Trump Hires Kansas Native as Special Counsel
GREAT BEND, Kan. (AP) — A Washington attorney chosen to serve as President Donald Trump's special counsel to handle the White House's response to the Russia probes hails from Kansas. The White House announced that Great Bend native Ty Cobb has been hired as a special counsel to the president. Cobb is a 1968 graduate of Great Bend High School and Georgetown University law school. He is a former federal prosecutor. Federal and congressional investigators are probing possible connections between the Trump campaign and Russian operatives.
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Disciplinary Board Investigates Kansas Secretary of State Kobach
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A disciplinary agency that oversees attorneys has opened a formal investigation against Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach for alleged misconduct in voting rights cases. A letter obtained by The Associated Press shows the Office of Disciplinary Administration decided to investigate the Kansas Republican following a complaint brought by Washburn University student Keri Strahler. Kobach's office says they are reviewing it and have no comment. Each year the disciplinary agency receives about 800 complaints against attorneys, and opens investigations in about one-third of them. Among the allegations cited in the complaint is a recent decision by U.S. Magistrate Judge James O'Hara, who ruled Kobach's "deceptive conduct and lack of candor" warranted sanctions. O'Hara fined him $1,000 and ordered Kobach to submit to a deposition.
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Health Officials Confirm Measles Case in Sedgwick County
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Health officials confirm there's been a case of measles in southern Kansas. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Sedgwick County Division of Health tell The Wichita Eagle that a number of people may have been exposed to the contagious illness. The state health department has created a list of Wichita-area locations and dates where people may have been exposed. It asks residents who were in those areas to call the department for further evaluation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says infected people can spread measles to others from about four days before the rash appears to four days after. The CDC says infants younger than 12 months, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are at high risk of complications from measles.
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Kansas Board Revokes Doctor's License Again in Abortion Case
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas's medical board has for the third time revoked the license of a doctor whose second opinions allowed the late Dr. George Tiller to perform late-term abortions more than a decade ago. The Board of Healing Arts acted against Dr. Ann Kristin Neuhaus again over what it concluded were inadequate records for 11 patients aged 10 to 18 who sought abortions in 2003. Kansas law required a second doctor to say continuing a pregnancy would permanently harm a patient's physical or mental health. The board's order earlier this month said poor record-keeping could jeopardize patients' future care. The board revoked the Nortonville doctor's license in 2012 and again in 2015. Each time, a Shawnee County judge overturned its action and ordered the board to reconsider. Tiller was murdered in 2009.
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Kansas City Kansas Community College Leader Placed on Leave
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The president of Kansas City Kansas Community College has been placed on administrative leave. The college provided no information about what led to the action being taken against Doris Givens in a closed executive board meeting. The board of trustees named Dr. Edward Kramer, the Dean of Math, Sciences and Computer Technology as the acting president. Givens, the first woman and first African-American president of the college, was hired in 2011. She had previously been vice chancellor for educational services for the Kern Community College District in Bakersfield, California. College officials say there could be further action regarding Givens at the board’s next meeting at 9 a.m. tomorrow (TUE).
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Kansas Man Sentenced to Prison in Missouri Shooting Death
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas man has been ordered to spend nearly three decades in prison after admitting he killed a woman in a Missouri apartment where officers found three children cowering under a blanket. Thirty-two-year-old Derrick Williams of Kansas City, Kansas, was sentenced Monday in Kansas City, Missouri, after pleading guilty to second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault and three counts of armed criminal action. Williams was sentenced to 28 years on the murder count and 15 years on each of the other charges, with the terms to run simultaneously. Williams admitted he killed 32-year-old Denise Gayle in July of last year. Court records say officers responding to a report of gunfire and screams found a naked Williams outside the apartment. Gayle's body was found in a bathroom.
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Kansas 18-Year-Old Convicted of 2016 Shooting Death
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas 18-year-old accused of having a role in the shooting death of a man in Topeka has been convicted of first-degree murder. A Shawnee County jury found Christopher Patillo Jr. guilty on Monday after a six-day trial. Patillo, who was 16 at the time of 20-year-old Brian Miller's death in April of last year, had been certified to stand trial as an adult. Patillo faces a life sentence with no chance of parole for a quarter century. Prosecutors argued that Patillo drove a van from which a gunman fired shots. Patillo also was convicted of criminal discharge of a firearm at an occupied dwelling, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, and 08aggravated child endangerment. A sentencing date was not immediately scheduled.
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'Little House on the Prairie' Log Cabin to Be Rebuilt
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The deteriorating log cabin at the "Little House on the Prairie" site in Kansas is expected to soon get a makeover. The Wichita Eagle reports that the current cabin was re-created and built near Independence in 1977 at the television series' peak of popularity. The show is based off Laura Ingalls Wilder's books centered on her childhood in the country's Midwest region. Wilder spent a year with her family at the Kansas site in 1869. Cabin owners Bill Kurtis and Jean Schodorf say that four decades of weather has worn down the house. They want to rebuild the house as well as add a barn. Schodorf says more than 20,000 people visit the site each year. She says the cabin is scheduled for construction in October and November.
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Kansas Businesswoman Gets Prison Term in IRS Case
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City-area businesswoman has been ordered to spend a year and a half in federal prison for lying about her Cayman Islands interests used in a scheme to hide millions of dollars in secret offshore accounts. Sixty-six-year-old Verna Cheryl Womack of Mission Hills, Kansas, was sentenced Monday in Kansas City, Missouri. On Monday, she paid the $1.7 million in taxes that her attorneys and the U.S. government agreed she owed. Womack pleaded guilty last year to a count of attempting to interfere with the administration of U.S. internal revenue laws. As part of a plea deal, prosecutors dropped nine other counts. Court documents allege that Womack failed to report her offshore holdings as required by law in an effort to hide more than $6 million in income.
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Illinois Pilot, Kansas Airport Manager Die in Plane Crash
CUMMINGS, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say an Illinois pilot and his passenger have died after a World War II-era P-51 Mustang fighter crashed one day after it flew in a festival that celebrates famed aviator Amelia Earhart in her Kansas hometown. The Kansas City Star reports that the crash happened Sunday in a field less than ten miles from the airport in Atchison. The crash killed the pilot, 64-year-old Vlado Lenoch, of Burr Ridge, Illinois, and his passenger, 34-year-old Bethany Root. Root was the manager of the Amelia Earhart Memorial Airport in Atchison, which is about 45 miles northwest of Kansas City. Kansas Highway Patrol Lieutenant Bryce Whelpley says the cause is unknown. He says federal officials will investigate. Festival coordinator Jacque Pregont described the deaths as "a horrible, horrible loss."
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Kansas Man Gets 15 Years in Prison for Putting Baby in Trash
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man has been ordered to spend more than 15 years in prison for abandoning his infant stepdaughter in an apartment complex trash compactor. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that 28-year-old Marquis Young was sentenced Friday in Douglas County. That's where he pleaded no contest in May to reduced charges of aggravated battery and child abuse. He initially was charged with attempted first-degree murder after the baby was found in July 2016 in the trash bin. The then-9-month-old suffered two skull fractures but has recovered. Young's wife has testified she went to spend the night with friends after an argument and left the baby with her husband. He'd been drinking and told investigators he couldn't remember what happened during the night. Blood on his shirt matched the infant's DNA.
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Police Shoot Man Accused of Firing into Crowd in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Police say an officer has shot and wounded a man who was firing into a crowd of people as bars closed in the Westport entertainment district in Kansas City. The Kansas City Star reports that the shooting happened early Sunday. The suspect was transported to a hospital in critical condition. Police believe that the suspect shot and wounded two men. Jackson County sheriff's deputies found the two men in a vehicle that was fleeing the scene of the shooting. The men were transported to a hospital in stable condition. The suspect's gun was recovered at the scene. The shooting is one of several that have occurred in Westport in the past year. The shootings have at least in part inspired a push to privatize a stretch of Westport streets.
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Western Kansas Woman Dies After Nebraska Crash
INDIANOLA, Neb. (AP) - A western Kansas woman is the second person to die after a crash in Nebraska earlier this month. The Nebraska State Patrol says 19-year-old Holly Myers of Horace, Kansas, died Saturday from injuries sustained during a crash on July 9 crash. Horace is in Greeley County near the Colorado state line. The crash happened near Indianola, Nebraska when a pickup truck drove off a gravel road and into a ditch. The driver of the truck, 23-year-old Aaron Jones of Cambridge, Nebraska died at the crash site. Holly Myers was taken to a nearby hospital in critical condition and died Saturday. The State Patrol says alcohol was likely a factor in the crash and that neither victim was wearing a seat belt.
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Leavenworth Man Accused of Intoxication in Fatal Wreck
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas man is accused in Missouri of being intoxicated when his vehicle crashed into another one, killing the other driver. Jackson County (Missouri) prosecutors have charged 20-year-old Jason Evans of Leavenworth with felony driving while intoxicated. Court filings allege that Evans's vehicle was traveling at a high speed late July 13th when it hit a vehicle driven by Stephen Russell in an intersection. Russell died later at a hospital. Prosecutors have requested a $100,000 bond for Evans.
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Restored Route 66 Viaduct To Be Dedicated in Southeast Kansas
GALENA, Kan. (AP) — A restored viaduct along the historic Route 66 will be dedicated next week near the southeast Kansas town of Galena. The Joplin Globe reports that the bridge serves as a gateway to Galena's historic district and the famous "Cars on the Route" stop. That's the old Kan-O-Tex Station that's home to the truck "Tow Tater," which served as the inspiration for Tow Mater in the Pixar movie "Cars." The mayor of 3,000-resident Galena, Dale Oglesby, calls the restoration "the best project since we did downtown." With just over 13 miles, Kansas has the shortest segment of Route 66 of any state that the highway crossed. The viaduct will be dedicated during a ceremony next Saturday.
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Missouri Couple Plans Wedding During Solar Eclipse in August
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Samantha Adams and her fiancé are planning a cosmic wedding this August during the total solar eclipse. Adams told The Kansas City Star she couldn't dream of a more perfect setting for her wedding than during the eclipse because she loves the stars. So the ceremony will be held outside on August 21 at 12:30 p.m. in St. Joseph, Missouri. Adams's fiancé, Cameron Kuhn, says he's happy to go along with the eclipse wedding because it makes his bride happy. The couple's entire ceremony will have an eclipse theme and every guest will be provided with a pair of solar glasses. During the wedding, the couple plans to watch the eclipse with their guests before taking their vows.
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Kansas State Coach Bill Snyder Writing Children's Book
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Longtime Kansas State football coach Bill Snyder is planning to write a children's book. Publisher Kraken Books says the 77-year-old Snyder is writing a children's book called "Take it from Me." Few other details about the book were released immediately. Snyder is preparing to coach his 26th season at Kansas State this fall. His teams have won 202 games and two Big 12 championships during his career.
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Royals Snap Losing Streak With 4-3 Victory Over Rangers
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Texas right fielder Shin-Soo Choo lost Lorenzo Cain's routine fly in the sun, and the ball glanced off his glove for an RBI single with two outs in the ninth inning that lifted the Kansas City Royals to a walk off win over the Texas Rangers 4-3 Sunday. Choo tried to shield his eyes, but even sunglasses didn't help on Cain's sliced flyball. The Royals snapped a five-game losing streak, and also ended a 12-game skid against the Rangers. The Royals' Kelvin Herrera (2-2) pitched a spotless ninth. The Rangers' Jason Grilli (2-5) took the loss.
