Kansas Health Officials: Olathe NW High School Student Has TB
OLATHE, Kan. (KPR/KCUR) - A student at Olathe Northwest High School has tested positive for tuberculosis. The Johnson County health department said the student is isolating and receiving treatment. It’s also begun identifying those who have come into contact with the student. The department will hold testing clinics at Olathe Northwest. It will also hold a forum at the school where tuberculosis experts will take questions from parents and students. The department said tuberculosis is typically treated for six to nine months with antibiotics. Wyandotte County also reported several cases last spring. TB is preventable, treatable and curable.
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Some Kansas Lawmakers: Public Schools Don't Need More Money for Special Education
TOPEKA, Kan. (KMUW/KNS) - Some state lawmakers say Kansas public schools don’t need more money for special education services. Members of a special committee on education met in Topeka today (MON) to hear testimony on education issues ahead of the next legislative session. When a speaker urged the group to fully fund special education, Republican Senator Molly Baumgardner said she’s tired of the criticism. “The drum being beat, just like this: ‘When are we gonna be funded? We don’t have enough funding. We don’t have reliable funding.’ We have heard that for five years," she said. Kansas law requires the state to provide 92% of the excess costs of special ed, but it pays about 71%. Republican Representative Kristey Williams, who chairs the committee, says districts have enough money in reserves to fund special education needs.
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Kansas Gambling Revenue Up at 3 of 4 State-Owned Casinos
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR/KNS) - State gaming officials say gambling revenue is back to pre-COVID levels at three of the four state-owned casinos. Gambling revenue at casinos in Pittsburg, Dodge City and Kansas City, Kansas, have continued to increase and are back to pre-pandemic levels. However, Matt Schwartz of the Kansas Lottery says revenue at the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane is still lagging because of competition. “The biggest factor in that obviously is the facility that went in in Park City that’s a pretty direct competitor just comparatively a few miles up the road.” The Wyandotte Nation opened the CrossWinds Casino in Park City north of Wichita in the spring of 2021.
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Kansas Tax Collections in September Come in $42 Million More than Expected
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Total tax collections for the month of September came in around $991 million. That's $42 million more than expected. Individual income tax collections came in 5.8% below estimates but corporate income tax collections were nearly 31% more than expected. Governor Laura Kelly touted the news saying her administration’s effort to put the state on a solid financial footing is working. She also said that now is the time to give money back to Kansans through responsible tax cuts. She plans to seek those tax cuts in the next legislative session, which begins in January.
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CEO of Spirit AeroSystems Resigns
WICHITA, Kan. (KMUW) — The president and CEO of Spirit AeroSystems has resigned. Tom Gentile has been with Spirit, Wichita's largest employer, for seven years. Gentile helped lead the company through the pandemic, when it laid off thousands of employees. The company has struggled over the last year with quality issues in its Boeing 737 program. Spirit had to repair a number of fuselages it shipped to Boeing. Spirit board member Patrick Shanahan will take over on an interim basis. The company says he has more than four decades of experience in the commercial and defense aviation industry.
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A Tentative Deal Will Curb Rate Hike Request by Evergy
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR/KNS) — The Evergy electricity rate hike request has been significantly lowered as part of an agreement reached with state regulators. The Kansas Corporation Commission staff reached a compromise with the power company that will increase rates outside the Kansas City metro by just over 4%. Evergy had originally sought a nearly 10% increase. Customers in the Kansas City metro service area will see a 4.75% decrease in their monthly bills in place of the 2% increase originally requested. The settlement still requires approval from KCC commissioners by late December.
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FBI Captures Missouri Jail Escapees
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WIBW) — A Missouri jail inmate who escaped late last week has been apprehended. Authorities say Jonathan E.S. O’Dell escaped from the jail in Phelps County, Missouri, with another inmate. The FBI says O’Dell was captured Sunday and taken back into custody near Kansas City following a chase. WIBW TV reports that O’Dell and another inmate, Steven T. Scott, broke out of jail Friday night after they damaged their cell door and walked out of the building. Scott turned himself in shortly after the jailbreak. The FBI said O’Dell faces federal charges related to an incident in which he planned to travel to Texas and shoot illegal immigrants who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border. Federal agents say they executed a search warrant at O’Dell’s home in October of 2022 and he shot at them multiple times. O’Dell was arrested at that time and jailed in Phelps County, near Rolla, Missouri.
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KC Police: 3 Dead After Driver Loses Control of Car, Crashes into Tree
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KC Star) — Kansas City police say three people were killed early Sunday morning after a car struck a tree. The Kansas City Star reports that the crash happened just before 1 am when the driver of a Ford Taurus, who was headed north on Emanuel Cleaver II Boulevard at a high rate of speed, lost control of the vehicle and struck a tree near East 45th Terrace. The driver and both passengers were killed in the crash. So far this year, 75 people have been killed in crashes in Kansas City.
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Hit-and-Run Results in Death of a Man Along Rural Road in Central Kansas
MCPHERSON, Kan. (WIBW) — One man was killed over the weekend after he was hit by an unknown vehicle along a rural road in central Kansas. The Kansas Highway Patrol says emergency crews were called to an area near McPherson Saturday night, where they found the body of 59-year-old Pedro Amezcua-Cabrera, of McPherson. He had been riding his bike when he was hit by an unknown vehicle. WIBW TV reports that the driver sped away after the collision.
Witnesses told the Highway Patrol that a white Chevy or GMC pickup truck had been seen earlier driving erratically. Investigators say they found evidence at the scene that leads them to believe the unknown vehicle is a GMC Canyon or Chevrolet Colorado, likely with damage on the front end. Authorities are asking for the public's help finding the vehicle.
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A Year Later, Search Continues for Missing Southwest Kansas Man
GRAY COUNTY, Kan. (JC Post) — A year has passed since the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Meade County Sheriff's Office and the Gray County Sheriff's Office began investigating the disappearance of Richard Salisbury. The JC Post reports that Salisbury was 55-years-old when he was last seen in September 2022 in rural Gray County. He would now be 56. Salisbury had been living in Plains for around three months. Prior to that, he lived in the Austin, Texas area. Anyone with information about his disappearance is asked to contact the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME.
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Strong Cold Front Coming into Kansas Could Spark Strong to Severe Storms this Week
WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH/KPR) — It's a warm start to this first week in October with high temps expected in the upper 80s to near 90 across eastern Kansas. It's expected to get even hotter in the Wichita area. If Wichita climbs to 95 degrees today (MON), it will tie the record high from 2006. KWCH TV reports that showers and storms are possible over western Kansas later today (MON) and tonight, but the main event in south-central Kansas will take place Tuesday. That's when a strong cold front will sweep across the state, setting the stage for both showers and storms, as well as a significant cool-down. The main line of storms is expected to form over western and central Kansas during the afternoon and arrive in the Wichita area during the evening hours tonight (MON).
Some of the storms, especially along and east of I-135 will be severe. The main concern is large hail and damaging wind gusts followed by pockets of heavy rain, and perhaps an isolated tornado or two. A second cold front is expected later this week, and while no rain is expected with its passage, even cooler temperatures are likely. Highs in the 70s will fall into the 60s while overnight temperatures tumble into the 40s.
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Kansas Lawmakers to Consider Removing Voting Grace Period
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — Kansas lawmakers are trying again to remove the grace period that lets mail-in ballots be counted if they arrive after Election Day. Kansas is one of more than a dozen states that will count a mail-in ballot after voting ends, so long as the ballot is postmarked on or before the election. Former Republican state representative Keith Esau helped create the grace period in Kansas. He now wants it gone. “The reason for removing this is also to increase confidence in voting. We have people who do not like seeing the counts change radically after election night," he said. Republican lawmakers almost eliminated this grace period last year, but they could not override a veto from the Democratic governor. Opponents of the change say the current policy helps people in rural areas vote.
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New Wind Farm Turbines Feature Automated Warning Lights
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — Kansas now has its first wind farm designed to limit night-time light pollution. Sunflower Wind Farm is now operational in Marion County. The developer, Orsted, says it can generate enough power for 70,000 homes. This is the first wind farm in Kansas with automated lights that only turn on when airplanes approach. A new Kansas law pushes for steps like this to cut down on light pollution. A common complaint about wind turbines is that they disturb the night sky with their blinking red lights. A second wind farm with automated lights will start operating this winter near the Nebraska border. It will be the biggest in Kansas – enough to power 240,000 homes.
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Police Chief Who Led Raid on Small Kansas Newspaper Has Been Suspended
MARION, Kan. (AP/KPR) — The police chief who led a highly criticized raid of a small Kansas newspaper has been suspended, the mayor confirmed to The Associated Press on Saturday. Marion Mayor Dave Mayfield said in a text message that he suspended Chief Gideon Cody on Thursday. He declined to discuss his decision further and did not say whether Cody was still being paid. Voice messages and emails from the AP seeking comment from Cody's lawyers were not immediately returned.
The August 11 searches of the Marion County Record's office and the homes of its publisher and a City Council member have been sharply criticized, putting Marion at the center of a debate over the press protections offered by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Cody's suspension is a reversal for the mayor, who previously said he would wait for results from a state police investigation before taking action.
Vice-Mayor Ruth Herbel, whose home was also raided August 11, praised Cody's suspension as "the best thing that can happen to Marion right now" as the central Kansas town of about 1,900 people struggles to move forward under the national spotlight. "We can't duck our heads until it goes away, because it's not going to go away until we do something about it," Herbel said.
Cody has said little publicly since the raids other than posting a defense of them on the police department's Facebook page. In court documents he filed to get the search warrants, he argued that he had probable cause to believe the newspaper and Herbel, whose home was also raided, had violated state laws against identity theft or computer crimes.
The raids came after a local restaurant owner accused the newspaper of illegally accessing information about her. A spokesman for the agency that maintains those records has said the newspaper's online search that a reporter performed was likely legal even though the reporter needed personal information about the restaurant owner that a tipster provided to look up her driving record.
The newspaper's publisher Eric Meyer has said the identity theft allegations simply provided a convenient excuse for the search after his reporters had been digging for background information on Cody, who was appointed this summer.
Legal experts believe the 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.
Video of the raid on the home of publisher Eric Meyer shows how distraught his 98-year-old mother became as officers searched through their belongings. Meyer said he believes that stress contributed to the death of his mother, Joan Meyer, a day later. Another reporter last month filed a federal lawsuit against the police chief over the raid.
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Federal Agency Sues Chipotle After Kansas Manager Allegedly Ripped Off Employee's Hijab
LENEXA, Kan. (AP/KPR) — A federal agency has sued Chipotle, accusing it of religious harassment and retaliation. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleges in its lawsuit that a manager at a Chipotle restaurant in Lenexa
forcibly removed a Muslim employee's hijab in 2021. The complaint alleges that the manager repeatedly harassed the employee by asking her to show him her hair, despite her refusal. The lawsuit claims this created a hostile working environment based on religion. Chipotle's chief corporate affairs officer, Laurie Schalow, said the company has no tolerance for discrimination and has fired the manager in question.
The lawsuit alleges that an assistant manager at a Chipotle in Lenexa repeatedly harassed the employee by asking her to show him her hair, despite her refusal. After several weeks, the harassment culminated in him grabbing and partially removing her hijab, according to the complaint. The manager's "offensive and incessant requests" that she remove her hijab, and his attempt to physically take it off, were "unwelcome, intentional, severe, based on religion, and created a hostile working environment based on religion," the complaint alleged. Chipotle's chief corporate affairs officer, Laurie Schalow, said the company encourages employees to report concerns, including through an anonymous hotline.
The lawsuit claims that Chipotle violated federal civil rights law protecting employees and job applicants from discrimination based on religion, race, ethnicity, sex and national origin. In its suit, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said it wants Chipotle to institute policies that provide equal employment opportunities for employees of all religions and pay damages to the employee.
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Kansas Attorney General Aims to Ban Sale of Kansas Land to Foreign Interests
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach has proposed a bill banning foreign entities from buying up Kansas farmland. Kobach’s proposal would bar foreign people or corporations from buying more than 10 acres of land in Kansas. He told lawmakers the measure is needed to preserve national security and protect the food supply from Chinese-owned companies. During a legislative committee meeting, Bob Fu of the nonprofit group ChinaAid said he supports Kobach’s plan because large land purchases could strengthen China’s government. “This piece of legislation has nothing to do with race, ethnicity or even nationality. It’s about the threat to our state and country,” Fu said. Twenty-four states have passed similar laws. Kobach’s proposal echoes several bills introduced in the Kansas Legislature last session that did not make it to a vote.
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Stormont Vail Drops COVID-19 Vaccination Requirement for Employees
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - Stormont Vail Health in Topeka will no longer require healthcare workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The move comes as updated mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are now starting to become available. Hospital officials say that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ended the requirement that healthcare workers must be vaccinated against COVID-19 on July 25. As a result, several regional systems have ended their own vaccine requirements. WIBW TV reports that the health network will continue to follow all infection prevention protocols while caring for those with suspected or confirmed respiratory illnesses, that includes appropriate PPE and facial protection. Any hospital employee who does catch the virus must report that information to their manager. Hospital administrators are strongly recommending that staff members, volunteers, vendors, and others receive the updated COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes available but after tomorrow, Oct. 1, it will not be required.
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Lawmaker Threatens KDWP Funding over Potential Deer Baiting Ban
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - A Republican state lawmaker has threatened to strip funding from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks if it bans people from baiting deer with piles of food. The state’s wildlife commissioners are considering a restriction on deer baiting to slow the spread of fatal chronic wasting disease. Representative Lewis Bloom, is a farmer in Clay Center and serves on a committee that oversees the wildlife agency’s budget. He told commissioners that he will retaliate by proposing an immediate $1 million cut if the panel approves a ban. Bloom’s threat came at a public hearing as the state’s wildlife commissioners consider restricting deer baiting to slow the spread of chronic wasting disease, which is related to mad cow disease and fatally damages the brains of deer. Kansas is one of only a few states that still allows baiting. State wildlife officials say they are also concerned about other problems, such as damage to crops and natural areas caused by high deer and raccoon concentrations around feeders. Representative Bloom also said another lawmaker, who owns a hunting lodge, would help him make the cuts. The lodge owner, Republican Representative Ken Corbet, brushed off concerns that it was a conflict of interest. He says any cuts would need to be proposed and debated in the committee.
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Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs Hold on to Beat Jets 23-20
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP/KPR) — Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs shook off a subpar performance during which they blew a 17-point lead, but held on to defeat the New York Jets 23-20. Mahomes was intercepted twice and struggled to get much going after a quick start with pop superstar Taylor Swift watching Travis Kelce and the Chiefs for the second straight game, this time from a suite at MetLife Stadium. Michael Carter II intercepted Mahomes on third-and-20 but it was negated by a holding call on Sauce Gardner. Mahomes ran for 9 yards on third down to the Jets 2 to seal the victory.
A few mistakes by the star quarterback made it uncomfortably close. "I knew I put us in two bad positions," said Mahomes. "No one points fingers in that locker room. We all play together. Not everything is going to be pretty, but the guys responded and we found a way to win." With pop superstar Taylor Swift watching Travis Kelce and the Chiefs for the second straight game, this time from a suite at MetLife Stadium, Kansas City was able to bounce back.
UP NEXT
Chiefs play at Minnesota next Sunday.
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Zack Greinke Pitches Royals to 5-2 Win over Yankees in What Could Be His Career Finale
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Zack Greinke threw four-hit ball into the sixth inning and, backed by a trio of home runs, helped the Royals beat the Yankees 5-2 on Sunday. It was quite possibly the end of the six-time All-Star's career and Greinke left to a standing ovation. He earned only his second win of the season after beating Baltimore in May. Michael King took the loss for New York, allowing a trio of homers among eight hits that yielded four runs in four innings. The Royals went 56-106, matching the franchise record for losses in a season. The Yankees finished 82-80, their worst record since going 76-86 in 1992.
The 39-year-old Greinke can become free agent after this season, and while he declined to say whether he plans to retire, the 2009 Cy Young Award winner has had a challenging year. His only other win came May 3 against Baltimore. "I mean, everything about it was great," Greinke said, "and the last couple of months were a lot better than the first."
HOME ATTENDANCE
The Royals had 1,307,052 attend home games this season, the third-worst total in the majors behind Miami and Oakland. Thanks in part to the pitch clock, and improved pace of play, that total still exceeded their attendance of 1,277,686 last season.
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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.