After Years of Controversy, National Bio-Defense Lab Opens in Kansas
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — After more than a decade of controversy and delays, the nation's most secure biosecurity laboratory for research on potentially deadly animal and plant diseases has opened in Manhattan, Kansas. Although a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Wednesday, researchers at the $1.25 billion National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility are not expected to begin working on biohazards for more than a year, officials said. For now, staff will conduct compliance and regulatory work, prepare protocols and operating procedures and train before working with any pathogens, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported.
“They will check all the systems according to the international standards and national standards,” NBAF director Alfonso Clavijo said. “And only after we have that approval will we be able to actually do any work. We expect that by late 2024, we should be able to have that approval.”
Initially estimated to cost $451 million, the price tag more than doubled after the National Research Council published a report in 2010 that questioned putting the facility in the heart of cattle country with a history of large, destructive tornadoes. Department of Homeland Security officials said the increased cost came in part because the lab’s design was changed to reduce the possibility of releasing deadly pathogens. The laboratory replaces an aging facility in Plum Island, New York. Officials there fought hard to keep the lab and several other states made bids to become home to the lab before Kansas was chosen in 2009.
Originally expected to open in 2016, construction of the laboratory was delayed several times by economic problems, safety concerns and resistance from politicians who wanted the project in their states. The northeastern Kansas facility will be the nation’s only large-animal biosafety Level 4 lab, which means it will be able to handle pathogens that do not currently have treatments or countermeasures. It is unclear when pathogens used in research will be moved from Plum Island to Kansas, spokesperson Katie Pawlosky said, and no animals or equipment will be transferred. About 280 people currently work at the lab, which is expected to have more than 400 people when fully staffed.
(–Earlier Reporting–)
Dignitaries Gather in Manhattan for NBAF Ribbon Cutting
MANHATTAN, Kan. (WIBW) - The new National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) in Manhattan held a ribbon cutting Wednesday. NBAF is designed to protect the nation’s agriculture and farm products from serious animal disease threats. WIBW TV reports that the $1.25 billion facility will eventually have about 400 employees. Kansas Senator Jerry Moran, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack were among those on hand for the official ceremony. Moran says he expects a number of agriculture related companies to start locating in the Manhattan area once the facility is fully operational in 2024.
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Four Men Charged with Conspiracy to Illegally Traffic Firearms in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KPR) — Four Kansas City area men have been indicted by a federal grand jury for illegally selling machine guns and other firearms, some of which have been linked to prior shootings. According to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, three of the men are from Kansas City. One is from nearby Independence. All four have been charged in a 23-count indictment returned under seal by a grand jury in Kansas City last week. The indictment was unsealed and made public this week. Prosecutors say several of the guns have been traced to other crimes, including fatal shootings.
Prosecutors allege that all four defendants took part in a conspiracy to illegally traffic in firearms, including machine guns. Those charged include 21-year-old Antonio Manning, his 20-year-old brother, Sheron Lamont Manning and 20-year-old Michael Dewayne Hardy, all of Kansas City, and 25-year-old Dejohuan Mietz Huntley, of Independence. According to a detention motion filed by the government, the firearms allegedly were sold to a confidential informant monitored by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. (Read more.)
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KDHE: Senior Food Coupons to Increase Value
TOPEKA, Kan. (KOAM) – Officials with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) say they intend to increase the value of food coupons available for low-income seniors. KOAM TV reports that the Kansas Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program raised its coupon value from $35 to $50. KDHE says seniors are eligible for the coupons if they complete an application, are 60 years old or older and meet income guidelines. The coupons can be redeemed from vendors at participating farmers’ markets for the purchase of eligible foods. Seniors can apply at local KDHE offices beginning June 1st. Seniors can find more information on the food coupons by clicking here.
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More Kansas Students Graduating High School with College Credits
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS/KMUW) – A record number of Kansas students are graduating from high school with college credits or job training already completed. It’s been a decade since Kansas lawmakers launched a program to provide free college technical education classes to high school students across the state. Since then, the number of students participating has more than doubled. This year, more than 1,700 students will graduate with credentials to work in health care, computer networking and other fields. Deputy Education Commissioner Ben Proctor says the growth of technical education gives Kansas students a head start. “We have students who have a multitude of things that they would like to do, and we want to make sure that they’re equipped with the skills that are going to position them to meet those goals," he said. This year, Kansas students earned more than 105,000 college credit hours.
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Olathe South Principal Resigns
OLATHE, Kan. (KNS) – The principal of Olathe South High School resigned this week following student protests over the handling of racist incidents. The district is now working to name a new principal. Dozens of students and parents protested outside of the Olathe school district office last week, calling for principal Dale Longenecker to be fired. The protest came after a Black student alleged he was tormented for months by white students because of his race. Superintendent Brent Yeager notified Olathe South families that Longenecker had resigned and called the end of the school year quote “especially challenging.” Yeager said in the statement that the district is working to provide a smooth transition as the school year comes to a close.
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Kansas City Studies Idea of Reparations for Black Residents
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) — The Kansas City Mayor's Commission on Reparations met for the first time this week to study how slavery and racial segregation policies over the last century have harmed the community's Black citizens in areas like education and housing. KCUR Radio reports that Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas appointed the committee earlier this month to study reparations for Black Kansas Citians. Lucas said this work is not to atone for what happened during slavery, but to solve problems that still affect Kansas Citians.
Nearly half of this week's meeting consisted of a presentation by Mickey Dean, the founder of the KC Reparations Coalition, which submitted the first reparations proposal to City Council in 2020. Dean's history of the reparations movement included explanations of the injustices incurred by Black people in the United States from 1619 to the present.
One example of discriminatory policies was the Homestead Act. "If you read the Homestead Act you'll see it's, racially neutral on its face," Dean said. "But in reality, 99.73 percent of all of the land that was distributed under the Homestead Act went to white people, and Black people got nothing,” he said. Dean estimated some 93 million white Americans still benefit from the Civil War-era policy that encouraged white settlers and immigrants to move West, leading to the displacement and genocide of Indigenous populations.
The committee is scheduled to meet on the last Tuesday of the month for the next 18 months and present their findings and recommendations to City Council.
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Jury Recommends 50+ Years in Prison for Missouri Mom Whose Two Children Died in Hot Car
LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — A jury is recommending a sentence of more than 50 years in prison for a Missouri mother whose two young daughters died when she left them in a hot car and then fell asleep. A Clay County jury on Monday recommended that Jenna Boedecker serve 22 years in prison for each of two counts of second-degree murder. The jury also recommended nine years for several counts of endangering the welfare of a child. The same jury convicted Boedecker on Friday. Prosecutors alleged Boedecker left her 2-year-old and infant daughter inside a vehicle overnight at a rural home near Kearney and then fell asleep. Emergency responders found the girls dead on July 4.
Prosecutors alleged that Boedecker said she put her 2-year daughter and 8-week-old daughters in her Jeep while she argued with her husband and then fell asleep at their rural Kearney home on July 3, 2018. She found them unresponsive the next morning and took them to a neighbor's home for help but emergency responders declared the girls dead. Evidence during the trial showed Boedecker had about two times the therapeutic amount of Xanax in her system the day her daughters were found, WDAF-TV reported.
Clay County Prosecutors Zachary Thompson said evidence also showed Boedecker had contact with law enforcement the day before the girls died about a separate incident of leaving the children in the vehicle.
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KC Transportation Authority Hopes to Study Intercity Rail for Northeast Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – The Kansas City Area Transportation Authority has applied for a $500,000 grant from the Federal Railroad Administration to study the idea of an intercity rail system. The rail line would serve northeast Kansas and the KC Metro. KSNT reports that if it’s eventually approved, the new rail system could connect Kansas City International Airport to Olathe and Independence, Missouri, with Topeka - with numerous stops along the way.
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President Biden's Nominee for Kansas Federal Judge Post Asks to Withdraw
WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Jabari Wamble, U.S. President Joe Biden's pick for a federal judgeship in Kansas, has asked to have his nomination withdrawn from consideration in the U.S. Senate. Reuters reports that Wamble became the second Biden judicial nominee to drop out in as many weeks. Michael Delaney, a former New Hampshire attorney general selected by Biden for a spot on the Boston-based 1st Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, last week asked to withdraw his nomination amid bipartisan criticism in the Senate. Wamble is the son-in-law of Missouri Congressman Emanuel Cleaver. Wamble wrote in his letter to Biden that he feels that "it is best" to remain in his current position as a federal prosecutor in Kansas. Wamble did not give detailed reasons for his withdrawal. The U.S. Constitution gives the Senate the authority to confirm presidential judicial nominations.
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Oil Company Detected Flaw in Keystone Pipeline Ten Years Before Washington County Spill
WASHINGTON COUNTY, Kan. (KNS) — The Canadian oil company, TC Energy, discovered that a piece of the Keystone oil pipeline had warped in Washington County about 10 years before it burst last December. An investigation found that TC Energy inspectors realized something was wrong in 2012 because it was hard to run a cleaning tool through the pipe. A crew dug up the pipe to see how much it had warped. The company decided not to fix the pipe. Instead, they asked the inspection contractor to modify its tools to pass through the warped spot more easily. Independent investigators say the warped pipe added more stress to a faulty weld that is considered to be a key factor in the spill. The pipeline rupture dumped nearly 13,000 barrels of oil onto farmland and into Mill Creek in rural Washington County. It was the largest oil spill since the pipeline started operating. Investigators say construction workers probably warped the pipe piece accidentally when they installed it in 2010. (Read more)
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Former Kansas Police Officer Sentenced for Sexual Assaults, Window Peeping
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP/KPR) — A former Kansas police officer has been sentenced to 23.5 years in prison for a series of sexual assaults committed while he was an officer. Prosecutors say 52-year-old Todd W. Allen pleaded guilty in April to 12 felony sex crime charges and five breach of privacy charges. Prosecutors say the sexual assaults involving 10 female victims, including a 15-year-old girl, occurred while Allen was a Hutchinson police officer. Allen was arrested on August 17, 2022, and was initially charged with 24 counts, including 17 felonies. He was sentenced Monday. Prosecutors said Allen stopped vehicles carrying the victims and ordered them out of their cars, claiming he wanted to question them about drugs. He then took them to the back of the car and assaulted them, The Hutchinson News reported.
The invasion of privacy charges alleged Allen looked through windows at victims' homes. He committed those crimes while he was a security guard after he left the police department in 2019. Allen’s lawyer, Chrystal Lee Krier of Wichita, argued that he should be sentenced to probation, because he had never previously been in trouble with the law and because he used only his fingers while assaulting the victims. She called him a “model member of the community.” Senior Assistant District Attorney Kimberly Rodebaugh spoke of how all the victims, including those who had Allen look into their windows, remained terrified until he was caught and suffered emotional trauma despite a lack of physical injuries. Allen apologized, saying he had not thought about the mental issues that his victims would face.
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Names of Three Victims in KC Nightclub Shooting Released
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF) — Police have released the names of three people killed in a shooting at a Kansas City nightclub early Sunday morning. The victims shot and killed at the Klymax Lounge have been identified as 24-year-old Antoinette Brenson, 33-year-old Clarence Henderson and 41-year-old Jason McConnell. Two other people at the nightclub suffered critical injuries in the shooting. Police say they are still hospitalized. Officers responded to the shooting around 1:25 am Sunday at the Klymax Lounge (4244 Indiana Avenue) and found five victims. WDAF TV reports police are still looking for the suspected shooter.
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Inmate Found Dead in Cell at Jackson County Jail
HOLTON, Kan. (KSNT) — The Jackson County Sheriff’s office reports that an inmate has died in custody in the county jail. KSNT reports that the inmate was found unresponsive by jail staff Tuesday. Attempts to revive the inmate were unsuccessful. Jail officials have not released the identity of the individual. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the incident.
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Lawrence Police: Suspect in Custody After Trying to Kill a Woman
LAWRENCE, Kan. (WDAF) — The Lawrence Police Department has arrested a suspect in connection with a Sunday night stabbing. Police say Sean Martin Reese is now in custody. WDAF reportsthat detectives believe Reese stabbed a woman and planted explosive devices in her home. He surrendered to police Monday. When Lawrence officers responded to a home near 13th and Rhode Island Streets on Sunday evening, they found a woman with multiple stab wounds. She was transported to a trauma center. Investigators suspect that Reese had placed explosives in the home. They obtained a search warrant and, with assistance from the Leavenworth Bomb Squad, discovered and removed several home-made explosive devices that were consistent with commercial fireworks.
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Suspect in KC Teen’s Shooting Wants Trial Sealed from Public
CLAY COUNTY, Mo. (AP) — The 84-year-old Kansas City, Missouri man accused of shooting a Black teenager wants his felony case sealed so it’s not open to the public. An attorney for Andrew Lester told a Clay County judge Monday that his client has been harassed and threatened following national media coverage of the April 13th incident. Lester allegedly shot 16-year-old Ralph Yarl after the Staley High School junior mistakenly rang his doorbell. Lester is charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action in connection with the shooting. He has pleaded not guilty. Lester’s attorney told the court continued media coverage could ruin his client’s chance for a fair trial. Lester was not in court for the hearing. His attorney says he is not well. County prosecutors are fighting the effort to seal the case. The judge has not yet made a decision. Yarl is recovering at home from his injuries.
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Lawrence School Board Approves Sale to Non-Profit Housing Group
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) – The Lawrence School Board has finalized the sale of a former alternative high school building and the surrounding property on the city’s southwest side. The Lawrence Journal World reports that the board unanimously approved the sale of 8.78 acres of land adjacent to Holcom Park for $1.2 million. At its regular Monday meeting, the board signed off on the sale to the local nonprofit group Tenants to Homeowners. The community group develops and manages affordable homes and provides education for renters on buying a home. The organization now manages about 125 properties, almost all of them in the east side of the city and it has been looking for land to expand its holdings to the west side of Lawrence. The former alternative high school building at 2600 W. 25th St. is currently being used for storage and has not been used for school classes for seven years. The board also voted to sell the former East Heights Elementary school building on Haskell Avenue.
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Wichita Seeks State Money to Help Cancer Victims Near Toxic Site
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Wichita community members are asking state officials to pay for the health care of people who may have been impacted by living on top of a toxic site near downtown Wichita. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment told residents at a community meeting that a study had found increased rates of liver cancer among people living above the contaminated groundwater. The plume of toxic groundwater is northeast of downtown Wichita. The study does not determine what caused the health disparities. State and local health officials encouraged residents to talk to their doctors about exposure to contamination. But several community members asked how they should pay these medical bills. State and local elected officials said earlier this month they would seek funding to bring in free cancer screenings.
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Oklahoma Lures Solar Panel Manufacturing Facility with $180 Million Incentive Package
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP/KPR) — Enel North America says it's planning to invest more than $1 billion and will create about 1,000 new jobs with a new solar cell and panel manufacturing facility in eastern Oklahoma. The company announced this week that construction will start in the fall. Oklahoma landed the project after the Legislature and governor agreed to offer up to $180 million in tax rebates if the company hits certain benchmarks over the next several years. In order to qualify for the entire package of incentives, the company would have to spend at least $1.8 billion in qualifying capital expenditures and create 1,400 permanent new jobs.
The company will build a 2 million-square-foot solar photovoltaic cell and panel manufacturing facility that will have an annual production capacity of 3 gigawatts, it said in a statement. Construction on the massive facility is expected to begin this fall in Inola, Oklahoma, which is located about 27 miles east of Tulsa.
Oklahoma also agreed to spend more than $38 million on water and wastewater system upgrades to the inland waterways in the region, including at the Port of Inola.
Enel North America's parent company is based in Italy, and European companies have been eying the U.S. to invest in the green energy boom, weighing up the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act's $375 billion in benefits for renewable industries.
Oklahoma lawmakers are also considering a separate package of incentives to lure a second Panasonic manufacturing facility to the Sooner State. Last year, Oklahoma lost out in a bidding war with Kansas, which the Japan-based company ultimately selected as the location for a multibillion-dollar mega-factory to produce electric vehicle batteries for Tesla and other carmakers.
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Missouri Man Accused of Deliberately Crashing U-Haul Truck into Security Barrier Near White House
WASHINGTON (AP) — A Missouri man flew to Washington, rented a U-Haul truck and drove straight to the White House, where he crashed the truck into a security barrier and began waving around a Nazi flag in the culmination of a six-month plan to "seize power" from the government, authorities said Tuesday. Officials say 19-year-old Sai Varshith Kandula removed the flag from a backpack shortly after smashing the box truck into the barrier near the north side of Lafayette Square on Monday around 10 pm. He was quickly arrested by a U.S. Park Police officer who rushed to the scene of the crash and saw him take out the flag.
Kandula later told Secret Service agents that he'd flown from St. Louis on a one-way ticket that night after months of planning. He wanted to "get to the White House, seize power, and be put in charge of the nation," and he said he would "kill the president, if that's what I have to do," charges state. Kandula, who is from the St. Louis suburb of Chesterfield, Missouri, said he bought the flag online because he admires the Nazis' "great history" as well as their "authoritarian nature, eugenics, and their one world order."
No one was injured in the crash. No explosives or weapons were found in the truck or on Kandula.
The U.S. Secret Service monitors hundreds of people who have made threats to the president, but it's not clear whether Kandula was on their radar at all or if he had threatened the president before, which would trigger the Secret Service's involvement.
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Reeder Hits Grand Slam, Kansas Knocks off Top-Seeded Texas 6-3 in Big 12 Tourney
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Janson Reeder hit a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning and No. 8 seed Kansas knocked off top-seeded Texas 6-3 on Wednesday in the Big 12 Tournament.
Kansas (25-30) advances to the winners' bracket to play No. 4 seed TCU on Thursday, while Texas (38-19) faces elimination against No. 5 Kansas State. The Longhorns received the No. 1 seed after sharing the regular-season title with West Virginia and Oklahoma State.
Chase Jans got his 50th RBI of the season in the third inning to open the scoring and Kodey Shojinaga, the Big 12 freshman of the year, gave Kansas a 2-0 lead with an RBI single to left field. Shojinaga finished 3 for 4.
Starter Collin Baumgartner (6-1), who also beat Texas earlier this season, helped Kansas win its first game in the conference tournament since 2019. He only allowed one earned run across six innings, with five strikeouts. Thaniel Trumper picked up his second save of the season.
Jack O’Dowd went 4 for 4 with two solo homers, but he was the only Longhorn with multiple hits.
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TCU Routs Kansas State 16-3 in Big 12 Baseball Tournament
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Brayden Taylor hit his 44th career home run to tie the program record, Karson Bowen went 4 for 4 with two RBIs and TCU routed Kansas State 16-3 in seven innings to begin the Big 12 Tournament. Taylor opened the scoring with a three-run homer as TCU batted around in a five-run first inning. Taylor added an RBI double in the second and a two-run double in the fourth to make it 16-2. Fourth-seeded TCU (34-22), which closed out the regular season with a 2-1 series win at Kansas State, advances to the winners’ bracket on Thursday while Kansas State (33-23), the No. 5 seed, plays in a consolation game.
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Jayhawks' Kevin McCullar Jr Returning for Last Season of Eligibility
UNDATED (AP) – Kevin McCullar Jr. said Wednesday that he will return to Kansas for his final year of eligibility, likely rounding out a roster that could make the Jayhawks the preseason No. 1 next season. McCullar transferred from Texas Tech to Kansas for last season, when he started 33 of 34 games and averaged 10.7 points and 7.0 rebounds. He was also among the nation's leaders in steals, and along with being selected to the Big 12's all-defensive team, the 6-foot-6 forward was a semifinalist for the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year award. “To be able to play in front of the best fans in the country; to play for the best coach in the nation, I truly believe we have the pieces to hang another banner in the Phog," McCullar said in announcing his return. Along with McCullar, the Jayhawks return starters Dajuan Harris Jr. and K.J. Adams from a team that went 28–8, won the Big 12 regular-season title and was a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, where it lost to Arkansas in the second round.
Perhaps more importantly, the Jayhawks landed Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson, widely considered the best player in the portal, to anchor a lineup that was missing a true big man. They also grabbed former five-star prospect Arterio Morris, who left Texas, and Towson's Nick Timberlake, who emerged last season as one of the best 3-point shooters in the country. The Jayhawks also have an elite recruiting class arriving that is headlined by five-star recruit Elmarko Jackson.
McCullar declared for the draft but, after getting feedback from scouts, decided to return. He was a redshirt senior last season, but he has another year of eligibility because part of his career was played during the COVID-19 pandemic. “This is a big day for Kansas basketball,” Jayhawks coach Bill Self said. “Kevin is not only a terrific player but a terrific teammate. He fit in so well in year one and we’re excited about what he’ll do with our program from a leadership standpoint.”
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Chiefs' Mahomes: 'I'm About Legacy and Winning Rings More Than Making Money'
UNDATED (AP) – Patrick Mahomes would rather win Super Bowls than a contest to make the most money. That doesn't mean the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback hasn't seen what's been happening across the NFL. Mahomes signed a 10-year, $450 million extension in 2020 that set the bar for quarterbacks, but it already has been surpassed several times over. The Eagles' Jalen Hurts signed a five-year, $255 million deal April 17 that briefly made him the NFL's highest-paid player, until Lamar Jackson signed a five-year, $260 million deal with the Ravens a mere 10 days later. That immediately raised the question about whether Mahomes would want to redo his contract.
“Me, my agent and the team always keep open communication, and we always try to do whatever is best for the team, and obviously I want to do what is best for me as well,” Mahomes said after a voluntary workout Wednesday at the team's facility. "But I've always said I'm about legacy and winning rings more than making money at this moment. I know we keep communication. We see what's going on around the league," he continued, "but at the same time, I'll never do anything that will hurt us from keeping the great players around me. It's about teetering on that line.”
Still, the deal Mahomes signed just three years ago already has slipped to seventh in terms of annual value, behind far less accomplished QBs such as the Broncos' Russell Wilson, Kyler Murray of the Cardinals and the Browns' Deshaun Watson. “Everybody wants to get paid a lot of money when they think they're the best at their craft,” Mahomes said. “But when you look at the greats, they find that sweet spot where they make a lot of money but they keep great players around them.”
Mahomes is coming off perhaps the best year of his career, throwing for a league-leading 5,250 yards and 41 touchdowns with only 12 interceptions. He was chosen for his fifth straight Pro Bowl, voted the AP's player of the year for the second time and, in February, helped Kansas City rally in the second half for a Super Bowl victory over Hurts and the Eagles. Given those accomplishments, it's hardly surprising that many are curious whether another contract is in the works, especially with Joe Burrow of the Bengals expected to reset the market with a new contract before the start of the season.
“You just want to not hurt other quarterbacks when their contracts come up,” Mahomes said. “You want to keep pushing but it's not about being the highest-paid guy. It's not about making a ton of money. I've made enough money where I'll be set for life. But at the same time, you have to find that line where you're making good money and keeping great players around you.”
Mahomes spent the first part of the offseason program working out with wide receivers and tight ends at his home in Texas, but he was back at the Chiefs training facility this week for the start of more structured voluntary workouts. In between, Mahomes jetted his way to the Met Gala, the Kentucky Derby and the Formula One race in Miami.
“I always wanted to go to the Kentucky Derby but I wanted to go after we won the Super Bowl, and in 2019, we had COVID happening," Mahomes said. “It's just picking and choosing what you can do, but now we're back in football and locking down and getting your body in the right spot. I have a few more trips but I've kind of settled down this offseason.”
Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he had no reason to believe Mahomes wouldn't be there. “He's all in and going after it,” Reid said Wednesday, “and he challenges himself and he challenges those around him to be great, on both sides of the ball. Everything is alive out there and moving fast and as a head coach, I appreciate that.”
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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.