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Headlines for Monday, May 29, 2023

 A colorful graphic depicting stylized radios with the words "Kansas Public Radio News Summary" written on top.
Emily Fisher
/
KPR

Kansas Senator Upset with State's Last Place Score for Internet Download Speed

TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — Kansas Senator Jerry Moran urged the U.S. Department of Commerce to rely on accurate data to target federal funding at the state's last-place ranking on average internet download speed. According to the Kansas Reflector, the Republican senator says improving the state’s access to high-quality broadband would benefit up to 1 million Kansans, especially rural residents, who live without access to the kind of digital connections important for personal business, education and health. Moran said in a letter to Gina Raimondo, secretary of the U.S. commerce department, a recent broadband quality study indicated Kansas was last in terms of average download speed and trailed by wide margins speeds available in Colorado, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Missouri. Kansas ranked 51st among all states and the District of Columbia in download speed, which was among key determinants of quality broadband delivery.

It was important to Kansans, the senator said, because data-intensive consumer and business internet applications were undermined by mediocre download speeds. “That means many Kansans will be poorer, sicker and less educated than their peers that have access to high-quality broadband,” Moran said. “A lot of work has been done to improve broadband in Kansas, but it is clear there is plenty of work left to do.” In Moran’s letter to the U.S. commerce secretary, he recommended the federal government rely on accurate state-by-state data to allocate resources through the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment program.

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Summer Temps Coming to Kansas. Will We See Rolling Blackouts?

TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) — A national group has warned of potential blackouts in Kansas and the Midwest as the country heads into the summer months, though the risk in Kansas appears to be lower than other places. The North American Electric Reliability Corporation pegged the Southwest Power Pool, the regional grid operator that includes Kansas, as having an "elevated risk" for having insufficient electricity, but only in the event that demand significantly exceeds what is typically expected. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that a similar risk exists across the western United States. The National Weather Service's Climate Prediction Center has projected an elevated likelihood of above-average temperatures in much of Kansas, though the odds are higher over other parts of the Great Plains and southwest.

Rolling blackouts were top-of-mind for Kansans in February 2021, when the state and region were blasted with record low temperatures that caused natural gas prices to spike and required a series of rolling blackouts to manage the cold freeze. The state's largest electric utility, Every, says it's ready for summer. Spokesperson Gina Penzig says the company will have the needed capacity.

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Will Brown v. Board of Education Case Get Renamed? South Carolina Group Petitions High Court

SUMMERTON, S.C. (AP) — Civil rights leaders in South Carolina say they plan to petition the U.S. Supreme Court to rename the landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, which outlawed segregation of public schools across the country. The Post and Courier reports that a group representing past plaintiffs and their descendants plans to file paperwork asking the high court to reorder the set of five 1954 cases that led to the Brown ruling. Members want to replace Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, with a South Carolina case that was filed earlier. Briggs v. Elliott was named after Harry Briggs, one of 20 parents who brought a lawsuit against Clarendon County School Board President R.W. Elliott.

The group sees the name change as a way to restore South Carolina as the cradle of the movement to desegregate public education. "Everyone else lays down and says you can't do this," said prominent South Carolina civil rights photographer Cecil Williams, who has been at the forefront of the effort. "Many will call it crazy," he added. "It might be laughed out of court." To Williams and the 20 families who signed their names to the Briggs case, it is worth the effort to try to right what they view as an injustice. "If this country is going to ever reconcile with its history, this is a good place, upon the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education," Williams said. The Briggs case, filed in May 1950, was the first such case to be taken to federal court. The Brown case came nearly nine months later.

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Man Found Dead in Parking Lot of Old Kansas City Applebee’s

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) — Kansas City police have identified the body of the man found in an old Applebee’s parking lot as 51-year-old Eric Preston. Police say a homicide investigation is underway. Police say the man's body was found Sunday morning outside a permanently closed Applebee’s restaurant in Kansas City. KCTV reports that there is currently no suspect information. Anyone with information is asked to call the TIPS Hotline at (816) 474-TIPS. A reward of up to $25,000 is available for information that results in an arrest.

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Teenager Walks at Brain Injury Event, Weeks After Being Shot in Head for Knocking on Wrong Door

UNDATED (AP) – Ralph Yarl — a Black teenager who was shot in the head and arm last month after mistakenly ringing the wrong doorbell — walked at a brain injury awareness event Monday in his first major public appearance since the shooting.

The 17-year-old suffered a traumatic brain injury when he was shot while trying to pick up his younger brothers in April, the Kansas City Star reported.

Yarl walked with family, friends and other brain injury survivors Monday at Going the Distance for Brain Injury, a yearly Memorial Day race at Loose Park in Kansas City, Missouri.

“It takes a community. It takes a family. It takes a support group, all of that,” Yarl’s mother, Cleo Nagbe, said ahead of the race, adding: “Let’s raise more awareness to stop the things that cause brain injuries and should not be causing them, especially gun violence."

As many as 1,000 people raced through the park, including many in neon green T-shirts who registered to be part of “Team Ralph,” said Robin Abramowitz, executive director of the Brain Injury Association of Kansas and Greater Kansas City.

“It’s important for Ralph to see that he is not alone,” Yarl’s aunt, Faith Spoonmore, said. She added that Yarl has debilitating migraines and issues with balance. He is also struggling with his emotions, mood changes and the trauma of the shooting.

Andrew Lester, an 84-year-old white man, is accused of shooting Yarl. The teen had confused Lester's address with a home about a block away where he was supposed to pick up his siblings.

The shooting drew worldwide attention and prompted rallies and protests in the Kansas City area, with critics saying Lester was given preferential treatment when police released him just two hours after he was arrested.

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Kansas City Now Has 70 Murders So Far in 2023

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) — Kansas City police are investigating two homicides that happened Sunday. Just after 10:30 pm Sunday, someone fatally shot a man in the area of 56th Street and Park. Later, police were called to the area of 52nd Street and Walrond, where another person was found dead, though police have not detailed how that victim died. There have now been 70 homicides in Kansas City so far in 2023. KMBC TV reports that number is higher than this date in each of the past five years.

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KCK Police Investigate After Pedestrian Was Hit and Killed by Vehicle

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) — The Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department is investigating a pedestrian fatality that happened late Sunday night. KSHB TV reports that a vehicle on Kansas Avenue struck an adult male pedestrian walking westbound in the eastbound lane just after 10 pm. The pedestrian was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the vehicle remained on scene and cooperated with authorities. The investigation is continuing.

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3 Killed in Eastern Kansas Crash After Cow Causes Head-On Collision

LABETTE COUNTY, Kan. (KSNW) — A crash in Labette County claimed the lives of three residents from the small town of Edna. KSNW TV reports that the crash happened Friday night when their truck hit a cow. The Kansas Highway Patrol says 81-year-old Jimmy Bond was driving a Dodge Ram pickup east on Kansas Highway 166 when he hit a cow and veered into the oncoming lane. The driver of the other vehicle tried to avoid Bond but was unable and the vehicles crashed head-on. Bond, as well as the other two occupants of the vehicle, 21-year-old Colton Bond and 79-year-old Barbara Bond were pronounced dead at the scene. The other driver received only minor injuries.

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Missing Western Kansas Soldier's Remains Finally Identified Decades After He Was Killed in WWII

GARDEN CITY, Kan. (KSNW) — The remains of a Kansas army soldier killed during WWII have finally been recovered and identified. Officials say U.S. Army Sgt Gregory Knoll, of Garden City, was reported killed in action on November 7, 1944 while fighting in Europe. But after the battle, his remains couldn’t be recovered. KSNW TV reports that Knoll’s battalion was responsible for capturing the town of Schmidt, Germany, in the Hurtgen Forest. In November 1951, his remains were declared non-recoverable.

“It’s quite the joy to know he’s coming home but it’s also quite the honor to get him into his final resting place," said Knoll’s nephew, Paul Horning. "He was actually missing in action and they could never identify where, so that caused a lot of pain in the family." Over the years, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency has worked to identify remains. One of Knolls brothers sent DNA, and that was one of the final pieces of the puzzle. Horning encourages more people to send in DNA to the army so more soldiers can be identified. The family says they are grateful for the work the army puts in to identify soldiers. Sgt. Knoll will be buried in Garden City on July 7.

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Conference to Focus on Child Care Shortage Solutions

UNDATED (KNS) — Childcare shortages are making one western Kansas business incubator join the push for a better childcare workforce. And the group is working to get more businesses involved. A conference this summer, sponsored by the Northwest Kansas Economic Innovation Center, will give childcare providers free training that will help meet state requirements. Currently, Kansas has only half the childcare slots required to fill the need. Dana Stanton, with the Innovation Center, says businesses should help with the childcare shortage as a way to attract workers. “Childcare is most certainly an economic development issue," she said. "We want those providers to stay in the field, we want them to feel supported.” Stanton says grant funding to help new day cares open is great, but she says partnerships are needed for long-term success.

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Free Meals Available to Kansas Kids Through Summer

UNDATED (KNS) — Children across Kansas can get free meals over the summer through an annual program funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Last summer, the program served 2.2 million meals at more than 500 schools, churches and other locations across the state. Cheryl Johnson is director of child nutrition for the Kansas Department of Education. She says the summer program helps children stay healthy when free school meals aren’t available. “Children who receive great nutrition, nutritious meals and snacks, they’re fueled and ready to learn," she said. "It truly makes a difference.” Meals are available for anyone 18 or younger. Some sites in rural areas offer grab-and-go meals or weekly meal packs that include breakfast and lunch.

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Only 1 Kansas County Ranks as Being in Persistent Poverty

TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) – A recent study by the U.S. Census Bureau identified 341 counties across the country, including one in Kansas, as places where people are living in persistent poverty. These are counties where poverty rates have been at levels of 20% or more for the past 30 years. Riley County was selected as the only one from Kansas where persistent poverty exists. According to the study, people living in places of higher poverty experience more severe problems than those living in lower poverty areas. This can consist of limited access to medical services, healthy and affordable food, quality education and civic engagement opportunities.

KSNT reports that Riley County has a poverty rate of 17.6%, the second highest in the state, just behind Crawford County in southeast Kansas. Riley County Commissioner John Ford says the results of the study were not surprising. He says the large transient population of Riley County, students, and soldiers from Fort Riley contribute to the poverty level. The majority of counties in persistent poverty (81.5%) come from southern states, including Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi and Kentucky. (View the full report from the U.S. Census Bureau.)

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Man Who Stabbed Woman in KC-Area Park Gets 20 Years in Prison

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KC Star) — A Kansas City area man has been sentenced to 20 years in prison after a brutal knife attack in Independence, Missouri. Prosecutors in Jackson County. Missouri, say 30-year-old Ronald L. Thompson, of Sugar Creek, previously pleaded guilty to first-degree assault as part of a plea deal. The Kansas City Star reports Thompson was charged with attacking a woman with a knife in December 2021 at Mill Creek Park.

In an interview with detectives, the victim told police she, the defendant and another unknown male met up at the park to have sex. While the victim and Thompson were having sex, prosecutors say Thompson pulled out a knife and began to attack the woman. He was arrested a short time later.

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Abilene Retains Title as “Best Small Town to Visit in the U.S.”

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) — Abilene, a town in central Kansas famous for its historic role as former President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s boyhood hometown, earned the title of “Best Small Town to Visit in the U.S.” by TravelAwaits - for the third year in a row. KCTV reports that Abilene has received other national travel awards as well. The town is famous for tourist attractions such as the Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood home; historic homes; a century-old railroad; and a historic downtown area.

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Kansas Doctor Named New Head of American College of OBGYNs

LEAWOOD, Kan. (KNS) — A Johnson County physician will take the helm of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists as its new president. Dr. Verda Hicks, of Leawood, says a majority of Kansas counties currently do not have an OBGYN. Hicks says she’ll push for policies that expand access to maternal health care in rural areas. "Patients routinely travel 150 to 200 miles in order to receive care," she said. "And it is because of the closure of maternal care units in a number of rural hospitals in our state.” Maternal mortality rates are also higher in rural areas. Hicks says increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates for these services would make it more cost effective for rural hospitals to keep labor and delivery units open.

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UN Ag Organization Promotes Planting of Millet

UNDATED (HPM) — There’s a new crop now sharing Midwest fields with more traditional crops, like corn and soybeans. It’s a grain called millet. There are numerous varieties of millet and farmers say there are many advantages to growing it: planting costs are low, the crop needs less fertilizer, less water and is more resistant to insects and diseases. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization wants to see the market grow for millet because they are nutritious and could help diversify the global food system. Makiko Taguchi, with the UN project, says millet doesn't receive the same amount of investment and research attention that other grains receive. "Millet is a neglected crop. There's a lot of opportunities for millets to contribute to sustainable development goals, which is why the UN named 2023 the year of millets. To bring the grains more attention," Taguchi said. Taguchi points to the success of a similar campaign that led to the increased popularity for quinoa. He’s hoping the UN year of millets will help attract more research support for the crop. Learn more from Harvest Public Media.

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Kansas City-Area Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Killing His Father

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (JC POST) — A judge has sentenced a Lee's Summit, Missouri, man to 30 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to fatally shooting his father. The shooting took place last year at a Lee's Summit residence. The judge gave 24-year-old Michael E. Hamilton 15 years in prison for Voluntary Manslaughter and another 15 years for Armed Criminal Action. The sentences will run consecutively. The JC Post reports that in September 2022, police were dispatched to a home (in the 1100 block of SW Arborfair Drive) in Lee's Summit on a reported death. Officers found the victim, Robert Hamilton, on the kitchen floor. Police later located Michael Hamilton in Cooper County, Missouri. Officers took him into custody and found weapons, including a 9 mm handgun. The Kansas City Police Department's crime lab quickly concluded that a spent bullet recovered from the victim's body was fired from the 9 mm handgun recovered from the defendant.

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Lawrence Man Gets Six Years in Prison for Trying to Throw Woman Off Kansas River Bridge

LAWRENCE, Kan. (WIBW) - A Lawrence man has been sentenced to six years in prison for attempted second-degree murder. WIBW TV reports that 38-year-old Adam B. Amyx Jr. of Lawrence, was convicted on after he attempted to throw a woman off the Kansas River Bridge. Douglas County prosecutors say Amyx pleaded no contest to the charge. The conviction stems from an incident in April 2022 when Amyx attacked a 21-year-old female who was walking across the bridge. Amyx tried to throw her into the river. The woman was able to escape and police later took Amyx into custody.

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Another Kansas School District Switches to Four-Day School Week

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Another Kansas school district is making the switch to a four-day school week. Argonia USD 359 announced on Facebook last week that it will move to a four-day school week for the 2023-2024 school year. KSNW TV reports that students will no longer have to attend class on Mondays, making the school week Tuesday through Friday. School days will run from 7:50 am through 3:45 pm.

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Herington Post Office Named in Honor of Kansas Priest

HERINGTON, Kan. (KPR/CNA) — The Herington, Kansas, post office is getting a new name. During a ceremony Tuesday, the U.S. Post Office in Herington will change its name to the Captain Emil J. Kapaun Post Office Building. Kapaun, a Catholic priest from Pilsen, Kansas, was killed during the Korean War and later awarded the Medal of Honor. The Catholic Church is considering him for sainthood. Tuesday's ceremony will begin at 11:30 am Tuesday with a memorial Mass in Herington. The renaming dedication ceremony will follow at 1 pm at the post office. The public is invited.

Kansas Congressman Tracey Mann introduced a bill in 2021 pushing to name the post office after the soldier priest. “Father Emil Kapaun was a man of God who served Jesus and his country honorably,” Mann said during his speech on the House floor in 2021.

The Catholic News Agency reports that Kapaun was born in Pilsen on April 20, 1916. He was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Wichita in 1940. Four years later, he began at the U.S. Army Chaplain School at Fort Devens (Massachusetts) and was later sent overseas to serve troops during the Korean War. During his time in Korea, he regularly celebrated Mass, at times on the battlefield using the hood of a jeep as a makeshift altar. He brought sacraments to the troops, tended to the injured, and prayed with them in their foxholes.

In 1950, during the Battle of Unsan, Kapaun was captured and taken to a prison camp in Pyoktong, North Korea. While in the camp, he would regularly steal food for his fellow prisoners and managed to tend to their spiritual needs despite a prohibition on prayer. Kapaun died on May 23, 1951, after months of malnutrition and pneumonia.

In March 2021, his remains were identified by investigators from the Department of Defense. It was determined that the priest’s remains were among nearly 900 unidentified soldiers buried at the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Hawaii. Kapaun’s remains returned to his hometown of Pilsen in 2021. Their arrival marked 70 years since the American hero had died in a POW camp at the age of 35.

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UMKC Professor Reports Seeing Mountain Lion at Parkville Nature Sanctuary

PARKVILLE, Mo. (WDAF) — A professor at the University of Missouri Kansas City says he was taking a walk at the Parkville Nature Sanctuary last week when he saw a mountain lion. Steven Davis, a music professor at UMKC, says the frightening encounter happened near the trailhead during one of his regular walks. WDAF TV reportsthat bobcats are known to frequent the area, but Davis is adament that what he saw wasn’t a bobcat. He described the encounter as lasting just a few seconds before the animal went on its way. In order for a sighting to be confirmed in Missouri, the State Department of Conservation needs physical proof like a photograph of the animal or of its scat and tracks.

The department says less than 1% of reports have yielded enough physical evidence to clearly confirm the presence of a mountain lion. However, that doesn’t meant such sightings are illegitimate. The state of Missouri has had 115 confirmed reports of mountain lions since 1994, but the Kansas City metro only accounts for two of those reports. The first happened near North Kansas City in 2002, while the other happened in Parkville back in November 2010.

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How Risky Is It to Have a Biosecurity Lab in Manhattan? How Risky Is It Not to Have the Lab?

MANHATTAN, Kan. (KSNT/TCJ) — Top national and state leaders say maximum biocontainment and safety are top priorities, as a high-security federal disease lab opens in Manhattan. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held this week in Manhattan to officially open the new National Bio Agro-defense Facility (NBAF). With more than 500,000 square-feet, this state-of-the art, bio-safety level 4 (BSL-4) lab was constructed with steel and concrete. It’s the product of collaboration between the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and city and state officials.

KSNT reportsthat scientists at NBAF will be tasked with studying everything from diseases threatening the nation’s livestock to some of the most dangerous animal-borne diseases with no cure. NBAF replaces the kind of research previously conducted at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center in New York.

Julie Brewer, DHS Executive Director of Innovation and Collaboration, was asked whether there are concerns that a potential outbreak could occur at NBAF with some of the more high-risk diseases that will be studied there. “There’s always a risk, but what I will say is that this is the most secure bio-containment laboratory ever built in the United States,” Brewer said. “There is redundancy to redundancy and there is commitment from the staff to keep the community safe. Biocontainment has long been proven to work and protect the communities around us.”

According to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, researchers will be working every day to develop solutions to mitigate the consequences of any potential biological threats. NBAF will increase the number of field veterinarians who are trained in animal disease diagnostics. NBAF’s training facilities will provide opportunities for federal and state veterinarians to see these diseases in real-time so they can better detect suspect cases in the field.

For decades, former Kansas Senator Pat Roberts, who served as chairman of the House and Senate Agriculture committees, has pushed for a bio-defense facility in Kansas. “We still must be prepared for a threat that could’ve been disastrous over 20 years ago, and I believe still remains... the consequences are so terribly severe… short and long-term… and that is why we have NBAF," he said.

Kansas Governor Laura Kelly also emphasized the importance of the facility in protecting the nation and its food supply. “The work that will be done here will be critical in protecting the country and the world against biological, agricultural, and zoonotic diseases,” Kelly said.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports on the various threats that led to construction of NBAF.

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Mayor Blasts 911 Wait Times in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) — Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas says his city needs to fix its 911-hold problem. The mayor went public Thursday morning about his personal story. He tweeted that when his sister called 911 for their mother Wednesday, she waited on hold for five minutes. KCTV reports that the mayor's mother is now recovering at a hospital. Hundreds of people saw the mayor's tweet and many responded with similar horror stories. 911 wait times have been the focus of numerous investigations by KCTV, which reports that wait times have been getting worse. Mayor Lucas promised to find solutions to the lengthy wait times. In the past, the Kansas City Police Department cited staffing issues as the root cause of the problem.

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Kansas Spends Millions Battling Most Invasive Species in the State

TOPEKA (KSNT) – A tiny species is making a big impact in Kansas lakes and creeks. Many of the state's waterways are infested with zebra mussels, an invasive species that has proven to be nearly impossible to remove. KSNT reports that the species costs the Sunflower State about 8 million dollars to fight every year. According to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (KDWP), the zebra mussels are a threat to native aquatic wildlife in Kansas. The mussels also clog up intake pipes at water treatment plants. Officials say zebra mussels cost power plants more than $145 million every year. The mussels can also lead to more harmful algal blooms which bring higher levels of toxicity to Kansas lakes.

Once the mussels have infested a waterbody, they are nearly impossible to remove. And Kansas wildlife officials say zebra mussels show no signs of going away anytime soon. The invasive species comes from the Black Sea and Caspian sea in Europe. They were first introduced to American waters in 1988 by ships on the Great Lakes. The mussels were first spotted in Kansas in 2003 at the El Dorado reservoir. From there, they spread to 35 other waterbodies in Kansas, likely from boaters traveling between waterbodies.

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$1.3 Million Missile Silo Hits Real Estate Market in Central Kansas

LINCOLN COUNTY, Kan. (KWCH) — A decommissioned missile silo is up for sale in central Kansas. Built in the 1960s, the silo is a quiet getaway located nearly 200 feet underground at an "undisclosed location in Central Kansas.” KWCH TV reports that the Rolling Hills Missile Silo was used at the height of the Cold War and served as a shelter to withstand a nuclear blast or any type of natural disaster. Today, the current owner says it could be renovated into a quiet home. The asking price is $1.3 million. Owner Paul Novitzke said, "It’s super peaceful. You don’t hear anything but the birds. There’s no traffic. (And) at night, the stars are spectacular." The property is the second Kansas missile silo Novitzke has purchased, fixed up and put on the market. Discover more about the missile silo here.

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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.