Kansas Governor to Sign COVID Relief Measure for Businesses
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is expected to quickly sign a bill aimed at helping small businesses forced to shut down or comply with public-health restrictions at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualifying businesses could get up to $5,000. The bill – approved last week with only one dissenting vote - is aimed at helping small “storefront” businesses recoup some of the property taxes and rent they had to pay even while public health restrictions cut into their sales. Only one lawmaker voted against the measure last week. Despite the bipartisan support, Republican state Senator Caryn Tyson said that Kelly, a Democrat, should get no credit. “We have businesses that were shut down by our governor and she’s going to take credit for giving them property tax relief here? You guys, don’t buy into that narrative," she said. Democrats defended the governor, saying the restrictions that she and local officials imposed were necessary to slow the spread of the virus. Republican Representative Adam Smith says the bill isn’t about tax breaks, it’s about compensating small businesses for their losses. “It’s not a tax break to try to give them a little relief from government overreach," he said. The state will use $50 million in federal COVID relief funds to pay for the program. The Kansas Department of Revenue will take applications, determine eligibility and dole out the money.
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Two Teens Killed at Wichita Graduation Party
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) - Two teenagers in Wichita were killed in a shooting at a high school graduation party. KSNW TV reports that police officers were called to the party late Saturday night at a banquet hall in the northeast part of the city. When they arrived, officers found 17-year-old Boisy Barefield, of Wichita, with a gunshot wound. He was taken to a hospital where he died. As people were fleeing the scene of the shooting, a 15-year-old girl was hit by a car. She was taken to an area hospital and later died from her injuries. An 18-year-old woman was later arrested on suspicion of felony hit and run.
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One Dead, One Injured After Sunday Morning Shooting in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) - One person is dead and another injured following a shooting in Kansas City early Sunday morning. WDAF TV reports that Kansas City police officers responded to the shooting just after midnight at 71 Highway and Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard. That's where officers discovered a vehicle stopped on the highway. Inside, police found two people who had been shot. One of the victims - an adult woman - was unresponsive. She later died. The other victim, an adult male, was conscious. He told police that shots were fired at them from another unknown vehicle in the area. He's listed in stable condition.
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Kansas Libraries Giving Away Free State Park Passes
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - A new program aims to get more Kansans outdoors by handing out free state park vehicle passes at public libraries. The passes are available at more than 50 libraries, from Kansas City and Topeka in the east to Goodland and Scott City in the west. And they'll get Kansans into any state park for one day. For free. Program coordinator Riston Landwehr says it’s a chance to extend the work libraries are already doing in these communities. "Just a way to educate not only inside reading books but sending them out with materials into state parks to learn about the outdoors as well," he said. The program runs through the end of this year, but Landwehr says the goal is to continue it in 2023. Kansans can find a full list of participating libraries on the department of wildlife and parks’ website.
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Steamboat Arabia Museum Considers Moving from Kansas City to St. Charles
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) — One of the top tourist attractions in Kansas City could be leaving town. The owner of the Steamboat Arabia Museum, Bob Hawley, is looking at a new city for his sunken riverboat collection. He tells KMBC 9 it's a difficult decision, but as the museum expands, moving is a must. A total of 132 years after the Steamboat Arabia sank near Kansas City it was excavated and given a new home in the city market. Now, it could be heading to a new home across the state of Missouri. The steamboat’s story is personal to Hawley because he's part of it. He found and excavated the sunken riverboat in 1988. After more than three decades of sharing its treasures with visitors in Kansas City, he thinks it's time to turn the page. “The museum that we're in right now is not large enough,” he said. “There's another boat I want to dig up, called the Malta.” The Malta sits buried 90 miles east of Kansas City. Hawley's been searching for a building large enough to hold both boats’ displays, including potentially housing the Malta in its entirety. After exhausting options here in Kansas City, he's found potential sites in St. Charles, Missouri. "It's always been our hope to stay in Kansas City, but we have talked with almost everybody that I can think to talk to,” he said. “We’ve just not been able to find a big enough building (that’s) affordable.” Hawley expects to have a final decision on a move within six months. The museum will remain at its current location in City Market until its lease expires in 2026.
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Suspected Serial Killer Charged in Missouri with Another Death
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A suspected serial killer already charged in six killings in the Kansas City and St. Louis areas has been charged with first-degree murder in a seventh death. In Jackson County, Missouri, prosecutor Jean Peters Baker has announced new murder charges against 26-year-old Perez Deshay Reed. Baker also charged Reed with one count of armed criminal action and two counts of fraud involving a credit or debit device. The new charges stem from the November 2021 shooting death of Stephon D. Johnson in Kansas City, Missouri. Reed is also charged in four killings in the St. Louis area in September, and two more in Wyandotte County in October.
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KBI: Investigation Underway into Officer-Involved Shooting
SALINE COUNTY, Kan. (KPR) - The KBI is investigating a fatal shooting involving an officer in Saline County. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation reports that two Saline County Sheriff's deputies were serving an arrest warrant Friday night for 42-year-old Dustin Vance of Hoisington. Vance was wanted on charges of rape, aggravated criminal sodomy, and contributing to a child's misconduct. The KBI says Vance drew a handgun on the deputies, and one of the deputies fired multiple shots, killing Vance and wounding a Salina woman. She was taken to the Salina Regional Health Center.
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Missouri Patrol Investigates Officer-Involved Shooting in KC
KANSAS CITY, MO. (KPR) - The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating a shooting involving police in Kansas City. Officers were called to a reported carjacking in Kansas City, Kansas, Friday night. When Kansas City, Missouri, police officers spotted the vehicle at a Family Dollar store, the driver took off and two officers opened fire on a female passenger and wounded her. She remains hospitalized. The Missouri Highway Patrol investigates all shootings involving police officers in Missouri.
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Louisiana Man Dies While Driving in Kansas
RUSSELL COUNTY, Kan. (KSNW) — A man from Louisiana died while driving in Kansas over the weekend. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP), 20-year-old Aaron Bostick, of Bastrop, Louisiana, was killed in a collision after losing control of his vehicle in Russell County. KSNW TV reports that Bostick was driving a 1994 GMC westbound on Interstate 70 about two miles east of U.S. Highway 281 when he lost control, veered left and crossed the median onto the eastbound lanes of Interstate 70. Bostick was then hit by a semitrailer. Bostick was pronounced dead at the scene. The KHP online crash log states he was wearing a seatbelt.
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Kansas to Spend Millions on New Train Projects
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas is pumping millions of dollars into railway projects to increase transport capacity in rural areas. Governor Laura Kelly’s administration announced more than $11 million for 17 railway projects as part of a program created in 2019. The money will largely flow to parts of western and southern Kansas, to help companies such as short-line railroads and shippers. Kansas grants partial funding to help them complete projects such as laying new track, replacing railway switches and upgrading bridges. ( Read more from KZRG Radio.)
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Kansas Equity Efforts Bring Little Change After George Floyd Shooting
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Elected leaders in Kansas convened community groups and held town hall conversations after demonstrators protested George Floyd's death statewide. But the passion and energy evident in those protests hasn't translated into widespread change in local government. One of the most common results has been formalizing changes that had already been made. Police in several Kansas cities have put into writing the practices they say they had already adopted. Some racial justice advocates in Kansas have focused on electing diverse candidates as a way to get police reform measures approved and to ensure elected officials reflect demographic shifts. ( Read more.)
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Royals Place Greinke on 15-Day IL with Strained Forearm
CLEVELAND (AP) — Kansas City ace Zack Greinke was placed on the 15-day injured list with a strained right forearm. It was the significant in a flurry of roster moves by the Royals before opening a three-game series with the Guardians. The 38-year-old Greinke complained of tightness in his arm following Sunday’s start in Minnesota. He allowed five runs in four innings in a 7-3 loss to the Twins. Greinke is 0-4 with 5.05 ERA this season. Royals manager Mike Matheny said it could “take a little time” before Greinke's back. A six-time All-Star, Greinke is in his second stint with the Royals. They signed him to a one-year, $13 million contract in March.
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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.