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Headlines for Friday, August 30, 2019

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USA TODAY: Kansas City Royals Owner Agrees to Sell Team to Local Businessman for $1 Billion

According to an article in USA TODAY, Kansas City businessman John Sherman has finalized an agreement with David Glass, the owner of the Kansas City Royals, to purchase the team for $1 billion.  Citing a high-ranking MLB official, the newspaper reports that the deal is expected to be officially approved in November at the Major League Baseball owners meetings.  The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, said the deal is only a formality at this point with negotiations beginning this summer. Sherman raised the necessary capital to satisfy Glass.  Sherman, 64, is expected to be introduced as the third owner of the Royals’ franchise since its inception in 1969 on November 21 at the owners’ meetings in Arlington, Texas.  The Royals will not comment on the sale until it becomes official.  The Royals’ silence on the sale may also be out of respect to Glass, 83, who is undergoing health problems, which prompted him to sell the team.  Sherman, a minority owner of the Cleveland Indians, has a strong reputation among fellow owners and was strongly recommended by Cleveland owner Paul Dolan.
Sherman is a long-time season-ticket holder for the Royals.  ( Read more here.)

( – additional reporting –)

Royals Ownership Agrees to Sell Club to KC-Based Group

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — David Glass and his family have agreed to sell the Royals to an ownership group led by Kansas City entrepreneur John Sherman in a deal that is expected to be worth about $1 billion. The Royals announced the sale in a statement Friday, just days after word began to leak that the Sherman group was closing in on an agreement. Sherman and his co-investors will become the third owners since another local businessman, Ewing Kauffman, founded the club in 1969. The 83-year-old Glass and his family served as caretakers of the franchise following Kauffman's death, and they took ownership of the club for $96 million in April 2000. Sherman will need to divest his interest in the Cleveland Indians, believed to be about 30 percent of the franchise, and the deal is subject to the approval of Major League Baseball. None of those issues is expected to be stumbling blocks to a final sale.

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Forecasters Warn of Flash Flooding After Storms in Parts of Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The National Weather Service has issued flash flood watches and advisories across parts of Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma after a night of heavy rain.  In Kansas, wind gusts of more than 70 mph downed trees and power poles Thursday night. The storm left about 9,500 Westar Energy customers without power in the Emporia area at the peak of the storm, leading to school closures.  In Missouri, the state's transportation department is reporting that about 40 roads are closed because of flooding, mostly in the western party of the state.  The Missouri Levee and Drainage District Association warned in an email that rains will cause water levels in the Missouri River and its tributaries to rise again. The email says the threat of flash flooding will continue for the next few days.

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California Man Gets 18 Years in Prison for Sex Trafficking Victims in Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (WDAF TV) -- Fox4kc.com reports that a California man has been sentenced to 18 years in federal prison for sex trafficking victims in the Kansas City area.  WDAF TV reports that 45-year-old Ronald Ean Taylor was sentenced Thursday in federal court in Kansas City.  In March, Taylor pleaded guilty to sex counts of sex trafficking of an adult. He also admitted that he used force, fraud or coercion to cause six child victims to engage in prostitution. He trafficked six victims between November 2014 and May 2017.  An investigation into Taylor began in June 2016, when one of the victims contacted Kansas City police. She said that Taylor was a pimp who lived in California, but was selling drugs and engaging in sex trafficking in the Kansas City area.  The victim said Taylor was mean and manipulative and would threaten her. She also said that Taylor provided drugs to his victims, including one who would die from a drug overdose when she was with him.  The victims would be featured in ads posted online and Taylor used hotels near Blue Ridge Cutoff by the stadiums to conduct his business.  According to federal investigators, Taylor would lure the women by taking them to California and showing them an extravagant lifestyle. they would begin dancing in strip clubs before he would fly them back to Kansas City to prostitute. He would then take all of their money.  In addition to prison time, Taylor will have to pay $5,000 in restitution to one of his victims and $6,100 in restitution to the father of a trafficking victim who died of a drug overdose.  ( Read more here.)
 
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Manhattan Woman Kicks Off U.S. Senate Campaign

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A northeast Kansas city official is running for the U.S. Senate next year as a Democrat.  The Kansas City Star reports that Manhattan City Commission member Usha Reddi launched her campaign Thursday and hopes to become the first Hindu to serve in the Senate.  The 54-year-old Reddi is an elementary school teacher who has served on the city commission since 2013 and is now Manhattan's mayor pro tem. She also ran unsuccessfully for a State Board of Education seat in 2012.  Four-term Republican Senator Pat Roberts announced in January that he's not seeking re-election in 2020.  Reddi is the third Democrat to launch a campaign, after former federal prosecutor Barry Grissom and former Kansas Congresswoman Nancy Boyda. Democrats have not won a U.S. Senate race in Kansas since 1932.

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Former Linn County Attorney Sentenced to Prison for Theft

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A former east-central Kansas county attorney was sentenced to a year and a day in prison for stealing electronics and equipment from the county.  John Sutherland, a 69-year-old from Mound City, was sentenced Thursday for mail fraud and lying to federal investigators. He was also ordered to pay $75,000 in restitution and a total fine of $11,000.  Sutherland was Linn County attorney for about 20 years before leaving the job in January 2017 after losing a re-election campaign.  U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said in a statement Sutherland stole 350 to 500 items from Linn County.  KCTV reports the items included cell phones paid for by the county that were not used for county business, a television and a computer.  Sutherland also agreed to surrender his law license.

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Kansas Insurance Commissioner Takes Control of Malpractice Company

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas insurance commissioner will take supervisory control of a company that provides malpractice insurance to nearly 500 medical professionals in Missouri and Kansas.  A Shawnee County judge last week placed Physicians Standard Insurance Company in rehabilitation mode with Kansas regulators. The action comes after Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt filed a petition seeking the action, with the consent of the company's board of directors.  The Topeka Capital-Journal reports company's financial condition has declined since 2018 but the order gives PSIC the chance to remain solvent while working to rehabilitate its situation.  Most of the physicians covered by PSIC work in Missouri but the company is based in Kansas.  Under the court order, PSIC will continue to operate and malpractice policies will remain in effect.

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Off-Duty Kansas City Officer Involved in Fatal Shooting

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police say an off-duty officer shot and killed a man after a disturbance in downtown Kansas City.  Captain Tim Hernandez said the officer was working as private security for a business when a citizen alerted him that two men were involved in a disturbance.  The officer confronted the two men during what police said was an aggravated assault.  Hernandez said the off-duty officer shot one of the men. The second man also was shot but investigators have not determined who fired those shots. The man is hospitalized in critical condition.  The officer was not injured.  No further details were immediately available.

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Lawsuit by Muslim Engineer Settled Days Before Kansas Trial

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A court notice shows the federal lawsuit filed by a Muslim aerospace engineer has been settled days before the trial over allegations of discrimination stemming from a party at a Kansas lake. The filing Friday in U.S. District Court does not detail settlement terms between Munir Zanial and the Spirit Boeing Employees Association. The trial that had been scheduled for Tuesday is cancelled. The Malaysian national of Indian ancestry rented a pavilion at the group's lake in 2017 to celebrate Malaysian Independence Day. The lawsuit alleges the association suspended his rental privileges and reported him to authorities. It alleged an American flag had been desecrated by Islamic State group symbols. But the flag was actually a Malaysian flag and the guests included people of Malaysian Indian ancestry, some wearing hijabs.

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Man Wanted in 2012 Killing in Dodge City Arrested in Mexico

DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — A suspect in a 2012 murder in Ford County has been returned to Kansas after being arrested and extradited from Mexico.  Ford County Attorney Kevin Salzman said 23-year-old Miguel Solis is a suspect in the death of Miguel Tol Juarez, who died in August 2012.  The Dodge City Daily Globe reports Solis is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated battery, one count of attempted aggravated robbery and one count of criminal possession of a firearm.  He is being held on $4 million bond.  Investigators say Solis was one of three Dodge City males who shot Tol Juarez at his home during an attempted robbery. The other two suspects were arrested shortly after the death but Solis fled to Mexico.  Solis' next hearing is scheduled for September 5.

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Kansas Man Convicted After Alleged Rape Victim Dies in Crash

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 35-year-old Kansas man has been convicted of murder after a woman died in a traffic crash while fleeing from what prosecutors alleged was a rape.  A Wyandotte County jury on Wednesday found Orlando Taylor guilty of first-degree murder in the August 2017 death of 39-year-old Shannon Keithley of Kansas City, Kansas, and two counts of aggravated burglary. He was acquitted of rape.  Investigators say Keithley died when the car she was driving hit a concrete pillar near her home while she was calling 911.  Officers arrested Taylor after finding him hiding under the deck of Keithley's house. A knife was found in the driveway.  Taylor was initially charged with rape and burglary, but Keithley's family and friends pushed prosecutors to charge him with murder as well.

This story has been corrected to reflect Taylor was convicted of aggravated burglary, not robbery.

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Kansas Sex Offender Pleads Guilty to Porn Charges Involving Girl

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 35-year-old Kansas man who is registered sex offender has admitted producing and distributing child pornography. Daniel Eric Merida, of El Dorado, pleaded guilty Thursday to six charges related to child pornography. He will be sentenced November 18. Court records indicate Merida admitted to starting an online relationship with a 12-year-old girl in 2012 that lasted six years. During that time, Merida persuaded the girl to take explicit photos of herself. Federal prosecutors say authorities found Merida with child pornography during a March 2018 search. They also found child porn on Merida's phone. Merida was convicted in 2014 of a child sex crime in a Colorado case.

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UMKC Settles Suit with Professor Who Claims He was Punished for Complaining About Boss

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A University of Missouri-Kansas City associate professor whose complaints led to the eventual ouster of a top pharmacy professor has agreed to the settlement of two lawsuits.  The Kansas City Star reports Mirdul Murkherji, of Lenexa, will receive a $360,000 settlement.  Murkherji claimed the university retaliated against him and others who complained to school officials about abuse from his former boss, Ashim Mitra. He also said the university retaliated against Mukherji because he claimed in the lawsuits that Mitra mistreated foreign students.  Mitra resigned in March after allegations he used foreign graduate students as servants. The university also alleged in a lawsuit that Mitra stole a student's research and sold it to a pharmaceutical company.  Last week, the university fired pharmacy professor Anil Kumar but has refused to say why.

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Worry in Shawnee After Nearly 2 Dozen Pets Disappear or Die

SHAWNEE, Kan. (AP) — Pet owners in a suburban Kansas City town are puzzled and concerned after nearly two dozen animals have been reported disappeared or killed in recent weeks.  Shawnee, Kansas, resident Cindy Weber says her cat, Kitty Boy, failed to show up for breakfast on the morning of July 30, and he's not been seen since.  Weber told KMBC-TV that 21 animals have vanished or turned up dead over the past five weeks in Shawnee. Officials aren't sure what's happening, but some people have taken photos that appear to show coyotes and bobcats in the area.  The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism recommends not leaving food or water near the home. Residents also are urged to hire a professional rather try to capture or kill predatory animals.

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2 Dead, 2 Hurt in Accident Near Kansas Star Casino

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Two people are dead and two others are injured after a crash near the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane.  The accident happened around 1:30 pm Thursday and involved two vehicles. Names of the victims and details about what caused the accident have not been released.  KAKE-TV reports that one of the injured people is in critical condition. The other person's injuries are being called serious.  Mulvane is about 17 miles south of Wichita.

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Part of Interstate 70 Near Kansas City Closed Next Weekend

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — State transportation authorities are warning drivers to expect traffic disruptions next weekend while a 7-mile stretch of Interstate 70 is closed near Kansas City.  The Missouri Department of Transportation said the interstate between Independence and eastern Kansas City will close on the evening of Sept. 6 and reopen early September 9.  During the closure, crews will demolish ramps in the Interstate 70 and Interstate 435 interchange as part of a project to redesign the interchange.  Crews also will repair lighting and median walls, as well as improving drainage and paving.  Transportation officials are warning of traffic delays. Drivers are being urged to plan ahead, leave early and follow detours that will take them around the construction on Interstate 470.

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54 Indicted in Alleged Drug-Trafficking Ring in Manhattan

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Fifty-four people are facing federal charges after law enforcement officials in Kansas announced indictments in an alleged drug-trafficking ring.  The Manhattan Mercury reports that local and federal law enforcement officials announced the indictments Wednesday. They say the ring was based in Manhattan, with suppliers in Chicago.  Authorities say the rink was responsible for distributing heroin, fentanyl, ecstasy, methamphetamine, hydrocodone, cocaine and marijuana in the Manhattan area.  U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister called it the "largest takedown" his office has ever conducted.  Six of the accused are charged in the 2017 death of 18-year-old Maxwell F. Dandaneau. The Kansas State University student died at an off-campus apartment. Authorities say he was trying heroin for the first time and was unaware that it contained fentanyl, a synthetic narcotic more powerful than heroin.

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Alfred Jackson, Half-Brother of Late Rock Star Prince, Dies in Kansas City

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) _ A half-brother of the late rock superstar Prince has died, leaving five Prince siblings to share in the musician's fortune. An attorney for Alfred Jackson, Asa Weston, said Friday that the 66-year-old Jackson died Wednesday night or Thursday night in his home outside of Kansas City, Missouri. He says the cause of death is unknown. Jackson was the son of Prince's mother, Mattie Baker, and Alfred Jackson Sr. Prince died of an accidental opioid overdose in 2016 without leaving a will. His estate remains tied up in legal proceedings in Minnesota.  Jackson told Entertainment Tonight in 2016 that he had not seen or spoken with Prince for nearly 15 years, though an attorney later clarified that Jackson had actually had "sporadic talks and visits'' with Prince over those years.

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