Wintry Mix Hits Eastern Kansas, Bringing Sleet, Snow and Freezing Rain
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - Winter weather is hitting Kansas. Snow and rain began falling this (TUE) morning across many parched areas of eastern Kansas. According to the National Weather Service in Topeka, a Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect for most of our listening area and a Winter Storm Warning is in effect for a portion of our listening area, including Jackson, Atchison and Pottawatomie counties.
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New COVID-19 Cases in Kansas Appear to be on the Decline
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - State health officials say Kansas has recorded more than 216,000 cases of COVID-19 -- including 2,500 virus-related deaths -- since the pandemic began. However, the number of NEW COVID-19 cases in the state seems to be on the decline. The Kansas Health Department reported more than 6,300 new cases since last Wednesday, the last time numbers were updated. That brings the daily number of new cases to around 1,500 a day, down from a peak of more than 3,000 a day at the beginning of December. The state also reported 144 new hospitalizations - that's also trending in a better direction, but hospital capacity still remains a concern. The total number of confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the state is now more than 2,500.
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New Coronavirus Cases Slow Down in Some Parts of Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — New coronavirus cases have declined across Kansas and the number of new COVID-19 patients has decreased at some hospitals. But more than half of the state's hospitals say they're still facing critical staffing shortages this week. Seth Konkel, who works with the Sedgwick County Health Department, says the overall COVID-19 numbers remain high. "So don't let those decreasing numbers fool you,” he says. Health officials say they expect a dip in coronavirus cases immediately after the holidays, but that's because many labs were closed and didn't process tests. Officials still worry about a possible surge in cases following the holidays.
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Kansas COVID-19 Caseload Exceeds 216,000; Deaths Top 2,500
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - The Kansas Department of Health reports there have been 216,062 cases of COVID-19, including 2,548 deaths since the pandemic began. Health officials also reported Monday that there have been 6,568 hospitalizations resulting from 101,283 cases. The Wichita and Kansas City areas have been hardest hit. So far, Sedgwick and Johnson counties have recorded more coronavirus cases than any other Kansas county, each with about 38,000. KDHE provides regular updates on case numbers every Monday, Wednesday and Friday but did not release figures last Friday due to the Christmas holiday. The next update is expected Wednesday.
- KPR's Coronavirus Information and Resources Guide
- What Kansans Need to Know About the Coronavirus
- Kansas COVID-19 Vaccination Plan
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Kansas Governor to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine Wednesday
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Laura Kelly plans to get a COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday as part of a larger program to give shots to selected Kansas officials so that state government can continue to operate during the pandemic. The governor confirmed her plans Monday as nursing home workers and residents began receiving vaccinations. The state’s vaccine distribution plan calls for providing shots first to front-line health care workers, nursing home workers and nursing home residents. But the Democratic governor said last week that Kansas also was looking at giving shots to people in state agencies, the Republican-controlled Legislature and the state court system. Kelly said: “I will get vaccinated on Wednesday.”
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Kansas Counties Drop Mask Rules and Arena Hosts COVID-19 Shots
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Two northeastern Kansas counties are backing off mask mandates they imposed last month as coronavirus cases surged, and officials set up a clinic in an arena in the state’s largest city to vaccine thousands of health care workers. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that county commissioners in Brown and Jackson counties argued that they had weathered a wave of infections and dropped mandates requiring people to wear masks. The Wichita Eagle reports that Sedgwick County set up a clinic in downtown Wichita's Intrust Bank Arena to vaccinate 10,000 health care workers, including dentists, chiropractors, optometrists, and home-health and hospice workers.
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Fire Damages Topeka's Nearly Abandoned White Lakes Mall
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Firefighters worked in freezing rain to battle a fire that appeared to do significant damage to a nearly abandoned shopping mall in south Topeka. Local news reports said firefighters were called to the White Lakes Mall at about 6:30 am Tuesday. Multiple crews fought the blaze and appeared to have it mostly under control after about an hour. The mall property includes one remaining business, a printing company that apparently didn’t sustain damage. The mall opened in 1964, but its popularity waned when a new mall opened in west Topeka in 1988.
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Kansas Hunting and Fishing Licenses Sell Well in 2020
HAYS, Kan. (KNS) — More Kansans turned to socially distanced hobbies like hunting and fishing this year. But that doesn’t mean it was a banner year for outfitters. Kansans bought nearly 27 thousand licenses that cover both hunting and fishing in 2020. That’s up 16% from a year ago. Yet Tim Clark of Red Dog Outfitters in northwest Kansas still saw a dip in business this year because out-of-state hunters weren’t sold licenses to go after turkeys in the spring. But Clark isn’t surprised that hunters came back this fall, even as COVID cases rose. “A lot of the hunting community isn’t as scared of the COVID thing as the non-hunting community,” he says. The National Shooting Sports Foundation says hunting license sales are up 12% nationwide for 2020.
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737 Max Flies Again, Benefiting Wichita Industry
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — Boeing’s 737 Max made its first U.S. flight today (TUE) since being grounded in 2019. The Max's return is critical for Wichita’s Spirit AeroSystems, which builds more than 70 percent of the plane. The grounding of the 737 Max following two fatal crashes, along with the pandemic, has led to thousands of furloughs at Spirit. CEO Tom Gentile said at a conference last month that the initial recovery in air travel will likely favor narrow-body, single-aisle planes like the 737 Max. The first flight on American Airlines left Miami for New York with 100 passengers aboard.
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Trial in 'Swatting' Case Delayed for Suspect to Pursue GED
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The trial of a Kansas gamer accused in a deadly “swatting” call in 2017 has been delayed by an additional year after the man failed to obtain a high school equivalency. The Wichita Eagle reports that U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren agreed last week to extend Shane Gaskill’s 18-month pre-trial diversion. If Gaskill completes the terms of his deferred prosecution agreement, prosecutors can dismiss the criminal case. The death of 28-year-old Andrew Finch in Wichita drew national attention to “swatting,” a form of retaliation in which someone reports a false emergency to get authorities to descend on an address.
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Missouri Reports 1,451 New Virus Cases, 3 New COVID-19 Deaths
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri reported 1,451 new virus cases and three deaths Sunday as the average number of cases reported each day continued to decline. The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases declined to 2,415 on Sunday. That is significantly lower than the peak rolling average of 4,723 that was set on November 20, and the number of new cases reported each day has generally been declining since then. The state said 382,094 cases and 5,312 deaths have now been linked to the virus. Statewide, at least 2,696 people were hospitalized with COVID-19. That is down slightly from the record of 2,862 that was set two days earlier.
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Fire Injures 2, Destroys Apartment in Waldo Area of Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Two people are hospitalized after a large fire broke out at an apartment complex in the Waldo area of Kansas City. Two people jumped from the third story to escape the flames. Their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. The fire was reported just after 8 pm Monday at the Waldo Heights Apartments. Fire crews used a ladder to rescue at least one person trapped on a third-floor balcony. Officials say the building was a complete loss. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
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Legislation Aims to Eliminate Runaway Medical Bills
UNDATED, Kan (KNS/KPR) - With the Christmas holiday last week, some may have missed this bit of good news. Congress passed a ban against surprise medical bills. The ban could prevent many of the surprise bills that Kansans get. Surprise bills happen when people get medical care outside their insurance network and can’t avoid it. Maybe they’re having a heart attack, and just need to get to the closest hospital. Or maybe they pick a hospital covered by their insurance, but find out later that the doctor wasn’t covered. Researchers say these situations are especially common in Kansas. And Kansas doesn’t have any state laws against them, like dozens of other states do.
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Kansas Supreme Court Ponders Air Ambulance Rates
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - The Kansas Supreme Court is considering whether the state holds the power to rein in some air ambulance bills. Medical helicopter companies often charge tens of thousands of dollars. Critics say the bills can be many times more than the services are worth. The court had some tough questions for a lawyer arguing Kansas can’t do anything about it. Justice Dan Biles said, "I see the air services being able to bill whatever they want, and asking a state agency to rubber stamp the bill so it can be collected. And I can’t get past that.” Whatever the court decides will only affect cases where workers are injured on the job. But Congress just passed a law to rein in other air ambulance bills starting in 2022.
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Record Number of Visitors Flocking to Kansas State Parks
HAYS, Kan. (KNS) - State parks in Kansas saw their most visits ever during 2020. And all those new campers and hikers could spark future growth for outdoor recreation in the state. From Hillsdale to Little Jerusalem, it was a record-breaking year for Kansas state parks. Overall, the park system welcomed more than 8.3 million visitors, nearly 50 percent more than the previous year. Kansas State Parks Director Linda Lanterman says the growth was largely fueled by people who were new to outdoor recreation. And that meant more of a need for education. “When they’re new users, you have to teach them how to use our system to make a reservation, you have to teach them how to back into a site. I think [for] some of them, it was a huge learning experience, and it was good.” Lanterman says the state park system is already seeing an increased number of reservations for 2021.
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Kansas Embarking on First Study of Housing Needs in Decades
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas is embarking on its first assessment of housing needs across the state in nearly three decades and expects to have a report by the end of next year. The governor says the state has hired RDG Planning & Design to develop initiatives to guide the state's housing development efforts. The planning and design firm is based in Omaha, Nebraska, but has worked in Kansas communities including Chanute, DeSoto, Dodge City, Scott City and Dickinson County. The governor's office says Kansas has not done a significant housing study since the 1990s and the state has a shortage of data on existing housing and projected needs.
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Kansas Senate to Have New Committees, Including Ethics Panel
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate will have two new committees, including one focusing on ethics and government transparency issues. Incoming Senate President Ty Masterson’s appointments of new committee leaders for 2021 reflect turnover in the Republican supermajority’s top leadership. Masterson, incoming Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop and Vice President-elect Rick Wilborn are giving up committee chairmanships. Republicans will lead all committees, but nine of the 14 chairs will be new. Masterson created a new Transparency and Ethics Committee instead of having the Local Government Committee handle those issues. Masterson also created separate Insurance and Financial Institutions committees, rather than having a single panel.
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Kansas House Creates New Water, Redistricting Committees
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A newly created Kansas House committee will focus on water issues, and the chamber’s Republican leaders have taken their first step toward redrawing the state’s political boundaries. House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., said in a statement that one goal of the chamber’s Republicans is “protecting our state’s agricultural roots for the long haul.” The Water Committee will be led by Republican Rep. Ron Highland of Wamego. The state constitution requires a redrawing of Kansas’ political boundaries once every 10 years based on the federal census, and that’s due to happen in 2022. House GOP leaders appointed a 12-member Redistricting Committee led by Republican Rep. Chris Croft of Overland Park.
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Small Plane Crashes in Kansas City Area; Pilot Hurt
WALDRON, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say a pilot was hurt when a small plane crashed in the Kansas City area. The Platte County Sheriff’s Office says the crash happened just after noon Saturday as the single-engine plane was landing at Noah’s Ark Airport in Waldron. The pilot was the only person aboard and suffered serious but non-life threatening injuries. Authorities are investigating what caused the crash. Federal investigators have been called to the scene.
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Judge Delays Execution of Only Woman on U.S. Death Row
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge said the Justice Department unlawfully rescheduled the execution of the only woman on federal death row. This potentially sets up the Trump administration to schedule the execution after Joe Biden takes office. U.S. District Court Judge Randolph Moss also vacated an order from the director of the Bureau of Prisons that had set Lisa Montgomery’s execution date for January 12. Montgomery had been scheduled to be put to death this month, but Moss delayed the execution after her attorneys contracted COVID-19. He prohibited her execution before the end of the year and ruled Wednesday the bureau was also prohibited from rescheduling the date while the injunction was in place.
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Oldest VFW Post in Kansas at Risk of Closing
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - The oldest Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Kansas needs help. KWCH TV reportsthat VFW post 112 is at risk of shutting down its facility in Wichita. Like many nonprofits, the post, which has been open since 1920, is struggling this year due to the pandemic. Commander Martin Garcia said because of shutdowns in the community, they haven’t been able to raise funds like they normally would. Garcia says since October, the post started offering free mental health clinics for veterans and first responders-- so shutting down right now would really affect them. “That’s the main thing that the post is here for; to help us build that sense of community, and for me I can’t think of anybody better than to lead that effort than veterans. We invested in our country but the mission doesn’t just stop once we get out of the military it continues on,” Garcia said. A GoFundMe account has been establishedto help raise funds for the post.
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New Survey Shows Many Kansas Families Are Struggling with Mental Health Issues
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — A new report from the Annie E. Casey Foundation indicates that almost 20 percent of Kansas adults with children reported feeling depressed or hopeless during the COVID-19 pandemic. About 15 percent of adults who live with children said they didn’t have health insurance. A similar percentage didn’t always have enough food or had little or no confidence they could pay their rent or mortgage on time. Clay Wirestone, of the nonprofit Kansas Action for Children, says food banks in the state have seen an unprecedented rise in demand. “There’s no question that the strain and the stress on families has been increasing throughout the year,” Wirestone said. Across the country, Black, Latino and multiracial families were more likely to say they had these concerns. The survey was conducted in September and October.
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Kansas Governor to Propose Treatment Center for Prison Inmates
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly plans to propose creating a treatment center at the state's largest prison for inmates with substance abuse problems. Kelly said she plans to recommend adding a treatment center at the state prison in Lansing. Her proposal mirrors a recommendation from the Kansas Criminal Justice Reform Commission to use space in an existing prison for a 240-bed substance abuse treatment center. Last week, the governor said that inmates could be sentenced to the new center for intensive treatment, rather than being housed in other prison space.
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University of Kansas Archivist Plans Podcast on Black Kansas Churches
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An archivist at the University of Kansas plans to launch a four-part podcast next year focused on telling the current stories of Black churches in northeast Kansas. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Patricia Cecil developed the "Faith in the Free State" project and recently received a $10,000 grant from the nonprofit Humanities Kansas. She decided to focus on Black churches in the region after witnessing renewed racial justice activism over the summer and knowing how churches have adapted to new ways of gathering because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Two podcast episodes would debut in early summer 2021 and two more in late summer or early fall 2021.
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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.