Kansas Attorney General Seeks to End to School Funding Lawsuit
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas's Republican attorney general asked the state's highest court to reward the GOP-controlled Legislature for following through on a decade's worth of court-mandated education funding increases by making it harder for local school districts to force higher spending in the future.
Attorney General Kris Kobach's office wants the Kansas Supreme Court to close a lawsuit that four school districts filed against the state in 2010. The request was filed Wednesday by Tony Powell, a former state Court of Appeals judge who now serves as Kobach's solicitor general.
The state Supreme Court issued seven rulings from 2013 through 2019 requiring the Legislature to increase funding for public schools and to make its formula for distributing its funds fairer to poorer areas of the state. The justices said in 2019 that the Legislature had complied with their directives, but they kept the case open to ensure that lawmakers fulfilled their promises.
The state expects to provide $4.9 billion in aid to its 286 local school districts during the current school year, which would be about 39% more than the $3.5 billion it provided for the 2013-14 school year. Powell noted that the court approved a plan four years ago to phase in a series of funding increases through the previous school year and wrote that “all funding has been phased in successfully.”
Kansas has been in and out of school funding lawsuits for several decades, with lawmakers promising increases in spending and then backing off when the economy soured and state revenues became tight.
With the lawsuit still open and in the state Supreme Court's hands, the school districts can go directly to the justices each year if they don't believe lawmakers have provided enough money. If the case were closed, districts would have to file a new lawsuit in district court that likely would take several years to reach the state Supreme Court.
Democratic Governor Laura Kelly opposes Kobach's request. Spokesperson Brianna Johnson described it as an “attempt to allow the Legislature to remove funding from our public schools.” She also noted that it came the same week that state education officials reported improvements in scores on standardized exams, including the best math scores since 2017.
She said, "It makes no sense to undo all the progress.”
The state constitution says lawmakers “shall make suitable provision for finance” of the state’s “educational interests.” The state Supreme Court has ruled repeatedly that the language requires legislators to provide enough money and distribute it fairly enough to finance a suitable education for every child.
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Kansas House Committee Seeks Establishment of Entrepreneur Office Position
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – A Kansas House committee wants to establish a new administrative office to help new businesses in the state. The House Commerce, Labor and Economic Development Committee is considering a bill that would create the Office of Entrepreneurship in the state’s Department of Commerce. The office would work with entrepreneurs to improve state policy and programs to help startups grow. Supporters also propose policy changes, like eliminating business license fees and suspending regulations for those businesses. Jason Grill of Right to Start, a group advocating for the bill, says supporting new businesses will boost the state’s economy. Some of the proposals have bipartisan support. The committee plans to work on the bill during the next legislative session.
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Johnson County Health Officials Begin Testing Olathe Northwest Students for Tuberculosis
OLATHE, Kan. (KNS) – Johnson County health officials began testing hundreds of students at Olathe Northwest High School for tuberculosis Thursday after confirming an active case earlier this month. Dr. Dana Hawkinson, the medical director of infection and prevention at the University of Kansas Health System, told the Kansas News Service that it can take weeks after exposure to test positive so known contacts will have to be tested twice. Tuberculosis can lie dormant in the body for decades, so if anyone tests positive the health department will have to investigate to try to find where they were exposed. Results from Thursday’s tests are expected in about two weeks.
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USFWS and Kansas Department of Agriculture to Collaborate on Quivira Refuge Water Rights Dispute
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kansas Department of Agriculture will work together to resolve a fight over water rights in central Kansas. The Rattlesnake Creek Basin provides water for the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge as well as local farmers and ranchers. The Kansas News Service reports that Quivira National Wildlife Refuge officials hold senior water rights over local farmers. It’s an important way station for migrating birds like ducks and geese. Federal officials wanted Kansas to ensure the refuge gets its share of dwindling water supplies by forcing farmers cut back on irrigation. But Democratic Governor Laura Kelly opposed the request because she said it would hurt the state economy. Kelly and Republican U.S. Senator Jerry Moran had both called on the agencies to work together to find a viable solution rather than forcing Kansas to take action.
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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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KCK and Wyandotte County's Unified Government May Be in Financial Peril
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KNS/KCUR) — The mayors of the three largest cities in Wyandotte County say the finances of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, are so bad, the United Government might have to break up to save the county. KCK Mayor Tyrone Garner says the Unified Government's debt and high utility rates are partly to blame. “If the Unified Government had been working as promised, I personally don’t believe we would have inherited a billion dollars worth of debt. I don’t believe there would be a vacuum of accountability. I just don’t believe that we would be fast tracking to bankruptcy by 2026 or possibly 2028," he said. Edwardsville and Bonner Springs voted against joining the Unified Government when it formed 25 years ago. The mayors say, however, that problems at the Unified Government cut into services those towns rely on from Wyandotte County.
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KU Basketball Avoids Major Penalties in NCAA Violations Case
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.”
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Class Action Lawsuit Filed over Wichita Chemical Spill
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS/KMUW) — A class-action lawsuit filed by Wichita residents living near a Union Pacific rail yard alleges they suffered lost property values because of an underground chemical spill. Many Wichita residents learned about the chemical spill at a Union Pacific railyard last year. A toxic chemical contaminated about three miles of groundwater underneath neighborhoods in northeast Wichita. The lawsuit alleges that the company’s negligence in handling and cleaning up the toxic chemicals decreased property values in the area neighborhoods. Chris Nidle is one of the lawyers who filed the suit. "Who wants to buy a house that is on this plume when you can buy one three blocks away that goes to the same schools and has the same access to community but doesn’t live on this plume?," he said. In a statement, Union Pacific wrote that it has worked closely with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to clean up the site since 1998, when the state identified its rail yard as the contamination source.
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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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Approved Multistate Wind-Power Transmission Line Will Carry Energy from Kansas and Increase Energy Capacity for Missouri
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri regulators on Thursday gave the go-ahead for a multistate wind-energy power line to provide the equivalent of four nuclear power plants' worth of energy to Missouri consumers.
At issue is the Grain Belt Express, a power line that will carry wind energy from Kansas across Missouri and Illinois before hooking into a power grid in Indiana that serves eastern states.
Invenergy Transmission, the Chicago-based company attempting to build the Grain Belt Express, last year proposed expanding the high-voltage power line's capacity after years of complaints from Missouri farmers and lawmakers worried that the line would trample property rights without providing much service to Missouri residents.
Under the new plan, approved 4-1 by Missouri's Public Service Commission, Grain Belt Express plans to bring as much as 2,500 megawatts of power to Missouri. Previously, state utility regulators approved a line that would have brought only 500 megawatts of energy to the state.
Investment in the project, which would stretch about 800 miles (1287 kilometers) from Kansas to Indiana on a route crossing Missouri and Illinois, also is expected to soar to about $7 billion, Invenergy said.
Various municipal utilities in Missouri have long intended to buy power from the project, but now five times as much electricity will be delivered to the state — rising from 500 to 2,500 megawatts — compared to earlier plans.
“The approval of this transmission line and the ability to bring five times as much power to Missouri as originally planned will not only help us tap a significant source of domestic energy, but it will also help improve reliability and affordability for the Missouri business community,” said Ray McCarty, president and CEO of Associated Industries of Missouri, in a statement.
The project will help unlock $7.5 billion in energy cost savings in Missouri and Illinois, according to its developers.
Some farmers who don’t want high-power transmission lines on their land have fought the project for years.
Commissioner Kayla Hahn, the only Missouri regulator to vote against the amended proposal Thursday, said she's worried there are not enough safeguards for farmers and other property owners, such as how compensation for damaged crops is handled.
“I want this line to benefit everyone to the maximum extent practicable,” Hahn said. “I don't think this order goes far enough.”
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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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Auto Workers Escalate Strike, Walking Out at Ford's Largest Factory
DETROIT (AP) — The United Auto Workers union significantly escalated its walkout against Detroit's Three automakers, shutting down Ford's largest factory and threatening Jeep maker Stellantis. In a surprise move Wednesday night, 8,700 members left their jobs at Ford's Kentucky truck plant in Louisville. And Thursday morning, union President Shawn Fain hinted at further action against Stellantis. "Here's to hoping talks at Stellantis today are more productive than Ford yesterday," Fain wrote on X, formerly Twitter, without saying what might happen.
Ford's truck plant makes heavy-duty F-Series pickup trucks and large Ford and Lincoln SUVs, hitting the company's most lucrative products. The vehicles made at the plant generate $25 billion per year in revenue, the company said in a statement. Fain said in a statement that the union has waited long enough "but Ford hasn't gotten the message" to bargain for a fair contract. "If they can't understand that after four weeks, the 8,700 workers shutting down this extremely profitable plant will help them understand it," Fain said.
The strike came nearly four weeks after the union began its walkouts against General Motors, Ford and Stellantis on September 15, with one assembly plant from each company. The company, however, called the strike expansion "grossly irresponsible" and said it has made strong wage and benefit offers to the union. It said the move puts about a dozen other Ford facilities at risk, as well as parts supply plants that together employ over 100,000 people. A Ford executive said the union called a meeting at the company's Dearborn, Michigan, headquarters Wednesday afternoon where Fain asked if the company had another offer.
High-ranking Ford executives responded that they are working on possibly bringing electric vehicle battery plants into the UAW national contract, essentially making them unionized. But they didn't have a significantly different economic offer, the executive said. Fain was told the company put a strong offer on the table, but there wasn't a lot of room to increase it and keep it affordable for the business, the executive said. Fain responded by saying, if that's the company's best offer, "You just lost Kentucky Truck Plant," said the executive. The meeting only lasted about 15 minutes, he said.
In a video, Fain said the union moved because Ford didn't change its offer. "We've been very patient working with the company on this," he said. "They have not met expectations, they're not even coming to the table on it." The escalation against Ford shows that Fain is trying to increase pressure on the company, said Marick Masters, a business professor at Wayne State University who follows labor issues.
But Ford and the other automakers have made concessions and raised wage offers, he said. The companies, he said, "may have reached their resistance points to varying degrees." Executives, he said, have bottom line positions they can't cross in terms of staying competitive with other automakers. Fain, Masters said, likely is testing how far he needs to push Ford before going to "full throttle," by taking all 57,000 Ford members out on strike. The union's move doesn't leave him optimistic for a quick end to the strikes, Masters said. "I think the issues that remain on the table are quite thorny," he said, pointing to union demands that all workers get defined benefit pensions and health insurance when they retire.
The UAW expanded its strikes on September 22, adding 38 GM and Stellantis parts warehouses. Assembly plants from Ford and GM were added the week after that. The Kentucky strike brings to 33,700 the number of workers on strike against the three automakers.
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.
Since the start of the strike, the three Detroit automakers have laid off roughly 4,800 workers at factories that are not among the plants that have been hit by the UAW strikes.
The companies say the strikes have 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. 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 in negotiations with automakers. The factories 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.
Striking workers are receiving $500 a week from the union's strike pay fund. In some states, laid-off workers could qualify for state unemployment aid, which, depending on a variety of circumstances, could be less or more than $500 a week. Fiorani said that as the strikes widen, more workers will likely be laid off at non-striking plants. 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.
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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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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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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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Big 12 Slate Has Kansas Backup QB Likely Facing Oklahoma State Again, and a Big Rush Against K-State
UNDATED (AP) – The Oklahoma State Cowboys are preparing to face the backup Kansas quarterback that beat them last year. The 23rd-ranked Jayhawks are 5-1 even while playing half of their games without injured star quarterback Jalon Daniels because of back issues. Jason Bean likely will start Saturday against the Cowboys. Bean had 296 total yards and three touchdowns last year in a 37-16 win that snapped Kansas' 12-game losing streak in its series against Oklahoma State. Also in the Big 12 this weekend, Texas Tech running back Tahj Brooks puts his streak of four consecutive 100-yard rushing games on the line against Kansas State and the league's top rushing defense.
Here's what to watch for in the Big 12 Conference in Week 7:
GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 23 Kansas (5-1, 2-1 Big 12) at Oklahoma State (3-2, 1-1). The Jayhawks have played half of their games without injured star quarterback Jalon Daniels, but are the only continuing Big 12 team currently ranked in the AP poll— fifth-ranked Oklahoma and No. 9 Texas are SEC-bound next season. Daniels missed the season opener and then the last two games, including a loss at Texas, because of back issues. He likely won't play again this week before an open date that will provide more time to recover.
Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy fully anticipates that his team will be facing Kansas backup quarterback Jason Bean, just like last year in a 37-16 loss that ended the Cowboys' 12-game winning streak in the series. That was one of four games Daniels missed in 2022 with a shoulder injury. Bean completed 18 of 23 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns and ran four times for 93 yards with a 72-yard TD.
The Cowboys are coming off a 29-21 win over defending Big 12 champion Kansas State, a year after a 48-0 loss to the Wildcats.
BEST MATCHUP
Texas Tech running back Tahj Brooks against the Kansas State rushing defense. Brooks has four consecutive 100-yard rushing games, including career highs with 31 carries for 170 yards in a win last week at Baylor. He is third in the Big 12 and fifth nationally averaging 114.7 yards rushing per game for the Red Raiders (3-3, 2-1). The defending Big 12 champion Wildcats (3-2, 1-1) have allowed only 93.4 yards rushing per game, best in the Big 12. Brooks has faced K-State three times, and limited to 72 yards on 15 carries combined in those three games.
IMPACT PLAYER
Iowa State junior safety Beau Freyler is the only Big 12 player to rank in the top 10 in the league in tackles (46) and interceptions (3). Freyler is coming off his first career game with multiple interceptions, in a win over TCU last Saturday when he had two picks and a team-high 11 tackles. It was his fifth career 10-tackle game. The Cyclones (3-3, 2-1) play at Cincinnati (2-3, 0-2) in a matchup of two of the league's best defenses.
THIRD LEAGUE
When Big 12 newcomer BYU (4-1, 1-1) plays TCU (3-3, 1-2) for the first time since 2011, it will be the third different conference in which they have played games against each other. The Cougars and Horned Frogs previously overlapped in the Western Athletic Conference (1996-98) and were also together in the Mountain West (2005-10). They are nearly identical in scoring this season — both on offense and defense. TCU averages 31.3 points per game, while BYU averages 31.0 a game. The Frogs give up 22.0 points a game, and the Cougars 22.4.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS Among conferences, the Big 12 is first with its teams combining to average 171.1 yards rushing per game. That includes three of the nation's top five individual rushers: Texas' Jonathon Brooks (121 yards per game, second among FBS rushers), TCU's Emani Bailey (115 ypg, fourth FBS) and Texas Tech's Brooks (fifth FBS). ... For the second weekend in a row, there are four teams with open dates. The teams getting a break are Red River rivals Oklahoma (6-0, 3-0) and Texas (5-1, 2-1) a week after their latest classic game, along with slumping Baylor (2-4, 1-2) and UCF (3-3, 0-3). The Knights are only team with three conference losses so far.
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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.