KBI Investigating Ottawa Inmate's Death
OTTAWA, Kan. (AP) - The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is looking into the death of a 35-year-old inmate at an eastern Kansas jail. Authorities said Benjamin F. Mastel, of Ottawa, Kansas, was found unresponsive in his cell at the Franklin County jail late Friday night. He was rushed to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. The sheriff's office says Mastel had been in the jail since April 19.The Kansas City Star reports court records show Mastel was being held on charges of aggravated battery and theft. State law requires the KBI to investigate such deaths.
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Wichita Senior Ride Program Dropped by the Red Cross
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - The American Red Cross in Wichita is ending a free service that provides the elderly with rides to medical appointments. Michelle Jantz, executive director of the American Red Cross Midway Kansas Chapter, said in a statement that no other organization so far has announced plans to take over the program. It ends June 29.
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Kansas Medicaid Backlog Misreported
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - State officials say a contractor recently underrepresented the scope of the state's backlog of applications for Medicaid eligibility. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the contractor for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment miscounted by about 12,000 people. KDHE Secretary Susan Mosier told federal officials earlier this month that Accenture relied upon a flawed method of reporting the Medicaid processing. The correction pushed the waiting list from 3,500 people to 15,400 in May.
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Immigration Operation Leads to Arrests
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Federal immigration authorities recently arrested dozens of people in Kansas and Missouri as part of a month long operation. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement says in a release the agency arrested 31 people in Kansas and 34 in Missouri during the investigation, which began in May and ended Monday.
