Kansas GOP Voters Pick Congressman Roger Marshall in Race for U.S. Senate Seat
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Republicans have nominated Congressman Roger Marshall for the U.S. Senate, choosing the Great Bend physician over polarizing conservative Kris Kobach. On Tuesday, voters heeded the GOP establishment's advice to go with Marshall, as the party tried to keep a normally safe U.S. Senate seat out of play. Republicans haven't lost a Senate contest in Kansas since 1932. Marshall won the nomination even though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others could not persuade President Trump to endorse Marshall in the primary. Party leaders in Washington and many GOP activists in Kansas feared that the normally safe seat held by retiring Senator Pat Roberts Pat Roberts would be in play if the party nominated Kobach. Marshall now faces Democrat Barbara Bollier, who won her party's nomination. Both Marshall and Bollier are doctors. ( Read more.)
( Find all Kansas election results here.)
(–Related–)
Rep. Marshall's Primary Win in Kansas Buoys GOP Senate Hopes
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans are brimming with new-found confidence about keeping an open Senate seat in Kansas after establishment-backed Rep. Roger Marshall won the party’s nomination. They viewed Marshall on Wednesday as well-positioned to take on an unusually formidable Democrat in a tough year for the GOP. Marshall’s first tasks were refilling his campaign treasury and rebuilding Republican unity after an often-bitter primary campaign. Marshall comfortably defeated polarizing conservative Kris Kobach in the primary. He's confident he can unite Republicans quickly against Democrat Barbara Bollier. But she says she's beginning the contest with $4.5 million in cash, while he said he had $600,000 left when the primary polls closed.
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State Treasurer Jake LaTurner Unseats Kansas Congressman Steve Watkins in 2nd District Race
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Congressman Steve Watkins has lost his Republican primary, after being charged with felony election fraud and other crimes. State Treasurer Jake LaTurner defeated Watkins in Tuesday's election, only three weeks after the charges were filed. LaTurner argued that Watkins was vulnerable even before the criminal charges were filed in July. Watkins is accused of voting illegally in a 2019 Topeka City Council race. He also is accused of trying to mislead a sheriff's detective who was investigating his listing of a UPS store postal box as his residence for state voter registration purposes. Watkins has called the charges "bogus." ( Read more.)
( Find all Kansas election results here.)
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Kansas First Congressional District Race Takes Shape
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kali Barnett has won the Democratic primary in the Big 1st District of western Kansas. The 35-year-old author and music teacher from Garden City defeated Christy Davis, the former executive director of Symphony in the Flint Hills. Barnett will face Salina real estate broker and former Lt. Governor Tracey Mann in the November contest for the congressional seat being vacated by Republican Congressman Roger Marshall, who won the GOP nomination for the U.S. Senate. The 1st District seat hasn't been won by a Democrat since the 1950s. ( Read more.)
( Find all Kansas election results here.)
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Police Investigate Fatal Shooting in North-Central Kansas
OSBORNE, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement are investigating the fatal shooting of a man in north-central Kansas. Television station KAKE reports that the shooting happened late Friday night in Osborne. Investigators say Osborne police were called to a home and found 58-year-old Patrick Johnson, of Salina, in a basement with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say a family member at the home told police he had been in a fight with Johnson that led to the shooting. No arrests had been reported by Wednesday.
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Missouri Voters Narrowly Approve Medicaid Expansion
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri has voted to expand Medicaid health care coverage. Voters on Tuesday approved a constitutional amendment to expand the government health insurance program to thousands more low-income adults. Missouri is the 38th state to approve Medicaid expansion under former President Barack Obama’s federal health care law. Missouri Republicans have fought efforts to increase eligibility for the program for years. That pushed supporters to put it to a public vote. Missouri’s Medicaid program currently does not cover most adults who don't have children, and it’s income eligibility threshold for parents is one of the lowest in the nation, about one-fifth of the poverty level. That means only the poorest of the poor qualify for care.
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Police Officer, 1 Other Hurt in Kansas City, Kansas Shooting
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say two people, including a police officer, were hurt in an ambush shooting in Kansas City, Kansas, as officers sought to arrest a person in an earlier shooting. The incident began Monday evening as police investigated a shooting in which one person was injured. During the investigation, police were sent to a home where a person of interest was arrested. As police were leaving the home, at least one person began shooting at them from a nearby tree line. One resident of the home was shot, and police say an officer also was injured. Police say an officer returned fire, and the shooter or shooters fled. No arrests have been reported.
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Kansas Reports 368 Deaths Caused by COVID-19; Nearly 30,000 Have Tested Positive
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Since the coronavirus pandemic began, nearly 30,000 Kansans have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. Kansas health officials released the latest numbers today (WED), revealing 29,717 people have now tested positive and 368 people have died. A new round of data will be released online Friday.
- KPR's Coronavirus Information and Resources Guide
- Updated Regularly: What Kansans Need to Know About the Coronavirus
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Officials: Nearly a Quarter of Kansas Coronavirus Cases from Clusters
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Kansas health officials say nearly a quarter of the state's almost 30,000 coronavirus cases have been linked to cluster sites. That news comes as nearly a dozen school officials in one small southeast Kansas community find themselves infected or in quarantine after a recent leadership retreat in Branson. The Kansas City Star reports that the state Department of Health and Environment identified 369 outbreaks which have infected 7,851 people and led to 247 of the state's 368 COVID-19 deaths. The state’s clusters include 136 at private businesses, 99 at long-term care facilities and 58 from gatherings. In Chanute, Kansas, 11 school administrators who attended the Branson retreat are in quarantine after six of them tested positive for the virus.
Kansas Counties with Mask Mandate Show Steep COVID-19 Drop
BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — The top health official in Kansas says counties that have mask mandates in place have seen a rapid drop in cases, while those that only recommend their use have seen no decrease in cases. Dr. Lee Norman said Wednesday that 15 counties stayed with Gov. Laura Kelly's mask mandate last month while 90 counties abandoned it. Overall, Norman said, the statewide number of new cases is favorable, but the reduction in new cases is taking place entirely in the counties requiring masks.
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Urban Outfitters Opening Distribution Center in Wyandotte County
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KPR) - Officials with Urban Outfitters say the company will build a new distribution center in Wyandotte County. The announcement was made by company officials Wednesday, during a video-conference call that also featured Kansas City, Kansas Mayor Dave Alvey, U.S. Senator Jerry Moran and Governor Laura Kelly. Company officials said Urban Outfitters was opening a new distribution center in KCK, which will be neighbors with Kansas Speedway. WIBW TV reports that the move is expected to bring more than 2,000 jobs and about $350 million in revenue to the state. David Ziel, chief development officer of Urban Outfitters, says Kansas City is their new home and it looks forward to being part of the community. Ziel said the company chose Kansas City because of the diversity and work ethic of Kansans.
(AP version)
2,000 Jobs Expected with Urban Outfitters Distribution Facility in KCK
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — State and local officials have announced that the parent company of clothing and home products retailer Urban Outfitters plans to build a new, 880,000-square-foot distribution center in Kansas City, Kansas. Officials said Wednesday that the new URBN center will be near the Legends entertainment and shopping district and NASCAR’s Kansas Speedway and close to the junction of Interstates 70 and 435. The center is expected to create nearly 2,000 new jobs and represents a $350 million investment. URBN Chief Development Officer Dave Ziel said the new center will allow the company to reach digital customers faster and more efficiently. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly called it a “transformational project.”
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Kansas Man, Wife Charged 2 Days After He Resigned as Mayor
GODDARD, Kan. (AP) — A central Kansas man and his wife are charged with counterfeiting two days after he abruptly resigned as mayor of Goddard. Jamey Blubaugh and his wife, Elizabeth, were charged Wednesday with one count of counterfeiting, which is a misdemeanor. The Sedgwick County District Attorney's office said the couple is accused of using counterfeit tickets to attend last year's Zoobilee at the Sedgwick County Zoo. The tickets were $165 each. Blubaugh resigned as mayor on Monday, citing conflicts with the city administrator. The city of Goddard said in a statement that the charges have no connection to any of Blubaugh's officials duties as mayor.
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Man Gets 40-Years in Prison for Killing Somali Teenager Outside Kansas City Mosque
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 40-year-old man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for killing a teenager outside a Kansas City mosque. Prosecutors said Ahmed Aden intentionally drove into 15-year-old Abdisamad Sheikh-Hussein, a Somali student, in December 2014. The teenager's legs were nearly severed when he was hit as he left the Somali Center of Kansas City. Aden entered an Alford plea in December to charges of second-degree murder and armed criminal action. Aden told investigators after his arrest that he was looking for men who had threatened him earlier and mistakenly thought the boy was one of those men.
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American Royal Cancels this Year's World Series of Barbecue
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The American Royal's World Series of Barbecue will not be held this year. The American Royal Association has announced it will not hold what it calls the world's largest barbecue competition because of the coronavirus pandemic. American Royal President and CEO Glen Alan Phillips said the organization could not find a way to make this year's event safe for competitors and visitors. The event was scheduled for September 17-20 at the Kansas Speedway. It is the first time the organization has ever canceled the barbecue. The American Royal also canceled this year's 2020 Pro Rodeo but will have most equine shows and the livestock show.
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Kansas Public Radio Cancels Big Band Christmas for 2020
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) – Kansas Public Radio has canceled its popular, end-of-year holiday concert. The University of Kansas-owned radio station was set to hold its 12th annual Big Band Christmas on December 12 at Liberty Hall, but due to concerns surrounding COVID-19, KPR decided to cancel this year’s event. Big Band Christmas traditionally draws more than 500 people to enjoy a night of live jazz music, drinks and dancing. KPR plans to bring Big Band Christmas back in December 2021. Follow KPR on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to see announcements on various virtual events KPR will be holding for the foreseeable future. Broadcasting since 1952, KPR has earned the Station of the Year award from the Kansas Association of Broadcasters a record 18 times, more than any other radio or TV station in the state.
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