Newton Against Supporting Housing Immigrant Kids
NEWTON, Kan. (AP) — Officials in a south-central Kansas city have voted against supporting a group's efforts to house unaccompanied children who've arrived in the U.S. illegally. Newton spokeswoman Erin McDaniel says the City Commission voted 4-0 in a special meeting Friday against issuing a letter of support to EmberHope, a nonprofit faith-based agency that has applied for a federal grant to house immigrant children at its Youthville facility in Newton. The group sought a letter of support from the city as part of its application process. But an EmberHope official says it's unclear how the vote will affect the grant proposal, which didn't require the letter. The Wichita Eagle reports in the last year more than 50,000 children have crossed the U.S. border, fleeing violence in El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras.
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Colyer Says Loans in Kansas Race 'Cash Management'
GARDNER, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer is defending his short-term, $500,000 loans to Governor Sam Brownback's re-election campaign as "simple cash management." Colyer said yesterday (SAT) before a parade in Gardner that the Republican governor's campaign is simply managing its resources well, just as elected officials should manage the state's finances well. But Democratic challenger Paul Davis said the reasons behind the loans remain a mystery. Finance reports filed by Brownback's campaign show that Colyer loaned the campaign $500,000 on December 31st, but the campaign paid him back on January 2nd. Then, Colyer loaned the campaign another $500,000 on July 23rd, the day before the finance reporting period ended. Colyer said repaying the first loan quickly made sense because the campaign wouldn't have earned much interest on it.
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2 Fort Riley Soldiers AWOL
FORT RILEY, Kan. (AP) — The father of one of two soldiers reported missing from Fort Riley has raised concerns about his son's disappearance. A flier from the Kansas Missing and Unsolved Facebook page says Private First Class Richard "Connor" Ferguson and Private First Class Bradley Kappel were last seen July 21st. Military records show the men were serving in the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team "Dagger." The Topeka Capital-Journal reports they're considered to be AWOL by Fort Riley officials. Chris Grey, spokesman for the USA Criminal Investigation Command office in Quantico, Virginia, says the Army believes the two men didn't disappear under suspicious circumstances. But Connor Ferguson's father, Steve Ferguson, says it's out of character for his son to go AWOL.
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Wichita Neighborhood Losing Door-to-Door Mail
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A south Wichita neighborhood is losing its door-to-door mail delivery service because of problem dogs. Postal officials say the letter carriers in the neighborhood have been "challenged" several times by loose dogs and dogs that are on chains that are too long. Neighbors told The Wichita Eagle that mail for residents in the affected blocks is being held at the River City station until U.S. Postal Service workers install community mailboxes in the area in about two weeks. U.S. Postal Service spokesman Brian Sperry says the residents were informed about the three dogs causing the problems in June, and the problem did not cease. He says loose dogs or dogs otherwise improperly chained can pose a threat to mail carriers.
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Lenexa Murder Suspect Says He Was Kidnapped
LENEXA, Kan. (AP) — A 27-year-old man charged in the deaths of a man and his stepson in suburban Kansas City told police he killed them after they kidnapped him. Alexander Brune of Lenexa has been charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the July 9th deaths of 47-year-old Brian Baskind and 79-year-old Clifford Preston. The men were found stabbed inside a Lenexa home. Prosecutors say Brune, who's jailed on $2 million bond, killed the men during a burglary and attempted robbery. The Kansas City Star reports that court documents released this week show Brune called police that night after being shot in the abdomen. He told police the men kidnapped him and drove him to a house, and that he stabbed both men while trying to escape.