Kansas City Chiefs Heading to Super Bowl 57
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KNS) — The Kansas City Chiefs are on their way to the Super Bowl after their 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals Sunday evening. It’s the third trip to the Super Bowl in four years for the Chiefs. Harrison Butker kicked the game-winning field goal from 45 yards leaving just three seconds in the game. The Chiefs got into field goal range after a run by Patrick Mahomes followed by a penalty against the Bengals. Mahomes, who played with a high ankle sprain, says it was only possible because of the training staff. The Chiefs will play the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 57 in Glendale, Arizona on February 12th.
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Chiefs Survive Bengals, Get 2 Weeks to Heal for Super Bowl
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes deserved the game ball from the AFC title game. Travis Kelce probably did, too. But behind the scenes were Chiefs trainer Rick Burkholder and his staff. They had to get their star QB ready for the Bengals and help their star tight end when back spasms nearly kept him from playing, too. Their work is just beginning. The Chiefs lost cornerback L'Jarius Sneed, linebacker Willie Gay Jr. and wide receivers Kadarius Toney, JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman to injuries in their 23-20 win Sunday night. They have two weeks to get healthy for the Eagles in the Super Bowl.
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Former Kansas Community College President Arrested
INDEPENDENCE, Kan. (Montgomery County Chronicle) — The foundation director at the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s School of Dentistry has been
arrested in southeast Kansas on felony theft charges. The Montgomery County Chronicle reports that Dr. Daniel Barwick, who assumed his position at UMKC last December, was arrested in Independence on Friday and booked into the Montgomery County Jail.
Police accuse Barwick of stealing from an Independence business on nine different occasions in the past month. Formal charges are expected to be filed this week. When not living in Kansas City, Barwick resides in Independence, where he was the president of Independence Community College from 2011 to 2019.
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Advocates Requesting Clemency for Woman Convicted of Lawrence Murder
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Advocates for Sarah Gonzalez-McLinn are calling on Governor Laura Kelly to grant her clemency after she was convicted of murdering a man she says repeatedly raped her. Gonzalez-McLinn is serving 25-years to life for the 2014 killing of Hal Sasko in Lawrence. Sasko was her former bos at a local restaurant. She moved in with him when she was 17 years old and he was 50. She says he began grooming her as a young teenager, and raped her for months before the murder. The judge didn’t allow her defense to introduce those claims in court and the jury that convicted her of first-degree murder in 2015 didn’t know about the months of abuse that preceded her crime. Advocates for Gonzalez McLinn say that her clemency application contains new evidence that Sasko was also grooming two other 16-year-olds. The governor’s office declined to comment on the case.
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Study: Pandemic Has Had Negative Impact on Home Health Care
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - A study from researchers at the University of Kansas has found that the stress and health concerns during the pandemic has caused many home health care workers to move to other jobs. Workers providing home-based care for individuals often are paid low wages and don’t receive benefits such as sick leave or health insurance. Patients receiving care at home were left scrambling to find alternatives. But the situation could improve as rule changes made during the height of the pandemic expanded who could be hired for home health care jobs. Public health officials in Kansas expanded who could be a paid caregiver to include relatives to the individual needing care at home. The study’s co-author Carrie Wendel-Hummell says while this isn’t a solution for everyone, it was another option to compensate for the losses in the home health care workforce. “It helped fill a lot of gaps in care, especially as other caregivers were quitting,” Wendel-Hummell said. The state is considering making the change permanent. Some workers have been leaving home health care jobs because of burn-out and the offer of higher pay in other industries. The study’s recommendations include increasing wages and expanding Medicaid, which would provide health insurance to some of the industry's workers.
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Kansas Legislature to Consider Legislation on State’s Water Issues
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas lawmakers are under increasing pressure to respond to the state’s worsening water crisis. Last year, the Legislature failed to pass legislation to deal with the crisis. Opposition came from groups that lobby for farmers and ranchers. But with a prolonged drought in many parts of the state, there's even more pressure to act this session. Drought conditions in western Kansas, coupled with new reports about how quickly the Ogalala aquifer is being drained, have created a new sense of urgency and a possible tipping point for policymakers. Representative Lindsay Vaughn of Overland Park is the top Democrat on the House Water Committee. She says lawmakers and agricultural groups need to come together to reach a meaningful compromise. “There are people from across parties, from across the state, who realize how crucial this is to every part of our lives and also to our biggest industries,” Vaughn said. House Water Committee members say the state must also find a way to enforce conservation targets to save the aquifer. In some parts of Kansas, that may require farmers and ranchers to cut their water use by as much as 30 percent
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Kansas City Area Animal Shelters Plead for Help Due to Overcrowding
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (WDAF) - Four animal shelters in the Kansas City area are saying they are at crisis capacity. WDAF TV reports that Great Plains SPCA, KCK Animal Services, Melissa’s Second Chances and the Humane Society of Greater Kansas City are all at maximum capacity with large dogs. The organizations also say that fewer people are adopting, leading to an influx of animals staying in shelter longer. The shelters say that a total of 170 dogs larger than 30 pounds are currently in their care and they’ve had 430 requests from the public to surrender large dogs over the past two weeks. This has led to the rescue organizations having to halt voluntary admissions of large dogs, meaning owner surrenders and transfers from other facilities. Many of the shelters are also running adoption specials. Shelter officials say ways to help out with the overcrowding problem include fostering or adopting a large dog, taking found animals to be scanned for a microchip, making a donation or volunteering.
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Abortion Clinic Opens in Wichita, Bringing Statewide Total to Six
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) - A new abortion clinic has opened in Wichita, bringing the state’s total number to six. The new facility, Aria Medical, is focusing on out-of-state patients. The clinic is offering abortion pills for women up to 11 weeks into a pregnancy. It opened in response to a surge in demand for abortions in Kansas after nearby Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Texas all effectively banned the procedure. The clinic fully covers the cost of the medication, usually several hundred dollars, for patients traveling from states where abortion is banned. It’s the second new clinic to open in Kansas since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last January. The new clinic is opening less than six months after Kansans voted to protect abortion rights and as anti-abortion state lawmakers continue to try to restrict access.
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Kansas Attorney General Pushes Tougher Penalties for Fentanyl Distribution
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Attorney General Kris Kobach wants to crack down on fentanyl in Kansas by creating new, harsher sentencing laws for people who sell drugs laced with fentanyl. Over 500 Kansans have died from fentanyl overdoses since 2015. It is often combined with other drugs to give a more powerful high but is also deadly. Attorney General Kris Kobach says he will ask for a new set of sentencing guidelines for distributing fentanyl and have the Kansas Bureau of Investigation focus more heavily on the crimes. Fentanyl is not easy to detect, but it can be found with a test strip. Those strips are currently illegal, despite legislative attempts last year to allow them. Kobach says he needs more data to see whether he supports legalization.
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Kansas Bill Would Change Status for Uber Drivers
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Lawmakers in Topeka are discussing a bill that would classify Uber and Lyft drivers as independent contractors and not employees. The Kansas News Service reports that a bill was introduced this session on behalf of Uber. A spokesperson for the ride-share company says it already views its drivers as independent contractors, and that the bill would simply clarify that. The spokesperson says Uber drivers furnish their own vehicles, and provide their own gas. They also don’t work set hours and are free to drive for other companies. A spokesperson for the Teamsters union spoke against the legislation. He says the bill would give Uber and Lyft a legal advantage over competitors, like cab companies. States like Florida and Michigan have recently passed laws with similar language. Some other states, like California, have seen movements to reclassify Uber and Lyft drivers as regular employees.
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Royals Make Official Deal with Veteran Reliever Chapman
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals have signed veteran reliever Aroldis Chapman to a $3.75 million, one-year contract a week after agreeing to terms with the seven-time All-Star, who is coming off a lackluster season with the New York Yankees. Chapman was once known for consistently throwing 100 mph fastballs past woebegone hitters. But the left-hander, who will be 35 on opening day, was 4-4 with a 4.46 ERA in his final season with the Yankees, who ultimately left him off their AL Division Series roster when his actions raised questions about his dedication to the team.
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AP Source: Royals Agree with Zack Greinke on Deal
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A person familiar with the deal says the Royals and Zach Greinke have agreed to a contract for the coming season. That makes it nine seasons over two stints in Kansas City for the six-time All-Star pitcher. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the 39-year-old Greinke still needs to pass a physical. The financial terms of the deal first reported by Kansas City sports radio host Bob Fescoe weren't immediately available. Greinke was paid $13 million last season by the Royals. He spent the first seven seasons with them before returning last year and going 3-9 with a 3.68 ERA.
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KC Current Star Sam Mewis Unlikely to Play for U.S. Team at World Cup After Surgery
UNDATED (AP) – U.S. national soccer team midfielder Sam Mewis has undergone a second knee surgery and likely won’t be available to play in the Women’s World Cup this summer. Mewis first had surgery on her right knee in August 2021. But the injury required another surgery last week. Mewis is also expected to miss the upcoming National Women’s Soccer League season. She plays for the Kansas City Current.
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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 headlines are 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.