Kansas Lawmakers May Still Move to Reduce State Sales Tax on Food
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas lawmakers failed to vote on a measure to reduce the sales tax on groceries before adjourning for a long break. But the bill will be on their to-do list when they come back at the end of the month to wrap up the 2022 session. At the start of the session, Democratic Governor Laura Kelly called on lawmakers to quickly send her a bill exempting groceries from the state’s 6.5% sales tax. That didn’t happen. But with the end of the session looming, House and Senate negotiators buckled down and came up with a compromise. It would reduce the tax to 4% starting in January and then, says Republican Representative Adam Smith, "phase it out." "It takes three years to get all the way to zero, but it gets there," he said. That gradual approach, Smith says, will spread out the impact on the state treasury. He says while the bill doesn’t follow the governor’s timetable, it’s as close as lawmakers could come. “I think we’ve reached a good compromise and I hope she’d see that favorably," Smith said. The governor hasn’t yet said whether she would sign the compromise bill.
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Kansas Set to Slash Taxes Again, this Time with Democrats Joining
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Republican-controlled Kansas Legislature is poised to slash taxes again only a decade after a GOP governor launched a tax-cutting experiment that became nationally notorious for the budget shortfalls that followed. This time, Democrats aren’t warning that big tax cuts will tank the budget. Instead, they’re arguing about how taxes should be cut, favoring proposals from Democratic Governor Laura Kelly to lower the cost of groceries and give Kansas residents $250 income tax rebates. While Republicans remain wary of Kelly's proposals, legislators could cut taxes by nearly $1.5 billion over the next three years. Proposed tax cuts await them when they return April 25 from their annual spring break.
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Kansas Hopes to Modernize Unemployment Processing System
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - The Kansas Department of Labor has selected a company to modernize its aging unemployment system. That system failed to keep up with skyrocketing unemployment claims during the COVID-19 pandemic. The backlog of Kansas unemployment claims during the early part of the pandemic led Republicans to criticize Democratic Governor Laura Kelly's administration. But Kelly blamed the problems on an outdated computer system that lawmakers and past governors had failed to update. Tata Consultancy Services will now update the state’s infrastructure for processing unemployment claims. Overhauling the system could cost tens of millions of dollars. The current system was launched over four decades ago. Tata Consultancy has worked on similar projects in Mississippi, Missouri and New York.
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Kansas State Senator Mark Steffen Sends Letters to Physicians on COVID-19
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas physician-legislator who has acknowledged that he is under investigation by the state medical board after supporting the deworming drug ivermectin is instructing doctors on COVID-19 treatment in a letter. The Wichita Eagle reports that Kansas Senator Mark Steffen sent a letter on official Senate stationery to health care providers telling them that the way COVID-19 patients are treated has changed and that they will be shielded from Board of Healing Arts “interference.” The Hutchinson Republican cites the recent Senate passage of a measure that specifically authorizes doctors to prescribe ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine, among other drugs, to treat COVID-19. But the proposal remains bogged down in negotiations with the House.
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Kansas Nonprofit Sends Medical Supplies to Ukraine
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas nonprofit is sending medical supplies to Ukraine after hearing alarming accounts of a hospital in Kyiv low on treatments and basic tools. The Kansas City Star reports that Olathe-based Global Care Force raised $21,000 to bring resources overseas. Brenda Poor, a spokeswoman for the organization. said the packages were stuffed into seven large suitcases and checked onto a plane to Warsaw, Poland, alongside the non-profit's director of operations on Tuesday afternoon. The group has multiple plans for transporting the supplies, which include thousands of doses of antibiotics, over the border.
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Trial Underway in KCK Challenging Kansas Congressional Redistricting Map
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KNS) - An expert witness is arguing in state court that the Kansas congressional redistricting plan gives Republicans a big advantage. The analysis was presented in a Wyandotte County trial Tuesday where the map is being challenged. Civil rights groups are suing to have the Kansas map thrown out for carving up Democratic strongholds. Christopher Warshaw is a political scientist from George Washington University brought in by opponents of the map. He said in court that the plan cuts the chances of a Democrat winning a congressional seat in Kansas by nearly half. Attorneys defending the map challenged the analysis and asked the judge to stop Warshaw from presenting it. But the judge allowed him and said it was valid. The trial is scheduled to continue today (WED).
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Kansas Basketball Fans Welcome Championship Team Back to Lawrence
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas basketball fans packed inside the KU football stadium to welcome their national championship team back to Lawrence Tuesday afternoon. An hour-long wait and a few rain drops didn't dampen the crowd's enthusiasm as Coach Bill Self addressed fans and introduced several of his star players. "There's only one player that I know that's had a decorated year as this guy has, in the history of Kansas basketball. Give it up for your man, Ochai Agbaji," he said. Agbaji thanked fans for their support. ""I appreciate you all... from the bottom of my heart. We have a really special team, coaching staff... couldn't be more thankful and Rock Chalk!," he said. The Jayhawks hoisted their NCAA trophy as several players addressed the crowd. The KU men's basketball team now has six national championships, four of them earned in the NCAA Tournament. This season, KU also became the winningest college basketball team of all time, outpacing Kentucky by four games. ( Read more from Kansas Public Radio.)
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Thousands Poured into Lawrence Streets to Celebrate Kansas Basketball Win
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Thousands of people poured into the streets of Lawrence, home of the University of Kansas, Monday night to celebrate the Jayhawks' come-from-behind victory over North Carolina to take the men's NCAA basketball championship. Lawrence's main downtown strip, Massachusetts Street, was crammed sidewalk to sidewalk as fans watched the game on an enormous flat-screen TV suspended high over the street from a construction lift. The Jayhawks' 72-69 win brought even more fans to the bar-lined street to celebrate the team's first championship since 2008. Lawrence police estimated that 70,000 fans turned out to celebrate in the streets, with preliminary reports showing only three arrests, a citation and no serious injuries.
KU's Victory over North Carolina Most-Viewed Men's Title Game on Cable TV
NEW YORK (AP) _ Kansas's comeback victory over North Carolina to win the NCAA men's basketball championship was the most-viewed title game on cable television. The Jayhawks' 72-69 win averaged 18.1 million viewers on TBS, TNT and truTV. That's a 4 percent increase over last year's title game between Baylor and Gonzaga on CBS. This was the third time the championship game was on Turner, but first since 2018. They were supposed to have the 2020 final, but the tournament was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. The entire tournament on CBS and Turner averaged 10.7 million, a 13% increase over last year.
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University of Kansas Researcher Mounts Defense at Trial over His Ties to China
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The trial of a researcher, accused of illegally keeping secret work he was doing for China while employed at the University of Kansas, has resumed with defense attorneys trying to cast doubt on the government’s handling of his prosecution. Feng “Franklin” Tao faces charges of wire and program fraud for allegedly not disclosing on conflict-of-interest forms the work he was doing for China. The FBI agent who oversaw the investigation testified Monday that he didn’t learn until after the professor’s arrest that was keeping up with his grant work and actually had been honored for his high output.
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Report: Kansas Courts Lacked Resources to Make System More Accessible During Pandemic
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Courts in Kansas and across the nation rushed to move their operation online when the COVID-19 pandemic made gathering in person dangerous. But in many states, courts did not do enough to make the online operations accessible to people with disabilities or language barriers. Pew researchers looked at over 10,000 orders mandating virtual court. They found that less than 3% of those mandates included resources for people with disabilities or limited English proficiency. Qudsiya Naqui, with Pew Charitable Trusts, says virtual court hearings can be beneficial if done correctly. Or they can be a barrier to some people. “It can be really challenging. For example, if the teleconference platform the court is using is not accessible with a screen reader if you're blind or if there is connection issues with the video relay service providing ASL interpretation," Naqui said. Kansas did work to combat those problems. Courts provided WiFi hotspots and information on requesting help. Kansas also allowed people to file documents online.
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Board Faults Discipline for Wichita Police Who Joked About Violence
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A new report has found that Wichita law enforcement officers weren’t adequately punished for joking about police violence and exchanging racist comments and images in a series of text messages. The Wichita Citizen’s Review Board released the 27-page report Tuesday. It details officers sharing an image of a naked African American male sitting on another African American male behind a police vehicle. There also are negative references to Mexicans, Muslims and gays, and officers joke about violence and share images of a Confederate flag. The issues were first uncovered by The Wichita Eagle. ( Read more from KMUW Radio.)
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Kansas City Police Say Someone Shot at Officers During Stop
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City police say someone fired a gun at officers who were conducting a traffic stop, but no one was injured in the shooting. Television station WDAF reports that the shooting happened late Monday morning along Denver Avenue as officers were checking a car. Police spokesman, Sgt. Jake Becchina, says a gray car pulled up at an intersection near the traffic stop, and someone in the car fired a shot toward officers. The car then fled. Police said the officers did not return fire. Police have not made an arrest in the shooting and are searching for suspects.
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9-Year-Old Shot, Wounded While Playing with Gun
JUNCTION CITY, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a 9-year-old boy was shot and wounded while playing with a gun with his 11-year-old brother. The Junction City police department said in a news release that the shooting happened Tuesday. Police said the 9-year-old was flown to a Wichita hospital, where he is in stable condition. Police have determined that the shooting is accidental and urged the public to teach children about gun safety and store firearms with care.
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Judge Dismisses Charges in Duck Boat Tragedy at Lake of the Ozarks
GALENA, Mo. (AP) — A judge has dismissed charges against three men prosecuted after a tourist boat sank and killed 17 people during a 2018 Missouri storm. KYTV-TV reports the judge dismissed the first-degree involuntary manslaughter charges against the men Tuesday. The three men, Kenneth McKee, Curtis Lanham and Charles Baltzell, were charged after a vessel known as a duck boat sank on Table Rock Lake near Branson. Prosecutors say the boat went onto the lake despite storm warnings. But the judge says there's no evidence that staff knew about the threat of dangerous wind gusts. Riders from Missouri, Indiana, Illinois and Arkansas died.
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Hundreds Help Clean Up Kansas City's Blue River
KANSAS CITY, MO. (KNS) - Hundreds of volunteers picked up an estimated 30 tons of trash along Kansas City’s Blue River over the weekend. Litter and garbage illegally dumped in the Blue River watershed travel many miles, and even reach the ocean. Armondo Alvarez gathered trash in eastern Jackson County and found everything from stuffed animals to household appliances and lots of plastic. “Just the amount of plastics around this area – just getting seeped into that water and traveling down eventually into the Missouri River – is very unsettling," he said. Groups like his – the Heartland Conservation Alliance – are also trying to restore native vegetation and wildlife habitat along the river.
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Study: Broadband Internet Elusive in Rural Kansas
HAYS, Kan. (KNS) - A new study has pinpointed where fast internet is most elusive in Kansas - in rural parts of the state. In 95 Kansas ZIP codes, people lack what the federal government defines as broadband. That includes nearly 90,000 people in rural areas from Jefferson County in the northeast to Stevens County in the southwest, who can’t get 25 megabits per second. Donna Ginther, who led the University of Kansas survey, says those slow speeds can disrupt the lives of the people who live in rural areas. "They have to drive to town and sit in the parking lot outside of McDonald's or go to the library to do their homework," she said. The study also says more than one million Kansans — including some near Wichita and Topeka — still don’t have internet speeds of 100 megabits per second, the baseline for doing things like attending school remotely or getting telehealth services.
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Federal Lawsuit Seeks to Stop the End of Asylum Limits on Immigration
PHOENIX (AP/KPR) — Conservative-led governments in Missouri, Arizona and Louisiana have sued sued President Joe Biden’s administration to prevent federal officials from ending a public health rule that allows many asylum seekers to be turned away at the southern U.S. border. The lawsuit was filed over the weekend in a Louisiana federal court challenging the planned May 23rd end to border controls known as Title 42. The order was imposed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention over coronavirus concerns. The lawsuit claims the order is only thing preventing a chaotic situation on the border from getting even worse. Officials say up to 18,000 migrants could show up daily if Title 42 is removed. Border patrol officials have already reported record numbers of immigrants have entered - or tried to enter - the U.S. illegally since Biden became president.
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KBI: Toddler Fatally Shot by Officer in Kansas Standoff
BAXTER SPRINGS, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says a toddler found dead inside a southeast Kansas home after a standoff between her father and law enforcement officers was fatally shot by a police officer. The KBI reported preliminary findings Monday from the deadly March 26 shootings in Baxter Springs. Thirty-seven-year-old Eli Crawford fired at officers for more than three hours in what the KBI called a hostage situation. Crawford died along with 2-year-old Clesslyn Crawford and her mother, 27-year-old Taylor Dawn Shutte. The KBI said Crawford shot Shutte as she exited their home when officers responded to a call for help. The KBI said Crawford is believed to have shot himself.
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Legalized Sports Betting in Kansas Remains in Limbo
TOPEKA, Kan (KNS) - The future of legal sports gambling in Kansas is now uncertain and will hinge on the final days of the legislative session. The Kansas Legislature failed to finalize a plan just hours after lawmakers struck a deal on a bill. It would allow sports betting at casinos or through online apps. House lawmakers narrowly approved it, while the Senate chose not to take up the plan before adjourning for most of April. On the House floor, supporters said Kansas was falling behind dozens of other states that legalized sports gambling in recent years. But critics questioned how much revenue the bill would generate for the state. Republican Representative Paul Waggoner says the plan doesn’t tax enough of the projected profits of casinos. “We should make a good deal for the voters, for the citizens of Kansas, for the taxpayers of Kansas," he said. "We’re not here for the lobbyists.” The Kansas Senate could take up the plan when lawmakers return at the end of the month. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly signaled she would likely sign a sports betting bill.
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Ban on Transgender Athletes Competing in Women's Sports Unlikely to Survive Expected Veto
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas lawmakers have approved a ban on transgender girls and women competing in female school sports. The House passed the bill Friday night. It passed the Senate early Saturday morning, sending the measure to Governor Laura Kelly. She's expected to veto the measure and supporters of the ban fell short in both chambers of a veto-proof majority. The measure was part of a broader agenda for conservatives. It also includes responding to concerns about what's taught in public schools by making it easier for parents to try to remove materials from classrooms and libraries.
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Kansas GOP Lawmakers Abandon Plan to End 3-Day Grace Period on Mail-In Ballots
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Republican state legislators in Kansas have abandoned a proposal to end the three-day grace period the state gives voters who use mail ballots. Republican lawmakers are still pursuing efforts to restrict the use of ballot drop boxes in elections. The GOP's latest plans emerged Friday from negotiations between the House and Senate over proposals to tighten state election laws. The Senate approved the proposal on ballot drop boxes, but the House did not take it up before lawmakers adjourned early Saturday for their annual, three-week spring break. The vote in the Senate on the ballot drop box measure was 21-17. Some Republicans representing rural areas joined Democrats in voting against it.
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Zoos Hiding Birds as Avian Flu Spreads in North America
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Zoos across North America are moving their birds indoors and away from people and wildlife as they try to protect them from the highly contagious and potentially deadly avian influenza. Penguins may be the only birds visitors to many zoos can see right now, because they already are kept inside and usually protected behind glass in their exhibits. Nearly 23 million chickens and turkeys have already been killed across the United States to limit the spread of the virus. Zoos are working hard to prevent any of their birds from meeting the same fate. Birds spread the virus through droppings and nasal discharge. Experts say it can be spread through contaminated equipment, clothing, boots and vehicles carrying supplies.
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Charges Dropped Against Wichita Man in Fatal Double Shooting
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped charges against a man who had been arrested in a double shooting last year outside a dice game in Wichita that killed one man and injured another. The Wichita Eagle reports that charges of first-degree murder and aggravated battery were dropped March 14 against 40-year-old Jermall Campbell. Campbell was arrested 10 days after the June 20 shooting inside a home that killed 47-year-old Deandre Freeman and injured a 53-year-old man. The Sedgwick County Attorney's Office and Campbell's attorney declined to give details on why the charges were dropped, but said Campbell was no longer in custody and the case remains under investigation.
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Royal Expectations: Greinke, Witt and KC's Hopes for 2022
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Not since the Kansas City Royals were winning back-to-back American League pennants in 2014 and ’15 under former manager Ned Yost, and went on to win their first World Series in three decades, has the long-suffering, small-market franchise begun a season with the same amount of optimism that they carry into Thursday’s opener against Cleveland at Kauffman Stadium. Zach Greinke will be back on the mound, the game's No. 1 prospect will be at third base and manager Mike Matheny and the young, exciting club will take the first step toward what they hope is a return to the playoffs.
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Royals Top Prospect Witt Jr to Start Opener at Third Base
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bobby Witt Jr., widely considered the best prospect in baseball, has made the Kansas City roster and will start at third base in the Royals' season opener against the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday at Kauffman Stadium. The move with the 21-year-old infielder was widely expected, especially after he hit well in spring training. Witt batted .290 with 33 homers and 29 steals across Double-A and Triple-A last season. The Royals chose to go with Witt at third base, even though his natural position is shortstop, so they could keep Adalberto Mondesi there. Witt was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 first-year player draft. His father, Bobby Witt Sr., pitched for 16 years in the big leagues with several different franchises.
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Big 12 Commissioner Bowlsby Stepping Away from Role This Year
IRVING, Texas (AP) — Big 12 commissioner Bob Bowlsby says he is stepping away from that role later this year after a decade on the job. Bowlsby will remain the Big 12's leader until a new commissioner is appointed. The expectation is that he will then transition into a new interim role with the league. The 70-year-old Bowlsby's contract with the Big 12 goes into 2025. He has been Big 12 commissioner since 2012. He came to the league after serving as athletic director at Stanford and Iowa.
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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!