Topeka Bids Emotional Farewell to Slain Officer
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Hundreds of mourners have turned out to remember a Topeka police corporal killed in the line of duty. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that officers from more than 70 law enforcement agencies were on hand when Corporal Jason Harwood was buried yesterday (SAT). The observance featured the reading of a letter to Harwood from his surviving identical twin brother, Kansas Highway Patrol Trooper Jeremy Harwood. Also, the German shepherd who was Harwood's K-9 partner before his promotion to corporal two years ago lay down in front of the casket.Harwood was a decorated 15-year police veteran who was shot after he pulled over a car last weekend. Prosecutors have announced plans to seek the death penalty against the man charged in the killing.
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Olathe East Player Rushed to Hospital
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A northeast Kansas high school football player is in critical condition after collapsing during a football game. The Kansas City Star reports that Olathe East High School senior James McGinnis was rushed into surgery Friday night at Overland Park Regional Medical Center with bleeding around his brain. His father, Patrick McGinnis, said doctors were removing a piece of his son's skull to relieve pressure. A hospital spokeswoman told The Associated Press on Saturday that James McGinnis remains in critical condition. Olathe East assistant coach Mike Thomas says the 165-pound linebacker and slotback had made a tackle a few plays before collapsing. Olathe East head coach Jeff Meyers also said that James McGinnis had suffered one concussion during his sophomore season, but had not had any other related medical issues.
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9 Other Candidates Used Declaration Clause
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — State records show that a Democratic U.S. Senate nominee seeking to get his name off the ballot is the only candidate since 2010 to fail to use wording that the secretary of state's office says is required. The Wichita Eagle reports that nine other candidates have withdrawn after winning their party's nomination in the past four years. Records The Eagle obtained shows all of them declared they were incapable to serve. Secretary of State Kris Kobach has kept Democrat Chad Taylor on the ballot against his will. Kobach says Taylor did not declare himself incapable to serve if elected in his letter withdrawing from the race. Taylor sought to withdraw to clear the way for independent candidate Greg Orman to directly oppose Republican Pat Roberts.
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KS Hospital Ousting Patients Who Use Tobacco
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas hospital has found a way to get patients to observe its no-tobacco rule: They're being sent home. Salina Regional Health Center and its clinics have been tobacco-free since 2007. But vice president of human resources David Moody tells The Salina Journal that some patients continue to sneak cigarettes or chew tobacco. Starting in August, patients were warned that tobacco users would be discharged and considered to have left against medical advice. That includes removing any intravenous tubes, ending all treatment and telling patients to arrange for a ride home. Moody says some patients have already been ousted. He's not sure if there's a procedure to readmit patients who agree to adhere. The mandate covers the Salina hospital, Lindsborg Community Hospital and the center's eight Salina clinics.