Court Rules Kansas Constitution Protects Abortion Rights
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court says the state constitution's protections for abortion rights are stronger than those offered by the U.S. Constitution. The court declared for the first time Friday that the Kansas Constitution protects abortion rights. It says the state's Bill of Rights grants a right to personal autonomy that gives a woman a right to end her pregnancy. But the court's majority went further. It said in Kansas, abortion restrictions face strict scrutiny when determining whether they violate the state constitution. The court said the state must have a compelling interest behind a restriction and keep them narrowly written. The majority said that is a higher standard than the U.S. Supreme Court's rule that restrictions cannot place an undue burden on a woman's ability to obtain an abortion.
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Ex-Topeka Correctional Instructor Charged with Abusing Inmates
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors say a former Topeka Correctional dental instructor has been charged with inappropriate conduct with female inmates. The Kansas Department of Corrections said Friday that Shawnee County officials charged Tomas Co with seven counts of unlawful sexual relations. Co supervised inmate training in a program that taught inmates to make dentures. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports each charge against Co involves a different inmate in incidents that allegedly occurred between 2014 and 2018. The newspaper said documents it obtained show the corrections department was made aware of the alleged sexual misconduct more than two years ago. State and federal auditors recommended Co be fired but he continued to work until he was placed on administrative leave in November 2018. Co was arrested in Oklahoma and booked into jail there April 8th as a fugitive from justice.
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Federal Judge Charged in Kansas DUI Case
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge in Kansas is facing charges after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Johnson County Court records show that 70-year-old Kathryn Vratil was arrested Thursday night. She is charged in Johnson County District Court with driving under the influence and improper driving. Vratil is a senior judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas. The Kansas City Star reports a complaint filed Friday says Vratil was arrested by a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper. She posted a $1,000 bond. Her next court appearance is scheduled for May 21st. Chief Judge Julie Robinson said in a statement Friday that the federal court will handle the incident as a personnel matter and have no further comment.
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Kansas Lt. Governor, 3 GOP Governors Meet with Corps
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The leaders of several Midwest states hit recently by flooding along the Missouri River say they've received assurances from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers that the states will "have a seat at the table" when it comes to river management decisions. The Republican governors of Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri and Kansas' Democratic lieutenant governor all met with Corps officials in Council Bluffs on Friday, the second such meeting since last month's devastating floods. Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts said the states are considering pushing for formation of a Missouri River management commission — similar to the Mississippi River Commission — that would include representatives from the states. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds also said repair contracts for three of the river's larges breaches have already been awarded and that some of the repairs could be finished as early as July.
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Former Wichita YMCA Worker Sentenced for Child Sex Abuse
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A former worker at the Wichita YMCA was sentenced to 27 years in prison for sexually assaulting two young children. 22-year-old Caleb Gaston was sentenced Friday. He pleaded no contest in February to two counts of rape. Authorities say in January 2018, Gaston sexually abused a 3-year-old and a 4-year-old in his care at the YMCA branch's Kid Zone. Police arrested him after the 4-year-old girl reported that he had hit her and then touched her inappropriately. KAKE-TV reports that before sentencing, Gaston apologized and said he had never had legal troubles until he became convicted to drugs. Before the YMCA incidents, Gaston was fired from another day care job after complaints he had inappropriately touched children. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment couldn't substantiate the allegation.
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Study: Kansas Juvenile Arrests Drop as Reforms Implemented
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A study shows that fewer juveniles have been arrested and held in the Kansas juvenile justice system while the state has been investing in alternatives to incarceration. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the Pew Charitable Trusts found that the number of juvenile arrests in Kansas fell by 29% between 2015 and 2017. Researchers say the state's population of youth placed in detention facilities or group homes declined by 63% from 2015 to 2018. The changes align with when Kansas began funneling budget savings into community-based therapy and intervention programs designed to keep families together. Lawmakers passed a bill in 2016 to redirect at-risk youth into alternative programs. Pew research manager Dana Shoenberg says Kansas is an example of how states can reform their juvenile justice system while containing costs.
