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Area firefighters responded to 10 grass fires across Leavenworth County on Wednesday, a local emergency management official said.

Incorrect tornado alert mistakenly sent to cellphone customers The Leavenworth Times Local residents may have received text alerts on their cellphones Tuesday morning indicating a tornado warning had been issued. But the warning was intended only as a test as part of a statewide tornado drill, according to Leavenworth County Emergency Management Director Chuck Magaha. Magaha said his office received a number of phone calls and messages from people who received the alert Tuesday. “Our email blew up,” he said. Magaha said the messages were sent through what is known as the Wireless Emergenc...

The Leavenworth Times The crime rate for the city of Leavenworth decreased by 11% in 2020, according to the police chief. Chief Pat Kitchens reviewed the Leavenworth Police Department’s annual report for 2020 with city commissioners Tuesday. Kitchens said 2020 was the second year in a row to have a significant drop in the city’s crime rate. According to the annual report, there were 3,558 crimes recorded by the Leavenworth Police Department in 2020 compared to 4,029 crimes in 2019. Kitchens said crimes nationally are categorized into Part 1 and Part 2 crimes. Part 1 crimes are murder, rap...

The Leavenworth Times A Leavenworth County commissioner suggested Wednesday the county government ask people to sign a consent waiver before receiving a dose of the new Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine. Commissioner Mike Stieben wants people receiving the vaccine to understand it was developed using cell lines derived from aborted fetuses. Commissioners ultimately discussed developing an information sheet about the vaccine instead of requiring a signed waiver. So far, the Leavenworth County Health Department has administered only doses of a Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. The Health Department ha...

The Leavenworth Times A state senator from Leavenworth introduced a bill this year that would allow state corrections workers to participate in a different pension program. And while Sen. Jeff Pittman is not optimistic about the bill passing this year, he believes it is important to keep talking about the issue. “It’s a good idea,” he said. Pittman, a Democrat, introduced Senate Bill 135 last month. The bill proposes making the state’s police and firefighters’ retirement system, known as KP&F, available for many of the employees of the Kansas Department of Corrections. Currently, KD...