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Headlines for Wednesday, March 3, 2021

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Kansas Lawmakers Mull Governor's Power, Closing Businesses

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Conservative Republican lawmakers argue that Kansas shouldn’t be able to shut down businesses during an emergency like the coronavirus pandemic. Their comments Wednesday came as the GOP-controlled Legislature considered how far to go in restricting a governor’s power in future emergencies. The state House gave first-round approval on a voice vote to a bill that would require governors to confer with the state’s attorney general and get legislative leaders’ approval before issuing executive orders during a state of emergency. Some conservative Republicans wanted to go farther and ban business closures or even restrictions but acknowledged Kelly would never sign such legislation.

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Kansas Senate Approves Bill Requiring In-Person K-12 Classes

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate has approved a proposal from its top Republican to require all of the state's public school districts to offer in-person classes to all students by March 26. Senate President Ty Masterson is pushing the measure with the number of new COVID-19 cases lower than they have been in months. Masterson and other Republicans argue that many students don't fare well academically or emotionally with online learning and need to get back into classrooms. The Senate's 26-12 vote Wednesday sends the measure to the House. Some Democrats argued that the bill was an attack on local control of public K-12 schools.

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House Gives Initial Approval to Civics Test for Graduation

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A bill that would require high school students to pass a civics test to graduate has won first-round approval in the Kansas House. Lawmakers voted Wednesday to advance the bill despite opposition from the Kansas State Board of Education, which has said the bill encroaches on its constitutional authority to set graduation requirements. The legislation would require students to pass one or more tests consisting of 60 questions from the U.S. citizenship test. Supporters say the move would give students basic civics knowledge to become engaged citizens. The bill faces a final House vote before going to the Senate.

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Kansas Lawmakers Approve Plan to Help Cities with Huge Energy Costs

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators have quickly created a low-interest loan program for cities to help them cover a spike in costs associated with providing heat and electricity to residents during last month’s intense cold snap. The state Senate approved the progrma by a vote of 37-1 on Wednesday to allow the state to loan out $100 million of its idle funds immediately to cities that have community owned electric and natural gas utilities. Its vote came hours after the House passed the measure, 124-0. Subzero temperatures led to a big spike in demand for natural gas, and other problems, such as freezing equipment, made gas hard to obtain, cause prices to jump.

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Kansas Lawmakers Move to Protect Businesses

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers moved Tuesday to extend protections for businesses from lawsuits over COVID-19, while a prominent critic of Democratic Governor Laura Kelly said the state's vaccine distribution has improved in recent weeks. The Senate Judiciary Committee approved a bill that would give businesses an extra year of protection, until March 31, 2022, from lawsuits from customers or employees who contract COVID-19 if those businesses were "in substantial compliance" with public health orders. The measure goes next to the Senate. Meanwhile, Senate President Ty Masterson said lawmakers are getting fewer complaints about access to vaccines now than a few weeks ago, but, "You can only go up from the bottom."

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Lawmakers Can't Cite Local Examples of Trans Girls in Sports

Legislators in more than 20 states have introduced bills this year that would ban transgender girls from competing on girls’ sports teams in public high schools. Yet in almost every case, sponsors are unable to cite an instance in their own state or region where such participation has caused problems. Asked about actual cases with consequences warranting sweeping bans, the bills' supporters focus on events in Connecticut between 2017 and 2019. During that span, two transgender sprinters combined to win 15 championship races. Supporters of transgender rights say the Connecticut case gets so much attention from conservatives because it’s the only example of its kind. They say the wave of bills addresses a threat that doesn't exist.

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Wichita Police Seeking Suspect in Overnight Shooting Death

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police say a man died in an overnight shooting, and homicide detectives are searching for a suspect. Television station KAKE reports that the shooting happened shortly before 1 am today (WED). Officers called to the home where the shooting was reported found a man in his 20s suffering from a gunshot wound. Police say the man died from his injuries on the way to the hospital. Police say several witnesses in the home told investigators the shooting happened during an argument. Police are still searching for a suspect and no arrests have been reported.

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2 Bodies Found in Burning Car in Kansas City Neighborhood

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Homicide detectives in Kansas City are investigating after police found two people dead inside a burning car in a northeastern residential neighborhood. Police say officers responded to 911 calls around 5 pm Monday reporting gunshots and a car crash in the area. Arriving officers and firefighters found a car engulfed in flames and the two bodies inside. Police say the victims had been shot, leading to the fiery crash. Police say they have been unable to identify the victims and will rely on the medical examiner to confirm their identities. Police say they have no suspects yet in the case.

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Mayor Asks FEMA for Mass Vaccination Sites in Kansas City

O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — The mayor of Missouri’s largest city has asked the federal government to make sure the state’s urban residents get better access to coronavirus vaccines. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas on Tuesday tweeted a copy of his two-page letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In it, he wrote that the federal government has plans to set up 18 mass vaccination sites around the country, but none of them are in Missouri. He asked that Kansas City be added to the list. The letter comes as some officials in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas contend the state is favoring rural areas in vaccine distribution, which Republican Gov. Mike Parson and other state officials vehemently deny.

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Missouri Expects Johnson & Johnson Vaccinations to Start Today

O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — Missouri vaccinators are expected to receive the first 50,000 doses of the newly-approved Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine by today (WED) and the state’s health director says the shots can start as soon as the doses arrive. The Food and Drug Administration cleared the Johnson & Johnson vaccine on Saturday. Nearly 4 million doses of the one-shot vaccine are now being shipped across the U.S. Some states expect to begin injections Tuesday, but Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services spokeswoman Lisa Cox said Monday that the first doses in Missouri are expected a day later.

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Abortion Concerns Prompt Archdiocese Warning on Vaccine

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Catholic leaders in New Orleans and St. Louis are advising Catholics that the COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson is “morally compromised” because it's produced using cell lines developed from aborted fetuses. Archdiocese statements in each city say Catholics should choose coronavirus vaccines made by Moderna or Pfizer — if they are available. Johnson & Johnson stressed in a statement Tuesday that no fetal tissue is used in the vaccine itself.

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Kansas Crosses 295,000 COVID-19 Case Mark, Including 4,816 Deaths

TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — The  Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) reported Wednesday that there have been 295,109 cases of COVID-19, including 4,816 deaths, since the start of the pandemic. That's an increase of 807 cases and 73 deaths since Monday. Johnson County has the highest number of recorded cases, with more than 54,500.  KDHE will provide another update on Friday. 

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COVID Helpline Launched for Douglas County Residents

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - A new COVID helpline is now available for Douglas County residents.  The phone number - (785) 864-9000 - will be answered by trained staff who can help answer questions about vaccinations, testing, symptoms, local public health orders and other questions related to the coronavirus.  The helpline will be available from 8 am to 5 pm Monday through Friday, and from 8 am to noon on Saturday.  The University of Kansas has been using this phone number to help answer COVID-related questions since before the fall 2020 semester. Now, it has expanded the number of phone lines and employees available to answer calls with the help of various Douglas County agencies.  Those agencies include: Senior Resource Center for Douglas County, LMH Health and Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health.

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Tensions over Vaccine Equity Pit Rural Against Urban America

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Questions about how a limited supply of vaccine should be distributed have now found a new focus in rural America. As the unprecedented campaign to inoculate the most vulnerable Americans continues, those in some rural areas say they are getting slighted in favor of urban centers. At the same time, city dwellers in some states are traveling hours to score the vaccine in tiny towns and remote villages, sparking conflicts that play on the existing partisan divides worsened by the pandemic.

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States Easing Virus Restrictions Despite Experts' Warnings

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — With the U.S. vaccination drive picking up speed and a third formula on the way, states eager to reopen for business are easing coronavirus restrictions despite warnings from health experts that the outbreak is far from over and that moving too quickly could prolong the misery.  The push to reopen comes as nearly 20% of the nation’s adults have gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 10% have been fully inoculated. The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urgently warning state officials and ordinary Americans not to let their guard down.

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Kansas City Police Investigating After Human Remains Discovered Near Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police are investigating after human skeletal remains were found in a wooded area in the heart of Kansas City. The Kansas City Star reports that the remains were found by a woman Tuesday afternoon near West 34th Street and Roanoke Road. Homicide police and the medical examiner’s office quickly determined the bones were human. Police say a death investigation has been launched and the medical examiner will try to determine how the person died.

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Man Who Injured Officer, Rammed Koch Gate Given Probation

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A man who prosecutors say injured a 42-year-old Wichita officer after intentionally ramming into a private security gate at a Koch family home has been sentenced to three years of probation. Aron James White was sentenced last week for injuring the officer in January 2019. The Kochs did not press charges for damage to the gate and surrounding property. Prosecutors say White drove into the gate after a security guard wouldn't let him through. He then crashed into a patrol car driven by officer Atlee Vogt, who suffered bruises and minor burns. White was arrested after running into a tree on the Kochs' property.

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Man Gets 20 Years for Death of Kansas City Woman

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for the 2015 killing a woman whose body was found in a trash bag in 2016. The Kansas City Star reports that a Jackson County judge on Monday handed down the sentence to 62-year-old Kevin Hurley for the death of 42-year-old Brandy Helbock-Castaneda. Hurley had been on parole after serving time in prison for robbery and murder when Helbock-Casteneda was killed. Her sister reported her missing in December 2015, and her body was found in January 2016. Prosecutors say DNA taken from Helbock-Castenda's ankle and from a rope around her waist matched Hurley's DNA.

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NTSB: Pilot in Missouri Plane Crash that Killed 2 Ignored Ice Warning

GALT, Mo. (AP) — National investigators say a pilot ignored warnings about ice and bad weather before his small plane crashed in northern Missouri last month, killing him and his passenger. The crash on February 8 near Galt in Grundy County killed 82-year-old Philip Joseph LeFevre III, of Glendale, and 47-year-old Philip Joseph LeFevre IV, of Sunset Hills. The National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary report says the single-engine Cessna was covered with ice when it landed in Moberly. The pilot asked for help to de-ice the plane but dismissed suggestions that the men stay in Moberly until the weather improved. The report does not say which of the men was the pilot.

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Lawyer Wants "Most Serious Charges" Against Ex-Chiefs Coach

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — An attorney for the family of a 5-year-old girl critically injured in a crash involving former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid says the girl suffered a devastating brain injury that has left her unable to speak or walk. Attorney Tom Porto said Tuesday in an interview with ABC's "Good Morning America" that the family of 5-year-old Ariel Young wants to see "the most serious charges and the most serious sentence that Britt could ever receive." The girl has been hospitalized since the February 4 crash in which Reid's truck slammed into two cars on the side of the road. Police have said Reid told investigators he had "two or three drinks" along with prescribed Adderall before the crash. No charges have been filed.

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Wichita Man Accused of Injuring Woman with Sword

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police say they arrested a man who attacked his girlfriend with a sword and stabbed her dog. Officer Charley Davidson said Wednesday that 41-year-old James Brown was arrested. Police began looking for Brown early Tuesday after officers found a 41-year-old woman suffering from severe cuts on her hand and back. She was hospitalized in serious condition. Davidson said in a news release that Brown and the woman began arguing. He allegedly hit the woman with the sword several times and stabbed the dog before leaving the scene. Investigators also discovered the woman was strangled in another incident.

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Former Kansas Congressman Steve Watkins Enters Diversion Agreement in Voter Fraud Case

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Former Kansas Congressman Steve Watkins has entered into a diversion program to avoid a criminal trial over allegations that he voted illegally in a 2019 municipal election. Watkins, a Republican from Topeka who served only one term, was accused of listing a postal box at a UPS Inc. store as his residence on a state voter registration form. He was also accused of lying to a detective who investigated the case. Watkins said in a statement Tuesday that he did not intend to deceive anyone. He acknowledged telling the detective he didn't vote in the Topeka City Council election, which was not true. Watkins lost the 2020 primary to the man who now holds the Kansas 2nd District seat in Congress, Republican Jake LaTurner.

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Chief Says Shooting of 3 Kansas Police Officers Was Not a Trap

LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — Law enforcement officials say it appears a shooting that injured three Wichita police officers over the weekend was not a premeditated trap. Wichita Chief Gordon Ramsay said Monday that a shotgun without a target guard was left in the pocket of a recliner with several other items. Some type of bump caused the gun to go off, hitting three officers in the legs while they were searching the house on Saturday. Officers arrested 46-year-old James Hathorn and 43-year-old Tiffany Vulgamore, both of Wichita, who were staying in the house. Two officers have been treated and released and the third is expected to be released Monday.

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Man Who Injured Officer, Rammed Gate at Koch Estate Given Probation

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A man who prosecutors say injured a 42-year-old Wichita officer after intentionally ramming into a private security gate at a Koch family home has been sentenced to three years of probation. Aron James White was sentenced last week for injuring the officer in January 2019. The Kochs did not press charges for damage to the gate and surrounding property. Prosecutors say White drove into the gate after a security guard wouldn't let him through. He then crashed into a patrol car driven by officer Atlee Vogt, who suffered bruises and minor burns. White was arrested after running into a tree on the Kochs' property.

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Sedgwick County Deputy Arrested in Contraband Probe

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter says a 35-year-old deputy who works in the county jail has been arrested during an investigation into contraband brought into the jail. Easter says the investigation into began last week after officials got a tip that the deputy was bringing contraband into the jail. During that investigation, detectives discovered David Cameron also was involved in an incident involving neglect of an inmate. On Monday, detectives seized a phone, marijuana, tobacco, a lighter and K-2, a suspected synthetic drug, from inmates in one jail pod. Cameron, who has been with the sheriff’s office since June 2019, was suspended without pay during the investigation.

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Police: Driver Arrested in Deadly Crash in North Wichita

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police say a driver believed to have caused a deadly two-car crash in northeastern Wichita has been arrested. Police arrested 28-year-old Luis Ramos-Tafolla on suspicion of vehicular homicide, drunken driving, reckless driving and other counts in the early Monday crash that killed 60-year-old Jessie Lee Johnson. Investigators say Ramos-Tafolla was driving a Dodge Charger on Interstate 135 when he rear-ended Johnson's car, then vaulted over the side of the raised interstate and fell to the ground below. Johnson died at the scene, and two passengers in his car — a 62-year-old man and a 53-year-old woman — were hospitalized with serious injuries. Ramos-Tafolla was treated for minor injuries.

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No Charges in Police Shooting of Black Man in Kansas City

LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City police officer who shot and killed a Black man last year will not be charged. The Jackson County prosecutor announced Monday that investigations into the death of 47-year-old Donnie Sanders did not find enough evidence to support charges against the officer, whose name has not been released. Sanders was shot in March 2020 after the officer began following him for alleged traffic violations. The officer confronted Sanders when he got out of his vehicle in an alley. The officer told investigators that he believed Sanders was pointing a gun at him. Investigators determined Sanders did not have a gun.

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Haskell University Student Editor Sues over Directive Muting Student Newspaper

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The student newspaper editor at Haskell Indian Nations University filed a federal lawsuit Tuesday alleging the university and its president violated the First Amendment rights of the students by retaliating against them for engaging in protected speech and journalistic activities. The lawsuit stems from a directive that Haskell’s president, Ronald Graham, sent in October to Jared Nally, editor of The Indian Leader, instructing him not to contact any government agency for information while representing the paper or “attack” any student, faculty member or staff member in news copy.

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Legislation Would Let Missourians Keep Unemployment Overpayments

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A pending bill would exempt thousands of Missourians from repaying federal unemployment benefit overpayments. At issue are mistakes by Missouri's Labor Department as it was considering a huge influx of unemployment claims during the coronavirus pandemic. The agency doled out roughly $146 million to 46,000 people who didn't qualify. Governor Mike Parson and his administration now are trying to get that money back from Missourians. The proposed Missouri bill would stop the state from collecting the federal portion of the overpayments. But Missourians who mistakenly received unemployment help would still have to pay back money that the state chipped in.

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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.