Kansas Senators Moran, Marshall Travel to Europe for Ukraine Briefing
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - U.S. Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall are part of a group of senators traveling to Poland and Germany for briefings on NATO and Ukraine. The Kansas Reflector reports that the two are in Europe as part of a ten-member bipartisan entourage gathering information about the war in Ukraine. The trip follows Ukrainian President Zelensky's address to Congress this week when he urged American lawmakers to do more to help the country as Russia continues its attack on Ukraine. Kansas is the only state with both of its U.S. senators in the delegation.
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Teen Dead, Two Teens Arrested after Wichita Mall Shooting
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - Wichita police are investigating a shooting at a shopping mall that left a teenager dead. KSN.com reports that police were called to the Towne East mall Friday evening, where people were fleeing the shopping center. A 17-year-old male and a 16-year-old male were taken into custody in connection with the shooting. The Wichita police say they believe the shooting is gang-related.
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Officers Shoot Armed Man outside Kansas Bank
LEON, Kan. (AP) — Police say an armed man has been shot by deputies outside a Kansas bank. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says the shooting happened Thursday afternoon in Leon as Butler County sheriff's deputies sought to serve an arrest warrant on 53-year-old James Watts. The KBI says deputies followed Watts' vehicle to the bank and ordered him out of the vehicle in the bank's parking lot. Deputies reported that Watts got out of the vehicle armed with a pistol and walked toward the bank. Deputies say they repeatedly ordered him to drop the gun and shot him several times when he reached the bank's entrance. Watts was rushed to a Wichita hospital, where he was in critical-but-stable condition following surgery.
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NCAA Basketball Tournament Update: KU Men, KU Women, KSU Women
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - In the NCAA men's basketball tournament, the University of Kansas Jayhawks face the Creighton Bluejays Saturday afternoon. The winner of that game advances to the Sweet 16. In the NCAA women's basketball tournament, the Kansas Jayhawks advanced to the second round after a 77-58 win over Georgia Tech. The 19-point margin was KU's biggest in NCAA tournament history for Jayhawks women's basketball. The Jayhawks will meet Number 1-seed Stanford Sunday evening. The Kansas State women play a first-round game Saturday morning against Washington State.
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Plan Aimed at Keeping GOP Supermajority Clears Kansas Senate
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A redistricting plan aimed at preserving the Republican supermajority in the Kansas Senate has cleared the chamber on a bipartisan vote. The bill was approved on a 28-8 vote Thursday and would create two districts with a pair of incumbents each. It could force Senators Michael Fagg (R-El Dorado) and Rick Wilborn (R-McPherson) to face off in 2024, while Senator Beverly Gossage (R-Eudora) has a potential race against Senator Tom Holland (D-Baldwin City). Two new Senate districts would have no incumbent, one in Johnson County and another linking eastern Topeka and northwestern Lawrence. The bill goes next to the House.
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Olathe High School Shooting Suspect in Critical Condition
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — An 18-year-old Olathe East student charged in a shooting that injured two school officials underwent surgery this week and remains in critical condition at a hospital. Jaylon Elmore was unable to attend a hearing in his case Thursday because of his injuries. Elmore was shot by school resource officer Erik Clark at the high school March 4. Investigators say Clark shot Elmore after Elmore fired at him in a school office. Clark and assistant principal Kaleb Stoppel also were shot in the confrontation. The Kansas City Star reports that Elmore's attorney, Paul Morrison, said Thursday that Elmore will be in the hospital for at least a few more days.