3 Students Injured in Shooting Outside Wichita School
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police say three students suffered gunshot wounds during a lunchtime shooting outside a Wichita high school. Officers responded Tuesday to 911 calls of a disturbance on a sidewalk outside East High School. Police say two male students, ages 15 and 16, were taken to a local hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, and a another 15-year-old male student later reported a graze wound to the school nurse. Authorities were able to track the vehicle and take three other teenagers into custody. Police say the shooting appears to stem from an ongoing dispute.
==========
U.S. Marshals Still Searching for Dangerous Sex Offender Who Escaped Kansas Mental Hospital
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (WDAF) - U.S. Marshals are continuing to search for a dangerous sex offender who escaped June 30 from a state mental hospital in Kansas, and they are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to his capture. The offender, 42-year-old John Freeman Colt, was sentenced in 2001 to five years in state prison for aggravated sexual battery, attempted rape, aggravated burglary, and four counts of aggravated battery against law enforcement. WDAF TV reports that Colt was required to register as a sexual offender for the remainder of his life. After his criminal sentence was completed, the State of Kansas courts deemed him a sexually violent predator at high risk to commit a future sex offense and too dangerous to be released. He was indefinitely civilly committed and sent to the Larned State Hospital’s Sexual Predator Treatment Program in 2007, where he has resided until the escape. Investigators believe Colt planned his escape several months in advance, obtaining a replica of a staff ID badge and dress clothes. While his whereabouts are currently unknown, he may be traveling to - or camping in or around - state or national parks throughout Colorado, Missouri, New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas or Utah. ( Read more.)
==========
Wichita Man Charged for Participation in January 6 Insurrection
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 37-year-old Wichita man is facing several charges after federal authorities said he assaulted Capitol police officers during the January 6, 2021 insurrection in Washington D.C. Michael Eckerman was arrested and charged Tuesday with eight counts, including assaulting, resisting or impeding officers attempting to stop protesters from entering the U.S. Capitol. An affidavit submitted by an FBI agent says Eckerman at one point pushed a police officer, who fell down some stairs, while rioters were moving through the Capitol. Eckerman told KAKE-TV that he was at the protest but did not touch any police officer or hurt anyone.
==========
Western Missouri Sheriff: 3 People Found in Home Died of Natural Causes
GLENAIRE, Mo. (AP) — The Clay County Sheriff's office says three people who were found dead in a home in July died from natural causes. Deputies found 66-year-old Roger Wilfong; his sister, 67-year-old Mary Wilfong, and their 99-year-old mother, Virginia King, dead inside a home in Glenaire. Deputies said all three were seated in the living room. Investigators determined the two women had serious health issues and could not move around without Roger Wilfong's help. He apparently died in June after choking on food, and the women were not able to access food, water or their medications. The cause of their deaths was listed as undetermined.
==========
Official: Kansas Middle School Student Died of COVID-19
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas education official says a middle school student has died of COVID-19. No details about the death have been released. The child's death would be the first reported COVID-19 death of someone aged 10 to 17 in Kansas and only the third reported for someone under 18. Education Commissioner Randy Watson said Wednesday that state health officials told him the child died this week. State health officials did not return requests for more information Wednesday. Meanwhile, state health officials reported 11 new COVID-19 clusters at schools. Data from the department showed there are now 72 active school outbreaks across the state, causing 537 cases and one hospitalization.
==========
Parents, Student in Blue Valley School District Agree to Dismiss Their Lawsuit Challenging Mask Mandate
JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. (KCUR) - A Blue Valley parent and middle school student have agreed to dismiss their lawsuit challenging the Johnson County Board of Commissioners’ mask mandate in some schools, even as a separate legal challenge is still pending. The lawsuit, filed two weeks ago, alleged the board’s order, which lasts through the end of the school year, is too long. Ryan A. Kriegshauser, the lawyer who filed it, said he dropped the suit because of the risk of the minor child being "subjected to vitriol, rumors, and innuendo from bad actors." The board of commissioners issued its health order in August. It mandates face masks in public and private schools up to the sixth grade. Still pending is another lawsuit filed earlier this month that also challenges the school mask order as an “unconstitutional exercise of governmental power.”
==========
Lenient Johnson County School District Sees High COVID-19 Rates
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Johnson County health officials say they are concerned about a high COVID-19 infection rate in the Spring Hill district, which is the only school district in the county that doesn't require masks for all grade levels. Health department data shows Johnson County schools are averaging an incidence rate of about 3 cases per 1,000 students since August 15. Spring Hill's rate was more than 15 per 1,000 students this month. Spring Hill requires masks only for younger students but also allows parents to sign exemption forms. The district says it is monitoring the situation but doesn't currently plan to change its protocols.
==========
Delta Variant Appears to Plateau but Kansas Hospitals Overwhelmed
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — A rapid surge in the number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Kansas has plateaued in recent weeks, but it’s still at a level that’s overwhelming hospitals. With the delta variant spreading this summer, the daily count of COVID inpatients quickly shot up from fewer than 200 to more than 800 people. Since mid-August, daily inpatient numbers have stayed in the mid-700s to low-800s. Hospitals are struggling to take in all those patients. Marci Nielsen, Governor's Laura Kelly's chief advisor on the pandemic, said, "the fact that we still have so many ICUs full is very concerning.” Health care workers are exhausted and burned out.” The number of newly identified COVID cases in Kansas has fallen for two weeks in a row, but fewer people are getting tested, so it’s not clear if the delta surge is slowing.
==========
Kansas Passed on Plan to Upgrade Unemployment System; Decision May Have Led to $700 Million in Fraudulent Claims
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Five years ago, a software company urged Kansas to upgrade its computer system for handling claims for unemployment benefits, but the state didn’t heed that advice. Then, a flood of fraudulent claims came in during the coronavirus pandemic. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Oracle proposed in 2015 that the Kansas Department of Labor do the upgrade to prevent fraud. Department leaders in then-Republican Governor Sam Brownback's administration concluded much of an upgrade could be handled in-house. An IT architect who worked on a Department of Labor modernization project , which was canceled in 2011, said accepting Oracle’s proposal would have minimized fraud. A recent audit suggests the state may have paid $700 million to fraudsters during the pandemic.
==========
Injured Ex-Cop Now Attorney Running for Kansas Attorney General
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — An attorney who was forced to give up a career as a police officer after a drunken driver struck him is running for Kansas attorney general next year as a Democrat. Chris Mann of Lawrence launched his campaign Tuesday with a short video. He promised to focus on public safety issues and to remove partisan politics from the attorney general’s office. Mann has never held public office and is the first Democrat to announce a bid for attorney general. He was a police officer in Lawrence but was injured during a 2002 traffic stop. He later earned a law degree and became a Wyandotte County prosecutor and state securities regulator.
==========
Remains of Revered Kansas Priest Returned to Family
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The remains of a Kansas priest who is being considered for sainthood were returned to his family, 70 years after he died in a North Korean prisoner of war camp. During a ceremony Tuesday in Hawaii, U.S. Defense officials gave the remains of Reverend Emil Kapaun to his family and officials with the Catholic Diocese of Wichita. The remains will be flown back to Kansas, where they will be taken first to Pilsen — Kapaun's hometown — before being taken to Wichita, where a funeral is scheduled for September 29. He died in a prisoner of war camp during the Korean War.
==========
Schmitt Appeals Ruling on Judges in Kevin Strickland Case
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt's office is asking a state appeals court to overturn a ruling involving which judges would oversee a hearing in the case of Kevin Strickland, who Jackson County prosecutors have said was wrongfully convicted in a triple murder more than 40 years ago. In a motion filed Wednesday, Attorneys in Schmitt's office appealed a judge's decision that would allow judges in Jackson County to hear local prosecutors argue that Strickland is innocent. Schmitt's office argues the 16th Circuit Court judges have shown a bias in Strickland's favor. Schmitt has said he believes Strickland is guilty in the 1998 murders in Kansas City.
==========
LGBTQ Advocates Demand Kansas City Cut Chick-Fil-A from Proposed List of New Airport Restaurants
KANSAS CITY, MO. (KCUR) - A Kansas City Council committee is considering a proposal for vendors at the new KCI terminal, but the inclusion of Chick-fil-A in that list has drawn complaints over the company’s history of anti-LGBTQ donations. KCUR Radio reports that a plan unveiled last week to include Chick-fil-A alongside a mix of local and national restaurants inside the new Kansas City International (KCI) airport terminal is causing concern among LGBTQ advocates, who say it betrays the terminal’s inclusive ideals. Last week, Kansas City officials named Vantage Airport Group of Vancouver, Canada, as the recommended concessions operator for KCI’s $1.5 billion new terminal. Vantage’s preliminary plan made public at a City Council business session included Chick-fil-A. Previously, the new terminal had been lauded by local advocates for its steps toward greater inclusivity, including gender-inclusive restrooms. But now those advocates say those steps feel hollow. The LGBTQ Commission of Kansas City, Missouri, released a letter to the city this week calling on elected officials to remove Chick-fil-A from consideration. Chick-fil-A’s CEO, Dan Cathy, made headlines in 2012 when he said same-sex marriage would bring “God’s judgement on our nation.” He has since continued to donate to the National Christian Charitable Foundation, which funded opposition to the Equality Act, a bill in Congress that would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation and gender identity in many aspects of U.S. life. The private company itself halted donations to the Salvation Army and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in 2019 after repeated backlash. ( Read more.)
==========
Democratic U.S. Lawmakers Attempt to Revive Nationwide Eviction Moratorium
UNDATED, (AP) - Progressive U.S. lawmakers have introduced a bill that would reimpose a nationwide eviction moratorium that lapsed last month. Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, of Massachusetts, and Rep. Cori Bush, of Missouri, say their bill would direct the secretary of Health and Human Services to implement a ban on evictions in response to COVID-19. It would remain in effect until 60 days after a public health emergency is declared. The Supreme Court’s conservative majority at the end of August allowed evictions to resume across the United States, blocking the Biden administration from enforcing a temporary ban that was put in place because of the coronavirus pandemic.
==========
Evergy Hopes to Boost Electric Vehicles Market in Kansas by Expanding Charging Network
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) - Evergy wants to spend about $30 million to spur electric vehicle adoption by expanding the charging network in Kansas. But the Kansas News Service reports state regulators aren’t on board with all of the plan. Evergy’s plan calls for spending $19 million to offer rebates to Kansas homeowners and businesses to install electric vehicle chargers. The company is also asking state regulators to approve spending $13.5 million on expanding the company’s public charging network to underserved areas outside of the Kansas City metro. Regulators at the Kansas Corporation Commission say they can get behind the rebate program, but don’t think it’s in the best interest of customers to have them pay to expand a charging network when private companies are willing to take the risk. If regulators vote to deny the request, it would be the second time regulators have prevented Evergy from passing the costs of building a charging network along to its customers.
==========
Jay-Z's Organization Seeks Kansas City, Kansas Police Agency's Documents
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A philanthropic organization led by rapper and media mogul Jay-Z is seeking police files and other records related to officer misconduct in the Kansas City, Kansas, police department. Team Roc is the criminal justice division of Jay-Z's Roc Nation. It filed a legal request Monday in Wyandotte County District Court seeking investigative files, personnel records and information on officer misconduct allegations. The department says it has released hundreds of pages of documents to the group but state law does not require the release of personnel records and criminal investigation files. Roc Nation is asking the court to override the state law and make the documents public.
==========
Man Pleads Guilty in Wichita Doctor's 2017 Stabbing Death
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 25-year-old man has pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the 2017 death of a Wichita doctor who was stabbed more than 160 times. Television station KAKE reports that Umar Dutt entered the plea Tuesday, admitting to killing 57-year-old Dr. Achutha Reddy on September 13, 2017, behind Reddy's psychiatrics office. Prosecutors say police were called to the Holistic Psychiatric Services clinic that night and found Reddy's body in an alley outside the business. Investigators say Dutt entered the clinic with Reddy and assaulted the doctor inside an office before being interrupted by an office manager. Police say Reddy then fled the building, but Dutt caught up with him in the alley. Dutt is scheduled to be sentenced on November 9.
==========
Police: Arrest Made Following Stabbing Death of Wichita Man
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police in Wichita say they've made an arrest following the late-night stabbing death of a man inside a home. Police say in a news release that officers were called shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday to a home along North Glenn and found 67-year-old Kurt Petersen suffering from several stab wounds. Petersen was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say Petersen's caretaker had called 911 after finding him on the kitchen floor with injuries. Officials say another man, 60-year-old James Shaw, was also in the home at the time and was later arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder in Petersen's death.
==========
Down Syndrome Issue at Center of Missouri Abortion Law Case
UNDATED, (AP) - The full 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis is deciding the fate of a Missouri law that puts sweeping restrictions on abortions, and a focal point of oral arguments on Tuesday was a provision prohibiting abortions based solely on a Down syndrome diagnosis. The law adopted in 2019 would ban abortions at the eighth week of pregnancy. The federal appeals court isn’t expected to rule for several weeks. In June, a three-judge 8th Circuit panel upheld an injunction prohibiting Missouri from enforcing the law’s provisions, but the full court decided to hear the case.
==========
Missouri Man Guilty of Several Felonies for Shooting Woman
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man was convicted of several felonies after the woman he shot in the head testified against him. The Jackson County Prosecutors Office said Saturday that Louis Watts was found guilty of first-degree domestic assault, unlawful use of a weapon, first-degree burglary, stealing and two counts of armed criminal action. According to court documents, Kansas City police officers found the woman bleeding from her face after they responded to a shooting in October 2019. The woman had been shot twice in the head and had a bullet lodged behind an eye. The woman told police that the 52-year-old Watts had shot her.
==========
Social Media Challenge Leads to Vandalism at Kansas Schools
MAIZE, Kan. (KNS) - A viral internet trend is causing problems for some school districts in Kansas. The Kansas News Service reports that some schools are now closing bathrooms to prevent widespread vandalism. The “devious licks” challenge on TikTok is prompting young people to vandalize school bathrooms and post videos of themselves stealing soap dispensers or other items. Officials at Maize High School closed all restrooms except for two, which are monitored. If a student needs to use the restroom during class, an escort walks them there and back. Terri Moses, with Wichita public schools, says every middle and high school in that district has been hit. Principals are limiting hall passes and posting employees at bathroom doors. “Well, it’s an inconvenience. It's an inconvenience for staff. It is, again, taking away from valuable education time,” Moses said. TikTok announced last week it was banning “devious licks” videos from the platform, saying they violate the app’s community guidelines.
(AP version)
'Devious Licks' Videos of Damage, Thefts Bedevil Schools Across the U.S., Including Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kids across the U.S. are posting TikTok videos of themselves smashing bathroom mirrors or stealing soap dispensers and even turf off football fields. The “devious licks” social media challenge went viral this week and is bedeviling principals and school district administrators. Some schools have even had to shut down bathrooms, where much of the damage is occurring. Lawrence High School had to close several bathrooms after students pried soap dispensers off the walls. But schools, students, and parents across the U.S. also have reported similar incidents. A southern Alabama high school student faces criminal charges after being caught on a surveillance camera stealing a fire extinguisher.
==========
Federal Judge: Election Official Violated Law in Voting Case Affecting Kansas, Georgia and Alabama
BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has ruled that a former high-ranking election official violated federal law in 2016 when he granted requests by Kansas, Georgia, and Alabama to modify the national voter registration form to require documentary proof of citizenship in those states. U.S. District Judge Richard Leon threw out the contested decisions made by Brian Newby, who was then executive director of the Election Assistance Commission. The judge found that Newby failed to determine whether the proposed requirement was necessary in order to register to vote. The long-delayed ruling has little practical effect since a federal appeals court earlier granted a preliminary injunction in the case.
==========
Kansas Supreme Court Upholds Tracking of Convicted Criminals
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — The Kansas Supreme Court has once again upheld the state’s vast system for tracking people convicted of certain crimes. Kansas tracks the home and work lives of people who have committed a wide range of crimes involving drugs, sex or violence. They have to report everything from dying their hair to getting an Instagram account or buying a car. Someone who commits a misdemeanor can face the same 15 years of regularly reporting to law enforcement as someone who commits murder. A 2018 Kansas News Service investigation found that the Kansas system is the most extensive in the country. Defense attorneys have repeatedly argued that the system violates constitutional rights but the state’s highest court disagrees and stood its ground again in two sex offender cases.
=========
Open Container Law Diverts Millions from Missouri Roads
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - An investigation by KCUR Radio in Kansas City finds that Missouri's decision to allow open containers of alcohol in vehicles is diverting millions of dollars from road construction to safety programs. The investigation found that Missouri has given up roughly $370 million in highway construction funds since 2001 for failing to comply with federal safety policies. Missouri allows passengers to drink in moving vehicles, which violates federal safety laws and forces the state to divert a percentage of road construction funds from federal programs to fund safety initiatives. The diverted money goes to infrastructure improvements like guard rail cables and behavioral campaigns to discourage driving while intoxicated.
==========
K-State Back in National Poll at No. 25 as Oklahoma State Trip Looms
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State University returned to the national poll at No. 25 this week, and the unbeaten Wildcats have a chance to prove they belong right away. First up is a trip to Oklahoma State, which is also off to a 3-0 start, and then comes a game against No. 4 Oklahoma. The Wildcats have already racked up wins against Stanford, which recently upended USC, along with Southern Illinois and Nevada. And the last couple have come without quarterback Skylar Thompson, who is out indefinitely with a knee injury. The question now: Can young QB Will Howard keep the unbeaten season going Saturday?
==========
KU Starting RB Velton Gardner Enters Transfer Portal
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — University of Kansas running back Velton Gardner, who led the Jayhawks in rushing last season, has entered the transfer portal. The junior saw his playing time decrease over the first three games under new coach Lance Leipold. Gardner started each game. He got 19 carries against South Dakota and eight against Coastal Carolina, then appeared in just four plays and carried twice for four yards in Saturday’s blowout loss to Baylor. By transferring now, Gardner could potentially redshirt this season and still have two years of eligibility remaining.
==========
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. This news summary is made possible by KPR listener-members. Become one today!