Welcome to the middle of the week, Shawnee Mission!
⛅️ Today’s forecast: Partly cloudy with an increasing chance of rain this afternoon and evening. High: 44. Low: 31
🚨 One thing to know today
Democratic state Rep. Linda Featherston of Overland Park says her “prognosis is excellent” after undergoing treatment for breast cancer.
In a statement posted to her official Twitter account Tuesday, Featherston revealed that she was first diagnosed in late November, underwent surgery in December and has since been doing radiation treatments, which she said she will complete this week.
“I am eternally grateful this was caught early, via a routine mammogram,” Featherston wrote.
My prognosis is excellent, and I will be fine. Others may not be as lucky as me because they lack access to care and the financial means to pay for it. We need to change this in Kansas. #ksleg #ExpandKanCare #CancerSucks pic.twitter.com/F89kGRZplL
— Rep. Linda Featherston (@Linda4Kansas) February 7, 2023
Featherston, who was elected to her second term in November, also used the moment to push for Medicaid expansion, a perennial issue in Topeka that Republican majorities in the Kansas Legislature have blocked in recent years.
Noting her own health insurance has covered her cancer treatment, Featherston wrote, “I cannot imagine having to choose whether or not I could get follow up tests that could impact my survival and my daughters’ future healthcare decisions.”
She also referenced legislation currently in the Kansas House that would provide for free diagnostic and supplemental breast exams for those with health insurance.
🗓 Public meetings Wednesday
- Johnson County Housing and Community Development Advisory Committee, 2 p.m. [View agenda]
- Overland Park Public Safety Committee, 7 p.m. [View agenda]
🚀 Post’s top Tuesday stories
- SERV, Overland Park pickleball venue, opens this week
- Man dead after falling through ice at Shawnee Mission Lake
- JoCo Notes: What will happen to Shawnee Bed Bath & Beyond?
- Prairie Village leaves housing recommendations largely intact
- Capitol Update: Sen. Mike Thompson lays out his legislative priorities
📰 Other local news
- A former tenant claims the owner of Corbin Greens apartment complex in Overland Park unjustly charged them $3,600 for damaging the unit’s granite countertops before moving out. [Fox 4]
- All six Jack Stack Barbecue locations, including those in Lenexa and Overland Park, plan to close their dining rooms this coming Sunday for the Super Bowl and will only serve carry-out. [KCTV]
- A Kansas House committee debated a bill that would establish education savings accounts, allowing families to retrieve up to $5,000 per year from public school coffers and apply that money towards private school tuition. [Kansas Reflector]
🐦 Notable tweets
SM West basketball star S’Mya Nichols, who has committed to KU, recently achieved a career milestone.
What a day! Shawnee Mission West celebrated 5⃣0⃣ years of Title IX and National Girls and Women in Sports day with special guest, @BrendaVanLengen. The girls basketball team also recognized @SmyaKNichols for reaching 1000 career points! CONGRATS! pic.twitter.com/vptCWqRI4n
— SM School District (@theSMSD) February 7, 2023
Shawnee Police officers will be collecting cans of soup this afternoon outside the Hy-Vee on 63rd Street.
Reminder: It's the SOUPer Bowl!
Officers will be collecting soup & other non-perishable items, at our Hy-Vee grocery store TOMORROW from 4-7PM.
Proceeds benefit Shawnee Community Services.
What better way to honor our team than to give back to our community! 👨👩👧👦 pic.twitter.com/OKj2pddgDX
— Shawnee KS Police Department (@shawneeKSpolice) February 7, 2023
📸 A thousand words
Tuesday was a good day for a walk, for both owner and dog, at Regency Lake Park in Overland Park. Photo credit Lucie Krisman.
Have a photo you’d like us to feature? Email us at stories@shawneemissionpost.com.
