Kansas Man Killed in Brown County Plane Crash
HIAWATHA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have identified a man killed in a small plane crash in the northeastern corner of Kansas north of Hiawatha. Topeka television station KSNT reports that the crash happened late Friday afternoon in a cornfield near Highway 73, just a mile north of the local airport. Emergency responders say the plane was engulfed in flames when they arrived at the scene of the crash. The Kansas Highway Patrol said Saturday that the pilot, 67-year-old Bruce Lutz of Andover, died in the crash. The patrol says the cause of the crash is not yet known. Members of the Federal Aviation Administration, the Kansas Highway Patrol and Brown County Sheriff's Office are investigating.
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Two Injured in Wichita Apartment Fire
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita fire officials say two people were injured in an apartment fire that saw the complex evacuated. Television station KSNW reports the fire was reported Friday evening in southeast Wichita near the Garvey Sports Center YMCA. Fire officials say the blaze was quickly extinguished, and the two people injured suffered only minor injuries. Damage was sustained to two of the buildings. Officials say residents were displaced due to smoke and fire damage.
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Kansas Considers Quarantine for Invasive Bluestem Grass
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas agricultural officials are considering a quarantine to slow the spread of an invasive plant that's threatening native grasses. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the Kansas Department of Agriculture recently sought public input on a plan to quarantine invasive yellow and Caucasian bluestem grasses. The varieties have invaded all but three Kansas counties. Declaring the quarantine would prohibit the movement of all seeds, plants or parts of bluestem grasses within Kansas or into the state. The move could affect some ranchers who rely on the species when cutting hay to feed livestock. Ron Klataske leads environmental nonprofit Audubon of Kansas. Klataske supports the proposal, saying bluestems destroy all native plants. Kansas Livestock Association Attorney Aaron Popelka says the group opposes the plan because it could economically hurt producers.
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Family Donates $1 Million to Kansas Wesleyan Nursing Center
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — A Salina family has donated $1 million to Kansas Wesleyan University's new Nursing Education Center. The university said this week that the gift from the Jack and Donna Vanier family comes shortly after Salina Regional Health Center donated $1 million to the center. The Salina Journal reports the new nursing center will be the first new instruction-only facility on campus in 50 years. The estimated cost of the building renovation is $4.5 million. Construction is expected to begin this fall, with a completion date of December 2020. The new center will be capable of teaching at total of 80 nursing students in junior and senior classes. Nursing students will spend their freshman and sophomore years taking basic education courses.
