More Freezing Rain Expected for Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A third wave of sleet and drizzle could hit parts of the central U.S. on the eve of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, and temperatures threaten to stay near or below freezing and add to the treacherous mix. Ice buildups of one-quarter to slightly less than a half inch were expected from southeastern Kansas to central Missouri. Almost the entire state of Kansas remains under an Ice Storm Warning today (SUN), which also covers most of Missouri and northern Oklahoma. The Kansas Department of Transportation reports that many highways and roads are covered or partially covered with ice. Icy roads may have contributed to fatal accidents in Missouri and Oklahoma this weekend. The storm followed one Friday that dumped freezing rain from Oklahoma to southern Illinois. Temperatures are expected to stay near or below freezing today (SUN) and tonight.
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Kansas Election Officials Threw Out Thousands of Ballots
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas election officials threw out thousands of ballots cast in November, mostly because the state had no record those residents were registered voters. Some local officials are now voicing concerns about numerous documented instances of lost voter registrations from people who had filled out applications on the state's online site and at motor vehicle offices. Those names never showed up on any poll books despite the fact these voters had date-stamped, computer screenshot confirmations. The secretary of state's office says there was a technical problem with the motor vehicle department computer system that handles online registrations that was corrected days after being discovered. Numbers obtained from county election offices and the League of Women Voters for 11 largest counties show that 8,864 ballots cast were not counted. The reasons vary.
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Kansas City Ex-IRS Worker Accused of False Tax Returns, ID Theft
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A former Internal Revenue Service employee is accused in a 15-count federal indictment of filing false tax returns. Grand jurors in Kansas City, Missouri, indicted 48-year-old Carla Lachelle Mitchell of Kansas City, Kansas, on Friday on 10 counts of filing false tax returns and five counts of aggravated identity theft. The indictment alleges Mitchell was working as a contact representative at the IRS from 2006 to 2015 when she prepared false federal income tax returns for 2011, 2012 and 2013 for 13 of her friends and family, as well as herself. Mitchell allegedly included several false entries to lower the individual tax liability or to increase the refunds on the questioned returns. Online court records do not show whether Mitchell has an attorney.
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Kansas Drafting New Guidelines for Wildlife Pets
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is working on new guidelines for how to handle situations where a wild animal is being kept as a pet after game wardens were criticized for shooting a family's pet deer. It is illegal in Kansas to keep a wild animal as a pet. Wildlife officials said they shot the Mark and Kim Mcgaughey family's deer out of concern it could hurt people or spread disease. The Wichita Eagle reports that Robin Jennison, secretary of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, says the situation could have been handled better. He wants new policies for similar situations in place quickly.
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Kansas Man Dies in Missouri Freeway Wreck
PLATTE CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri authorities say one of 13 occupants of a van was killed when the vehicle crashed north of Kansas City. The Missouri State Highway Patrol says 35-year-old Maung Hnin of Kansas City, Kansas, was ejected from the van during the crash yesterday (SAT) on Interstate 29 in Platte County and was hit by another vehicle. He died at the scene. The patrol says three other occupants of the van were taken to a hospital with moderate injuries. Others in the van declined treatment.
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Kansas Man Accidentally Shot at Meat Plant; Buffalo Blamed
YODER, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a man accidentally was shot while trying to help kill a buffalo at a south-central Kansas meat-processing business. The Reno County Sheriff's Department says Duane Helms of Moundridge was wounded in the leg Friday at Yoder Meats in Yoder. Authorities say Helms was assisting a Yoder Meats employee in trying to shoot a buffalo so the animal could be butchered. The sheriff's department says a Yoder Meats employee with a rifle was atop a ladder, trying to shoot a buffalo confined in a trailer, when the animal turned, jarring the ladder and knocking the employee off balance. That's when the rifle discharged, shooting Helms. The department did not immediately disclose Helms' medical status yesterday (SAT).
