Tragic Scene in Southeast Kansas Leaves Three Dead
BAXTER SPRINGS, Kan. (AP) - A tragic scene has unfolded in southeast Kansas where three people are dead, following an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement over the weekend. Authorities say a man shot and killed a woman and was later found dead himself, along with the couple's slain toddler. The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office says police in Baxter Springs responded Saturday night to a call from a woman asking for help. When officers arrived, 37-year-old Eli Crawford shot and killed 27-year-old Taylor Dawn Shutte as she exited the home. Crawford then went back in the home with their 2-year-old child, Clesslyn Crawford. After exchanging gunfire with law enforcement for hours, Crawford and the child were found dead inside the home.
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SCOKAN to Consider Juvenile Sentencing
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - The Kansas Supreme Court will determine whether a life sentence given to a minor is constitutional. Justices have been listening to a legal challenge on behalf of a man given life sentences when he was still young. Shelbert Smith received multiple life sentences back in 1993 for murder and kidnapping. He was 16 at the time. A 2012 U.S. Supreme Court ruling calls mandatory life sentences for youth a form of cruel and unusual punishment. And Smith’s attorney, Richard Ney, says this case is an example. Court documents from that time show age was considered during sentencing. But Ney argues it was mostly considered after the sentence was imposed. He says sentencing transcripts barely mentioned age. “Lets for heaven sakes give this guy an appeal. That is all we are asking for," he said. An attorney for the state says Smith could have appealed when the sentence was first handed down rather than 30 years later.
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GOP Defections Thwart Some of Conservatives' Plans in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Key conservative initiatives are likely to fail in Kansas this year because a few Republicans are breaking with the rest of the Legislature's GOP supermajorities. Republicans have failed to muster the two-thirds majorities necessary to override potential vetoes from Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly on measures tightening election laws and weakening school vaccination requirements. A proposed change in the Kansas Constitution aimed at limiting future tax increases also died this week. The struggles conservatives have faced in the Legislature show that with Kelly as governor, they need moderates' support. GOP Sens. Brenda Dietrich of Topeka, John Doll of southwestern Kansas and Jeff Longbine of eastern Kansas have been key players.
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GOP Leader Hopes New Map Moves Kansas School Board to Right
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican legislators in Kansas are pushing a redistricting plan that the state Senate's top GOP leader hopes will move the state school board to the right. A Senate committee approved a bill Tuesday to redraw the districts for the 10-member elected State Board of Education after a decade of population shifts across Kansas. Lawmakers expect to give final approval this week to new lines for board districts and for their own districts. Republicans hold a 6-4 board majority but the board is less conservative than the Legislature. And Senate President Ty Masterson says more conservatives on the board would lead to a “more vibrant” debate about education policy.
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Kansas Among States Challenging CDC Transit Mask Rule
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Florida and 20 other states have sued to halt the federal government's pandemic requirement that people wear masks on planes, trains and other public transport. The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in federal court in Tampa, Florida. It contends that the mask mandate exceeds the authority of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC rule took effect February 1, 2021. It requires “the wearing of masks by people on public transportation conveyances or on the premises of transportation hubs,” according to the agency website. The rule has been relaxed somewhat but was recently extended until at least April 18 for domestic and international travel in general. The states filing the new travel mask lawsuit are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Utah, Virginia, and West Virginia.
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Kansas Bill Prohibiting Bans on Some Plastic Products Headed to Governor
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - A bill prohibiting cities and counties from banning the use of plastic bags, straws and other items is heading to the governor's desk. On Monday, the Kansas Senate gave the plan final approval, mostly along party lines, with almost all Republicans in favor. Supporters say plastic bans hurt businesses like grocery stores and restaurants and could lead to increased prices. But on the Senate floor, Democratic Senator Mary Ware called the bill detrimental. She says it is too broad because it stops local governments from regulating many types of plastic items. “If this bill were only about the plastic bags we get at the grocery store or drug store, it would be an awful lot easier," she said. Ware is from Wichita, a community considering a single-use plastic ban that would be illegal under the bill. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly has not said whether she will sign or veto the bill.
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Kansas GOP Lawmakers Move to Prevent Local Bans on Plastic
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican legislators in Kansas are trying to prevent cities and counties from banning, limiting or even taxing plastic bags, straws and food containers. A bill prohibiting such local bans cleared the GOP-controlled Legislature on Monday and is headed toward Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s desk. Kelly hasn’t publicly said what she’ll do with the bill but described herself Monday to reporters as "a major local-control advocate.” Supporters of the measure don’t yet have the two-thirds majorities in both chambers necessary to override a veto. The measure is backed by groups representing small business owners, restaurant operators and plastic bag manufacturers. Environmentalists oppose it.
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Western Kansas Aquifer Water Levels Drop Significantly
HAVILAND, Kan. (KNS) - Across western and central Kansas, aquifer water levels fell surprisingly fast last year, dropping more than a foot. It was the biggest single-year drop in aquifer levels since 2015, according to a report from the Kansas Geological Survey. And it was worst in southwest Kansas, where water levels dropped by nearly 2.2 feet, about a foot more than last year. As drought gripped this area, farmers turned to pumping more underground water to irrigate crops. Brownie Wilson manages the survey and says the aquifer drying up in western Kansas would have ripple effects on the whole state. “The declines in the western side of the state aren't going to suddenly affect water flow in the Kansas River for people in Kansas City… but the viability of western Kansas is going to have an impact on the economy of Kansas and that's gonna affect everybody," Wilson said. The aquifer provides 70-80% of all the water used by Kansans.
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Lawrence Starbucks Employees Consider Unionization
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - A Starbucks in Lawrence is the latest location of the national coffee chain where baristas are announcing an effort to unionize. Korbin Hogan, a shift manager at the 23rd Street shop, says their workload has been increasing, and he feels that employees have lost their voice in the company. “We’re contributing to making lives better for people around us and then like people on a national level too, I think," he said. Since December, more than 150 Starbucks locations have filed for union elections, including four in the Kansas City area.
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Bible to Remain in Derby Schools Following Challenge
DERBY, Kan. (KNS) - A Kansas school district has decided not to remove the Bible from libraries or classrooms. A Derby resident asked the district’s library committee to review the Bible after the group voted last month to remove “The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian” from a list of approved class materials. Derby High School offers a “Bible as Literature” elective. The challenge pointed to portions of the Bible that deal with rape, incest and other mature themes. Committee member Kristin Sen says removing the novel last month may have been a mistake because lots of books have mature content. “It seems like one person initiated this whole process, and now here we are. And like you said, it’s a slidey slope. Where does it end?” District officials say their legal team has cautioned against labeling books as explicit or asking parents to pre-approve them.
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Flamingo That Escaped Kansas Zoo in 2005 Spotted in Texas
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wildlife officials say one of two flamingos that escaped from a Kansas zoo during a storm 17 years ago has been spotted on the coast of Texas. Texas Parks and Wildlife officials confirmed Tuesday that the African flamingo, known as No. 492 because of the number on its leg band, was seen near Port Lavaca, Texas. An environmental activist shot video March 10 that featured the bird with the leg band visible. The bird and another flamingo had not yet had their wings clipped when they escaped from the Sedgwick County Zoo in Wichita in June 2005. The other flamingo was never seen again, but 492 has been spotted in Wisconsin, Louisiana and now Texas.
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Unemployment, Pandemic Lead to More Kansans Struggling with Hunger
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Advocacy groups say the surge in unemployment left more Kansans struggling with hunger during the pandemic. Even before COVID-19 hit, experts say one in 10 Kansans didn’t have enough food. And food banks say the situation got worse once the pandemic arrived. One in 6 Kansans also live in food deserts, areas without a grocery store. This especially affects urban areas and people of color – who were also harder hit by the pandemic. Central Topeka became a food desert in 2016. Mike Bell lives there. “So for the first time in 89 years, Central Topeka did not have a full-service grocery store," he said. Local residents are now working to replace the closed Dillon’s.
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Kansas Employee Pension System Halts Investments in Russia
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Trustees who oversee the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System have voted to halt future investments in Russian assets amid the country's invasion of Ukraine. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that while some board members initially pushed for a full divestment, others said they would rather focus on the future and noted the fund's current holdings in the country have been largely liquidated anyway. Kansas has $36 million invested in Russian equities, as of February 25. That accounts for about 0.14% of the pension fund's total investments.
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Kansas Lawmakers Running Out of Time to Finish Legislative Business
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas lawmakers have a lot of unfinished business and not much time left to get it done. Lawmakers will work this week and then break until the end of April, when they’ll briefly return to tidy up the budget and deal with any last-minute issues. Topping their list of unfinished business are Democratic Governor Laura Kelly’s proposed elimination of the state sales tax on groceries and legislation pushed by conservatives to give parents more control over what’s taught in Kansas classrooms. Bills to legalize sports betting and medical marijuana are still in the mix. So is one to ban transgender athletes from women’s sports. Work remains on several bills triggered by COVID-19 politics, including one to take away most of the state health secretary’s disease fighting powers.
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Kansas Legislation Bans Transgender Females from Competing in Women's Sports
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - A bill banning transgender females from girls’ and women’s sports in public schools and colleges is halfway through the Kansas Legislature. If it passes, there’s a strong chance it will be challenged in court. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly vetoed a similar bill last year and lawmakers narrowly failed to override her. But this year’s version passed the Senate last week by a veto-proof majority. If the House does the same and the bill becomes law, Democratic Representative Stephanie Byers, a transgender woman, says the ACLU of Kansas will likely go to court to block it. "They’re ready for this. They know this is going to come down. And if it does there’s a legal fight here," she said. Asked to confirm that, ACLU Kansas director Micah Kubic would say only that legal action is one of the options being considered. Courts have blocked similar laws in two of the 11 states that have adopted them. Republican governors in Indiana and Utah recently vetoed similar transgender ban bills.
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Kansas Senator Won't Vote to Confirm Biden's Pick for U.S. Supreme Court
UNDATED (KNS) - Kansas Republican Senator Roger Marshall says he will vote against confirming Supreme Court nominee Ketanji Brown Jackson. Marshall argues Jackson is soft on crime, including child pornography, and that she will "rubber-stamp Biden’s far-left agenda instead of protecting the Constitution and our Kansas values." An American Bar Association committee concluded Jackson is not biased. The committee interviewed 250 judges and lawyers who worked with her, including prosecutors in child pornography cases. They described Jackson as fair and possessing the highest integrity. If confirmed, she will be the first Black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court.
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Missouri Radio Station Offering Russian State Radio to Listeners
LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — A radio station based in suburban Kansas City is facing criticism for airing Russian state-sponsored programming during the Ukrainian war. Peter Schartel owns KCXL in Liberty, Missouri, a small station run on a shoestring budget. He began airing programming from Radio Sputnik, which is run by the Russian government, in January 2020. Criticism has increased since Russia invaded Ukraine in February. Schartel says the $5,000 a month he gets paid by the Russian organization also helps keep his small station afloat. He also says he wants to provide alternative programming with different viewpoints as way to support free speech. Critics say he's promoting propaganda and misinformation.
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Woman Gets Probation for DUI Crash That Killed 5-Year-Old
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) _ A Kansas woman who pleaded guilty to being drunk when she caused a crash that killed her 5-year-old daughter has been sentenced to three years' probation. Television station KSNW reports that Nory Lam was sentenced last week after pleading guilty in January to involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence. Police investigators say Lam was behind the wheel of her sport utility vehicle around 3 a.m. on March 7, 2021, when she went off the road and crashed. Arriving deputies found her holding 5-year-old daughter Aleah Reyes in her lap in the backseat. The girl died at the scene. Investigators say Lam told a deputy she had consumed several shots of tequila at a party before the crash.
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Kansas Father Gets 29 Years in Prison for Killing 3-Year-Old Daughter
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A father was sentenced to 29 years for killing his 3-year-old daughter, whose body was found in a wooded area of Kansas City, Kansas, in July 2020. The Kansas City Star reports that the prison term for 30-year-old Howard Jansen III was handed down Friday during a hearing in Wyandotte County District Court. Jansen pleaded no contest last month to charges of second-degree murder, child abuse, aggravated child endangerment and interfering with a law enforcement investigation. His girlfriend, Jacqulyn Kirkpatrick, is serving a 31-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in November to second-degree murder and interfering with a law enforcement investigation. Police found the body of Olivia Jansen on July 10, 2020, hours after the father had reported the girl missing.
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Russians Charged in Years-Old Computer Hack of American Energy Sector, Including Kansas Nuclear Plant
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department says four Russian government officials have been charged in hacks that targeted critical global infrastructure including the U.S. energy and aviation sectors between 2012 and 2018. Officials say the Wolf Creek nuclear power plant near Burlington, Kansas, had its business network compromised. Though the intrusions date back years, the indictments come as the FBI has raised fresh alarms about Russian hackers scanning the networks of energy firms in the U.S. for vulnerabilities that could be exploited amid Russia's war against Ukraine. The four indicted Russians include an employee at a Russian Ministry of Defense research institute and three officials with Russia's Federal Security Service, which conducts domestic intelligence and counterintelligence. ( Read more.)
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Jayhawks Prepare for Final Four in New Orleans
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - The Kansas Jayhawks are headed to the Final Four in New Orleans and are now focused on their next opponent, the Villanova Wildcats. The two teams meet in the first national semifinal game this Saturday. Villanova has been responsible for KU’s biggest heartbreaks in recent years. But Jayhawk coach Bill Self says he likes the makeup of his team in this year’s matchup. "They do play for eachother and when we play the way that I think that we're capable of playing, I have total faith that we can play very well," he said. In their last postseason meeting, Villanova beat KU at the 2018 Final Four. Two years before that, the Wildcats dashed KU’s hopes of reaching the Final Four after winning a region final in Louisville.
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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!