Kansas

USDA mandates raw milk be tested for avian flu, Kansas reports new cases

Published

1 year ago

December 7, 2024

USDA mandates raw milk be tested for avian flu, Kansas reports new cases

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Kan. — The USDA is mandating that raw milk products be submitted for testing. Scripps News reported that officials believe it will help the USDA better understand the transmission and mutation of avian flu.

“This April it [HPAI] did show that it was able to move into other species, meaning dairy cattle,” explained Dr. Justin Smith, Kansas Animal Health Commissioner, “We were concerned that it actually was the same virus, which you’ll sometimes hear called H5N1 influenza as well.”

Ryan Gamboa/KSHB

Dr. Justin Smith, Kansas Animal Health Commissioner

The Kansas Department of Agriculture told KSHB 41 that highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is the strain commonly referred to in bird species. Following the virus’s indication, it can spread through dairy cattle, it is commonly referred to as H5N1.

“It is basically this the same virus. We’re dealing with it now in two different species right now across the states,” added Dr. Smith.

Geese poop on Disneyland guests, hitting 17 people from air — Migrating waterfowl lead to spike in Avian Flu cases in Kansas.
Original photo: A group of Canada Geese fly over the Ellipse near the White House December 18, 2006 in Washington, DC.

The presence of HPAI is nothing new, it has been on wildlife biologists’ minds since the early 2000s. In 2022, HPAI’s impact culled nearly 100 million birds, affecting egg prices across the United States.

“Right now we’re seeing an influx of particularly Snow Geese and Ross’s Geese in the state of Kansas. They seem to be one of the primary vectors for avian influenza,” explained Tom Bidrowski, Migratory Game Bird Manager at the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks. “When we do see new birds arriving, we start seeing a few outbreaks in our wild populations.”

Tom Bidrowski, Migratory Game Bird Manager, KDWP

KDWP said the recent spike in avian flu numbers is not having an overall impact on migratory waterfowl populations. It has impacted isolated avian flu cases in Douglas County, Kansas.

As of Dec. 6, 2024, Douglas County sits in red on an avian flu tracking map issued by the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

“That map represents our ‘avian’ version, HPAI. We did have a positive backyard flock recently in Douglas County,” said Smith. “It was this relatively small flock of mixed birds. We went out and tested those birds and they did have it. It [Douglas] is considered a positive county now.”

Kansas Avian Flu Map — Kansas Department of Agriculture’s map highlighting Avian influenza throughout the state. Douglas County reported the state’s first HPAI case since April this week.

KDA reports that the location housing the backyard flock of birds is under certain disinfection requirements.

“There’s no indication right now that any of our dairies are being impacted with this virus in the dairy world,” Smith added.

At the end of November, KSHB 41 met Rachel Moser, the co-owner of Be Whole Again Farm. She runs a raw milk operation in Ray County, Missouri.

“Raw milk is just one of those things that is really easy to digest,” Moser said. “It comes straight out of the cow, straight into a paper filter, kind of like a coffee filter, and into a cooling tank. It’s just milk.”

Moser’s business journey in raw milk was to get people back to the old way. Be Whole Again Farm believes in safe food practices of the 21st century.

“Raw milk was what humans drank for forever until the industrial revolution,” she explained. “In today’s day and age with refrigeration and cleaning chemicals… raw milk is not more dangerous than any other raw food.”

Rachel Moser, co-owner of Be Whole Again Farm — KSHB spoke to a local farmer to discuss their safety practices when it comes to producing raw milk.

Moser utilizes various processes to determine milk quality and consistently checks on the welfare of her animals.

“I see my cows. If I see that she looks depressed or off… we’re checking for fevers and things like that,” Moser added. “You can come and inspect my facilities and see with your own eyes we are being clean.”

Be Whole Again Farm told KSHB 41 that a large part of the raw milk industry is to know your farmer.

The Kansas Department of Agriculture said raw milk consumers and dairy farm workers are the most susceptible to infection of avian flu in milk.

“If you’re buying pasteurized processed milk. That is not the milk we are looking at,” Smith explained. “I would highly encourage folks that elect to consume raw milk, that they do their due diligence. They need to make sure the dairy providing that raw milk, their cows are not suffering from this disease.”

To be clear, milk that’s been pasteurized and purchased in a grocery store will not need to be submitted for avian flu testing. KDA told KSHB 41 that pasteurization is safe and raw products will be submitted for testing moving forward.

Bird Flu — This 2005 electron microscope image shows an avian influenza A H5N1 virion.

“There are some concerns about raw milk that does have the virus in it. If it’s being harvested from a cow that has the virus, there is a concern there and what the consumption of that virus is, we don’t know yet,” said Smith. “There’s no indication that it’s been a problem if those folks that have consumed it again from the pasteurization.”

The Kansas Department of Agriculture last reported a case of HPAI in April 2024. New mandates are creating additional strain and responsibility in farmers’ stewardship.

“The risk of getting someone sick,” Moser added. “I could lose everything.”

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Kansas

Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. killed in hit-and-run crash while riding his scooter

Published

10 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. killed in hit-and-run crash while riding his scooter

KSHB 41 reporter La’Nita Brooks covers stories providing solutions and offering discussions on topics of crime and violence. She also covers stories in the Northland. Share your story idea with La’Nita.

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Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. was killed in an early morning hit-and-run crash while riding his scooter March 21.

Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. killed in hit-and-run crash

Lee was turning left from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard onto Eastwood Trafficway when a car ran a red light and hit him. A small memorial now grows at the intersection.

Chris Morrison

Arthur Lee Jr, son of Arthur Lee Sr.

“Devastated. Everybody’s hurt, it was really unexpected,” his son Arthur Lee Jr. said. “I loved him to death. My dad was like my best friend.”

Lee was well known in the barbecue community, working as a pitmaster at Gates Bar-B-Q for the past eight years after spending two decades at Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque.

“He loved working at Gates,” Rose Qualls, Lee’s sister-in-law, said. “He was always making us slabs and turkey sandwiches.”

The morning of the incident, Lee was preparing to move into a new home with his wife and children, getting ready for a fresh start before a tragic end.

“He was really special, you know. He was one of a kind and everybody that he was around just loved him,” Qualls said. “It’s just a sad situation.”

Lee was 60 years old. His family said while his life was cut short, his flame will burn forever.

“My sister, she is really going through it, we all are,” Qualls said. “And I’m here for her, whatever she needs, when she need a shoulder to cry on, I’m here.”

Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. killed in a hit-and-run crash while riding his scooter — Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. was killed in a hit-and-run crash while riding his scooter.

The family is pleading for answers and for the driver, who fled the scene, to come forward.

“I would pray that they would have some type of compassion, some type of heart, possibly turn themselves in,” Lee Jr. said.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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Kansas

Kansas felon sold meth to undercover officer multiple times

Published

22 hours ago

March 26, 2026

Press Room

Kansas felon sold meth to undercover officer multiple times

Fleming photo KDOC

WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced to 120 months in prison for selling methamphetamine to an undercover police officer, according to the United State’s Attorney.

According to court documents, Wayne F. Fleming, 41, of Wichita pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of a controlled substance.

In May 2021, Fleming sold drugs multiple times to an undercover officer with the Wichita Police Department. Testing by the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center showed the total amount Fleming sold to the officer to be more than 200 grams of pure methamphetamine.

“Mr. Fleming was federally indicted in 2021, but before a plea agreement was reached, Mr. Fleming went to state prison to serve time for offenses unrelated to the federal case,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “The Department of Justice doesn’t forget. Not long after his release from a state prison, Mr. Fleming is now an inmate in a federal prison.”

The Wichita Police Department investigated the case.

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Kansas

Extra slice, extra time: Kansas inmate’s pizza grab lands him 16 more months in prison

Published

1 day ago

March 25, 2026

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Extra slice, extra time: Kansas inmate’s pizza grab lands him 16 more months in prison

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (KCTV) – A Kansas inmate will spend more time behind bars after a dispute over an extra slice of pizza turned physical.

Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson announced on Wednesday, March 25, that Wyatt C. Parnell, 42, an inmate at Lansing Correctional Facility, was sentenced to 16 additional months.

Prosecutors indicated that the sentence is the result of an attempt to assault a corrections officer during a December 2019 dining hall confrontation.

What Happened

Court records noted that the incident happened around 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 26, 2019 – the day after Christmas – in the facility’s maximum-security dining room.

According to prosecutors, Parnell entered the dining hall, picked up a dinner tray and grabbed an extra slice of pizza from a separate tray.

A corrections officer repeatedly ordered him to put the tray down and leave the area; however, court documents revealed that Parnell refused.

Wyatt C. Parnell, 42(Kansas Department of Corrections)

When the officer moved to retrieve the tray and again ordered Parnell to leave, prosecutors said he yanked the tray away and threw it on the floor.

Parnell then tried to push past the officer to reach the serving line for another tray, according to court records.

The officer reported that they attempted to detain Parnell, but he resisted, leading to a physical fight.

The Charges & Sentence

Court records indicated that Parnell pleaded no contest to attempted aggravated battery. His new sentence will run consecutively – meaning it is added to the sentence he is already serving.

“Correctional facilities rely on order and compliance to maintain safety for both staff and inmates,” Thompson said. “This sentence reflects the seriousness of disregarding lawful commands and engaging in behavior that puts others at risk.”