Kansas Fixes Medicaid Problem That Erroneously Cancelled Children's Coverage
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Kansas officials have fixed a problem that led to thousands of children wrongly losing their Medicaid coverage. Federal rules require states to automatically renew a person’s Medicaid coverage when they have information showing they remain eligible. But Kansas officials hadn’t been doing that if someone else in their household lost eligibility. Christine Osterlund with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment told lawmakers that’s been fixed. She said the vast majority of those who had lost coverage are children. Next week, the state will resume reviewing Medicaid eligibility after a two-month pause to fix the issue.
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KU Men's Basketball Escapes Postseason Ban, Major Penalties in NCAA Corruption Probe
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas men's basketball program was put on probation and ordered to take down its 2018 Final Four banner but escaped a postseason ban Wednesday, when an independent panel created by the NCAA to handle complex cases downgraded five Level I violations lodged against the Jayhawks.
The violations stem from a 2017 federal investigation into college basketball corruption, and hinged on whether representatives of the apparel company Adidas were considered boosters when two of them arranged payments to prospective recruits.
Kansas officials never disputed that payments were made, only that they had any knowledge of them, and they appealed the violations through the Independent Accountability Resolution Process. Their hearing took place in April and the ruling was announced less than a month before the start of the season, in which the powerhouse Jayhawks will be a national championship contender.
“Today’s decision by the Independent Resolution Panel confirms what we’ve said since the beginning: the major infractions of which we were accused were unfounded,” Kansas Chancellor Douglas Girod and athletic director Travis Goff said in a statement. “Most importantly, the panel decision unequivocally confirms our coaches were not involved in — or had knowledge of — payments to student-athletes."
In a campus news conference with Goff on Wednesday, coach Bill Self said he was eager to move forward “without this cloud hovering above our program.”
“I’m very happy that It’s over,” Self said. “I’m certainly happy with the end result, and at the same time, don’t feel like a celebration mode because this is exactly what we thought the end result would be years ago. And it’s taken such a long period of time to get here. But I am pleased with the findings because the findings are accurate.”
The panel concluded the apparel company’s consultant “was a representative of Kansas’ athletics interests” beginning in August 2017, resulting in multiple Level II and Level III violations. But it found “no credible and persuasive information” to suggest that Kansas officials failed to cooperate, lacked institutional control or failed to monitor the basketball program.
Among the penalties, the 2018 Final Four banner was ordered to be removed from Allen Fieldhouse, and any wins involving forward Silvio De Sousa — identified as “student-athlete No. 1” and central to the case — would be stripped from all records. The school also was given a variety of recruiting restrictions, adding to penalties that were self-imposed last year.
The panel made a point to avoid giving Kansas a postseason ban, though. The Jayhawks, led by Michigan transfer Hunter Dickinson and with several key players returning, are expected to be ranked No. 1 when the preseason AP poll is released next week.
"We have the penalties we’ve imposed, but we don’t want that to be a reflection on current student-athletes, or impose any limitations on current student-athletes,” Christina Guerola Sarchio, the chief member for the Independent Resolution Panel hearing the case, said on a Zoom meeting to discuss the case.
Kansas won the 2022 national title while going through the IARP process. That championship is not affected.
The case against Kansas, which included minor infractions involving its football program, was the final one pending for the soon-to-be disbanded IARP after it sanctioned former LSU and current McNeese State men’s basketball coach Will Wade in June.
Kansas officials suspended Self and top assistant Kurtis Townsend for the first four games of last season, along with imposing several recruiting restrictions, potentially mitigating any penalties that IARP would hand down.
Goff said the school reviewed NCAA guidelines before determining the self-imposed penalties that ended up “probably on the heavier end of things" in terms of severity.
“I don’t think it implies a measure of guilt at all,” Self said. “What I think it implies is we were doing everything possible to move forward and put this behind us. And at the same time, doing what was in the best interest of our present student-athletes and future student-athletes to make sure they were not impacted in any negative way whatsoever.”
Along with barring the two coaches from off-campus recruiting last summer, the school self-reduced the number of official visits that it would allow during the 2023-24 academic year, reduced the total number of scholarships by three over a three-year span and reduced the number of recruiting days during the current year by 13 days.
“The NCAA membership has acknowledged the significance of these self-imposed penalties,” Sarchio said.
The case against Kansas stemmed from an FBI investigation that ensnared several schools, including Auburn, Arizona, LSU, Louisville and North Carolina State, and led to convictions of shoe company executives, a middleman and several assistant coaches.
Kansas initially was charged by the NCAA with five Level I violations, which are considered the most severe, including a charge of lack of institutional control and an allegation that Self had failed to keep the program in compliance.
Auburn received four years of probation through a traditional NCAA infractions process for a similar case, but Kansas joined others in appealing through the IARP, which was among the proposals made by former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2018 to reform the sport. The panel was designed to work outside the purview of the NCAA and handle complex cases.
The IARP has been slow, though, and former NCAA President Mark Emmert acknowledged last year that the process was taking “way too long.” That is part of the reason the panel will be eliminated now that the Kansas case has been completed as the NCAA attempts to modernize its infractions process.
In the meantime, many alleged infractions from the 2017 investigation would no longer be against the rules. Name, image and likeness guidelines allow NCAA athletes in all sports to earn money from endorsements and other off-the-field business arrangements.
“That has been something we have been very conscientious about, in terms of the allegations of this case spanning an incredibly long time, and the resolution to get to where we are today took a number of months and years,” Sarchio said. “This case was not dormant. There was activity going on. It took this long to render a decision because it was an incredibly thorough record.”
The panel also has been criticized for inconsistent penalties. Arizona, LSU, Louisville and North Carolina State were given minor penalties and no postseason ban, while Oklahoma State was barred from postseason play for relatively minor violations.
Sarchio said all of those cases were considered in rendering judgment in the Kansas case.
“What we looked at was the conduct, the fact that there were no Level I findings — there were some Level II and Level III — and compared to what the self-imposed penalties were,” she said. “That led us to reach the conclusion that we disclosed today.”
(–Earlier reporting–)
KU Basketball Program Expected to Learn Its Fate in NCAA Infractions Case
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KC Star) — A long-awaited infractions report, which would include rulings on possible NCAA sanctions, is expected to be delivered to the University of Kansas Athletics Department today (WED). The case involves alleged recruiting violations by the KU men's basketball team. The IARP, or Independent Accountability Resolution Process, would not confirm the release of the report when contacted by the Kansas City Star via email.
According to the IARP Website, “The Independent Accountability Resolution Process is an independent process that reviews and determines whether there are violations of NCAA Bylaws in select, complex infractions cases in NCAA Division I athletics.” KU’s three-day hearing in front of the Independent Review Panel was held six months ago. A decision on possible penalties could be announced today (WED). KPR sports reporter Greg Echlin is following these developments.
The announcement of penalties would stem from the NCAA’s investigation into corruption in college hoops that began in 2017. KU coach Bill Self had no comment when contacted by the Kansas City Star. A KU Athletics Department official did not immediately return a request for comment.
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Kansas Student Test Scores Rebound
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — Kansas student test scores have started to rebound after dropping during the pandemic. New data reveal test scores are up in most areas. A report from the Kansas Department of Education shows that last spring, every grade level improved on the math assessment. Six of seven grade levels scored higher overall in English Language Arts. Education Commissioner Randy Watson says he’s optimistic. But nearly half of Kansas eighth-graders and a third of fifth-graders are still scoring at the lowest level on state math tests. “That’s the challenge, right? Even though we’re going in the right direction, we have to double down," he said. Test scores declined dramatically since the start of the pandemic, as schools switched to remote or hybrid learning plans. Kansas districts got over $1 billion in federal aid to address learning loss.
New data also show more Kansas students are graduating from high school and fewer need remedial classes in college. “Those are all good signs," Watson said. "Those are all strong signs that your work and others’ work are making a difference.” When it comes to attendance, more than 21% of Kansas students were chronically absent last school year. That’s a decrease from the year before but still way up since the start of the pandemic.
Read more in the Topeka Capital-Journal.
(–Related–)
Kansas ACT Scores Fall, Mirroring National Trend
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Scores on the ACT college admissions test nationally hit their lowest point in more than 30 years. A new report released Wednesday shows scores for Kansas students are falling, as well. The Kansas News Service reports that nationwide, the class of 2023’s average composite score on the ACT was 19.5 out of a possible 36 — a decline of 0.3 points from last year. Kansas graduates performed slightly below the national average. Their average composite score was 19.4 — down half a point from the previous year. It’s the eighth consecutive year of declines for Kansas students. The graduating class of 2023 was in their first year of high school when the COVID-19 pandemic reached the U.S. Among the class, only about one in five students met all four A-C-T benchmarks for success in college.
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Louisburg Police Investigate Murder-Suicide Involving 8-Year-Old
LOUISBURG, Kan. (WDAF) — Louisburg police are investigating a suspected murder suicide involving a mother and her 8-year-old son. Police discovered the body of 41-year-old Susan Stanford, who was shot last Friday in her Louisburg home. WDAF TV reports that detectives believe Stanford took her own life after shooting her eight-year–old son. The child died at a local hospital Saturday.
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Herington Hospital Abruptly Closes
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Residents of Herington in central Kansas are scrambling after the abrupt closure of their hospital and its clinics. The Kansas News Service reports that Herington Hospital gave employees and residents little notice it was closing this week, citing financial troubles and low patient volumes. Herington city manager Thatcher Moddie says he hopes the town can rebound. He says county ambulances will continue operating. There are several other hospitals within 30 miles. It’s the eighth Kansas hospital to shutter since 2010. Governor Laura Kelly says expanding Medicaid would help save rural hospitals by lowering the number of uninsured patients.
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Kansas Becomes 10th State to Require 2-Person Train Crews, Despite Industry's Objections
UNDATED (AP) – Kansas became the 10th state in the nation Wednesday to require two-person railroad crews despite objections from freight railroads, but the industry may challenge the rule in court as it has in other states like Ohio. The major freight railroads have long pushed to cut crews down to one person, but unions have resisted because they believe it’s safer to have two people working together to operate trains.
Governor Laura Kelly said two-person crews “will protect workers from the effects of fatigue, prevent train derailments and reduce risks in the many Kansas communities along our railroad tracks.” The new administrative rule took effect Wednesday. The railroad industry maintains there isn't enough evidence to show that two-person crews are safer and many short-line railroads already operate with a single person aboard. “Regulatory efforts to mandate crew staffing such as the latest in Kansas lack a safety justification,” said spokesperson Jessica Kahanek with the Association of American Railroads trade group.
Kahanek said she didn't want to speculate whether the industry will file a lawsuit challenging the Kansas rule the way it did in Ohio. The railroads generally argue in their lawsuits that the federal government should be the only one to regulate the industry to ensure there's a uniform set of rules.
At least a dozen states impatient with the federal government's reluctance to pass new regulations on railroads have tried to pass restrictions on the industry related to minimum crew size, train length and blocked crossings.
Both the Ohio and Kansas crew-size rules were proposed in the months after the fiery Norfolk Southern derailment in eastern Ohio in February. That crash forced thousands of people to evacuate their homes around East Palestine while hazardous chemicals burned in the days afterward. The cleanup continues and residents continue to worry about possible long-term health effects.
The other states that have rules requiring two-person crews on the books are California, Wisconsin, Arizona, West Virginia. Minnesota, Washington, Nevada and Colorado. Those state regulations could be unnecessary if the Federal Railroad Administration approves a proposed rule to require two-person crews or if a package of rail safety reforms proposed in Congress that includes that requirement is approved. But the rail safety bill hasn't received a vote in the Senate or a hearing in the House, so it's prospects are uncertain.
Jeremy Ferguson, who leads the Transportation Division of the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers union that represents conductors, praised the new Kansas rule alongside the governor Wednesday. “We have all worked hard to show that safety comes first, and corporate profits will never be placed ahead of all the citizens of this great state,” Ferguson said. Kahanek, the industry spokesperson, said the railroads believe crew size should be determined by contract negotiations with the unions — not by regulations.
Union Pacific is in the process of testing out how quickly a conductor in a truck can respond to problems on a train compared to the conductor aboard the locomotive, although the railroad is still maintaining two people at the controls of its trains during the test.
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Topeka Jewish Community Gathers as War Continues in Israel
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — Topeka residents gathered Tuesday night to pray for those affected by the war in Israel. Members of the congregation at Temple Beth Sholom gathered at the synagogue to share their concerns about the war. KSNT TV reports that Temple Beth Sholom will host a similar event today (WED) at noon and Shabat services this Friday that will be centered on bringing focus to the current terrorist attacks on Israel.
(-Related-)
Kansas Religious and Political Leaders Denounce Hamas Attack on Israel
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) - Religious and political leaders throughout Kansas and the KC metro area say they are shocked by the terrorist attacks in Israel. Rabbi Sam Stern of Temple Beth Sholom in Topeka compared them to Israel’s version of 9/11. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach and Governor Laura Kelly issued a joint statement this week condemning the attacks. Kansas Senator Roger Marshall also released a statement pledging to help any Kansans in Israel return home. Rabbi Stern said he is grateful for the support from the elected officials.
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Oskaloosa Man Arrested in September Murder
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) - An Oskaloosa man has been arrested on a charge of first degree murder in connection with a shooting on September 25. Topeka Police say a shooting in south Topeka, near Washburn University, left 39-year-old Durant R. Redmond dead from a gunshot wound. WIBW TV reports that 39-year-old David Jackson, of Oskaloosa, has been arrested in connection with Redmond's death and is being held in the Shawnee County Jail.
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Kansas Governor Announces Juneteenth Will Be Observed as State Holiday
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will designate Juneteenth as a state holiday, joining 28 other states and the District of Columbia. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has announced that establishing the state holiday “provides Kansans an opportunity to celebrate our state’s diversity and honor the ongoing struggles for racial equality.” Juneteenth marks the day in 1865 when the last enslaved people in the United States learned they were free. For generations, Black Americans have recognized the end of one of the darkest chapters in U.S. history with joy. In 2021, President Biden signed a bill passed by Congress to set aside Juneteenth as a federal holiday.
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New Law Leaves Some School Districts Unable to Sell Property
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — A new law that gives Kansas lawmakers the first chance to buy closed school buildings has left some districts unable to sell property. Conservative lawmakers who pushed for the law say they plan to craft changes to fix it when they return to Topeka in January. Republican State Senator Beverly Gossage says the Panasonic Corporation tried to buy land from the DeSoto school district for the electric vehicle battery plant being built nearby. But the deal fell through because the new law requires districts to wait for a decision from the Legislature. “We don’t want to have situations like that where it makes sense for everybody but it couldn't be done because we were not in session," she said. Lawmakers added the new provision to the school funding bill late last session as a response to controversial school closures.
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Kansas Attorney General Objects to Federal Court's Use of Alternative Pronouns
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — Kansas Republican Attorney General Kris Kobach wants federal judges with jurisdiction over Kansas to stop requiring the use of a person's preferred pronouns when they differ from the person's biological sex at birth. In a letter to the chief judge of the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals, Kobach said several judges now require the practice. Kobach says that’s a potential First Amendment violation because some of the attorneys in his office have religious beliefs that prevent them from using pronouns that differ from a person’s biological sex at birth. Kobach recently helped bar transgender and nonbinary Kansans from changing the gender on their birth certificates. He’s involved in an ongoing legal battle over drivers license changes.
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Kansas Motorists Urged to Lookout for Deer
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — The Kansas Department of Transportation is urging motorists to be on the lookout for deer. Vehicle-deer crashes can happen any day of the year on Kansas roadways, but these crashes greatly increase from now until the end of the year because of deer breeding season. November is typically the peak time for such collisions.
Across the state, 37% of all single-vehicle crashes in 2022 involved a collision with a deer. The Kansas Department of Transportation reports six people were killed and nearly 600 people were injured in collisions with deer in 2022. Roadway safety officials suggest drivers be especially watchful at dawn and dusk when deer are more active.
Other safety tips:
- If you see one deer, expect others, as deer seldom travel alone.
- Be alert and reduce speeds near wooded areas or green spaces and near water sources such as streams and ponds.
- Deer crossing signs show areas where high numbers of vehicle-deer collisions have occurred in the past; but they can happen on any roadway, including city streets.
- Do not swerve to avoid hitting a deer. Motorists could then veer into oncoming traffic, run off the road, hit objects or overturn.
- Use bright headlights when there is no oncoming traffic and scan for the reflective eyes of deer.
If a collision occurs, move the vehicle to the roadway’s shoulder. Then, if possible, call law enforcement – KHP dispatch at *47, the Kansas Turnpike at *KTA or local law enforcement at 911. Put the vehicle’s hazard lights on, whether it is light or dark outside.
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Detroit Automakers and Union Leaders Spar over 4,800 Layoffs at Non-Striking Factories, Including KCK
DETROIT (AP) — Detroit's three automakers have laid off roughly 4,800 workers at factories that are not among the plants that have been hit by the United Auto Workers strikes, which have lasted for nearly four weeks.
The companies say the strikes have nevertheless forced them to impose those layoffs. They note that the job cuts have occurred mainly at factories that make parts for assembly plants that were closed by strikes. In one case, layoffs have been imposed at a factory that uses supplies from a parts factory on strike.
The UAW rejects that argument. It contends that the layoffs are unjustified and were imposed as part of the companies' pressure campaign to persuade UAW members to accept less favorable terms in negotiations with automakers. The factories that have been affected by layoffs are in six states: Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Kansas, Indiana and New York.
Sam Fiorani, an analyst with AutoForecast Solutions, a consulting firm, said he thinks the layoffs reflect a simple reality: The automakers are losing money because of the strikes. By slowing or idling factories that are running below their capacities because of strike-related parts shortages, Fiorani said, the companies can mitigate further losses.
“It doesn’t make sense to keep running at 30% or 40% of capacity when it normally runs at 100%,” he said. “We’re not looking at huge numbers of workers relative to the ones actually being struck. But there is fallout.”
In a statement, Bryce Currie, vice president of Americas manufacturing at Ford, said: “While we are doing what we can to avoid layoffs, we have no choice but to reduce production of parts that would be destined for a plant that is on strike."
UAW President Shawn Fain countered in a statement that the automakers were using layoffs to pressure the union into settling the strike. With billions in profits, Fain argued, the companies don’t have to lay off a single employee.
The UAW began striking against General Motors, Ford and Stellantis on Sept. 15, with one assembly plant from each company. The next week, the union expanded the strike to 38 GM and Stellantis parts warehouses. Assembly plants from Ford and GM were added the week after that. All told, about 25,000 workers have walked off their jobs at the three automakers.
Striking workers are receiving $500 a week from the union’s strike pay fund. By contrast, anyone who is laid off would qualify for state unemployment aid, which, depending on a variety of circumstances, could be less or more than $500 a week.
“Their plan won’t work,” Fain said. “The UAW will make sure any worker laid off in the Big Three’s latest attack will not go without an income.”
GM said it has laid off 2,330 workers, including 1,600 at a temporarily closed assembly plant in Kansas City, Kansas, that makes the Chevrolet Malibu sedan and Cadillac XT4 small SUV. The plant uses metal parts produced at the GM plant in Wentzville, Missouri, which is on strike.
Other GM facilities that have been affected by layoffs are in Lockport, New York; Toledo, Ohio; Marion, Indiana; Parma, Ohio; and Lansing, Michigan.
Ford said it has laid off 1,865 workers. They include 600 auto-body and parts-stamping employees in Wayne, Michigan, who are not on strike but who have been affected by a nearby assembly plant that has been struck. Other Ford locations with layoffs include Chicago; Sterling Heights and Livonia, Michigan; and Cleveland and Lima, Ohio.
Stellantis said late Monday that it had laid off about 640 workers, including 520 at an engine factory complex in Trenton, Michigan, that supplies a Jeep plant in Toledo, Ohio, that is on strike. Other locations with layoffs include a metal casting plant in Kokomo, Indiana, and a machining factory in Toledo.
Fiorani said that if the strike widens, more workers will likely be laid off at non-striking plants. Once metal stamping factories that supply multiple assembly plants have produced enough parts for non-striking facilities, the companies would likely shut them down.
“Once you've filled up the stocks for the other plants you supply," he said, “you have to lay off the workers and wait out the strike.”
Separate companies that manufacture parts for the automakers are likely to have laid off workers but might not report them publicly, said Patrick Anderson, CEO of the Anderson Economic Group in Lansing, Michigan.
A survey of parts supply companies by a trade association called MEMA Original Equipment Suppliers found that 30% of members have laid off workers and that more than 60% expect to start layoffs in mid-October.
Fiorani said that while larger parts suppliers can likely withstand the strike, smaller companies that make parts for the bigger companies might not have enough cash or the ability to borrow to outlast the job actions. Some, he said, may have a couple dozen workers “and don't have billions in value to use as collateral in loans,” he said.
Thus far, the union has decided to target a small number of plants from each company rather than have all 146,000 UAW members at the automakers go on strike at the same time.
Last week, the union reported progress in the talks and decided not to add any more plants. This came after GM agreed to bring joint-venture electric vehicle battery factories into the national master contract, almost assuring that the plants will be unionized.
Battery plants are a major point of contention in the negotiations. The UAW wants those plants to be unionized to assure jobs and top wages for workers who will be displaced by the industry's ongoing transition to electric vehicles.
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KPR’s Fall Membership Drive Falls $30,000 Short
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — Almost 1,500 people helped Kansas Public Radio raise just over $300,000 during the station's fall membership drive. However, KPR fell short of its $330,000 goal. After eight days of on-air fundraising, KPR ended its fall membership drive with $300,511 in pledges. The drive wrapped up September 29 with pledges from 1,488 listener-members. The membership drive began September 22. “We faced a few obstacles in this drive,” Feloniz Lovato-Winston, KPR Director, said. “There was beautiful weather, as well as a couple of high profile football games while we were fundraising. There was a lot more competition for listener attention. We’ll look for alternative ways rather than on-air pledging to make up the shortfall," she said. The station continues to take pledges on its website.
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Chiefs' Kelce Expected to Play Against Broncos Following Ankle Injury
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs say they expect tight-end Travis Kelce to be available when the Chiefs play the Denver Broncos Thursday night. Kelce injured his ankle when he slipped on the turf in last weekend's win over the Minnesota Vikings. Coach Andy Reid says Kelce will be on the field for practice with the expectation that he will also be on the field Thursday night. Kelce hurt his ankle late in the first half of last Sunday's game. After receiving some treatment and stretching on the sideline, Kelce talked his way back into the game in the second half, and came up with a couple of big plays. He finished the game with 10 catches for 67 yards in the 27-20 victory.
(-Related-)
Chiefs Look for 16th Straight Win over Broncos When They Meet Thursday Night
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs will be seeking their 16th consecutive win over the Broncos when the longtime AFC West rivals meet Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium. Prior to the Chiefs' current win streak, the Broncos had won seven in a row. The Broncos are coming off a 31-21 loss to the New York Jets, while the Chiefs beat the Vikings 27-20 last Sunday and have won four straight since a season-opening loss to Detroit.
SERIES RECORD: Chiefs lead 71-55.
LAST MEETING: Chiefs beat Broncos 27-24 at Kansas City on January 1, 2023.
CHIEFS PLAYER TO WATCH: Second-year pro Trent McDuffie is a big reason for the success of the Kansas City defensive backfield. He is the third-rated cornerback in the league, according to Pro Football Focus, and his versatility makes him unique. McDuffie can cover outside or in the slot, handle man coverage or zone defenses, and he has shown an ability to blitz from the edge on any down.
KEY MATCHUP: Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco against the Denver defense, which is ranked last against the run this season. Pacheco banged up his ribs late in the Chiefs' win in Minnesota but should be available on short rest. He'll be going against a defense that allows 187.6 yards rushing per game on average.
STATS: This will be the 400th regular-season game played at Arrowhead Stadium.
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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. And follow KPR News on Twitter.