Winter Storm Could Dump 4 to 11 Inches of Snow
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - A Winter Storm Watch has been issued by the National Weather Service for portions of central, east central and northeast Kansas. It will remain in effect Tuesday evening hrough Thursday morning. The National Weather Service says rain will transition to snow Tuesday evening, with heavy snow possible overnight through Wednesday. Total snow accumulations of 4 to 11 inches are possible with highest amounts along and southeast of the Kansas Turnpike. Forecasters say travel could be difficult during this time. Additionally, wind chills as low as 15 below zero are possible Wednesday and Thursday. ( Read more.)
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Kansas Lawmakers Consider Massive Incentives to Recruit Mystery Company
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is asking state lawmakers to help close a deal with a mystery company looking for a place to build a $4 billion manufacturing facility. But the deal could hinge on whether lawmakers approveg a package of beefed-up incentives. The Kansas Senate has already approved the incentive package. A House committee begins hearings on the package today (MON). Lieutenant Governor and Commerce Secretary David Toland is leading the effort to close the deal. He says the package - which includes tax breaks and payroll rebates - is more generous than any the state has offered in the past. But, he says, the incentives aren’t giveaways. They have to be earned. “The company gets the investment tax credit after they invest," he said. "The company gets the payroll rebate after they’ve hired and paid people.”
At the company’s insistence, everyone involved in the negotiations has agreed not to disclose the name of the business. That bothers some lawmakers who say they need to know more before approving what could be up to a billion dollars in incentives over a period of 10 years. The cost and secrecy surrounding the deal raise red flags for some lawmakers, including Republican Senator Caryn Tyson. “You know, we used to talk about the backroom, shady, smoke-filled room deals and this appears to be along those lines," she said. State officials leading the recruitment effort say most companies insist on secrecy during negotiations. They say Kansas is one of two finalists for the facility and the 4,000 new jobs that come with it.
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Kansas Court Mulls Case of Man Facing Death for 4 Shootings
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’s highest court is wrestling with whether a man invoked his right to remain silent before making statements that were key to him being convicted of capital murder. The state Supreme Court heard arguments Monday in an appeal from Kyle Trevor Flack. He was sentenced to die over the fatal April 2013 shootings of three adults and a toddler whose body was found in a suitcase in a rural creek in Franklin County, about 50 miles southwest of Kansas City. Monday's hearing focused heavily on whether incriminating statements from Flack should have been suppressed at his 2016 trial when at the time he'd also made comments to officers such as, “Take me to jail!”
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Earthquake in Northwest Oklahoma Felt in Multiple States
MEDFORD, Okla. (AP) — The U.S. Geological Survey says an earthquake centered near the northwest Oklahoma town of Medford had a preliminary magnitude of 4.5. The quake was reported at about 11:10 a.m., seven kilometers northwest of Medford. A Grant County dispatcher said there were no immediate reports of damage. People across Oklahoma, as well as in Kansas and Arkansas, reported feeling the quake. The USGS says the quake occurred at a depth of about 7.8 kilometers. Thousands of earthquakes have been recorded in Oklahoma in recent years, many linked to the underground injection of wastewater from oil and gas production. The strongest earthquake on record in Oklahoma was a magnitude 5.8 recorded near Pawnee in September 2016.
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Teen Shot and Killed in Kansas City, Kansas Saturday
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A teenager was shot and killed Saturday night in Kansas City, Kansas. Police said the shooting was reported around 10:30 pm Saturday in the 200 block of South 14th Street. Officers found a boy who was in its early teens with a gunshot wound inside a home. Paramedics said the boy died at the scene. The victim's name and age were not immediately released. No arrests have been announced.
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Andale Girls Basketball Coach Dies, Hours After Game
ANDALE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas community is mourning the loss of a longtime basketball coach who died hours after coaching his last game. Ted Anderson coached the girls team at Andale High School and taught middle school. An email from the district's superintendent said Anderson died Thursday night. No cause of death was given. He was 53. He had coached the team to a win hours before his death. On Friday, the team took to the court in honor of their coach and beat Garden Plain to advance to a tournament final.
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Feds: Kansas Woman Led All-Female Islamic State Battalion
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) — A woman who once lived in Kansas has been arrested after federal prosecutors charged her with joining the Islamic State group and leading an all-female battalion of AK-47 wielding militants. The U.S. Attorney in Alexandria, Virginia, announced Saturday that 42-year-old Allison Fluke-Ekren has been charged with providing material support to a terrorist organization. Prosecutors say Fluke-Ekren wanted to recruit operatives to attack a college campus in the U.S. and discussed a terrorist attack on a shopping mall. An FBI affidavit also alleges that Fluke-Ekren became leader of an Islamic State unit called "Khatiba Nusaybah" in the Syrian city of Raqqa in late 2016. The all-female unit was trained in the use of AK-47 rifles, grenades and suicide belts.
(–Additional Reporting–)
Family Wants No Contact with Woman Facing Terrorism Charge
ALEXANDRIA, Va. (AP) — The family of a Kansas woman charged with joining the Islamic State group and leading an all-female battalion has told prosecutors they want nothing to do with her. Allison Fluke-Ekren made an initial appearance Monday in federal court in Alexandria. She was ordered to remain jailed pending a detention hearing set for Thursday. An attorney was appointed to represent her. Prosecutors say Fluke-Ekren became leader of an all-female Islamic State unit in Syria in 2016 that trained in the use of AK-47 rifles, grenades and suicide belts. She grew up in Kansas but left the U.S. more than a decade ago.
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UPDATE: 2 Men Charged with Making Separate Threats to Kill President
COLLEGE PARK, Md. (AP) — Authorities say a Maryland man and a Kansas man have been charged with making separate threats to kill President Joe Biden. Ryan Matthew Conlon of Halethorpe, Maryland; and Scott Ryan Merryman of Independence, Kansas; were arrested last week. Conlon's case was sealed until Monday. Authorities say Merryman called the White House switchboard last week and threatened the president. Federal charges against both men were filed in Baltimore. They say Conlon sent a string of messages to National Security Agency and FBI tiplines threatening to blow up the White House to kill the president, blow up NSA headquarters in Ft. Meade, Maryland, and carry out a mass shooting of NSA employees.
(–Earlier Reporting–)
Kansas Man Charged with Threatening Biden Held in Maryland Jail
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Kansas man is being held in Maryland on charges that he threatened President Joe Biden. A court filing says Scott Merryman made the threats to multiple Secret Service agents and called the police in Independence, Kansas, to let them know he was traveling to Washington to see the president. According to the court document, Merryman said he was going to cut off "the head of the serpent in the heart of the nation," and posted on Facebook that Biden is the "AntiChrist." An official with the Washington County Detention Center in Hagerstown, Maryland, says Merryman is being held there pending a court appearance Monday.
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15-Year-Old Accused of Shooting Airsoft Gun in Theater
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have arrested a 15-year-old boy who is suspected of firing an airsoft gun in a Wichita movie theater. KAKE reports that officers responded early Sunday to the AMC theater. Wichita Police Department spokesperson Trevor Macy said the suspect was located running in the area and taken into custody. Authorities recovered two airsoft guns, which are commonly used to shoot BBs. Officials say one victim reported getting into a physical altercation with the suspect, who then punched the victim in the face, dropped the airsoft gun, and fled the scene. One victim was shot by an airsoft gun but only received minor injuries.
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Wichita Man Accused of Assaulting Women After Offering Rides
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita man has been arrested on rape, sodomy and other charges for allegedly sexually assaulting women in two separate incidents after giving them rides. Police say the incidents happened December 31 and January 22. The 40-year-old suspect was arrested Thursday. A 54-year-old woman told police she met the man on December 31 after she had requested a ride in his car. She said the man forced her to have sex and battered her. Police were called to a report of an assault on the night of January 22. A 63-year-old woman said she had been battered and sexually assaulted by a man who had given her a ride.
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Over 1,000 Wichita School Workers Out Because of COVID-19
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — More than 1,000 staff members in the state's largest school district are in quarantine because of COVID-19, but currently all Wichita schools are open. The Wichita Eagle reports that district records show that nearly 14% of the school district's staff — some 1,033 people — were off because of COVID-19 illnesses or exposure as of Friday. That is up from 912 and 646 in the previous two weeks. Earlier this month, the district had to temporarily close three elementary schools because of staff shortages as the highly contagious omicron variant of the virus spread across the state.
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Judge Sides with Treasury in Indian Tribes' Coronavirus Relief Case
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — A federal judge has sided with the Treasury Department in a case that challenged the distribution of coronavirus relief aid to Native American governments. Tribal governments had received $4.8 billion from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act based on federal population data. Three tribes in Oklahoma, Florida and Kansas sued over the methodology, alleging they were shortchanged by millions of dollars. The Treasury Department ultimately revised the methodology and sent additional payments to some tribes. But two of them weren't satisfied with the amounts and continued their legal challenge. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled Friday that the Treasury's methodology was reasonable.
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Britt Reid's DUI Trial Date Postponed Until September
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Former Kansas City Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid's trial on a felony driving while intoxicated charge has been postponed until at least September. Reid's trial was scheduled for April but was rescheduled on Friday to September 26. Reid, the son of Chiefs Coach Andy Reid, was charged after a February 4, 2021, crash near Arrowhead Stadium that critically injured a 5-year-old girl. Reid pleaded not guilty in June. The trial was rescheduled after discussion during a brief hearing Friday concerning the availability of toxicology reports and some expert witnesses.
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Lawrence Hopes to Prevent Lifeguard Shortage Repeat
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Winter is still nearly two months away from ending but Lawrence already is gearing up for swim season as it tries to prevent the kind of lifeguard shortage that delayed pool openings last year. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Aquatics Supervisor Lori Madaus said the city was only able to fill 60 of the 100 lifeguard positions it needed last year to have the two city pools fully operational. The Outdoor Aquatic Center opened a couple of weeks later than usual last year, with reduced hours and features, and the Indoor Aquatic Center continues to have reduced hours. That’s why that the city started hiring for summer lifeguards at the beginning of January, which is about a month earlier than usual.
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Kansas City Chiefs Win Coin Toss, but Fall to Bengals in OT
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Kansas City Chiefs 27-24 in overtime in the AFC Championship game to advance to the Super Bowl. The Chiefs won the coin toss in overtime, but Patrick Mahomes threw an interception on Kansas City's opening possession. Under the NFL's playoff overtime rules, the first team to possess the ball can end the game with a touchdown. That's what Kansas City did the prior week in the divisional round against Buffalo. But the Chiefs didn't score this time. Patrick Mahomes threw an interception, and the Bengals drove deep into Kansas City territory to set up Evan McPherson's game-winning field goal.
(Additional reporting...)
Mistakes on Offense Cost Chiefs 3rd Straight Super Bowl Trip
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs had 13 seconds they'd rather forget late in the first half against the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC title game. Kansas City had the ball at the Bengals 5 with 13 seconds left but failed to score. That opened the door for the Bengals to rally in the second half and win 27-24 in overtime. Thirteen seconds was how long it took Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes to get Kansas City into field goal range at the end of regulation the previous week in a thrilling divisional-round win over Buffalo. The Chiefs won the coin toss in overtime again this time, but Mahomes was intercepted on Kansas City's first possession.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs followed perhaps the greatest 13 seconds in franchise history in the divisional round against the Bills with 13 seconds late in the first half of the AFC title game against Cincinnati that they'd rather just forget.
Not to mention most of the next 30 minutes and overtime.
In a loss both heartbreaking and humiliating, one of the league's prolific offenses failed to put the game away just before the break Sunday, then never reached the end zone in the second half. The Bengals took advantage of Kansas City's many mistakes to dig out of a 21-3 hole, force overtime and watch Evan McPherson drill a 31-yard field goal for a 27-24 victory, giving the long-downtrodden franchise its first conference championship in 33 years.
"It's definitely disappointing," said Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who threw for 275 yards and three touchdowns but also had two second-half interceptions, including one in overtime that gave the Bengals the chance to drive for the win.
"With this group of guys we have," Mahomes said, "we expect to win that game and anything less is not success."
As the Bengals spilled off the sideline in celebration, the Chiefs slumped in their seats — a complete reversal of the previous week, when the Chiefs beat the Bills in overtime in one of the most exhilarating games in NFL history.
Making the about-face all the more shocking was that it was the Chiefs' offense that let them down.
Mahomes was 18 of 21 for 220 yards and three scores in the first half, finding Tyreek Hill and Travis Kelce for big gains almost at will. His quarterback rating was nearly perfect, as was the Kansas City offense, and coach Andy Reid's team built a 21-10 lead and was 30 minutes away from a third straight trip to the Super Bowl.
The only flub came when the Chiefs had the ball first-and-goal at the Bengals 5 with — you guessed it — 13 seconds left, the exact same amount of time it took them to drive 44 yards for the field goal to force overtime against Buffalo.
This time, Mahomes threw incomplete on first down. Then he completed a short pass to Hill, who was stopped short of the goal line as the clock expired, and Kansas City squandered a chance to extend its lead.
"We were trying to score a touchdown," Reid said, "so any way we could score a touchdown, we were trying. In hindsight, I would tell you the passes weren't working. We should try to run it. We were just trying to get in the end zone."
It turned out to be a harbinger of the rest of the game.
The Chiefs punted on each of their first two second-half possessions. The third ended when Mahomes had a pass batted in the air and caught by 311-pound defensive tackle B.J. Hill, setting up Joe Burrow's touchdown pass to Ja'Marr Chase and the ensuing 2-point conversion that tied the game 21-all heading to the fourth quarter.
Then the Chiefs' offensive line, which had run over the Bengals in the first half, began letting them down. Hill and Trey Hendrickson combined on a sack to force a three-and-out, then Hendrickson had a sack of his own to force another three-and-out, that one giving the Bengals an opportunity to march downfield for a go-ahead field goal.
The Chiefs finally showed some resolve, answering 21 straight points by Cincinnati with a long drive of their own. But the red zone left them seeing red one more time: With first-and-goal and less than 2 minutes left, Jerick McKinnon was stuffed and Mahomes was sacked by Sam Hubbard on back-to-back plays.
The Chiefs were fortunate that Harrison Butker, whose 49-yarder sent the Chiefs to overtime with Buffalo, calmly drilled another one from 44 yards at the opposite end of the field to keep their Super Bowl hopes alive.
And it appeared fate was shining on the Chiefs once again when backup Bengals quarterback Brandon Allen called heads and the coin flip landed tails — the exact opposite result of the previous week, when Bills quarterback Josh Allen called tails and the Chiefs took the only possession of overtime for the winning score.
The reaction from Allen on Twitter: "Pain."
That's where the similarities ended, though.
Mahomes threw an incomplete pass, then nearly had a pass picked by Bengals cornerback Eli Apple, before launching a throw toward Hill down the sideline. The ball was batted in the air by Jessie Bates III, who was perfectly position to make the play, and into the waiting hands of Bengals safety Vonn Bell.
Burrow and the Bengals didn't give Kansas City another chance.
With the game now sudden death, they breezed downfield and into the range of McPherson, who turned around in triumph even before his winning kick had passed through the uprights inside stunned Arrowhead Stadium.
"You know, deflated would be a good way to describe it," Chiefs safety Tyrann Mathieu said. "But I'm proud of the way we continued to fight throughout the season. I'm proud of the way we stuck together, proud of our coaches, proud of the way we continue to take bullets for us. It's a lot of good to think about. I'm grateful for the opportunity. But I think any time you come up short, you know you could be better, it's obviously deflating."
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Chiefs Release NFL Player Damon Arnette After His Arrest in Las Vegas
LAS VEGAS (AP) — NFL cornerback Damon Arnette was arrested in Las Vegas on suspicion of weapons and drug offenses, prompting the Kansas City Chiefs to release him. Jail records said the 25-year-old was booked Saturday on suspicion of crimes that included assault with a deadly weapon and carrying a concealed weapon without a permit. Police said the arrests of Arnette and another man stemmed from a report of a person with a gun Friday at a hotel-casino. Arnette was jailed pending a court appearance Sunday, and it wasn't immediately known if he had an attorney who could speak on his behalf. The Las Vegas Raiders released Arnette in November.
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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, 11 am weekends. This news summary is made possible by KPR listener-members. Become one today!