Kansas Bill Would Allow Parents to Safely Surrender Children
TOPEKA, Kan. (KCTV) - A new bill is being introduced in Kansas that would give parents the ability to safely surrender a child to a Safe Haven Baby Box if they’re not in position to take care of the baby. KCTV reports that the legislation has already passed in Missouri, and boxes have already been installed in eight other states. A baby box is a drop box located at emergency services or fire stations that allow someone to “legally surrender a newborn.” The proposed bill would require the box to be temperature controlled, lock and signal an alarm. Children must be younger than 60 days old, and parents would avoid any penalties and charges for using the box. As it currently stands, parents surrendering a child in Kansas must hand the child to fire departments or emergency service professionals. The Safe Haven Baby Box was first installed in Indiana in 2016. Since the first installation, over 120 babies have been surrendered in the United States. There are currently 134 boxes across the country.
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Bill Would Allow Home-Schooled Students to Play in Kansas High School Sports
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) - A potential law would allow virtual and home-schooled students to join public school athletic teams and activities in Kansas. But opponents of the bill say the measure would undermine the academic component of participation in school activities and competition. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that a hearing was held this week on House Bill 2030, which would authorize non-public school students and part-time public school students to participate in any activities regulated by the Kansas State High School Activities Association (KSHSAA). In the context of the bill, “non-public school” would refer to students enrolled in any alternatives to traditional, publicly funded education, such as homeschooling, virtual schools and non-accredited private schools.
Under the proposal, local school districts and KSHSAA would be prohibited from creating any policies barring such participation, although schools could still require students to pay any activities fees or enroll in any specific classes that would otherwise also be required of public school participants. The KSHSAA opposes the measure. The proposal comes back to the committee after failed attempts in prior years to pass legislation to open up public schools’ sports teams and activities to non-public students.
About 25 states allow home-schooled students to access interscholastic activities, but Kansas is part of a separate group of 20 states that do not allow any participation. Rep. Kristey Williams, an Augusta Republican who chairs the House committee looking into the proposal, said she was dismayed that some children in Kansas are barred from participating in KSHSAA events, “because all kids have parents who are paying taxes. For us to talk about diversity and inclusion and the needs of a variety of children, this strikes me as the opposite of that,” Williams said. The committee is expected to work the bill in the coming weeks for potential passage to the full House.
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Kansas Lawmakers Consider Changes to Mail-In Voting
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - A bill in the Kansas Legislature would eliminate a three-day grace period for mailed ballots to be counted after Election Day. The bill would only allow mail ballots in Kansas to be counted if they arrive by 7 pm on Election Day. Currently, ballots returned through the mail are counted if they are postmarked by Election Day and received within three days after polls close. Democratic Representative Brandon Woodard argues the bill would make it harder to vote. He claims the bill follows the false belief that elections have been stolen. “This is just another voter suppression effort from folks who believe in the Big Lie," he said. Republicans argue the change would make elections safer and fairer. Lawmakers considered a similar bill last year.
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Kansas Lawmakers Propose Stiffer Penalties for Assaulting Hospital Employees
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas is again considering increased penalties for those who assault hospital workers. Past attempts to do so have failed even as the number of assaults have increased. Hospital workers are sometimes punched, kicked and spat on. In 2017, Chris Buesing had his jaw broken when attacked at his job in Topeka. “My story is not unique. Stormont-Vail Health experiences an average of three injury-causing, workplace violence incidents per month," he said. The proposed bill would add the crime of interfering with a hospital worker and double the length of a sentence for assault. Hospital groups say some attackers can’t be charged because of their mental state, but they still want prosecutors to have options for pursuing tougher penalties.
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New Mental Health Center for Younger Kansans Set to Open in Hays
HAYS, Kan. (KNS) - A new youth mental health center in western Kansas will start accepting patients next month. The new Camber Children’s Mental Health hospital in Hays expects to serve more than 600 young people. That includes 14 beds for inpatient and residential treatment. Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services Secretary Laura Howard says the new center, “comes at a time of critical consequence surrounding the issue of children’s psychiatric services.” A report from last year ranked Kansas as the worst state in the nation for mental health for adults and children. The state ranked last for consistent treatment for youth that have had a major depressive episode.
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Kansas Prisoner Who Sued over Cancer Treatment Has Died
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas prisoner who alleged in a lawsuit that he was not being treated properly for cancer has died, his family and attorneys said.
John Keith Calvin, 56, died Wednesday at El Dorado Correctional Facility, where he was imprisoned for a 2002 killing that his attorneys and supporters maintained he did not commit.
In a lawsuit filed last month, Calvin claimed the Kansas Department of Corrections had not provided proper treatment for his colon cancer, The Kansas City Star reported. An emergency filing asking that he be moved to a hospital was denied.
In a statement, Calvin’s lawyers said his family was “devastated” to share that he died after spending more than 19 years in prison for the December 12, 2002, shooting death of John Coates in Kansas City, Kansas. He would have been eligible for parole in May.
His lawyers at the Midwest Innocence Project and the law firm Morgan Pilate said Calvin was innocent.
“Everyone knew this, and a whole community fought for him,” they said. “John Calvin will have a long legacy, and his fight against injustice will continue.”
Calvin’s co-defendant, Melvin Lee White Jr., was given a five-year sentence after taking a plea deal in Coates's death. White has said repeatedly in court and interviews that he shot Coates and Calvin was innocent.
Calvin’s case had been referred to the Wyandotte County district attorney’s Conviction Integrity Unit, which investigates complaints of police misconduct and wrongful conviction.
In their lawsuit, Calvin’s lawyers alleged he was “yet another victim” of police corruption in Kansas City, Kansas, “as exemplified” by former detective Roger Golubski.
Golubski has been accused by federal prosecutors and civil rights groups of framing Black citizens and sexually harassing Black women and girls for years in Kansas City, Kansas.
He is currently on house arrest facing two federal indictments alleging he sexually assaulted and kidnapped a woman and a teenager between 1998 and 2002, and that he was part of a sex trafficking ring involving underage girls in Kansas City, Kansas, between 1996 and 1998.
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Human Remains Found Near KC Water Treatment Facility
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KC Star) - Kansas City police are investigating after human remains were found near a water treatment plant Wednesday morning. The Kansas City Star reports that police were in the area on an unrelated call when they discovered the remains near the Blue River Water Treatment Plant. Detectives will work with medical examiners to determine the origin of the remains and the cause of death.
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KCK Police Confiscate Thousands of Fentanyl-Laced Pills
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KSHB)— The Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department has seized more than 10,000 fentanyl-laced pills during the past week. KSHB TV reports that the counterfeit prescription pills are worth more than $100,000. A KCK police narcotics unit makes routine sweeps at a variety of facilities, including package processing locations. Last year, the department seized 150,000 pills and department officials say they expect to seize even more pills this year. Last year, KCK recorded more than 174 drug overdoses. Forty of them were fatal.
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California Couple Charged with Trying to Sell Meth in Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (WIBW) - A pair from California has been federally charged with attempting to sell meth they brought with them to Kansas. WIBW TV reports that a federal grand jury in Wichita indicted 39-year-old Orlando Payan-Parra and 43-year-old Erika Cardona-Carrizales, both of Coachella, California, with transportation of methamphetamine across state lines. Court documents indicate that Payan-Parra and Cardona-Carrizales have also been charged with possession of meth.
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Some Rural Counties Grew in First Year of COVID Pandemic
UNDATED (HPM) - New research suggests over a third of rural counties in the U.S. grew during the first year of the pandemic. COVID-19 accelerated an existing trend in rural areas, as deaths outpaced births. But because more people moved into some rural counties, the population grew slightly. Rural counties grew by 77,000 residents from April 2020 to July 2021. That’s according to a recent study by Kenneth Johnson, a demographer and sociologist at the University of New Hampshire. Despite a spike in deaths from COVID-19 and fewer births, Johnson suggests remote work opportunities contributed to more people moving to rural places. But he says those rural counties were especially attractive. “Most of the recreational retirement counties have natural amenities in them, they have lakes, or they have mountains or they have beautiful vistas, the Ozarks, for example, and are a recreational destination," he said.
Tom Mueller is a rural sociologist and demographer at the University of Oklahoma. He says it’s not likely this population trend continues. “People live near cities generally because they like what comes with the city. And during the pandemic, there was a very unique point where everything that's good about a city suddenly wasn't. But I don't think that's a long-term thing by any means," he said. Mueller says that recreational and retirement counties near cities were more likely to see population growth than remote farming counties.
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Another Fishy Tale About the Kansas River
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW/KPR) - Biologists with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks say they encountered a catfish that weighed nearly 80 pounds on the Kansas River. And they've dubbed it a River Monster. WIBW TV reports that biologists had recently been at the Kansas River to sample and remove invasive carp. While out on the water this week, the biologists encountered a Blue Catfish that weighed almost 80 pounds. Wildlife officials say that the massive fish was put back in the river. It may sound fishy, but they did snap a few photos before releasing the fish.
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Kansas Teen Accused of Killing His Mother in Small Town
CANTON, Kan. (KAKE) - The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is assisting local police in a homicide investigation after a McPherson County woman was found dead outside her home. KAKE TV reports that police were called to a home in Canton where they found an unresponsive woman. KBI investigators say police found 52-year-old Briana Lance in the back yard. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The McPherson County Sheriff's Office identified her son, 18-year-old Hayden Lance, as the suspected killer. He has been booked into the McPherson County Jail on charges of second-degree murder.
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Former Band Teacher in Neodesha Accused of Child Sex Crimes
NEODESHA, Kan. (KOAM) - A former band director in Neodesha has been arrested and charged with child sex crimes. KOAM TV reports that 28-year-old Quinton Ross Bockhold has been charged with 19 counts of sexual exploitation of a child. Investigators accuse Bockhold of communicating electronically with a person he believed to be a minor child to lure the child into performing an unlawful sex act in April of 2022. Electronic solicitation of a child is a level 3 felony in Kansas, punishable by up to 20 years in prision. Bockhold is being held in the Wilson County Jail without bond. The Neodesha Police Department is continuing to investigate.
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Man Charged in Fire That Killed 2 Children, His Girlfriend
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder after his girlfriend and two young girls died in a house fire.
Kyle J. Tyler, 32, was also charged Wednesday with two counts of aggravated child endangerment and one count of aggravated arson, Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay said.
A fire at a Topeka home on Jan. 20 killed Genny L. Fitzpatrick, 30; Peyton L. Tyler, 9; and Kourtney K. Tyler, 1, all of Topeka.
The house was fully in flames when firefighters arrived. Kagay said the three victims were inside the house and Kyle Tyler was found outside on the rear deck.
Preliminary results indicate the victims died from smoke inhalation, Kagay said. Firefighters extinguished a “major fire" upstairs and a second fire that had been started in the basement, he said.
Kyle Tyler was treated for smoke inhalation before he was arrested. He's being held on $1 million bond.
A public defender listed in court records as Tyler's attorney was not available for comment on Thursday.
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Man Leaves After Setting House on Fire in Central Kansas
HOISINGTON, Kan. (KSNW) — Authorities say a man in central Kansas set a house ablaze and then walked away from it Tuesday afternoon. KSNW TV reports that Barton County Fire Dist. #2 (BCFD2) received a call for the report of a house fire with flames coming from the windows and attic (near the intersection of NE 140 Road and NE 30 Avenue). Upon arrival, firefighters found the house fully engulfed in flames with no one around. While extinguishing the fire, the BCFD2 says they found that there was no electricity or propane leading into the house, indicating that it was vacant. According to the BCFD2, “the property owner was looking at tearing the house down and lit the house on fire the same day, and left the structure to burn down unattended.” The BCFD2 was assisted by Hoisington EMS, Barton County Sheriff’s Department and the Beaver Fire Department.
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Woman and Baby Killed in Southeast Kansas Head-On Crash
LABETTE COUNTY, Kan. (KSNW) – A woman and a baby have been killed in a crash in southeast Kansas. KSNW TV reports that a Buick Park Avenue collided head-on with a a Chevy Silverado on U.S. Highway 400 in Labette County. The Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) says the driver of the Buick, 30-year-old Valerie M. Montgomery, of Parsons, and a baby inside were killed in the crash. A 41-year-old man and a 33-year-old woman in the Chevy Silverado from Thayer were taken to Labette Health for their injuries. The KHP says the drivers and a passenger inside the pickup were not wearing seatbelts.
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Woman Dragged Eight Miles Under Semi After Crash on I-435
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) — An accident on Interstate 435 early Wednesday morning injured a woman driving a Prius. KSHB TV reports that the car was trapped under a semi-truck after the collision around 3:30 am on westbound I-435 at State Line Road. The truck driver was not aware of the crash and dragged the car for eight miles before stopping near Lackman Road in Lenexa. The driver of the Prius was trapped inside the car. The woman was removed from the vehicle and transported to a hospital.
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ATM Stolen from Baker University; Police Seek Public’s Help in Solving Theft
DOUGLAS COUNTY, Kan. (LJW) - Police are asking for the public’s help after an ATM was stolen from Baker University’s Student Union. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Baldwin City police were notified Tuesday morning that an ATM had been forcibly removed from the wall overnight at the student union and taken to another location, where it was broken into and its contents removed. Authorities are asking anyone who heard or saw anything Monday night or early Tuesday morning around the student union or the New Living Center to contact Baldwin City Police at (785) 594-3850. People may also leave anonymous tips through Douglas County Crime Stoppers at (785) 843-TIPS (8477).
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Agency Delays Protections for Imperiled Bat, Prairie Chicken
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — The Biden administration is temporarily delaying stepped-up legal protections for two imperiled species following efforts by congressional Republicans to derail the actions. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said Wednesday it was postponing reclassification of the northern long-eared bat from “threatened” to the more severe “endangered” category until March 31. The change had been scheduled to take effect January 30. This week, the service announced that new designations for the lesser prairie chicken scheduled to take effect then had been bumped to March 27. The agency is granting endangered status to the grassland bird's southern population segment while listing the northern segment as threatened. The administration said the delays were intended to give regulators and those affected by the changes — such as landowners, loggers, ranchers and wind turbine operators — time to adjust. The listings, both announced in November, drew pushback from GOP lawmakers who complained that stronger protections would disrupt infrastructure projects and other economic activity.
The lesser prairie chicken's range covers a portion of the oil-rich Permian Basin along the New Mexico-Texas state line and extends into parts of Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas. The habitat of the bird, a type of grouse, has diminished across about 90% of its historical range, officials say. The crow-size, terrestrial birds are known for spring courtship rituals that include flamboyant dances by the males as they make a cacophony of clucking, cackling and booming sounds. Environmentalists consider the species severely at risk due to oil and gas development, livestock grazing, farming and construction of roads and power lines.
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KCK Police Put Officer on Leave After Video Appears to Show Him Impaired
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KCUR) - Kansas City, Kansas, Police have placed an unnamed officer on administrative leave after he was caught on video looking impaired. In a video that has now spread across social media, a police officer responding to a custody call is leaning against a wall, his speech slurred and his eyes blinking fast. A KCK homeowner shooting the video was alarmed and said the officer appeared to be under the influence of something and "high as a kite.” KCUR Radio reports that the police department issued a statement Monday saying the officer may have been suffering from a medical condition. The department says the officer is now on leave pending an internal investigation.
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Bengals Return to Kansas City for Another AFC Title Game
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Bengals are headed back to Kansas City for the second straight year for the AFC championship game, hoping to replicate the success they've had over the past 13 months against the Chiefs. Cincinnati has won the past three matchups between the burgeoning rivals, including last year's AFC title game. In that one, the Bengals rallied from an early 21-3 deficit for an overtime victory and a spot in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes, who is 0-3 against Bengals counterpart Joe Burrow, expects to play after sustaining a high ankle sprain in last week's divisional win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
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This summary of area news is curated by KPR news staffers, including J. Schafer, Laura Lorson, Tom Parkinson and Kaye McIntyre. Our headlinesare generally posted by 10 am weekdays. These ad-free headlines are made possible by KPR members. Become one today. And follow KPR News on Twitter.