Kansas City Marks 40th Anniversary of Skywalk Tragedy
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday marked the 40th anniversary of one of its greatest tragedies with a release of white doves. The Kansas City Star reports that about 100 people gathered at the Skywalk Memorial Plaza to remember the 114 people killed when disaster struck the Hyatt Regency Hotel on July 17th, 1981. Hundreds of people had gathered in the hotel lobby for that night’s “tea dance” when skywalks collapsed. In addition to those killed, more than 200 people were injured. Brent Wright told the crowd that he is among the “members of a club we did not want to join.” He lost his mother and stepfather in the collapse.
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COVID-19 Surge Continues in Missouri
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The summer surge in COVID-19 cases is continuing this weekend in Missouri, with the state health department reporting 1,771 newly confirmed cases. Data also showed another uptick in hospitalizations. The state’s COVID-19 dashboard shows 1,424 people hospitalized across the state, up 67 from the previous day. The number of patients in intensive care units rose by 15 to 440. All told, the state has reported 543,694 confirmed cases of the virus, and 9,474 deaths since the onset of the pandemic. Cases and hospitalizations have risen sharply in recent weeks due to the presence of the delta variant of the virus, and because of low vaccination rates, especially in rural areas.
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Man Apparently Shoots Himself after Wichita Standoff
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Sedgwick County authorities have identified a 43-year-old man who they say shot himself during a standoff at a motel. Police yesterday (SAT) identified the man as Ramiro Rosete Jr. A Sedgwick County deputy stopped a vehicle driven by Rosete late Thursday and discovered that Rosete had an outstanding warrant for suspicion of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. Authorities say Rosete fled when the deputy tried to arrest him. Deputies later found Rosete at a Wichita motel, where he barricaded himself inside. SWAT team negotiators convinced Rosete to surrender, but authorities say that shortly after the agreement, a single gunshot was heard from the suspect’s room. The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that the suspect died of his injuries at a hospital.
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KCK Police Investigate Deaths of Two Men Found Near Crashed Car
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Police in Kansas City, Kansas, say two men found near a crashed vehicle were homicide victims. Police were called just before 5 a.m. Friday and found two men unconscious and not breathing near a vehicle that appeared to have crashed into a parked vehicle in an industrial area. Officers determined that the men, described as Hispanic and in their 20s, had been shot. Their names have not been released. No arrests have been made.