High Risk of West Nile Virus Activity in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has issued a high-risk warning for West Nile virus infections for most of the state. Health officials say all regions of the state are at high risk except southeast Kansas, which is at a moderate risk level. The virus is carried and transmitted by mosquitoes and can infect humans, horses, birds and other species. Most infections occur in the late summer and early fall. There are no vaccines to prevent - or medications to treat - West Nile Virus in humans.
According to KDHE, 22 human cases of West Nile Virus have been reported so far this year, including three deaths.
In addition, the Kansas Department of Agriculture has reported seven equine cases. Confirmed equine cases of West Nile Virus have been reported in Barber, Butler, Douglas, Ford and Pratt counties.
==========
KBI Investigates Officer-Involved Fatal Shooting in Butler County
ANDOVER, Kan. (KPR) — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is reviewing an officer-involved shooting in Butler County Tuesday afternoon that left one man dead. Sheriff's deputies say they tried to stop the driver of a suspected stolen vehicle near Andover. The driver, 21-year-old Blake P. Patterson of Wichita, fled the scene and deputies gave chase. The pursuit ended when Patterson ditched the truck and fled on foot into a neighborhood. Authorities say Patterson then stole a moving truck and tried to drive away. A deputy caught up with the truck and deployed a taser but Patterson continued driving in the direction of another deputy who fired one shot, striking Patterson. No law enforcement officers were injured in the incident. The KBI is investigating the chase and fatal shooting.
==========
Three Pedestrians Hit in Construction Zone on Kansas Turnpike
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – A crash on the Kansas Turnpike Wednesday morning injured three pedestrians south of Wichita. The southbound lanes of the turnpike between Mulvane and Belle Plaine were closed for several hours after a crash involving a semi-truck and a van. The collision happened in a construction zone around 9:30 am. KSNW TV reports that one person is in critical condition. Two others are in serious condition.
==========
Authorities Identify Man Who Died While Fishing in Southeast Kansas
WEST MINERAL, Kan. (KSNF) — Cherokee County authorities have identified a man who died at a southeast Kansas strip pit while fishing. The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office says the body of 84-year-old Richard Girton, of Galena, was recovered from the water near West Mineral Tuesday afternoon. KSNF TV reports that Girton was fishing with his son when he slipped off the bank and into the water.
==========
Nearly 700 Refugees Resettled in Kansas Since Last October
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — Federal officials say nearly 700 refugees have been resettled in Kansas since October of last year, not including citizens who have fled Ukraine. According to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program, 691 refugees have been resettled in the state. KSNT reports that most of the refugees coming to Kansas are from Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Refugees fleeing the Democratic Republic of Congo accounted for nearly half of those resettled in the state since last October. Ukrainian refugess are not included in the refugee resettlement number as they don’t have the same legal status as refugees who arrive through the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program.
==========
Feds Spread $1 Billion for Tree Plantings Among U.S. Cities to Reduce Extreme Heat and Benefit Health
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Hundreds of communities around the country will share more than $1 billion in federal money to help them plant and maintain trees under a federal program that is intended to reduce extreme heat, benefit health and improve access to nature. U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack will announce the $1.13 billion in funding for 385 projects at an event this (THUR) morning in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The tree plantings efforts will be focused on marginalized areas in all 50 states as well as Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and some tribal nations. In announcing the grants in Cedar Rapids, Vilsack will spotlight an eastern Iowa city that lost thousands of trees during an extreme windstorm in 2020. Cedar Rapids has made the restoration of its tree canopy a priority since that storm, called a derecho, and will receive $6 million in funding through the new grants.
Other grant recipients include some of the nation's largest cities, such as New York, Houston and Los Angeles, and much smaller communities, such as Tarpon Springs, Florida, and Hutchinson, Kansas. The federal money comes from the Inflation Reduction Act.
"We believe we can create more resilient communities in terms of the impacts of climate," Vilsack told reporters in previewing his announcement. "We think we can mitigate extreme heat incidents and events in many of the cities."
==========
Suburban KC Couple Sentenced to Life in Sex Fantasy Killing
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KC Star) — A suburban Kansas City couple has been sentenced to life in prison for the killing of a woman whose dismembered body was discovered buried in a yard in 2021. Prosecutors say 42-year-old Michael J. Hendricks and 32-year-old Maggie Ybarra were found guilty of murdering 32-year-old Kensie Abury at the close of a jury trial in July. The Kansas City Star reports that they were also convicted of several other felonies, including sexual abuse of a child. This week, the couple was sentenced to life in prison.
Both defendants allegedly lured Aubry to a home under the pretense of a sexual encounter while they conspired to kill her as part of a murder fantasy. The chilling case was brought to the attention of authorities by a teenage girl in foster care. She reported to police that the pair sexually assaulted her when she visited them. The young girl also said she was shown photographs of a mutilated woman with a dismembered head and told by Hendricks the approximate location of the body. Detectives with Grandview, Missouri, police opened a case of sexual assault based on the girl’s account and ultimately linked the photographs to Aubry, who by then had been missing for several months.
Detectives say they learned of a dark sexual fantasy harbored by Hendricks and Ybarra. Hendricks searched online for “snuff,” a term for a pornographic movie of a murder, and both allegedly later bragged to witnesses about killing Aubry.
==========
Owner of KC Daycare Guilty in $772,000 Tax Fraud Scheme
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) — The owner of a Kansas City area daycare has pleaded guilty in federal court for her role in a $772,000 fraud scheme. Prosecutors say 55-year-old Patricia L. Johnson-Rushing, the owner of Granny’s Pray & Play, submitted a guilty plea earlier this month to stealing public money, benefits fraud and other charges. KMBC TV reports that the conspiracy resulted in a $653,000 tax loss to the federal government, as well as $120,000 in fraudulent government benefits for Johnson-Rushing.
Johnson-Rushing admitted to submitting false claims to the Missouri Department of Social Services. She also admitted to food stamp fraud, claiming on applications that she had no job or bank account. Court records indicate she actually frequently withdrew funds from the Granny’s Pray & Play bank account for personal expenses, including $15,000 towards the purchase of a Cadillac Escalade.
Johnson-Rushing faces a maximum sentence of up to 35 years in federal prison without parole.
==========
Republicans Worry Widespread COVID-19 Mandates Will Return to U.S.
UNDATED (KPR/AP) — A late summer spike in COVID-19 cases has many people worried about a return to widespread government-issued lockdowns and mask mandates. GOP presidential hopefuls have already expressed this fear.
While some individual schools and colleges have implemented mask requirements, there are few signs that anyone in federal or state leadership is considering the kind of widespread COVID-19 lockdowns and other restrictions put in place at the peak of the pandemic. Democratic governors in several states, including Kansas, are downplaying the prospect of such restrictions. Some have denied that any such moves are even under consideration. The overriding sentiment is to leave the decisions to individuals.
Last month, a Black liberal arts college in Atlanta announced it had reinstated a mask mandate in response to student COVID infections. The school, Morris Brown College, has since lifted the requirement but is keeping in place other policies, including contact tracing and temperature checks on campus.
This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention endorsed new vaccine shots for everyone 6 months and older. The vaccines will be available at pharmacies, health centers and some doctor offices as soon as this week. But a new federal vaccine mandate is not under consideration, according to a White House official who requested anonymity to discuss the administration's thinking.
Reinstated mask requirements across the country have so far been limited to a few local schools and businesses. One example is a Maryland elementary school that required students who were exposed in a classroom's outbreak to wear masks at school for 10 days.
==========
High Court Skeptical of Wichita Ordinance Used to Arrest Protester
TOPEKA, Kan. (KMUW/KCUR) — Kansas Supreme Court justices seem skeptical about a Wichita city ordinance used to arrest a protester in 2020. The court heard legal arguments Tuesday and will decide if the ordinance violated the protester’s First Amendment rights. Police arrested Gabrielle Griffie during a protest over the killing of George Floyd. The city says Griffie blocked traffic and had an interaction with a car delayed in the traffic. The city says that counts as disorderly conduct. Griffie’s lawyers say she shouldn’t face charges for anything related to the protest. Nate Johnson, an attorney for the city, says the ordinance prohibits "noisy conduct tending to arouse alarm, anger or resentment in others." He says Griffe’s conduct violated the ordinance. Griffie’s attorney told the court that people can be alarmed, angered or resentful about a lot of things and that the ordinance is too broad. Some of the justices hinted that they agree the ordinance is too broad, and that constitutionally protected protests could violate it. The Kansas Court of Appeals previously upheld the local ordinance. (Read more.)
==========
2029 U.S. Senior Open to Return to Hutchinson
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (KPR) — The United States Golf Association has announced that the U.S. Senior Open will be returning to Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson. The last U.S. Senior Open at Prairie Dunes took place in 2006. It's coming back in 2029. The USGA also announced that the 2032 U.S. Women’s Senior Open will be held on the same course. Though both events are several years away, club president Keith Hughes says he’s happy that Prairie Dunes is back on the USGA calendar. "A tournament like this in the state of Kansas will be one of the biggest fan sporting events that the state has," he said.
==========
Missouri's Pro Sports Teams Push for Legal Sports Gambling
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP/KPR) — A coalition of Missouri's professional sports teams is backing a new effort to legalize sports betting that could put the issue to voters on the 2024 ballot. After missing out on millions of dollars in betting revenues over the past several years, the sports teams decided they are done waiting for the Missouri Legislature to act and instead have taken the first step toward an initiative petition drive that would circumvent lawmakers.
The effort is spearheaded by the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team, and also includes the Kansas City Chiefs football team, the Kansas City Royals baseball team, the Kansas City Current and St. Louis City soccer teams, and the St. Lous Blues hockey team. Gathering petitions signatures and running an advertising campaign for a ballot measure can cost millions of dollars — a price the teams are committed to collectively help cover, said Mike Whittle, the Cardinals' senior vice president and general counsel, on behalf of the coalition. Legalized sports betting would "provide our fans a good, new exciting way to enjoy sports and root for our teams," Whittle said Tuesday.
Sports betting has expanded rapidly — it's now legal in all but one of Missouri's neighboring states — since the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for it five years ago. Kentucky became the 35th state with active sports betting when the NFL season began last week. Maine and Vermont have legalized it but are still working to set up their betting systems.
The last state to put sports betting on the ballot was California, where supporters and opponents of two competing proposals raised a record of around $460 million last year. Voters defeated both measures.
Earlier this year, the Missouri House voted 118-35 in favor of sports betting legislation, but it never received a Senate vote. Similar bills have repeatedly stalled in the Republican-led Senate because of a dispute about whether to pair sports betting with the regulation of slot-machine-style games that have been popping up in convenience stores.
"We're not optimistic that kind of dynamic within the Missouri Senate will change," Whittle said.
Several versions of a sports betting petition were filed Friday with Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft's office, which must approve an initiative summary before supporters can start gathering the roughly 180,000 signatures needed to qualify for the ballot by a May deadline.
Under the proposed initiative, Missouri would impose a 10% tax on adjusted gross sports betting revenue, after the payout of winnings and promotional bets to customers. A similar legislative proposal had been estimated earlier this year to generate around $30 million annually when fully implemented. The proposed initiative would allot $5 million to a compulsive gamblers prevention fund, with much of the rest going to K-12 schools and higher education institutions.
==========
Dry States Taking Mississippi River Water Isn't a New Idea. But Some Mayors Want to Kill It
ST. LOUIS (AP/KPR) — Community leaders along the Mississippi River worried that dry southwestern states will someday try to take the river's water may soon take their first step toward blocking such a diversion. Mayors from cities along the river are expected to vote on whether to support a new compact among the river's 10 states at this week's annual meeting of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, according to its executive director Colin Wellenkamp. Supporters of a compact hope it will strengthen the region's collective power around shared goals like stopping water from leaving the corridor." It is the most important working river on earth," said Wellenkamp. "It's a matter of national security that the Mississippi River corridor remain intact, remain sustainable and remain ecologically and hydrologically healthy."
The Southwest has long struggled to find enough water for its growing population in a region prone to drought that climate change is making worse. Transporting water from the Mississippi River basin, which drains roughly 40% of the continental United States, has always been a long shot that many say isn't practical or remotely cost-effective. But Wellenkamp worries that conversation around the idea hasn't stopped.
A formal compact is still far off. The mayors' support would be just the first step in a lengthy, politically fraught process that would require buy-in from all 10 states along the river and federal approval, experts said. Those states range from left-leaning states like Minnesota, where the river begins, to thoroughly conservative states like Louisiana, where it empties into the Gulf of Mexico. The others are Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi.
Proponents say a compact would protect the river's water levels and ecology, make it easier to coordinate when floods or other disaster strikes and provide a way to resolve conflict among the river states. A favorable vote would ask the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative to pursue a new river compact, according to a draft copy of the motion. "This is not going to be easy and it's not going to happen overnight," said Wellenkamp. "But, you know, every journey begins with a first step and a cash advance, I like to say."
Fear of water export has ignited political action before. Plans by a Canadian company in the 1990s to fill up tankers with Great Lakes water and ship it to Asia "was probably the tipping point" for establishing the Great Lakes Compact that went into effect in 2008. It strengthened cooperation among Great Lakes states that work with two Canadian providences to manage water from the lakes effectively, monitor its use and prevent it from leaving the basin. "The Great Lakes are better protected today than they ever have been before," said David Strifling, director of Marquette Law School's Water Law and Policy Initiative.
But Strifling said it was difficult to get an agreement together decades ago and it would be even harder to do so now "just due to the increased level of political polarization that exists." Wellenkamp said a Mississippi River compact, besides blocking diversions, would ensure that nearby water users also act in a sustainable way.
The river's water levels can be precarious. Last fall, they fell so low that they disrupted ship and barge traffic that moved soybeans, corn and other goods downriver for export. Much of the river is once again facing drought. People realize that the river "is not some stable resource," said Melissa Scanlan, director for the Center for Water Policy at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. "People are aware of how those low levels on the Mississippi River affect commerce and the communities," she said.
There are protections against some water diversions now. If one of the five states on the upper portion of the river wants to move large amounts of water out of the basin, it must notify and consult with the other four states first. The Upper Mississippi River Basin Association has existed for decades to foster cooperative management of the river. Currently, there's an effort to quantify water use among the upper basin states and understand how that use affects the river, officials said.
John Fleck, a water expert at the Utton Center at the University of New Mexico School of Law, said he is rooting for a Mississippi River compact so that what he calls the unworkable idea of a water pipeline to the west will die. "This is a waste of our time because (diversion) is magical thinking and it will never happen," he said.
Jennifer Gimbel, senior water policy scholar at Colorado State University, said the obstacles to a pipeline are high. It would need approval from Congress and from legislatures in each state it passes through, payments for landowners and condemnation procedures for those who didn't want the pipeline through their properties, and expensive permitting. Then there is the engineering nightmare and huge costs of moving huge amounts of water west. "It becomes pretty complicated real fast," Gimbel said.
The talk of diverting water to the Southwest will hopefully "light a fire under some states" to approve a Mississippi River compact, said Olivia Dorothy, director of river restoration with the conservation group American Rivers. Diverting water can harm the river's ecology, depriving species of the water they rely on. It could also slow the movement of sediment that's vital to the health of Louisiana and the Gulf of Mexico, among many other problems, she said. Dorothy said a compact would be a good way to say, "this is our water."
"If you want the Mississippi River water, you can move here," she said.
According to Kansas Public Radio, similar proposals to divert river water have surfaced in Kansas. One proposal would divert water from wells near the Missouri River during times of flooding and send it to much drier parts of western Kansas to recharge the Ogallala Aquifer. The idea has already been studied. Part of the problem is the cost. Shipping water from eastern Kansas to western Kansas would be expensive. It would involve pushing large amounts of water uphill for hundreds of miles and would require a number of pumping stations along the way. The idea is also fraught with legal and environmental concerns.
==========
KU Basketball Player Arterio Morris Ends Assault Case in Texas with Plea Deal
DENTON, Texas (AP) — An attorney for University of Kansas guard Arterio Morris says the player has entered a plea deal to end a misdemeanor assault case against him in Texas. The move cancels a trial scheduled for October. Morris was initially charged in June 2022 with a Class A misdemeanor on allegations he assaulted an ex-girlfriend shortly before he enrolled at the University of Texas. Morris transferred to KU after last season. The original charge could have carried up to a year in jail. Attorney Justin Moore said on Thursday that Morris entered a no contest plea to Class C misdemeanor assault and must pay a $362 fine.
==========
Kansas Is a Heavy Favorite to Beat Nevada and Remain Undefeated
UNDATED (AP) — The University of Kansas plays at Nevada on Saturday night. The Jayhawks are 2-0 after victories over Missouri State and Illinois. Nevada is 0-2 after losses to USC and Idaho. Kansas is a near four-touchdown favorite over the Wolf Pack. This is the first meeting between the teams. Kansas will be short-handed because of suspensions for targeting and is battling some injury concerns. A 3-0 start will be the Jayhawks second in a row, the first time they have put together such starts in consecutive years since 1991 and 1992.
Here's the latest analysis, by the numbers.
Kansas (2-0) at Nevada (0-2), Saturday, 10:30 p.m. ET (CBS Sports Network)
Line: Kansas by 27 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Series record: First meeting.
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Barring a major upset, Kansas will be able to run its nonconference record to 3-0 before entering Big 12 Conference play. If the Jayhawks live up to expectations and win big, that should set them up as serious contenders to make a bowl for the second year in a row. Nevada is trying to find something positive after losing 66-14 at No. 5 USC and 33-6 to FCS team Idaho.
KEY MATCHUP
Kansas’ offensive line versus Nevada’s defensive front. The Jayhawks’ veteran line has allowed just one sack and keys a run game that has averaged 253.5 yards. It’s a lot to ask out of a Nevada defensive front that has allowed 6.3 yards per rush.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Kansas: QB Jalon Daniels completed 21 of 29 passes for 277 yards and two touchdowns in Saturday’s 34-23 victory over Illinois. It was a great sign for the Big 12 preseason offensive player of the year, who missed the season opener against Missouri State after dealing with back tightness in training camp.
Nevada: WR Jamaal Bell. He has been on the few bright spots for the Wolf Pack. Bell has 16 receptions for 188 yards and a touchdown through two games. That includes an impressive eight catches for 121 yards and a 77-yard TD against USC.
FACTS & FIGURES
The Jayhawks are attempting to open 3-0 for the second year a row, which would be the first time since 1991 and 1992. … Kansas will be short-handed for at least part of the game. CB Cobee Bryant and DE Austin Booker will not play in the first 30 minutes after they were flagged for targeting in the second half against Illinois. A handful of other players are battling injuries, including Daniels and RB Devin Neal. Neal has rushed for 214 yards and two touchdowns. … The Jayhawks gained more than 500 yards in each of their first two games. They have reached that figure in eight of their past 15 games. Kansas 530-yard average is second in the Big 12 and 10th nationally … The Jayhawks’ six sacks against Illinois was their highest total in 14 years. … Neal rushed for 120 yards against the Illini, making him the 13th player in program history to surpass 2,000 yards in his career. He has 2,011. … Kansas will become the first Big 12 team to play in Reno, Nevada, since Missouri in 2009. The Tigers won that meeting 31-21. Purdue was the last power-conference team to play at Nevada, which beat the Boilermakers 34-31 in 2019. … Since moving up to FBS (then Division I-A) in 1992, the Wolf Pack are 0-7 against the Big 12.
==========
K-State and BYU Have Chance to Give Big 12 Two More Wins in SEC Stadiums in Week 3
UNDATED (AP) — Reigning Big 12 champion Kansas State wraps up non-conference play with a chance to give the league another win in an SEC stadium. So does Big 12 newcomer BYU. K-State plays Saturday at former Big Eight and Big 12 rival Missouri, now in its 12th SEC season. The Cougars go to Arkansas. Texas won last weekend at then-No. 3 Alabama. TCU is at league newcomer Houston for the first Big 12 conference game this season, and only one this week. The Big 12 has eight undefeated teams. But it's the only Power Five league with two winless teams. Texas Tech and Baylor, both 0-2, host FCS teams.
Things to watch for in the Big 12 Conference in Week 3:
GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 15 Kansas State at Missouri. The reigning Big 12 champion Wildcats (2-0) wrap up non-conference play Saturday at former Big Eight and Big 12 rival Missouri (2-0). K-State won 40-12 last year at home in the first meeting since 2011, the final season before Mizzou went from the Big 12 to the SEC. The Wildcats have scored at least 40 points in each of their last four regular-season games, their longest streak since 2002. And they've only allowed 20.4 points a game since switching to a 3-3-5 defensive alignment at the start of the 2021 season. This is one of two more opportunities the Big 12 has this week to win again in an Southeastern Conference stadium. Texas, in its final season before going to the SEC, beat then-No. 3 Alabama last week. Big 12 newcomer BYU makes its first trip to Arkansas, which won 52-35 in Provo last October.
BEST MATCHUP
TCU goes to league newcomer Houston in the Big 12's first conference game this season, and only one this weekend. Both are 1-1. TCU coach Sonny Dykes and Houston's Dana Holgorsen were assistants together for the late coach Mike Leach at Texas Tech from 2000-06. They both coached receivers throughout that time, and were co-offensive coordinators the final two seasons. Former Southwest Conference rivals Houston and TCU haven't played since the 2007 Texas Bowl, one of only five matchups between them since the final SWC season in 1995.
OVERVIEW
The Big 12 has eight undefeated teams, but is also the only Power Five league with two winless teams. Texas Tech and Baylor are both 0-2. Texas moved from 11th to No. 4 in this week's AP poll for its highest ranking since finishing second in 2009, when the Longhorns lost to Alabama in the national championship game. They host Wyoming, which opened this season at home with a double-overtime win over Texas Tech. Iowa State hasn't allowed a sack in consecutive games for the first time since 2012. The Cyclones play at Ohio, which has seven sacks. The Kansas Jayhawks are 2-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2008-09.
==========
Chiefs Trying to Avoid 0-2 Start at Jags
UNDATED (AP) — Here's an overview of this weekend's matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Jacksonville Jaguars, by the numbers.
KANSAS CITY (0-1) at JACKSONVILLE (1-0)
Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS
OPENING LINE: Chiefs by 3½, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
AGAINST THE SPREAD: Kansas City 0-1; Jacksonville 1-0.
SERIES RECORD: Chiefs lead 9-6, including seven consecutive wins.
LAST MEETING: Chiefs beat Jaguars 27-20 on Jan. 21, 2023, in Kansas City.
LAST WEEK: Chiefs lost to Lions 21-20; Jaguars won at Colts 31-21.
CHIEFS OFFENSE: OVERALL (12), RUSH (21), PASS (9), SCORING (T22).
CHIEFS DEFENSE: OVERALL (26), RUSH (4), PASS (22), SCORING (T14).
JAGUARS OFFENSE: OVERALL (10), RUSH (12), PASS (T7), SCORING (5).
JAGUARS DEFENSE: OVERALL (15), RUSH (4), PASS (22), SCORING (T19).
TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Chiefs even, Jaguars plus-1.
CHIEFS PLAYER TO WATCH: DT Chris Jones is expected to play for the first time this season after ending his holdout earlier this week and signing a reworked, one-year deal. Jones watched the opener from a suite at Arrowhead Stadium. He matched a career high with 15 1/2 sacks last season, but it’s unclear how effective he will be after missing the entire offseason, training camp and preseason games and only practicing a couple of days this week.
JAGUARS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Calvin Ridley caught eight passes for 101 yards and a touchdown in his Jacksonville debut. He showed a combination of speed, elusiveness and playmaking ability that the franchise has lacked at the position since five-time Pro Bowler Jimmy Smith retired in 2006.
KEY INJURIES: Chiefs star TE Travis Kelce missed the opener after hyperextending his knee in practice two days before kickoff, but he's expected to play in Jacksonville. ... The Jaguars could be without two starting offensive linemen. Veteran RG Brandon Scherff (ankle) and second-year C Luke Fortner (ankle) missed practice Wednesday, with coach Doug Pederson saying Fortner is closer to being able to return.
SERIES NOTES: The Jaguars are 4-3 against the Chiefs in Jacksonville. … Jacksonville’s most recent win against Kansas City came on Nov. 8, 2009. … The previous two times the teams met in a home opener for the Jaguars, the Chiefs knocked out Jacksonville’s starting quarterback: Nick Foles (broken collarbone) in 2019 and Blaine Gabbert (gashed hand) in 2013.
STATS AND STUFF: The Chiefs are trying to avoid their first 0-2 start since 2014. … The most recent defending Super Bowl champ to start 0-2 was Denver in 1999 as the Broncos began life without Hall of Fame QB John Elway. … Kansas City's Andy Reid has 269 wins. One more would tie Tom Landry for fourth on the NFL’s career list. ... Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes needs 533 yards passing to reach 25,000. He also needs six TD passes to reach 200. ... Mahomes has 15 wins when the Chiefs have trailed entering the fourth quarter. ... Mahomes and Kelce have connected for 46 TDs. They are five behind Drew Brees and Jimmy Graham for third in QB-to-TE connections. ... Kelce needs five TD catches to pass Tony Gonzalez for second on the franchise list. ... Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney dropped three passes last week against Detroit, including one that was returned 50 yards for a TD. Kansas City dropped eight as a team. ... Chiefs RBs combined to run 14 times for 45 yards against the Lions. Mahomes had 45 yards rushing on six carries. ... The Chiefs had 11 different players catch a pass against Detroit. Nobody had more than 48 yards receiving. … The Jaguars are looking for their fourth 2-0 start in the past two decades, with the previous one coming in 2018. … Jacksonville has won six consecutive games as home underdogs, including a 5-0 record last season that was the best single-season mark in the Super Bowl era. … Pederson is 0-3 against his mentor, Reid. Pederson played and coached under Reid. ... The Jaguars have to find a way to slow down Kelce, who caught 20 passes for 179 yards and three TDs in their two games in 2022.
FANTASY TIP: Look for Toney and Jaguars WR Christian Kirk to have much better showings in Week 2 than they did in their openers. Toney combined for 140 total yards and a touchdown in the two head-to-head games last season while Kirk totaled 175 yards and three scores.
==========
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.