4 Shot and Wounded at Kansas City Nightclub Where Previous, Fatal Shooting Occurred
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police say four people were shot and wounded at a night club in Kansas City, Missouri, where a mass shooting occurred in January. Kansas City Police spokesman Sgt. Jake Becchina says the latest shooting at the 9ine Ultra Lounge was reported around 2:30 a.m. Sunday. One victim found at the scene with several gunshot wounds was taken to a hospital. Three others arrived separately at hospitals. All four remained in critical condition Sunday. On January 19, a man opened fire on people waiting to get inside 9ine. He killed a 25-year-old woman and wounded 15 other people before security guards shot and killed him.
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Kansas Supreme Court Reverses Criminal Threat Conviction
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has reversed a Topeka real estate developer's conviction for threatening another man, saying a law used to convict him criminalizes free speech. The court based its decision on its October ruling that struck down a law that made it a crime to speak with reckless disregard for whether one's comments would cause fear. The court at the time found that the law could make some protesters' comments illegal, violating the free speech protections. The Shawnee County district attorney's office will have the option to try developer Kent Lindemuth again or dismiss charges.
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COVID-19 Hits Fraternities, Sororities Hard in Kansas
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The coronavirus is hitting fraternities and sororities in Kansas particularly hard, with 10% testing positive at the University of Kansas and outbreaks linked to four sororities at Kansas State University. The University of Kansas says that it has conducted 21,719 tests and 474 have been positive, for a positive rate of 2.18%. But among sororities and fraternities, there have been 270 positives among 2,698 members tested. At Kansas State, health officials announced six cases at Alpha Delta Pi, six at Alpha Xi Delta, five at Chi Omega and five at Kappa Delta, The Kansas City Star reports. The cases have resulted in quarantines.
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UPDATE: More than 42,600 COVID-19 Cases, Including 446 Deaths Reported in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP/KPR) - The number of COVID-19 cases in Kansas is still climbing. The state has now recorded 42,612 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. The Department of Health and Environment reported the new data today (MON), which included 446 deaths. The three counties that have recorded the most coronavirus cases to date are Johnson (8240), Sedgwick (7306) and Wyandotte (6108). Another update on Kansas coronavirus caseswill be released Wednesday.
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KU Athletes March on Campus in Support of Black Lives Matter
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Nearly 1,000 University of Kansas athletes, students and faculty have participated in a march to end racial injustice and protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin. The Kansas City Star reports that the students joined other college athletes from across the country in demonstrations Friday to honor of the 57-year anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech. Kansas junior women's basketball player Emma Merriweather and her teammates kicked off the 2-mile march through campus, with people stretching behind for blocks. Among the marchers was Kansas football coach Les Miles, athletic director Jeff Long and chancellor Douglas Girod.
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Missouri Cancels Practice to Stand Up to Racial Inequality
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Football players from Missouri have joined other college athletes in a push to end racial injustice by canceling a practice to protest the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Wisconsin. The team said in a statement that the players had the support of their coaches and wanted to “use our platform as college student-athletes to shed light on the injustices that are plaguing our country, and to help promote CHANGE!” They were joined by college students from across the country who didn’t practice and marched Friday in honor of the 57-year anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech.
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Salina Police Officer Shot in Foot While Chasing Suspects
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a Salina police officer was shot in the foot while chasing a vehicle that wouldn't stop after running several stop signs. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident that began around 2:30 a.m. Sunday when the officer tried to stop a Lincoln Town Car. While the Lincoln was fleeing, someone in the vehicle fired at the officer and struck him in the foot. The chase continued until the Lincoln crashed into a ditch. Authorities arrested a 37-year-old man from Wichita in a field near where the car crashed. A second suspect was arrested Sunday afternoon.
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KSHSAA Board: School Districts Can Move Fall Sports to the Spring
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas high schools can move their fall sports seasons to the spring under a newly approved plan. The Wichita Eagle reports that the Kansas State High School Activities Association Board of Directors voted 53-21 Friday to approve a proposal establishing an "Alternative fall" schedule. The vote followed a unanimous Monday vote in favor of the option by KSHSAA's executive board. Kansas high schools have been split into two "bands," or groups: Class 6/5A and Class 4/3/2/1A. If at least half of the schools in each of those bands cancel fall activities, that majority would trigger the switch to a spring sports schedule.
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Autopsy: Topeka Man Died when Caught in Recycling Truck
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An autopsy says a Topeka man died accidentally in March when the dumpster he was in was dumped into a recycling truck. An autopsy recently made public says 62-year-old Paul Vigil died from multiple injuries in a cardboard recycler. Vigil's body was found March 9 by landfill employees among recycling materials. The autopsy by county coroner John Ralston said Vigil suffered gaping cuts to his left back and left upper chest and fractures to his skull, bones, and multiple ribs. Foul play is not suspected. He died on a day when Topeka received almost an inch of precipitation and had a morning low of 36 degrees.
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Kansas Primary Turnout High; Mail Ballots Show Party Split
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas had a relatively high turnout in its primary election. Voting methods most preferred by Republicans and Democrats also appeared to reflect a partisan divide across the U.S. over the coronavirus. A state board on Friday certified election results Friday showing that about 636,000 votes were cast in the Aug. 4 election. That means 34.2% of the state's nearly 1.9 million registered voters participated, and it was the highest percentage in at least a decade. Some 41% of voters cast ballots by mail. The secretary of state's office said roughly two-thirds of Democratic voters used mail-in ballots, while roughly two-thirds of Republicans preferred to vote in person.
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Kansas Candidate Admitting Abuse Had Liberal Message, Base
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A 19-year-old Kansas House candidate narrowly won his primary race with an appeal to young, liberal voters in a safe Democratic district after running for local office just the year before. Aaron Coleman has put the Kansas Democratic Party in an unwanted spotlight because he admitted before the August 4 primary to circulating revenge porn and abusing young girls online. But his 14-vote victory over seven-term state Representative Stan Frownfelter in a Kansas City district shows how social media and door-to-door campaigning can rouse voters when a district hasn't seen a contested primary in years. It also demonstrates how a liberal platform resonates with many Democratic voters.
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2 Kansas Doctors but Differing COVID-19 Takes in Senate Race
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Two doctors running for Kansas' open Senate seat have moved to different political poles on the coronvirus pandemic. Republican Rep. Roger Marshall takes a weekly dose of an anti-malaria drug that President Donald Trump has touted to ward off infection. When Marshall spoke to a recent GOP lunch meeting in the Kansas City area, his audience crowded into a restaurant banquet room and didn't wear masks. Democrat Barbara Bollier has had mostly virtual events and her first in-person event of the fall campaign featured a few people standing in a socially distanced circle outside a school. The candidates' different approaches reflect a partisan divide in the U.S.
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Former Kansas Insurance Department Building Goes on Auction Block Wednesday
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — An historic building in downtown Topeka is going up for auction this week. The state is selling the former Kansas Insurance Department building. It was constructed in 1924 as the Topeka Woman’s Club. It later housed the Insurance Department until that agency moved to a different location last year. The old building includes many stained glass windows, chandeliers, and lots of office space. Auctioneers say the building would be a perfect spot for a law firm, or any business with employees who need to interact with lawmakers. Marty Higgenbotham, Auctioneer, said, “There’s no buildings being built like it today, period. They just don’t come like this, you just don’t see the character being built today that this building exudes. Fabulous oak floors throughout the building as an example. I went all the way to the top, it’s concrete and steel, I mean this building is built to take on the weather.” The property has an appraised value of $1,464,900, according to the Shawnee County Appraiser’s Office. Higginbotham Auctioneers announced on its website that the auction will take place both live and online at 11 am Wednesday, September 2.
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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 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.