UPDATE: Pittsburg Man Arrested in Connection with Murder of Two Relatives
LINN COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) has announced that a Pittsburg man has been arrested for murder in Linn County. Thirty-one-year-old David Mcnabb was arrested for the murders of 87-year-old Betty Mcnabb and her son, 65-year-old Kenneth Mcnabb, both of Pleasanton. David Mcnabb is the nephew of Kenneth Mcnabb. David Mcnabb has been charged with the alleged crimes of second-degree murder, criminal desecration of a body, and interference with a law enforcement officer. This investigation is ongoing. No further details will be release at this time.
(earlier version of this story)
Authorities Investigate Disappearance of Elderly Woman, Son in Linn County
PLEASANTON, Kan. (AP) — A person of interest has been taken into custody in the disappearance of an 87-year-old woman and her 65-year-old son in eastern Kansas. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says family members reported Betty Mcnabb and Kenneth Mcnabb missing late Friday evening. The release says a check of their rural Pleasanton home led the Linn County Sheriff's office to suspect foul play. A person of interest was located Saturday and is being held for questioning. Authorities with multiple agencies are investigating, including Overland Park police, the Crawford County Sheriff's office, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and the Kansas Highway Patrol.
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Kansas Woman Gets Life Term in 7-Year-Old Stepson's Death
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas woman has been sentenced to life in prison for the killing of her 7-year-old stepson, who prosecutors say died of chronic abuse and whose remains were found in the family's pigsty. Heather Jones won't be eligible for parole for 25 years under the life sentence imposed today (MON) for first-degree murder in the killing of her stepson, Adrian Jones, or A.J. She was sentenced to an additional 5 years and 8 months in prison on two child abuse charges she pleaded guilty to last month. Her husband, Michael Jones, has pleaded not guilty and is due to stand trial in February. District Attorney Jerome Gorman has declined to address media reports that the boy's remains were fed to the pigs, but he called the crime scene "one of the worst" investigators had seen.
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Explosion and Fire Destroy Historic Downtown Kansas City Church
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - An explosion and fire destroyed a historic Kansas City church Sunday morning. The Kansas City Star reports that fire crews were called to the Evangelistic Center Church at Truman Road and Troost Avenue near downtown Kansas City, Missouri. The fire department says the church was unoccupied when there was an explosion and a partial building collapse before the fire broke out. No injuries have been reported. Authorities closed nearby roads while crews battled the fire. A plume of smoke was visible from miles away. Firefighters haven't yet determined the cause of the explosion and fire. The building opened in 1904 as the Scottish Rite Masonic Temple.
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Kansas City Shooting Kills 1 Woman, Injures 3 Other People
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City police are investigating after a woman was found fatally shot in a car with three other people who were wounded. The Kansas City Star reports that police found the four people shot in a car late Saturday night. Police said Sunday that 25-year-old Maryanna Pennington, of Kansas City, died in the shooting. The three other victims were hospitalized with critical injuries. No other details were released.
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Topeka Woman Dies After Being Struck by Car
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Police say a Topeka woman died after she was struck by a vehicle as she tried to cross a street. A police spokesman told The Topeka Capital-Journal the woman was crossing a roadway Saturday evening when she was struck by the vehicle. She was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The woman's identity hasn't been released and no other details were available.
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Highway Patrol Identities Two Killed in South-Central Kansas Car Chase
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) - Authorities have identified two men killed in south-central Kansas when the car they were in collided with a tractor-trailer during a police chase. Newton Police Chief Eric Murphy says the two men were being pursued Friday on U.S. 50 because of a report that they shoplifted about $600 of merchandise from a discount store. He says the car they were in also had a stolen tag. Murphy says the fleeing vehicle drove at speeds of up to 115 mph during the chase before the car slid sideways into the tractor-trailer. The Kansas Highway Patrol identified the two men as 27-year-old Wendell Lue Hicks III and 48-year-old Lee Francis Billinger.
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Body Discovered in Harvey County May Be That of Missing Wichita Man
VALLEY CENTER, Kan. (AP) - Authorities say they believe they have found the body of a missing Wichita man. Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter told KSN-TV that authorities "have every indication" law enforcement found the body of 33-year-old Scottie W. Goodpaster Jr. Saturday in rural Harvey County. Goodpaster was listed as a missing person about a week ago. Prosecutors charged five people last week in connection with Goodpaster's disappearance. Easter says the body was found after authorities received a call telling them a truck that authorities had been seeking in the case was spotted in rural Harvey County. Authorities had information that Goodpaster could have been inside the truck. He says officers discovered the body near the abandoned truck.
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Textron Aviation Lays Off More Workers in Wichita
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Textron Aviation has announced more layoffs. The Wichita Eagle reports that the layoffs occurred Thursday. But the company isn't providing details about how many people were let go from the company, which has three campuses in Wichita. Textron manufactures business jets as well as turboprop airplanes and also operates a plant in Independence. Company spokeswoman Rosa Lee Argotsinger said Textron's streamlining with "workforce reductions in order to improve our overall operating efficiency." Textron Aviation doesn't routinely disclose how many Wichita employees it has, but said last December it had about 9,000 employees in Kansas. The company also announced an unknown number of layoffs in October.
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U.S. Supreme Court Won't Review Lawsuit on Kansas Science Standards
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to review a nonprofit group's lawsuit claiming that science standards for Kansas public schools promote atheism. Today (MON), the high court rejected a petition from a nonprofit Kansas group calling itself Citizens for Objective Public Education. The decision came without comment. The group sought a review by the high court after a ruling in April by the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver affirmed a federal judge's dismissal of the lawsuit. The group challenged standards adopted in 2013 by the Kansas State Board of Education that treat evolution and climate change as key scientific concepts. The appeals court agreed with U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree that opponents of the standards had no standing to sue because they could not show an injury.
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UPDATE: Wichita Jury Returns Guilty Verdicts in Kansas Gun Case
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A jury in Wichita has found two Kansas men guilty of federal firearms violations in a case that repudiates a Kansas law that purports to prevent federal prosecution of anyone owning firearms made, sold and kept in the state. A jury this (MON) evening convicted Shane Cox on eight counts for illegally making and marketing firearms. Jeremy Kettler was found guilty on one count for the purchase of a gun silencer from Cox. The jury found the two men not guilty on two other counts involving possession of a destructive device. U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten told jurors the case would likely be appealed because of the issues involved with the state law. Marten says he can't change the law at this level, but he anticipated the U.S. Supreme Court might eventually review the casae because the issues are this important. Cox is the owner of Tough Guys gun store in Chanute accused of illegally making and marketing firearms. Kettler testified Monday that he bought an unregistered gun silencer after Cox showed him a copy of the state gun law signed by Governor Sam Brownback. U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten told jurors that what Kettler believes is not necessarily the law. The Kansas attorney general's office has intervened in the case to argue the constitutionality of the state's gun law.
(earlier version of this story)
Kansas Gun Law Snares 2 in Federal Prosecution
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Closing arguments are scheduled Monday in a criminal case that indirectly involves a Kansas law seeking to prevent federal prosecution of anyone owning firearms made, sold and kept in the state. Shane Cox and Jeremy Kettler are on trial in U.S. District Court in Wichita on federal firearms violations. Cox is the owner of Tough Guys gun store in Chanute accused of illegally making and marketing firearms. Kettler testified Monday that he bought an unregistered gun silencer after Cox showed him a copy of the state gun law signed by Governor Sam Brownback. U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten told jurors that what Kettler believes is not necessarily the law. The Kansas atoorney general's office has intervened in the case to argue the constitutionality of the state's gun law.
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Kansas Soldier Buried After 1951 Death in North Korea
FURLEY, Kan. (AP) — An American soldier has been buried in rural Sedgwick County after dying in a North Korean prisoner of war camp in 1951. The Wichita Eagle reports that the U.S. Army and Cpl. Wayne Minard's family buried him Saturday outside unincorporated Furley. Authorities say Minard starved to death. He was laid to rest next to his mother, Bertha, who died nine months after his death. A military search and recovery team found Minard's remains in 2005 and identified them earlier this year.
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Inmate Surrenders After Escaping Minimum Security Prison in Leavenworth
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say an inmate turned himself in Saturday night after walking away from a minimum-security federal prison camp in Leavenworth the previous night. The U.S. Bureau of Prisons says 41-year-old Timothy Taylor turned himself in late Saturday night, and is back in the Bureau of Prisons' custody. The department did not provide details about how or where Taylor surrendered. Taylor was found missing from the Federal Prison Camp at Leavenworth late Friday night. The department says Taylor was serving a 10-year sentence on a drug charge. There were no details about how Taylor managed to escape from the Leavenworth camp, which has about 400 male inmates who are considered "low-risk".
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Pheasant Season Brings Hunters, Money to Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Thousands of hunters came to Kansas for the opening of pheasant season this past weekend, benefiting hundreds of businesses and philanthropies. Mike Miller, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism information chief, told The Wichita Eagle that pheasant season — especially opening weekend — is an important economic boost. The season began over the weekend and will run through January 31. He says up to 50,000 hunters were expected to hunt on opening weekend, He also said that traveling hunters spend a minimum of $150 per night for rooms, meals and gasoline. Miller estimates hunting adds about $400 million to the Kansas economy, and "a lot of that will come on opening weekend." This year, the state's best pheasant populations seem to be in southwest Kansas, but experts report improved populations in central and western Kansas too.
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Kansas City Health Care Technology Company Uses Employee DNA in Pilot Program
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Cerner, a health care technology company with offices in Kansas and Missouri, has launched a pilot DNA program that aims to build systems to share data among patients, doctors and hospitals, and two of its employees have become research subjects. The Kansas City Star reports that Jennifer and Eric Geis sent saliva samples to a personal genetics testing company and then gave the results to their employer. They are two of 82 Cerner employees who voluntarily turned over their DNA profile to the company. Cerner says the DNA profiles will be used to give participants individualized information that will help them make health-oriented decisions.
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University of Kansas Smoking Ban Set for 2018
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas campus plans to be tobacco-free beginning in the fall of 2018. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the Tobacco Free KU initiative is continuing its efforts to get the word out about the new rules. University spokeswoman Erinn Barcomb-Peterson says university administrators hope that the longer and gradual implementation will help ensure everyone is ready for the changes. Smoking is not currently allowed inside buildings, but people can smoke outdoors. Residents of student housing also are allowed to use smokeless tobacco products inside their rooms. Under the new policy all tobacco use and the use of e-cigarettes, will be banned campus wide. Barcomb-Peterson says enforcement of the ban will be phased in.
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Topeka Jail to Work with Mental Health Center to Provide Juvenile Services
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Shawnee County detention facility has plans to work with a mental health agency for juvenile inmates in need of those services. The Shawnee County Commission has approved a one-year, grant funded contract with the Family Service and Guidance Center agency. The contract will involve staff in the Shawnee County jail's juvenile detention center working with mental health professionals to identify at-risk juveniles and then place them in short-term therapeutic programs. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that about 15 percent to 20 percent of the juvenile inmates at the facility are in need of mental health services.
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Kansas City Chiefs Rally Late for 20-17 Win over Panthers
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Marcus Peters stripped Kelvin Benjamin with 20 seconds left, Cairo Santos kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired, and the Kansas City Chiefs overcame a 17-point deficit to top the Carolina Panthers 20-17 on Sunday. The game was tied when Benjamin caught a pass from Cam Newton, and Peters ripped the ball from his arms. Santos' fourth field goal of the day split the uprights, lifting the Chiefs (7-2) to their fifth straight victory and 17th win in their last 19 games. The Chiefs' Eric Berry also returned a Newton interception for 42 yards and a touchdown as Kansas City's defense came up with big plays when needed. Alex Smith threw for 178 yards and Spencer Ware ran for 61 yards for the Chiefs. Carolina's Newton threw for 261 yards and a touchdown and ran for 54 yards and a score for the Panthers (3-6).
