Suspect in High-Speed Chase Fatally Shot by Kansas City Police, Trooper
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Authorities in Kansas City say a man suspected of leading police on a chase over two states has been fatally shot by officers. Police in Kansas City, Missouri, say the shooting happened late Tuesday near Platte City after officers in Kansas City, Kansas, attempted to stop a car driven by a man as part of a homicide investigation. The man was identified Wednesday as 26-year-old Mekiah Harris, of Kansas City, Kansas. He was a suspect in a shooting death on Sunday in Kansas City, Kansas. Police say Harris sped off, leading to a chase into Missouri. He was eventually shot by officers in a wooded area south of Platte City.
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UPDATE: Kansas City Police ID Victims of Fatal Car Crash
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City Police department identified the two victims in the fiery fatal car crash late Sunday night as 33-year-old Delvon Landrum, of Grandview, and 41-year-old Nickie Lewis, of Columbia. Both were pronounced dead at the scene following the crash.
(Earlier reporting...)
Two Killed When Corvette Crashes into Storage Container in KC
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Two people were killed in Kansas City when their speeding Chevy Corvette crashed into a storage container Sunday night. KCTV 5 reports that the fiery crash killed a man and a woman inside the vehicle and caused extensive damage to a nearby community kitchen. Police say they were not chasing the gray Corvette but were following the vehicle around 11 pm Sunday because it had been spotted speeding. Police say the car had been driving against oncoming traffic to pass vehicles in the vicinity of Linwood Boulevard and Holmes Street. The car ended up crashing into a storage container at 31st and Troost Avenue, catching fire and causing extensive damage to Thelma's Kitchen, a community kitchen business that boxes food for those in need.
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Kansas Man Guilty of Murder in Pregnant Girlfriend's 2018 Death
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man has been found guilty of capital murder in the 2018 killing of his pregnant girlfriend. Johnson County prosecutors say a jury convicted 31-year-old Devonte Dominique Wash on Monday for the death of 23-year-old Ashley Harlan, of Olathe, and her unborn child. Wash faces life in prison without parole when he's sentenced on June 24. Police said Harlan was found shot to death at her grandfather's home. She was about 20 weeks pregnant with Wash's child when she died. Wash called 911 to report that he had found Harlan shot inside the home, but investigators determined through surveillance video near the home and ballistics evidence that Wash was the shooter.
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Kansas Gamer Pleads Guilty for Role in Fatal 'Swatting' Case
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man will be sentenced in July for his role in a hoax call that led to a fatal police shooting in 2017. Shane Gaskill pleaded guilty Tuesday to wire fraud related to a “swatting" call that ended with Wichita police shooting and killing 28-year-old Andrew Finch. In his plea agreement, Gaskill said he taunted another online gamer and gave him an old address in Wichita. Another gamer in Los Angeles called Wichita police and falsely reported a shooting and kidnapping at the address. Finch, who had nothing to do with the online dispute, was shot when he opened the door to his home. The other two gamers are serving prison sentences.
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Man Charged in Shooting Deaths of Two Kansas Teenagers
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 24-year-old Kansas City man is jailed on charges of killing two Kansas teenagers. Police said Patrick Howard is charged with two counts of second-degree murder in the February 18 deaths of Samuel Guess and Antonio Johnson, who were both 14. Nancy Chartrand, a spokeswoman for the Kansas City, Kansas, police department, said Tuesday that Howard is being held in the Wyandotte County jail on $250,000 bond. Police said the two victims were found dead inside an apartment across from the Argentine Middle School. The investigation into the shootings is continuing.
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Possible Overturning of Roe v. Wade Sends Abortion Fight Back to States
UNDATED (AP) – If the U.S. Supreme Court follows through on overturning the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade case that legalized abortion nationwide, it would quickly split the country into states with abortion access and those that outlaw it. Democrats have vowed to fight the possible removal of abortion rights that have been in place for nearly a half-century, while Republicans cheered the draft opinion and condemned the extremely rare leak that allowed it to be reported by Politico on Monday. About half of U.S. states are expected to ban abortion if Roe falls and 13 states have so-called trigger laws that would immediately ban abortion if it is overturned.
(-Related-)
Oklahoma Joins Texas in Offering Glimpse of "Post-Roe" World
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma has joined Texas this week with new abortion restrictions. The new law signed Tuesday by Oklahoma's governor offers a preview of what abortion care might look like if the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down its landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized the procedure nationwide. Abortion providers across the country have been bracing for the possibility that the high court’s new conservative majority might further restrict abortion. That has has especially been the case in Oklahoma, where lawmakers have passed a half-dozen anti-abortion measures this year. The new Oklahoma law prohibits doctors from performing an abortion after fetal activity is detected in the embryo. Experts say that is after about six weeks, before many women know they are pregnant.
Missouri Set to Ban Most Abortions if Roe Ruling Falls
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri is slated to ban most abortions if the U.S. Supreme Court undoes Roe v. Wade. Republican Attorney General Eric Schmitt on Tuesday said he will take immediate action to allow an abortion ban to take effect if the landmark ruling is overturned, as a draft opinion leaked late Monday suggests. Missouri's GOP-led Legislature passed the abortion ban in in 2019 in hopes that the 1973 ruling would later be tossed out. Abortions would only be allowed to save the life of the mother. Anyone who performs an unlawful abortion would face 5 to 15 years in prison.
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Nebraska Man Pleads Guilty for Part in Kansas Bank Robbery
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – A man has pleaded guilty to to one count of use of a firearm during a crime of violence for his part in an armed bank robbery in Burr Oak, Kansas. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Kansas, 26-year-old Cody Deichen, of Hastings, Nebraska, admitted to aiding and abetting in the brandishing and use of a home-built .223 caliber AR-15 style rifle during a bank robbery at Guaranty State Bank on South Main Street in Burr Oak. KSNT TV reports that a federal district court judge will be responsible for determining any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. The sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 27. Both the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation are looking in to this case which is being prosecuted by Assistance U.S. Attorney Sara Walton.
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Execution of Missouri Man Just the 5th in U.S. this Year
BONNE TERRE, Mo. (AP) - A Missouri man who killed a couple during a robbery at their rural home nearly 26 years ago has been put to death, even as another state has halted executions that have become increasingly uncommon in the U.S. Carman Deck was executed Tuesday at the state prison in Bonne Terre. So far this year, two people have been executed in Oklahoma and one each in Texas and Alabama. On Monday, Tennessee Governor Bill Lee paused executions to enable a review of lethal injection procedures after a testing oversight forced the state to call off an execution last month.
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Kansas COVID-19 Infection Rate Exceeds National Average
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) - Most people in Kansas have now had COVID-19. That's according to a new federal estimate. More than 62% of Kansans had COVID-19 at least once, as of the end of February. That’s according to estimates based on testing for antibodies in blood samples which were collected for lab work. The federal data, which were updated last week, show Kansas is slightly higher than the 58% national average infection rate. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that the testing did not determine the amount of antibodies in the blood samples, so the data should not be used to estimate how many people currently have immunity to the virus.
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Rural Communities Often Miss Out on Federal Help
HAYS, Kan. (KNS) - Rural communities in Kansas and across the Midwest often do not have enough staff and expertise to take advantage of federal funding for infrastructure projects. As a result, more money gets funneled to affluent areas that don’t need it as much. A new Headwaters Economics report says many rural Kansas communities struggle to compete for their share of government grants. Part of the problem is population loss, which over the decades has shrunk small towns and their tax bases. But Headwaters Director Patty Hernandez says many rural Kansas governments are also missing zoning officials and grant writers. It all adds up to a barrier that blocks small towns from getting money that’s intended to help them. “Money is going primarily to larger, wealthier communities. And we should be getting help to the places that need it most," she said. Hernandez says one thing that would help is simplifying the applications communities need to fill out to get government money.
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New Report Highlights Health Disparities in Kansas
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - Annual county health rankings show more people die prematurely in southeast Kansas and in Wyandotte County than in the rest of the state. Southeast Kansas has struggled with poverty for generations. Going back to the heyday of the region’s mining industry. The Kansas City Kansas area faced racism and redlining that hindered financial investment in neighborhoods of color for decades. Today, both areas have poor health outcomes. Ericka Burroughs-Girardi is an expert at the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. It publishes the county health rankings.“There is a very strong tie between wealth and health," she said. The report suggests economic opportunity and living wages are important for creating healthy communities.
(-Related-)
Health Gap Between Wyandotte, Johnson Counties Remains Large
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - The health gap between neighboring Johnson and Wyandotte counties remains the most dramatic in Kansas. Annual county health rankings show Johnson, the state’s wealthiest county, is also its healthiest. Wyandotte, home of Kansas City, Kansas, is one of the least healthy. Ericka Burroughs-Girardi is an expert at the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, which published the new report. She says historical redlining of neighborhoods of color is one reason for the gap. “So, discriminatory policies, disinvestment - all of these policy decisions - have played a role in Wyandotte and other communities that have struggled to pull themselves out of a hole," she said. People die younger in Wyandotte than the rest of the state. And babies are more likely to be born with a low birth weight, which can cause health problems.
Report: Southeast Kansans Die Younger than Rest of the State
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - A new report shows that people continue to die younger in southeast Kansas than most of the rest of the state. Health care is making strides in the region - but that is just one ingredient in good health. Jason Wesco is president of the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, which serves seven counties. “If we want people to be healthier, we can’t only operate in health care. So we’re getting in a big way into transportation. Into housing. We feed people. We are working on social isolation. We do a lot of those things," he said. The region is struggling with generational poverty going back to the heyday of the mining industry. Higher rates of childhood poverty, teen pregnancy and smoking are some of the challenges facing southeast Kansas. The annual county health analysis comes from the University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute.
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Schools in Kansas, Elsewhere Feeling Loss of Falling Enrollment
MISSION, Kan. (AP) - Public school systems are beginning to feel the pinch from enrollment losses tied to the coronavirus pandemic. Funding for schools is driven partly by student headcounts, and emergency provisions in many states allowed them to maintain funding at pre-pandemic levels. But like the billions of dollars of federal relief money that have helped schools weather the crisis, those measures were not meant to last forever. A school system in suburban Kansas City is eliminating over 100 jobs, including kindergarten aides and library clerks. Oakland, California, is closing seven schools. Other districts around the country are merging classrooms, selling buildings and leaving teaching positions unfilled.
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Producers Offer Plan to Make Raising Beef More Sustainable
UNDATED (HPM) - A coalition of groups involved with the beef industry aims to make beef production in the U.S. carbon neutral by 2040. Harvest Public Media reports that the recommendations from the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef include goals to use less water and keep more carbon in the ground. Steve Wooten is the chair of the roundtable. He says the motivation is to do the right thing, but also to have the industry determine the best course of action instead of waiting for federal regulations. "Getting out ahead and wrestling with errant greenhouse gas emissions - take it apart and figure out what you’re able to do to improve the situation overall," he said. All of the action items are voluntary, but Wooten says they have buy-in from the groups because all of the recommendations are at low cost.
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Maine Man Sentenced for Hitting Missouri Trooper with Car
LEBANON, Mo. (AP) — A man from Maine has been sentenced to prison after he admitted to intentionally hitting a Missouri state trooper. Galen Sailer, of Old Orchard Beach, Maine, was sentenced Monday to a total of 20 years. Prosecutors said he admitted he hit the trooper in a parking lot after a traffic stop in Lebanon, Missouri, in February 2021. The trooper suffered a fractured bone. The trooper said at the time Sailer said his brother had been killed by a police officer in Arizona. Before his sentencing, Sailer pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree assault, leaving the scene of an accident and property damage.
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Wichita State University Fires Its Athletic Director
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) _ Wichita State has fired athletic director Darron Boatright. University President Rick Muma said in a news release that Boatright had several achievements during his tenure but there were ``significant, ongoing concerns'' that had become acute in recent weeks. Sarah Adams, who is currently senior associate athletic director and senior women's administrator, will become interim athletic director. University supporters had recently criticized Boatright for the school's lack of preparation for name, image and likeness funds for Wichita State athletes. Boatright had been with Wichita State athletics for 12 years, the last six as AD.
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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!