Hottest Spot in the U.S. Saturday Was in Kansas
MANHATTAN, Kan. (Wichita Eagle) — Record high temperatures scorched Kansas and much of the central U.S. over the weekend, but a city in Kansas had the nation's highest temperature on Saturday. Preliminary data from the National Weather Service in Wichita says the city of Manhattan hit 115 degrees on Saturday, making it the hottest spot in the U.S. (Read more in the Wichita Eagle.)
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Sweltering Temps Bring Misery to Central U.S.
HOUSTON (AP/KPR) — Sweltering temperatures are lingering in a large swath of the central U.S., causing misery from the Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. The extreme heat prompted Texas' electric power grid manager to ask residents to voluntary conserve power Sunday night. Record highs have been recorded in Texas and other states. People were told to chug extra water while mowing lawns or exercising outdoors Sunday, and to check on neighbors to ensure air conditioning is available. Stifling heat in Texas overwhelmed new students taking part in orientation at Prairie View A&M University, northwest of Houston. University officials said they were reviewing operations after 38 students were hospitalized Friday night.
The Dallas-Fort Worth area was expected to reach 110 F Sunday after hitting 108 F Saturday, said Sarah Barnes, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service. The record high for those dates was 107 F, set in 2011. The Electric Reliability Council of Texas, or ERCOT, on Sunday asked the state's 30 million residents to voluntarily reduce power use from 7 PM to 10 PM because of "extreme temperatures, continued high demand and unexpected loss of thermal generation."
The heat wave causing misery this weekend is just the latest to punish the U.S. this year. Scientists have long warned that climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, by deforestation and by certain agricultural practices, will lead to more and prolonged bouts of extreme weather, including hotter temperatures. The entire globe has simmered to record heat both in June and July. And if that's not enough, smoke from wildfires, floods and droughts have caused problems globally.
The National Weather Service issued excessive heat warnings Sunday for parts of Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska. Heat advisories or watches were also in place in parts of Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota and South Dakota.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports just 600 to 700 heat deaths annually in the United States. But experts say the mishmash of ways that more than 3,000 counties calculate heat deaths means the public doesn't really know how many people die in the U.S. each year.
The humidity is also causing misery. According to the National Weather Service in Topeka, the relative humidity in Lawrence this (MON) morning was 94%.
An Excessive Heat Warning remains is effect for eastern Kansas through 10 pm Thursday.
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Kansas Revenue Department: Online Search Spurring Raid on Kansas Newspaper Was Legal
MARION, Kan. (AP) — The initial online search of a state website that led a central Kansas police chief to raid a local weekly newspaper was legal, a spokesperson for the agency that maintains the site said Monday, as the newspaper remains under investigation.
Earlier this month, after a local restaurant owner accused the Marion County Record of illegally accessing information about her, the Marion police chief obtained warrants to search the newspaper's offices and the home of its publisher, as well as the home of a City Council member who also accessed the driver’s license database.
The police chief led the August 11 raids and said in the affidavits used to obtain the warrants that he had probable cause to believe that the newspaper and the City Council member had violated state laws against identity theft or computer crimes.
Both the City Council member and the newspaper have said they received a copy of the document about the status of the restaurant owner's license without soliciting it. The document disclosed the restaurant's license number and her date of birth, information required to check the status of a person's license online and gain access to a more complete driving record. The police chief maintains they broke state laws to do that, while the newspaper and city council member Ruth Herbel's attorneys say they didn't.
The raid on the Record put it and its hometown of about 1,900 residents in the center of a debate about press freedoms protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Kansas' Bill of Rights. It also exposed divisions in the town over local politics and the newspaper's coverage of the community and put an intense spotlight on Police Chief Gideon Cody.
Department of Revenue spokesperson Zack Denney said it's legal to access the driver's license database online using information obtained independently. The department's Division of Vehicles issues licenses.
“That's legal,” he said. “The website is pubic facing, and anyone can use it.”
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation continues to probe the newspaper's actions. The KBI reports to state Attorney General Kris Kobach, a Republican, while the Department of Revenue is under Democratic Governor Laura Kelly's authority.
The City Council in Marion, about 150 miles southwest of Kansas City, Missouri, was scheduled Monday afternoon to have its first regular meeting since the raids. The member whose home was raided, Ruth Herbel, was elected in 2019 and is the city's vice mayor.
The agenda says, in red: “COUNCIL WILL NOT COMMENT ON THE ONGOING CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION AT THIS MEETING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
But the agenda also includes a place for public comments, with speakers limited to three minutes.
Police seized computers, personal cellphones and a router from the newspaper and the publisher’s home and a laptop and iPhone from Herbel. Record Editor and Publisher Eric Meyer lived with his 98-year-old mother, Joan Meyer, and blames the stress of the raid for her death the day after the raids.
The seized equipment was turned over to a computer forensics auditing firm hired by the newspaper’s attorney last week after the county attorney concluded there wasn’t enough evidence to justify its seizure. The auditor is checking the equipment to see whether materials were accessed or copied.
The Department of Revenue website allows a person to buy a driving record for $16.70 a copy — and that requires someone to again enter the person’s driver’s license number and date of birth while providing a name, address and phone number. Meyer said Zorn used her own information and did not impersonate the restaurant owner, Kari Newell.
The affidavit to search the newspaper’s offices noted that when a person submits a request for someone’s driving record, it lists 13 circumstances in which it is legal to obtain it. They include a person is seeking their own record or a business seeking it to verify personal information to help collect a debt.
The last item says: “I will use the information requested in a manner that is specifically authorized by Kansas law and is related to the operation of a motor vehicle or public safety.”
Legal experts believe the police raid on the newspaper violated a federal privacy law or a state law shielding journalists from having to identify sources or turn over unpublished material to law enforcement. Meyer has noted that among the items seized were a computer tower and personal cellphone of a reporter who was uninvolved in the dispute with the local restaurant owner — but who had been investigating why Cody left a Kansas City, Missouri, police captain's job in April before becoming Marion police chief.
“This isn’t going to go away. And it shouldn’t," said Genelle Belmas, an associate journalism professor at the University of Kansas. "There should be repercussions to this sort of wanton trampling of two very important laws, one state, one fed.”
Newell accused the newspaper at the council's last meeting August 7 of violating her privacy and illegally disseminating personal information about her, and she also disclosed a drunken driving offense in her past. According to the affidavits, she told Cody that she did not authorize anyone to access her information.
Newell also accused the newspaper of giving Herbel private information about her. Herbel, who has referred most questions to her attorney, said that was a “blatant lie.” Meyer also told the council that the newspaper did not give information to Herbel and noted it did not publish the information it obtained.
Herbel passed along her information about Newell to City Administrator Brogan Jones three days before the Council's August 7 vote to approve Newell's liquor license in an effort to prevent her from getting one, according to the affidavit for the search on Herbel's home. Jones then told Mayor David Mayfield about the information in an email, adding, “We as a city need to stay out of this ‘hear say’ or whatever else you want to call it."
Herbel's attorney, Drew Goodwin, said Herbel was attending to her official duties. He called the raid on her home “an egregious breach of the public trust.”
“I realize a lot of the focus is on journalists’ privileges here, and that’s, of course, appropriate because that’s at the heart of the First Amendment,” Goodwin said. “But the fact that my client — an elected official — got swept up in this constitutional violation and had her own rights violated in the process, it’s beyond the pale.”
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Groups Submit Bids to Provide Abortion Alternatives in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) — Kansas pregnancy centers are hoping to get a share of the $2 million fund established by the state to provide support for pregnant women and girls who might otherwise choose an abortion. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the Kansas Treasurer's Office now has four options to run the Alternatives to Abortion Program. It was created by the Legislature as a way to support crisis pregnancy centers. Supporters say the centers provide assistance to pregnant women and girls, such as diapers and baby formula. But opponents say these centers discourage women from seeking abortions.
"Women in Kansas deserve as much compassionate help as possible when facing an unexpected pregnancy," said Danielle Underwood, a spokesperson for Kansans for Life, which lobbied for the funding. "We're pleased to see a number of organizations are interested in furthering a critical safety net and look forward to seeing which team will be selected." The Kansas Department of Administration released the list of bidders after the bidding event closed last week. The bidders include:
- Kansas Pregnancy Care Network, of Mission
- Life Alliance Kansas, of Lawrence
- Human Coalition, of Plano, Texas
- Real Alternatives, of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
There is no timeline for when a contract might be finalized with the winning bidder, but it could take weeks or months. The Alternatives to Abortion Program was enacted by the Legislature through the budget by overriding Democratic Governor Laura Kelly's line-item veto.
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Kansas Families Set to Receive Around $7.4 Million in Food Assistance
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) — Kansas families will receive about $7.4 million to support grocery shopping during the new school year. State officials say the Pandemic Electronic Benefit Program will continue for another year. WIBW TV reports that the program provides financial aid to families who already get free or reduced-price school meals or have children under the age of six and receive regular Food Assistance benefits. (Learn more.)
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Kansas Congressional Delegation Remains Optimistic About New Farm Bill
TOPEKA, Kan. (TCJ) — The Kansas congressional delegation remains optimistic about the fate of the new Farm Bill. The once-every-five-year Farm Bill contains key provisions for Kansas and other farm states. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that U.S. lawmakers face a September 30th deadline to pass a new Farm Bill. As that date draws closer, lawmakers are still trying to hammer out the final details. Some have suggested lawmakers may blow past the deadline before a deal can be reached. This will be the first time in years that former Kansas Senator Pat Roberts won't be involved in shepherding the measure through the legislative process.
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K-10 Could Get a Toll Lane in Effort to Ease Traffic
JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. (KCUR) — Officials in Johnson County are considering whether to add express toll lanes to a section of Kansas Highway 10. The roughly 18-mile stretch of K-10 that runs through Johnson County has long been considered in need of improvement. KCUR Radio reports that the highway sees some 80,000 cars a day and officials wonder whether express toll lanes may be one solution to easing traffic congestion. Another idea under consideration is widening the highway. While no immediate changes are in place, state and local leaders say they will continue to study several ideas.
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KC Police Search for Driver After Fiery Crash Kills Passenger
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) — One person is dead, and another is injured in Kansas City, following a fiery, early-morning crash in the downtown loop. Police responded to a crash involving one vehicle in the westbound lanes of I-670 over Troost Avenue shortly after midnight. Officers say the driver of the car lost control and swerved off the highway, hitting a piece of equipment owned by the Missouri Department of Transportation. The equipment was parked on the side of the highway. The car then traveled across all three lanes of the road and went off the other side of the highway. The car hit several concrete barriers. KCTV reports that the car caught fire. Officers say the passenger’s body was in the car when they arrived. The victim died at the scene. A second person in the car suffered critical injuries and is hospitalized. Investigators say the driver of the car left the scene. Police are now searching to find that driver.
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Man Dies Following Shooting Outside Pittsburg Bar
PITTSBURG, Kan. (KPR) — Authorities in southeast Kansas are investigating a fatal shooting outside a bar in Pittsburg. Police say 36-year-old Justin E. Krogen, of Pittsburg, was shot and killed early Sunday morning (at 202 N. Locust Street). The victim's body was sent to Kansas City for an autopsy. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is assisting local police in the investigation. Investigators believe the shooting was an isolated incident that may have stemmed from an argument.
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KC Police Investigate Early Morning Homicide
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) — Kansas City police are investigating a homicide in the 7000 block of Eastwood Trafficway. KSHB TV reports that police were called to the area about 1:30 this (MON) morning. When they arrived, they found a man who had been shot lying in the parking lot of a laundromat. The man died at the scene. The circumstances leading up to the homicide remain unknown.
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$138,000 in Stolen Merchandise Recovered at Kansas Home
JOHNSON COUNTY, Kan. (JC Post) — Authorities have recovered more than $138,000 in stolen merchandise hiding inside a suburban Kansas City home. Earlier this year, the city of Shawnee received information that resulted in a months-long investigation into a retail theft ring. This week, investigators served a search warrant at a home where detectives recovered nearly 500 items believed to have been taken from multiple area retailers. The JC Post reports that the merchandise was largely made up of power tools. The case will be submitted to the Johnson County DA's. Police did not release the names of any suspects or any additional details.
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Former Respiratory Therapist in Missouri Sentenced in Connection with Patient Deaths
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A former Missouri respiratory therapist who pleaded guilty in the deaths of two hospital patients has been sentenced to 18 years in prison. Jennifer Hall was initially charged with two counts of first-degree murder but pleaded guilty in April to reduced first-degree involuntary manslaughter counts in the deaths of 75-year-old Fern Franco and 37-year-old David Wesley Harper. She also pleaded guilty to one count of attempted second-degree assault. KCTV-TV reports that Hall was sentenced Friday. Franco and Harper were among nine patients who died at Hedrick Medical Center in Chillicothe over several months in 2002 in what charging documents describe as "medically suspicious" events.
"A sentence 20 years in the making," Livingston County Prosecuting Attorney Adam Warren said in a statement. He noted that Hall will eventually be eligible for parole. "But for now, we all sleep better knowing she is behind bars," he said. From December 2001, when Hall started working at the hospital, until she was placed on administrative leave the following May, there also were 18 cardiac arrests or "Code Blue" events, up from an average of one a year before then.
The case was revived after an analysis of Franco's tissue samples found morphine and a powerful muscle relaxant used in anesthesia in her system. Neither drug was prescribed or ordered for her by her doctors, investigators said.
Some staff at the hospital believed Hall was responsible because of her proximity to the stricken patients, her access to deadly pharmaceuticals, and because she notified staff of every patient's cardiac emergency, according to court documents. Hall had previously denied any involvement in the deaths.
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Kansas Judge Allows ACLU to Intervene in Lawsuit over Gender ID on Driver's Licenses
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP/KPR) — A judge has agreed to allow the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas to intervene in a lawsuit that seeks to force the state to list the sex that people were assigned at birth on their driver's licenses. Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a lawsuit last month seeking to compel the Kansas Department of Revenue to permanently halt changes to gender ID. It points to a new state law with strict definitions of sex along biological lines. The ACLU successfully sought to become a party to the lawsuit, arguing that the interests of its transgender clients would be irreparably harmed if Kobach prevails. The group says the state agency isn't sufficiently raising constitutional arguments.
In her ruling Friday, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported, Shawnee County Judge Teresa found that the ACLU has a substantial interest in the litigation because the group is raising constitutional questions that could affect how the law is administered. Watson had already ordered the agency to pause any marker changes until a hearing in November on a longer-lasting injunction.
"We look forward to rebutting their novel theories in court," said Kobach, who had argued against letting the ACLU intervene, saying it would create a legal morass.
Sharon Brett, the state ACLU's legal director, said in a statement that her group is "gratified" to join the case. "For our clients and the entire community they represent, this case is about the privacy, dignity, and autonomy that comes from having accurate gender markers on their license, and about their right to be safe from the harassment they would face if forced to present inaccurate IDs that would essentially out them against their will in daily life," she said.
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KDHE: Restaurant in Garnett Probable Site of Bacterial Contamination
GARNETT, Kan. (KSHB) — State health officials are monitoring an outbreak of foodborne illness (campylobacteriosis) likely connected to a restaurant in Anderson County. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment is asking anyone who might have visited the Trade Winds Bar and Grill in Garnett from mid-July through August 9 - and who later experienced symptoms of abdominal illness - to contact the state health department. KSHB TV reports that the cause of the infection is usually due to eating raw or undercooked poultry.
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Purple Pride: Survey Ranks K-State Students Friendliest in the Nation
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KPR) — A survey from The Princeton Review claims Kansas State University students are the friendliest in the nation. According to this year's rankings, K-State is No. 1 in the nation for friendliest students, No. 2 for happiest students and No. 4 for best quality of life. The survey covers various aspects of student life, from academics, amenities, school services, campus culture and extracurricular activities. K-State received 15 Top 10 rankings and two Top 15 rankings in the latest national survey. K-State also ranked high in The Princeton Review's 2023 report of Best Value Colleges. As the main campus home for K-State, Manhattan also received high rankings.
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Backup Job to Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Remains Tight as Preseason Finale Nears
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs know as well as any team in the NFL the importance of backup quarterbacks, and that makes the fact that coach Andy Reid called the competition for the spot too close to call after Monday's practice noteworthy.
The Chiefs signed veteran Blaine Gabbert to fill the role of Chad Henne, who retired last season after five years as the primary backup to Patrick Mahomes.
But Gabbert has been pushed throughout camp by Shane Buechele, a former undrafted free agent and practice squad staple, and the duo continues to go back and forth heading into the Chiefs' preseason finale.
Buechele got most of the work with the No. 2 offense on Monday. Gabbert has worked in that role as well.
“Those two are real close. Real close,” Reid said. “We'll just let it play out here. See how it goes. But that's good competition.”
The Chiefs have other spots still to be decided heading into Saturday's game against the Browns, including the last couple of wide receiver jobs and spots along the defensive line.
But those aren't nearly as important as the quarterback, where the backup can go from holding a clipboard to having an entire season resting in his hands in an instant.
That was the case twice for Henne during his time in Kansas City.
The first time against the Browns during the divisional round of the 2020 playoffs, when Mahomes was knocked from the game with a concussion early in the second half. Henne led the Chiefs the rest of the way, completing an audacious fourth-and-1 throw to Tyreek Hill near midfield in the final minutes to put away a 22-17 victory.
The Chiefs beat the Bills for the AFC title before losing to the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl.
The second time came last season, when Mahomes sprained his ankle late in the first half against Jacksonville. The Chiefs led 10-7 when Henne trotted onto the field, with Kansas City backed up to its 2-yard line, and led the Chiefs 98 yards with a short touchdown throw to Travis Kelce finishing off another superb emergency appearance.
Mahomes finished out the 27-20 victory, then led Kansas City past the Bengals in the AFC title game before beating the Eagles in the Super Bowl — when Henne was still at the ready as Mahomes played through his injury.
So yes, the backup quarterback job certainly matters in Kansas City.
“That's what makes a great team," Buechele said, "is when guys are competing for a spot.”
Not just any competition, though. Quality competition.
Gabbert has the benefit of experience, entering the league as a first-round pick in 2011 and playing for five different teams over the past 11 seasons. He's appeared in 67 games, making 48 starts, and thrown for more than 9,300 yards. And all of that is a big reason why the Chiefs signed him to a $1,317,500 contract for this season.
“We were watching film," the 33-year-old Gabbert said, recalling a moment from a meeting earlier in camp, “and there’s a play we put in at the end of the game and it was from 2011 in Jacksonville, and they were like, ‘That was you at quarterback? We couldn’t even see you the film was so grainy.’ So that really made me feel old.”
Meanwhile, the 25-year-old Buechele has never thrown a regular-season NFL pass. But he does have the benefit of experience in what can be a complicated system, spending the past two seasons on the Kansas City practice squad.
“This is the first time that I’ve ever been in the same offense for three years in a row,” Buechele said. “I feel confident in my ability and my preparation and knowing this offense in and out. Obviously we can keep getting smarter, but just the confidence I have and the preparation in knowing this offense has really helped me be successful on the field.”
It just might earn him the Chiefs' backup job, too.
NOTES: RB Isiah Pacheco was out of the yellow no-contact jersey for the first time in camp on Monday. Reid said it's possible he could play against the Browns. ... The Chiefs moved practice indoors and earlier than scheduled because of temperatures that hit triple digits in Kansas City. The heat index was 110 when the late-morning workout finished. ... DE Matt Dickerson missed practice with turf toe. OL Nick Allegretti (shoulder), CB Nic Jones (hand), WR Nikko Remigio (shoulder), CB L’Jarius Sneed (knee), WR Kadarius Toney (knee) and DT Turk Wharton (knee) also missed the workout. ... DT Chris Jones continued his holdout. He skipped the entire camp in St. Joseph, Missouri, and now the first workout at the team's practice facility.
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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.