University of Kansas Suspends 2 Fraternities Until 2027
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP/LJW) — The University of Kansas has suspended two fraternities for five years following an investigation that accused the clubs of fostering a culture of hazing. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the university on Tuesday informed Phi Gamma Delta and Phi Delta Theta in a letter that they will be removed from KU's campus until the spring of 2027. The letter says investigations by national fraternity leadership and reviewed by a university panel found the fraternities engaged in a pattern of hazing, including action that hurt students. One instance attributed to Phi Gamma Delta says a pledge suffered a concussion after being thrown against a locker. Phi Delta Theta was also accused of causing harm to pledges through forced workouts and other actions.
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Security Check at Larned State 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 the facility. 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 Monday night. He was arrested Tuesday in Garden City.
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Hospitals Overflow with COVID Patients as Staff Members Fall Ill
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Patients are dying in emergency rooms of small Kansas hospitals as larger hospitals that are struggling with soaring staff absences and COVID-19 cases turn down transfers. Hospitals across the state painted a dire picture Wednesday of worsening conditions as the highly contagious omicron variant collides with a delta variant surge. They urged public officials to require masks and impose emergency declarations that could free up more resources, saying they are struggling to keep up with the demand for testing and that surgeries are being delayed and clinics cancelled.
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Douglas County Implements Emergency Mask Mandate
LAWRENCE, Kan.(KPR/LDCPH)- An emergency public health order that requires face coverings for those ages 2 and older inside public spaces in Douglas County will go into effect Friday, January 7, as COVID-19 cases have rapidly increased during the past week. As of January 3, there were 1,538 active cases reported in Douglas County, according to Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health. The 14-day moving average for new cases is at 89 cases per day, a record high for the county. The order will remain in effect until Wednesday, January 12, unless it is otherwise rescinded or modified by the Douglas County Commission. The Commission will meet again on the 12th to discuss a possible extension of the order.
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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 district-wide mask mandate.
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Missouri, Kansas Schools React with Various COVID-19 Rules as Classes Resume
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) - The University of Missouri says it currently does not plan to delay the start of the spring semester or return to online classes as some other universities have done because of the latest surge in COVID-19 cases. Stephens College, a private women's college in Columbia, will offer only remote classes for the first two weeks of the semester. More than 70 colleges nationwide announced by January 1 that they will switch to online learning or delay the start of the spring semester because of concerns over increasing COVID-19 cases caused by the omicron virus and holiday gatherings.
The University of Kansas will continue to require a 10 day quarantine and isolation period following a positive COVID-19 test. KU officials say they are reviewing the new CDC isolation guidance. Meanwhile, a federal judge in Georgia issued an injunction halting implementation of the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate for federal government contractors & subcontractors in all states. As a result, KU will pause its employee vaccine mandate process immediately. KU officials say it is highly recommended but not required that all faculty, staff, and students get the COVID-19 vaccine.
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Missouri Recorded More than 1,000 Traffic Deaths in 2021
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri transportation officials say the state recorded more than 1,000 traffic deaths in 2021. It is the first time since 2006 that Missouri had more than 1,000 traffic fatalities. The department says in a news release that 1,004 people died in traffic crashes last year. That's a 2% increase over last year and the second consecutive year traffic fatalities increased after more than a decade of decline. The department says about two-thirds of the people killed were not wearing seat belts. Preliminary data also says use of cell phones while driving and speeding were also significant factors in many of the crashes.
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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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Police: Child Accidentally Shoots Wamego Woman at Home
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a Wamego woman was critically injured when a child accidentally shot her. The Wamego police department said first responders who went to a Wamego home early Wednesday found a 31-year-old woman suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. She is hospitalized in Topeka in critical condition. Officials say evidence indicates the woman was shot by a handgun fired by a small child. Chief Michael Baker said a mother, father and child lived in the home where the shooting occurred. No names or further details have been released.
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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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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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Kansas State Dominates LSU 42-20 in Texas Bowl
HOUSTON (AP) — Deuce Vaughn and the Kansas State Wildcats finished a streaky season on a positive note with a dominant 42-20 win over LSU in the Texas Bowl. Vaughn, a sophomore running back and first-team All-American as an all-purpose player, rushed for 146 yards on 21 carries. He scored four touchdowns — three rushing and one receiving. Kansas State also got a strong performance from quarterback Skylar Thompson, who returned to make his final collegiate start after missing the regular-season finale with an ankle injury. Thompson completed 21 of 28 passes for 259 yards and three touchdowns. Malik Knowles had two touchdown catches and 42 yards receiving.
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Chiefs Pivot Again After Game vs Broncos Flexed to Saturday
UNDATED (AP) – Andy Reid is a creature of habit, which makes the late decision by the NFL to flex the Chiefs' game against Denver to Saturday _ well, not exactly welcomed in Kansas City. But on the bright side, this isn't the first time the Chiefs have had to adapt on the fly this season. They already had their home game against the Broncos flexed from an afternoon kickoff to primetime in early December. And a couple of weeks ago, an outbreak of COVID-19 forced them to change gears before their game against the Chargers.
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Chiefs Expect Injured Orlando Brown Back for Broncos Game on Saturday
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs should have left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. on the field when they visit the Broncos on Saturday. Brown hurt his calf muscle during pregame warmups and missed last week's last-second loss in Cincinnati. But he did just about everything in practice Tuesday and coach Andy Reid said he expects Brown on the field in Denver. The Chiefs need to beat the Broncos and hope Tennessee loses to Houston on Sunday to earn the AFC's No. 1 seed.
The news wasn't as good for right tackle Lucas Niang, who tore his patellar tendon early on against the Bengals. He'll miss the rest of the season, pushing backup tackle Andrew Wylie back into the starting lineup the rest of the way. The Chiefs also hope to get Mike Remmers back from injured reserve, where he's been rehabbing a back injury. But Reid said Tuesday that Remmers is still feeling some pain and that he wasn't sure when he might be available.
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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!