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Headlines for Tuesday, January 19, 2021

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Kansas Sen. Marshall Criticizes Trial for Trump as Divisive

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Republican Sen. Roger Marshall opposes an impeachment trial for President Donald Trump after Trump leaves office. He argued Tuesday that a trial would further divide the nation. Marshall said in a statement that he will attend President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration Wednesday and leaders must ensure that “the levers of government are fully operational.” Fellow Kansas Republican Sen. Jerry Moran has not made a statement on a Senate trial. The House’s impeachment article charges Trump with “incitement of insurrection” over a deadly Jan. 6 riot in which a pro-Trump mob stormed the U.S. Capitol. Marshall condemned the violence but still opposed certifying Arizona’s and Pennsylvania’s electoral votes for Biden.

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COVID-19 Caseload in Kansas Nears 260,000; Virus-Related Deaths Surpass 3,500

TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — The Kansas Department of Health reported Monday that there have been 259,822 cases of COVID-19, including 3,525 deaths, since the pandemic began. KDHE will release another update Wednesday.

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Topeka Mayor Diagnosed with COVID-19

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Topeka Mayor Michelle De La Isla was diagnosed with COVID-19 last week and will be out of the office while she recovers from her illness. The mayor said in a news release Tuesday that community spread in Topeka is high and her diagnosis proves that no matter how careful you are you can still get this virus. She says she came in contact with the virus through a family member who is an essential worker. Deputy Mayor Tony Emerson will run Tuesday night’s city council meeting until a new deputy mayor is elected.

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Nurses in Kansas County Refuse to Give COVID-19 Vaccine

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Four nurses at a rural health department in Kansas are refusing to administer any COVID-19 vaccines, citing the fast development and production of the shots. The Kansas City Star reports that none of the Coffey County nurses, including the public health administrator, feel “comfortable” administering a vaccine that has gone through a speedy testing process with new technology. Studies involving tens of thousands of people found that the two vaccines that have been authorized for emergency use in the U.S. are nearly 95% effective at preventing COVID-19 illness. So far the vaccines have been given to more than 10 million people in the U.S.

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Kansas Lawmakers Moving Quickly on COVID-19 Legislation

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers have been moving quickly on legislation that would extend the state's COVID-19 emergency declaration before it expires on January 26.  The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the two temporary bills moving in the state Senate and House deal with COVID-19-related provisions and will have an effect on the coronavirus response. Both have had public hearings and passed out of committee in the first week of the session. The bills extend legislation passed last year outlining temporary changes in law in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Those include allowing establishments to offer to-go alcohol, expanding the use of telemedicine and adding flexibility in health care licensing.

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Kansas Anti-Abortion Measure Clears First Legislative Hurdle

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A proposed anti-abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution has cleared its first hurdle in the Legislature as abortion opponents move quickly to try to get it on the ballot. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved the measure on a voice vote Tuesday. A debate by the full Senate could come later this week. The proposed amendment would overturn a 2019 state Supreme Court ruling that access to abortion is a “fundamental” right under the state constitution. The House has a separate but identical proposal before a committee that could vote on it Thursday. Abortion opponents are moving quickly because they’re worried that the COVID-19 pandemic could cut the Legislature’s session short.

(– Related –)

COVID-19 Fuels Quick Push for Kansas Anti-Abortion Measure

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas abortion opponents are moving with unusual speed to put an anti-abortion amendment to the state constitution on a ballot. Backers of the measure fear a COVID-19 outbreak could thwart them if they delay. The proposed amendment would overturn a state Supreme Court decision in 2019 that declared access to abortion a "fundamental" right under the state constitution. It would declare that there is no Kansas constitutional right to abortion and preserve the Legislature's power to regulate abortion. One or both chambers could debate the measure later this week. Efforts to pass the measure last year ended when the Legislature shortened its session because of the pandemic.

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Kansas Closes Buildings Around Statehouse Through Wednesday

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — State office buildings near the Statehouse are closed to the public and the Legislature has curtailed its meetings due to security concerns ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration in Washington, D.C. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s decision to close office buildings today (TUE) and tomorrow (WED) comes after she last week restricted access to the Statehouse and increased its security through this week. The top leaders of the Republican-controlled Legislature also say their chambers will have no major business during those two days, and many committees postponed meetings to limit the number of people in the Statehouse.

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Ex-Kansas Prison Guard Charged in Prison Drug-Smuggling

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — A former Kansas prison guard will stand trial on 10 counts related to a drug-smuggling case at a Hutchinson prison. The Hutchinson News reports that Zachary Wood was bound over for trial last week following a preliminary hearing on counts ranging from possession with intent to distribute to trafficking in a correctional facility. Prosecutors say Wood tried to smuggle drugs into the prison last summer after arranging sales with three women. The three women are charged with conspiracy to traffic in a penal institution and also appeared in court Thursday. Denisha Starnes, Esther Davis and Stephanie Thindiu — along with Wood — were all set for formal arraignment on February 1.

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Missouri Man Charged with Murder, Arson in Deadly Weston House Fire

WESTON, Mo. (AP) — A western Missouri man has been accused of setting a house fire that left a man dead. A news release issued Monday by the Platte County prosecutor says 24-year-old Anthony Fleming of Weston, Missouri, was charged with murder and arson related to the Sunday morning fire in Weston. The Kansas City Star reports the blaze killed 60-year-old Timothy Darby. Fleming allegedly set the home on fire between 1 and 2 am Sunday. He was found in a wooded area about a mile away. The charging documents say Fleming had tried to hide from authorities using a wall of sticks and tree limbs.

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KBI: Man Found Dead in Arcadia Killed in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says a man whose body was found in Arcadia, Kansas, was killed in Kansas City, Missouri. Crawford County authorities found the body on Jan. 13 at the home of 37-year-old Nicholas Adam Carrillo. Deputies went to the property after receiving a tip that a body was there. Carrillo fled when the body was discovered. He was arrested Friday. The KBI announced Tuesday the victim was reported missing to Kansas City, Missouri, police and investigators believe he was killed there. They have not released the victim's identity.

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Kansas Officials: Oklahoma Woman Killed in Rollover Crash

BROOKVILLE, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Highway Patrol says an Oklahoma woman has died in a rollover crash in north-central Kansas. Wichita television station KAKE reports that the crash happened around 5 pm Sunday on Kansas Highway 140 about 2 miles east of Brookville when a pickup truck experienced a tire blowout and the driver lost control of the vehicle. Investigators say the truck went into a ditch and rolled, throwing both the driver and a passenger from the vehicle. The patrol says the passenger, 53-year-old Lori Wilkett of Panama, Oklahoma, died at the scene. Officials said the 50-year-old driver from Kanopolis, Kansas, was not seriously injured.

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Largest Public Housing Project in Kansas Making Plans to Close

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — More than 100 residents of the largest housing project in Kansas have been told they'll have to move because the facility is closing. But officials say that won't happen for roughly two more years. The Housing Authority of Kansas City, Kansas, is making plans to shut down Juniper Gardens partly because the complex that opened in 1962 is in need of major upgrades and officials favor a different approach to public housing. The more successful model today calls for public housing to be tucked into regular neighborhoods often with people receiving subsidies to help them pay rent.

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New Lawsuit Brought Against Corps of Engineers over Missouri River Flooding

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The federal government faces a second lawsuit over flooding along the Missouri River after it was ordered last month to pay some landowners for damages. R. Dan Boulware, of the Polsinelli law firm, filed the new class-action lawsuit on behalf of 60 plaintiffs who experienced damages during flooding in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2013 and 2014. The St. Joseph News-Press reports that Boulware successfully argued in the earlier case that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers knowingly flooded some farmland when it made changes to protect endangered species. Boulware currently is waiting for the class-action lawsuit to be certified. If that occurs, there could be additional plaintiffs added to the case. He estimates that the current claim of damages exceeds $50 million.

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Judge Awards $1 Million to Veteran in Kansas VA Hospital Abuse Case

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has awarded more than $1 million in damages to another veteran who says he was sexually abused by a former physician assistant at a VA hospital in Kansas. KCUR Radio reports it's the third time since November that U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree has ruled against the government in cases charging the government with medical malpractice at the Dwight D. Eisenhower VA Medical Center. The veterans allege they were subjected to unnecessary genital exams and other physical abuse by physician assistant Mark Wisner. He was convicted of aggravated sexual battery and aggravated criminal assault in 2017 and sentenced to nearly 16 years in prison.

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Prosecutors: Kansas City Man Raped Woman at Gunpoint, Filmed Encounter

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City man has been charged with sexually assaulting a woman at gunpoint after meeting her online. The Jackson County prosecutor’s office said Sunday that Jamen Jackson, 23, has been charged with sexual assault and possession of child pornography. According to court documents, the victim told police that she met Jackson on January 9 at her apartment, and he immediately took out a gun, pointed it at her head and ordered her to perform oral sex on him while he recorded the assault on his phone. Authorities say he then forced the woman to have sex with him.

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Arrest Made in Connection with Kansas City Homicide

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 21-year-old Kansas City woman has been charged in connection with a fatal shooting that took place last week. The Jackson County prosecutor’s office said Sunday that Tityana Coppage has been charged with second-degree murder and armed criminal action in Wednesday’s shooting death of 36-year-old Keith Lars. The shooting happened shortly after noon Wednesday. Officers who arrived at the scene found evidence of a shooting but no victims. A short time later, a woman flagged down firefighters to report that Lars was in her car with a gunshot wound. Firefighters tried to save Lars but he died at the scene.

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Woman Who Drowned in Texas in 1966 Identified as Kansan

PECOS, Texas. (AP) — Police in west Texas say a woman who drowned in a pool there in 1966 has been identified as a Salina, Kansas, native. Police in Pecos, Texas, announced Tuesday that the drowning victim was 17-year-old Jolaine Hemmy. She drowned on July 5, 1966, at the Ropers Motel in Pecos, where she was staying with a man. Police said the man, who has not been identified, was in the couple's motel room when Hemmy died. He left with their belongings as emergency responders were trying to revive her. Police reopened the cold case last year and exhumed the body. Pecos police say Hemmy's death remains under investigation.

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Audubon Sues over Water Rights at Quivira Wildlife Refuge

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Audubon of Kansas has sued over water rights at a wildlife refuge in central Kansas. The federal lawsuit filed Friday by the environmental group against the U.S. Department of the Interior and various federal and state officials alleges they have failed to protect the senior water rights belonging to the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge. The lawsuit contends the 22,135-acre refuge provides sanctuary to a wide variety of waterfowl, shorebirds and other wetland species. Quivira has suffered from a water shortage because of groundwater pumping upstream in the Rattlesnake Creek basin by irrigators, who the Audubon contends have lesser water rights
than the refuge.

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Anonymous Couple Pledges $3.5 Million to Wichita State

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — An anonymous couple from Kansas has pledged a $3.5 million estate gift to the Wichita State Foundation. The university announced Tuesday that the money will be used to endow a scholarship fund for students who show financial need. Students who have financial need, have a minimum 3.0 grade-point average and hold part-time jobs will be eligible for scholarships that will pay up to half of the cost of their tuition. A preference will be given to students from Kansas. At current tuition rates, the money would provide half-tuition awards for about 35 students annually.

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Missouri Senator Josh Hawley Has New Publisher for "Big Tech" Book

NEW YORK (AP) — Senator Josh Hawley has found a new publisher after his book was dropped by Simon & Schuster in the wake of the siege of the U.S. Capitol by extremist supporters of President Donald Trump. The conservative publisher Regnery announced Monday that Hawley’s “The Tyranny of Big Tech” will come out this spring. Hawley, a Republican from Missouri, has been criticized for his encouragement of protesters on Jauary 6. The protest ended with a violent mob storming through the Capitol. Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators had gathered in Washington, D.C. that day as Congress voted to formally certify Joe Biden's victory in the election.

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Kansas City Police Have Body Cameras, More Are Coming 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ Kansas City police officials say all patrol officers in the city are expected to be equipped with body worn cameras by March. Police spokesman Sergeant Jacob Becchina says 340 officers are already using the cameras, and another 475 cameras should be ordered soon. Community leaders have pushed for officers to wear body cameras for years, and the effort grew after social unrest protests last year. The city had delayed buying the cameras because of funding issues. In June, the police department received a $1 million donation from the DeBruce Foundation, with another $1.5 million from other groups to fund a body camera program. 

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Butler Scores 30, Unbeaten No. 2 Baylor Tops No. 9 KU in Men's College Hoops 

WACO, Texas (AP) — Jared Butler had a season-high 30 points and eight assists as No. 2 Baylor remained undefeated with a 77-69 victory over No. 9 Kansas. The Jayhawks have lost consecutive Big 12 games for the first time in nearly eight years. Butler made the first of his seven 3-pointers on the first shot of the game, part of an opening 11-2 spurt by the the 13-0 Bears. Kansas played for the first time since a 75-70 loss last Tuesday at Oklahoma State before the Jayhawks’ scheduled game Saturday was postponed because of COVID-19 issues in Iowa State’s program.

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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.