Ex-Kansas Lawmaker Mark Hutton Joins GOP Gubernatorial Race
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Former state lawmaker Mark Hutton has officially entered the race for the Republican nomination for Kansas governor. Hutton, who founded Hutton Construction in Wichita, said during an announcement Monday that state government under Gov. Sam Brownback is "broken." He was expected to enter the race and has been raising money since August. Hutton was elected to the Kansas House in 2012 and 2014 but didn't seek a third term. Hutton was one of the first Republicans to publicly oppose Brownback's zero tax rate for owners of limited liability companies. Other GOP candidates include Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer, Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer, Secretary of State Kris Kobach, Wichita businessman Wink Hartman, former state Senator Jim Barnett, former state Representative Ed O'Malley and Prairie Village high school student Tyler Ruzich.
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Inmate Transfers Spike at Kansas Prisons
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Department of Corrections reports several spikes this year in the number of inmates transferred among its prisons. Officials are debating how much the movement of prisoners is fueling inmate unrest. The department says short-term increases in transfers of inmates into and out of prisons are tied in some cases to staffing problems at its prisons in Lansing and El Dorado. But it also attributed them to the relocation of a vocational program earlier this year and an ongoing effort to even out the number of maximum-security inmates in the three largest prisons. The figures show the average monthly transfers into and out of the prisons in Lansing, El Dorado, Hutchinson and Norton all are higher this year than last year.
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Extended Shifts to Continue at El Dorado
EL DORADO, Kan. (AP) - The state corrections department says it will continue 12-hour shifts for its officers at El Dorado Correctional Facility for another 90 days. The department said an emergency status started earlier this year will continue because of a staffing shortage. The agency says the extended shifts will be reviewed on or before December 22nd. Corrections Secretary Joe Norwood said the corrections department is working to hire and train more staff at the prison. Three inmate-led disturbances were reported in May and June at the El Dorado prison. Critics have said the unrest was caused in part after the state shifted some inmates from Lansing Correctional Facility to El Dorado.
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Kansas Facing Severe Shortage of Technically Trained Workers
WICHITAS, Kan. (AP) — Business, civic and state leaders say Kansas needs to quickly address a severe shortage of employees with the skills needed to fill jobs in technical industries. The latest available data from the Kansas Department of Labor says the state had 45,000 job vacancies in 2016 — more than the entire population of Hutchinson. The Wichita Eagle spoke to dozens of leaders who said companies such as Spirit AeroSystems or Textron Aviation might have to consider moving jobs elsewhere if more skilled workers can't be found. Spirit AeroSystems vice president Justin Welner says 40 percent of the more than 10,000 workers in Wichita will be eligible to retire in five years. The officials are pushing the state to consider several steps, including more technical education and better-targeted tax incentives.
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Report: University of Kansas Women Faculty Still Minority
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A recent report says women faculty are still in the minority at the University of Kansas, where they're also twice as likely to resign from their posts as male colleagues. The Lawrence Journal-World says university economics professor Donna Ginther headed the committee tasked with investigating and identifying potential gender inequities among students, staff and faculty. The committee's report found that just 35 percent of the university's tenured or tenure-track faculty are women. The report says women faculty at the university are more than twice as likely to leave their job as male colleagues. Ginther says retention remains a key goal. She says the findings back up her older research that found mathematics-heavy fields are still overrepresented by men, and women are still overrepresented in social science fields.
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2 Dead After Topeka Apartment Fire
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ Two people have died and a third person has been arrested after police responded to a stabbing and a fire at a Topeka apartment. Topeka police Captain Scott Gilchrist said that one person was pronounced dead Sunday night at the scene. A second victim was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. The victims' names weren't immediately released. The release didn't say how they died. Gilchrist says a 62-year-old suspect was found walking in the area and was interviewed. He has been booked into jail on suspicion of two counts of first-degree murder.
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Report: Wheat Planting, Fall Harvest Make Progress in Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The latest government update on Kansas crops shows progress on winter wheat seeding is lagging behind usual for this time of year. The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday that 14 percent of the next year's crop has now been planted. Normally by this time, Kansas growers have seeded 20 percent of their crop. The agency says about 3 percent of the wheat has now emerged. Corn harvest is also going slower than usual for this late in the season. The agency reports that 29 percent has been cut. That is behind the average of 35 percent. About 6 percent of both the sorghum and soybean crops in Kansas have also been harvested.
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Pedestrian Dies After Being Hit by Vehicle in Topeka
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Highway Patrol says a man who died after being hit by a car in Topeka was trying to cross two lanes of traffic on a highway to collect cans. The patrol says 85-year-old Jack Streeter, of Grantville, was struck Monday morning on U.S. 24. Streeter was trying to get a median in the four-lane highway to collect cans when he was hit. Streeter was taken to Stormont-Vail Hospital, where he was declared dead. The driver of the vehicle was not injured.
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Kansas Drowning Victim Found in the Lake of the Ozarks
CAMDENTON, Mo. (AP) - Authorities say kayakers have found a drowning victim in the Lake of the Ozarks. The Missouri State Highway Patrol identified the victim as 50-year-old Amy Miller, of Prairie Village, Kansas. The patrol says the kayakers found her body floating Sunday morning in a cove around the 26-mile marker of the lake's main channel in Camden County. No other details were provided.
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1 Dead After ATV Accident on Wichita Bike Path
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Authorities say one person has been killed in an all-terrain vehicle accident along a Wichita bike path. KAKE-TV reports that the ATV apparently flipped Sunday night after hitting a tree branch. Wichita Police Sergeant Dan Harty says a bicyclist spotted the ATV in a tree row, with a 44-year-old man trapped underneath it. Emergency crews tried to save him, but he was declared dead at the scene. Harty said the branch had been down for about three days, but it is not clear if anyone notified city crews to remove it. Harty says it is illegal to ride ATVs along bike paths in Wichita, but some people apparently have been doing it on weekends.
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Police Investigate Deadly Shooting in Western Kansas
SCOTT CITY, Kan. (AP) _ Authorities have arrested a suspect in a western Kansas killing. A news release says deputies found the 44-year-old victim dead from a gunshot wound around 10 p.m. Friday while responded to a shooting at a rural Scott County residence. The man's name wasn't immediately released. A 50-year-old suspect was spotted in a pickup truck about a half mile from the residence and was arrested without incident. The suspect is being held in the Scott County Jail. No charges were immediately filed.
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KU Unveils $350 Million Campaign for Football Stadium, Athletic Facilities
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas has unveiled a $350 million, five-year fundraising campaign to upgrade its athletic facilities. Chancellor Douglas Girod and athletic director Sheahon Zenger announced the "Raise the Chant" campaign. It includes upgrades to Memorial Stadium and the baseball facilities, as well as construction of a new volleyball arena and completing some renovations to Allen Fieldhouse. The campaign got a boost Friday, when alumnus David Booth pledged $50 million, the largest donation ever to the athletic department, and also received $10 million from Stu Horejsi. The main project will continue renovations of Memorial Stadium, including construction of an indoor practice facility. Kansas Athletics also will be receiving more money after signing a 12-year extension with Adidas, which will provide $191 million in sponsorship and apparel.
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Kansas Democrats Feuding in Recall Effort
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Democrats are locked in a heated battle over a top party official in a fight that is expected to come to a head when they gather in Wichita next week for an annual convention. The Wichita Eagle reports the rift is exposing divisions among Democrats ahead of elections next year. The conflict centers on party secretary Casey Yingling. She is part of the political consulting firm working for Democratic congressional candidate James Thompson. He lost a special election earlier this year to Republican Ron Estes to fill a vacant Wichita-area congressional seat. Democratic State Committee members may vote on Yingling's recall during the convention. A petition alleges she had a conflict when as a member of the party's executive committee she voted on a $20,000 request for Thompson's campaign.=======
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Kansas City Chiefs Defeat L.A. Chargers 24-10
CARSON, Calif. (AP) - Alex Smith threw two touchdown passes in the first 9 ½ minutes against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. The Chiefs' Terrance Mitchell had two interceptions and rookie Kareem Hunt scored on a 69-yard run to seal the Kansas City Chiefs' 24-10 victory over the Chargers. The Chiefs (3-0) beat the Chargers for the seventh straight time and have won 12 straight AFC West games. Los Angeles' Philip Rivers threw three interceptions and the Chargers fell to 0-3 in their first season playing in the 27,000-seat StubHub Center after moving from San Diego.
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White Sox Beat Royals 8-to-1
CHICAGO (AP) — White Sox right-hander Lucas Giolito (3-3) pitched seven strong innings and Avisail Garcia drove in three runs with his 18th homer and a double to lead the Chicago White Sox past the Kansas City Royals 8-1 on Sunday. Chicago took two of three from the Royals and dropped them to 5½ games behind Minnesota for the second AL wild card. Kansas City has seven games left to play in the regular season. Lorenzo Cain's solo homer in the fourth was the only Kansas City run.
