Attorney Pushes Back after KU Football Coach Put on Leave
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) – An attorney for University of Kansas football coach Les Miles is pushing back after Miles was placed on administrative leave. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that attorney Peter Ginsberg released a statement yesterday (FRI), calling KU’s actions “deeply disturbing and unfair.” Ginsburg also disputed KU’s claim that it was unaware of LSU’s 2013 internal investigation of Miles before the report went public this past week. Miles was accused of sexual harassment while at LSU; a Title IX review released by LSU Friday alleged that Miles “attempted to sexualize” the program’s student staff. KU AthleticDirect Jeff Long says that KU will conduct “a full review to determine the appropriate next steps.” Miles was coach at LSU for more than eleven years before being fired four games into the 2016 season.
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USDA Relocations to KC Curtail Ag Research
BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — More than a year after two U.S. Department of Agriculture research agencies were moved from the nation’s capital to Kansas City, Missouri, they remain critically understaffed and some farmers are less confident in the work they produce. The relocation of the Economic Research Service and the National Institute of Food and Agriculture in September 2019 led to a mass exodus of employees who couldn’t or didn’t want to move halfway across the country. The agencies are producing research that is smaller in scope and less frequent, and some farmers say they now have to corroborate USDA research by comparing it to private market analysis. A USDA spokesman says the agency is focused on rebuilding employee confidence and morale.
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Investigators: Fire at KC-Area Church Ruled Accidental
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Federal investigators say the fire that damaged an annex building of the First Baptist Church in Mission has been ruled an accident. The Kansas City Star reports that a spokesman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said Friday there will be no criminal investigation. Investigators have released the building back to the church. Firefighters were called to the church Thursday afternoon after smoke and flames were reported coming from the church’s annex building. By the time firefighters arrived, flames had broken through the building’s roof, which later collapsed. Firefighters were able to keep the fire from breaching the church’s sanctuary.
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Missouri to Hold Mass Vaccination Events in KC, St. Louis
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (AP) – Missouri plans to hold more large-scale COVID-19 vaccination events in Kansas City and St. Louis. That’s after more than 7,700 doses of vaccine were left over after mass vaccation events across Missouri last week. That is fueling frustrations that urban Missourians are desperate for COVID-19 vaccines while rural counties haven’t been able to find enough people to use them. Records from the Missouri Department of Public Safety show that the remaining doses were usually transferred to another local provider or held by the health department for later use. Over the course of the clinics, 152 doses were thrown away.
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Washburn University Plans Fall Return to In-Person Classes
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Washburn University plans to start its fall semester with in-person classes after the Shawnee County Health Department updated its vaccine plan to include university faculty and staff. University president Jerry Farley says this additional level of protection should allow them to return fully to a traditional campus model. The Topeka Capital Journal reports that university officials said Friday that Washburn University students can expect a more normal fall 2021 semester with university faculty and staff now prioritized for vaccine distribution. It was not immediately clear what prompted the change in vaccination policy. Vaccine distribution has ramped up in recent weeks and COVID-19 transmission rates and hospitalizations have fallen.