Douglas County, Three Others Report West Nile Virus in Horses
MANHATTAN, Kan. (KPR) — Multiple cases of West Nile virus (WNV) have been confirmed in horses across the state over the past few weeks. The cases have been reported in Barber, Butler, Douglas and Pratt counties. The Kansas Department of Agriculture says West Nile virus is a preventable disease, with annual vaccinations that have proven highly effective. All of the confirmed cases of the virus in Kansas were in unvaccinated horses or horses with an unknown vaccination history so they were assumed to be unvaccinated. Officials say all horse owners should consult with their local veterinarians and make a vaccination plan for their horses.
The virus that can infect humans, horses, birds and other species. Horses infected with the virus can have symptoms that range from depression, loss of appetite and fever to severe neurologic signs such as incoordination, weakness, inability to rise, and hypersensitivity to touch or sound. The virus can be fatal in horses. The virus is carried and transmitted by mosquitoes.
Click here for more information about West Nile virus and other animal disease issues in Kansas.
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Gladstone Police Involved in Fatal Shooting
GLADSTONE, Mo. (KMBC) — Police in the Kansas City Missouri suburb of Gladstone are on the scene of an officer-involved shooting. KMBC TV reports that Gladstone Police and Clay County Sheriff's Deputies responded to a call just after 3:30 this (FRI) morning. Police they found three people behaving suspiciously in the parking lot of an apartment complex. When officers approached them, one person fled the scene on foot while another person got into a car, followed by an officer, which led to the officer being dragged by the car. The officer then shot the driver. The person was taken to a hospital and died a short time later. The officer was treated for minor injuries. Another person is still on the run and a third person is in custody. The Northland Officer Involved Shooting team is now taking over the investigation.
(Additional reporting...)
One Suspect Dead in Officer Involved Shooting North of KC
GLADSTONE, Mo. (WDAF) - A suspect is dead and a Gladstone, Missouri, police officer has been injured following a police shooting early this (FRI) morning. Gladstone police say officers tried to stop three people who were suspected of trying to break into vehicles. Officers responded to the parking lot of an apartment complex in Gladstone just before 3:30 am. WDAF TV reports that when officers attempted to arrest three suspects, one ran and escaped, one was detained, and a third tried to drive away but got into a struggle with an officer. Investigators say the suspect dragged the officer through the parking lot until the officer shot the driver. The suspect died shortly after being transported to a hospital. The officer was treated for minor injuries. The Northland Officer Involved Shooting team is now taking over the investigation.
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Prosecutors: Off-Duty KC Cop Carjacked While Trying to Stop Assault
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KC Star) — A 43-year-old man is facing felony charges for allegedly assaulting an older person in Kansas City’s River Market and then carjacking an off-duty police officer who stopped to help. Van Calvin Callahan Jr., of Kansas City, allegedly attacked a man with a bottle near a bus stop around 11 am Tuesday. The Kansas City Star reports that the assailed man pulled a handgun from his pocket, leading to a struggle that ended with Callahan holding the gun. The Kansas City police officer, Sergeant Selvir Abidovic, was in plain clothes and driving his personal vehicle when he was flagged down to help. The officer got out of his car and called out to Callahan to stop. Callahan allegedly raised the gun, pointed it at the sergeant and pulled the trigger. It did not fire, as the gun was empty.
The off-duty sergeant ran for cover. Police say Callahan then jumped into the officer's car and drove away. Callahan was later captured after he lost control of the officer's personal vehicle and crashed into a house in Kansas City, Kansas. He was arrested a short distance away after fleeing on foot.
Prosecutors have charged Callahan with carjacking, brandishing a firearm during a violent crime and illegal gun possession. He faces a maximum punishment of life in prison. Callahan made his first court appearance before a federal magistrate judge Thursday afternoon.
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Attorney: Police Kept Copy of Marion Record Newspaper Data
MARION, Kan. (KNS) — An attorney for the Marion County newspaper recently raided by police says law enforcement kept a copy of the newspaper’s data. That’s after a district court judge ordered the seized materials be returned to the newspaper. Attorney Bernie Rhodes said in a letter to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office that the police keeping a copy of the newspaper’s data on a USB drive is illegal and he demanded the data be returned. The Sheriff’s Office later agreed to destroy the data. Rhodes says he is pursuing a court order to make sure that happens. After days of widespread criticism, prosecutors withdrew the search warrant. Legal experts say the raid on the newspaper was likely illegal.
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Prosecutors: KC Gang Members Indicted for Racketeering, Drug-Trafficking and Murder Conspiracy
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) — Prosecutors say nine suspected Kansas City gang members have been indicted by a federal grand jury. The indictment returned earlier this month was unsealed Thursday. It alleges several criminal activities, including violence and murder conspiracy. KMBC TV reports that the charges against the defendants include racketeering conspiracy, drug-trafficking conspiracy, and murder conspiracy.
The operation leading to these arrests involved more than 140 law enforcement officers from multiple local and federal agencies. Searches conducted at 16 residences associated with the defendants resulted in the collection of 27 firearms, two machine guns, a thousand rounds of ammunition, drugs and cash. The Department of Justice says the nine defendants were arrested Thursday. Those indicted and arrested include: Steven K. Lee, Charles V. Williams, Travis L. Cook, Richard B. Johnson, Deion D. Alford, Ewon R. Kelley, Myreku L. Frazier, Anthony D. Hunter, and Jacequin Boswell.
Prosecutors say the criminal enterprise created a climate of fear in the community through repeated violence, including gunfire, assaults, and property damage. Those indicted are also accused of using physical violence and intimidation to suppress challenges from rival criminals and others.
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U.S. Department of Justice Investigating Racism in KC Fire Department
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KC Star) — The U.S. Justice Department is investigating the Kansas City Fire Department over allegations of racial discrimination. The Kansas City Star reports that three Black firefighters say they were interviewed within the last year about racism they have faced within the fire service and their complaints of a hostile work environment. They named others who have been interviewed, as well. The inquiries began months after The Star published a series of stories in December 2020 detailing systemic racism and sex discrimination within the department. A spokeswoman for Kansas City confirmed the investigation and said the city was “cooperating fully.”
The Kansas City Star’s year-long investigation of the fire department found a pattern of systemic racism and harassment that had been tolerated by its leaders for decades.
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Wichita Considers Whether to Make Retaliatory Evictions Illegal
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW/KNS) — Wichita is considering an ordinance to penalize landlords for retaliating against tenants who complain to the city about housing conditions. Topeka passed a similar ordinance in July, which Wichita is using as a model. State law makes it illegal for landlords to retaliate against tenants for complaining to city inspectors, but there is no enforcement mechanism. Mike Hoheisel, a Wichita city council member, says he heard about a case where tenants were evicted after asking their landlord to clean up black mold and an insect infestation. "We're talking about single moms, with kids who have bug bites all up and down their backs, having to find - on short notice - accommodations for low-income people to move to," he said. The proposed ordinance would allow tenants to file complaints about retaliation with the city. A municipal court judge could then fine the landlord up to $1,000 if retaliation took place.
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KHP Objects to Additional Oversight
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — The Kansas Highway Patrol is pushing back against steps a judge says are necessary to protect the rights of Kansas drivers. A judge ruled last month that the Kansas Highway Patrol was violating the rights of drivers with unconstitutional traffic stops. The judge is also considering additional oversight for the agency like more detailed documentation of stops — including how long they lasted — asking supervisors for prior approval of some stops and hiring a special staff person to monitor the stops for possible future abuses. The patrol says those requirements are too costly and burdensome for troopers. The agency says those ideas will interfere with police work. These oversight measures aren’t required yet, but could become required.
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Wichita Introduces Book to Prepare Elementary Kids for School Shooter Incidents
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW/KNS) — The largest school district in Kansas is using a Winnie-the-Pooh-themed book to teach young children how to react to dangerous situations like a school shooting. The Wichita School District is working to prepare young students for a worst case scenario. The new booklet explains the “Run, Hide, Fight” strategy that's recommended by federal agencies and taught in Wichita middle and high schools. It was developed by police officers and teachers and published by a Texas company. It uses Winnie-the-Pooh characters to illustrate running to a safe spot, being quiet and waiting for police. Wichita safety director Terri Moses says it's important to teach children how to react in crisis situations. "We think it's a great way, and an age-appropriate way, to provide information to elementary students that they didn't have before," Moses said. Parents of elementary students will get a copy of the new booklet and information about what to do if there’s a crisis at school.
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Kansas Soybean Crops Stressed by Dangerous Heat, Lack of Rain
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) — The recent and dangerous heatwave has become concerning for Kansas farmers. KWCH TV reports that triple-digit temperatures have been stressing soybean crops (as well as the state's residents). Like most crops, soybeans across the state are also in need of some rain.
Gordon Stands grows soybeans in Butler County. He says soybeans thrive in 85-degree heat, but anything over that, they get stressed. And with recent temperatures above 100 degrees, the crop gets really stressed.
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Boeing, Spirit AeroSystems Find New Issue Affecting 737 Max Airliner
UNDATED (AP) — Boeing and a key supplier say that a new manufacturing flaw could delay deliveries of the 737 Max, Boeing’s best-selling plane.
Boeing and Spirit AeroSystems said they discovered improperly drilled fastener holes in the aft pressure bulkhead — which maintains pressure when planes are at cruising altitude – on the fuselages of some models of the 737 Max. Wichita, Kansas-based Spirit said late Wednesday because it uses multiple suppliers, only some units are impacted and it will continue to deliver fuselages to Boeing. Boeing said the issue does not affect safety of flight, and 737 Max planes already in service can keep flying.
“This issue will impact near-term 737 deliveries as we conduct inspections to determine the number of airplanes affected, and complete required rework on those airplanes,” Boeing said in a statement. “We continue to deliver 737s that are not affected.”
Aircraft manufacturers have wrestled with supply issues in recent years. Spirit AeroSystems builds the fuselage for Boeing’s 737 Max narrowbody jet and substantial sections of aircraft bodies in other Boeing models. The company builds components for Airbus aircraft as well. The flaw, in which some fastener holes were found to be elongated, is a setback in Boeing's plan to deliver 400 to 450 Max jets this year, and “some downward revision seems likely,” said Cowen aerospace analyst Cai von Rumohr. The analyst said that Boeing has delivered only 17 737s in August, compared with 32 in July. Boeing gets about 60% of the plane's purchase price upon delivery, so every delay of 10 deliveries pushes back cash flow by about $300 million — plus the cost of inspections and remedial work — von Rumohr said.
In April, Boeing cautioned that production and delivery of a “significant number” of its 737 Max planes could be delayed because of questions about Spirit AeroSystems' work on the fuselages. All Max planes were grounded worldwide for nearly two years after a pair of deadly crashes, and production flaws halted deliveries of the larger 787 jetliner several times in the past three years.
Shares of Spirit AeroSystems Holdings Inc. were down 14% in afternoon trading Thursday, while Arlington, Virginia-based Boeing Co.'s stock slipped more than 3%.
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Decline in CBD Sales Blamed for Drop in Hemp Farming
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KNS) — A decline in CBD production appears to be causing a drop in Kansas hemp growers. The Kansas News Service reports that the state’s number of farmers have fallen from more than 200 in 2019 to just 41 this year. Supporters in Kansas said hemp was a promising crop because it could produce CBD oil that some use for medicinal purposes. Kelsey Olson, with the Kansas Department of Agriculture, says the expansion of recreational marijuana may have reduced the market for CBD. “The landscape has changed over the last few years across the country," Olson said. "I think that may have shifted some of the use.” The state says 90% of the hemp produced in Kansas between 2019 and 2020 was used for CBD oil production. This year, that’s dropped to less than 5%. Hemp fibers are also used for products like clothing, rope and biodegradable plastic alternatives.
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Why Is Wichita's BTK Serial Killer Back in the News?
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Dennis Rader, the BTK serial killer whose self-given nickname stands for "Bind, Torture, Kill," played a cat and mouse game with investigators and reporters for decades before he was caught. But Rader gradually faded from view after his 2005 arrest, as he served one life term for each of the 10 people he was convicted of killing. He made headlines again this week, though, because he was named the prime suspect in an Oklahoma teen's 1976 disappearance and a Missouri woman's 1990 killing.
Here's a look at how Rader spread fear and was eventually caught and convicted:
WHAT IS THE LATEST NEWS?
The investigation into whether Rader, 78, was responsible for additional crimes started with the reexamination of the disappearance of Cynthia Kinney, a 16-year-old cheerleader who was last seen at a laundromat in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Rader worked for ADT Security Systems at the time, and the bank across the street was getting a new security system. Law enforcement has been unable to determine, though, whether Rader was the one who installed it.
Osage County Sheriff Eddie Virden told KAKE-TV that he decided to investigate a possible link between Rader and Kinney's disappearance when he learned that Rader had included the phrase "bad laundry day" in his writings.
Undersheriff Gary Upton said the investigation "spiraled out from there" into other unsolved murders and missing persons cases." They include the the death of 22-year-old Shawna Beth Garber, whose body was discovered in December 1990 in McDonald County, Missouri. An autopsy revealed she had been raped, strangled and restrained with different bindings about two months before her body was found. As part of the investigation, authorities conducted a dig this week near Rader's former Kansas property in Park City. Rader's attorney, Rob Ridenour, said he had no comment.
WHO WAS BTK?
BTK first struck in 1974 and stoked fears throughout the 1970s in the Wichita area. The earliest known crimes linked to the BTK strangler date to Jan. 15, 1974, when Joseph Otero, 38, his 34-year-old wife, Julie, and their 11- and 9-year-old children were found dead in their home. After strangling three other women that decade, he began seeking attention. "How about some name for me, its time: 7 down and many more to go," he wrote in a letter to a TV station. BTK killed again in 1985, 1986 and 1991, although some of the crimes weren't linked to him initially. And then suddenly, with no explanation, he fell off the radar and the killings stopped.
HIS REEMERGENCE:
BTK resurfaced in March 2014 — the 30th anniversary of the first crimes — with a letter to The Wichita Eagle that included photos of the 1986 strangulation of Vicki Wegerle and a photocopy of her missing driver's license. Her case had not been linked to BTK until then. Among the materials the BTK killer sent to the media were a cryptic word puzzle mailed to KAKE-TV that included dozens of hidden words, including a grouping of letters spelling ``D. Rader," the street number of his address, 6220, and the types of jobs that could be used to gain entry into homes.
The break in the case came after a computer disk the killer had sent was traced to Rader's church.
RADER'S ARREST:
At the time of Rader's arrest, he was a married father of two, a Boy Scouts leader and active member of a Lutheran church. The former Air Force sergeant had lived in the Wichita area almost his entire life, earning a criminal justice degree at a local university. Rader never became a police officer, though, instead going into code enforcement. His job allowed him to issue citations for minor infractions such as unkempt lawns.
THE TRIAL AND AFTERMATH:
When he pleaded guilty, Rader admitted in court that he would "troll" for victims on his off-time, then stalk and kill them. He said he referred to them as "projects," telling the court that sexual fantasies drove him to kill. He has not been accused of sexually assaulting his victims, but he admitted that he had masturbated over some of them. Rader later told KAKE-TV that a "demon" got inside of him at a young age. "I have a lot of remorse. I'm very sorry for them. It is something I wouldn't want to happen to my family," he said. Kansas didn't have the death penalty at the time of the killings, so the 10 life terms was the harshest sentence possible.
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State Examines Problems that Led to Medicaid Dis-enrollment
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — Kansas officials say they’re working to address problems that led to a high number of residents being kicked off Medicaid rolls because of paperwork issues. After a three-year pause on Medicaid dis-enrollments was lifted this spring, some Kansans lost coverage due to slow mail and long wait times on the telephone. Tanya Palmer, with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), told lawmakers about some of the challenges. “It caused some members to not be able to return their renewal form by the deadline for reasons outside of their control," she said. Palmer says the department increased staffing and reduced its average call hold time from 43 minutes in April to 10 minutes in August. The agency says 78,000 Kansans lost Medicaid coverage between May and July and about 60,000 of those dis-enrollments were due to paperwork issues. A majority of those who lost coverage were children.
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Farm State Lawmakers Consider Right to Repair Laws
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (HPM) — Several states introduced right-to-repair legislation this year. That’s the movement to give farmers the ability to fix highly technical parts on their equipment. Harvest Public Media reports that so far, Colorado has been the only state to pass such legislation. Michigan is the only state in the Midwest that still has agriculture “right to repair” bills moving through their legislature. Bills in Missouri, Iowa and South Dakota died in committees. Willie Cade is a regional director for The Repair Association, a group that advocates for manufacturers to hand over tools and software to farmers and independent mechanics. He says lawmakers have been hesitant to advance right-to-repair bills because of opposition. "There is a significant amount of pressure that is brought to bear by manufacturers," he said. The American Farm Bureau Federation has signed pacts with five farm equipment manufacturers they say enhance pathways for fast equipment repairs. But those agreements also mean the Farm Bureau does not support state regulations.
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Vandals Cause $50,000 in Damage to KC Shelter that Houses Homeless Mothers, Children
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) — Vandals caused thousands of dollars in damage to a Kansas City shelter hoping to help homeless mothers and their children. KCTV reports that Healing House staff and volunteers found the damage at Erin’s House last week. (Erin’s House is located near East 7th Street and Benton Boulevard in Kansas City, Missouri.) The house is dedicated to Erin Langhofer. She was shot and killed by stray gunfire in the Crossroads District in 2019. According to the organization, Langhofer’s parents are longtime volunteers for Healing House. The organization said vandals ripped out electrical wiring and plumbing that crews had just installed. The vandals also took the coil from the new HVAC system. Healing House officials say the damage will cost at least $50,000 to replace and repair. Crews had been working on the house for several months and hoped to open it by late fall. That opening is now in question because of the vandalism. Healing House is accepting donations to help cover the cost of repairs.
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More Parents Rights Legislation Expected Next Session in Topeka
WICHITA, Kan. (KWUM/KNS) — Conservative lawmakers in Kansas want to give parents more control over what’s taught in public schools. A new report by the free-speech group PEN America finds state lawmakers across the country introduced nearly 400 parents’ rights bills since January of 2021. Missouri led the nation with 31 proposals. Kansas lawmakers have floated seven bills and passed one, which Democratic Governor Laura Kelly vetoed earlier this year.
Some of the proposals require teachers to post class materials online. Others make it easier for parents to object to certain books and have them removed from school libraries. Nadine Farid Johnson, with PEN America, says more teachers and librarians worry that their lessons will run up against opposition. “There really is a movement to censor the freedom to learn and to read in schools," she said. "But it’s really becoming more multi-faceted, which is why it’s concerning.” Supporters of the bills argue that parents' rights need to be outlined in state law.
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Area Employers Make Forbes List of Best Places to Work in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) — Topeka area employers like the Auburn-Washburn school district and Reser’s Fine Foods - as well as the University of Kansas Health System and Kansas State University - have all made the Forbes list of best places to work in Kansas. Forbes picked the Auburn-Washburn school district as the 13th best employer in Kansas with at least 500 employees. WIBW TV reports that Forbes partnered with an organization called Statista to survey 70,000 workers with a minimum of 500 employees in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. to come up with the list.
The Forbes list of the best places to work in Kansas includes, but is not limited to:
- The University of Kansas Health System
- Garmin
- K-State
- Olathe Public Schools
- Blue Valley Schools
- Reser’s Fine Foods
- JM Smucker
- Auburn-Washburn USD 437
- Shawnee Mission Schools
A handful of Kansas companies, including Bartlett & West, which is headquartered in Topeka, made the Forbes list of the nation’s best small employers.
For the full list, click here.
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Kansas Judge Seals Court Documents in Car Chase that Ended in Officer's Shooting Death
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas judge is sealing some court documents in a case against a Tennessee woman who is charged with murder after a car chase ended in a gas station shootout that left a police officer and another suspect dead. Johnson County Judge Michael P. Joyce ruled Wednesday that the probable cause affidavits explaining the allegations against Andrea Rene Cothran, 32, of Goodlettsville, would not be released. The Associated Press had filed a formal request seeking them. In addition to first-degree murder, Cothran also is charged with reckless driving, felony theft, fleeing law enforcement and aggravated battery in connection with the Aug. 6 car chase that ended in a shootout at a QuikTrip store in Mission, Kansas.
The gunfire left Officer Jonah Oswald of the Fairway Police Department and car chase suspect Shannon Wayne Marshall dead. Police said previously that Cothran was a passenger in the fleeing vehicle.
While the state allows probable cause statements to be released, it includes exceptions when they can be withheld. Joyce wrote in his ruling that prosecutors made a good case that the documents did not need to be released because doing so could jeopardize the case and interfere with the investigation or prosecution. Cothran’s attorney, Joel Rook, did not immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment.
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Inmate Death at Missouri Prison Is the Third this Month, Eighth this Year
LICKING, Mo. (AP) — An investigation continues into the death of a Missouri prison inmate — the third inmate to die at the same lockup this month and the eighth this year. Michael Hudson died Tuesday at a hospital after falling ill at the South Central Correctional Center in the town of Licking. Hudson was serving a life sentence for murder and other crimes in St. Louis. Texas County Coroner Marie Lasater says an autopsy performed Thursday showed that Hudson had intestinal bleeding and gastritis, but it wasn't clear if that was the cause of death. Toxicology results will take about three weeks. Drugs have been factors in three of the eight deaths. "Natural causes" were blamed in four others.
Missouri, like much of the central U.S., has been in the midst of extreme heat in late August, but corrections department spokeswoman Karen Pojmann said heat was not believed to be a factor in any of the deaths. Officials say most prisoner deaths listed as natural causes are typically from cancer or heart disease.
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Big 12 Numbers: Evolving Conference Has More Schools, More Students and More Miles to Travel
UNDATED (AP) — The Big 12 Conference is bigger than ever before with 14 schools spread across eight states, and those numbers will increase next year.
Newcomers UCF, Houston, Cincinnati and BYU bring huge student bodies into the Big 12. And more miles to travel. A by-the-numbers look at the newfangled Big 12 going into the 2023 season, the last before Texas and Oklahoma leave for the Southeastern Conference, and at the same time four teams that are now in the Pac-12 come into the league:
ENROLLMENTS
UCF has the largest enrollment among the Big 12 schools with 59,996 undergraduate students, according to the most recent figures (fall 2021) available on the data website for the U.S. Education Department. Texas' enrollment of 40,916 ranked second.
All four newcomers were already among the six largest enrollments in the conference. Houston was third at 38,581, ahead of continuing member Texas Tech's 33,132 undergrad students. BYU showed an enrollment of 31,642 and Cincinnati had 28,968 on its main campus to rank sixth among the 14 schools.
TCU, with the smallest enrollment at 10,222, made the College Football Playoff national championship game last season. The men's basketball team then made the second round of the NCAA Tournament, and the baseball team went to the College World Series.
TRAVEL TIME
Newcomer BYU will have the farthest flight for a Big 12 conference game this year, more than 1,600 air miles to play Thanksgiving weekend at West Virginia, which before the new additions was the league's geographic outcast. A drive between those two campuses would take about 28 hours, seven times longer than it takes to fly.
West Virginia and UCF both have to fly more than 1,000 miles for four of their five away games this season. But the Mountaineers only have to go about 680 air miles for its game at UCF on Oct. 28, which is shorter than how far the Knights have to go for their game at Cincinnati.
For the league's other 12 teams, there are only a combined five trips with flights further than 1,000 miles. That includes BYU's trip to West Virginia.
The league's longest potential trip is about 1,900 air miles between BYU and UCF, though the newcomers don't play each other this season.
SOME OTHER NUMBERS
3: Time zones where the Big 12 has schools (Eastern, Central and Mountain).
5: Heisman Trophy winners in the Big 12 era for current league teams: Texas RB Ricky Williams (1998); Oklahoma QBs Jason White (2003), Sam Bradford (2008), Baker Mayfield (2017) and Kyler Murray (2018); and Baylor QB Robert Griffin III (2011). Nebraska's Eric Crouch won in 2001 when the Cornhuskers were still in the Big 12.
6: Different schools that have appeared in the Big 12 championship game the past three years (Iowa State vs. Oklahoma; Baylor vs. Oklahoma State; and Kansas State vs. TCU).
9: Number of conference games each team plays, same as when it was a 10-team league with a round-robin schedule. There are four conference foes that each team won't play this season.
16*: Schools that will be in the league next summer when Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah are set to join as Oklahoma and Texas depart. That will have the league spread over 10 states. (Of course, there is an asterisk, just in case there are any more unexpected realignment moves).
17: Big 12 championships Oklahoma has won or shared (out of the league's 27 seasons so far).
19: Seasons that Mike Gundy has been the head coach at Oklahoma State, his alma mater, making him the Big 12's longest-tenured coach.
95: Career TD passes by Oklahoma QB Dillon Gabriel, who threw for 3,168 yards and 25 TDs last season after transferring from UCF. Gabriel had 8,037 yards and 70 TDs passing in his three seasons with the Knights, who play at Oklahoma on Oct. 21.
803: Number of pass blocking plays Kansas State left guard Cooper Beebe, a member of The Associated Press preseason All-America team, has played since 2020 without allowing a sack, according to Pro Football Focus.
1996: First Big 12 season, after the Big Eight Conference merged with four Texas teams from the old Southwest Conference.
2010: Final Big 12 season for Nebraska (to Big Ten) and Colorado (to Pac-12), dropping the league to 10 schools.
2011: Final Big 12 season for Texas A&M and Missouri before they went to the SEC.
2012: First Big 12 season for TCU and West Virginia.
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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.