Letters Containing Suspicious White Powder Sent to Lawmakers, Officials Across Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Letters containing suspicious white powder have been sent to lawmakers and other public officials across Kansas, officials announced Friday.
No injuries have been reported, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation. It had counted more than 30 letters as of late Friday afternoon. The news release didn't provide details about the consistency of the white powder.
In emails sent to legislators and obtained by The Topeka Capital-Journal, Tom Day, director of Legislative Administrative Services, said the Kansas Highway Patrol had informed his office of the letters, which contain a return address of either Kansas City or Topeka.
The letters were sent to legislators at their homes and have been turned over to the KBI and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Day wrote.
Other agencies involved in the investigation include the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Office of the State Fire Marshal and local police and fire departments.
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach was among those who had received them, The Capital-Journal reported. A spokesperson for Kobach didn’t immediately return a request for comment.
(–Additional reporting –)
Kansas Lawmakers Receive Suspicious Mail
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and around 30 state lawmakers have been sent letters containing a suspicious white powder. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that an envelope was not sent to Republican Speaker Dan Hawkins or Democratic Governor Laura Kelly. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is looking into the incident. The agency did not respond to requests for comment, so it isn’t yet clear if people affiliated with one certain political party or another were targeted. The agency said in a media release that so far no one has been injured, but urges people to be cautious in handling mail. Any similar incidents should be reported to the KBI at 1-800-KSCRIME.
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Kansas City Warehouse Blaze Hospitalizes 3 Firefighters
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Workers at a massive Kansas City wood-pallet warehouse fire escaped to safety Thursday, but three firefighters were transported to the hospital. The firefighters were hospitalized for minor burns and heat exposure after battling flames at Pioneer Pallet's warehouse, said Kansas City Fire Department spokesman Jason Spreitzer. Kansas City Fire officials say all of the injured firefighters are expected to be make a full recovery. Of the three transported to the hospital Thursday, two have already been released. Another seven firefighters were treated at the site of the fire. Spreitzer said about 160 firefighters assisted in the fight to put out the flames. The fire, which began just after noon on Thursday. There are no threats of hazardous materials catching on fire at this point, Spreitzer said. He said firefighters protectively drenched a propane refilling station for forklifts in water. It's not yet known what caused the blaze. The area includes residential homes, a small baseball park and some industrial sites, including a commercial transportation business. The neighborhood is separated from downtown Kansas City by a rail line. Spreitzer said nearby homes so far appear safe.
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Supreme Court Upholds Law Protecting Native American Children
UNDATED (AP/KPR) — The Supreme Court has affirmed the constitutionality of the Indian Child Welfare Act, a 1978 law enacted to protect Native American children in the U.S. and strengthen their families. In a ruling Thursday, tribal leaders praised the decision as upholding the basic constitutional principles governing the relationships among Native nations and the federal government.
Congress originally passed the Indian Child Welfare Act in response to requests from tribal leaders, and other advocates for Native Americans, to stop state governments from removing an alarming number of Native children from their families. Before the law took effect, state social welfare agencies were removing between 25% and 35% of all Native American children, and 90% of those removed were sent to be raised by non-Native families.
The Indian Child Welfare Act recognizes the government-to-government relationship Native American nations have with the United States. It covers certain child placements and sets uniform standards for state and tribal courts to follow when they decide American Indian child welfare cases. These standards include provisions that ensure that tribal governments are aware of and can have a say in the placement of Native American children. They aim to reduce the trauma of family and tribal separation by instructing courts to make active efforts to keep families together. As a result of the ruling, Native nations' most valuable resource – their children – will continue to gain the benefits of growing up knowing their own Indigenous cultures and communities.
Kansas is home to four federally-recognized tribes and is the home of Haskell Indian Nations University. (Read more in the Lawrence Journal-World.)
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Cleanup of Explosive Waste Complete at Army Ammunition Site
DE SOTO, Kan. (KSHB) — The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has announced a major milestone in the ongoing cleanup of the old Sunflower Army Ammunition plant near DeSoto. KSHB TV reportsthat the army has completed the clean-up of explosive materials at the site. Decades of explosives produced at the site meant that many dangerous chemicals seeped into the earth and required special cleaning on the nearly 10,000-acre site. The huge installation provided ammunition throughout World War II as well as the Korean and Vietnam wars. On Wednesday, the Army Corps announced that the site's explosive material had been entirely removed, which clears the way for the continued construction of the Panasonic EV Battery plant.
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Johnson County Commissioners Question Sheriff About Continued Focus on 2020 Election
OLATHE, Kan. (KSHB) - Johnson County commissioners questioned Sheriff Calvin Hayden Thursday about his investigation into alleged fraud connected to the 2020 election. KSHB TV reports that Commissioner Janeé Hanzlick told the sheriff that she has received questions from community members about the cost of his ongoing investigation into the last national election. Sheriff Hayden confirmed that his department is still focusing on allegations of fraud in the 2020 election. Only one case has been sent to the Johnson County District Attorney for review. That claim was about voter intimidation in a different election and the DA's office declined charges in the case because of a lack of evidence. The county budget department says the sheriff's office receives more funding from Johnson County taxpayers than any other county department.
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Kansas Board of Regents Approves Raises for University Leaders
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) - The Kansas Board of Regents has approved a plan to increase pay for the state’s six university leaders. The move Thursday comes one day after the regents voted to raise tuition rates for this fall. KSNT TV reports that the biggest raise will be going to Kansas State University President Richard Linton, who will receive a 10 percent increase to his base salary. Linton will now be paid an annual salary of $565,000. The other university heads all are set to receive raises of between four and seven percent. University of Kansas Chancellor Douglas Girod will be getting a 4% pay bump bringing his annual salary to $655,000. The pay raises are for Fiscal Year 2024, which starts July 1. The move comes after the Regents voted Wednesday to increase college tuition by about 5% for in-state and out-of-state undergraduate students this fall.
(- Earlier Reporting -)
KBOR Approves Tuition Hikes for Public Universities
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — The Kansas Board of Regents has approved tuition hikes for all six state public universities. Campus administrators say they need the increase to offset inflation and make up for tuition freezes imposed during the COVID pandemic. Tuition will go up 5% at most schools. Fort Hays State University will raise tuition 7%, and Wichita State University 5.9%. Regents chairman Jon Rolph says colleges need to charge more to pay faculty and stay competitive. “We do have to deliver a high level of excellence for the people that are coming. And so it does cost money to do that," he said. This year’s increases are the steepest in nearly a decade. Most Kansas universities also plan to raise student fees.
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Shawnee County Approves Funding for Mental Health Unit at County Jail
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — The Shawnee County Commission has made a decision regarding construction at the county jail. At their meeting Thursday, County Commissioners signed off on construction of a mental health unit at the Shawnee County Jail and selected a local company, KBS Constructors, to oversee the project. KSNT TV reports that the new unit will offer specialized treatment, counseling and programs to address the mental health needs of individuals in custody. The county allocated $10 million in revenue bonds last year to fund the project, but the estimated total cost is expected to be between $17 to $18 million dollars. The Department of Corrections is seeking additional funding sources to bridge the gap and ensure the successful completion of the in-house mental health facility.
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Wichita Police Arrest Man Accused of Raping Women in Hospital
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A man walked into a Wichita hospital and raped three female patients there before being caught and arrested, police said Friday. Officers arrested a 28-year-old Wichita man around 2 a.m. Thursday, a Wichita police spokesperson, Officer Juan Rebolledo, said. The man was arrested at Ascension Via Christi St. Francis after being caught and fighting with security guards at the hospital, according to a report by The Wichita Eagle. The man was not an employee nor a patient at the hospital at the time of the assaults and his arrest, Rebolledo said. The police spokesperson declined to release other details, including the ages of the victims and their medical conditions, citing victim privacy. The suspect was being held Friday at the Sedgwick County Jail on three counts of rape.
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Parents of Girl Who Drowned at KC's Oceans of Fun File Lawsuit
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The parents of a 6-year-old girl who drowned at a popular Kansas City water park last year allege in a lawsuit that the park repeatedly hires young, inexperienced lifeguards and does not adequately train them. Therron and Debra Stewart, of Grandview, Missouri, filed the lawsuit against Oceans of Fun and its parent company, Cedar Fair. Their daughter, Adeline Stewart, died at a Kansas City hospital days after she was pulled from the Coconut Cove pool on July 5, 2022, The Kansas City Star reported. A company spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press on Wednesday. Lawyers for the family say in the lawsuit that pool lifeguards did not detect Adeline for several minutes, even while park patrons made “frantic attempts” to get their attention. After she was pulled from the pool, the lifeguards were not equipped to give her first aid, according to the lawsuit. The Stewarts are seeking a jury trial. After Adeline's death, the water park made some changes to improve safety, including increasing height requirements for wearing life jackets in the pool, and requiring children shorter than 3½ feet to be accompanied by a supervisor.
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25,000 Suspected Fentanyl Pills Seized in Wichita, One Man Arrested
WICHITA, Kan. (WIBW) — One man has been arrested in Wichita after thousands of counterfeit oxycodone pills were seized. The counterfeit drugs are believed to contain fentanyl. Authorities were notified of suspicious activity (near the intersection of Central and Oliver Avenue) Monday afternoon. WIBW TV reports that the resulting investigation led to the seizure of an estimated 25,000 counterfeit oxycodone pills. The pills have been suspected to contain fentanyl and weighed about 11.5 pounds. Officials say a 27-year-old Wichita man was detained for questioning. He was later arrested on outstanding warrants and booked into jail. Officials have not identified the man arrested.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation announced Wednesday that it has formed a new task force with the Kansas Highway Patrol. This is the first major bust by the Joint Fentanyl Impact Team, which is made up of KBI special agents and state troopers.
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Grain Belt Power Line Construction Could Begin in 2024
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — The controversial Grain Belt Express power transmission line could begin construction next year in Kansas and Missouri now that regulators have approved an amended agreement. The years-long project has faced opposition along the way. The Kansas Corporation Commission approved energy company Invenergy Transmission’s request to build the project in two phases. The company can begin construction on the first portion while still acquiring land needed in Illinois for the second phase. The more than 780-mile transmission line is designed to take wind energy from southwest Kansas to homes in Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Indiana. Some landowners have opposed the project over the private company’s use of eminent domain to purchase property needed for the massive towers that carry high-voltage transmission lines.
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Demise of Pallid Sturgeon Spells Trouble for the Missouri River
UNDATED (HPM) — For millions of years, the pallid sturgeon has thrived in the Missouri River. The fish made it through mass extinctions and multiple ice ages. But populations have plummeted over the last century as humans installed dams and engineered the river current. Wayne Nelson Statsny leads the Missouri River Recovery Office at the U.S .Fish and Wildlife Service. He says the pallid sturgeon has evolved into a creature perfectly suited to the environment of the Missouri River. “If you were going to design a fish in an engineering class, programmed to the Missouri River, where you can’t see, you can only smell and hear, a pallid sturgeon is what you would design," he said. But those traits didn’t help when the sturgeon came up against the massive construction projects of the 20th century. Engineers built dams and narrowed the river and those projects nearly eliminated the fish’s habitat.
Biologists say the demise of the sturgeon is a warning that the river itself is in trouble. “The eco-system is in trouble on the Missouri River. It’s not just the pallid sturgeon that's in trouble," Statsny said. Harvest Public Media (HPM) reports that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been working to re-create the sturgeon’s habitat.
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Royals Officials: Possible Sites for New Ballpark Narrowed to Two
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) — Officials with the Kansas City Royals say the team has narrowed the search to two possible locations for a new ballpark and entertainment district. One location, known as the East Village site, is in downtown Kansas City. The other possible site is in North Kansas City. KMBC TV reports that officials in Clay County, Missouri, have been working on a proposal to bring the Royals to the north side of the river. The Clay County Commission says the proposal for a stadium in North KC would ultimately be up to voters. They would be asked to approve a sales tax to fund construction of the stadium. Jackson County would also have to put a sales tax extension on the ballot in order to move the team to the proposed downtown location. Kauffman Stadium is 50 years old. It opened at the Truman Sports Complex in 1973.
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Winfield Man Pronounced Dead After He Was Thrown from Cement Mixer
WINFIELD, Kan. (WIBW) — A Winfield man is dead after he was thrown from a cement mixer as it flipped along a South-Central Kansas highway. The Kansas Highway Patrol was called to a location (2500 W. 9th Avenue) in Winfield Tuesday morning to investigate a single-vehicle crash. WIBW TV reports that when troopers arrived, they found that a cement mixer had veered off the road. The truck hit a culvert and eventually flipped over on its side. The driver, 50-year-old Charles R. Velz, of Winfield, was thrown from the vehicle. He was rushed to the hospital where he later died. Troopers say he was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
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Kansas City Sues Auto Manufacturers Over Rash of Car Thefts
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) — Officials in Kansas City have filed a lawsuit against auto manufacturers Hyundai and Kia after a surge of vehicle thefts in recent years. The city’s complaint blames the car companies saying the thefts were “easily preventable if the manufacturers had installed basic, common technology in those vehicles.” KMBC TV reports that a popular series of videos on TikTok, YouTube and other online sites shows step-by-step instructions on how to start and steal Kia and Hyundai automobiles — using only a screwdriver and a USB cable. Police departments across the country say the videos have caused thefts to spread rapidly over the last three years.
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Granny Basketball Underway in Kansas, Iowa, Texas
KANSAS & IOWA (KPR) — Women’s professional basketball is underway in the WNBA. But there's another group of women playing and they are — to quote them — “off their rockers.” It's called Granny Basketball and it challenges the perception that the game is just for the young. More women, aged 50 and older, are signing up to play in Kansas and nine other states. “We’re just getting contacts all the time from new women wanting to join the league,” said Michele Clark, the league’s executive director based in Berryton, Kansas. “They hear about Granny Basketball. They want to learn more,” she said. Clark, retired from the health care industry, is among six women and one man on the board of directors from Kansas, Iowa and Texas who invest their time as volunteers.
Two Granny League teams from Kansas, the Sunflowers and the Kansas Cougars, will participate in the national tournament July 14-16 in Decorah, Iowa. The Sunflowers, who practice in Olathe, will be the host team next year when the national tournament returns to Kansas. The 2024 tournament, which will be played in Kansas City, may even draw more women... off their rockers. (Read more.)
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Why Cat Owners Should Be Aware of "Bobcat Fever"
HARRISONVILLE, Mo. — “Bobcat fever.” It's a tick-borne disease that could claim your feline’s life and fast. Doctors say indoor cats are not immune. WDAF TV reports that bobcat fever is killing more and more cats every year. One pet owner's cat died after it was bitten by a lonestar tick carrying the disease. Dog ticks can also carry the disease. Dr. Rebecca Morrison, a veterinarian in Harrisonville, says she sees about a case a month. “It’s increasing each year,” she said. “It seems to be getting worse and it goes with how many ticks we have too. And this year does seem like a very bad tick year, too, and those little bitty seed ticks that you can’t hardly see, those can transmit the disease too.”
Morrison says there is a treatment that gives animals a 60% shot at surviving bobcat fever. But it’s not easily at veterinarians fingertips. It takes about a day or two to get to their office and by then she says "the cat may have already died from the disease.” Morrison said your best bet is to keep ticks off your cats using flea and tick protection.
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Kansas Players Falling Behind in US Open
LOS ANGELES, Ca. (KPR) — The golfers from Kansas got off to a shaky start at the U.S. Open golf championship in Los Angeles Thursday. Topeka native Gary Woodland, who won his first U.S. Open in 2019, shot an even par 70 in the first round. That's eight strokes behind the first-round leaders. Wichita's Sam Stevens shot a 5-over par 75 and is tied for 137th place. Stevens tees off just before 9:00 Friday morning. Woodland is set to tee off Friday afternoon just after 2:30 Central Time.
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Bud Light, America's Top Beer for Decades, Falls to Second Following Flap over LGBTQ+ Marketing
UNDATED (AP/KPR) — After more than two decades as America's best-selling beer, Bud Light has slipped into second place. Modelo Especial, a Mexican lager, overtook Bud Light in U.S. retail dollar sales in the month ending June 3, according to Nielsen data analyzed by Bump Williams Consulting. Modelo controlled 8.4% of U.S. grocery, convenience and liquor store sales; Bud Light fell to 7.3%. Grupo Modelo, the Mexican brewer, is owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the same parent company of Bud Light.
It's a milestone in Bud Light's months-long sales decline since early April, when critics who were angered by the brewer partnering with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney vowed to boycott the brand. Bud Light has also faced backlash from Mulvaney's fans, who think the brand didn't do enough to support her.
Dave William, Bump Williams' vice president of analytics and insights, said Bud Light has been the top-selling U.S. beer since 2001, and it could still retain that crown this year. He noted that Bud Light's year-to-date market share of 9% is still outpacing Modelo's, at 8%. And Bud Light's sales volumes are higher.
But Modelo appears to have the advantage, with its dollar sales increasing by double-digit percentages every week. Sales in bars and restaurants, which are harder to track, aren't included in the retail numbers, and Bud Light far outpaced Modelo in those venues prior to April. But David Steinman, the vice president and executive editor of Beer Marketer's Insights, said Modelo's bar and restaurant sales have been growing quickly, and it's believed that Bud Light took an even steeper sales hit in bars and restaurants than in groceries.
Bud Light's U.S. retail sales were down 24% the week ending June 3, while Modelo Especial sales were up 12%, according to Dave Williams.
Last month, InBev said it will triple its marketing spending in the U.S. this summer, with a focus on sports and music festivals. Bud Light also continues to be a high-profile sponsor of LGBTQ+ Pride events.
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Chiefs Get Super Bowl Rings, Take Subtle Shot at Rival Bengals
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had a stinging answer for Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who upon learning that his own QB Joe Burrow had picked Mahomes as the league's best replied: “Pat who?”
“That's who,” Mahomes posted on social media Thursday night, along with a photo of him flashing his new Super Bowl ring.
Or more accurately, that's two.
Mahomes picked up his first ring in 2020 by leading the Chiefs to a victory over the 49ers, then added a second in February when he led Kansas City to a come-from-behind win over the Eagles. But unlike the first triumph, which came as the pandemic was beginning, the Chiefs were able to thoroughly enjoy the spoils of the latest with a ring ceremony Thursday night.
The red-carpet affair in Kansas City was closed to reporters, but Mahomes and others were happy to send out photographs. And in the case of the Chiefs' burgeoning rivals, they were willing to take a couple of shots at Chase and the Bengals.
“That's what you work for, to win the Super Bowl and get those rings,” Mahomes said. “They last a lifetime. To be able to see them, I know they've done a great job with them. I got to help out a little bit with the creating process. They did a great job.”
The rings were made by Jostens and each contains 613 diamonds along with 35 rubies for a total of 16.1 carats.
And like most Super Bowl rings these days, there were plenty of hidden meanings in the design.
Front and center are the organization's three Lombardi Trophies, each with a marquise diamond set atop. The trophies are set against a backdrop of 19 rubies and 38 diamonds, which reflects both the 38 points the Chiefs scored in the Super Bowl and the 57th edition of the game. In the middle of it all is the Chiefs' logo, which itself is comprised of 16 rubies — the number of division titles for the franchise — and 50 diamonds to reflect the 50th anniversary of Arrowhead Stadium.
Elsewhere, the 16 baguette diamonds at the base represent the 16 players that scored a touchdown in the regular season; 54 diamonds across the top represent the total number of points the Chiefs had to overcome in their two most recent title runs; and each player's name is engraved in gold along with a row of 13 diamonds.
The ring also features a removable top so the thing can turn into a pendant that looks like Arrowhead Stadium.
“They're pretty cool," Mahomes said. “They did a great job. I hadn't gotten to see the final product, but I got to see kind of the process of it and gave some ideas and stuff like that. They did a great job. Like I said, with whatever they look like, you get to have them forever and they mean the world. It's cool to be able to have two of them now.”
That's two more than the Bengals have these days.
Much like their recent trip to the White House, the Chiefs invited anybody that was part of the team last year, including those that are working elsewhere now. That includes offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy, who left for a similar job with the Washington Commanders and wasn't sure whether he could fit the trip into his schedule.
“It's a little bit like what went on at the White House,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, “but they're coming back to Kansas City. I think it's a great deal. I think the Hunt (family) have put together a really nice event for the guys.”
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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.