KS - January 27 2025

1. Chiefs Edge Bills 32-29, Chase Historic Super Bowl Three-Peat
2. Murder Suspect Dies During Kansas Car Chase Near Greensberg
3. Panasonic EV Battery Plant Nears Launch
4. Tick-Related Meat Allergy Rising in Kansas
5. Kansas GOP Pushes Youth Trans Care Ban
6. Kansas Sports Update

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1. Chiefs Edge Bills 32-29, Chase Historic Super Bowl Three-Peat

No one can say the Kansas City Chiefs are taking the easy road to NFL immortality. With a 32-29 victory over Buffalo on Sunday, the Chiefs have now conquered Josh Allen’s Bills, Lamar Jackson’s Baltimore Ravens and Joe Burrow’s Cincinnati Bengals in consecutive AFC Championship Games. Arrowhead Stadium is where opponent legacies go to die. The two-time defending Super Bowl champs can claim (slight) superiority over the 1970s Pittsburgh Steelers in the dynastic hierarchy if they can beat the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans on Feb. 9

Article Source: NYT

2. Murder Suspect Dies During Kansas Car Chase Near Greensberg

A 55-year-old man wanted in connection to a homicide in eastern Kansas died over the weekend in a crash during a pursuit in the southwest part of the state.  The crash happened at around 9 p.m. Saturday on U.S. 54 just west of Greensburg. The Kansas Highway Patrol said troopers spotted a stolen Ford Focus heading east and that the driver was being sought in connection to a homicide in Anderson County.  "As troopers prepared to conduct a traffic stop, the vehicle pulled to the shoulder and stopped near milepost 102," KHP said in a release. "After the trooper made verbal contact, the driver fled, and a pursuit ensued." After the Kiowa County Sheriff's Office successfully deployed stop sticks, the car went off the road and impacted a field entrance. The car then went airborne and rolled, ejecting the driver. The driver, Jerry Wayne Thompson, was taken to a local hospital where he died.  Anderson County Sheriff Wesley McClain said 36-year-old Sheila Kendall, originally from Georgia, was found dead Thursday in a home in the 300 block of First Street in Kincaid. Thompson owned the home, and the sheriff's office confirmed his involvement in the homicide on Friday. An arrest warrant was then issued for Thompson.

Article Source: KAKE

3. Panasonic EV Battery Plant Nears Launch

A little over two years ago, local, state and federal officials gathered in a dirt lot on a windy day to celebrate construction beginning on Panasonic’s new electric vehicle battery facility in western Johnson County. Officials gathered again earlier this month to celebrate the plant — only this time inside the 4.7 million-square-foot facility. “This factory will not only produce EV [electric vehicle] battery storage, it will foster economic growth and it will create stability within this region,” Allan Swan, president of Panasonic Energy of North America and Leader of Project Kansas, said during the Jan. 17 event Panasonic hosted. The company has said that it is on track to hire as many employees as it will need to open part of the plant to launch production later this spring, while it finishes the remaining construction. The agreement that the state of Kansas made with Panasonic does not guarantee or require that the company provides a certain number of jobs or pays certain wages, but the company said that it intends to hire upwards of 4,000 employees with starting wages between $20 and $30 an hour.

Article Source: KC Star

4. Tick-Related Meat Allergy Rising in Kansas

Researchers at Kansas State University say the number of cases of an allergic reaction to red meat tied to tick bites is increasing across the state. Priscilla Brenes, K-State Research and Extension nutrition and wellness specialist, said cases of an allergy called alpha-gal syndrome are becoming more common through more rural areas of Kansas. Alpha-gal syndrome is the term used to describe the allergic reaction to red meats and mammalian related products, most often through a tick bite. The main parasite responsible for the spread of alpha-gal syndrome is the Lone Star tick, a common variety in brushy and more heavily wooded parts of Kansas. Brenes said in a statement that she surveyed other Kansas extension agents and found there was a lack of available information about alpha-gal syndrome, and that the agents wanted more details to share within their communities. K-State entomologist Yoonseong Park said studies indicate that less than 10% of people bitten by the Lone Star tick ever develop an allergic reaction to red meat. Symptoms of alpha-gal syndrome include hives, nausea or vomiting, severe stomach pain, dizziness, drops in blood pressure, shortness of breath and swollen lips and throat.

Article Source: KS Reflector

5. Kansas GOP Pushes Youth Trans Care Ban

As promised, Kansas Republican lawmakers are renewing their effort to ban gender-affirming care for transgender youths. The House Health and Human Services Committee has a hearing scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday on House Bill 2071, which supporters have dubbed "The Help Not Harm Act." In speaking with reporters Friday at the Statehouse, House GOP leadership identified the bill as a priority for this week. Republicans have struggled to keep their supermajorities united to override vetoes of past attempts to ban gender-affirming care for children. "Last year, we had two Republicans that said that they wouldn't support it, and we couldn't get the override," said House Speaker Dan Hawkins, R-Wichita. "This year, that's not the case. So we will finish this up."

Article Source: Topeka Capitol-Journal

6. Kansas Sports Update

Kansas City Chiefs

• January 26: Chiefs 32, Bills 29 (AFC Championship)
• Season Record: 15-2

Oklahoma City Thunder

• January 22: Thunder 123, Jazz 114
• January 23: Thunder 115, Mavericks 121
• January 26: Thunder 118, Trail Blazers 108
• Season Record: 37-8

NCAA Men's Basketball: Kansas Jayhawks

• January 22: Jayhawks, TCU 61
• January 25: Jayhawks 86, Houston (7) 92 / 2OT
• Season Record: 14-5, AP Poll Ranking: 11

NCAA Men's Basketball: Kansas State Wildcats

• January 22: Wildcats 62, Baylor 70
• January 25: Wildcats 73, WVU (23) 60
• Season Record: 8-11

NCAA Men's Basketball: Wichita State Shockers

• January 23: Shockers 53, Memphis (24) 61
• January 26: Shockers 77, Tulsa 84
• Season Record: 11-9

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Sources

1. https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6014459/2025/01/27/chiefs-bills-eagles-refs-super-bowl/?source=user_shared_article

2. https://www.kake.com/home/kansas-murder-suspect-dies-in-crash-during-chase/article_16c58058-dcbe-11ef-9dfd-d344653ecd13.html

3. https://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article298716133.html

4. https://kansasreflector.com/briefs/kansas-state-university-researchers-say-red-meat-allergy-from-tick-bites-is-becoming-more-common/

5. https://www.cjonline.com/story/news/politics/government/2025/01/27/kansas-republicans-try-again-to-ban-gender-affirming-care-for-minors/77931293007/