Topeka Names KCK Officer New Police Chief
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Topeka has hired an assistant police chief from Kansas City, Kansas to become the capital city's new chief. The city announced in a news release Friday it had hired James L. Brown as police chief, effective October 1st. Brown will replace Chief Ron Miller, who retired July 31st. Brown's will be paid $142,500, an increase from $113,119 paid to Miller, who was chief in Kansas City, Kansas before being hired in Topeka in 2006. Brown has been Kansas City, Kansas, assistant police chief since 2011. He was an officer there since 1991. He also serves in the Kansas Air National Guard as a chief master sergeant.
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National Aviation Research Lab Expands in Wichita
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The National Institute for Aviation Research in Wichita is using a new laboratory to test how to safely carry pressurized oxygen bottles on airplanes. The research is being conducted at the new Ballistics and Impact Dynamics Lab for B/E Aerospace in Olathe. The lab, operated by Wichita State University, cost $300,000 to set up. It is inside the former Britt Brown Arena at the Kansas Coliseum. The laboratory will be used to conduct high-risk tests on other materials used in airplanes, such as fuel tanks. NIAR officials say the next step will be to add the ability to test bird-strike and high velocity projectile impacts later this year.
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Salina Discrimination Claim Dismissed
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — An attorney for the Salina Human Relations Commission says he could not find enough evidence to support a discrimination claim filed by a former interim director of the Saline County Health Department. Suzette Brotton had filed the claim in April against the commission after it chose Bronson Farmer, rather than her, to direct to health department. She claimed she was not chosen because she is a woman. The Salina Journal reports attorney Allen Glendenning said Friday he had found insufficient evidence to establish that discrimination occurred. Farmer was chosen despite having previously been fired from the health department for allegedly falsifying mileage reports. He has denied that charge. Brotton has filed a similar complaint with the Kansas Human Rights Commission, and that case is pending.
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Kansas City Debuts New System to Find Disabled People
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City police have a new system to help them more quickly find missing people suffering from mental or emotional disabilities. Known as Care Trak, the system gives ankle and wrist bracelets to people with conditions like autism, Alzheimer's disease or traumatic brain injuries. Radio technology can then track those people. The Kansas City Star reports the police department received a $10,000 donation from the Police Foundation of Kansas City to buy a tracking unit for the city's six patrol stations. Officers were trained to use the system this week. A bracelet costs about $300 plus about $3 each month.
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57 Wild Horses Die After Transfer to Kansas
SCOTT CITY, Kan. (AP) — Federal investigators say 57 wild horses that died after being transferred to a corral in Kansas likely succumbed to stress, age and changes caused by the move. A preliminary report says federal investigators found no signs of infectious or contagious disease in the horses. The report says the shift from pasture to corral environment, and the change from pasture feed to processed hay feed also were factors in the deaths. The horses were among 1,493 mares transferred to Scott City in June by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. The move came after a Kansas contractor told the agency he would renew an existing contract but wanted a smaller herd. The Hutchinson News reports a veterinarian had to euthanize an additional 13 animals at the Scott City corral.