KC, Some Kansas Counties Remain under Mask Recommendation under New CDC Guidance
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - Residents of some Kansas and Missouri counties should continue to "mask up" even as the Centers for Disease Control issue new, relaxed guidance. The CDC recommends that people continue to wear masks where the risk of COVID-19 is high. That's the case in about 37% of U.S. counties, including Doniphan, Leavenworth, and Wyandotte counties, and most of the Kansas City metro area. Douglas, Jefferson, Johnson, Pottawatomie, Riley, Shawnee, and Wabaunsee counties are now in the "yellow zone," considered medium risk.
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European Tours Extended for Fort Riley Soldiers after Russia Invades Ukraine
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - As Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, soldiers from Fort Riley who are currently deployed in Europe are having their stays extended. KSN reports that the soldiers are part of "Operation: Atlantic Resolve." About 3,700 troops were deployed in July 2021 and are stationed throughout Europe, including Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Lithuania, and Latvia. "Operation: Atlantic Resolve" has been rotating Army units to Europe since 2014. Meanwhile, KCTV reports that hundreds of people gathered on the Plaza in Kansas City Saturday to support the people of Ukraine. They joined people around the world this weekend to protest Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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Judge Blocks Kansas Law on Mailed Ballot Applications
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has permanently blocked a Kansas law prohibiting out-of-state groups from mailing advance ballot applications to voters who request them. U.S. District Judge Kathryn Vratil on Friday declared those provisions in the law violate the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the U.S. Constitution and permanently enjoined the state from enforcing them. The court ordered the state to pay the attorney fees of two national nonprofit groups who say it disenfranchises voters. The state has agreed not to appeal the order. It partially resolves the lawsuit brought by VoteAmerica and the Voter Participation Center. In January, Vratil granted a preliminary injunction against the new law before it took effect.
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Two Dead, One Injured in Lenexa Shooting
LENEXA, Kan. (AP) — Two people died and a third person was injured after a shooting in a Kansas City suburb early Sunday morning. Lenexa Police Department spokesman Officer Danny Chavez said the shooting was reported around 1:20 a.m. Sunday inside a home in the 8400 block of Laurelwood Street in Lenexa. The Kansas City Star reports that three people with gunshot wounds were found inside the house. Chavez said one person died at the house. The other two victims were taken to a hospital where one later died. The victims’ names and ages were not immediately released. And the condition of the victim that survived the shooting also wasn’t released Sunday morning.
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Missouri Man Sentenced in Deaths of 4 Family Members
PLATTE CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 30-year-old Missouri man who killed four family members, including an infant, has been sentenced to four life terms plus 115 years. Platte County authorities said Grayden Denham was sentenced Friday. He was convicted in December of 10 felonies, including four counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors said he shot his grandfather, grandmother, sister, and her 3-month-old son in February 2016 and burned their bodies. Their bodies were discovered near the family home in Edgerton. Denham was arrested two days later when he was found naked in a street in Arizona. Prosecutors said Denham was seen arguing with his grandfather the day before the killings, and had been using methamphetamine.
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Kansas Woman Faces Manslaughter Charge Related to House Fire
SHAWNEE, Kan. (AP) — A Johnson County woman faces charges related to a house fire that killed a baby in suburban Kansas City, Kansas. The Kansas City Star reports that 28-year-old Karlie Phelps was arrested Friday on charges of involuntary manslaughter and endangering a child. She is scheduled to appear in court Monday. Television station FOX4 reports the case involves the death of an infant who died in a deadly house fire February 13th in Shawnee. Firefighters battling the flames found the child’s body inside the home. Police later arrested 28-year-old Nicholas Adam Ecker, the father of the child, on charges of with first-degree murder, aggravated arson and other crimes.
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Top Kansas School Official Suspended over Remark
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ school board has suspended the state’s top public school administrator over an offensive public comment about Native Americans. Its decision Friday to suspend Education Commissioner Randy Watson for 30 days without pay came after it unanimously rejected the resignation he submitted after the governor and indigenous leaders demanded it. Board Chair Jim Porter said members believe in what he called restorative justice and considered Watson's entire career. The elected 10-member board appointed Watson commissioner in November 2015 to run the State Department of Education. The board’s suspension frustrated Native American leaders who had joined Governor Laura Kelly on Thursday for Watson to step down.