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Headlines for Tuesday, July 7, 2020

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Record Spike in Kansas Cases of Coronavirus Prompts Warning from Governor

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has set a new record for its worst two-week spike in reported coronavirus cases since the pandemic began. That prompted the state's Democratic governor to issue a warning Monday in hopes of getting the public and local officials to accept the idea of wearing masks in public.  Governor Laura Kelly said the state has seen at least seven new clusters of two or more cases of COVID-19 directly related to bars and restaurants. During the past two weeks, Kansas reported an average of 317 new coronavirus cases each day. That was nearly 15% higher than the previous record.  The state reported 982 more coronavirus cases and three more deaths since last Friday, as the state seeks to stop the surging outbreak.  Kansas has now recorded 16,901 cases of COVID-19, up 6% from Friday.  The state has also seen 280 COVID-19-related deaths.  The governor issued an executive order last week requiring people to wear masks in public and in their workplaces.  Counties, however, can opt out of the governor's order.

(– Related –)

Kansas Among 14 States with Most Rapid COVID-19 Spread

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A health official in Kansas says the state is among the 14 states with the most rapid coronavirus spread and among the top 14 states for having the least restrictions on activities. Lee Norman, Secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, tweeted: "Do you think those two things are related?  We were a shining example of success, only to squander it.” Kansas set a new record Monday for its worst two-week spike in reported coronavirus cases since the pandemic began. The state Department of Health and Environment reported 982 more confirmed coronavirus cases since Friday. 

Nearly 17,000 COVID-19 Cases Recorded in Kansas, Including 280 Deaths

TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Kansas has recorded 16,901 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. That number includes 280 deaths. Cases have now been confirmed in 98 of the 105 Kansas counties. Wyandotte and Johnson Counties have the most cases, with 2,655 and 2,349, respectively.  State health officials released those figures Monday.  Another update is expected tomorrow (WED). 

( Kansas health officials release new data on COVID-19 case numbers on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.)

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Kansas Visitors Added to Required Quarantine Lists for New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut 

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Anyone traveling into Connecticut, New York or New Jersey from Kansas, Oklahoma, or Delaware must now self-quarantine for 14 days to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Tuesday’s announcement means 19 states now meet the criteria of having a new daily positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents or a 10% or higher positive rate over a seven-day rolling average. Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday he believes the quarantine has discouraged out-of-state visitors, noting how the number of flight cancellations at Bradley International Airport is double what officials had anticipated.

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Kansas Governor Issues Order on Foster Children's Education

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly issued an executive order on Tuesday requiring the state to track foster children’s progress in school, shortly after having vetoed a similar bill last month. According to The Kansas City Star, the annual report card will detail the academic progress and classroom struggles of children in its care. Kelly’s order says the state will take responsibility to make every effort to ensure students in foster care receive a quality education. Laura Howard, Secretary of the Kansas Department for Children and Families, said her agency is already working with the Department of Education to begin gathering data.

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PAC Launches Campaign Against Kobach in Kansas Senate Race

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A new Republican political action committee has launched what it says will be a $3 million campaign in Kansas with an ad that says GOP Senate candidate and immigration hardliner Kris Kobach has ties to white supremacists. Kobach campaign spokesman Danedri Herbert said Tuesday that the 30-second spot from the Plains PAC recycles “old false attacks” previously leveled by Democrats. The ad notes that an aide who was paid $500 last year by the Kobach campaign had a history of racist and anti-Semitic comments on a white nationalist website. Kobach denounced the comments, and his campaign fired the aide. 

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10-Year-Old Finds Human Remains Near Kansas City Creek

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say a 10-year-old boy has found human remains near a Kansas City creek. Officer Doaa El-Ashkar, a police spokeswoman, said in an email that the discovery was made Sunday near the bank of Shoal Creek. The remains have not been identified. Police say additional searches will be conducted in the area for other remains. No other details have been released.

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Sheriff: Kansas Pilot Critically Injured in Small Plane Crash

JEWELL COUNTY, Kan. (Hays Post) – One person was injured in a small plane crash in Jewell County.  The Hays Post reports the accident happened Monday morning when the pilot, a Mankato resident, was trying to fly his experimental aircraft.  According to the Jewell County Sheriff's Office, the pilot experienced mechanical difficulties soon after taking off then tried to turn the aircraft around but lost control and crashed into the runway.  The pilot was transported to the Jewell County Hospital and then airlifted to a Wichita hospital for treatment of critical injuries.  Authorities have not released the pilot's name.

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Drought Declarations in Effect for Two-Thirds of Kansas

TOPEKA, Kan. (Hays Post) –  Governor Laura Kelly has issued Drought Declarations for two-thirds of Kansas.  The declarations apply to 74 of the state's 105 counties.  These 74 counties are either in a drought emergency or are included in drought warning or watch areas.  Kelly said the majority of Kansas has been considered in drought or in abnormally dry conditions for the past several weeks and that's led to a high risk of fire.  The Hays Post reports that most of the state has received less than 70% of its normal rainfall since January.  And many counties in southwestern Kansas have received less than half their normal amount of precipitation.  The drought declaration placed 13 counties in emergency status, 18 into a warning status and 44 into a watch status. This action was recommended by Earl Lewis, Director of the Kansas Water Office and Chair of the Governor’s Drought Response Team.  Counties listed in "emergency" drought status are eligible for emergency use of water from certain state fishing lakes.  Individuals and communities need to contact the state water office for permission prior to any withdrawals from lakes.  For more detailed information about current conditions, visit the Kansas Climate Summary and Drought Report on the Kansas Water Office website

Drought Stage Declarations by County:


  • Drought Emergency:  Finney, Grant, Greeley, Hamilton, Haskell, Kearny, Morton, Scott, Seward, Stanton, Stevens, Wallace, Wichita
  • Drought Warning:  Barber, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Clark, Comanche, Crawford, Ford, Gray, Hodgeman, Jewell, Lane, Logan, Meade, Ness, Rawlins, Sherman, Smith, Thomas
  • Drought Watch:  Allen, Anderson, Barton, Bourbon, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Coffey, Cowley, Decatur, Dickinson, Edwards, Elk, Ellis, Gove, Graham, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Johnson, Kiowa, Labette, Linn, Lyon, Marion, Miami, Mitchell, Montgomery, Morris, Neosho, Norton, Osborne, Pawnee, Phillips, Republic, Rooks, Rush, Sedgwick, Sheridan, Sumner, Trego, Wilson, Woodson, Wyandotte

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Kansas Officer Appeals Ruling Allowing Lawsuit to Proceed

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita police officer who fatally shot an innocent man in 2017 while responding to a hoax emergency call stemming from a dispute between two online gamers is appealing a ruling allowing a lawsuit filed against him to move forward. The Wichita Eagle reports that attorneys for Justin Rapp filed a notice of appeal Monday to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, asking it to review a lower court order that refused to grant him protection from civil liability in Andrew Finch’s death.

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Suit over Sex Abuse at Kansas VA Hospital Goes to Trial

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A lawyer says a lawsuit against a Veterans Affairs hospital in Kansas where a former physician assistant molested countless patients involves “the largest sexual abuse scandal in the history of the VA.” Those comments came during opening statements in a lawsuit brought by one of Mark Wisner's victims against the federal government. The government does not dispute that Wisner sexually molested veterans. But it says it should not be held liable because Wisner’s conduct was outside the scope of his employment and because the damages sought for a lifetime of medical treatment are excessive.

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2 Killed in Separate Shootings Sunday in Kansas City, Kansas

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say two men have been killed in separate shootings in Kansas City, Kansas. Police identified the victims as 27-year-old Edwin Pinto and 34-year-old Dennis Barnett.  Officers found Pinto dead while responding to a shooting call early Sunday morning. Barnett was found dead about two hours later as officers responded to another shooting call. Police say the shootings are under investigation. No suspect information has been released.

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Man Arrested for 2 Fatal Shootings at Wichita Hotel

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police have arrested a 33-year-old man in connection with the fatal shootings in January of another man and a woman in a hotel. The police department said the suspect returned Thursday to Wichita to be booked into the Sedgwick County jail after being arrested outside the U.S. Police said he was arrested on potential charges of capital murder, illegal firearm possession, aggravated burglary and aggravated assault. His case is now in the hands of the Sedgwick County district attorney. The suspect was arrested in connection with the deaths of 27-year-old George Kirksey and 22-year-old Alicia Roman. Both were from Wichita, as is the suspect.

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Supreme Court Deals Blow to Keystone Oil Pipeline

BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has handed another blow to the disputed Keystone XL pipeline from Canada by keeping in place a lower court ruling that blocked a key permit for the project. However, Monday’s order also put on hold the lower court ruling as it pertains to other oil and gas pipelines across the nation. The Trump administration had argued the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer permit program that has been in the place since the 1970s was functioning properly when it was canceled by a Montana judge in April. Critics argued the program allows pipeline companies to skirt responsibility for damage to water bodies.

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Couple’s $2 Million Gift Supports KU Program in Rural Medicine

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — A Florida couple made a $2 million gift to the University of Kansas in support of a KU program focused on rural health.  The gift from Harold & Fern Ehrlich benefits the Summer Training Option in Rural Medicine (STORM) program at the KU School of Medicine. STORM places students with primary care doctors in rural area for training and research.  STORM began in 1992. Of those taking part, at least 91 are now doctors serving rural areas.   KU officials say the gift from the Ehrlichs will support the program in perpetuity and provide stipends to program participants. They hope the experience will lead to more students choosing rural primary care medicine after graduation.  In 2017, a state task force found 161 primary care Health Professional Shortage Areas in Kansas. Of the state’s 105 counties, 92 are considered partially or wholly underserved. Harold Ehrlich is a native of Marion, Kansas. He and his wife now live in Ocala, Florida.  

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Corps Decreasing Water Flowing into Lower Missouri River

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The amount of water being released into the Missouri River from a dam on the Nebraska-South Dakota border is being decreased because less water is expected to flow into the river this year, so the risk of a repeat of last year’s massive flooding along the river has been reduced. The reduction is possible because the region received less precipitation than expected this spring and this summer is expected to be drier than normal. The Corps now estimates that 31.2 million acre feet of water will flow down the river this year. That is roughly 1 million acre feet lower than the previous forecast.

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Ex-Officer Gets 4 Months for Deadly Crash near Arrowhead

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A former police officer has been sentenced to four months in jail for causing a 2018 wreck that killed a Kansas teenager and injured two others outside the stadium where the Kansas City Chiefs play. Thirty-five-year-old Terrell Watkins was sentenced Tuesday for involuntary manslaughter and other charges in the October 2018 crash that killed 17-year-old Chandan Rajanna, of Overland Park, Kansas, and seriously injured Rajanna’s father and sister. Witnesses told police the van had been speeding and making numerous lane changes as it passed other vehicles in heavy pregame traffic. Investigators say at the time of the crash, Watkins was late for an off-duty security assignment at Arrowhead Stadium.

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Chiefs Agree to Pay $450 Million to Keep Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes

The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed to a 10-year contract extension with Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, keeping him around through 2031. The Chiefs had Mahomes under contract for the next two seasons but wanted a long-term deal in place with the young quarterback who led them to their first championship in 50 years. ESPN.com reports the deal is worth $450 million with an injury guarantee of $140 million.  

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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.