Increased Visibility of Lieutenant Governor Draws Notice
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Jeff Colyer says his job description as Kansas lieutenant governor requires him to be ready to take over as governor at any time. Legislative leaders in both parties said they've had more contact with Colyer recently than in the past. Senate President and Wichita Republican Susan Wagle told reporters earlier this month that fellow legislators believe GOP Governor Sam Brownback is "looking for a ticket to D.C." and a job with President-elect Donald Trump's administration. Brownback isn't commenting, and there's no indication he's talked to Trump or the businessman's top aides about a job. Incoming House Majority Leader Don Hineman said legislators see Colyer's visibility as a sign that Colyer could become governor. The 56-year-old is a plastic surgeon who takes part in international medical relief missions.
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Two Found Dead in Vehicle in Kansas City, Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) - Police are investigating after two people were found shot to death in an SUV on Interstate 70 in Kansas City, Kansas. The Kansas City Star reports that Kansas City, Kansas police responded to a car wreck along the highway early Saturday and found a man and a woman dead in the SUV from apparent gunshot wounds. Police say their SUV struck a bridge before stopping in the middle of the highway and that the driver of a passenger car traveling behind the SUV struck the SUV. That driver was taken to a hospital with injuries that weren't life threatening.Police say they believe the victims in the SUV were shot by occupants of a third vehicle that left the scene.
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Kansas Supreme Court Returns Life Sentence Case
SALINA, Kan. (AP) - The Kansas Supreme Court has sent back to a district court the case of a Salina man convicted in the 2013 death of his infant son. The Salina Journal reports that Nicholas Corbin and his girlfriend were convicted of murdering their son by failing to feed him and adequately care for him. Nicholas Corbin was sentenced to life without parole for 25 years. His lawyer argued that Corbin has an intellectual disability and should not have been subject to mandated sentencing. In a ruling Friday, the high court sent the case back to the Saline County District Court for further consideration, based on an amended state statute about how a court determines if a defendant has an intellectual disability.
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Kansas Supreme Court Rules in 1999 Lawrence Case
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The Kansas Supreme Court says a man serving about 54 years in prison after being convicted in a 1999 rape and robbery case in Lawrence may be entitled to a few more days in court. The high court Friday ordered the Kansas Court of Appeals to reconsider if a case can be made that Terry D. McIntyre had ineffective counsel in an appeal. The Lawrence Journal reports that he was tried and convicted in Douglas County District Court on multiple charges of robbery, rape, criminal sodomy, aggravated battery and kidnapping and sentenced to 53 years and nine months. But the Supreme Court said the Court of Appeals must decide if a late appeal claiming ineffective counsel in his previous appeals could be justified.
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Crawford County Historical Museum Gets New Life
PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) - A historical museum has reopened in southeast Kansas about a year after it closed amid concerns about how to fund it and whether it was even worth saving. The Crawford County Historical Museum was shuttered after it struggled financially, drew few visitors, had only one unpaid staff member and no board. The keys and contents were turned over to the Crawford County Commission in May 2015. The Joplin Globe reports that word of the museum's closure prompted an outcry and a task force worked on creating a funding proposal for the commission. Crews then got to work revamping the building and creating a new logo and a new website. The work appears to have succeeded in drawing in more visitors.
