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Headlines for Tuesday, March 22, 2022

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Kansas Debates Expanding Student Transfers in Public Schools

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican legislators who argue that Kansas parents need more education choices are pushing to allow them to move their children from the public schools they’d normally attend to others outside their local school district’s boundaries. The GOP-controlled state Senate gave first-round approval Monday to a measure that would allow parents of K-12 students to transfer them to any other school districts with enough space to take them. Under the bill, the program would start during the 2023-24 school year. The Senate planned to take a final vote on the bill Tuesday, and its passage was expected. The Republican-controlled House is considering a similar measure.

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UPDATE: Kansas Senate Approves Parental Control Bill 

TOPEKA, Kan (KNS) — The Kansas Senate has approved a bill to give parents more control over what their children are taught in the state's public schools, The bill requires school districts to share all teaching materials with parents, and establish procedures for addressing their complaints. Opponents say the goal is actually to stop teachers from tackling difficult but important topics, particularly race, gender, and sexuality. The bill now goes to the Kansas House, which has been considering a similar but more restrictive measure. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly has criticized the bill, but stopped short of saying she'll veto it.
 
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Kansas Senators Propose Bill to Give Parents More Control over Teaching Materials

TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — The Kansas Senate has given first round approval to a controversial bill that would give parents more control over what their children are taught on issues of race, gender, and sexuality. The bill would require public school districts to make all teaching materials available for inspection. They would also have to establish procedures for disposing of lesson plans and removing library books that parents say violate their “firmly held beliefs.” Republican sponsors of the measure says that it’s needed to protect the rights of parents. Opponents say the bill would lead to small groups of parents being allowed to bully teachers into glossing over important topics.  A final Senate vote is expected Tuesday. If passed, the bill would go to the Kansas House.  

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2 Bird Flu Cases Found in Sedgwick, Dickinson Counties

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas agriculture officials say more cases of avian influenza, more commonly called bird flu, have been found in the state. The Wichita Eagle reports that the Kansas Department of Agriculture has confirmed the disease in a backyard home-farm flock of birds in rural Sedgwick County and a similar backyard flock in rural Dickinson County. The cases were confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa. Officials say the affected areas have been quarantined and the affected flocks will be culled to prevent the spread of the disease. Nearly 13 million chicken, turkeys and other birds have been or are set to be killed in the U.S. because of the bird flu.

(–Related–)

More Bird Flu Cases Identified in Kansas

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - The state is warning Kansas hunters and people who keep chickens and other birds outdoors to take precautions against the spread of bird flu. Bird flu was found this month in chickens in eastern Kansas and wild waterfowl in central Kansas.  The Midwest hasn’t seen a major bird flu outbreak for seven years. Back then, farmers had to kill nearly 50 million birds. Poultry and egg prices shot up. This time, farmers outside of Kansas have had to kill a few million animals so far. The disease isn’t infecting humans so far, but the state of Kansas is warning hunters to put on nitrile gloves before touching any birds they kill. People who own birds should keep them away from wild ones. The avian influenza cropping up in Kansas and nearby states has the potential to further inflate food prices. The region’s last major outbreak cost the economy $3 billion. Kansas State University professor Juergen Richt, who studies animal diseases, said "Right now I think we have only destroyed about 2 million, 3 million birds in the United States. But if this continues, we might have a similar situation as seven years ago when prices for eggs and chicken meat went up significantly.”  So far no cases have been reported in people.

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Kansas Researcher Accused of Secret China Work Goes to Trial

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Federal prosecutors told jurors that a Kansas researcher illegally kept his work with a Chinese university secret, while the defense contends he was merely “moonlighting.” The conflicting portrayals came during opening statements Tuesday in the trial of Feng “Franklin” Tao in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kansas, on charges of wire and program fraud He is accused of not disclosing on conflict-of-interest forms the work he was allegedly doing for China while employed at the University of Kansas — something federal prosecutors have portrayed as a scheme to defraud the university, the U.S. Department of Energy and the National Science Foundation.

(–Additional Reporting–)

Trial Begins in Case of KU Professor Accused of Hiding Ties to China

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCUR) - The federal trial of a University of Kansas chemistry professor accused of failing to disclose his connections to a Chinese university is underway in Kansas City, Kansas.  Franklin Feng Tao has denied the fraud charges leveled against him. He says the FBI provided false information to search his emails and computers. He says that information came from a disgruntled researcher who sought to frame him for not giving her sufficient credit in a scientific paper. Tao was the first academic charged under a now defunct Trump-era program called the China Initiative. In January, the government dismissed similar charges against an M-I-T professor. A group called United Chinese Americans says it plans to attend the trial in support of Tao. They say he’s being tried for administrative errors that were never treated as crimes before.

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U.S. Senators from Kansas Return After European Visit and Urge More Help for Ukraine's Military

WARSAW, Poland (AP) - A bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers, including both U.S. senators from Kansas, has returned from visiting eastern Europe. U.S. Senator Roger Marshall joined a group of senators including fellow Kansas Senator Jerry Moran during a trip to Poland and Germany to gain insight on the Ukrainian crisis. Marshall said he visited a refugee camp in Poland that is sheltering about 1 million refugees from Ukraine. Poland has accepted more than 2 million people fleeing war since Russia's February 24 invasion. Marshall says he also visited with several Kansas military members stationed in the area. The seven-member delegation was led by Congressman Stephen Lynch, a Democrat from Massachusetts. Members of the U.S. delegation say there is no room for peace talks over Ukraine as long as there is a "hot war."  In addition to Marshall and Moran, the group included lawmakers from Massachusetts, Texas, South Carolina, Maine and Tennessee.

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Couple's Death in Topeka Ruled a Murder-Suicide

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Police in Jackson County say the deaths of a man and woman were the result of a murder-suicide. The bodies of Linda Marie Vidosh-Zempel and John Alfred Zempel, both 68, were found in a Topeka home on Monday evening. Sheriff Tim Morse says investigators believe Linda Vidosh-Zempel shot her husband during the day Monday and then called 911 to report her husband was dead. Morse said deputies arriving at the house saw a woman inside with a gun and then heard gunshots. Morse said authorities believe Vidosh-Zempel had mental health issues in recent years.

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Woman, 2 Dogs Found Dead in Rural Kansas Home; Man Arrested

SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say the live-in boyfriend of a woman found shot to death, along with her two dogs, has been arrested on suspicion of murder. The Saline County Sheriff's Office says deputies were called Monday evening to the home just a couple of miles south of Salina to check on the well-being of a person there and found 50-year-old Laurie Leanne Likins and two dogs dead. All had been shot. Deputies arrested 55-year-old Brent Allen Spainhour, who also lived at the home. He was being held without bail in the Saline County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder and animal cruelty.

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Wrongfully Convicted Man Sues Kansas County for $93 Million

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man who spent 23 years in prison for a double murder he didn't commit is suing the county where he was convicted and a former police officer for $93 million. Lamonte McIntyre and his mother allege the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, is responsible for the actions of former detective Roger Golubski. They accuse Golubski of coercing McIntyre's mom into sex and then framing her son for the double murder when she rejected later sexual advances. Golubski denies the allegations. A judge has set a November 7 jury trial for the lawsuit. McIntyre was released from prison in 2017. He now lives in Arizona.

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Police Investigate Shooting Death of Woman in Overland Park

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) - Police in Overland Park are investigating the shooting death of a woman over the weekend. Police say the shooting was reported around 6 am Sunday at a house in the Kansas City suburb. Police say that officers arrived at the home to find that the woman had been taken by family members to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Police later identified the woman killed as Cheryl Holloman, of Wichita. Television station WDAF reports that the shooting happened during a party as a house that was being rented out to guests. Police say a person of interest in the shooting was taken into custody for questioning.

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Wichita Woman Pleads Guilty to Running over, Shooting Man

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 32-year-old Wichita woman will be sentenced May 9 after she pleaded guilty to running over a bicyclist with her car and shooting him. The Sedgwick County district attorney's office said Charity Blackmon pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and criminal possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. Blackmon was originally charged with first-degree murder. KSNW-TV reports 54-year-old Merrill Rabus was riding his bike in northeast Wichita in March 2021 when Blackmon hit him and then got out of her van and shot him. She left the scene but was followed by witnesses and was arrested. 

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Kansas State Hires Baylor Assistant Jerome Tang as Men's Basketball Head Coach

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas State University has hired Baylor assistant Jerome Tang to be its next men's head basketball coach. Kansas State athletic director Gene Taylor flew to Texas to meet with Tang on Sunday, one day after the top-seeded Bears lost to North Carolina. Tang played a key role in building the Baylor program into a powerhouse. He replaces Bruce Weber, who resigned under pressure after three straight losing seasons, capped by a loss to West Virginia on the opening night of the Big 12 Tournament.

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Kansas State Women Fall to Top-Seeded NC State in NCAA Tournament 

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Kayla Jones scored 18 points to help top-seeded North Carolina State beat Kansas State 89-57 in Monday’s second round of the NCAA Tournament, earning a fourth straight trip to the Sweet 16. Raina Perez and Diamond Johnson each added 15 points for the Wolfpack. N.C. State shot 55% and made 9 of 19 3-pointers. By the end, all 13 players had scored for the Bridgeport Region's top seed. Serena Sundell scored 17 points to lead the ninth-seeded Wildcats, who shot just 39%. This is N.C. State's fourth straight trip to the Sweet 16. Kansas State was trying to reach its first since 2002.

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No. 1 Stanford Moves Past Kansas in Women's NCAA Tourney

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Lexie Hull scored a career-high 36 points with six 3-pointers and made six steals, leading No. 1 seed Stanford past eighth-seeded Kansas 91-65 in the second round of the women's NCAA Tournament on Sunday night. With the win, the defending national champions extended their winning streak to 22 games and secured a trip to the Sweet 16. Cameron Brink added 13 points, 12 rebounds and four assists as the Cardinal used a dominant third quarter to pull away. Zakiyah Franklin scored 13 points to lead Kansas, which was back in the tourney for the first time since 2013.

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Fortunate Friars Living in Moment with Top Seed Kansas Next

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Providence was trailed by a national narrative entering the NCAA Tournament, that despite earning the Midwest Region’s fourth seed, it had been more lucky than good this season because of an 11-2 record in games decided by five points or less. The Friars used that as fuel as they held off South Dakota State and then blew past Richmond to advance to their first Sweet 16 since 1997. But despite limiting its first two opponents to just 54 points per game, Providence finds itself as an underdog against top seed Kansas.

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AP: Chiefs Agree with JuJu Smith-Schuster on $10.75 Million Deal

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have agreed with former Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster on a $10.75 million deal for next season, a person familiar with the negotiations told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the contract is pending a physical, which should be completed soon. Smith-Schuster wasted little time in announcing the move himself, tweeting to Chiefs fans: "Let's Go!" The Chiefs have been searching for a high-profile wide receiver to take the pressure off Tyreek Hill and tight end Travis Kelce in the passing game.

The 25-year-old Smith-Schuster caught 323 passes for 3,855 yards and 26 touchdowns during his first five seasons in Pittsburgh. And he comes on a relatively low-risk one-year contract after he sustained a shoulder injury in Week 5 last season that ultimately limited him to just 15 catches for 129 yards in five games.

The Chiefs have now filled their two most pressing needs of free agency, adding a big-play wide receiver along with a safety to replace Tyrann Mathieu. The latter became official last week, when the Chiefs signed ex-Texans safety Justin Reid to a $31.5 million, three-year contract.

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Chiefs Bring Back DT Derrick Nnadi with Deal for Next Season

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs agreed with defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi on a contract for next season, adding to the continuity on the defensive line that came with restructuring the contract of pass rusher Frank Clark. The contract with the 25-year-old Nnadi was announced Monday by his representatives at SportsTrust Advisors. Nnadi was selected by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2018 draft and has been a dependable part of three AFC championship teams and another that was beaten in the conference title game this past season.

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Royals Agree with Mondesi, O'Hearn to Avoid Arbitration

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals agreed to a $3 million contract with shortstop Adalberto Mondesi and a $1.3 million deal with first baseman Ryan O’Hearn, avoiding arbitration with both of the players before Tuesday’s deadline for teams and players to submit numbers. The 26-year-old Mondesi has been a dynamic player when he’s been healthy. But he has only played more than 100 games in a season once in six seasons, and he hit just .230 with six homers and 15 steals while limited to 35 games last season. O’Hearn got a significant bump from the $570,500 he made last season, even though he hit just .225 with nine homers and 29 RBIs in 84 games.

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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!