A victim who had been shot was located at 4:40 a.m. March 23 in the 500 block of North 64th Terrace, according to a social media post by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department.
The victim was taken to an area hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. The victim was not cooperative, police stated.
Victim held at gunpoint
A suspect entered a house around 5:30 a.m. March 23, awakening victims, according to a social media post by the Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department.
The suspect pointed a gun at the victim and would not let the victim leave, according to the report.
After some time the suspect left the residence and the victim called police, the report stated.
Flowers and accolades from coach Joe McKinstry for Caroline Hoppock at KCKCC’s Sophomore Day ceremonies. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins) Despite injuries that sidelined her for the 2018 season and half of the 2020 season, Caroline Hoppock was invaluable in KCKCC’s 2019 national championship season and averaged 13.3 points in 15 games this year. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)
by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC
When it comes to adversity, Caroline Hoppock just might be the poster child.
Overcoming two car accidents, concussions, vertigo and back and shoulder injuries, the sophomore from Olathe East played roles in 78 basketball wins over the past three years.
“Were it not for all the injuries, Caroline would undoubtedly have been the best 3-point shooter I’ve ever had,” KCKCC coach Joe McKinstry said.
Even then, her 109 threes are the fifth most in history and she’s seventh in record book for a single season with 59. In 15 games this past season, Hoppock averaged 2.6 treys a game. If played out over 32 games, she would have been very much in contention at breaking the single season mark of 87 held by former teammate Camryn Swanson.
As it is, she leaves tied for the single game record of eight set last year when she knocked down 8 of 11 shots against Fort Scott, the best one-game 3-point percentage ever (.727).
“Two of the three misses were air balls,” Hoppock said. “Either it was going in or it missed everything. I was getting the ball a lot and hyped up and the crowd was getting into it. It was weird, like no one guarding me or any of us. But with such a good team, most every game was pretty easy.”
Hoppock played in all 36 games last season, averaging 7.3 points, 2.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists in an invaluable role in KCKCC’s march to the NJCAA Division II national championship. This season, she averaged 13.3 points, shooting 41.7 percent from 3-point and .821 from the free throw line, both team bests.
However, it all might never have happened were it not the persistence of Hoppock and McKinstry. About a week before signing with KCKCC, Hoppock suffered a shoulder injury after her car was rear-ended. The mishap required surgery.
“I was so scared about my shoulder and back, I never expected I’d be able to play,” Hoppock said. “I remember Coach Mac told me, ‘I don’t care, I still want you.’ He was amazing through all the injuries. Never lost hope, way above what a coach should do to get me back on the floor.”
McKinstry first spotted Hoppock at a recruiting event in Wichita in the fall of 2016.
“I could tell Caroline was a strong guard with good size and a great looking shot,” McKinstry said. “As soon as her high school season began, Coach Missa Anderson and I tried to make as many of her games as possible.”
Six games into her freshman season, Hoppock hit her head on the floor on a rebound in a game at North Arkansas, suffering a concussion, bad headaches and vertigo that ultimately ended her season. Ironically, the injury came on the same floor that KCKCC won the 2019 national championship.
“As soon as we beat Graceland in the first game 121-66, I thought this team was special,” Hoppock said of the championship season. “We had really good connections on and off the court. It almost seemed magical as well as we played so coming off the bench was special. The games we lost was us shooting ourselves in the foot. Once we beat Johnson County (79-76 in overtime), we knew we could beat Highland and the national tournament was a walk through the park. The teams there had not played the schedule we had.”
On June 5, 2019, Hoppock was in yet another car accident.
“It was the day after we got our championship rings,” she said. The resulting back problems kept her out of this season’s first 15 games. When she returned, she knocked down five 3-pointers in each of her first three games and 23 in the first six, scoring 19 or more points in five of the six. “I really didn’t expect to make an impact, the team was playing so well without me; it was weird how well I was playing.
“This year we had so many freshmen. This conference is not easy plus all the studies and getting use to play for Coach Mac. People says he yells at us but he’s not yelling; he’s trying to make us better. You can’t take in personal; he just wants to get the job done.”
Looking back at her career, Hoppock calls it “the most unpredictable, crazy, fun, roller coaster ride ever. I never knew what was coming up next. I guess it’s just part of being an athlete. I was just very fortunate to have such good trainers to put up with all my injuries.”
As for next year?
“Kind of playing the waiting game,” she said. “I’ve got some mail and talked to some colleges. I have to be playing.”
The world seems to have changed so quickly. It is difficult to put all of the emotions into words with the coronavirus pandemic now affecting literally every aspect of our lives. We are all in this together and we must remember to be kind, be patient, be safe and help one another.
The Kansas City area is under a Public Health Order to stay at home, except for essential needs, effective Tuesday, March 24, for 30 days in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19. Additional information is available at https://www.wycokck.org/.
The Kansas Legislature has adjourned until April 27 (the start of veto session). I will continue to update you with COVID-19 developments and community news. As developments are changing rapidly, please follow My Legislative Facebook Page for information as we all adjust to a new reality and work to keep each other safe during this public health emergency.
Please stay informed and follow the recommendations of the CDC and state and local health officials. It is so important that we flatten the curve to save lives and to not overwhelm our health care systems. My thoughts and blessings to you and your loved ones during this difficult time. As our state motto says – Ad Astra Per Aspera – To the Stars Through Difficulty – and together we will overcome the hardship we face with the coronavirus pandemic facing our state, nation and world.
It is a special honor to serve as your state representative. I value and appreciate your input on issues facing state government. Please feel free to contact me with your comments and questions. My office address is Room 452-S, 300 SW 10th, Topeka, KS 66612. You can reach me at 785- 296-7430 or call the legislative hotline at 1-800-432-3924 to leave a message for me. You can also email me at pam.curtis@house.ks.gov.
Coronavirus update
At the time of this writing, Kansas has 34 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 (and counting) as we begin to see community spread. (The number was 79 on Monday.)
Gov. Kelly has issued a number of executive orders to try and stifle the outbreak in Kansas, and to help Kansans who are affected by this pandemic. These measures include extending the states of local disaster emergency relating to COVID-19 (Executive Order No. 20-03), temporarily prohibiting gatherings of more than 10 people at any planned or spontaneous, private or public event (Executive Order No. 20-04), temporarily prohibiting utility and internet disconnections (Executive Order No. 20-05), and temporarily prohibiting evictions and foreclosures (Executive Order No. 20-06).
In accordance with Executive Order No. 20-04, all restaurants, bars, gyms, movie theaters, museums and stadiums are closed across the state. Restaurants and bars are allowed to remain open only if they serve drive-through, carry-out or deliver food.
On last Tuesday, Gov. Kelly issued another Executive Order (No. 20-07), which ordered all K-12 schools in the state to be closed for the remainder of the school year. Though the buildings themselves are closed, a task force of education experts are currently working on a plan to continue students’ education through the closure. The decisions will be made on a school-by-school basis.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has provided guidelines to reduce the spread of COVID-19, and are as follows:
Stay home if you have symptoms of COVID-19
Symptoms include a fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath.
Continue practicing preventive actions
This includes washing your hands with soap and water frequently for at least 20 seconds, cleaning frequently touched surfaces daily, covering your coughs and sneezes with a tissue, avoiding touching your face, and practicing social distancing.
Notify your employer of changes in schedule.
Avoid gathering in public places.
Stay in touch with others by phone or email.
Stay up-to-date on the latest COVID-19 information
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) has a COVID-19 Resource Center with up-to-date information, and I will be making local updates on my Legislative Facebook Page. Additionally, major newspapers across Kansas have lifted their paywalls for stories relevant to the COVID-19.
Take care of your family’s emotional health.
Transportation bill
Though the governor issued a comprehensive transportation plan, Republicans in the legislature instead produced their own bill, and House Sub for SB 173 passed on Emergency Final Action on Monday, March 16.
House Sub for SB 173 was sent to conference committee on Tuesday and Wednesday. In conference committee, they adopted the House Sub for SB 173 with a few modifications:
Authorizing federal funding from grants or stimulus to be used for preservation and preservation plus projects. Requiring remaining T-Works projects to be let prior to July 1, 2023, rather than July 1, 2022, and requiring the Secretary to let to construction contract at least one phase of each remaining TWorks project (rather than each project) before any 17 – 173 new modernization or expansion project under the Program. In provisions regarding a metric-driven process for geographic distribution of Program projects, clarifying a deadline for letting a certain proportion of projects. In provisions regarding alternative delivery methods: removing a requirement such methods be used only when a condition of federal grants; prohibiting these methods from being used for preservation projects; authorizing these methods to be used on three projects utilizing toll revenues, one let to construction once every three years; limiting the proportion of Program dollars to be used on alternative delivery; and requiring any project utilizing alternative delivery cost at least $100 million. Adding requirements for the annual report for information on revenue available to the SHF, committed expenditures identified by program, outstanding projects that have been let but not paid out and how those projects have been identified to achieve state highway system condition targets. Clarifying an amount referenced in provisions regarding public transportation is to be used for public transportation.
The Conference Committee Report on SB 173 was adopted by the House 112-3. It is a good bill that garnered wide support from the legislature, as well as from the Kansas Department of Transportation.
Emergency floor action
Because of the threat of COVID-19, the legislature has taken a number of much-needed steps to ensure our state can continue to function at its best during this pandemic. Four bills and one concurrent resolution advanced to emergency final action this week in the House:
HCR 5025 – “Ratifying and providing the continuation of the March 12, 2020, state of disaster emergency declaration for the state of Kansas.” — Passed 116-0
H Sub SB 102 – “Allowing the Chief Justice of the Kansas Supreme Court to extend or suspend deadlines or time limitations to secure the health and safety of court users, staff and judicial officers.” — Passed 113-5
H Sub SB 173 – “Providing for the Eisenhower legacy transportation plan.” — Passed 103-16
H Sub SB 142 – “Authorizing the state board of education to grant waivers for school districts from the requirement to provide a minimum number of school hours during the school term.” — Passed 117-2
H Sub SB 27 – “Providing for a maximum of 26 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits and compensation for the pre-payment waiting period.” — Passed 119-0
When HCR 5025 was passed to the Senate, Republicans in the chamber heavily amended it to severely limit the governor’s powers during the state of emergency. The House nonconcurred on the amendments, and the HCR was sent to conference committee. In conference committee, the resolution was amended to include the following:
The governor does not have the power to temporarily, or permanently, seize ammunition or firearms.
The LCC (Legislative Coordinating Council) will meet every 30 days to grant additional extensions of such state of disaster emergency, for specified periods not to exceed 30 days each, by a majority vote of five members.
The resolution replaced prohibitions on the exercise of certain statutory powers by the governor with LCC review procedures if such powers have been ordered or proclaimed.
The Conference Committee Report on HCR 5025 then passed the House unanimously, 115-0.
Also on Thursday, the House adopted Conference Committee Report HB 2168, which would set a sunset provision for the Nursing Facility Quality Care Assessment of July 1, 2030, and would amend law concerning the hospital provider assessment known as the Healthcare Access Improvement Program (HCAIP). This passed the House 91-24.
Executive reorganization orders
On Wednesday, Republican leadership put two of Gov. Kelly’s Executive Reorganization Orders (EROs) on Special Order of Business on the floor. HR 6032 and HR 6031 are measures to disapprove of the EROs — meaning passage of each resolution would kill the reorganizations. HR 6032, which disapproves ERO 44 (creating the Kansas Department of Human Services), passed 82-35. HR 6031, which disapproves ERO 46 (establishing the Kansas energy office), passed 72-46. These EROs were unfortunately defeated at a time when they are more necessary than ever, particularly the establishment of the Department of Human Services. ERO 44 was specifically designed to improve the state’s healthcare system and streamline the delivery of needed services. It was voted down amidst a global pandemic.
ERO 45 was not placed on Special Orders of Business. It will go into effect automatically, transferring certain powers, duties, and functions to the division of the state employee health benefits plan within the Department of Administration.
Budget
The constitutional requirement of the Kansas Legislature each session is to pass a budget. Normally a very lengthy and tense process, the rapid spread of COVID-19 and concern for the safety of Kansas, legislators urged leadership to agree to pass a basic budget, with the full omnibus bill to be worked upon return for veto session. The Senate passed a budget late Tuesday evening, and the appointed conference committee began work that same night. Not much progress was made, however, and Wednesday the conference committee got back to work.
On Thursday, the conference committee worked out their differences, and Conference Committee Report SB 66 was adopted by both House and Senate chambers.
Adjournment
Though the scheduled April break was not set to begin until April 3, the legislature has adjourned early to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection for staff, legislators and others that must be at the Capitol when we are in session. The legislature passed an adjournment resolution on Thursday, stating that the legislature will return for veto session on April 27 – however, the Legislative Coordinating Council (LCC) holds the authority to call members back prior to that date if necessary. The LCC also holds the authority to change the date of veto session should conditions not be safe for legislators and staff to return to the Capitol due to COVID-19. The resolution set the date for sine die, the official last day of the 2020 session, as May 21.
Word of the week
The word of the week was Gratitude. Gratitude is the quality of being thankful; it’s the readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
