Sheriff Investigating Apparent Murder-Suicide Near Topeka
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Shawnee County authorities say a man and a woman were found dead in what is believed to be a murder-suicide. Sheriff Brian Hill says the bodies were found Friday afternoon in a home just south of Topeka. He says the preliminary investigation indicates the two people were shot to death in a domestic situation. Investigators do not believe anyone else is involved. Anyone with additional information is asked to contact the Shawnee County Sheriff's office.
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Stormont Vail Turns Away 20 COVID Patients Amid Vaccine Protests
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - Twenty coronavirus patients were turned away from Stormont Vail hospital in Topeka this week. The hospital's website reports that six COVID-19 patients were admitted on Thursday, but staffing shortages required the hospital to turn away 20 patient requests from other hospitals. Meanwhile, the Topeka Capital-Journal reports that several dozen people gathered near Stormont Vail yesterday (SAT) to protest the hospital's new COVID-19 vaccine mandate. The hospital announced this week that all staff will be required to receive the vaccine by October 31st. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that many of the protestors were from out of town.
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Exhibit on KC LGBTQ History Reopened after Removal from Missouri Capitol
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - An exhibit on the history of the LGBTQ community in Kansas City has reopened in a state building in Jefferson City after being removed from the Missouri Capitol earlier this week. The MissouriDepartment of Natural Resources said the exhibit opened yesterday (SAT) in the Lohman Building near the Capitol. The display was removed from the Missouri State Museum after Republican lawmakers complained. State Senator Greg Razer, a Democrat from Kansas City, criticized the decision to take down the exhibit. DNR Director Dru Buntin apologized for how the incident unfolded and that it is important to tell the history of all Missourians.
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Cattle Producers Have a Beef with 35-year Marketing Campaign
BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — It’s one of the nation’s most iconic marketing slogans, but today the checkoff program that created the “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner” campaign is under attack by cattle producers who fund it. The
beef checkoff program forces ranchers to pay $1 per head of cattle sold — purportedly to get consumers to eat more beef. But its opponents are urging cattle producers to sign a petition calling for a referendum vote on terminating the program. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack last month granted an extension until October 3rd for them to collect the required signatures due to the coronavirus pandemic.