Kansans Recovering from Weekend Storm Damage
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) – Many Kansas residents are still cleaning up from a series of storms that knocked out power Friday to more than 100,000 people from Salina to Kansas City and into southeast Kansas. Utility company Evergy says power has been restored to more than 99% of the homes affected by outages. The company says about 2,000 customers in the Kansas City metro area remain in the dark but power should be restored to all of them by tonight (TUE).
Meanwhile, the city of Great Bend, in central Kansas, is recovering from its own storm damage. Powerful storms on Sunday knocked out power to nearly everyone in the town of 15,000. High winds and hail also damaged homes and cars across Barton County.
(-Related-)
KCK Mayor Declares Local Disaster
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) — KCK Mayor Tyrone Garner has issued several local disaster emergency orders following Friday night’s storms. KSHB TV reports that the storms left thousands of Wyandotte County customers without power and damaged public infrastructure. Garner says he hopes the declaration will clear the way for the Unified Government’s Department of Emergency Management to use additional resources to help in the recovery. During the peak of the storm, nearly 27,000 customers in the KCK area lost power.
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Extreme Drought Impacting Farmers Throughout Midwest
UNDATED (HPM) - Drought conditions in the Great Plains began spreading east this year, affecting much of the Midwest and leaving farmers worried about their crops. The region went into this summer with a lack of soil moisture that many have said is the worst they’d ever seen. Nebraska corn farmer Ryan Krenk says his plants are stunted and very dry. "It looked like death. And I said, you know, I don't think it's gonna see tomorrow. And it's still somehow here. Several tomorrows later," he said. Recent rains have been beneficial, but agriculture experts say it will take consistent precipitation over a long period to nourish crops and alleviate the historic drought in the region. (Read more.)
The U.S. Drought Monitor shows portions of Kansas, Missouri and Nebraska still locked in extreme to exceptional drought conditions in mid July.
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Judge Rules Kansas Governor's Office Can Defend Birth Certificate Changes in Court
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge is considering Democratic Governor Laura Kelly's arguments that a new Kansas law rolling back transgender rights doesn't bar the state from changing the sex listing on transgender people's birth certificates.
U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree ruled Tuesday that Kelly's office can defend her administration’s policy of changing birth certificates and accepted its “friend of the court” arguments. The state's Republican attorney general, Kris Kobach, argues that a law that took effect July 1 prohibits such changes and requires the state to undo previous ones.
The new law, which was enacted by the Republican-controlled Legislature over Kelly’s veto, defines male and female based on a person’s sex assigned at birth for “any” state law or regulation. If Kobach is successful, Kansas would be only among a few states that don’t make such changes, along with Montana and Tennessee.
The issue is before Crabtree because he is enforcing a 2019 legal settlement that requires the state to change birth certificates for transgender people. Kobach has argued that the new law nullifies that settlement and has asked Crabtree to revoke his order that made the agreement binding.
The 2018 lawsuit that led to the settlement was filed by four transgender people and named three Kansas health department officials who oversee birth certificates as defendants, but not the governor. Kelly, therefore, needed the judge’s permission to make her own arguments.
In her filing that Crabtree accepted Tuesday, Kelly's office argued that the new law is discriminatory but the health department is not violating it by changing birth certificates. In a separate filing, the four transgender people said “the zealous desire” of some officials to discriminate against transgender people doesn't justify reconsidering the legal settlement's terms.
“Such an outcome would undermine confidence in courts' ability to vindicate constitutional rights,” they argued.
Kobach also is attacking changes in the sex listings on Kansas driver’s licenses in a separate a state-court lawsuit.
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Stolen SNAP Benefits in Kansas Can be Replaced
TOPEKA (KSNT) - Officials nationwide are receiving increased reports of stolen food assistance benefits. Thieves are stealing Electronic Benefit Transfer - or EBT - cards across the U.S. In Kansas, there have been fewer than 20 reports so far, but the crime appears to be spreading. KSNT reports that the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) is now accepting requests for the replacement of stolen benefits, also known as SNAP benefits. Officials say the food assistance benefits are being stolen through a variety of methods: card skimming, card cloning, phishing and other types of scam attacks.
If a Kansan believes their food assistance benefits have been stolen, they should contact DCF at (888) 369-4777 or by calling the Fraud Hotline at (800) 432-3913.
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Lawrence Commission Considers Becoming "Safe Haven" for Transgender People
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) - The Lawrence City Commission is considering a safe-haven ordinance codifying protections for transgender, non-binary and gender-nonconforming people. Commissoners will take up the issue at their regular meeting tonight (TUE). The Lawrence Journal World reports that a draft ordinance is on the commission’s agenda. The measure would declare Lawrence a “safe haven for all persons from the effects of discriminatory acts, legislation, regulation and other actions.”
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Lawrence Chapter of Audubon Society to Change Name
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) - The Lawrence chapter of the National Audubon Society and some other local chapters across the country are ditching their namesake, the 19th century bird painter and slaveholder. Members of the Jayhawk Audubon Society will brainstorm and vote on a new name. Audubon groups are named after bird painter John James Audubon. He owned and sold slaves. He also stole skulls from Native American graves for a collector trying to prove that white people were superior. The National Audubon Society will keep its name. Audubon of Kansas and the Wichita Audubon Society say they will too, for now. Kansas City’s chapter didn’t respond to a media inquiry.
Kelly Barth is president of the soon-to-be-renamed Jayhawk Audubon Society of Lawrence and surrounding areas. “In Lawrence, which was a city founded by abolitionists – and is home to Haskell Indian Nations University – keeping John Audubon’s name as our namesake was just unacceptable," he said. Other chapters around the country are also changing their names, including New York City, Seatlle, and Washington, DC.
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Suicide Prevention Hotline in Lawrence Busy Since Launch of New 988 Number
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) - It’s been a year since the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline switched to the new, nationwide 988 number. The Lawrence agency that serves as the Lifeline’s crisis center for Kansas has taken thousands of calls in the time since then. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the Kansas Suicide Prevention Headquarters, based in Lawrence, took an average of 1,230 calls each month from July 2022 to June 2023. A little more than 1% of those calls resulted in an emergency dispatch, involving a response by emergency services for imminent risk of harm.
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Mountain Lion Reported in Edwardsville; Kansas Wildlife Officials Investigating
EDWARDSVILLE, Kan. (WDAF) — Police in Edwardsville have received a report of a possible mountain lion sighting (in the area of North Fourth Street and K-32). Police have contacted the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks, which will be sending experts investigate. According to Kansas wildlife officials, there have been no confirmed sightings of mountain lions in the Kansas City area. WDAF TV reports that the first confirmed mountain lion seen in Kansas in modern times was in 2007 in south-central Kansas. The animal was shot and killed.
One notable case occurred in May of 2021, when a mountain lion was documented twice by doorbell cameras eight days apart as it made its way through the city of Wichita. In total, more than 40 confirmations have been made in the state since 2007.
Kansas wildlife officials say domestic cats and bobcats are frequently mistaken for mountain lions. Coyotes and dogs are also sometimes mistaken for mountain lions. Edwardsville police say people should keep an eye on small pets and report any further sightings to (913) 356-6052.
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Union Pacific Railroad to Renew Push for 1-Person Crews by Testing Conductors in Trucks
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Union Pacific will renew its push for one-person train crews later this summer when the railroad tests out the idea of having a conductor in a truck respond to problems on trains in Nebraska and Colorado. The railroad will continue using two crew members on its trains during the test, but officials say this could bolster their case in future negotiations for cutting crew size if it is successful.
UP's Jason Pinder confirmed the pilot program Monday when he testified against a proposed Kansas rule that would require two-person crews. The Omaha, Nebraska-based railroad has long been a leading proponent in the industry's push to go down to one-person crews.
This plan had to be shelved earlier this year after the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers union that represents conductors opposed it. But that union later agreed to let Union Pacific test out ground-based conductors as long as it maintained current crew sizes and agreed to drop ongoing negotiations over reducing crew size. Even though UP abandoned its current proposal to eliminate conductors on trains, the railroad can reintroduce the idea in the next contract negotiations that begin in 2025.
Union officials say there has been no change in SMART-TD's longstanding opposition to the idea of eliminating the second person in the cab of a locomotive because of safety concerns. In fact, the union's Ty Dragoo testified Monday that “We're huge proponents” of the proposed Kansas rule.
If that state's regulators approve, Kansas would join at least nine other states that have passed laws requiring two-man crews. The others are California, Wisconsin, Arizona, West Virginia. Minnesota, Washington, Nevada, Colorado and Ohio. Railroad safety has been a key focus nationwide this year in the wake of a fiery February derailment in eastern Ohio that forced evacuations and created lingering health concerns and several other rail crashes.
The railroads strongly oppose state laws on their operations and usually challenge them in court because they argue that the federal government should be the only one to regulate the industry to ensure there is a uniform set of rules nationwide. The Federal Railroad Administration is also currently considering a proposed rule that would require two-person crews, but it's not clear when they will act on the rule.
Members of Congress have also proposed requiring two-man crews as part of a package of rail reforms drafted after the East Palestine, Ohio, derailment. That bill garnered bipartisan support initially but hasn't yet been debated on the floor of the Senate, and it faces uncertain prospects in the Republican-controlled House where most lawmakers are reluctant to approve new regulations.
The pilot program will run in western Nebraska between North Platte and Morrill and in Colorado and Wyoming between Denver and Cheyenne starting in August and September. The railroad’s idea is to test out how quickly a conductor in a truck can respond to any problem compared to how quickly a conductor on the train will be able to walk back along the train to find an issue. UP still has to work out exactly how big of a territory a ground-based conductor might cover.
Railroads have fought any crew size requirement because they say there isn't enough data to show operating trains with one crew member would be riskier, and they argue that railroads have become safer in recent decades even as crews shrank from five to the current standard of two. The railroads have argued that modern technology — particularly the automatic braking system railroads were required to install in recent years — makes the conductor unnecessary on a train and executives believe that moving conductors off of trains would improve their quality of life by giving them more predictable schedules and keeping them from going on the road.
While all the major freight railroads continue to use two-person crews, a number of short-line railroads have already been using one-person crews for years. Chuck Baker, the president of the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, testified at the Kansas hearing Monday that many of those smaller railroads have also found other benefits of having a conductor based in a truck such as having them adjust switches ahead of a train or go ahead to visit with customers before a train arrives.
But all the rail unions have long opposed moving conductors out of locomotives, arguing they help monitor track conditions and radio communications while ensuring that engineers remain alert and respond to any emergencies or mechanical problems on the train. In the case of a derailment or collision, conductors are the first ones to respond before any additional help can arrive.
The unions say the value of having a conductor onboard has been demonstrated time and time again including during a fiery 2013 derailment near Casselton, North Dakota, when the conductor was able to help separate undamaged tank cars filled with crude oil from the rest of the train so they could be pulled away from the fire.
Critics of the idea of moving conductors out of the locomotive cabs have also raised practical questions about whether a conductor driving a truck would even be able to reach a train in remote locations where no roads are near the tracks. Plus, a conductor in a truck could be delayed in traffic.
A major highway runs next to the tracks in Western Nebraska that UP plans to test, but it may be harder for a conductor in a truck to reach trains in the mountainous territory of Colorado.
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UPDATE: 2-Year-Old Kansas Drowning Victim Identified
OSAGE COUNTY (KSNT) – Osage County law enforcement officials have identified the victim of a recent drowning at a Kansas state park. Sheriff Chris Wells says the victim of last week’s drowning was 2-year-old Jaselyn Knoll. KSNT reports that the death is under investigation as an accident at this time. Knoll was not a resident of Osage County.
(Earlier reporting...)
2-Year-Old Drowns in Kansas State Park
OSAGE COUNTY, Kan. (KSNT) – The Osage County Sheriff’s Department says a girl drowned last week at Melvern Lake. Deputies arrived at Eisenhower State Park swimming beach Thursday to find life-saving measures were already being performed. But attempts to revive the 2-year-old girl were not successful. She was pronounced dead at the scene. KSNT reports that the Osage County Sheriff’s Office and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks are investigating the incident.
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KCK Man Dies After Drowning in Elk River
MCDONALD COUNTY, Mo. (WDAF) — A Kansas City, Kansas, man has drowned in the Elk River of southwest Missouri. Authorities say the body of 23-year-old Victor Lopez was recovered Saturday after an extensive search. WDAF TV reports that Lopez entered the Elk River and tried to swim across it.
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Powerball Jackpot Reaches $1 Billion for Wednesday
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - The Powerball lottery jackpot has climbed to $1 billion after nobody won the top prize in Monday night's drawing. The next drawing will be held Wednesday night. At this point, the potential jackpot winner could choose between $1 billion paid in yearly increments or a one-time, lump sum of $516.8 million before taxes. The odds of winning the Powerball jackpot are about 1 in 292 million.
The winning numbers drawn Monday were: white balls 5, 8, 9, 17, 41 and red Powerball 21.
(AP version)
No Winner in Monday's Powerball Drawing. Jackpot Hits $1 Billion
ST. JOSEPH. Mo. (AP) — The Powerball jackpot rose yet again to an estimated $1 billion after no winning ticket was sold for the latest drawing. No single ticket for Monday's drawing matched the white balls 5, 8, 9, 17, 41 and red Powerball 21. The jackpot was estimated at $900 million.
The new jackpot for Wednesday's drawing would be the seventh highest in U.S. history and the third largest for Powerball. Three people won $2 million after matching all five numbers plus the Power Play, lottery officials said. The winning tickets were sold in Arkansas, Georgia and Texas. Five people won $1 million after matching all five numbers. The winning tickets were sold in Connecticut, Florida, Kentucky, New York and Pennsylvania.
The game's abysmal odds of 1 in 292.2 million are designed to build big prizes that draw more players. The largest Powerball jackpot was $2.04 billion Powerball last November. The last time someone won the Powerball jackpot was April 19 for a top prize of nearly $253 million. Since then, no one has won the grand prize in the past 38 consecutive drawings. The jackpot will keep growing until someone wins.
Powerball is played in 45 states, as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
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Backpack Drive in Lawrence Aims to Gather Survival Supplies for People Living Outdoors
LAWRENCE, Kan. (The Lawrence Times) — An effort is underway in Lawrence to collect backpacks full of survival gear for those living outdoors. The Lawrence Times reports that the summer backpack drive is aimed at helping the city's homeless population. Alex Buzicky, a former employee at the Lawrence Community Shelter, is helping to spearhead the effort to collect various supplies, including water bottles, bug spray, sunscreen, first aid supplies (like antibiotic ointment), aloe vera, batteries, hats and sunglasses. “We are asking for financial donations through Freefunder in order to purchase many of the supplies needed,” Buzicky said.
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Kansas City Stores: Taylor Swift Concert Brought in More Business than the NFL Draft
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) - According to many Kansas City area businesses, the recent Taylor Swift concert at Arrowhead Stadium brought more business into town than this year's NFL Draft. KCUR Radio reports that a number of KC area restaurants and retail stores reported seeing big increases in out-of-town customers. Visit KC estimated that Taylor Swift’s Friday-Saturday concerts July 7-8 would result in a direct economic impact of more than $46 million for the Kansas City metro, said Kathy Nelson, president and CEO of Visit KC. “This widespread impact encompasses in-destination spending by attendees across various sectors, including but not limited to: lodging, dining, transportation, retail and recreation,” Nelson said.
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FBI Seeks Two Suspects Who Robbed Victim at Bank's ATM
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - The FBI is looking for two suspects who robbed an ATM machine in Kansas City over the weekend. Witnesses told police that two unknown men approached a person at an ATM late Saturday morning. KCTV reports that the men threatened the victim and then fled the scene with an undisclosed amount of money.
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Man Remains Unidentified After Burned Body Found in 2019
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KWCH) - Years after a man’s body was found in northeast Kansas, his identity remains a mystery. Back on December 11, 2019, the body of a man was found on the side of the road in a container in Kansas City, Kansas. KWCH TV reports that the white or Latino man’s body was charred and burned. While some parts of him were not recognizable, he did have several tattoos, including: “Love Karina” on his right chest; a heart with “15-8-1977” and lettering in the middle, located on his left chest; and a partial tattoo, along with the word “Dios” above other lettering on his left forearm.
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Public Invited to Dole Institute’s Celebration July 22
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — The public is invited to attend a celebration this month honoring the 100th birthday of the late Kansas Senator Bob Dole and the 20th anniversary of the opening of the Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas. The celebration will be held July 22 with free events and activities. Beginning at 10 am, the events will include tributes to Dole and the Dole Institute, with appearances by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, former U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole and Dole's daughter, Robin Dole.
The ceremony will close with the dedication of a commemorative earthwork created by renowned artist Stan Herd, which will incorporate over 1,000 works of art from students across Kansas. A Dole Institute open house and full slate of events for all ages will follow. (Read more.)
The Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics at KU is dedicated to promoting political and civic participation, as well as civil discourse, in a bipartisan
manner.
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Wichita Teen Hits Hole-in-One at USGA Junior Golf Championship
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KPR) - Fifteen-year-old Emerie Schartz, of Wichita, got a hole-in-one Monday on the first day of the USGA Junior Golf Championship in Colorado Springs. It was her second hole-in-one this month in competition. Schartz shot an even-par 72 and is tied for 16th place. After the final day of stroke play today (TUE), the field will be set up for match play to determine a champion.
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Chiefs' Mahomes Ready to Build Off Second Super Bowl Title Going into Training Camp
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — Quarterback Patrick Mahomes arrived at training camp Tuesday with the understanding that he and his Kansas City Chiefs teammates need to be better in 2023 if they want to repeat as Super Bowl champions.
“I think the theme this year is how can we keep building,” said Mahomes, who reported for camp at Missouri Western State University on Tuesday along with the team’s quarterbacks and rookies.
Mahomes earned Most Valuable Player honors last season and captured his second Lombardi Trophy.
“Obviously we won the Super Bowl last year and it was amazing but we still have a lot of young guys. We want to continue to get better and better. You look around AFC everybody’s gotten better.”
If the Chiefs hope to improve, much of the challenge falls on Mahomes. Following the offseason departure of free agent receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman, it’s up to Mahomes to build connections with a group of young receivers including Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore and this year’s second-round selection Rashee Rice.
The good thing, according to head coach Andy Reid, is how much Mahomes relishes challenges.
“With quarterbacks, the work’s never done,” Reid said. “It’s like being a farmer, and you just keep on cranking. We’re always trying to give him new challenges with things and he loves that, and loves to attack those types of things.”
It’s the ability to challenge his players that Mahomes says makes Reid a great coach.
“I’m sure you ask Travis (Kelce), you ask Chris Jones, you ask all these guys they think the same thing because he doesn’t let you be satisfied with where you’re at.”
Indeed, if the Chiefs hope to repeat as Super Bowl champions, they can’t be satisfied with what they accomplished last season.
The previous time the Chiefs looked to repeat as Super Bowl champions, they finished with a 14-2 record before losing Super Bowl 55 to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-9.
Mahomes feels the need to motivate his teammates further this time around.
“Even though we’re winning football games let’s not be satisfied with just winning, let’s be satisfied with finding ways to get better every single week,” he said.
“I’ve said a lot of the AFC when you look at the AFC, there’s like almost every team you can see a path of them getting to the playoffs,” Mahomes said. “I know you say that every year but I think this year is really real, and so we know week in and week out it’s gonna be a challenge for us. Let’s get better and try to win as many football games as possible and put ourselves in that position."
CHRIS JONES' CONTRACT
With only a few days until the team’s veterans report to training camp, Reid remained unsure if All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones will arrive with his fellow teammates.
“I don’t know that,” Reid said. “I’ll have to just see how that goes. There’s communication going on. That’s the important part, then we just have to see.”
Jones is scheduled to earn $19.5 million in base salary this season with a cap hit of more than $29.4 million. The 29-year-old is seeking a contract extension while the club also wants an extension for Jones to free up much-needed cap space.
INJURIES
Reid said defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton, who finished last season on injured reserve with a torn ACL, will start training camp on the physically unable to perform list. Running back Isiah Pacheco, who underwent surgery for shoulder and hand injuries in the offseason will be evaluated when veterans report Friday to determine whether he’s ready to practice with the club.
Mahomes, who sustained a high-ankle sprain during the team’s postseason run, said he felt timid at times running and cutting during the offseason organized team practice activities (OTAs).
He feels he's in a good spot now, however, heading into camp.
“When I got kind of through like closer to the (veteran) minicamp and that later OTA stage, I got that confidence back in my ankle,” Mahomes said. “I’m sure I’m not going be running a lot right now, but we’ll be testing especially in these half gassers, so I’ll make sure that it’s ready to go.”
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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. You can also follow KPR News on Twitter.