GOP Claims Kansas Governor Is Spending COVID Funds Illegally
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Top Republican legislators in Kansas are accusing Democratic Governor Laura Kelly’s administration of illegally spending at least $86 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds by not getting their approval first. Kelly’s office didn't respond Tuesday to a letter from Senate President Ty Masterson, House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr. and the House and Senate budget committee chairs. In the letter, the lawmakers threaten to explore filing a lawsuit if Kelly does not change course. The Republicans say a budget measure requires legislative leaders’ consent for any spending of relief dollars starting July 1. Kelly's office contends agencies already have the authority to spend relief dollars.
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Pompeo Speaks to Wichita Conference About U.S. Withdrawal from Afghanistan
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) _ Former Kansas Congressman and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calls the fall of the government in Afghanistan a foreign policy failure. Speaking at a conference in Wichita Monday, Pompeo said the fall of the government in Afghanistan is a foreign policy failure by the Biden administration. Pompeo said that allowing the Taliban to take over so quickly makes the U-S look weak to its enemies. “We let the other side believe they could route us and they drove a truck through it. You can be sure that Chairman Kim, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin are all watching what’s happening in Afghanistan today,” Pompeo said. He also predicted that the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan will have long-term consequences in the region. Initial drawdown of troops and a plan to exit Afghanistan started during former-President Trump’s administration. President Biden says the Trump plan left the U.S. in a weak position to exit the country.
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Kansas Redistricting to Focus on Democratic Representative's Region, Cut Rural Clout
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Ten years of population shifts will boost the clout of the Kansas City and Wichita areas in Kansas politics and fuel a fight over redrawing the district of the only Democrat representing the state in Congress. The Republican-controlled Legislature must use census data released last week to redraw congressional and legislative districts next year. The 3rd Congressional District represented by Democrat Sharice Davids, is now overpopulated. If GOP state lawmakers remain united, they will set the new lines. Meanwhile, the new census figures suggest Johnson County could gain three Kansas House seats and a Kansas Senate seat, and Sedgwick County could gain a House seat.
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Democrat Leaving Kansas House Joins National Atheists Group
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A Democrat who has announced that he’s stepping down from the Kansas House will serve as state policy director for a national group that defends the rights of atheists and fights to keep religion out of government. American Atheists on Monday announced the appointment of Democratic state Representative Brett Parker, of Overland Park. Parker announced in May that he would resign from the Legislature after helping to found the liberal nonprofit advocacy group Prairie Roots. His resignation from the House is effective August 29. American Atheists said that as its state policy director, Parker will manage its communications with state lawmakers and how it engages grassroots supporters.
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Report: Extreme Heat is Endangering Farmworkers
WASHINGTON, D.C. (HPM / KPR) - A new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists says that as summers become increasingly hot due to climate change, farmworkers in the Midwest will continue to face dangerous working conditions. The report says workers must often choose between risking their lives in extreme heat of losing significant amounts of their income. The report looked at how workers whose jobs require them to be outside, will fare economically as summertime heat intensifies. It found that if greenhouse gas emissions are not curbed, outdoor workers in the Midwest will continue to be exposed to dangerous conditions and could lose out on billions of dollars in earnings. The report says farmworkers are among the most vulnerable to heat related illness and death. The UCS says one of the objectives of the study was to develop information that can be used to prevent workers from having to make that choice. The report recommends that the government impose heat safety standards to protect workers, specifically farmworkers, who are among the most vulnerable to heat-related illness and death.
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Unvaccinated Johnson County Employees Must Get Tested Weekly
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) - The most populous county in Kansas is requiring its employees to submit to weekly COVID-19 testing if they aren't vaccinated. Johnson County Manager Penny Postoak Ferguson said that only 46% of county employees had reported being fully vaccinated as of Wednesday. Countywide, nearly 58% of eligible residents are fully vaccinated. Beginning Aug. 23, government employees who are not fully vaccinated must get tested once a week. The Kansas City Star reports that employees who work in departments providing direct care to residents are subject to tests up to twice weekly.
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Report Shows Racial Disparity and Low Overall Vaccination Rates for Kansas Kids
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) - A report from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows COVID-19 vaccination rates remain low for Kansas kids, and especially low for some racial groups. Children over 12 are eligible for the vaccine and pediatricians are pleading with families to get their kids vaccinated but only about 1 in 10 Kansas children have gotten the shot. The report also indicates that there are broad racial disparities. Black children are half as likely as their white peers to have been vaccinated. Latoya Hill is an analyst at the Kaiser Family Foundation. She says the survey found parents of color have more concerns including difficulty traveling to a vaccination site and falsely believing they may have to pay out of pocket for the shot. Covid vaccines are free. Hill says low vaccination rates are especially worrying right now because of the rapid increase in delta variant cases involving kids.
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Review Board Denies Parole for Killer of 9-Year-Old Lawrence Boy in 1988
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW / KPR) _ A man convicted of killing a 9-year-old boy in Lawrence in 1988 will stay in prison for at least the next seven years. The Lawrence Journal World reports that the Kansas prisoner review board has denied parole for 60-year-old John William. William was convicted of 1st degree murder in 1989. The body of Richard Settlemyre was found near the Kansas River. He had last been seen fishing with William two weeks before his body was discovered. Carol Pitts, public information officer for the Kansas Department of Corrections confirmed the board’s decision. Williams will next be eligible for parole in 2028.
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Parents of 3-Year-Old Boy Who Died at Dentist Office Sue
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The parents of a 3-year-old Scott City boy who died after a dental procedure in Wichita have filed a wrongful death lawsuit. Angel Zapata and Nancy Valenzuela filed the lawsuit Tuesday, alleging their son did not receive proper care during a procedure to remove teeth on July 6. The suit names dentist Scott White, nurse-anesthetist Jeremy Salsbury, Tiny Teeth Dentistry and Special Anesthesia Services. The lawsuit says that shortly after the boy received anesthetics, he showed signs of an irregular heart rhythm and inadequate patient ventilation. Emergency responders were called but the boy died at a hospital.
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Wichita Man Convicted of Beating Friend to Death with Hands
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 37-year-old Wichita man will be sentenced in November after being convicted of beating a friend to death with his bare hands. Steven Speakman was convicted earlier this month of involuntary manslaughter in the death of 33-year-old Haley Collins, of Bel Aire. Investigators say Speakman and Collins got into an argument that turned physical in the parking lot of a Dillon's store on August 21, 2019. An affidavit says Collins had refused to give Speakman a ride home. Dillon's employees who witnessed the fight said Speakman punched Collins, jumped on top of him and hit him several more times. Speakman, who was convicted on Aug. 6, is scheduled to be sentenced November 1.
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Former Junction City Athletic Trainer Sentenced for Sexual Exploitation
JUNCTION CITY, Kan. (AP) _ A former high school athletic trainer in Junction City has been sentenced to two months in a county jail and three years' probation for sending obscene photos and text messages to an underage student. Television station KSNT reports that 30-year-old Brandon Martino was sentenced Monday in a Geary County courtroom after pleading no contest last month to a single count of sexual exploitation of a child. Martino's license to serve as an athletic trainer was suspended in July by a state licensing board after an investigation found he had sent sexually explicit text messages and nude images of himself to the student. Martino was suspended from his Junction City High School job following his arrest in January.
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Kansas City Southern Delays Vote on $33.6 Billion Rail Takeover Bid
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Kansas City Southern will delay this week’s planned shareholder vote on Canadian National’s $33.6 billion offer to buy the railroad because regulators haven’t ruled on a key part of the acquisition plan. The vote scheduled for Thursday was put on hold while investors wait to hear whether the U.S. Surface Transportation Board will approve Canadian National’s plan to use a voting trust as part of the acquisition. Without that approval, the deal may fall apart. The STB has said it expects to rule by August 31. If the CN deal gets derailed, Canadian Pacific railroad is waiting in the wings with a competing $31 billion offer to purchase Kansas City Southern.
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Kansas Patrol: Atchison Man Killed in UTV Crash
ATCHISON, Kan. (AP) _ The Kansas State Patrol says an Atchison man is dead after the utility vehicle he was driving crashed into a car. Television station KSNT reports that the crash happened Saturday afternoon, killing 26-year-old Eli Whittaker. Investigators say Whittaker was driving a UTV on Kansas Highway 7 when he swerved to try to avoid another UTV in front of him that had slowed for traffic. Troopers say Whittaker hit the other UTV, then crossed into the patch of oncoming traffic and was hit by a car. Whittaker died at the scene. Investigators say he was not wearing a helmet at the time of the crash.
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Kansas Firefighter Dies After Being Shocked by Power Lines
ROLLA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a southwest Kansas firefighter died after being shocked by power lines while working at the scene of a traffic crash. Morton County Emergency Management officials said the firefighter and a sheriff's deputy were the first to arrive at the accident site Sunday afternoon just south of Rolla. The responders were searching for victims when the firefighter was shocked by damaged power lines. Emergency management says CPR was performed at the scene but the firefighter died later at a hospital. The firefighter's name has not been released. An investigation is continuing.
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Man Killed at Birthday Party in Wichita; Suspect in Custody
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police are investigating a shooting death at a birthday party. Police say 25-year-old Robertino Gomez, of Wichita, was killed Sunday night in south Wichita. A suspect, 42-year-old Marcello Ibarra, is jailed on possible charges of second-degree murder, aggravated assault, criminal possession of a firearm and a warrant out of Arizona. Police say when Ibarra decided to leave the party, Gomez went to check on him. Witnesses reported hearing gunshots and found Gomez shot. He died at the scene. Police spokesman Officer Trevor Macy said investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the shooting.
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Fatal Shooting Reported at Kansas City, Kansas, Park
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) - Authorities are investigating a fatal shooting at a park in Kansas City, Kansas. Wyandotte County Sheriff's Captain Kyle Harvey said the shooting was reported in Matney Park shortly before 5:30 a.m. Sunday. First responders who went to the park found a man inside a car who had been shot several times. The man's name and age were not immediately released Sunday. No arrests were reported Sunday by the sheriff's office, which is investigating the shooting. The Kansas City Star reports that this shooting is the 24th homicide of the year in Kansas City, Kansas.
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Former Teacher Sentenced to Probation for Sex with Student
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - An ex-teacher and former Wichita City Council candidate has been sentenced to three years of probation for having a sexual relationship with a teenage student. Rodney Wren also was ordered Friday to undergo mental-health treatment, medication management, substance-abuse treatment and treatment for being a sex offender. Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said Wren also will be under a post release supervision for his lifetime and will have to register as a sex offender. The Wichita Eagle reports that he faces a 34 month prison sentence if he violates his probation.
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Topeka Lawyer Disbarred After Hit-and-Run Crash Conviction
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - A Topeka attorney who was convicted in a fatal hit-and-run crash has been disbarred. The Kansas Supreme Court revoked Roy Artman's law license because of his role in the fatal 2016 crash that killed 29-year-old Anthony Espinoza. He was found guilty in 2019 of leaving the scene of a fatal crash. According to court records, Artman struck two people who were changing a tire on their vehicle while he was driving on Interstate 70 between Topeka and Lawrence. Espinoza was killed and the other person was injured. Artman was sentenced to 24 months of probation after he was convicted in November 2019.
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Big 12 Teams Face Forfeits if Virus Keeps Them from Playing
IRVING, Texas (AP) — Big 12 teams will have to forfeit games and be given a loss if unable to play a conference game this fall because of COVID-19. Or any other reasons. The Big 12 says a no contest will be declared only if both teams are unable to compete. There are no plans to make up any games not played as scheduled. And there are no longer football roster thresholds in effect like there were last season and allowed teams to seek a no contest.
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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 and by 1 pm on weekends. This news summary is made possible by KPR listener-members. Become one today!