Streets Flooded in Garden City
GARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) — Heavy overnight rains flooded Garden City's streets and caused the roof of a local business to partially collapse. The Wichita Eagle reports more than 4 inches of rain fell in Garden City in a matter of hours just after midnight yesterday (SAT,) stranding motorists and prompting officials to briefly close several roads. The National Weather Service says water was reported to be entering cars and some businesses were flooded. Meteorologist Jesse Lee in Dodge City says the overnight rain was on top of 3 inches of rain that had fallen on the drought-stricken area earlier in the week. Garden City emergency management coordinator Mike Paz-Torres says the water started receding from the streets around 5 a.m.
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Kansas Exempting Small Trucks From Safety Regulations
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Starting Tuesday, Kansas is granting a yearlong exemption to small commercial trucks from most of the safety regulations it imposes upon larger haulers. The Topeka Capital Journal reports that the exemption is the result of a new law. It was approved by the Legislature this year with large, bipartisan majorities at the urging of owners of landscaping, masonry and home-building businesses and trade groups. They argued that smaller trucks shouldn't face the same regulations as over-the-road semis. But some state officials have misgivings. The exemption will apply to trucks if their manufacturers specify that their weights when loaded are 26,000 pounds or less. Operators will avoid limits on hours they can be driven and requirements for tires, safety hitches, trailer braking systems or emergency equipment.
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Kansas Prosecutor Mulls Charges in Sexting Case
GARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) — A southwest Kansas prosecutor is considering charges against several young people suspected of being involved in a sexting case in which a teenage girl's nude photographs have been shared through text messages. The Hutchinson News says local police became aware of the incident in January when Garden City High School officials notified them that a girl reported other students were passing around nude pictures taken when she was 13 years old. Investigators identified two victims, ages 14 and 16, along with six suspects ranging in age from 14 to 18 years old. Affidavits seeking charges of electronic solicitation of a child, sexual exploitation of a child, interference with a law enforcement officer and promoting obscenity to minors have been submitted to the Finney County prosecutor's office.
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Pittsburg Weighs Limit on Key Meth Ingredient
PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — Officials in Pittsburg are weighing whether to join other southeast Kansas and southwest Missouri communities in requiring prescriptions for a key ingredient in methamphetamine. The Morning Sun reports Pittsburg Police Chief Mendy Hulvey is pushing an ordinance that would make a decongestant called pseudoephedrine available only by prescription. Hulvey told city commissioners at a recent study session that Pittsburg is an "island" amid communities that allow over-the-counter sales of the popular cold and allergy medicine. Those that have already adopted prescription-only ordinances include Joplin, Springfield and Branson, Missouri; and Chanute, Girard, Arma, Iola, Baxter Springs and Fort Scott plus Cherokee County in Kansas. Hulvey says she's not interested in pursuing low-level meth makers, but mid-level producers who obtain large quantities of pseudoephedrine, often with straw buyers commonly called "smurfs."
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Royals Sign First-Round Pick Finnegan
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Royals signed first-round draft pick Brandon Finnegan, a left-handed pitcher who helped lead TCU to the College World Series, on Saturday. Finnegan signed for $2,200,600, the slotted money for the 17th overall pick. With Finnegan agreeing to terms, the Royals have signed all 12 of their picks in the first 10 rounds. Finnegan, who went 9-3 with a 2.04 ERA while striking out 134 in 105 2-3 innings as a junior, will report Monday to the Royals' High-A affiliate in Wilmington, Delaware. He pitched for Team USA last summer and shut out Cuba 1-0, allowing three hits, striking out seven and walking one over seven innings.