Kansas High Court Asked to Review Prison Dentist Case
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay plans to ask the Kansas Supreme Court to review a ruling that overturned the conviction of a former prison dentist. The Kansas Court of Appeals last month overturned the conviction of Tomas Co for having unlawful sexual relations with a female inmate at Topeka Correctional Facility. The court said Co's touching of the inmate was inappropriate but did not meet the legal definition of being lewd, which was required for a conviction of the charge he faces. Kagay says if the Supreme Court does not overturn the lower court's ruling, he will seek a legislative change to the related law cited by the appeals court.
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Kansas Reports 54% Increase in Drug Overdoses in First 6 Months of 2021
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) reports a 54% increase in drug overdose deaths during the first six months of 2021. Preliminary results from the State Unintentional Drug Overdose Reporting System (SUDORS) show that at least 338 Kansas residents died of drug overdose between January 1, 2021 and June 30, 2021. The tally represents a 54% increase from the 220 drug overdose deaths identified in the same 6-month time frame in 2020. Provisional data represents the most current estimates and is subject to change.
Of the provisional 338 deaths, 149 involved fentanyl or fentanyl analogs, 149 involved methamphetamine and 40 involved other licit and illicit drugs, such as cocaine, benzodiazepines and prescription opioids. More than one drug can be involved in a fatal drug overdose, so these values are not mutually exclusive. Fentanyl continues to drive the uptick in fatal drug overdoses in Kansas. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid that is often combined with other drugs, such as heroin and cocaine, or used as a standalone drug. Due to its potency, fentanyl-involved overdoses have a fast onset and may be difficult to reverse.
There are several resources available to prevent drug overdoses. Recovery from drug overdose and substance use disorder is possible. Those in need of help can call Kansas’s substance use disorder hotline at (866) 645-8216 or visit FindTreatment.gov to locate treatment services. Visit PreventOverdoseKS.org for resources and more information on Kansas efforts to prevent drug overdoses.
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Kansas Sees Record Number of COVID Cases; Hospital Workers Sidelined
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is reporting a record seven-day average for new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases as one of the state’s largest hospitals struggles to treat an influx of patients. State health department data released Monday shows Kansas reported an average of 3,134 new COVID-19 cases a day for the seven days ending Monday. That’s 13% higher than the previous record of 2,767 cases per day for the seven days ending November 18, 2020. At the University of Kansas Hospital, Chief Medical Officer Steve Stites says more than 500 of more than 13,000 employees are sick or awaiting test results.
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COVID-19 Sidelines Hospital Workers as Patient Numbers Rise
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — One of Kansas’s largest hospitals is straining to treat an influx of COVID-19 patients even as the surging virus sidelines hundreds of doctors and nurses. Dr. Steve Stites, chief medical officer at University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City, Kansas, says Monday that at the University of Kansas Hospital more than 500 employees out of a staff of more than 13,000 are sick or awaiting test results. The illnesses come as the hospital is treating 108 COVID-19 patients, up from 40 on December 1. He says vaccination would have prevented all but a handful of the COVID-19 patients from being hospitalized, freeing up beds for other patients.
Kansas Doctors Worry About Hospital Capacity as Virus Cases Surge
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Doctors are worried about hospital capacity in the Wichita area amid the latest surge in virus cases and the ongoing staff shortages. The high number of COVID-19 cases along with other patients who need hospital care is leading to long waits in emergency rooms across Kansas's largest city. Dr. Tom Moore, who oversees Wesley hospital's COVID-19 unit, said patients are waiting for days in emergency departments for a bed to open up in the hospital. Dr. Sam Antonios, Ascension Via Christi's chief clinical officer, said the surge is straining staff resources. Antonios said everyone should get vaccinated for COVID-19 and the flu to slow the spread of those viruses.
Kansas Doctors Urge Those Feeling Ill to Get Tested
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Doctors in Kansas have a simple message for those who are feeling ill: Get tested. COVID-19 cases are surging across the country, and Kansas is no exception. To make matters worse, the Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists Kansas as among the five states and territories with the highest flu activity levels in the country. Getting tested for COVID-19 is proving challenging. Several testing sites in Kansas are reporting long lines, and at-home testing kits are sold out at many stores.
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Officials Warn of 'Dangerous' Moment; Schools Weigh Masks
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Kansas schools are weighing whether to keep or reimpose mask mandates as the highly contagious omicron coronavirus variant sends case numbers soaring to record levels and strains hospitals. In suburban Kansas City, the board for the 27,000-student Shawnee Mission school district narrowly voted Monday night to allow a mask-optional policy to take effect for middle- and high-schoolers when classes resume Wednesday. The crowd interrupted so frequently that the board president twice shut the meeting down before removing the audience. In the Manhattan-Ogden district, the school board voted Monday to reinstate a districtwide mask mandate.
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Judge Blocks COVID Vaccine Mandate for Head Start Program
MONROE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana federal judge has ruled that President Joe Biden cannot require teachers in the Head Start early education program to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The decision hands a victory to 24 states that had sued the federal government. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty wrote Saturday that the Biden administration unlawfully bypassed Congress when ordering that workers in Head Start programs be vaccinated by January 31. Head Start is a federally funded program that promotes education for children under the age of 6 who are from low-income families. It was not immediately clear whether the federal government would appeal the decision to the 5th Circuit in New Orleans.
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Security Check at Larned Hospital Accelerated After Escapes
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — State officials say they are working to find an independent firm to review procedures after two convicts escaped from Larned State Hospital since June. The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services said Tuesday it is working with the Correctional Leaders Association to find a firm to conduct a comprehensive security review at Larned. The effort began after John Colt escaped from the prison in June. He was not arrested until September in Utah. The governor's office says the effort will accelerate after another inmate, Isaac Watts, escaped from Larned on Monday night. He was arrested Tuesday in Garden City.
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Arrest Made in Fatal New Year's Weekend Stabbing in Wichita
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — An arrest has been made in the fatal stabbing of a man over the New Year's weekend in Wichita. Police say 27-year-old Bryce Marc Johnston, of Bel Aire, was booked early Monday into the Sedgwick County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder in the Sunday killing of 44-year-old Jayson Stalkup of Wichita. Investigators say officers were called around 5 pm Sunday to an apartment complex in north Wichita where they found Stalkup in the parking lot. Police say he had been stabbed repeatedly and died at the scene. Investigators believe Johnston and Stalkup knew each other and were involved in an altercation before the stabbing.
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Activists Seek Special Prosecutor in Wichita Teen's Custody Death
UNDATED (AP) – A coalition of community groups is demanding that a special prosecutor be appointed in the case of a Black youth who died following a physical altercation with staff at a Kansas juvenile center. In a Wichita rally and letter to local officials, community activists also called for the release of video and the names of the individuals involved in the September death of 17-year-old Cedric Lofton. It comes after an autopsy report released last week contradicted an earlier, preliminary finding that the teenager hadn’t suffered life-threatening injuries. The autopsy ruled the death a homicide.
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Fort Scott Man Charged with Killing His Mother and One Other
FORT SCOTT, Kan. (AP) — A 23-year-old Fort Scott man has been charged with killing his mother and another man. The Bourbon County Prosecutor's office charged Dawson Mitchell last week with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 48-year-old Melissa Mitchell and 53-year-old Leonard Zimmerman. Their bodies were found at their home on December 21. Dawson Mitchell was arrested the next day. Authorities have not said what prompted the shootings. Mitchell was also charged with being a felon in possession of a weapon, an aggravated weapons charge and two theft counts.
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Teachers on the Front Lines of the Culture War with January 6 Education
MISSION, Kan. (AP/KPR) — Teachers find themselves on the front lines of the culture wars as the anniversary of the January 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol arrives. With shouting crowds at school board meetings and political action committees investing millions in races to elect conservative candidates, talking to students about what happened is increasingly fraught. Now, they're being left to decide how — or whether — to teach their students about the events that sit at the heart of the country's division. And the lessons sometimes vary based on whether they are in a red state or a blue state. Many protesters have been charged with trespassing and property damage for storming the Capitol. One person was intentionally killed during the riot, an unarmed protester named Ashli Babbitt.
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Trump Endorses GOP's Derek Schmidt for Kansas Governor
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump has given presumed Republican nominee Derek Schmidt what Trump called his "Complete and Total Endorsement" in the Kansas governor's race. Today's (MON) endorsement came in a statement through Trump's Save America political action committee tweeted by the PAC's spokesperson. Schmidt is a three-term state attorney general, and he faces no major opposition in the August primary election. Schmidt brought Kansas into an unsuccessful lawsuit after the 2020 presidential election seeking to overturn the results in battleground states as Trump and other Republicans spread claims of voter fraud. Schmidt also has joined other Republican state attorneys general in challenging Democratic President Joe Biden's policies.
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December Report: Midwest Economy, Confidence Improve
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The final 2021 report on a monthly survey of business leaders in nine Midwest and Plains states shows the region's economy continues to improve going into the new year, with confidence in the economy over the next six months soaring. The overall index for December of the Creighton University Mid-America Business Conditions released Monday grew to 64.6 from November's 60.2. Any score above 50 on the survey's indexes suggests growth. The survey's business confidence index, which looks ahead six months, rocketed from a weak 46.2 in November to 64.0 in December. The monthly survey covers Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
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Amtrak to Reduce KC-St. Louis Service to Single Daily Round Trip
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Amtrak service across Missouri will be reduced to one daily round trip starting Monday. The change comes after state and federal COVID relief money that helped fund two round trips ran out in December. Missouri's budget does not include enough funds for two Missouri River Runner round trips across the state. Patrick McKenna, director of the state transportation department, said the service would lose an estimated $2.5 million if two trains ran from January to June. Starting Monday, one Amtrak train will leave Kansas City in the morning and one will leave St. Louis in the afternoon.
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Thompson to Lead Kansas State Against LSU in Texas Bowl
HOUSTON (AP) — Quarterback Skylar Thompson will return from an ankle injury to start for Kansas State in the Texas Bowl tonight (TUE). LSU interim coach Brad Davis won't say who will start at QB for the Tigers. Myles Brennan is injured and Max Johnson transferred to Texas A&M. Freshman Garrett Nussmeier was listed first on a depth chart released this week but it's unclear if he'll play because one more game would burn his redshirt year.
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Green Bay Packers Still No. 1 in AP Pro32 Poll; Kansas City Drops to No. 4
NEW YORK (AP) — With the best record in the NFL heading into the last week of the regular season, the Green Bay Packers kept the top spot in the latest AP Pro32 poll. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams each moved up two spots to No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. The AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs fell two spots to No. 4 after a last-second loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. And despite having the AFC’s top seed at the moment, the Tennessee Titans are at No. 5 in the poll. The Titans inched up a spot after routing Miami and can wrap up home field in the AFC with a win at Houston on Sunday.
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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!