Kansas Among States Suing Owner of Facebook, Instagram Claiming Social Platforms Are Addictive
UNDATED (AP) — Dozens of U.S. states, including Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado are suing Meta Platforms Inc. - the owners of Facebook and Instagram -- for harming young people's mental health and contributing to the youth mental health crisis. The states claim Meta knowingly designed features on Instagram and Facebook that addict children to the platforms. The lawsuit was filed by 33 states in federal court in California. It also claims that Meta routinely collects data on children under 13 without parental consent, in violation of federal law.
In addition, nine attorneys general are filing lawsuits in their respective states, bringing the total number of states taking action to 41 and Washington, D.C.
The broad-ranging federal suit is the result of an investigation led by a bipartisan coalition of attorneys general from California, Florida, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Nebraska, New Jersey, Tennessee, and Vermont. It follows damning newspaper reports, first by The Wall Street Journal in the fall of 2021, based on the Meta's own research that found that the company knew about the harms Instagram can cause teenagers — especially teen girls — when it comes to mental health and body image issues. One internal study cited 13.5% of teen girls saying Instagram makes thoughts of suicide worse and 17% of teen girls saying it makes eating disorders worse.
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Officer-Involved Shooting on U.S. Highway 54 Near Pratt
PRATT COUNTY, Kan. (KPR) — Authorities are investigating an officer-involved shooting that took place Monday morning in south-central Kansas. The shooting injured a suspected car thief. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says it all began when state troopers were assisting a motorist in a van on U.S. Highway 54 in Kingman County. Troopers determined the van was reported stolen. The KBI says the female driver rammed a Kingman County patrol car and fled. A chase ensued and entered Pratt County. The first chase came to a stop in the parking lot at a convenience store in Pratt. The female passenger, identified as 22-year-old Abyana Parker, of Colorado Springs, ran from the scene on foot. A deputy deployed a taser during her arrest. She was arrested for aggravated battery against a law enforcement officer and other crimes.
Meanwhile, the male subject, identified as 29-year-old Ulysses M. Parker II, of Colorado Springs, also fled the scene. The KBI says he stole a truck and fled west on U.S. Highway 54. During that pursuit, a deputy from the Pratt County Sheriff’s Office fired multiple times into the truck, and Parker was struck in the arm. He was taken to a Wichita hospital where he was treated for his injuries. The man was later arrested for aggravated assault. Additional charges are expected. Both subjects were booked into the Kingman County Jail.
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Doctor with KU Connection Accused of Poisoning Pharmacist Wife
ROCHESTER, MN. (KAAL) — Authorities in Rochester, Minnesota, have arrested a 30-year-old doctor after a months-long investigation into his wife’s death. Police arrested 30-year-old Dr. Connor Fitzgerald Bowman last Friday. He's accused of poisoning his pharmacist wife, 32-year-old Betty Jo Bowman, who died in August. Dr. Connor Bowman used to work at the Mayo Clinic and is a former poison control worker in Kansas. He faces a single charge of 2nd-degree murder.
According to court documents, Dr. Bowman attempted to cancelhis wife's autopsy and tried to have her cremated. KAAL TV reports that witnesses told police the couple was likely getting divorced and that Dr. Bowman stood to collect$500,000 worth of life insurance if his wife died while they were still married. According to court documents, Rochester police seized Bowman’s electronic devices, which included a University of Kansas HP laptop. Dr. Bowman's next court appearance is set for November 1.
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KBI, Feds Still Investigating Security Breach Affecting Kansas Court System
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KSNT) — Many online systems used in the Kansas judicial system remain offline. Following a security breach, Kansas courts had to move to a paper-only system for filing court documents. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and federal officials continue to investigate the breach. The Kansas Supreme Court issued a “hard copy” order earlier this month and said the electronic filing of court documents would not be allowed until the computer problems were resolved. KSNT reports that the problem has affected Kansas courts across the state. The only place not affected by the security breach is Johnson County, which uses a separate online filing system for court business.
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KC Chosen as Technology Innovation Hub
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) — The Biden administration has selected the Kansas City area as one of 31 technology hubs across the nation to spur innovation and create jobs. KSHB TV reports that The Kansas City BioHub will focus on the development and manufacturing of animal and human vaccines and other related technologies. The hub will be led by BioNexus KC, a Kansas City-based nonprofit focused on healthcare innovation. Now, research organizations throughout the region will have the opportunity to receive part of $75 million in federal funding to help expand the development of innovative medicines and vaccines. KC BioHub was selected out of 370 tech hub applicants in 32 states and Puerto Rico.
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Kansas Liver Donor Helping Increase Number of Live Liver Transplants
UNDATED (KNS) — Medical experts say increasing the number of liver transplants that use organs from living donors could help more Americans access lifesaving transplants. The University of Kansas Health System plans to join a growing number of hospitals that offer the procedure. The vast majority of liver transplants use organs from a deceased donor. But that’s starting to change. (Read more.)
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Controversial Ex-Kansas Lawmaker Runs for School Board in Wyandotte County
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KNS) - A former Kansas lawmaker who has faced multiple allegations of abuse and assault is running for a school board seat in Wyandotte County. In middle school, Aaron Coleman admitted to posting a nude photo of a classmate because she did not send him more naked photos. Years later, Coleman’s ex-girlfriend said he strangled her. After that, Coleman was arrested for domestic battery for attacking his brother. He is now running for the Turner School Board in Wyandotte County. Five candidates are running for four seats, which means everyone is elected minus the person in last place. In a campaign video, Coleman said he wants to focus on bullying and student mental health. “I tried to tell people - vote, and elections have consequences. And I know change is coming," he said. Coleman spent two years in the Kansas House but lost his reelection bid last year. Coleman didn’t respond to interview requests. His campaign ads make no mention of his troubled past. “I have experience from my time in Topeka, discussing legislation, analyzing budgets and drafting policies," he said.
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Lawrence Receives Nearly 70 Reports of Non-Sanctioned Homeless Campsites Around Town
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — The City of Lawrence launched an online reporting tool for residents to reports new homeless campsites around the city. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that less than a week later, the city has received nearly 70 such reports. Although the city runs a tent support site for the homeless in North Lawrence, the emergence of unsanctioned campsites has been an ongoing controversy. When such reports are made, city staff members visit the unsanctioned campsites to discuss available services in the community. Staff members then give notice for people to vacate the area. The effort to curb illegal overnight camping comes after complaints that the city was not enforcing its no-camping ordinance.
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De Soto Finalizes Incentive Plan for Panasonic Factory
DE SOTO, Kan. (KNS) - City council members in De Soto have finalized a plan to offer tax incentives worth $200 million for Panasonic’s new electric vehicle battery plant. The agreement requires the company to help with public infrastructure projects, like roadway improvements and a new fire station. The agreement also says Panasonic must operate the facility until 2045 and employ at least 2,500 people. De Soto Mayor Rick Walker says it’s a deal that benefits the city. “You know, it’s a big company, and we’re a little city," he said. "They could have come in and tried to, you know, bully us. And they were a good partner throughout the process and I appreciate that.” The state of Kansas offered the company $830 million in incentives to build its $4 billion plant in De Soto. Panasonic promised it would create about 4,000 new jobs. The factory is expected to open in 2025.
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Kansas School District Moves to 4-Day Weeks Due to Water Shortage
CANEY, Kan. (KAKE) — At the end of this month, students in the Caney Valley school district will go to a four-day school week in order to combat the Montgomery County community's ongoing water crisis. In a news release posted on the district's Facebook page, the district says they are one of the largest consumers of water in the city, and the moves are intended to limit water usage. KAKE TV reports that students will not have school on Mondays. In addition, locker room showers will be turned off, and the district will be utilizing trailers with sealed doors on campus, and port-a-potties at athletic events. The district is also considering a modified sports schedule for the remainder of the semester to limit home events.
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Three Topeka Residents Charged in Money Lending Business Robbery
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — Three Topeka residents have been charged in connection with a robbery at money lending business called LendNation. The business provides loans to customers. Federal prosecutors say the store manager, 32-year-old Aaron Fish, along with two others - 47-year-old Mejia J. Pattillo and 32-year-old Katelyn Nichole North - are charged with conspiracy to commit robbery. The FBI and the Topeka Police Department are investigating.
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Mother Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Now-Closed Christian Boarding School in Missouri
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — A mother is suing a shuttered Christian boarding school in Missouri, blaming her son's death on a gang rape and other abuse he endured there. Agape Boarding School has been subjected to a wave of litigation as a series of abuse allegations emerged, but the case filed this month and amended Monday in federal court by Kathleen Britt is believed to be the first wrongful death suit. The suit said that mental health problems plagued Britt's son, Jason Britt, after he left the private school, where several staffers subsequently were charged. The suit said he lifted weights obsessively and ingested copious steroids so he would become so strong that he never would be victimized again. He grew so despondent that he wrote a suicide note. But heart and kidney failure were what claimed his life in February 2022. "The saddest part of his case is he finally found a cause to live when the circumstances of his choices ended up killing him," said attorney Rebecca Randles. "It is one of those completely devastatingly sad situations."
Among those named in the suit are the school, a company that transported students there, and Cedar County Sheriff James McCrary. Agape's attorney and the sheriff didn't immediately return a phone message from The Associated Press seeking comment. Jason Britt's parents turned to Agape because they were worried about his slipping grades and partying. In 2010, the then-16-year-old was awoken in the middle of the night while staying with his girlfriend. The men who transported him to Agape zip tied his hands and told him he had been given up for adoption, the suit said.
Instead of the counseling his parents were promised, the school was "a concentration camp or torture colony cloaked in the guise of religion," the suit said. Upon arriving, his head was shaved. And when he tried to write to his family about what was happening, he was punished. The maltreatment culminated in him being gang raped, the suit said. The suit said the sheriff's department knew of reports of abuse at Agape and a sister boarding school. But despite those reports, deputies routinely returned runaways to their schools without effectively investigating or reporting concerns to state welfare workers.
Some of the sheriff's department staff also worked at the school, the suit said. When Jason Britt's mother visited, she was alarmed by her son's demeanor and took him home, the suit said. The family learned he had been abused at the school, but they were ignored by Cedar County authorities, the lawsuit said. Anxious and withdrawn, he finished high school online and grew obsessed with weight lifting. "The steroids, testosterone, high blood pressure and anxiety coupled with the drug addiction were the mechanism of his death; the cause of his death was the abuse at Agape," the suit said.
More than a dozen other former students have settled lawsuits alleging they were abused at the southwest Missouri school. When the facility shut down in January, it was the fourth and last unlicensed Christian boarding school to close in Cedar County since September 2020. The school's former director, Bryan Clemensen, said the school, whose enrollment had tumbled, closed because it did not have the funding to continue.
Former Agape students came forward with abuse allegations in 2020. One former student said he was raped at Agape and called "seizure boy" because of his epilepsy. Others said they suffered permanent injuries from being disciplined or forced to work long hours of manual labor.
In 2021, Agape's longtime doctor, David Smock, was charged with child sex crimes and five employees were charged with low-level abuse counts. Then-Attorney General Eric Schmitt's office contended that 22 workers should have been charged, and with more serious crimes. But in Missouri, only the local prosecutor can file charges, and Cedar County Prosecuting Attorney Ty Gaither has said no additional employees would be charged.
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Kansas Businessman Charged in $1 Million Kickback Scheme Involving Nuclear Weapons Components
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KPR/ KC Star) — An indictment unsealed in Kansas City, Kansas, last week charges two businessmen for an alleged scheme to fraudulently steer and award contracts for work on nuclear weapons manufacturing projects. According to court documents, 67-year-old Michael Clinesmith, of Kansas, allegedly solicited and received kickbacks and bribes from 43-year-old Richard Mueller, of Missouri, in exchange for steering contracts from Clinesmith’s employer to Mueller’s company. Clinesmith allegedly used his position to steer contracts to Mueller’s company. In exchange, Mueller paid him over $1 million. The indictment also alleges that Mueller lied to federal agents. Clinesmith and Mueller are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and other crimes. If convicted, they each face a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison. (Read more in the Kansas City Star.)
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Kansas Wildlife Officials Hosts Cooking Competition of Invasive Species
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KNS) — Kansans can share their best recipes for eating invasive species at a new cooking competition organized by state wildlife officials. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks is holding its first-ever cooking competition next month in Lawrence. People can show off their best recipes for the foods they’ve foraged, fished and hunted. One category encourages people to cook up and serve the invasive species that are competing with native plants and animals in Kansas rivers, prairies and woods. The state wildlife department also offers occasional workshops across Kansas teaching people to identify these plants and animals, like white perch, and cook them. The event will take place at the Baker University Wetlands Discovery Center on November 19. Enter the competition by registering at KSOutdoors.com.
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Prosecutor: Ex-Police Chief Who Quit in Excessive Force Case Gets Prison Term for Attacking Ex-Wife
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A prosecutor says a former Missouri police chief who resigned amid accusations he assaulted a father who tried to drown a young daughter in 2018 has now been sentenced to prison for attacking his ex-wife in a separate domestic dispute. The Kansas City Star reports former Greenwood chief Greg Hallgrimson was sentenced Friday to 18 years in prison in a case in which a prosecutor says Hallgrimson knocked his ex-wife unconscious. Hallgrimson resigned in 2019 as chief of Greenwood, southeast of Kansas City. He had pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of the father in the earlier case, drawing probation from a federal judge.
Hallgrimson was chief of the Greenwood Police Department when a man walked into the department in December 2018 and said he had just tried to drown his daughter in a retention pond. Hallgrimson and another officer rushed to the icy pond and pulled the unconscious child out of the water. She was rushed to a hospital, where she was treated for severe hypothermia. But prosecutors said that upon completing the rescue mission, Hallgrimson threw the father to the ground back at a police station and punched him in the face.
Hallgrimson was placed on administrative leave shortly after he was accused of assault and resigned in May 2019. Greenwood is about 20 miles southeast of Kansas City. A federal judge subsequently sentenced Hallgrimson, who pleaded guilty to violating the civil rights of the father, to five years of probation. After Hallgrimson was indicted on a charge of violating the father's civil rights but before he was sentenced to probation in that case, he hit his wife so hard that she was knocked unconscious, according to authorities. The ex-wife was worried for her safety and initially told doctors the she broke her nose and fractured her eye socket falling down some stairs, the prosecutor said. Police began investigating about 17 months later. Defense attorneys for Hallgrimson had argued that Hallgrimson was not the initial aggressor because he was slapped first. In a statement Friday, Prosecuting Attorney Zachary Thompson said the sentence "sent an unmistakable message today that victims of domestic abuse will be heard and supported" in Clay County where the case was prosecuted.
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Chiefs Wide Receiver Justyn Ross Arrested in Suburban Kansas City
SHAWNEE, Kan. (AP) — Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross was arrested Monday in suburban Kansas City and is accused of causing criminal damage of more than $25,000. That's according to a booking report from the sheriff's office in Johnson County. The report does not provide any details or indicate whether bond was set. The Chiefs said they were aware of the arrest but declined to comment. The 23-year-old Ross has appeared in all seven games with three catches for 34 yards this season. He spent all of last season on injured reserve after having foot surgery.
The 23-year-old Ross, who originally signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent, missed all of last season following surgery. Ross helped Clemson win the college football national championship in 2018, when he caught 46 passes for 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns as a freshman. He was nearly as productive as a sophomore before missing his entire junior year, when he was found to have a congenital fusion condition in his neck and spinal area that required career-threatening surgery. Even though Ross returned in 2021 to catch 47 passes for 524 yards and three touchdowns for the Tigers, few NFL teams were willing to clear him medically to play. The Chiefs were among those that were willing to give him a chance.
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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.