Officials Try to Save Southeast Kansas Hospital
ARKANSAS CITY, Kan. (KPR) - Seven Kansas hospitals have closed since 2010 and another 50 are currently at risk of closing. One of those – S-C-K Health, in Arkansas – is hoping to survive by taking advantage of new federal rules that allow it to scale back services. Rural hospitals need Medicare and Medicaid dollars to survive, which means they must follow federal rules. Until now, that meant maintaining a certain number of in-patient beds. But changes recently approved by Congress could change that. Now, struggling rural hospitals could get additional federal dollars by agreeing to provide primarily emergency and out-patient services. S-C-K Health CEO Jeff Bowman says becoming what’s called a Rural Emergency Hospital is the path to survival. “We lost almost $3.2 million last year," he said. "So, we knew we had to look at this for the future of our hospital.” Ark City residents expressed concerns at a recent community meeting. But most said they could support the changes if they’re necessary to save their hospital.
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Kansas Lawmakers Send 2nd Abortion-Related Bill to Governor
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS/KMUW) - Kansas lawmakers have sent their second abortion-related bill of the year to Governor Laura Kelly’s desk. The bill would require that Kansas doctors tell patients that abortion pills may be reversible. Supporters say that’s possible if women receive a high dose of hormones after taking the drug — but medical experts have said the treatment is unproven and potentially dangerous. Republicans fell short of what would be needed to override a likely veto, but several members were absent and not voting when the measure first passed. Lawmakers also advanced a proposal to direct up to $10 million for anti-abortion crisis pregnancy centers. That proposal could head to the governor’s desk later this month.
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School Voucher Bill Fails at the Kansas Statehouse
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas lawmakers have voted down a controversial plan to let families use state tax dollars to pay for private schools. The bill would have allowed parents to sign up for a state-sponsored education savings account for each of their children. The state would set aside about $5,000 for each student to use at any private or homeschool. The measure gained narrow approval in the Kansas House but ultimately failed in the Senate. Republican Senator Renee Erickson supported the plan because she says funding should be tied to students instead of school systems. “There is no educational environment that works for every student. It just doesn’t exist." she said. When lawmakers return from their spring break later this month, they’ll consider an education spending bill, which also includes other school choice policies.
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State Budget Winners and Losers - So Far
TOPEKA, Kan. (LJW) — The Kansas Legislature signed off on a new state budget last week that reallocates unspent federal economic stimulus funds to help communities with infrastructure projects. The budget bill also pumps $100 million more into the state’s rainy-day account and supports construction of a joint university health science center in Wichita. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the budget bill did not include funding for state employee raises nor expansion of Medicaid. Forty states and the District of Columbia have expanded Medicaid services, while Kansas stands among 10 states that declined to do so since the Affordable Care Act was implemented nearly a decade ago. All four states surrounding Kansas have taken that step.
The salary issue and other loose ends of the budget would be addressed by the Republican-led Legislature and Democratic Governor Laura Kelly later this month after financial analysts craft revised state tax revenue forecasts.
Rep. John Alcala, D-Topeka, said he was disturbed this budget didn’t set aside appropriations for state employee pay raises. He said it was disheartening the Senate was considering legislation to give statewide officeholders raises but the chamber had yet to take up compensation for state employees receiving more modest wages.
The budget allocated $142 million in ARPA funding toward construction of a health science center in Wichita through a project linking Wichita State University and University of Kansas. The facility is expected to cost in the neighborhood of $300 million.
More than $60 million was set aside to benefit Kansas nursing homes, which struggled through the pandemic and increasingly are in jeopardy of closing. (Read more.)
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Provision in New State Budget Creates Questions About Future of KU’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Programs
TOPEKA, Kan. (LJW) - A budget bill passed by Kansas lawmakers last week creates new questions about how University of Kansas officials will address issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the budget bill approved by lawmakers includes language that would prohibit KU and other state universities from spending state tax dollars on diversity and equity-related issues. The language doesn’t specifically bar KU from operating its Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging, but it does put limits on how KU officials can interact with individuals on the issues of diversity and equity. The bill’s language prohibits the spending of state dollars to get people to “endorse or oppose any ideology, including the ideology of diversity, equity or inclusion.” A spokeswoman said KU was still trying to determine the effects of the legislation. The budget bill has not yet become law. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly could use her line-item veto power to remove the provision from the budget bill. However, the Republican-controlled Legislature also could attempt to override any veto.
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Kansas Man Sentenced in Capitol Riot 'Ridiculously Ashamed'
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Kansas City, Kansas, contractor said he was “ridiculously ashamed” before he was sentenced Monday to four months of incarceration for joining a mob’s attack on the U.S. Capitol.
U.S. District Judge Tanya S. Chutkan also ordered 48-year-old Kasey Hopkins to pay $500 restitution in a video conference hearing. His incarceration will be followed by 24 months of probation, The Kansas City Star reports.
Hopkins acknowledged during the hearing that he was sent to prison in 2002 for a rape conviction. He said that after getting out, he tried to make amends and started a business.
But on January 6, 2021, Hopkins breached the Capitol twice and entered a senator’s private office, where he took pictures of rioters ransacking the room.
“I’m ridiculously ashamed to be here right now,” he said, adding that “the mob mentality is a very, very real thing.”
Chutkan praised Hopkins for undergoing “personal transformation," but she said his involvement in the riot “boggled my mind.” Court documents said that Hopkins proposed “forming a group of ‘Proud Felons for Trump’ when he heard the Proud Boys might not accept men with felony convictions.”
Hopkins initially was charged with four misdemeanors, but prosecutors dropped three of them in exchange for him pleading guilty to parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building.
About 1,000 people have been charged with federal crimes in the riot that temporarily halted the certification of President Joe Biden’s victory and left dozens of police officers injured.
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Early Morning Fatal Crash Closes I-35 in KCK
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KSHB) — A fatal crash closed down part of I-35 in Kansas City, Kansas, this (MON) morning. Authorities say I-35 southbound was closed at Cambridge Circle, just west of the state line, after pedestrian was killed in a crash involving a U.S. Postal Service semi-truck. KSHB TV reports that the collision happened around 3:30 am. KCK police say the postal truck hit and killed a pedestrian.
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Walmart Announces Installation of More EV Charging Stations
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) – Kansans will soon find more electric vehicle charging stations across the state. WIBW TV reports that all Walmart and Sam’s Club stores in Kansas will soon add more EV charging stations. Electric vehicle ownership in the U.S. has increased every year as the vehicles become less expensive. Walmart officials say their stores currently offer about 1,300 charging stations at 280 locations.
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Rabbit Hemorrhagic Disease Reported in Kansas, Iowa
UNDATED (HPM) - A fatal disease affecting rabbits is spreading throughout the Midwest, with cases in Kansas, Iowa, South Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin. Harvest Public Media reports there is a vaccine that can protect domestic rabbits. Rabbit hemorrhagic disease, or RHDV2, is a highly transmissible virus affecting both wild and domestic rabbits. It was first identified in wild rabbits in the southwest in 2020. According to Dr. Anthony Pliny, a veterinarian in Phoenix, the vast number of rabbits infected will die. The virus will in the later stages induce a state where uncontrolled or unstoppable, bleeding occurs, and that will lead to death. RHDV2 is not known to affect people or other animals. Those with rabbits can contact their local veterinarian for more information.
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Kansas Set to Receive Federal Money to Clean Up Three Superfund Sites
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS/KMUW) - Kansas will receive $38 million from the federal infrastructure law to clean up three Superfund sites around the state. Superfund sites are contaminated by chemicals that are toxic to humans and the environment. The federal government has identified at least 17 in Kansas. One of the sites that will receive money is at 57th and Broadway, near Park City. A plume of contaminated groundwater from the site is stretching toward a well where Park City and Bel Aire get water. Brandi Bailey is council member for Park City. "The groundwater contamination plume is heading towards our largest and most critical water (supply). This treatment facility will ensure the continued use of the well," she said. The federal money will go toward a new groundwater cleaning facility. The site is contaminated with tetrachloroethene, a dry-cleaning fluid that can be a health hazard.
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Vanished KC Woman Whose Remains Were Found by Woods Had Ties to FBI Drug Probe
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KC Star) - Kansas City authorities believe 22-year-old Abbi Schaeffer may have been killed because she was preparing to give the FBI information about a fentanyl drug ring. On April 1, after months of searching for her, authorities discovered her abandoned body near hiking trails in south Kansas City. Since her remains were discovered, homicide detectives have been leading a death investigation. The Kansas City Star reports that two months before Schaeffer went missing, Joseph Burgess, a former boyfriend of hers, was one of four men arrested in an alleged drug trafficking conspiracy that the federal government says began in 2019. Prosecutors alleged at the time that Burgess and the other defendants were responsible for selling a fatal dose to a 17-year-old girl. Burgess, who has pleaded not guilty, was charged with conspiracy to distribute fentanyl and possession with intent to distribute. (Read more.)
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Crackdown on Shoplifting Leads to 16 Arrests in Lenexa
LENEXA, Kan. (KMBC) - Police in Lenexa say 16 people have been arrested following a nearly week-long crackdown on retail theft. The suspects include people who face arrest warrants in other states as well as a woman wanted by federal immigration authorities. The investigation also resulted in the recovery of stolen weapons. KMBC TV reports that the focus of the sting was at retail stores in the area near 95th and Quivira. Lenexa police help a similar sting operation last December and plan to conduct more sting operations in the future.
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Overland Park Ranked Healthiest City in Kansas
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (Shawnee Mission Post) - Overland Park has been named the healthiest city in Kansas, according to new rankings by the personal finance website WalletHub. The Shawnee Mission Post reports that Overland Park wa the only city in Kansas to make it into the top 150. The city ranked 32nd overall in WalletHub’s “2023 Healthiest & Unhealthiest Cities in America” list, which compared more than 180 of the largest cities across the country. WalletHub used 43 health-related categories to rank cities.
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KU Health System Preparing for Emerging Fungus Infection
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KNS) - A drug-resistant fungus has been reported in more than half the states in the country – including states surrounding Kansas and Missouri. The fungus - Candida Auris - doesn’t pose a threat to the general population but can be contracted in hospitals and nursing homes. Maggie Reavis is an infection control nurse for the University of Kansas Health System. She says there are no cases reported yet in Kansas or Missouri but she says they are preparing for it. The fungus lingers on surfaces and can be spread through touch. Health officials say in some cases, the fungus can cause people to go into septic shock.
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Air Quality Advisory Issued for Flint Hills Due to Seasonal Burning
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has issued an air quality advisory for a portion of the Flint Hills due to seasonal burning. Health officials predict smoky conditions will worsen in the coming days. While seasonal burning takes place throughout the Flint Hills, this latest advisory primarily affects the area from Manhattan north to Nebraska. Smoke from seasonal burning can influence the air quality of downwind areas. Common health problems include burning eyes, runny nose, coughing, and illnesses like bronchitis. Click here for more information about burning in the Flint Hills.
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Kansas Now Has an Official State Land Fossil
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – Kansas now has an official state land fossil. Governor Laura Kelly signed Senate Bill 3, a bipartisan measure that designates the Silvisaurus Condrayi as the official state land fossil. The Silvisaurus was a medium-sized, four-legged, armored plant-eater. Its fossilized remains were discovered by a rancher in Ottawa County in 1955. The fossils of this dinosaur can be viewed at the University of Kansas Biodiversity Institute and Natural History Museum.
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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 and updated throughout the day. These ad-free headlines are made possible by KPR members. Become one today. And follow KPR News on Twitter.