Winter Storm Warning Remain in Effect for Parts of Eastern Kansas Through Thursday
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - A Winter Storm Warning remains in effect for portions of eastern Kansas through noon Thursday. Additional snowfall of 1 to 4 inches is possible through tonight (WED). (Click here for more details.)
Click here for a list of school and community closures and delays caused by the wintry weather.
(Additional reporting...)
Winter Storm Drops Heavy Snow Across Kansas, Missouri
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A winter storm has dropped snow over much of Kansas and parts of Missouri, with weather forecasters saying the snow could continue in some areas through the day. The National Weather Service says Columbia received about 5 inches of snow and Jefferson City had 6 inches around noon. The St. Louis and Kansas City areas were generally reporting 3 to 4 inches of snow. The weather services said many areas will see a break in the snow in the afternoon before precipitation begins again through Thursday morning. In Kansas, snowfall amounts as of noon ranged from 2 inches to 5 inches.
Winter Storm Packing Snow, Freezing Rain Moves Across U.S.
CHICAGO (AP) — A major winter storm with millions of Americans in its path brought a mix of rain, freezing rain and snow to the middle section of the United States as airlines canceled hundreds of flights, governors urged residents to stay off roads and schools closed campuses. The blast of frigid weather, which began arriving Tuesday night, put a long stretch of states from New Mexico and Colorado to Maine under winter storm warnings and watches. Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan saw freezing rain, sleet and snow on Wednesday morning. The heaviest snow is expected in Missouri, Indiana and Illinois, while significant ice accumulation is expected in an area from Louisville, Kentucky, to Memphis, Tennessee.
==========
Kansas Revenues Exceed Expectations for 18th Month in a Row
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Tax collections in Kansas exceeded the state’s expectations in January for the 18th month in a row and created a 14.5% surplus for the month. The state Department of Revenue reported Tuesday that Kansas collected nearly $945 million in taxes last month when the official forecast had predicted $825 million. The difference was almost $120 million. Since the current 2022 budget year began July 1, the state’s tax collections have been 4% above expectations with a surplus of $203 million. The state has collected more than $5.2 billion over the past seven months when it anticipated taking in about $5 billion.
==========
Kansas Lawmakers Consider Massive Incentives to Recruit Mystery Company
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is asking state lawmakers to help close a deal with a mystery company looking for a place to build a $4 billion manufacturing facility. But the deal could hinge on whether lawmakers approve a package of beefed-up incentives. The Kansas Senate has already approved the incentive package. A House committee began hearings on the package Monday. Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland is leading the effort to close the deal. He says the package - which includes tax breaks and payroll rebates - is more generous than any the state has offered in the past. But, he says, the incentives aren’t giveaways. They have to be earned. “The company gets the investment tax credit after they invest," he said. "The company gets the payroll rebate after they’ve hired and paid people.”
At the company’s insistence, everyone involved in the negotiations has agreed not to disclose the name of the business. That bothers some lawmakers who say they need to know more before approving what could be up to a billion dollars in incentives over a period of 10 years. The cost and secrecy surrounding the deal raise red flags for some lawmakers, including Republican Senator Caryn Tyson. “You know, we used to talk about the backroom, shady, smoke-filled room deals and this appears to be along those lines," she said. State officials leading the recruitment effort say most companies insist on secrecy during negotiations. They say Kansas is one of two finalists for the facility and the 4,000 new jobs that come with it.
==========
GOP Kansas Lawmaker Arrested on Suspicion of Drunken Driving
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A north-central Kansas lawmaker has been arrested in Topeka on suspicion of drunken driving. Topeka police said Tuesday that officers stopped Republican state Representative Suzi Carlson of Clay Center Monday night a few blocks south and west of the Statehouse. They said testing showed that Carlson was operating her vehicle under the influence of alcohol. An online log shows that the 69-year-old Carlson spent about three hours in the Shawnee County jail before being released on $1,000 bond at 2:15 am Tuesday. She has an appearance scheduled for March 1 in Shawnee County District Court. She has served in the House since 2019.
==========
Kansas Court Mulls Case of Man Facing Death for 4 Shootings
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’s highest court is wrestling with whether a man invoked his right to remain silent before making statements that were key to him being convicted of capital murder. The state Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in an appeal from Kyle Trevor Flack. He was sentenced to die over the fatal April 2013 shootings of three adults and a toddler whose body was found in a suitcase in a rural creek in Franklin County, about 50 miles southwest of Kansas City. Monday's hearing focused heavily on whether incriminating statements from Flack should have been suppressed at his 2016 trial when at the time he'd also made comments to officers such as, “Take me to jail!”
==========
2 Ex-Leavenworth Prison Guards Plead Guilty to Smuggling
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — Two former correctional officers at the Leavenworth Detention Center have pleaded guilty to conspiring to smuggle drugs and other contraband into the privately run federal prison. The Kansas City Star reports that 28-year-old Willie Golden, of Overland Park, and 36-year-old Janna Grier, of Horton, entered the pleas last week. Prosecutors said prisoners used an online app to pay bribes to corrections officers to smuggle in tobacco, marijuana and cell phones to prisoners from April through November 2020.
==========
Missouri Health Director Out Following Conservative Blowback
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri will soon be without a state health director following conservative outcry. State senators on Tuesday adjourned for the week without taking up Director Don Kauerauf's nomination. The deadline to confirm him is Friday, and he'll be barred from serving after then. Kauerauf opposes government mask and COVID-19 vaccine mandates. He also says he's anti-abortion. But some senators and protesters still were upset that he's encouraging vaccines and questioned how strong his personal anti-abortion beliefs are. Kauerauf took over as the state’s health director in September. Parson said Tuesday that he accepted Kauerauf’s resignation, and has temporarily appointed Richard Moore, who serves as general counsel for the department, as acting director.
==========
Iowa Man Convicted of Lottery Rigging Scheme Granted Parole
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A former lottery computer technician serving a 25-year prison sentence for ongoing criminal conduct by rigging computers to win lottery jackpots for himself, friends and family will be released from an Iowa prison on parole after serving nearly five years. Eddie Tipton was granted release by the Iowa Board of Parole on Jan. 20 and will be allowed to live in Texas, a board document said. Iowa offers time off of a prison sentence for good behavior. Tipton pleaded guilty in 2017 and was ordered to repay restitution to Colorado, Wisconsin, Kansas and Oklahoma. He could be ordered taken to prison in Wisconsin if he fails to complete payment of the more than $400,000 he owes by September 2026.
==========
Ralph Gage, Longtime Leader of Lawrence Media Company, Dies
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Ralph Gage, a longtime official with The World Company and the Lawrence Journal-World, has died. The newspaper reported that Gage died Saturday of natural causes. He was 80. Gage worked in a variety of roles for The World Company, which was the parent company of the Journal-World until the newspaper was sold in 2016. He began his career there in 1969 and retired in 2013. Gage continued to serve on The World Company's board of directors after his retirement, and was inducted into the Kansas Newspaper Hall of Fame in 2016. A memorial service is being planned.
==========
Wichita Police: Woman Hit by Car in Parking Lot Has Died
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police in Wichita say a woman who was hit by a car in a parking lot over the weekend has died of her injuries. Television station KSNW reports that the accident happened Saturday afternoon, when a 15-year-old girl backed out of a parking stall in a shopping center parking lot and hit 75-year-old Luella Beemer as Beemer was getting into her own car. Beemer was rushed to an area hospital, where she later died of her injuries. Police have not announced any charges in Beemer's death and say an investigation into the accident is being conducted.
==========
Report: Loss of Manufacturing Jobs Leads to Index Drop
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new monthly report shows that a loss of manufacturing jobs combined with other factors to slow growth in the regional economy of nine Midwest and Plains states. The overall index in January for Creighton University's Mid-America Business Conditions survey released Tuesday fell to 56.2 from December’s 64.6. Any score above 50 on the survey’s indexes suggests growth. Creighton economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the monthly survey of business leaders, pointed to a loss of manufacturing jobs. The survey’s business confidence index, which looks ahead six months, plummeted to 36.2 — the lowest reading since the beginning of the pandemic. The monthly survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
==========
Earthquake in Northwest Oklahoma Felt in Multiple States
MEDFORD, Okla. (AP) — The U.S. Geological Survey says an earthquake centered near the northwest Oklahoma town of Medford had a preliminary magnitude of 4.5. The quake was reported at about 11:10 am Monday, seven kilometers northwest of Medford. A Grant County dispatcher said there were no immediate reports of damage. People across Oklahoma, as well as in Kansas and Arkansas, reported feeling the quake. The USGS says the quake occurred at a depth of about 7.8 kilometers. Thousands of earthquakes have been recorded in Oklahoma in recent years, many linked to the underground injection of wastewater from oil and gas production. The strongest earthquake on record in Oklahoma was a magnitude 5.8 recorded near Pawnee in September 2016.
==========
Missouri Attorney General Seeks Temporary Restraining Orders in Face Mask Lawsuits
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt is seeking temporary restraining orders to halt mask mandates in three of the 45 mask-requiring school districts he has sued, and his office said additional requests will follow. The motions announced Monday ask judges to halt mask mandates at Columbia Public Schools, St. Charles School District and Ferguson-Florissant School District. A news release said more restraining order requests are “on the way,” but didn’t say when or how many. Some school leaders and elected officials have accused Schmitt of a political ploy. He is a candidate for the Republican nomination for Senate in the August primary election.
==========
Missouri Hospitals Ask Office Workers to Help Nurses
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Hospitals across Missouri are asking staff members and administrators to take on additional duties to help deal with the current surge in COVID-19 patients. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that hospital employees are being asked to pick up shifts helping nurses by doing things like grabbing supplies or answering phones, or by filling absences in areas such housekeeping and patient transport. Mercy's incoming president Steve Mackin said hospital administrators are doing whatever it takes to help the nurses and doctors who provide patient care. COVID-19 cases have been declining in the St. Louis area over the past couple weeks but the number of patients in hospitals remain near the highest levels of the pandemic.
==========
Raise Your Hand: Schools Seek Volunteers in Staffing Crunch
UNDATED (AP) – Parents may be wondering who’s teaching the kids as teacher absences mount and substitutes remain in short supply. The answer around the U.S. could be nearly anyone willing to help keep school doors open through the omicron-driven staffing crunch. It could be a local police officer, National Guard soldier, state budget analyst, parent or even a recent high school graduate. States have been loosening teaching requirements to give schools more flexibility on hiring as virus exposures, illness and quarantines add to strains on schools. Institutions have also been tapping librarians, custodians and support staff to help cover classrooms.
==========
Feds: Kansas Woman Led All-Female Islamic State Battalion
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A woman who once lived in Kansas has been arrested after federal prosecutors charged her with joining the Islamic State group and leading an all-female battalion of AK-47 wielding militants. The U.S. Attorney in Alexandria, Virginia, announced Saturday that 42-year-old Allison Fluke-Ekren has been charged with providing material support to a terrorist organization. Prosecutors say Fluke-Ekren wanted to recruit operatives to attack a college campus in the U.S. and discussed a terrorist attack on a shopping mall. An FBI affidavit also alleges that Fluke-Ekren became leader of an Islamic State unit called "Khatiba Nusaybah" in the Syrian city of Raqqa in late 2016. The all-female unit was trained in the use of AK-47 rifles, grenades and suicide belts.
==========
Kansas Man and Maryland Man Both Charged with Making Separate Threats to Kill President
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Authorities say a Maryland man and a Kansas man have been charged with making separate threats to kill President Joe Biden. Ryan Matthew Conlon of Halethorpe, Maryland; and Scott Ryan Merryman of Independence, Kansas; were arrested last week. Conlon's case was sealed until Monday. Authorities say Merryman called the White House switchboard last week and threatened the president. Federal charges against both men were filed in Baltimore. They say Conlon sent a string of messages to National Security Agency and FBI tiplines threatening to blow up the White House to kill the president, blow up NSA headquarters in Ft. Meade, Maryland, and carry out a mass shooting of NSA employees.
==========
Leavenworth Man Acquitted in Half-Brother's Shooting Death
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A jury has acquitted a 25-year-old man in the shooting death of his half-brother. Cody Huninghake, of rural Leavenworth, was charged with first-degree murder in the death of 17-year-old Robert Nelson. A Leavenworth County jury found him not guilty on Tuesday. Nelson was shot in the head July 3 at the family's home. Huninghake testified that he shot Smith accidentally when a shotgun went off as he lost his balance and fell against a wall. Huninghake was released from the Leavenworth County Jail after the verdict was announced.
==========
15-Year-Old Accused of Shooting Airsoft Gun in Theater
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have arrested a 15-year-old boy who is suspected of firing an airsoft gun in a Wichita movie theater. KAKE reports that officers responded early Sunday to the AMC theater. Wichita Police Department spokesperson Trevor Macy said the suspect was located running in the area and taken into custody. Authorities recovered two airsoft guns, which are commonly used to shoot BBs. Officials say one victim reported getting into a physical altercation with the suspect, who then punched the victim in the face, dropped the airsoft gun, and fled the scene. One victim was shot by an airsoft gun but only received minor injuries.
==========
Vandalized Plaque Honoring Jackie Robinson Headed for Kansas City Museum
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A plaque honoring baseball legend Jackie Robinson that was vandalized in Georgia is coming to Kansas City's Negro Leagues Baseball Museum to be put on display. The sign was erected in 2001 outside the birthplace of Robinson near Cairo, Georgia. Community members there discovered last year that someone had shot the plaque multiple times. Curator and museum vice president Ray Doswell tells the Kansas City Star that displaying the defaced marker is an opportunity to teach the public about Robinson’s story and combat hate. Robinson broke Major League Baseball's color barrier in 1947 when he became the league's first Black player. Robinson’s hometown has replaced the damaged marker, with help from the league.
==========
Lawrence Hopes to Prevent Lifeguard Shortage Repeat
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Winter is still nearly two months away from ending but Lawrence already is gearing up for swim season as it tries to prevent the kind of lifeguard shortage that delayed pool openings last year. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Aquatics Supervisor Lori Madaus said the city was only able to fill 60 of the 100 lifeguard positions it needed last year to have the two city pools fully operational. The Outdoor Aquatic Center opened a couple of weeks later than usual last year, with reduced hours and features, and the Indoor Aquatic Center continues to have reduced hours. That’s why that the city started hiring for summer lifeguards at the beginning of January, which is about a month earlier than usual.
==========
Britt Reid's DUI Trial Date Postponed Until September
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid's trial on a felony driving while intoxicated charge has been postponed until at least September. Reid's trial was scheduled for April but was rescheduled on Friday to September 26. Reid, the son of Chiefs Coach Andy Reid, was charged after a February 4, 2021, crash near Arrowhead Stadium that critically injured a 5-year-old girl. Reid pleaded not guilty in June. The trial was rescheduled after discussion during a brief hearing Friday concerning the availability of toxicology reports and some expert witnesses.
==========
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!