GOP Undoes Veto of Kansas Redistricting Map; Court Challenge Expected
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican legislators in Kansas have overridden the Democratic governor’s veto of a redistricting plan that politically hurts the state’s only Democrat in Congress. Their action Wednesday likely plunges Kansas into a national legal brawl amid the contest for control of the U.S. House. The vote in the Kansas House was 85-37 to overturn Governor Laura Kelly’s veto. The new map splits the state’s side of the Kansas City area between two districts, making it harder for U.S. Representative Sharice Davids to win reelection. It also moves the liberal northeast Kansas enclave of Lawrence into a district with conservative central and western Kansas communities. Democrats expect to challenge the lines in court. ( Read more hereabout today's vote, or click here for more about Tuesday's Kansas Senate vote to override the veto.)
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Missouri Senate Divided over Congressional Redistricting
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri state senators remain divided over a congressional redistricting plan as a filibuster carries on through its second day. The state Senate essentially was split Tuesday among three camps over how to redraw the state's eight U.S. House districts in response to the census. Republican leadership is pushing a plan that they say will continue the current representation of six Republicans and two Democrats in Congress. The Senate voted late Monday against a plan from some conservative Republicans that could have given the GOP a shot at winning seven seats. Democrats, meanwhile, say a map with a 5-3 split would more closely reflect the results of statewide elections.
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Controversial COVID-19 Treatment and Vaccine Exemption Measures Advance in Kansas Senate
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Fellow conservative Republicans are rallying behind a Kansas physician-legislator being investigated by the state medical board. They did so Tuesday by advancing state Sen. Mark Steffen's measures to protect doctors pursuing potentially dangerous treatments for COVID-19 and to weaken state childhood vaccination requirements. Steffen is a member of the Senate's health committee and persuaded it to approve a requirement for pharmacists to fill prescriptions of the anti-worm medication ivermectin to treat COVID-19. He also persuaded the committee to add a proposal to make it easy for parents to claim religious exemptions from childhood immunization requirements. The bill goes next to the Senate. Steffen says he's under investigation for statements about COVID-19.
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Kansas Legislature Approves $1 Billion-plus Offer of Breaks to Mystery Firm
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators have signed off on the state’s largest-ever taxpayer-funded incentives to attract thousands of new jobs. They did so Wednesday even though most didn’t know the name of the company or what it plans to make. The measure also cuts the state’s corporate income taxes. The Kansas Senate voted 31-9 to approve a bill to create a new incentives program offering a single company hundreds of millions of dollars in breaks once this year and and another company a deal in 2023. The House approved it Tuesday, so it goes to Governor Laura Kelly. Her administration says it is pursuing a $4 billion project, but the secrecy rankles some lawmakers.
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Kansas Gas Service Customers to Pay for 2021 Deep Freeze
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Corporation Commission has approved a settlement that will require customers of Kansas Gas Service to pay an estimated $5 to $7 a month for five to 10 years because of a deep freeze last February. The added cost is the customers' share of $366 million in extra natural gas costs that spiked in February 2021. It will be several months before customers see the added costs on their bills. The costs come as Kansas Gas Service plans to issue bonds to spread the costs of last year's freeze to its 640,000 customers. The exact cost per customer will depend on terms that the utility gets for the bonds.
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Firefighters Battle Large Wildfire East of Hutchinson
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (Hutch News) - A large wildfire broke out a few miles east of Hutchinson Tuesday. Strong winds combined with low relative humidity resulted in the fire spreading south. Several homes in the area were temporarily evacuated as a precaution. The Hutchinson News reports that more than 100 firefighters and more than 30 fire units from four counties responded to the wind-whipped blaze and kept any homes from being lost. Officials suspect the fire was caused by embers from woodpiles that were burned over the weekend. A privately owned air tanker from Nickerson aided firefighters by attacking the blaze in areas that were difficult for them to access due to sandy soils and cedar trees. The area had been under a Red Flag Warning for high fire danger due to the powerful winds. ( Read more.)
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Leavenworth Man Pleads No Contest in Killing of 12-Year-Old
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man has pleaded no contest to second-degree murder for the shooting death last year of a 12-year-old boy outside a Leavenworth pharmacy. The Kansas City Star reports that 26-year-old Darvon Deshawn Thomas entered the plea Tuesday in Leavenworth County District Court, admitting to his role in the April death of 12-year-old Brian Henderson, of Kansas City, Missouri. Prosecutors say the boy was not the intended target, but simply in the backseat of a car with someone meeting Thomas to sell a gun when the deal went bad and someone with Thomas began shooting. Two teens allegedly with Thomas during the shooting are also standing trial. Thomas is set to be sentenced in March.
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Environmental Problems Prompt Takeover of St. Joseph Business
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency says a receiver will take over facilities in St. Joseph after years of non-compliance with environmental regulations. The EPA said in a news release Tuesday a federal judge appointed a receiver for 60 days to assess the facilities owned by of HPI Products Inc., St. Joe Properties LLC and William Garvey. The defendants operate six pesticide manufacturing properties in the St. Joseph area. The EPA says thousands of containers of hazardous and non-hazardous waste have been stored at the facilities. The defendants agreed in a 2011 settlement to clean up the sites but the EPA says they have not complied with the terms of the settlement.
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Former Haskell Student Journalist Settles Free Speech Lawsuit Against University Leaders
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) - Former Haskell Indian Nations University student journalist Jared Nally has settled his lawsuit against leaders of the university — which will result in policy reform at Haskell that free-speech advocates are hailing as a victory. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education(FIRE), a nonprofit that focuses on protecting free speech on college campuses, backed Nally in his lawsuit and called the settlement a constitutional win. “HINU agreed to sweeping policy reforms that will protect the First Amendment rights of students … and safeguard the editorial independence of the award-winning student newspaper, The Indian Leader,” FIRE spokesperson Katie Kortepeter said Tuesday. Nally’s dispute with Haskell began in October 2020 when then-President Ronald Graham forbade Nally, former editor-in-chief of The Indian Leader, from engaging in routine newsgathering activities. Graham eventually rescinded the directive, but it was not until January 13, 2021, that Nally received an undated letter from Graham, taking back his directive and admitting that the university “took an incorrect approach” in issuing it. Nally, a senior at the time, filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Kansas a couple of months later, in March 2021, against the university and its president, as well as the Bureau of Indian Education and its director.
Graham was fired from Haskell in May 2021 following an internal investigation and criticism that he was stifling free speech rights of students and faculty. His dismissal came after he was the subject of a unanimous vote of no-confidence by Haskell’s Faculty Senate the month before. As for Nally, he is now living in Kansas City, Missouri, after having graduated last fall with a degree in Indigenous and American Indian Studies. ( Read more.)
(–AP version–)
Settlement Reached in Haskell University Free Speech Case
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Haskell Indian Nations University has settled a lawsuit over free speech rights for student journalists on its campus. The Lawrence Journal-World reports free-speech advocates consider the settlement reached this week with former student journalist Jared Nally an important win for constitutional rights. Nally sued in October 2020 when the school's president, Ronald Graham, issued a directive detailing what Nally could report and write while he was editor of the student newspaper. The directive was later withdrawn. The settlement includes an agreement by university leaders not to issue any directives similar to the one issued by Graham that relate to First Amendment rights.
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Appeals Court Rules in Biden’s Favor on Abortion Referrals
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — A court has allowed federally funded family planning clinics to continue to make abortion referrals for now. The decision Tuesday was a setback for a dozen Republican attorneys general who are seeking to restore a Trump-era ban on the practice. The Biden administration reversed that prohibition in new regulations implemented in October. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the new Department of Health and Human Services regulations for the Title X family planning program can remain in place during the states’ challenge. The changes returned the program to how it ran under the Obama administration. States joining the challenge are Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina and West Virginia. Not all states participate in Title X.
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Judge Won't Readmit 4 Students Involved in Slavery Petition
RIVERSIDE, Mo. (AP) _ A federal judge has declined to lift the expulsion or suspensions handed out to four suburban Kansas City high school students who were disciplined for their involvement in an online petition to "start slavery again.'' Radio station KCUR reports that U.S. District Judge Stephen R. Bough ruled Tuesday that the four Park Hill South High School students' lawsuit was unlikely to succeed on its merits if it went to trial. The ninth-graders sued, saying the petition was a joke started when one of them was bantering with a Black student. One was expelled and the other three each were suspended for 180 days. Their lawyer said he hasn't decided yet whether to appeal.
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Wichita State, KU Split $11 Million Scholarship Gift
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita State University and the University of Kansas will split an $11 million gift from a former Wichita resident. Both schools will receive $5.5 million to provide full-ride scholarships through a bequest from the estate of Richard “Dick” Smith, who graduated from the University of Kansas and lived in Wichita for years. Smith, who died in January 2021, founded the Range Oil company in Wichita in 1964. At Wichita State, undergraduates in any field of study will be eligible for the scholarships. At KU, the money will be divided between general scholarships and scholarships for students studying geology.
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Man Sentenced in Vicious Stabbing Death in Leavenworth
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A 38-year-old man has been sentenced in the death of a Leavenworth man who was stabbed more than 25 times. Jeffery Samulczyk was sentenced Wednesday to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 25 years. He pleaded guilty in January to felony murder in the death of Joshua Gilson, whose body was found wrapped in plastic in the basement of his Leavenworth home in October 2020. Investigators found text messages between Samulczyk and Gilson’s wife discussing the murder and how to cover it up. Gilson’s wife, Alexandra, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder last year and was also sentenced to life in prison.
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Missouri High Court: Referendum Laws Hinder Voters' Rights
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Supreme Court says the people's right to weigh in on laws passed by the Legislature has been illegally limited. Supreme Court judges on Tuesday ruled that laws regulating the referendum process are unconstitutional. The case stems from a Missouri law banning most abortions after eight weeks of pregnancy. Critics of the law tried to put it to a public vote in 2019 in hopes of overturning it. But they say they ran out of time because of a delay with the Secretary of State's Office. A Cole County judge had ruled the referendum regulations are unconstitutional. Supreme Court judges agree.
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Police Fatally Shoot Man with Knife Outside Kansas City Home
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police investigators in Kansas City say officers called to a home for a domestic disturbance fatally shot a man who left the home wielding a knife. Officials say the shooting happened shortly before 3 am Monday in the city's Blue Hills neighborhood. Police were called to the home for a report of a domestic disturbance involving a child. KSHB-TV reports the Missouri State Highway Patrol later identified the man as 36-year-old Shawn W. Wilson of Kansas City. The patrol says Wilson was shot after he left the home holding a knife and refused commands to drop it. Patrol Sgt. Bill Lowe says the man was taken to a hospital, where he died.
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Shawnee County Sheriff: Man Shot in Topeka After Driving Vehicle Toward Deputy
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Shawnee County Sheriff Brian Hill says a deputy shot and killed a man in Topeka as the suspect drove his vehicle toward the deputy. The man, 38-year-old Jason D. Ickler, was killed Sunday. Hill said in a news release that deputies went to a Topeka Quality Inn to arrest Ickler on fleeing and other charges from an incident that happened Friday. Ickler jumped out of a window at the hotel and got into a car. Hill says when a deputy approached, Ickler accelerated the vehicle toward the deputy, who fired. Ickler died at the scene. The deputy's name has not been released.
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Police: 11-Year-Old Set Fire at Manhattan Bar and Grill
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say an 11-year-old child intentionally set a fire at a Manhattan bar and grill over the weekend. The business, RC McGraws, was occupied when the fire started Sunday morning but patrons were able to leave and no one was injured. Manhattan firefighters quickly extinguished the small fire. Manhattan fire officials and Riley County police say they later determined the 11-year-old intentionally set the fire. Officials estimated the fire caused about $12,000 damage to the business.
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KBI Investigates Jewell County Deputy's Shooting Death
MANKATO, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is investigating the shooting death of a Jewell County Sheriff's deputy at his home in Mankato. The KBI says that officers went to the home early Monday after the sheriff's office received two calls from different people about a domestic argument occurring at the the home. The responding sheriff's deputy found 27-year-old Colton Koch dead from a gunshot wound. Deputy Koch was a Jewell County Sheriff’s deputy for about two and a half years. An investigation is continuing.
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Derby Police Identify 2 Killed in Apparent Murder-Suicide
DERBY, Kan. (AP) — Police have identified a man and woman who died in an apparent murder-suicide in the Wichita suburb of Derby. The Wichita Eagle reports that 19-year-old Haley Powell, of Wichita, died after being shot Friday afternoon outside the Trails at Derby Apartments. Police called to the scene found Powell with gunshot wounds and rushed her to a hospital, where she died. Police said witnesses told officers that 21-year-old Tiryn Young had shot Powell. Police later spotted Young at the Derby Golf & Country Club about a mile north of the apartments, but say he shot himself in the head as officers ran to arrest him.
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Man Charged in Death of Topeka Man Who Testified Against Him
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A 34-year-old Topeka man has been charged with killing a man who had testified against him in a robbery. John Clayton Riley II was charged Friday with eight crimes, including first-degree murder and theft of 29-year-old Palmer Thompson's identity. Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay said in December 2019, Thompson reported he had been robbed while working maintenance at Topeka apartment complex. Riley was charged with robbery in that case and Thompson testified against him at a preliminary hearing. In September 2021, Thompson was found dead of a gunshot wound inside his burning house. Investigators say Riley stole Thompson's identity and used it to access his financial accounts after his death.
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Former Wichita Teacher Pleads Guilty to Child Porn Charge
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A former Wichita high school teacher has been sentenced to three years' probation for sexual exploitation of a child. Television station KAKE reports that 49-year-old Shawn Wingfield was sentenced Friday after pleading guilty to in November to the charge. He was ordered to register as a sex offender and undergo sex offender treatment. Wingfield resigned in July from teaching gifted English and debate at Wichita Northwest High School after police launched an investigation into him. That investigation began after a woman Wingfield dated gave police text messages he had sent to her in which he said he was sexually attracted to 11- to 14-year-olds. Investigators said they later found images of child pornography on electronics seized from his home.
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Trial of Missouri Man Charged with Killing 2 Wisconsin Men Delayed
WARRENSBURG, Mo. (AP) — The trial of a Missouri man accused of killing two brothers from Wisconsin has been delayed until March of next year. Garland Nelson, of Braymer, is charged with capital murder in the deaths of Justin and Nicholas Diemel, of Shawano County, Wisconsin, in July 2019. On Monday, Johnson County Circuit Judge Michael Wagner granted a motion from Nelson's attorneys to delay the trial. In their motion, the attorneys said Nelson has not had time to meet with his psychiatrist. Nelson was scheduled to go to trial in June. The brothers disappeared after visiting Nelson's farm near Braymer. Their remains were later found in Missouri and Nebraska.
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Missouri Supreme Court Weighs Law Against Federal Gun Rules
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Supreme Court is considering what action to take on a contested new law that bans local police from enforcing federal firearms rules. The Missouri Supreme Court heard arguments on the lawsuit Monday. St. Louis, St. Louis County and Jackson County are suing to strike down the new Missouri law. A lawyer for the urban areas says the law is an unconstitutional violation of the separation of powers. Missouri's solicitor general is defending the law. He says the debate hasn't played out in trial court yet, so taking the case to the Supreme Court was premature.
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Ex-Kansas City Officer Asks to Remain Free During Appeal
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A former Kansas City police detective officer who was convicted in a man's shooting death is asking to remain free while his case is appealed. KSHB-TV reports attorneys for 43-year-old Eric DeValkenaere filed a motion Monday arguing that he should be free on bond because he is not a flight risk and the judge who convicted him did not find any malice involved in the shooting. DeValkenaere, a white man, was convicted in November of second-degree involuntary manslaughter and armed criminal action in the December 2019 death of Cameron Lamb, who was Black. He is scheduled to be sentenced March 4.
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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!