Kansas Governor Issues Emergency Disaster Declaration Due to Wildfires
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Governor Laura Kelly has declared a disaster emergency following an outbreak of wildfires across the state. The declaration will allow the state to preposition assets for a quicker response to any new fires that erupt. State resources, including airplanes and helicopters, will be available and prepared to respond quickly to any requests for assistance. Extreme dryness across Kansas, combined with warmer temperatures and persistent gusty winds, have resulted in elevated fire concerns. Any fires that develop will likely spread rapidly and become extremely difficult to control. Outdoor burning is not recommended. “The persistent drought is leaving the majority of Kansas very vulnerable to wildfires,” said Mark Neely, Fire Management Officer for the Kansas Forest Service.
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Wildfire Training Underway in Kansas
SCOTT COUNTY, Kan. (HPPR/KNS) - April is typically the windiest month in Kansas, and that can make this the toughest time of the year for wildland firefighters. But real-world training efforts are helping more firefighters get prepared. There’s not much firefighters can do to limit the spring winds that make this time of year so dangerous for wildfires in western Kansas. But training the next generation of firefighters about taking proactive steps, such as removing dry brush with chainsaws and clearing land with prescribed fires, can limit the damage wildfires inflict.
Logan Branam is one of more than two dozen Hutchinson Community College fire science students who participated in a recent Kansas Forest Service training at Lake Scott. He says this hands-on experience is preparing him for his summer job on a wildland fire crew. “This is way different. I feel like I've learned more here in the past few days than I do in classrooms," he said. The event also trained personnel from local fire departments in western and central Kansas and from the National Guard.
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Kansas Health Care Company Hit by Ransomware Attack
COFFEYVILLE, Kan. (KSNW/KPR) — A southeast Kansas health care company has been hit by a ransomware attack. KSNW TV reports that Medicalodges, based in Coffeyville, is now one of two companies successfully targeted by the Karakurt Ransomware Extortion Group. Sources say the notorious group claims it has access to 170 GB worth of the company's data, including social security numbers and medical diagnoses. The group also claims it will start releasing the data on April 17. Medicalodges operates nursing homes and other medical facilities in Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. According to an FBI dossier on the group, the ransomware company does not always maintain the confidentiality of victim information even after a ransom has been paid.
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Six Accused of Using Drones to Deliver Contraband to Prison
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP/KPR) — Six people are accused in a federal indictment of conspiring to use a drone to fly contraband such as cell phones and marijuana into Leavenworth federal prison. The indictment was unsealed Wednesday after all the suspects were arrested. Two prisoners, 35-year-old Dale Gaver III and Melvin Edwards, allegedly arranged with four people outside the prison to deliver items requested by other inmates into the prison yard between August 2020 and May 2021. The items included cell phones, the synthetic drug K-2, marijuana and tobacco products. Transactions over the money phone application CashApp recorded illegal payments made as part of the smuggling operation. The defendants are Dale Gaver III, 54-year-old Dale Gaver II, 37-year-old Joshua Hamilton and 33-year-old Rex Hil, all originally from Omaha, Nebraska; and 44-year-old Melvin Edwards, and36-year-old Tamarae Hollman, of Riverside, California. They have all been charged with conspiracy to provide and possess contraband in prison.
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OSHA Investigates KCK Plant Where Workers Became Sick
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (WDAF) — A plant in Kansas City, Kansas is open but under investigation after dozens of employees became sick. The KCK Fire Department said it arrived at Premier Custom Foods Tuesday afternoon. WDAF TV reports that one person was unconscious by the time crews arrived. At least 30 employees received medical treatment and 16 were taken to the hospital. The U.S. Department of Labor is investigating. Officials say a possible carbon monoxide leak inside the building sickened the employees. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration said the plant uses carbon monoxide to preserve fresh meat.
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High-Poverty Kansas School Districts Stand to Lose Millions
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS/KMUW) - Kansas school districts with high percentages of low-income students could lose millions in funding next year unless state lawmakers extend a state benefit. Kansas gives about $50 million in extra funding every year to school districts with high numbers of students in poverty. That boost runs out in June of 2024 unless the Legislature extends it. Susan Willis is budget director for Wichita schools. She says her district is enrolling more low-income students who require more resources, like after-school programs. “Because we are large and we are urban, we have a high concentration of students in poverty," she said. "I don’t know that that’s necessarily going to change on June 30th of 2024.” Lawmakers this year briefly considered a bill to make the funding permanent, but that idea never made it out of committee.
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U.S. Urges Meat Companies to Ensure They Don't Use Child Labor
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Biden administration is urging U.S. meat processors to make sure children aren't being hired illegally to perform dangerous jobs at their plants. The call comes after an investigation over the past year found more than 100 kids working overnight for a company that cleans slaughterhouses handling dangerous equipment like skull splitters and razor-sharp bone saws. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack sent a letter Wednesday to the 18 largest meat and poultry producers urging them to examine the hiring practices at their companies and suppliers. The letter is part of a broader effort by the administration to crack down on the use of child labor. The Labor Department has reported a 69% increase since 2018 in the number of children being employed illegally in the U.S.
"The use of illegal child labor — particularly requiring that children undertake dangerous tasks — is inexcusable, and companies must consider both their legal and moral responsibilities to ensure they and their suppliers, subcontractors, and vendors fully comply with child labor laws," Vilsack said in the letter.
Just last year, the Labor Department found that more than 3,800 children had been working illegally at 835 companies in various industries. In the most egregious recent case, Packers Sanitation Services Inc., or PSSI, agreed earlier this year to pay a $1.5 million fine and reform its hiring practices after investigators confirmed that at least 102 kids were working for the company at 13 meat processing plants nationwide. PSSI, which is based in Wisconsin, employs about 17,000 people working at more than 700 locations, making it one of the largest food-processing-plant cleaning companies. The plants where PSSI was found to be employing minors were in Kansas, Nebraska, Colorado, Arkansas, Indiana, Minnesota, Tennessee and Texas.
The Labor Department says it has more than 600 child labor investigations underway and officials are concerned about the exploitation of children, particularly migrants who may not even have a parent in the United States. Several federal agencies launched a broad effort to combat child labor earlier this year, and officials asked Congress to increase the penalty for violations because the current maximum fine of $15,138 per child isn't enough of a deterrent to big companies.
One major meat producer, Smithfield Foods, said Wednesday it was not aware of any violations at its facilities. "Smithfield Foods and all of its affiliates comply with all child labor laws, both federal and state," the company said. "We require all of our contractors to do so as well."
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New Kansas Law Will Reduce Blinking Lights on Wind Turbines
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas residents who live near wind farms could eventually get a break from the nearly constant blinking of the red lights on wind turbines under a bill signed Thursday by Governor Laura Kelly. Starting July 1, developers of new projects will be required to apply to the Federal Aviation Administration for light mitigation technology. The technology turns off the lights except when aircraft are near — a rare occurrence in rural Kansas. The developers would have two years to install the technology. Beginning July 1, 2026, existing developments would have to apply to the FAA within six months of signing a new power offtake agreement, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported. Because that could take several years, the law allows counties to use bonds to help pay for the expensive technology earlier. System installation costs about $2 million, with $100,000 in annual costs for a typical wind farm. Rep. Lisa Moser, a Republican from Wheaton, who has wind farms near her home, has said she and thousands of Kansans see red blinking lights every three seconds, 24 hours a day. Kansas has about about 4,000 turbines now, with plans to add another 6,000.
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KCK Authorities: Body Recovered from the Kansas River
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (WDAF) — A death investigation has been launched after a man's body was recovered from the Kansas River. Fire crews and police officers in Kansas City, Kansas, were dispatched Wednesday afternoon to an area known as Kaw Point (S. 26th Street and Kansas Avenue) to retrieve the body of a man floating in the water. WDAF TV reports that the man's identity has not been released.
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Canadian Pacific, Kansas City Southern Officially Merge Friday
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) - The merger of Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern becomes official on Friday, when the two companies unite to become Canadian Pacific Kansas City. The merger comes just one month after the two railroads got approval to merge from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board. The combined rail line will touch Canada, Mexico and the United States, the first railroad to serve all three countries.
With more than 19,000 miles of track, the combined railroad will still be the smallest of the six largest railroads. On Friday, top officials from both companies are expected to gather in Kansas City for a celebration of the merger. They'll be joined by local, federal and state officials from Missouri.
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Judge Blocks EPA Rules Intended to Protect Nation's Waterways
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge on Wednesday temporarily blocked a federal rule in 24 states that is intended to protect thousands of small streams, wetlands and other waterways throughout the nation. U.S. District Judge Daniel L. Hovland in Bismarck, North Dakota, halted the regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers pending the outcome of a lawsuit filed by the 24 states, most of which are led by Republicans. The regulations were finalized in December 2022, repealing a rule implemented during President Donald Trump's administration but thrown out by federal courts. Opponents of the regulations, which define which “waters of the United States” are protected by the Clean Water Act, have called the rules an example of federal overreach and argued they would unfairly burden farmers and ranchers.
The preliminary injunction affects Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Iowa, Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wyoming. An injunction was previously issued that halted the rules in Texas and Idaho. In his 45-page order, Hovland wrote that the federal regulation "raises a litany of ... statutory and constitutional concerns and would cause great harm to the states."
The injunction comes less than a week after President Joe Biden vetoed a congressional resolution that would have overturned the rule. The House and Senate had used the Congressional Review Act to block the regulations, with several Democrats joining Republicans in opposing the regulations.
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Cases of Sexually Transmitted Diseases on the Rise in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - The number of reported cases for sexually transmitted infections in Kansas continues to rise. That's according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of reported cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis were up from 2020 in Kansas. Brett Hogan is the executive director for the group Positive Directions, which offers free testing. He says office appointments are booked out about two weeks. Of those getting tested, there has been an increase in STI cases. “I'd say at least 15% of them are going to be positive for something and normally it's gonorrhea, chlamydia, and or syphilis," he said. He’s urging people to seek out testing and practice safe sex. According to data from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, STIs disproportionately affect Black and young people.
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Kansas Joins Lawsuit Against Feds over the Lesser Prairie Chicken
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach has joined several other states in a lawsuit against the Biden Administration over the recent designation of the Lesser Prairie Chicken as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. Kobach says the designation will make drilling new oil wells in western Kansas more difficult and force ranchers to get approval from federal agencies to graze their cattle. WIBW TV reports that the lawsuit claims the listing fails to consider ongoing voluntary measures to protect the birds. Kansas joins Texas and Oklahoma in the lawsuit against the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
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Democratic State Rep Getting Mixed Reaction from Constituents over Trans Vote
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KNS/KCUR) - Kansas State Representative Marvin Robinson II is facing a mixed reaction from his constituents after he was the lone Democrat to vote in favor of a ban on transgender athletes in girls’ and women’s school sports. Robinson represents northeast Kansas City, Kansas. Local activists who’ve worked with him in the past say that the vote hasn’t shaken their support for him. But other residents of the district, like Marge Gasnick, say they’re shocked Robinson voted in favor of banning trans women from competing in women’s sports. “It doesn't reflect how I feel about it, that's for sure. I don't know of any sort of attempts that he's made to connect with people on a broader scale," Gasnick said. Robinson says he believed his vote reflected the interest of his community.
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Boeing Max Production Could Be Slowed by Issue with Parts
UNDATED (AP) – Boeing has a new problem with its 737 Max planes. The company said Thursday that production and delivery of a significant number of Max jets could be delayed because of questions about parts from a supplier. Boeing says the supplier, Spirit AeroSystems, used a non-standard manufacturing process to install fittings in the rear fuselage of some 737s. Boeing says it's not an immediate safety issue, but it's working on a plan to inspect Max jets and replace the fittings if necessary. It's the latest setback for Boeing, which has seen deliveries of another jet, the 787, halted several times over production issues.
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Boy Pleads Guilty to Fatal Stabbing at Kansas City Middle School
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 15-year-old has pleaded guilty in family court to fatally stabbing a student at a Kansas City middle school last year. A spokeswoman for the Jackson County Court confirmed the boy pleaded guilty Monday to voluntary manslaughter in the death of Manuel Guzman at Northeast Middle School last April. Guzman was found suffering from stab wounds in the school's bathroom. The juvenile defendant, whose name has not been released, is being detained at the Jackson County Juvenile Detention Center. He will have a disposition hearing May 17 to determine his future treatment. Police have never publicly disclosed a possible motive for the stabbing. He was charged after 14-year-old Manuel Guzman was found injured in a bathroom at Northeast Middle School in Kansas City on April 12, 2022, and died at a hospital. The juvenile, who was 14 at the time of the stabbing, was initially charged with first-degree murder, armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon.
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Huge Fight Among Teenagers Prompts New Chaperone Policy at Worlds of Fun in KC
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP/KPR) - The Worlds of Fun theme park in Kansas City is implementing a new chaperone policy after a fight involving more than 100 teenagers broke out during the park's opening last weekend. The theme park opened its doors last Saturday for its 50th anniversary season, but a fight involving a large crowd erupted. The sheriff's office estimated that as many as 150 teenagers were involved, none of whom appeared to be accompanied by an adult. Now, Worlds of Fun is rolling out a new policy requiring that anyone age 15 or younger must be accompanied by a chaperone who is at least 21-years-old. The chaperones will be required to stay with their party during their entire visit to the park.
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ADHD Drug Shortage Continues to Affect Kansas City Area
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KNS) - People in the Kansas City area with ADHD are grappling with an ongoing shortage of commonly used medications. In October, the FDA reported a supply chain issue around the drug Adderall. Jeremy Didier, of ADHD KC, says that’s causing a domino effect. People without access to Adderall are turning to other options and those drugs are becoming scarce. “I've talked to people who have had to call anywhere from 10 to 20 different pharmacies to find their prescriptions. Some people just give up at that point," he said. The FDA previously suggested the shortage could be resolved by early this month, but it now appears it will stretch on for several more weeks.
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Giant Solar Power Generation Facility Proposed North of Lawrence
LAWRENCE, Kan. (The Lawrence Times) - A division of oil giant Royal Dutch Shell is proposing to build a solar energy facility covering more than a square mile just north of Lawrence, near Midland Junction. The Lawrence Times reports that the “Kansas Sky Energy Center” would supply electrical power to local utility Evergy Inc., which would ultimately own the facility. Savion LLC, based in Kansas City, said it has acquired more than 1,100 acres of land — currently used as farmland — on which to build the giant solar array. It said the solar collection equipment would cover as much as 734 acres of the land.
The company did not disclose any financial details or announce the timing of the proposed project. A company official declined to answer questions unless they were submitted by email and referred a reporter to the press release on the project’s website. Savion said it plans to hold a public information meeting about the project at 4:30 pm Thursday at Sunflower Cafe in downtown Lawrence (second floor of 804 Massachusetts Street).
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Kansas Senator: Secure Southern Border Before Sending More Money to Ukraine
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW/KNS) - Kansas Senator Roger Marshall doesn’t want any more federal money sent to fight the war in Ukraine until the Biden Administration secures the southern border. The Great Bend Republican made the remarks during a chamber of commerce event Tuesday in Wichita. The U.S. has provided more than $113 billion in aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded last year. Marshall says the U.S. should prioritize spending on domestic issues, like the southern border before trying to secure the border of a foreign country. "We should not be spending any more money in Ukraine until we secure our own border. Our open southern border is the number one most immediate national security threat to this nation," he said.
Republicans are split on the issue of funding. A group of conservatives in Congress introduced a resolution last February to end aid to Ukraine. Marshall was not part of the group, but he did oppose a $40 billion aid package to Ukraine last May. His counterpart, Kansas Senator Jerry Moran, voted for the funding. "This is turning into a proxy war between the United States and Russia," Marshall said. "I’m not happy with the situation right now."
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Belle Plaine Implements Quiet Zone, Limiting Frequency of Train Horns
BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (KWCH) - With the exception of an emergency, the sound of a train horn blowing will be one you’ll soon hear far less often in Belle Plaine. It’s now a federally regulated “quiet zone.” KWCH TV reports that the designation limits train conductors on being allowed to sound their horns as they travel through town. The Bartlett Arboretum and the Belle Plaine residents spearheaded the project. Each day, more than 50 trains travel through the crossing on Kansas Highway 55. With that often comes a disruption to the arboretum, a place associated with peace and quiet. Bartlett Arboretum owner Robin Macy said nearly 200 trains pass by each day during peak season. "That is one train every five to seven minutes, blowing its horn at 98 to 107 decibels,” Macy said.
Quiet zones have additional safety measures at crossings since trains don’t use horns. These include concrete barriers with pylons installed in the roadway to prevent drivers from going around crossing arms. A grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation and donations helped pay for the project. Dodge City and Overland Park are among seven other Kansas communities who’ve also applied for quiet zone designations.
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ESU President, Emporia Mayor at Odds over Recently Announced Bonuses
EMPORIA, Kan. (KVOE) - Emporia State University President Ken Hush and Emporia Mayor Susan Brinkman are publicly at odds over a recently announced bonus for professors. The move follows a mass exodus of tenured professors who were let go following a policy decision to reduce costs at the school. KVOE reports that ESU President Ken Hush sent an open letter that touted the university’s new performance stipends and criticized Emporia Mayor Susan Brinkman for questions about the motives behind the bonuses. Hush’s letter was released on Monday, April 11, and said comments attributed to the Mayor in a Kansas Reflector article were “uninformed,” “reckless” and “cannot be tolerated.” In an interview with KVOE News, Brinkman, a former ESU faculty member, said, “How Emporia State runs its business is its business” — although she never received a performance bonus during her 20 years at the university. However, she says the timing and lack of background information didn’t look good from her perspective.
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Man Convicted over Threatening Call to Colorado Elections Official
DENVER (AP) — A man accused of making a threatening phone call to the office of Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold last year has been convicted of one count of retaliation against an elected official, prosecutors said Thursday. A jury deliberated for about three hours Wednesday before finding 52-year-old Kirk Wertz guilty of the felony count. The Denver District Attorney's Office said Wertz was accused of calling Griswold's office on June 30, 2022, and asking the call-taker to tell Griswold, the state's top election official, that “the angel of death is coming for her in the name of Jesus Christ,” according to a court document explaining why he was arrested. He was taken into custody in suburban Denver after investigators tracked his cell phone moving from Goodland, Kansas, to the Denver area. When a trooper called Wertz back at the number he used to call Griswold's office, he would not say whether he planned to physically hurt Griswold. Wertz asked the trooper if he knew about the First Amendment and also said, “And I’m an Oath Taker and an Oath Keeper and I owe you no explanation.” The document did not elaborate on whether Wertz was affiliated with the Oath Keepers, a far-right extremist group. The details about what he said to the call-taker and the state trooper who called him back were redacted from the document at the time of his arrest but have since been made available. Wertz is represented by public defenders, who do not comment on cases. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Monday. Last year, a Nebraska man pleaded guilty in Denver federal court to making death threats to Griswold on social media. Officials said it was the first such plea obtained by a federal task force devoted to protecting elections workers across the U.S., who have been subject to increasing threats since the 2020 presidential election.
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As Earth Warms, More 'Flash Droughts' Suck Soil, Plants Dry
Climate change is making droughts faster and more furious, especially a specific fast-developing heat-driven kind that catch farmers by surprise, a new study found. The study in Thursday’s journal Science found droughts in general are being triggered faster. But it also showed that a special and particularly nasty sudden kind — called “flash droughts” by experts — is casting an ever bigger crop-killing footprint. It comes only in the growing season – mostly summer, but also spring and fall – and is insidious because it’s caused not just by the lack of rain or snow that's behind a typical slow-onset drought, hydrologists and meteorologists said. What happens is the air gets so hot and so dry that it sucks water right out of plants and soil. “It’s the increasing thirstiness of the atmosphere,” said UCLA and National Center for Atmospheric Research climate scientist Daniel Swain, who wasn’t part of the study. Swain called the issue “very relevant in a warming climate.”
The term flash drought was coined around 2000 but it really took off in 2012, when a $30 billion sudden drought struck the central United States, one of the worst droughts since the infamous Dust Bowl devastated the Plains in the 1930s, according to the study. “Because it occurs very, very fast people started to focus on this new phenomenon,” said study lead author Xing Yuan, dean of the School of Hydrology and Water Resources at Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology in China. “For the 2012 drought, actually the drought just developed in a very severe condition just within a month.”
Most of China’s Yangtze River basin last summer was struck by a flash drought that developed within only a month due to high temperatures, which also triggered wildfires, Yuan said. Parts of the river dried up and there was an energy shortage in southern China because hydropower wouldn’t work, he said. “It developed very fast so you don’t have enough time to prepare for this drought,” Yuan said.
Another sudden drought happened in the U.S. Southeast in 2016 and was a factor in devastating wildfires in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, said Jason Otkin, a study co-author and an atmospheric scientist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.
The current drought in the Oklahoma-Texas panhandle and Kansas started two years ago as a rapid onset drought, said Joel Lisonbee, a climatologist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Integrated Drought Information System in Colorado. He wasn’t part of the study but praised it, saying “essentially a warmer world allows for faster onset of drought.”
Yuan, Otkin and their research team looked back at droughts, how fast they occurred and what kind they were, across the globe since 1951 and found flash droughts are happening more often in nearly three-quarters of the climate regions of the world. They also found droughts of all kinds happening faster. Although they couldn’t quantify how much faster because of the variability in places and times, Yuan said it would be fair to say droughts are happening weeks earlier than they once did. Yuan said some of the bigger increases in sudden droughts have been in Europe and Australia. Outside experts pointed to the Amazon as prone to them. “We have to pay attention to this phenomenon because it’s increasing,” Yuan said. Yuan’s team also used computer simulations – both with worst-case warming and more moderate warming – and projected that the proportion of flash droughts will increase in a warmer world and droughts will continue to keep happening faster.
By definition, flash droughts – because they result from low soil moisture levels – are especially bad for agriculture, experts said. The trouble is there has been an old way of thinking that “we have months or years before we need to worry about drought,” said Mark Svoboda, director of the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. That’s the reason why Svoboda, who wasn’t part of this study, said he pioneered the term “flash drought’’ and wanted to “dispel the notion that droughts only manifest themselves over long period of time.” Svoboda's agency recommends that farmers, ranchers, municipal water suppliers and hydropower plants come up with plans for droughts. For example, farmers and ranchers should know how susceptible they are to drought and have alternative plans for plantings or foraging.
NOAA's Lisonbee said in an email that the problem is “in a slowly evolving drought if a farmer thinks the season ahead will be dry, they may consider a more drought-tolerant crop that season, but when a flash drought occurs it is likely the crops are already in the ground and there is little that can be done.”
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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.