KS - January 13 2025

1. Kansas Legislature Opens 90-Day 2025 Session
2. State Court Upholds Controversial Kansas Highway Patrol Search Tactic
3. USDA Commits $180M for Biofuel, Clean Energy Projects
4. Kansas Tornado Count Doubles in 2024, Claims One Life
5. Kansas Among States Facing Surge in Respiratory ER Visits
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1. Kansas Legislature Opens 90-Day 2025 Session

Kansas lawmakers are returning to the capital city for the start of the annual legislative session. The House and Senate are scheduled to gavel in Monday [today] for what is expected to be a largely ceremonial first day. The session begins at 2 p.m. Monday, Jan. 13, and can last for 90 days. The exact timetable is generally fluid, with a break in April.

Article Source: Topeka Capitol-Journal

2. State Court Upholds Controversial Kansas Highway Patrol Search Tactic

A controversial technique used by Kansas Highway Patrol troopers to extend traffic stops and eventually search vehicles has been upheld by a state appeals court even as the issue is being litigated in a federal appeals court. Troopers for years have used a technique known as the Kansas two-step. At what would normally be the conclusion of a traffic stop, they start to step away, then return to the driver's window to ask more questions. Law enforcement argues that it is now a consensual encounter, legally separate from the traffic stop. The Kansas Court of Appeals on Friday ruled that the practice remains legal under state law. But one of the appellate judges is calling on the Kansas Supreme Court to take up the case and reverse its own precedent. Meanwhile, a federal appeals court is reviewing a separate case and will decide whether to uphold or overturn a U.S. District Court ruling that the KHP unconstitutionally used the two-step.

Article Source: Topeka Capitol-Journal

3. USDA Commits $180M for Biofuel, Clean Energy Projects

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investing $180 million to expand biofuels and clean energy systems in an effort to create new market opportunities while addressing climate change. The latest round of funding will go to 586 projects across 42 states, Guam, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The grants aim to help business owners improve their operations’ energy efficiency and install or upgrade biofuels infrastructure, according to the USDA. The funding came from the Inflation Reduction Act and was made available through the USDA’s Rural Energy for America Program and Higher Blends Infrastructure Incentive Program.

Article Source: Agriculture Dive

4. Kansas Tornado Count Doubles in 2024, Claims One Life

Preliminary results indicate 2024 was a more active year for severe weather in Kansas. Scientists at the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, are tallying last year’s severe weather reports. Across Kansas, 89 tornadoes were reported, more than double the 39 tornadoes counted in 2023. The most powerful tornado to strike the Sunflower State for the year was the April 30 storm that hit Westmoreland. It was rated EF-3, with estimated winds of 140 mph. Ann Miller, a 58-year-old lifelong Pottawatomie County resident and a county health department employee for 28 years, died when her home was destroyed by the storm. Miller was the only storm-related fatality recorded in Kansas in 2024. The last time a tornado claimed a person’s life in Kansas was during a severe weather outbreak on April 14, 2012. One person died and 110 tornadoes were counted across Kansas and Oklahoma, including an EF-4 that scoured a section of gravel road up to five inches deep and swept a home from its foundation in Ellsworth County.

Article Source: KS Reflector

5. Kansas Among States Facing Surge in Respiratory ER Visits

A number of states are seeing a spike in hospital visits caused by respiratory illnesses as we enter the New Year. Nationally, emergency department visits from patients suffering from influenza or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are now “very high,” the CDC’s most top level, according to the most recent data. Flu, RSV and COVID-19 visits are all increasing as we near mid-January, however COVID visits are still at a low level. Social Security retirement age set to change in 2025 The states with the most ER visits for respiratory illnesses ranging from the common cold to COVID-19 are Arizona, Utah, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Louisiana, Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and New Hampshire, according to the CDC.  

Article Source: KSNT

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Edited by Leigh Loving  

Monday, January 6: 

South Florida Bulls @ Wichita State Shockers

South Florida Bulls 91

Wichita State Shockers 72

Tuesday, January 7: 

Kansas State Wildcats @ Oklahoma State Cowboys

Oklahoma State Cowboys 79

Kansas State Wildcats 66

Wednesday, January 8: 

Arizona State Sun Devils @ Kansas Jayhawks

Kansas Jayhawks 74

Arizona State Sun Devils 55

Saturday, January 11: 

Wichita State Shockers @ UTSA Roadrunners

UTSA Roadrunners 88

Wichita State Shockers 75

Saturday, January 11: 

Kansas Jayhawks @ Cincinnati Bearcats

Kansas Jayhawks 54

Cincinnati Bearcats 40

Saturday, January 11: 

Houston Cougars @ Kansas State Wildcats

Houston Cougars 87

Kansas State Wildcats 57

 After a bye week, the top seeded Kansas City Chiefs will take on the Houston Texans at Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday, January 18 at 3:30pm. 

 The Kansas Jayhawks rose in the AP poll to #9 after limiting opponents to a combined 88 points in its two road games. The Jayhawks take on #2 ranked Iowa State Cyclones on Wednesday at 7pm.

 Patrick Mahomes Welcomes Third Child During Playoffs Bye Week  

It’s a bye-week miracle — the Mahomes are now a family of five. In a Monday afternoon Instagram post, Brittany Mahomes announced the birth of her and husband Patrick Mahomes’ third child, Golden Raye Mahomes. Golden is the couple’s third child together, born just over two years after older brother Patrick “Bronze” Lavon Mahomes III, 2, and nearly three years after Sterling Skye Mahomes, 3.

Article Source: KWCH

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Sources

1. https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/government/2025/01/13/what-to-know-about-start-of-kansas-legislatures-2025-session/77094627007/

2. https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/government/2025/01/13/kansas-highway-patrols-controversial-two-step-upheld-by-state-court/77595737007/

3. https://www.agriculturedive.com/news/usda-invests-180m-in-biofuels-and-clean-energy-projects/737169/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Issue:%202025-01-13%20Agriculture%20Dive%20%5Bissue:69437%5D&utm_term=Agriculture%20Dive

4. https://kansasreflector.com/2025/01/11/kansas-records-more-than-double-the-number-of-tornadoes-in-2024-over-previous-year/

5. https://www.ksnt.com/news/kansas/map-emergency-room-visits-for-respiratory-illnesses-are-soaring-in-these-states/

6. https://www.kwch.com/2025/01/13/brittany-patrick-mahomes-welcome-third-child-golden-raye-mahomes/