Month: June 2022

Monarchs sweep series with Explorers

by Kaitlyn Sanders, Monarchs

The roughly hour-long rain delay at the bottom of the third couldn’t stop the Kansas City Monarchs (25-11) from completing their sweep of the Sioux City Explorers (14-21) with a score of 8-1 on Thursday.

In the bottom of the first, Darnell Sweeney put the Monarchs on the board first with a home run up the center for the 1-0 lead.

Gaby Guerrero batted next, crushing another home run into the visiting bullpen in left field. The back-to-back home runs resulted in an early 2-0 lead.

The Monarchs seemed only capable of homers as Alexis Olmeda hit one out to the home run patio in the second inning to extend the lead to 3-0.

After the rain delay, the Explorers put their first run on the board in the fourth courtesy of Trey Martin. Danny Amaral put one out deep in right field for a triple before Martin hit a single to center field, grabbing an RBI and making the score 3-1 in the top of the fourth.

In the bottom of the sixth, the bases were loaded as David Thompson, Casey Gillaspie and Pete Kozma were all intentionally walked. Olmeda also walked for an RBI, bringing the score to 4-1. With a pitching change from Sioux City, Nate Gercken avoided any more runs on his line as he escaped with loaded bases.

Darnell Sweeney walked in the bottom of the seventh before Guerrero reached first with a high chopper to the pitcher. Thompson launched a home run to left field for a three-run home run to increase the Monarchs’ lead to 7-1.

In the eighth inning, Pete Kozma reached first on an error by the second baseman before Olmeda walked again. With a single to center field, Kevin Santa brought in Kozma for an RBI, adding to Kansas City’s buffer at 8-1.

The next Monarchs game is Friday, June 24, at Sioux Falls against the Sioux Falls Canaries. The away game can be heard on the Monarchs Broadcast Network with the pre-game beginning at 6:30 p.m. and the video stream airing on aabaseball.tv.

Tickets to Monarchs games can be purchased by calling 913-328-5618 or by visiting monarchsbaseball.com.

Demise of Roe v. Wade adds gravity to Kansas’ vote on abortion constitutional amendment

Kelly: Combination of federal, state action may sharply restrict abortion rights

by Tim Carpenter and Sherman Smith, Kansas Reflector

Topeka — The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Friday striking down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion nationwide resonates deeply in Kansas where a proposed constitutional amendment on the August ballot could set the stage for a wave of new abortion restrictions in the state.

Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat campaigning for reelection in 2022, said the decision by the nation’s highest court would have no immediate impact in Kansas given a Kansas Supreme Court opinion two years ago that said a constitutional right to abortion existed in the state’s Bill of Rights.

“But anybody who’s been alive in Kansas in the last six months knows that we have an amendment on the primary ballot that would essentially overturn the (state) Supreme Court ruling and say that women’s reproductive rights are not protected under the constitution,” Gov. Kelly said.

If the state constitutional amendment passed, Kelly said, the Republican-led Legislature would likely attempt to impose more stringent restrictions on women’s health care.

“If people in the state of Kansas vote no on that amendment, then the status quo will remain. And women’s reproductive rights will remain constitutional here in the state of Kansas,” Gov. Kelly said.

The decision by the U.S. Supreme Court held special significance in Kansas because the state’s voters head to the polls Aug. 2 to consider an abortion amendment to the Kansas Constitution. The amendment would reverse the state Supreme Court decision in 2019 that declared a right to bodily autonomy in the state’s Bill of Rights included a woman’s right to decide whether to carry a pregnancy to term.

Under the state Supreme Court’s decision, Kansans retained that right even if Roe v. Wade was struck down by the U.S. Supreme Court. Passage of the “Value Them Both” amendment to the Kansas Constitution would nullify the state Supreme Court’s interpretation of constitutional rights to private health decisions and open the door to a ban or additional limitations on the procedure in Kansas.

The proposed Kansas amendment included no exemption for pregnancies occurring as result of rape or incest or to save the life of the pregnant woman. However, it wouldn’t preclude the legislative and executive branches of state government from embracing those exceptions in Kansas law.

A coalition of anti-abortion, church and political organizations supporting the amendment claimed the state Supreme Court decision triggered an influx of out-of-state residents seeking abortions in Kansas. That perspective ignored consequences of profound abortion restrictions adopted in Texas and Oklahoma that pushed to other states women seeking reproductive health services.

“Kansas medical professionals are concerned about our state becoming a permanent destination state for painful dismemberment abortions,” said Mackenzie Haddix, who works with the pro-amendment coalition.

The Susan B. Anthony national pro-life group invested $1.3 million in Kansas to promote passage of the abortion amendment.

On the opposite side of the amendment debate, the bipartisan Kansans for Constitutional Freedom began airing television advertisements to encourage voters to choose “no” on the ballot measure. A simple majority of people participating in that statewide vote determine fate of the constitution amendment.

“On August 2nd, Kansas will vote on whether to eliminate Kansans’ freedom to make private medical decisions without political interference,” said Ashley All, spokesperson for Kansans for Constitutional Freedom. “The constitutional amendment on the primary ballot will mandate government control over our private medical decisions and pave the way for a total ban on abortion. We ask Kansans to vote no.”

The coalition’s first commercial warned passage of the amendment would grant politicians power to pass any law regarding abortion, including a total ban without exceptions. Another ad pointed to the oath taken by physicians to “do no harm,” and issues raised when politicians in Topeka would assume authority for medical decisions.

“If this amendment passes, there will be nothing to prevent politicians from banning abortion outright,” All said. “One legislator already introduced a bill that completely bans abortion, makes it a felony to receive or perform an abortion, and provides no real exception to save a woman’s life.”

In Kansas, seven of 10 abortions in Kansas occurred prior to nine weeks and 90% prior to 12 weeks. State law prohibits abortions after 22 weeks of a pregnancy. There have been no “post-viability” abortions in Kansas since 2018. Government funding of abortion has been outlawed.

Kansas Reflector stories, www.kansasreflector.com, may be republished online or in print under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
See more at https://kansasreflector.com/2022/06/24/demise-of-roe-v-wade-adds-gravity-to-kansas-vote-on-abortion-constitutional-amendment/

Showers and storms in forecast, with temperatures rising today

Hot weather returns to the area, with a possible heat index of 103 on Saturday. (National Weather Service graphic)

Off-and-on showers and storms will continue Friday, as the heat builds back in today, according to the National Weather Service forecast.

Storms went through Wyandotte County around 7 a.m., and rain remains a possibility in the forecast until 1 p.m. Friday. Wyandotte County is under a flood advisory following the heavy rains, until 10:45 a.m. Friday.

Today’s high will be near 89, with a heat index as high as 96, the weather service said.

Isolated strong to severe storms are possible Friday and Saturday, occurring mostly at night and in the morning, according to the weather service. There is a 40 percent chance of showers Friday.

Saturday, expect a high near 96 with a heat index of 103, the weather service said. There also will be a 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms Saturday after 1 p.m.

Look for a drop of almost 20 degrees in the temperature on Sunday.

Today, there is a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 1 p.m., with a high near 89, the weather service said. The heat index will be as high as 96. A light east wind will become southeast 8 to 13 mph in the morning, and winds may gust up to 22 mph. Between a tenth and quarter-inch of rain is possible.

Tonight, it will be partly cloudy, with a low of 78 and a south southeast wind of 9 to 11 mph, gusting as high as 22 mph.

Saturday, there is a 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 p.m., with a high near 94, the weather service said. The heat index will be as high as 102. A south wind of 8 to 11 mph will gust as high as 23 mph.

Saturday night, there is a 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, with a low of 68, according to the weather service. A north wind of 8 mph will gust as high as 18 mph. Less than a tenth of an inch of rain is possible.

Sunday, there is a 10 percent chance of thunderstorms before 7 a.m., with a high near 77, the weather service said. A north wind of 8 to 10 mph will gust as high as 20 mph.

Sunday night, it will be mostly cloudy, with a low of 60, according to the weather service.

Monday, it will be partly sunny, with a high near 80, the weather service said.

Monday night, it will be partly cloudy, with a low around 60, according to the weather service.

Tuesday, it will be sunny, with a high near 87, the weather service said.

Tuesday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 65, according to the weather service.

Wednesday, it will be sunny, with a high near 90, the weather service said.

Wednesday night, it will be mostly clear, with a low of 72, according to the weather service.

Thursday, it will be sunny, with a high near 94, the weather service said.