KDHE: More than 900 New COVID-19 Cases in Kansas Since Monday
TOPEKA, Kan.(KPR) - Kansas health officials have recorded more than 900 new coronavirus cases across the state since Monday. In its latest figures released today (WED), the Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported 924 new COVID cases and 29 new, virus-related deaths since Monday. ( Get more details.)
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Former Kansas Attorney General Ordered to Appear Before January 6 Committee
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) - Former Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline has been ordered to appear before a panel investigating the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. A subpoena issued by the U.S. House Select Committee says Kline convened a meeting between then-President Donald Trump and more than 300 state legislators. The subpoena says Kline encouraged lawmakers to sign onto a letter urging Vice President Mike Pence to delay the certification of President Joe Biden on January 6th. Kline was one of six people subpoenaed by the committee. He served as Kansas attorney general from 2003 to 2007. Kline founded The Amistad Project, which bills itself as an election watchdog group. Recent reports show that the group was active in promoting fake slates of pro-Trump electors in 2020. Kline has until March 15th to produce documents for the committee and will appear for a deposition on March 25th.
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Kansas Water Agency Idea Evaporates in the Legislature
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas lawmakers have effectively killed a plan to create a new state agency focused on water policy. Powerful farm lobbying groups opposed the plan. They said it called for too much change, too quickly. Prompted by those concerns, a Kansas House committee, led by Republican Representative Joe Newland, gutted a bill that would have created a new agency to oversee water policy. “It allows us to move forward and not have to deal with the reconstruction of the water entity," he said. "We can do that later on.” Supporters say there is no time to waste, the state’s water problems are urgent. Especially, the continuing depletion of a vital aquifer in western Kansas. Under the current structure, they say, more than $80 million earmarked for water projects has been diverted to other uses over the last 15 years.
(AP version)
Farm Groups Stymie Reorganization of Kansas Water Programs
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Powerful Kansas agriculture groups have blocked a bipartisan proposal to tie a big increase in funding for water conservation programs to a reorganization of state and local agencies that regulate water use. Tuesday, the Kansas House Water Committee reviewed a 283-page measure that consolidated water programs under a new state water department and boosted funding for water programs. But the committee approved a narrower bill to boost funding by $49 million a year without the reorganization. Groups like the Kansas Farm Bureau and Kansas Livestock Association opposed the reorganization, questioning whether it would improve conservation efforts. The narrower measure goes next to the full House for debate.
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Democrats File 3rd Lawsuit Against Redistricting Maps
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Democrats in Kansas have filed a third lawsuit against a congressional redistricting law enacted by the Republican-controlled Legislature. Four Democratic voters from Lawrence filed the lawsuit Tuesday in Douglas County District Court. They argue that GOP gerrymandering was designed to void Democratic votes in the liberal northeast Kansas community and violates the Kansas Constitution. The redistricting map moved Lawrence from the 2nd District of northeast Kansas into the sprawling 1st District of central and western Kansas with conservative Republican communities hours away by car. Two other lawsuits against the new lines were filed last month in Wyandotte County.
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Kansas Tax Collections for February Nearly $19 Million over Estimates
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas tax collections have, once again, beat expectations. The Department of Revenue reports total tax collections for the month of February were more than $502 million. That's nearly $19 million more than estimated. Last month's tax collections are 10-percent higher than tax collections in February of last year.
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Kansas May Modify Child Abuse Investigations
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Investigating suspected cases of child abuse could become more thorough in Kansas. Lawmakers are considering bills that would require more extensive medical exams of kids during child abuse investigations. The bill would require the investigations be performed by doctors trained in child care. Bruising on a child could be a sign of serious abuse, or it could be a misdiagnosed skin condition. Republican Senator Molly Baumgarnder says some doctors do not have the required training to tell the difference. “Determining the difference between an atypical development of a child or actual physical abuse is difficult to determine without that forensic training," she said. The bill specifically focuses on children younger than five. Multiple versions of the bill are being considered and have gained bipartisan support.
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Trooper Drew Gun on Kansas Lawmaker After Stop for Speeding
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ A Kansas Highway Patrol trooper says in a statement that he drew his pistol on a Kansas legislator stopped for speeding when the lawmaker abruptly got out of his car holding his cellphone. The trooper's affidavit was released today (WED) and provides details about the November 27 arrest in Lawrence of Democratic state Rep. Aaron Coleman, of Kansas City. Coleman is charged in Douglas County District Court with speeding and failing to yield to an emergency vehicle and has a hearing set for April 15. Master Trooper Michael Hamilton said in his affidavit that Coleman was speeding west on Interstate 70, left the highway and stopped in a parking area.
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Second Suspect Charged in Kansas City Triple Murder
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ In Jackson County, Missouri, prosecutors say a second suspect is charged in a triple killing in Kansas City. Twenty-one-year-old Joshua Bell faces three counts of second-degree accessory murder and four other charges in the October 2021 deaths of 24-year-old Kanen X. Wheaton, 23-year-old Johnnai Owens and 24-year-old Devon Key. The three victims were shot to death in a residential area of eastern Kansas City. Court records show the suspects drove to the house where the victims were and opened fire. Prosecutors requested a $500,000 cash-only bond for Bell. Another man, Lucas Baker, was charged in October with nine counts, including three counts of second-degree accessory murder.
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Man Wanted in Shooting, Fatal Crash Arrested in Kansas
BONNER SPRINGS, Kan. (AP) _ A 20-year-old suspect in crimes on both sides of the state line in Kansas City is in custody after a standoff in Bonner Springs. Police say Yucasante Oropreza was arrested without incident today (WED). KMBC-TV reports the man was a suspect in a shooting in Kansas City, Kansas, when police began chasing his vehicle on January 8. The chase was suspended when the supect crossed into Kansas City, Missouri. Police say he ran a red light and hit a car driven by a 47-year-old Olathe resident (Dahir Abdi), who died at the scene. The suspect ran from the scene. Law enforcement then tracked him to a home in Bonner Springs, where he surrendered after a standoff.
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Visitation Resumes this Weekend at Kansas Prisons
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - The Kansas Department of Corrections is resuming in-person visits at state prisons starting this weekend. Visitations were first suspended due to statewide staffing shortages and COVID-19. But infection rates have improved and more staff have been hired. Some prisoners have not seen their families in months. Inmates and their loved ones argue that visitation makes people happier and leads to fewer repeat offenders. Families can schedule visits but will need to wear masks to enter the facilities. Inmates will now be allowed to have three visitors instead of two. The state prison system still struggles with staffing shortages but corrections secretary Jeff Zmuda says it is improving.
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UPDATE: 2nd KC Worker Dies from Injuries Suffered in Trash Truck Fire
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A second Kansas City worker has died from injuries after a trash truck crashed and caught fire. The crash happened Tuesday morning on Interstate 435 in northeast Kansas City. Police say the driver of the truck lost control while trying to exit onto Front Street. The truck then overturned and hit a concrete barrier before erupting in flames. Police say a three-person crew was inside the wreckage. One was able to escape, and a passing police officer helped pull the critically injured driver from the truck. The third city worker died at the scene.
Police said today (WED) that the injured driver later died at a hospital.
(Earlier reporting...)
Kansas City Employee Dies, 2 Hurt in Garbage Truck Wreck
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ A Kansas City worker died and two others were critically injured when a trash truck they were in crashed and caught fire. The crash happened this (TUE) morning on Interstate 435 in northeast Kansas City. Police say the driver of the truck lost control while trying to exit onto Front Street. Investigators said the truck hit a concrete barrier and caught fire. One city worker died at the scene and the two others were hospitalized, one in serious condition and one in critical condition.
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Wichita Police Find Baby Unharmed in Car Stolen from Walmart Parking Lot
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Two off-duty police officers in Wichita found a baby unharmed in the back seat of a car that had been stolen from a Walmart parking lot. Television station KAKE reports the theft happened Tuesday afternoon. The officers were off-duty and working at a business on Pawnee Street when they learned of the car theft with the 11-month-old baby still in the car's back seat. The pair began patrolling the area looking for the car and found it abandoned a short distance away with the baby still in the back seat. No arrests have been reported in the case, but police have a description of a man suspected of stealing the car.
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Suspect in NC Bus Driver's Shooting Death Arrested in Kansas
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Authorities say a suspect in the fatal shooting of a North Carolina bus driver has been arrested in Kansas. Charlotte-Mecklenburg police announced Tuesday that detectives found 21-year-old Darian Dru Thavychith through a collaboration with federal and state authorities. Police in Kansas say Thavychith was arrested without incident at a Shawnee gas station. Thavychith is charged with murder and shooting into occupied property in the death of Charlotte Area Transit System bus driver Ethan Rivera on February 11. At a court hearing Tuesday, Thavychith agreed to be extradited to Charlotte.
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Ukraine War, Inflation Hurt Business Outlook in Nine States
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) _ A new monthly survey suggests that worries about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, soaring inflation and rising interest rates combined to undermine the confidence of business leaders in nine Midwest and Plains states. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss said businesses also fear the war may worsen the ongoing supply chain problems and push commodity prices higher. The report's confidence index fell to its lowest point ever in February when it hit 19.5, falling from January's already low 36.2. Any score below 50 suggests a negative outlook. The monthly survey covers Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota.
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Salina High Schools to Keep Book Challenged by Parents
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Salina Public Schools will not remove a book that was challenged by some parents. Three parents objected at a February 8 school board meeting to the book "All Boys Aren't Blue," which was acquired by Salina's South and Central high schools. The book is a series of essays by a Black and gay man. A review committee acknowledged the book contains sexual scenes that some might find disturbing but said it had merit as a literary work. The committee also found that the district's policies were followed when the book was chosen for the high schools.
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City of Liberal Wins Traditional Shrove Tuesday Pancake Race Against Olney, England
LIBERAL, Kan. (AP) _ A Kansas woman won a narrow victory over her counterpart in England in the traditional, Shrove Tuesday Pancake Day race. Whitney Hay of Liberal, Kansas, ran the 415-yard course in 1 minute, 7 seconds on Tuesday. That beat Katie Godof of Olney, England (who ran her race in 1 minute, 10 seconds). The annual trans-Atlantic pancake-flipping race between Olney and Liberal began in 1950. It wasn't held last year because of the coronavirus pandemic. Hay, a 21-year-old student at Southwestern College in Winfield, also won the Liberal segment of the race in 2020 but Olney won that year's race. Each woman must flip a pancake in a frying pan at the start and at the finish of the race.
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Prosecutors Seek 9-Year Sentence for Former KC Detective
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Prosecutors are recommending that a former Kansas City police detective be sentenced to nine years in prison for the fatal shooting of a Black man. Eric DeValkenaere, who is white, is scheduled to be sentenced Friday for the death of Cameron Lamb in December 2019. He was convicted in December of second-degree involuntary manslaughter. The Kansas City Star reported Tuesday that Jackson County prosecutors are asking Judge J. Dale Youngs to sentence DeValkenaere to four years for manslaughter and nine years for armed criminal action, with the sentences running concurrently. At trial in November, Youngs said DeValkenaere and another detective had no probable cause or a search warrant to go onto Lamb's property before he was shot.
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Missouri Man Charged in Woman's Drug Overdose Death
HARRISONVILLE, Mo. (AP) — A 33-year-old Missouri man is charged with involuntary manslaughter in the drug overdose death of a woman last year. The Cass County Prosecutor's Office alleges that Kyle Calhoun, of Garden City, Missouri, sold methamphetamine and fentanyl to 39-year-old Amy McConville, of Harrisonville. She was found unresponsive at a Garden City home last March and died later at a hospital. Cass County Sheriff’s investigators say they determined Calhoun gave the drugs to McConville. Investigators also identified two other people who Calhoun allegedly sold drugs to before they were hospitalized. Those two people survived. Calhoun is being held in the Cass County Jail on a $50,000 cash-only bond.
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Hearing Set for Wichita Man Charged with Trying to Kill Ex-Girfriend and Her Daughter
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A preliminary hearing has been set for a Wichita man charged with attempted murder, kidnapping and other counts after police say he tried to kill his then-girlfriend in July and shot the woman's 2-year-old daughter. KAKE TV reports that a preliminary hearing for 22-year-old Kamden Campos has been set for April 7. Campos is charged with various counts, including attempted first-degree murder, aggravated battery, kidnapping and weapons charges. Police say Campos lured his girlfriend, along with her two children, to Cheney Reservoir, where he tried to kill her. Police say when she escaped to her car and drove away, Campos fired a gun at her, hitting her 2-year-old child in the back. The child survived.
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Texas Man Sentenced in $1.6 Million Oil Equipment Fraud
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Houston, Texas, man has been sentenced in Missouri to five years in federal prison for defrauding two men out of $1.6 million. Federal prosecutors say 58-year-old Duc Nguyen was sentenced Monday. Nguyen pleaded guilty last year to one count of wire fraud. Prosecutors say he persuaded Phillip Hudnall of Lenexa, Kansas, and his brother, Brian Hudnall, of Kansas City, Missouri, to invest in a plan to buy, refurbish, and sale used oil equipment. The brothers transferred $1.6 million to Nguyen, who used it for trips to Las Vegas and personal expenses. The brothers pleaded guilty in 2020 to defrauding other investors and a bank out of $4.5 million as part of the scheme.
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Missouri Mulls Ban on Transgender Athletes in Female Sports
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers have taken up a bill that would ban transgender girls and women from competing in female only sports. A Senate committee on Tuesday debated the proposal. The measure would put limits on transgender girls and women but not transgender boys and men. It would apply to middle school, high school and college sports. Supporters of the bill argue boys and men are naturally better at sports. They say transgender girls and women would have an unfair advantage. Critics say the bill sends a message that the small number of transgender athletes don't belong in sports.
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Twitter Suspends U.S. Senate Candidate in Missouri
ST. LOUIS (AP) — A U.S. Senate candidate for Missouri says she has no plans to delete a transphobic tweet that Twitter says violated its rules against hateful conduct. Twitter suspended Vicky Hartzler’s personal account on Monday, saying she won’t be able to tweet, retweet, follow or like posts until she deletes the tweet. The mid-February tweet said: “Women’s sports are for women, not men pretending to be women,” and included her TV ad targeting transgender people in sports and particularly University of Pennsylvania swimmer Lia Thomas. Hartzler is among several Missouri Republicans vying for the 2022 Senate seat. Incumbent Republican Roy Blunt announced last year he would not seek a third term.
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Missouri Gets New Health Chief After Backlash over Last One
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson has named a longtime state health official as the new acting director of the Department of Health and Senior Services. Parson on Tuesday appointed Paula Nickelson to the position. By designating her as an acting director, Nickelson can begin working immediately without having to go through the Senate confirmation process. The Senate one month ago refused to confirm the nomination of Parson's last health director, Don Kauerauf, amid a backlash from some senators who questioned if he was conservative enough. Kauerauf had been serving as director since September but had to leave office when the Senate failed to confirm him.
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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!