Kansas Attorney General Urges Johnson County to Postpone Legally Required Destruction of Old Ballots to Aid Sheriff's Probe
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Republican attorney general in Kansas has urged the state's most populous county to postpone a legally required destruction of old ballots because the sheriff there says his investigation of possible election crimes remains open even though it's led to no criminal charges in two years.
Attorney General Kris Kobach, an early supporter of former President Donald Trump who has for years described election fraud as a serious issue, sent a letter Wednesday to the election commissioner in Johnson County in the Kansas City area. Kobach said officials should preserve ballots from 2019, 2020 and 2021 even though state law required all of them to be destroyed by the fall of 2022.
“Allowing the Sheriff’s Office to complete its investigation is in the interest of justice and provides the public with confidence in the integrity of their electoral system and election outcomes,” Kobach wrote in his letter, which became public Thursday.
The county has yet to destroy the old ballots because Sheriff Calvin Hayden has said he received scores of tips about potential irregularities starting in the fall of 2021 and is still investigating. Hayden, a Republican, has questioned the integrity of the county's 2020 elections and in the summer of 2022 participated in a conference for a group that promotes a dubious theory that sheriffs have virtually unchecked power in their counties.
With no evidence of significant problems in the county's elections — and none statewide — the Johnson County Commission took a step earlier this month toward the destruction of old ballots by allowing its chair to appoint a Democratic and a Republican observer. Hayden then asked for officials to continue preserving them, County Commissioner Charlotte O'Hara said during a meeting.
Hayden's office said Thursday that its investigation is ongoing but declined further comment.
The attorney general's letter did not say whether he would file a lawsuit or pursue some other step should election officials move ahead with destroying the ballots. His office did not immediately respond to an email asking questions about the letter.
Baseless conspiracy theories have circulated widely among Republicans since the 2020 elections and prompted the GOP-controlled state Legislature to tighten election laws in the name of restoring public confidence. Trump also continues to falsely claim that he won the 2020 election, and Hayden has said he began to question the previously solidly Republican county's elections when Trump lost there. The county's politics have become more Democratic over time — in part because of some suburban voters' distaste for Trump.
Kobach served as Kansas secretary of state from 2011 through 2018 and served as the vice chairman of a short-lived Trump presidential commission on election fraud. He also championed tough voter ID laws, one of which required new voters to show papers documenting their U.S. citizenship when registering and was struck down by the federal courts.
Kobach's successor as secretary of state, Republican Scott Schwab, declined to comment Thursday, though Schwab has strongly defended the integrity of the state's elections. Elections in 101 of the state's 105 counties are run by elected county clerks, but the secretary of state appoints election commissioners in the four most populous ones. Schwab appointed Johnson County's Fred Sherman in 2020.
Johnson County Commission Chair Mike Kelly said Schwab's office would supervise the destruction of ballots and said in a statement Thursday that it has “deferred this matter” to Schwab. Sherman did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment.
The conflict in Kansas' most populous county comes after activists who believe Trump's elections lies challenged voter registrations from the 2020 elections across the U.S. even as county election officials were preparing for the fall 2022 elections.
Kansas law requires election officials to destroy the ballots for local elections after six months, unless a result still is being contested. Ballots in state and national elections must be destroyed after 22 months. Under that rule, the ballots for the November 2020 election were to have been destroyed in September 2022.
But Kobach wrote in his letter that he is concerned that destroying the ballots would hinder Hayden's investigation.
“The preservation of any potential evidence is crucial to the integrity of this investigation, and the evidence should be retained until the case is formally closed and any and all resulting defendants are prosecuted,” Kobach wrote.
One issue for county election officials across the U.S. in preserving old ballots past their destruction date is space, but Kobach wrote in his letter that Hayden's office “is able to provide secure storage space.”
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Human Remains Recovered from Kansas River in Lawrence
LAWRENCE, Kan. (LJW) — Law enforcement officers retrieved a human body from the Kansas River near downtown Lawrence Thursday afternoon. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that an underwater search team from the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office recovered human remains and removed a body from the river around 4:00 pm Thursday. Earlier in the afternoon, two men had been fishing for catfish when they saw what they believed to be a body in the river east of the Bowersock Dam. They called 911 and Lawrence Police arrived at the area near the Kansas River Bridge in downtown Lawrence and recovered the body. A Sheriff’s Office spokesman says that investigators from the Douglas County Coroner’s Office are working on making a positive identification of the person. No further details have been released as the investigation continues.
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National Democratic Party Plans to Spend Big to Help Defeat Kansas Republicans
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — The national Democratic Party is gearing up to spend a large amount of money in Kansas ahead of the 2024 election. The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee says it wants to help break the Republican super-majority in the Kansas Statehouse. The G.O.P. currently holds a super-majority in both the Kansas House and Senate which allows Republicans to override vetoes from Democratic Governor Laura Kelly. The DLCC plans to spend $60 million on local and state races nationwide, but has not revealed a specific amount set aside for Kansas. Every seat in the Kansas Legislature will be up for election in 2024. Democrats need to flip at least two seats in the House to break the supermajority.
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Florida Man Charged with Hate Crime Murder in KCMO
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KSHB) — A Florida man is accused of stabbing a Kansas City, Missouri, man to death at a gas station and federal prosecutors now say he stabbed the man because of his race. Prosecutors say 36-year-old Sean Walter Tonkin was indicted in federal court Wednesday for committing a racially-motivated hate crime resulting in the death of 41-year-old Jon Rone. KSHB TV reports that Tonkin, who is white, was allegedly armed with a knife when he approached Rone, who was Black, on July, 4, 2023. Investigators say the attack was unprovoked and witnesses reported that Tonkin directed racist curses and threats at Rone. Court documents indicate that Tonkin then stabbed Rone twice in the chest and abdomen. Rone later died from those injuries. Prosecutors also say the defendant used racially-charged and aggressive language earlier in the day leading up to the incident, and immediately before and during his confrontation with the victim.
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Disciplinary Hearing for Douglas County DA Valdez Concludes, Panel Considers Consequences
LAWRENCE, Kan. (Lawrence Times) — A three-day disciplinary hearing against Douglas County District Attorney Suzanne Valdez concluded Wednesday. Now, a panel of three attorneys must decide whether to recommend that the Kansas Supreme Court censure Valdez, suspend her law license or impose other consequences. The Lawrence Times reports that special prosecutor Kimberly Bonifas asked the panel to impose a one-year suspension of Valdez’s law license. Valdez’s attorney, Stephen Angermayer, told the panel he believes a public censure is the appropriate remedy. The hearing is regarding Valdez’s conduct toward Chief Judge James McCabria, and some public statements she had made in press releases and a Facebook post calling the judge’s integrity into question. Much of the testimony focused on the harm that witnesses said Valdez’s actions have caused the Douglas County criminal legal system. Douglas County judges and former employees of the district attorney’s office told the panel that they were shocked by Valdez’s conduct. The disciplinary panel must determine whether they believe Valdez violated professional rules of conduct. There is no firm timeline for the panel to come to a decision in the case. Meanwhile, Valdez confirmed to reporters after the hearing that she “absolutely” intends to run for reelection in 2024.
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Lawrence Police: Subject of Silver Alert Believed Dead in Kansas City
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KSNT) — The Lawrence Police Department says that a 73-year-old man who was the subject of a silver alert on Tuesday is now believed to be dead. Police say that the alert was issued for Lawrence resident Jerry Adams after he did not return to his home for more than a week. KSNT TV reports that Adams's vehicle was located in Kansas City, Missouri with a dead person inside. Investigators say they believe the man is Jerry Adams. Authorities say there are no indications the death was a result of a homicide. Lawrence Police say they are working with KCPD as the investigation continues.
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Kansas Counties Report Rising COVID Hospital Admissions
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KNS) — Counties across northeast Kansas and the Kansas City metro area are reporting medium to high-level hospital admissions due to COVID-19 and that might affect holiday plans for some. Hospitals in both Wyandotte and Leavenworth Counties in Kansas are reporting high levels of COVID-19 admissions. The CDC recommends wearing a mask in those counties. In other counties in the region, masking is recommended if you are at high risk of illness. Dana Hawkinson, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Kansas Health System, says people can always wear a mask if they want to.
“We know that masking does help reduce risk of infection,” Hawkinson said.
Officials at the KU Health System say more people are coming in for testing at the system's clinics so case numbers are likely to rise.
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Kansas Emergency Rooms Reporting High Rate of Respiratory Illnesses
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – Emergency rooms across Kansas are seeing high rates of visits related to respiratory illness. The Kansas News Service reports that about 20% of emergency room visits in Kansas are for acute respiratory illness. That data comes from the state health department’s surveillance program. It’s the highest rate so far this year, but remains below last year’s peak of around 30%. Nearly 1% of all visits and more than 4% of pediatric visits are for RSV. Nearly 3% of visits are for COVID, and more than 1% are for the flu. Public health officials recommend frequent hand-washing, avoiding contact with sick people and other virus prevention precautions.
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Kansas Legislature Examining Statewide Child Care Shortage
UNDATED (Wichita Beacon) — Kansas lawmakers are looking at possible solutions to the state’s child care shortage. The Wichita Beacon reports that John Wilson with Kansas Action for Children says the state needs to spend more on child care. A patchwork of grants support programs for families and providers, but Wilson says that makes it hard to make more child care available.
“The state of Kansas is essentially spending no state general fund dollars on our early care and education system in Kansas,” Wilson explained.
But that could change. Wilson says lawmakers now seem more open to spending taxpayer dollars than they have in recent years.
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Judge Turns Down ACLU of Kansas Request to Eliminate Waiting List for Larned State Hospital
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (KNS) — A federal judge has denied a request from the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas to eliminate a long wait list for Larned State Hospital. The Kansas News Service reports that the hospital is the only place in Kansas where mentally ill inmates can receive treatment to stand trial.
The ACLU of Kansas filed the 2022 case against the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, which oversees the hospital. The organization wanted the judge to rule the waitlist is unconstitutional and order a plan to eliminate it. The group argues the wait keeps people who have not yet been convicted of a crime in jail for months. But the federal judge ruled a preliminary injunction was not necessary because the plaintiffs would not suffer irreparable harm. The case is expected to continue
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USDA Report: Minority Farmers Still Lag Behind White Counterparts in Federal Funding
URBANA, Ill. (HPM) — A recent report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture found that socially disadvantaged farmers, Black, and other minority agricultural producers operate at a higher risk level compared to their white counterparts. At the same time, the USDA report found that those farmers are less likely to receive government assistance. The department found that as many as 74% of farms operated by minority farmers have thinner profit margins than white farmers. Jonathan Coppess, an agriculture policy professor at the University of Illinois, says Black farmers have historically been left behind by the federal government and received less funding through USDA programs. “These programs are operated at local levels and county offices,” Coppess said. "If you have somebody who wants to use the loan program authority in a discriminatory way, it is difficult to prevent that and it’s difficult to root that out.” In recent years, the USDA has worked to end discriminatory practices. 2023 was the first year the department included data on credit and farmers of color in its annual report.
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Best Chance for White Christmas in Kansas Is in Western Part of the State
UNDATED (KNS) — The best chance of a white Christmas in Kansas this year is possibly in cities like Pratt and Hays, and farther west. Matthew Sittel, the assistant state climatologist, based at Kansas State University. He says the two main forecast models are divided on just how cold western Kansas will get.
“There’s still some difference of opinion. One of the forecast models says any precipitation that falls will be rain. While another one thinks that most of it could fall as snow,” Sittel explained.
Hays and Dodge City haven’t had a white Christmas in a decade. Goodland got one last year.
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KCI Warns Airline Travelers to Arrive Early
UNDATED (KCUR) — Travelers flying out of the Kansas City airport over the holidays are being encouraged to arrive at least two hours before their departure. KCUR reports that Joe McBride of the Kansas City Aviation Department says he doesn’t foresee any major snarls -- so long as drivers don’t create a bottleneck by waiting for passengers at the curb.
"We just can't allow vehicles to sit there for 20 minutes because it's causing a backup for everybody else. So essentially just use communication and then time your arrival," he said.
More than 400,000 travelers are expected to pass through MCI over the course of 10 days. That number is 25% higher than in the same period last year.
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AAA Expects One Million Kansans to Hit the Road
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — AAA Kansas says it’s expecting more than one million Kansans to hit the roads this holiday season. KSNT TV reports that the Kansas Highway Patrol will have more troopers on duty looking for impaired drivers and reckless drivers, and for violations of seat belt laws. AAA says that whether you are planning a local trip or long distance travel, it’s important to make sure your vehicle is prepared for winter driving. The auto club suggests keeping a winter emergency kit in your vehicle in case you are stranded. That kit can include bottled water, blankets, a first-aid kit, a flashlight, jumper cables, and a phone charger.
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School Districts Making Fight Against Absenteeism a Priority
UNDATED (KNS) — Some large Kansas school districts are lowering the rate of chronic absenteeism and finding ways to get students back to class. Education Commissioner Randy Watson says schools in Salina and Haysville made daily attendance a priority, after absentee rates peaked two years ago.
“We gave the data to each building principal and assistant principal and said, ‘Can we work on this? Can we call parents? Can we tell them how important it is to come to school? Can we help if they need transportation? Can we formulate a plan'?’”, he explained.
The Kansas News Service reports that in Haysville, south of Wichita, more than half of students were chronically absent during the 2021-22 school year. Now the rate is below 20% — about the state average. School officials say they hired more counselors and social workers. They also reach out to families early in the school year if students miss too many days.
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Chiefs Aim to Lock Up AFC West, Continue Dominance of Raiders in Christmas Day Matchup
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The one-sided nature of the Chiefs' recent history with the Las Vegas Raiders perhaps appropriately mimics the way the AFC West has turned into a one-team division since Andy Reid arrived in Kansas City just over a decade ago.
After second-place finishes in his first three seasons, Reid has led the Chiefs to seven straight division titles, and they could clinch their eighth on Monday with a victory over the Raiders — or a tie if the Broncos lose to the Patriots the previous night. The only streak longer in NFL history belongs to the Patriots, who won 11 straight AFC East championships from 2009 to 2019.
“That's something we talk about at the beginning of the year: Our first goal is to win the AFC West,” Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes said. “We have to be ready this week, and that would clinch our first goal if we are able to do that.”
The Chiefs (9-5) also are trying to keep their hopes alive of earning the AFC's No. 1 seed and lone first-round playoff bye. They head into the weekend two games back of the Ravens and a game behind the Dolphins, whom they have already defeated.
They Chiefs have an easier finishing stretch than either of those teams, and it begins with Las Vegas (6-8), which they have beaten six straight times and 11 of the last 12 in a series dating to Sept. 16, 1960, when the Chiefs were in Dallas and the Raiders in Oakland. In fact, the Raiders have won only once at Arrowhead Stadium since Oct. 28, 2012.
“It's a team that I'm just tired of losing to,” said Raiders cornerback Amik Robertson, who thought back to their 31-17 loss to the Chiefs in late November. “We’ve got the pieces. We’ve got the guys to be able to beat that team, and unfortunately we took an ‘L.’ That’s something I thought about for a long time. I’m happy that it’s back, that we’ve got an opportunity.”
Despite the lopsided nature of the rivalry, the Chiefs and Raiders remain just that: rivals.
There is a mutual hatred between the franchises, borne of the days of Len Dawson and Jim Otto, nurtured through the era of Bill Kenney and Jim Plunkett, and continuing into the present. Mahomes is 10-1 in his career against the Raiders.
“Any time you play a team like this,” Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell said, “you got to stay within yourself. Play one play at a time. Obviously there is history between the two teams, but I think any game you have to lock in on each play, each situation, try to stay ahead of the sticks and just make smart decisions.”
PLAYING ON CHRISTMAS
This is not the first time the Raiders and Chiefs have played on Christmas Day — the Chiefs won 31-30 in overtime in 2004, when Larry Johnson and Tony Gonzalez had two TDs apiece for Kansas City. The Chiefs also have a Dec. 25 win over the Broncos in 2016 and a Christmas loss to the Dolphins in the divisional round of the playoffs in 1971.
The only other game the Raiders have played on Christmas was in 2017, when they lost at Philadelphia.
AND PLAYING SANTA
Mahomes gives his offensive line gifts each year, and this year it was tricked-out golf carts that the big fellas whipped around the Arrowhead Stadium parking lot. Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams heard about it and was impressed, but noted that his own rookie QB probably won't have anything quite so extravagant lined up for his guys.
“It's a lot better than some gifts that I've seen quarterbacks give across the league. That's a hell of a gift,” Adams said, “but Aidan's bank account I don't think is ready for that. So he'll do that when he's ready.”
FLUKE OR FABULOUS
The Raiders raised plenty of eyebrows a week ago, when they set a franchise scoring record in their 63-21 victory over the Chargers. They scored a club-record 42 points in the first half, and eight different Raiders reached the end zone.
Now, they need to prove that it was not a one-off occurrence
“We're not expecting to have 60 points every time we go out there, but it was more the style and togetherness that we played with,” Adams said. “When you can go out there and play together like that and everybody does their job and play at a high level, it’s fun. So, hopefully we can continue to do that.”
FINISHING MATTERS
The Raiders have gotten off to good starts in two of their last three games against Kansas City, jumping out to a 17-0 lead in their October 2022 matchup and leading 14-0 earlier this season. In both cases, the Chiefs rallied for victories.
SPEAKING OF FINISHING
The Chiefs are last in the NFL in fourth-quarter scoring, averaging 2.8 points per game — a full point behind Arizona, the next-to-last team. They were shut out by New England last week and managed only a field goal the previous week against Buffalo.
“We've got to do better there,” Reid said. “Bottom line, you have to score.”
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