Drive Underway to Oust Judge in Gay Marriage Case
LOUISBURG, Kan. (AP) — The husband of a state senator is working to oust a northeast Kansas trial judge who ordered the court clerk to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. The Kansas City Star reports Brian Baumgardner is targeting Johnson County Chief District Judge Kevin Moriarty. Moriarty faces a retention vote November 4th in the 10th Judicial Circuit, which is made up of Johnson County. Baumgardner — husband of Republican state Senator Molly Baumgardner — lives in neighboring Miami County but told The Star on Friday that "a bad judge harms everybody." Moriarty issued his order October 8th after the U.S. Supreme Court let stand lower-court rulings striking down bans on gay marriage as unconstitutional. The Kansas Supreme Court has halted the issuance of any licenses pending a hearing scheduled November 6th.
==========
Huelskamp Faces Aggressive Democratic Challenger
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — A former Manhattan mayor little known to rural western Kansas voters is giving Congressman Tim Huelskamp an aggressive re-election challenge. Democrat Jim Sherow has mounted a hard-fought challenge in the sprawling 1st District of Kansas despite seemingly overwhelming odds in a heavily Republican district against a well-funded incumbent. Sherow has crisscrossed the mostly rural district on bus tours to meet voters, stretching his already limited budget. It remains unclear whether Huelskamp is vulnerable, largely because there is no reliable independent polling on the race. While many statewide races are close, it is difficult for a Democrat to win in the 1st District, where 53 percent of registered voters are Republicans. By contrast, the number for registered Republican voters statewide is 44 percent.
===========
Teen Charged in Wichita Double Murder
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 17-year-old suspect has been charged as a juvenile with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of a Wichita couple.The Wichita Eagle reports that the teen is accused of killing 70-year-old Martha Moreno and her husband, 72-year-old Godofredo Moreno. Court records also show the teen faces an aggravated robbery charge. The Morenos' son found their bodies October 16th on a bedroom floor of their home. Police said they had been shot multiple times and that the motive was robbery. Meanwhile, a 19-year-old who was also arrested in the killings is being jailed on a warrant accusing him of violating his probation from a 2013 robbery. Records show the 19-year-old has not been charged with the killings and is no longer being held on suspicion of murder.
==========
Reward Rises in KC Girl's Killing
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The reward has risen to $21,000 for information about a drive-by shooting that killed a 6-year-old Kansas City girl. The Kansas City Star says tips are coming in to a group called the Ad Hoc Group Against Crime. But Major Karl Oakman says police seeking to solve the killing of Angel Hooper need more leads and more people to call.Angel died this month when shots were fired into the parking lot of a 7-Eleven where the girl and her father had just bought bubblegum. Donations have come from the Carter Broadcast Group and 7-Eleven Stores, which operates the chain of convenience stores. City Councilman Jermaine Reed is the interim executive director of Ad Hoc. He says he is "fed up" with the violence.