to be on Campaign Team Visiting Homes
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas House member says someone has pretended to campaign for him door-to-door in his Kansas City district. Democratic state Rep. Aaron Coleman filed a police report Monday. Coleman said he believes the "imposter" wants to force his way into homes or burglarize them later. Coleman said he saw comments Saturday about the man on a private Facebook group for local residents and said people have told him of incidents over the past two weeks. Coleman said the man even has had stolen campaign literature. Coleman said he would be nearby on any street supporters visit and they all wear blue campaign shirts. The alleged impersonator did not.
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Outbreak of Illness at Kansas Water Park Not Caused by Zoo Animals
GODDARD, Kan. (AP) — Health officials say an outbreak of illness at a splash park near Wichita was not caused by animals at its interactive zoo. The Wichita Eagle reports that email exchanges it obtained through an open records request show none of the water samples health officials took from the splash park at Tanganyika Wildlife Park had animal-linked contamination. A health department official wrote in one email that results of water samples taken June 19 and sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention help rule out the animals at the park. Health officials have said that eight people who visited the park on June 11 contracted Shigella, a bacteria that spreads from person-to-person through exposure to contaminated feces.
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Without "Right to Repair,"' Businesses Lose Time and Money
UNDATED (AP) - As software and other technologies get infused in more and more products, manufacturers are increasingly making those products difficult to repair, potentially costing business owners time and money. Makers of products ranging from smartphones to farm equipment can withhold repair tools and create software-based locks that prevent even simple updates, unless they're done by a repair shop authorized by the company. That can cost independent repair shops valuable business and countless labor hours sourcing parts. Farmers can lose thousands waiting for authorized dealers to fix malfunctioning equipment. And consumers end up paying more for repairs -- or replacing items altogether.
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Expanded College Football Playoffs Mean More Games and Possibly More Injuries
UNDATED (AP) - Few college football coaches know the mental and physical grind that comes with navigating an extended playoff better than Chris Klieman. The Kansas State coach was formerly at FCS juggernaut North Dakota State, where teams routinely play for national titles in a division where that means playing 15-plus games. Klieman says it's a grind but you find a way to get through it when a title is on the line. The College Football Playoff is considering expanding from four to 12 teams to determine its champion, reserving six spots for the highest-ranked conference champions with the rest going to at-large selections.
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Will Gyms Go the Way of Arcades and Video Rental Stores?
TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) — The pandemic is reshaping America’s fitness industry and ushering in a new era of home workouts and virtual classes. High-end exercise equipment maker Peloton is breaking ground Monday on its first U.S. factory in Ohio. Soaring sales for the company come as thousands of small fitness centers have gone out of business. An industry trade group says 22% of the nation's health clubs have closed since March of 2020. Many are struggling to stay afloat and have redesigned their spaces, turned toward personal workouts and added online training. Experts say they expect the digital fitness wave will continue to shake up the industry.
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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 and by 1 pm on weekends. This news summary is made possible by KPR listener-members. Become one today!