heartland - October 25 2024

1. Alarming Increase in Kansas Child Deaths Linked to Fentanyl, Data Shows
2. Kansas Unemployment Rate Stabilizes at 3.3% After Five-Month Climb
3. How Boeing Strike Could Impact Wichita Jobs and Economy
4. Shawnee County Syphilis Outbreak Accounts for Major Portion of Kansas Cases
5. Wichita Water Rates Expected to Rise by 70% Over Next Decade Due to New Plant Costs
Sports

1. Alarming Increase in Kansas Child Deaths Linked to Fentanyl, Data Shows

New data shows an alarming increase in Kansas children dying connected to drugs. The new data released this month focuses on kids 0 to 17. It shows nearly 400 children died in ’20-’22 from drug-related deaths.

Article Source: KSN

2. Kansas Unemployment Rate Stabilizes at 3.3% After Five-Month Climb

The streak of five consecutive months of increases in the Kansas unemployment rate came to an end in September as the jobless figure held at the 3.3% level reached in August. State and federal labor departments reported Kansas unemployment plateaued at 3.3% following a steady rise from 2.7% in March. The percentage of Kansans unable to find employment ranged from 2.6% to 2.8% from June 2022 through April of this year. The progression: March, 2.7%; April, 2.8%; May, 2.9%; June, 3%; July 3.2%; and August, 3.3%. On an individual basis, that meant the number of Kansans unsuccessful in securing employment increased from 40,700 in March to 50,400 in September. Kansas’ nonfarm payroll, a figure that captures private sector and government employers, did grow by 2,700 jobs in September. Of that shift, 1,900 jobs were added in government and 800 jobs were created in the private sector in Kansas. In the past year, Kansas expanded nonfarm employment with 16,500 private-sector jobs and 2,700 government positions.

Article Source: KS Reflector

3. How Boeing Strike Could Impact Wichita Jobs and Economy

This is the sixth week since thousands of Boeing machinists went on strike in Washington. Sixty-four percent of union workers rejected Boeing's latest offer on Wednesday night. Now the workers are still picketing as the strike has been extended and there’s no end in sight. “This isn't good news for Boeing, it's not good news for Spirit and all the folks down chain from them,” Dr. Larry Straub, associate professor at Newman University.  Straub says it's pretty unexpected the Boeing strike has lasted so long and the longer it lasts the greater the risk for more furloughs and layoffs.  “If you get it resolved within the first month you can kinda hit the reset button pretty quickly. The longer it goes on the trickier it gets,” said Dr. Straub. He says when you shut supply chains down- like Boeing has done with Spirit in furloughing 700 local employees- it's not like flipping on a light switch to turn them back on.  “They had better figure this out. This is getting serious and it's going to get even more serious- you just feel like this is a game of chicken right now,” said Dr. Straub. According to a recent earnings report, the strike has cost the company more than six billion dollars so far, but Straub says Wichita’s economy could start to feel the burn of some local workers going without paychecks due to furloughs or layoffs.

Article Source: KAKE

4. Shawnee County Syphilis Outbreak Accounts for Major Portion of Kansas Cases

A syphilis outbreak in Shawnee County now accounts for more than one-fourth of Kansas' syphilis cases this year. "The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) and the Shawnee County Health Department (SCHD) have been working together in response to a person-to-person syphilis outbreak," KDHE reports on its website. "Those impacted have reported experiencing homelessness, unstable housing, and/or injection or non-injection drug use. The current outbreak is affecting both men and women." KDHE reportable infectious disease statistics show 29 primary syphilis cases and 51 secondary syphilis cases so far this year in Shawnee County residents. Statewide, there have been 122 primary syphilis cases and 166 secondary syphilis cases this year. For 2024, Shawnee County accounts for roughly 24% of Kansas' primary syphilis cases and about 31% of the state's secondary syphilis cases.

Article Source: Topeka Capitol-Journal

5. Wichita Water Rates Expected to Rise by 70% Over Next Decade Due to New Plant Costs

Wichita water customers should brace for higher-than-expected rate hikes over the next decade as the cost of operating a new water treatment plant outpaces the city’s budget. City projections show water and sewer bills increasing by more than 70% over the next 10 years to pay for the new plant and other major infrastructure projects. Low-use residential customers who pay $60 to $70 a month this year would pay $103 to $126 a month by 2034, according to an Eagle analysis of city estimates presented to the City Council during a work session on Tuesday. And those projections could be on the low end of what to expect. The new plant — Wichita Water Works — is scheduled to open April 1, six months late, at a cost of $573 million, $20 million over the city’s 2019 budget. The city will continue operating the Main Water Treatment Plant until at least 2026.

Article Source: Wichita Eagle

Sports

OKC 102 DEN 87  

This weekend  

OKC v CHI 

Border War: KU v KSU 

Chiefs v Raiders  

OKC v ATL

Sources

1. https://www.ksn.com/news/health/new-data-shows-alarming-increase-in-kansas-children-dying-connected-to-fentanyl/

2. https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/kansas-unemployment-rate-settles-at-3-3-in-september-highest-mark-in-two-years/

3. https://www.kake.com/home/how-the-continued-strikes-at-boeing-will-affect-wichitans/article_91ddf4cc-925a-11ef-b31d-5bdd007641d5.html

4. https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/government/2024/10/25/shawnee-countys-syphilis-outbreak-infects-80-before-concluding/75808769007/

5. https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article294351864.html