Kansas Governor Expands Ban on Anti-LGBT Bias to Contractors
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas's new Democratic governor on Tuesday reinstated a ban on anti-LGBT bias in state agencies' employment decisions that a Republican predecessor had repealed, and she also expanded the policy to cover government contractors. Governor Laura Kelly's executive order was her first official action since taking office Monday and fulfilled a promise she made repeatedly during her successful campaign last year. It bars state agencies from discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity when hiring workers or deciding whether to promote, discipline or fire them. The move came after a historic wave of victories by LGBT candidates across the nation. In Kansas, Sharice Davids won a congressional seat and state Reps. Susan Ruiz and Brandon Woodard were elected as the Legislature's first openly lesbian and gay members. All three are Kansas City-area Democrats. Kelly's order will apply to departments under Kelly's direct control, which have about 19,000 employees. But she also extended the policy to companies that have contracts with the state, telling reporters later that if they do work for the state, they ought to follow its rules.
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More Nasty Weather Could Complicate Power Restoration Effort
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Utility officials say it may take until Thursday to finish restoring power in the Kansas City area after last week's winter blast and forecasts for more bad weather won't help. The Kansas City Star reports that about 175,000 Kansas City Power & Light customers were without electricity at some point after a storm that started Friday dumped up to 10 inches of heavy, wet snow in the area. By Tuesday morning, about 20,000 remained in the dark. KCP&L spokeswoman Katie McDonald says it's the "worst storm" the utility has seen in decades. McDonald says more than 1,500 line workers, engineers, tree-trimmers and other staff members are working to restore electrical power. But she warned that forecasts calling for freezing rain, black ice and sleet this week could slow the effort.
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Arbitrator: Kansas Military School Failed to Supervise Cadets
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — An arbitrator has found that a Kansas military school failed to supervise its cadets and intentionally inflicted emotional distress in 2014 on a bullied 11-year-old student who had been tied together with his harasser in public as punishment. The boy was later allegedly raped and sodomized by his harasser in a dorm room. A $369,175 arbitration award last month against St. John's Military School and its endowment fund was made public Monday when the family's attorney filed a procedural motion in the case seeking a court order. The Salina school and its attorneys did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment. The arbitrator also found St. Johns was suffering from decreasing enrollment and did little review of applicants to determine their own safety or the safety of other students.
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New Democratic Kansas Governor Promises Bipartisan Approach
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas' new Democratic governor called Monday for the state to "forge a new chapter" of bipartisanship, arguing as she took office that the Statehouse had lost the "spirit of neighbor-helping-neighbor" under her Republican predecessors. Laura Kelly was sworn in as the state's 48th governor on the Capitol steps, in front of huge banners declaring "Equality," ''Education" and "Opportunity." Her supporters celebrated a sharp break with her conservative GOP predecessors, even as she attempted to summon an ethos of cooperation across political, ethnic and religious lines. "Somewhere along the way, that spirit of neighbor-helping-neighbor that runs so strong in our communities failed to extend into this building," Kelly said in her speech to a crowd of a few thousand people. "Public service gave way to partisanship. And the voices of Kansas families were not heard. Kansas lost its sense of self, its sense of community." The 68-year-old governor was formerly a veteran state senator who pitched herself to voters as a no-nonsense problem-solver who could work with Republicans, who control the Legislature.
Kelly's inaugural address at times seemed an implicit rebuke of President Donald Trump's sometimes divisive rhetoric on issues such as immigration. Trump carried the state in 2016 by nearly 21 percentage points, but Democrats made political gains in the state's Kansas City area suburbs in last year's midterms because Trump was unpopular there.
Inaugural events began Monday with an interfaith prayer service at the Statehouse that included a liberal rabbi, a Muslim imam and a representative of a Hindu temple. The event was relocated from the national historic site commemorating the U.S. Supreme Court's historic Brown v. Board of Education decision in 1954 declaring segregated schools unconstitutional because the building has been closed by the partial federal government shutdown.
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GOP Leaders Brush off Kansas Governor's Critique
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Two top Republican leaders in the Kansas Legislature are brushing off Democratic Governor Laura Kelly's negative assessment of state government under GOP control during the previous eight years. Senate President Susan Wagle and House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins said Monday that they will look for areas where compromise is possible. Kelly was sworn in Monday. She said in her inaugural speech that the Statehouse had lost the "spirit of neighbor-helping-neighbor" and was too partisan. Hawkins, from Wichita, disagreed but said Republicans will try to work with the new governor. Wagle, also from Wichita, said she was excited that Kelly ended her speech by talking about finding compromise and reaching agreements by shaking hands. Wagle added: "I'm looking forward to that and I'll hold her to it."
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Kansas' New Governor Eyes New Budget Priorities
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democrat Laura Kelly's top priorities as Kansas' new governor arise from her work as a state lawmaker and a decade as one of the Legislature's key players on budget issues. Kelly has an agenda that includes boosting spending on public schools and expanding the state's Medicaid health coverage for the needy. The 68-year-old Kelly is a former state senator who represented a Republican-leaning, Topeka-area district for 14 years. For a decade starting in 2009, she was the top Democrat on the Senate Ways and Means Committee, one of six lawmakers who negotiated the final version of all budget legislation. She told voters that she learned that many agencies suffered significantly under Republican governors and need to be rebuilt.
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Democrats Celebrate Crop of New Governors Who Took GOP Seats
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democrats in seven states are celebrating capturing governor's offices previously held by Republicans. New Democratic chief executives took office Monday in red-leaning Kansas and solidly blue Illinois. Kansas' Laura Kelly and Illinois' J.B. Pritzker were the last two new Democratic governors to be sworn in after last year's midterms. Democrats also turned over governor's offices in Maine, Michigan, Nevada and New Mexico. And Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers ousted two-term Republican Governor Scott Walker, a national conservative figure. Democrats hold the governor's office in 23 states, compared with 27 for Republicans. The GOP lost seven seats to Democrats but claimed the Alaska governorship, previously held by an independent. Democrats were buoyed by the possibility some victories could signal a resurgence in the Midwest, where President Donald Trump did well in 2016.
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Dodge City Plans 2 New Polling Sites as Legal Fees Mount
DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — Ford County says it plans to announce two new polling locations within Dodge City for this year's elections amid mounting legal fees in a lawsuit over voting access. The Hutchinson News reports the county will mail notices to voters informing them of their new polling place after arrangements for them are finalized. The county does not plan to use the former Civic Center location, nor the single polling site outside town that sparked a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas. The ACLU says if Ford County announces the two polling places it would discuss with clients the next steps in the litigation. It says opening more polling places would have cost the county less than the $71,000 that the county has spent so far in legal fees.
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Judge Rules Somalis Targeted in Kansas Bomb Plot Can Testify
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Somali immigrants can testify at the sentencing this month of three militia members convicted of plotting to bomb their apartment complex in a southwest Kansas city, a federal judge ruled Tuesday. Defense attorneys had hoped to block the 20 short videos of victim testimony from being played at the Jan. 25 sentencing hearings. In a 34-page opinion, U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren also allowed sentencing enhancements for hate crimes and terrorism. Patrick Stein , Gavin Wright and Curtis Allen were each convicted in April of one count of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and one count of conspiracy against civil rights. Wright was also found guilty of lying to the FBI. The weapon of mass destruction charge carries a possible maximum sentence of life in prison, while the civil rights violation could add a decade more behind bars. Prosecutors are seeking life terms for all three. The sentencing enhancements for terrorism and hate crimes bolster the government's recommendations. The attack , planned for the day after the 2016 general election in Garden City, was thwarted by another member of the group who tipped off authorities about escalating threats of violence. Garden City is about 220 miles west of Wichita. Prosecutors said the men formed a splinter group of the right-wing, anti-immigrant militia Kansas Security Force that came to be known as "the Crusaders." Defense attorneys argued that the Somalis weren't victims because no one was hurt. Prosecutors countered that the defendants are trying to de-personalize their crimes and that federal law guarantees every victim the right to be heard at sentencing. Melgren found that their testimony is relevant at sentencing to determine the overall impact of the crimes, saying he would not be unduly influenced by them since he heard all the evidence at trial. He said the intended victims are entitled to have their statements heard.
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Man Convicted in Wichita Death Connected to Drug Deal
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 20-year-old Wichita man has been convicted in the shooting death of another man in what police say was a botched marijuana deal. The Wichita Eagle report s Mark Holley III was found guilty Monday of first-degree felony murder in the death of 18-year-old D'Shaun Smith. He was also convicted of six other charges. Holley will be sentenced March 13. Police have said Smith and an 18-year-old woman connected with Holley met him in a residential neighborhood to buy drugs. Smith later was found dead in the woman's car. Holley is facing life in prison on the murder charge.
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Police: 29-Year-Old Wichita Man Shot by Officers Has Died
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A man who was shot last week by Wichita police officers has died. Wichita police said Monday that 29-year-old Geoffrey Morris, of Wichita, died from his injuries Saturday. Police say Morris was shot Thursday when officers tried to arrest him on an outstanding warrant. Police say Morris intentionally backed into a car then drove forward, causing officers to fear they could be run over or seriously hurt. Officers fired and hit Morris several times. Police say they tried several times before Thursday to talk Morris into surrendering peacefully. The two officers involved in shooting are a 13-year veteran and a five-year veteran. Both have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard in officer-involved shootings.
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Man Who Ran over Wichita Police Officer Sentenced
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 33-year-old man who ran over a Wichita police officer nearly two years ago has been sentenced to more than 28 years in prison. KAKE-TV reports Justin Terrazas was sentenced Monday to 28.4 years, which will run consecutive to an 11-year sentence in a separate case from Ellsworth County. Prosecutors say Terrazas ran over officer Brian Arterburn while fleeing in a stolen vehicle in February 2017 as Arterburn placed spike strips on a road in south Wichita. Arterburn, a 25-year police veteran, spent nearly 10 months in hospitals in Colorado and Texas. He returned to Wichita in November 2017 and took a medical retirement from the police department last year. Terrazas was on probation in Ellsworth County for introducing contraband into a correctional facility when he ran over Arterburn.
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Man, Woman from Arizona Killed in Southwest Kansas Crash
MEADE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a man and woman from Arizona have died after crashing into a tractor-trailer in southwest Kansas. The Kansas Highway Patrol says the crash happened around 10:40 a.m. Monday when a minivan crossed into oncoming traffic on U.S. 54 in Meade. The patrol identified the victims as 73-year-old Dana House and 72-year-old Cynthia House, both of Goodyear, Arizona. A state trooper wrote in the report that it's unknown why the westbound minivan crossed into eastbound traffic.
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Crash that Killed Man, 81, Injures KU Football Player
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a crash that killed a Kansas man also injured a University of Kansas football player and two others. The Kansas Highway Patrol says redshirt freshman safety Nicholas Caudle lost control of a pickup truck Friday on U.S. 59 in Jefferson County. The 20-year-old from Atchison then struck a car, killing the 81-year-old driver, Lee Crum, of Oskaloosa. Caudle, another student in the pickup and Crum's passenger were taken to a hospital. Kansas football officials told the Lawrence Journal-World that they are "still learning the details" of the crash. Jefferson Co. Sheriff Jeff Herrig told WIBW that roads in the area were wet at the time of the crash, and rain was changing over to snow. He says it is possible slick roads were a factor in the wreck.
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Kansas Teacher Arrested After Allegation of Sex with Student
LIBERAL, Kan. (AP) — A southwest Kansas teacher has been arrested after police investigated an allegation that she had sex with a student. Liberal police said in a news release that the 25-year-old teacher was arrested Sunday. School administrators asked police to investigate allegations that the teacher had sexual relations with an 18-year-old student on Saturday. The release says the teacher has resigned from the school. Her name was not released. An affidavit was forwarded to the Seward County attorney's office seeking a charge of unlawful sexual relations.
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Mother Settles Wrongful Death Police Shooting Suit for $2.3 Million
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — The mother of a suburban Kansas City teenager who was fatally shot by police as he backed a minivan out of his family's garage has reached a $2.3 million settlement. The Kansas City Star reports that the city of Overland Park, Kansas, makes no admission of wrongdoing in the January 2017 death of 17-year-old John Albers. He was killed after officers responded to a report that he was making suicidal comments on social media. Police say the teenager backed toward an officer, who told the teen to stop before firing 13 times. The teenager's mother, Sheila Albers, says "there is nothing that can ever excuse such an unreasonable use of force." The officer resigned after the shooting, but prosecutors declined to file charges. The Kansas City Star obtained the settlement agreement Monday through an open records request.
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Kansas City Day Care Operator Guilty in Fraud Scheme
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The owner of a Kansas City day care has been convicted in a $400,000 fraud scheme. The Kansas City Star reports a federal jury in Kansas City found 41-year-old Sharif Karie guilty of 29 crimes including conspiracy, theft of government money, identity theft, wire fraud and money laundering. Karie owned the day care that operated as KARIE Day Care Center and Tima Child Care Center. He was found guilty Friday of defrauding a federal government program that provides day care subsidies to low-income families by billing for more hours and children than actually attended the center. A co-defendant, Sheri Beamon, who was director of the child care business, pleaded guilty in September to conspiracy to steal public money. She is awaiting sentencing. Karie is free on bond pending sentencing.
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Trial Moved to June 10 for Suspect in Triple Killing
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The trial of a man charged with fatally shooting three people in downtown Lawrence has been pushed back. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that lawyers for 21-year-old Anthony Roberts Jr., of Topeka, said Friday that they needed more time to prepare for the trial. It had been scheduled to begin February 4 but was moved to June 10. Prosecutors didn't object to the delay. Shaye Downing and another attorney were appointed to represent Roberts after his old attorney was kicked off the case over concerns about her competency. The concerns culminated in a judge declaring a mistrial in November. Roberts is charged with three murder counts and one attempted murder count. Two other suspects face less series charges in the October 2017 shooting.
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Douglas County Grand Jury on Kobach to Start Next Week
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A grand jury process to investigate former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach will begin next week in Douglas County. District Court Judge Kay Huff said she anticipates selecting the jury and calling the first witness on Tuesday. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the grand jury is being called after a successful citizen petition drive. Steven Davis, who initiated the petition drive, alleged that Kobach's office failed to properly register several voters in 2016 who applied for registration while renewing their driver's licenses or filling out an online form. Kobach's office has called Davis' allegations "patently false." The office said the allegations concern a brief period in 2016 when online registration systems were malfunctioning. They said election officials quickly made sure the affected residents were able to vote.
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State: WIC Funding Available into March Despite Shutdown
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — State health officials say Kansas has enough money to provide WIC benefits into March, even if the partial federal government shutdown continues. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said in a news release Monday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture provided enough extra funding to keep the Women, Infants and Children program going until March 4. The agriculture department gave Kansas more than $1.4 million for food purchases and nearly $900,000 for Nutrition Services and Administration. The state agency says the new funds will keep its staff operational until March 13, regardless if the government shutdown continues through February.
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Judge Again Delays Trial of County Commissioner in Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has delayed until late next month the fraud trial of Sedgwick County Commissioner Michael O'Donnell. U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren set trial to begin Feb. 25 in Wichita after meeting with attorneys during a Monday status conference. A trial had been previously set for January 29. Attorneys agreed the trial would likely take five days. The government has accused O'Donnell of fraudulently obtaining $10,500 from his campaign accounts for his personal use. An indictment charges him with 23 counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering. The Wichita Republican was elected to the state Senate in 2012 for a term that ended in January 2017. He did not run for re-election and instead was elected to the Sedgwick County Commission. His term expires in 2020.
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GOP: FBI Should Review Conflict Between Jackson County Prosecutor and Labor Unions
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The leader of the Missouri Republican party says the FBI should review a standoff between Kansas City area labor unions and Jackson County Prosecutor Jean Peters Baker, who is chairwoman of the state Democratic party. Baker and the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 42 are in a standoff over contract negotiations. The union represents assistant prosecutors in Baker's office. The Kansas City Star reports the union and the Greater Kansas City AFL-CIO voted last week to stop donating to the Missouri Democratic Party until Baker either steps down or agrees to return to the negotiating table. Baker responded that she never left the negotiations. Missouri GOP Executive Director Ray Bozarth said Monday the union's action violates state law because it tries to influence a public official to benefit the union.
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No. 7 Kansas Holds Off Texas 80-78 at The Phog
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Marcus Garrett has earned his spot in the Kansas starting lineup primarily with his defense.
His offense Monday night was merely a bonus. The sophomore forward poured in a career-high 20 points, used his defensive instincts to produce a crucial tie-up in the closing seconds, and helped the seventh-ranked Jayhawks hold on for an 80-78 win over the Longhorns when Jase Febres' 3-pointer at the buzzer never came close. "He carried us in the first half when I was in foul trouble," said the Jayhawks' Dedric Lawson, who added 17 points and eight rebounds. "Sometimes when we play pickup and one-on-one and stuff like that, we see that he's capable of making shots.' Lagerald Vick also had 21 points for the Jayhawks (15-2, 4-1 Big 12), who blew a 10-point second-half lead before escaping with their 10th straight win over the Longhorns.
The Longhorns led 40-38 at halftime, but how the teams got there was wildly different. Kansas played the first 20 minutes without committing a single turnover, got the ball in transition but struggled at the foul line, where the Jayhawks were just 2 of 7 in the half. Texas knocked down eight 3-pointers and dominated on the glass. But it was the Jayhawks who heated up beyond the arc to open the second half, hitting four in the opening minutes to retake the lead. Vick curled in a pair, one off a nifty feed in front of his bench, and Kansas eventually stretched its lead to 57-45 with 11 1/2 minutes to play.
Kansas had opportunities to put the game away with free throws, but Lawson and Garrett missed key attempts down the stretch, and the Jayhawks finished just 11 of 21 from the line. "We were efficient everywhere," Jayhawks coach Bill Self said, "but free throws."
BIG PICTURE
Texas lost for the first time in seven games when it hit at least 10 3-pointers, going 13 of 34 from beyond the arc. The Longhorns also had an advantage on the glass, but they were unable to make defensive stops when they needed to in the closing minutes. Kansas only committed four turnovers in the game, and an 11-of-22 clip from beyond the arc helped to mitigate the Longhorns' long-range shooting. Freshman forward Ochai Agbaji, who had his redshirt removed a week ago, continued to contribute with four points in 25 minutes.
UP NEXT
Texas returns home to face Oklahoma on Saturday night.
Kansas visits West Virginia on Saturday.
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