GOP Lawmakers in Kansas Pushing Ahead with Tax Relief Plan
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican legislators in Kansas expect to push ahead this week with an income tax relief proposal. The move would defy Democratic Governor Laura Kelly's call for lawmakers to avoid adjusting state tax laws this year. A Senate committee is set to open hearings Tuesday on a bill aimed at preventing individuals and corporations from paying more to Kansas because of changes in federal income tax laws at the end of 2017. The panel could vote Thursday. Top Republicans in the GOP-dominated Legislature have made tax relief a priority and argue Kansas is receiving an unanticipated revenue "windfall." Kelly and other Democrats argue the state still doesn't know how big the windfall might be. Kelly's top priorities are boosting spending on public schools and expanding Medicaid health coverage for the needy.
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Missouri Pushes Again to End Economic Border War
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri and Kansas officials say they're considering another try to end an economic border war that has prompted both states to spend millions of dollars to lure companies to cross state lines in the Kansas City metro area. The Kansas City Star reports the biggest push is coming from Missouri, but new Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly says that state is open to reviewing the issue. Missouri lawmakers will consider a bill this year to prohibit companies from earning state incentives for moving a few miles across state lines. The state passed a similar bill in 2014 but it required the Kansas governor to enact a similar law, which then-Governor Sam Brownback declined to do. That bill expired in 2016. The new bill would extend the legislation to 2021 to provide a chance for further discussion.
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Ruling: Students' Free Speech, Free Press Lawsuit to Proceed
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A judge is allowing a lawsuit to proceed against a Kansas City school district accused of violating students' free speech and free press rights during a nationwide walkout protesting gun violence. U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson ruled Monday that the students have presented a plausible claim that the Shawnee Mission School District violated their First Amendment rights by stopping speakers from talking about gun control or gun violence. The walkout was sparked by last year's school shooting in Parkland, Florida. Robinson also found students have a plausible claim under the Kansas Student Publications Act after a school official confiscated a camera from a student journalist to prevent her from photographing the event for the student newspaper. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas sued on behalf of students.
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Police: No Foul Play Likely After 2 Bodies Found in Lawrence
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Lawrence police are investigating the deaths of two people whose bodies were found in separate areas in two days. Officer Derrick Smith said Monday police do not suspect foul play in either death. No identities have been released. The Lawrence Journal-World reports Smith said a person out for a walk found the first body lying next to a wooden fence in Lawrence early Sunday. The woman was a 48-year-old Lawrence woman. A second body was found early Monday after a reported medical emergency. Smith said that person was a 24-year-old Lawrence man. Smith said he did not have additional information to release about either incident.
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Inmate Pleads Guilty to Attacking Inmate at Penitentiary
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A prison inmate has admitted to fracturing another inmate's skull with a metal pipe, leaving the man in a "semi-vegetative state" for several months. The Kansas City Star reports 49-year-old Jimmy Eastep Jr., pleaded guilty Monday to assault with a dangerous weapon. According to his plea agreement, Eastep assaulted 52-year-old Michael Seaman at the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth in January 2016 after Seaman called him a name. Investigators found a 20-inch metal pipe with blood next to Seaman Seaman. Investigators say Seaman was not able to communicate with them for almost a year. Eastep was linked to the assault by DNA testing. The plea agreement calls for Eastep to be sentenced to another 3.5 years in prison.
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1 Killed, 2 Wounded in Weekend Kansas City Shooting
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Authorities are investigating a shooting that left one dead and two wounded in Kansas City. KMBC-TV reports that police responded to the shooting around 2:30 am Sunday. Police say witnesses told officers that the three victims had been rushed to a hospital in private vehicles. One of the victims later died, while the other two are expected to survive. Police haven't released any suspect information.
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Teen Arrested in Shooting Death of Another Blue Springs Teen
BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. (AP) — Authorities in Jackson County, Missouri, have arrested a 17-year-old boy in the shooting death last year of another teen inside of a Blue Springs residence. The Kansas City Star reports that Aden Kaler of Blue Springs was arrested Friday and charged with second-degree murder, attempted robbery and armed criminal action in the November 10 shooting death of 17-year-old Jayden Lockett. Police found Lockett dead on November 11 when they responded to a report of shots being fired at a Blue Springs home. Officers also found a 19-year-old with minor injuries and a 15-year-old with critical injuries. Court records say witnesses told police that Lockett and Kaler went to the home to rob someone of money and drugs. Kaler's bond has been set at $300,000.
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Woman Suffering from Exposure in Topeka Still in Hospital
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas authorities say a woman who was found with serious injuries resulting from exposure to the cold remains a patient at a Topeka hospital. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the woman's identity is not being released. Police were called Friday morning as wind chills plunged below zero to a house for a report of a woman on the front porch. Police say the woman was found lying on the porch wearing only a t-shirt. She was rushed by ambulance to the hospital. Topeka police say officers have responded to at least four calls since Jan. 20 from people asking for welfare checks on those suffering from exposure.
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Man Arrested in Death of 75-Year-Old Woman in Eastern Kansas
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have charged a 51-year-old man in the death of a 75-year-old suburban Kansas City woman. Police in Olathe said in a news release that Raymond Thomas McCanness was charged Friday with first-degree murder and mistreatment of a dependent adult. District Attorney Steve Howe identified the victim as Sharon McManness. Police say she was found dead Wednesday afternoon after a report that a woman at the house was not breathing. The Kansas City Star reports police and prosecutors have not released details on how she died or how the victim and suspect were related. Raymond McManness was arrested Thursday. He's being held in Johnson County jail on a $1 million bond. On Friday, Raymond McManness said he planned to hire his own attorney.
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Kansas Militia Member Gets 26 Years in Bomb Plot
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A militia member who authorities say helped make and test bombs in a foiled plot to massacre Muslims in southwest Kansas has been sentenced to 26 years in prison. Gavin Wright was sentenced Friday. Wright is one of three militia members who were convicted last year in a plot to detonate explosives during prayer time at a mosque inside an apartment complex in Garden City that houses Somalis. The attack was planned for the day after the 2016 presidential election. It was foiled after another militia member alerted authorities and agreed to wear a wire as a paid FBI informant. Prosecutors say Wright helped work on homemade bombs at his G&G Mobile Home Sales business in the nearby city of Liberal. Prosecutors had sought life in prison, while Wright's attorneys asked for time served.
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Police Getting 539 New, Improved Body Cameras
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police are getting upgraded body cameras and new cameras for supervisors. The department has had some body cameras since 2015. Police officials say the upgrades are similar to upgrading a cell phone. Officers are training how to use the 479 upgraded cameras. Another 60 new cameras for field sergeants is expected to be in use early this year. The Wichita Eagle reports the upgrades come two months after a motorcycle officer had trouble turning his camera on during a chase that ended with the officer shooting at a suspect. The new body cameras from Axon can automatically activate when lights and sirens are turned on. The new cameras for supervisors are being purchased with a $100,000 federal grant. The upgrades are part of an existing contract.
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Kansas Couple Arrested After Meth Found in Home with 3 Children
LIBERAL, Kan. (AP) — A southwest Kansas couple was arrested and their three young children taken into protective custody after officers say they found methamphetamine in their home. Capt. Robert Rogers of the Liberal police department said the children, who were 5, 3 and 1, were and taken to a hospital, where one of them tested positive for methamphetamine. KAKE-TV reports the 27-year-old mother reported Saturday that she had been in an argument with her 34-year-old husband, who had left the home. Rogers says officers believed the woman was under the influence and the children were not being care for. He says syringes and methamphetamine were within the children's reach. The man and woman were each charged with possession of meth and paraphernalia, aggravated child endangerment and child abuse. Rogers didn't release their names.
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Kansas Man Found in Colorado Hotel with Former Castmate
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a 47-year-old has been arrested at a Colorado hotel where he was found with a former 14-year-old castmate from a Kansas community theater production of "Elf: The Musical." A sergeant at the Montezuma County Detention Center in Colorado says Kansas authorities are seeking a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor against Michael Fitzgerald. The Journal newspaper reports that Fitzgerald was arrested Thursday night at the hotel in Cortez, Colorado, two days after the teen went missing from her Topeka home. Fitzgerald initially played the role of Walter, the father of main character Buddy the Elf, in last month's Topeka Civic Theatre production. The teen was part of the ensemble. The theater group's president and CEO, Vickie Brokke, told The Topeka Capital-Journal that Fitzgerald was replaced after cast members expressed concerns.
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Book by Daughter of BTK Serial Killer to Hit Shelves
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A book by the daughter of the BTK serial killer about finding out that her father had killed 10 people in the Wichita area will be released Tuesday. The Wichita Eagle reports that Kerri Rawson's memoir, "A Serial Killer's Daughter," details the 40-year-old's panicked descent into denial and depression after the 2005 arrest of her father, Dennis Rader. His self-coined moniker was BTK, which stood for "bind, torture, kill." The book being put out by Thomas Nelson Publishers also includes letters he sent her from jail. Rawson, who now lives in Michigan, has said that she hopes her story helps others wade through their own emotional turmoil. In the book's epilogue, Rawson talks about finally finding her own peace. She says she misses her father, "the one I mainly knew."
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Sheriff's Deputy Fatally Shoots Suspect in South Wichita
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a Sedgwick County sheriff's deputy fatally shot a man during a confrontation in Wichita. KAKE-TV reports Sheriff's Lt. Tim Myers said a 55-year-old man was shot and killed Monday afternoon at a storage facility in south Wichita. No officers or deputies were hurt. Further details were not immediately released.
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Former Kansas Trooper Sentenced in Wichita Gambling Probe
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A retired 53-year-old highway patrol trooper was sentenced to a year of probation for lying to the FBI during an investigation into illegal gambling in Wichita. Michael Frederiksen, of Derby, was convicted in May of making false statements to FBI investigators. Testing during the trial indicated that in 2014 Frederiksen was filmed participating in an illegal cash poker game while he was still a trooper. Prosecutors say during an interview by FBI agents investigating illegal gambling in Wichita, Frederiksen made false statements and downplayed his involvement in illegal poker and his relationship with the poker game's operator. An FBI affidavit in the case says investigators began looking into an illegal gambling business with ties to public corruption in Wichita in November 2011.
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Kansas to Hold Fall Hunting Season Despite Turkey Decline
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will allow hunters to kill turkeys this fall despite a call to suspend the season because the state's wild turkey populations have been in decline for 15 years. The Wichita Eagle reports that the Kansas Wildlife, Parks and Tourism Commission ignored a suggestion from a team of biologists and law enforcement officials to temporarily halt the fall season, except for an area near the Nebraska border. The fall season from October through January brings fewer hunters and less money than the spring season. Kansas wildlife official Kent Fricke says the fall season is one of many factors driving down the state's turkey population. The department would lose more than $150,000 in annual tag sales if the fall season ended. The local economy would miss out on about $8 million.
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2 New KC-46 Air Refueling Tankers Arrive at McConnell Air Force Base
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The first new KC-46 air refueling tankers have arrived at McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita. The Wichita Eagle reports that two of the tankers landed at the base Friday afternoon. The tanker uses the Boeing 767 passenger airplane as its airframe, and McConnell is the first base to receive the next-generation tanker. Boeing has said McConnell is slated to receive two more of the aircraft next week. The long-awaited tankers replace KC-135 air refueling tankers used by McConnell's two air refueling wings, the 22nd and 931st Air Refueling Wings. Eventually, McConnell will have 36 KC-46s to replace its aging fleet.
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After Record Wins Nationwide, Women Make Small Gain Among Top Lawmakers
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — State legislatures across the country are convening this year with at least 17 new women in top leadership roles, after a record-setting election for female candidates. But those gains are offset by another reality: At least a dozen women who led their legislative chambers or caucuses last year will no longer be doing so because of term-limits and decisions to seek higher office or retire. The bottom line is that women made only modest gains in legislative leadership positions despite their electoral success. They will hold at least 34 of the 195 top spots in House and Senate chambers across the country, with two spots in the Alaska House still undecided, according to a review by The Associated Press. That's up slightly from 30 top leadership positions last year.
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Missouri Zoo Names Baby Otters for Star Wars Characters
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Zoo's names for three baby otters have fans joining the light side, including one well-known "Star Wars" alumnus. The Kansas City Star reports that the Asian small-clawed otter triplets born last October have been dubbed Han, Luke and Leia. The otters were introduced to zoo-goers for the first time on Friday. One fan of the names is actor Mark Hamill, who has played Luke Skywalker in the "Star Wars" movie franchise. Hamill took to Twitter on Friday to tweet, "Thanks for finally reuniting Han, Luke and Leia, @KansasCityZoo. It's much appreciated! #YouOtterBeProudOfYourselves." The triplets join older siblings Connor, Clover and Otis, along with parents Cai and Ian on exhibit inside the zoo's tropics building.
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Chiefs Wide Receiver DeAnthony Thomas Arrested in Drug Possession Case
IOLA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver DeAnthony Thomas has been arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana and drug paraphernalia. The sheriff's office in southeast Kansas's Allen County said in a Facebook post that Thomas was booked Saturday. The 26-year-old from Lee's Summit, Missouri, has since been released on bond. The Kansas City Star reports that a Chiefs spokesperson says the team is aware of the incident but has no comment. Thomas finished his fifth season with the Chiefs on the injured reserve list after suffering a fracture in October in the same leg he fractured the previous season. Thomas has 64 career receptions for 503 yards and four touchdowns. He is set to be a free agent when the market opens in a few months.
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