UPDATE: Kansas Governor Calls for Education Commissioner to Resign
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has called on Education Commissioner Randy Watson to resign immediately, following comments he made. “While Education Commissioner Randy Watson has had a long career in advocating for our children in Kansas, the State and the Kansas Board of Education must take issues of derogatory and discriminatory language seriously. There is no question that Randy Watson must resign his position immediately, given his comments last week," she said.
(AP versions)
Calls Grow for Kansas Education Commissioner to Go over 'Raiding' Remark
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and indigenous leaders are calling on the state's top public school administrator to resign over an offensive public joke about Native Americans. Kelly was joined Thursday by three Native American lawmakers and the chair of one of Kansas’ four Native American nations in demanding that Randy Watson step down as state education commissioner. The elected, 10-member State Board of Education appoints the commissioner and planned to meet Friday. The State Department of Education released a video of Watson's Zoom presentation to a conference on virtual learning last week in which he joked about telling California cousins visiting Kansas that they needed to worry about “Indians raiding the town.”
Kansas Governor Calls on Education Commissioner to Resign
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly and indigenous lawmakers are calling on the state's top public school administrator to resign following reports that he made an offensive remark about Native Americans during a recent conference. Kelly and three state House members issued their statements Thursday after the State Board of Education called a special meeting for Friday to discuss Education Commissioner Randy Watson’s remark during a conference on virtual education last week. A Kelly spokesperson says she has seen video and the lawmakers said they have too. The 10-member elected state school board appoints commissioner. Watson did not respond Thursday to a request for an interview.
(Earlier reporting...)
Kansas School Board to Meet After 'Inappropriate' Remark
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas state school board has scheduled a special meeting for Friday to discuss personnel issues. The meeting was set after Education Commissioner Randy Watson made what one board member called an inappropriate remark during a conference last week. State Board of Education member Ann Mah told The Capital-Journal on Wednesday that the board was taking Watson’s comments “very seriously.” She said Watson had reached out to her after the comments but she couldn’t share exactly what Watson said in his remarks. Watson did not immediately return a telephone message or email Wednesday evening seeking comment. The 10-member elected board appoints the commissioner to run the State Department of Education.
(Additional reporting...)
Kansas Board of Education to Meet Following Reports of Commissioner's "Inappropriate" Comment
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) – The Kansas Reflector reports that the Kansas State Board of Education is planning a closed-door meeting on Friday to address a comment the state's education commissioner allegedly made with regard to Native Americans. Randy Watson reportedly made the comment earlier this month. A Facebook post from last week indicated Watson made an offensive comment regarding American Indians during a virtual conference. State Board of Education member Ann Mah said the post wasn't entirely accurate, but that a comment was made that was "...what we consider to be inappropriate." She said board members would meet in executive session on Friday to discuss the situation, but declined to say what actions the board might take.
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Kansas House Moves to Make Counties Keep Electing Sheriffs
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ The Kansas House has approved a measure aimed at ensuring that counties don't stop electing their sheriffs. The vote Wednesday was 97-24 on a proposed amendment to the Kansas Constitution declaring that sheriffs are elected to four-year terms. The constitution now says only that lawmakers will create county offices ``as may be necessary.'' The measure had far more than the two-thirds majority necessary for passage in the House. If the measure passes the Senate, it will go on the ballot in November for voters' possible approval. Backers said electing sheriffs makes them more accountable to voters. Opponents said counties should be allowed to decide how to manage law enforcement.
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Kansas Moves to Stop Cities, Counties from Banning Plastic-Bags
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans in the GOP-controlled Kansas Legislature have moved to block local bans, restrictions or taxes on plastic bags or other packaging. The state Senate voted 27-13 for a bill that would strip cities and counties of their power to regulate or tax bags, cups, bottles or other packaging. The measure has the backing of business groups and would cover not only plastic, but cloth, paper, cardboard, aluminum, glass or foamed plastic such as Styrofoam. The bill goes next to the House. Business groups said a patchwork of local regulations would be difficult to follow. Critics said local communities should be allowed to deal with trash as they see fit.
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Patrol: Head-On Crash on I-235 in Wichita Kills Two Drivers
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — State officials have identified two drivers killed in a head-on crash on Interstate 235 in north Wichita. KAKE TV reports the crash happened around 6 pm Wednesday. The Kansas Highway Patrol says a southbound pickup truck driven by 56-year-old Darth Cline, of Wichita, crossed the median and collided head-on with a northbound FedEx truck. The patrol says Cline died at the scene. The driver of the FedEx truck, 30-year-old Tyler Bauer of Wichita, was rushed to a hospital, where he died of his injuries. The crash closed a stretch of the interstate for several hours.
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Wintry Weather Disrupts Travel Across the Heartland
DALLAS (AP) — Hundreds of flights have been canceled at the busy Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and hundreds of traffic accidents reported as freezing rain and drizzle glazed parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri and Arkansas with ice. The National Weather Service says more than half an inch of ice could accumulate in parts of the Ozarks through Friday morning, while a quarter to a half-inch was expected to accumulate across North Texas through today (THUR). Meanwhile, heavy snow is expected in upstate New York and New England later this week, with more than 8 inches possible through Saturday morning.
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Kansas Juvenile Officer Accused of Having Sex with Teenager
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former officer at the Kansas Juvenile Correctional Complex in Topeka is accused of having sex with a teenager at the center. Twenty-five-year-old Pedro Cruz-Garcia was released from the Shawnee County jail after posting a $50,000 bond on Sunday. He is charged with having unlawful sexual relations with a victim who was 16 years old or older. The Kansas Department of Corrections said in a statement Tuesday that an investigation began after a staff member at the juvenile center heard other inmates talking about Cruz-Garcia and the victim. Cruz-Garcia was fired from the detention center on February 11.
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Topeka Teen Who Was Subject of Protest Arrested on 11 Counts
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Shawnee County authorities have charged a Topeka West High School student who was the subject of protests from other students with 11 sex-related crimes. District Attorney Mike Kagay says he will ask a judge to charge the student as an adult because of the serious nature of the crimes. The student's name has not been released because he is a juvenile. Kagay says the 11 charges involve five alleged victims. Topeka West High School students staged a protest on September 17 because of what they called a lack of response to allegations that the male student had sexually assaulted a female student in July.
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Kansas House Passes Proposal for New Constitutional Amendment Restricting State Agency Regulations
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – The Kansas House has approved a constitutional amendment that would give the Legislature the authority to revoke rules and regulations created by the governor's administration and state agencies. The proposal failed in the House last week, but a procedural move gave lawmakers one last chance. The amendment got the two-thirds majority vote needed in the Kansas House with support from Republican lawmakers. They say it will stop governors and state agencies from making rules that effectively change state law. But Democrats oppose the bill, saying the change would disrupt the state’s balance of power. They say the bill is targeting Democratic Governor Laura Kelly. If the amendment is approved in the Senate, it will go to a statewide vote this fall.
(AP version...)
GOP Saves and Advances Plan to Limit Kansas Agency Regulations
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas House has approved a proposed amendment to the state constitution to make it easier for the GOP-controlled Legislature to overturn state agencies' regulations. Republicans had help from two dissident Democrats in Monday's 85-39 vote. That was one vote more than the two-thirds majority necessary for passage. Most Democrats see the measure as a political attack on Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, but Republicans say they're trying to curb bureaucrats' power. Under the proposal, lawmakers could repeal regulations with simple-majority votes in both chambers. Lawmakers now must pass a bill and obtain the governor's approval or two-thirds legislative majorities to override a veto. The measure went to the Senate.
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Kansas City Man Sentenced for Killing the Mother of His Children
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 34-year-old Kansas City man has been sentenced to 17 years in prison for killing the mother of his children. Christopher Spears was sentenced Tuesday for shooting Andrea Dean in a Kansas City home last June. He was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and armed criminal action. The Jackson County Prosecutor's office said three children at the home told police their dad shot their mom during an argument. After the shooting, Spears went to a fire station and told them he had killed the mother of his children. He told police he and Dean were fighting over a gun when it went off and shot her in the head.
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Kansas City Settles with Black Man Wrongly Jailed at Age 15
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ The Kansas City Police Department has agreed to pay a $900,000 settlement to a Black man who was wrongly arrested when he was 15 and held for three weeks before being released without charges. Tyree Bell sued in 2017 over his arrest for a crime he did not commit. Attorneys on both sides on Tuesday told the judge in the case about the settlement, which the judge still must approve. Bell was arrested in June 2016 by officers who said he resembled a Black teenager who ran from them earlier that day. An appeals court found in October 2020 that Bell's only resemblance to the suspect was that he was Black, juvenile and male.
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Leavenworth Man Shot by Police Arrested After Hospital Release
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says a man who was shot by police last week in Leavenworth is in custody after he was released from the hospital. The KBI said 31-year-old Donald Barden Jr. was arrested Wednesday. He was booked into jail on possible charges of aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer and felon in possession of a firearm. The KBI says officers confronted Barden on a Leavenworth street on February 13. They say Barden ignored commands to drop his weapon and he was shot when he pointed the gun at officers and ran toward them.
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Missouri House Bill Could Let More School Staff Carry Guns
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri House has endorsed legislation that could expand the number of school personnel allowed to carry guns. Current law lets teachers and administrators undergo training to function as school protection officers. A bill endorsed by a voice vote Wednesday in the House would expand that to any school personnel. That means custodians, cooks and maintenance staff also could be trained to carry guns as school protection officers. The bill needs another House vote to advance to the Senate. As of last August, there were 42 school staff across the state who had undergone training as protection officers.
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Missouri Senate Tries Again to "Defund" Planned Parenthood
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The GOP-led Missouri Senate has passed a stopgap budget that attempts to strip funding for Planned Parenthood while paying for Medicaid health care for newly eligible patients. Senators on Wednesday voted 25-7 to pass the legislation. Because senators amended the plan, it needs another vote of approval in the House to go to Republican Governor Mike Parson's desk. The budget plan also includes enough money to pay for the thousands more low-income adults who recently became eligible for Medicaid thanks to a voter-approved constitutional amendment. And it funnels billions of dollars in federal funding to Missouri schools.
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Missouri GOP Rejects Filing Fee from Candidate over Views
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri Republican party has rejected a filing fee from a man who has previously been criticized by his own children for what they call his racist and homophobic views. The Missouri GOP announced on Twitter Tuesday that it rejected a filing fee from Steve West, a Kansas City-area Republican. The party called previous statements from West “vile” and said they conflict with the party's platform. West narrowly won the GOP primary for a Missouri House seat in 2018 and 2020 but lost to the Democratic candidates both years. In both those races, West's children and the GOP party urged voters to reject him.
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Shots Fired at Vehicle that Crashed in Wichita; 2 Dead
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say two people were found dead in a car that crashed in Wichita after it came under gunfire. KSNW TV reports that the crash happened early Monday. Police say that although someone was shooting at the car, officers don’t think bullets hit any of the people inside the vehicle. Police identified the two victims as 21-year-old Amill Williams and 20-year-old Alonzo Montgomery. A 22-year-old woman also was ejected from the car but is expected to survive. Police are still investigating.
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KU Administrator Named President of North Dakota State University
FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A University of Kansas administrator has been chosen to be North Dakota State University's next president. The North Dakota Board of Higher Education unanimously chose David Cook, the vice chancellor for public affairs and economic development at the Lawrence, Kansas, school. He beat out two other finalists: Marymount provost and vice president Hesham El-Rewini, and University of Minnesota Crookston chancellor Mary Holz Clause. Cook will replace Dean Bresciani, who is stepping down after a dozen years at the helm to become a tenured professor in health sciences and education. Asked to name some of the challenges he’ll face at North Dakota State, Cook said he feels there’s an opportunity to improve on enrollment, research and internal relations.
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Missouri Lawmaker Ends Protest, Sorry for Overalls "Ruckus"
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — A Republican Missouri state senator punished for wearing overalls has ended his filibuster. State Sen. Mike Moon on Wednesday apologized if he offended anyone with his outfit. Moon earlier this month wore denim overalls paired with a jacket and tie on the Senate floor. There's no specific rule prohibiting overalls. But senators are traditionally expected to dress professionally. The state's top Republican senator pulled Moon from his committees as punishment. In response, Moon blocked all work Tuesday and part of Wednesday. Senate President Pro Tem Dave Schatz reappointed Moon to committees when Moon apologized Wednesday.
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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!