Deaths from Suicide and Substance Abuse Rise in Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — Deaths due to substance misuse and suicide are up across the country, but they’re rising even faster in Kansas. More people died of alcohol-related causes and suicide in Kansas in 2021 than in the country overall. And the state’s overdose death rate is growing much faster. Opioid deaths rose nearly four times quicker in Kansas as they did nationally. Brandon Reavis, with Trust for America’s Health, says the problem is worse in rural communities. “Deaths arise out of chronic physical and emotional pain that can be related to lack of opportunity, other social economic conditions," he said. Experts say addressing the issue will require removing barriers to mental health care in rural areas. Kansas recently ranked last in the country on mental health issues and access to treatment. Lawmakers recently passed legislation to make it easier for therapists to get licensed, but a mental health care worker shortage persists.
==========
Report Card: Kansas Lagging Behind Other States in Oral Health
UNDATED (KNS) — A new report card on oral health says Kansas is still falling behind many other states. The 2023 Kansas Oral Health Report Card gives the state a letter grade of "C" overall but the state received even lower grades in some areas. The report card from Oral Health Kansas compares the state to the U.S. averages for preventative dental care, cavities and more. The report gave the state a "D" for fluoride because only 65% of Kansans have federally recommended levels of fluoride in their drinking water. The national average is 73%. Oral Health Kansas Executive Director Tanya Dorf Brunner says having fluoridated water and using toothpaste with fluoride can help prevent cavities. “You still need to take care of your teeth in many other ways, but you're going to really have a lot of protection (with fluoride)," she said. The report card also gave Kansas an "F" for the low number of 1 to 2-year-olds visiting a dentist.
Brunner says many families might not know that it’s important for young children to see a dentist. "If we can help kids get to kindergarten being cavity free, they're going to be healthier for their whole life," she said. The state's oral health ranking improved somewhat last year when dental coverage was added for Kansans on Medicaid.
==========
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.)
==========
Shooting Investigation in Southeast Kansas
PARSONS, Kan. (KSNF) — A Parsons man faces a charge of attempted murder following a shooting incident. Police say 58-year-old Terry Wayne Keaton has also been charged with aggravated assault. Authorities were called to investigate a shooting that took place in Parsons Monday night (near 17th and Durr Avenue). KSNF TV reports that Keaton was on the run for about an hour and a half before he was pulled over on a highway and taken into custody. No other details have been released.
==========
Kansas City Teen 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. “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.
==========
Lack of Child Care Stymies Parents Seeking Drug Treatment
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — Treating addiction is difficult for anyone but for parents of young children, finding child care while the parent is in rehab makes the situation much more complicated. Addiction experts say the lack of adequate child care is one of the factors that can keep people who need treatment from seeking help. But there will soon be more options for parents of young children who are fighting addiction. This summer, a new program in Salina will become one of the few places in the state where a mother can take her child to addiction treatment with her. Shane Hudson, president and CEO of CKF Addiction Treatment in Salina, says the new programs will be especially important for longer stays in addiction treatment. (Read more.)
==========
103 United Methodist Churches in Kansas Leaving Denomination
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) — The United Methodist Church is seeing the exodus of more than 100 conservative Kansas congregations over theological matters, including same-sex marriages and ordaining openly LGBTQ clergy. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the denomination's Great Plains Annual Conference will hold an online session tonight (WED) in which it will consider ratifying the requested disaffiliations of 165 churches, including 103 in Kansas and 62 in Nebraska. Congregations leaving the denomination include one from Topeka, New Hope United Methodist Church (2915 S.W. 8th Avenue), which says on its Facebook page that its vote to become independent took place last October.
Votes from 67% in favor of disaffiliation are required at the meeting where the vote takes place in order for disaffiliation to occur, according to information posted on the Great Plains Conference's website. The roughly 15 other United Methodist churches in Shawnee County will remain part of that denomination and the Great Plains Conference. That conference's website says it has 960 congregations, meaning about 17% are leaving.
==========
3 Dead in Separate Shootings Monday in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) — Monday proved to be another deadly day in Kansas City, Missouri. KSHB TV reports that three people were killed in separate shootings on the city's east side. Shortly after 4 pm Monday, police officers were called to a residence (in the 3600 block of Agnes Avenue) where a man had been shot. The man died later at the hospital. Detectives believe the shooting may have occurred at another, unknown location.
Later that night, detectives investigated another homicide (in the 3300 block of Colorado). In this incident, a man was found with gunshot wounds inside a vehicle parked at an apartment complex. He died at the hospital.
A short time later, police were called to another shooting (at 35th and Wabash). In this case, police believe the adult male victim was inside the home with one or more people when shots were fired. The man who was shot died on the scene. Police took a person of interest into custody at the scene.
Anyone with information about any of these shootings is urged to call the Kansas City Homicide Unit directly (816) 234-5043 or the TIPS Hotline anonymously at (816) 474-TIPS. A reward of up to $25,000 is offered for information submitted anonymously to the TIPS hotline.
==========
Kansas Man Dies After His Pickup Hits a Concrete Barrier and Slips Off a Bridge
RUSSELL COUNTY, Kan. (JC Post) — A Kansas man died in an accident over the weekend in Russell County. The JC Post reports that a truck, driven by 45-year-old Wad R. Dyer, of Dorrance, was driving westbound on U.S. Highway 40 one mile east of Dorrance early Sunday morning. The pickup crossed eastbound lanes, entered the ditch, collided with a concrete bridge barrier, fell over the edge of the bridge and landed on its wheels in the ditch channel. The driver was ejected. Dyer was pronounced dead at the scene. The Kansas Highway Patrol says Dyer was not wearing a seat belt.
==========
Kansas Man Indicted for Using Guns to Intimidate Black People
WICHITA, Kan. (KPR) — A Wichita man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for using guns, death threats and racial slurs to intimidate Black people. The indictment alleges that in July 2022, 30-year-old Austin Schoemann brandished a firearm and used racial slurs in order to threaten two Black juveniles while they were entering a QuikTrip gas station. In addition, Schoemann allegedly used his firearm to threaten a Black adult who intervened in support of the juveniles.
The indictment further alleges that beginning in January 2022 and continuing through August 2022, Schoemann interfered with the federally protected housing rights of a white woman by making threats to hurt or kill any Black people who visited her home. The indictment alleges that Schoemann made many of these threats in-person. Schoemann is also charged with two violations of using the internet to distribute videos and messages to the woman's family members and others in which he repeatedly threatened to shoot and kill Black people.
Schoemann faces a maximum penalty of 22 years in prison on the various charges. The FBI Kansas City Field Office investigated the case.
==========
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.
==========
Abilene Retains Title as “Best Small Town to Visit" and Lindsborg Makes Top 5
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSNW/KPR) — Albilene has earned the title of “Best Small Town to Visit in the U.S.” by TravelAwaits - for the third year in a row. The Dickinson County town is famous as the boyhood home of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. KSNW TV reports that Abilene has received other national travel awards as well. The town is known for tourist attractions such as the Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum; historic homes, a century-old railroad and a historic downtown area.
Securing a spot at number five on the list is another Kansas town: Lindsborg. Located in McPherson County, Lindsborg is widely known for its Swedish heritage. It was settled in 1869 by a group of Swedish immigrants. Of the town's 3,500 residents, about 1/3 are of Swedish descent. Affectionately called Little Sweden, the small town embraces its heritage which can be found in its architecture, food, and festivals.
TravelAwaits’ 14 Best Small Towns To Visit In The U.S.
1. Abilene, Kansas
2. Corning, New York
3. Traverse City, Michigan
4. Key West, Florida
5. Lindsborg, Kansas
6. Sedona, Arizona
7. Newport, Rhode Island
8. Clear Lake, Iowa
9. Eureka Springs, Arkansas
10. Bardstown, Kentucky
11. Taos, New Mexico
12. Lahaina, Hawaii
13. Kalispell, Montana
14. Pismo Beach, California
==========
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.
==========
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.
==========
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.
==========
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.
==========
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.
==========
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.
==========
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.