Kansas Aqueduct Project Faces Challenges
Topeka, Kan. (AP) - Aside from the high cost to divert water from the Missouri River to western Kansas, the negotiations among interested parties would make such a project a daunting task. States along the river depend on water for agriculture, industry and navigation. Officials say getting all those interests to sign off on a project that would divert 4 million acre feet of water for western Kansas will take time. Officials at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers say hurdles for a 360-mile aqueduct are high but worth exploring. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has already let Kansas know he doesn't like the idea.
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Man Seeks to Withdraw Plea in Topeka Shooting
Topeka, Kan. (AP) - One of four defendants in a deadly shooting near a Topeka high school is seeking to withdraw his plea. The Capital-Journal reports that 24-year-old Coty Newman of Topeka pleaded guilty in March to felony first-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder. Twenty-year-old Matthew Mitchell was killed in October 2010 near Topeka West High School. A 17-year-old friend of Mitchell's survived after being shot five times during a botched drug sale. Prosecutors said Newman and another person opened fire. Newman was scheduled to be sentenced Tuesday. But now he will use the court appearance to make the case that he should be allowed to withdraw his plea based on "ineffective assistance of counsel."
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Hutch Could Lose Junior College Basketball Tourney
Hutchinson, Kan. (AP) - Hutchinson officials are exploring the possibility of making improvements to a sports arena in order to keep a national junior college basketball tournament in town. The National Junior college Atheltic Association has told the city that it will seek bids from other cities to host the tournament if improvements aren't made to the Hutchinson Sports Arena. Hutchinson City Manager John Deardoff says changes being discussed include restroom upgrades, entrance upgrades and hospitality space to appeal more to fans. Hutchinson has hosted the annual national tournament since 1952 when the competition began. The current contract expires in 2017.
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10 Aplacas Killed in South-Central Kansas
Sylvia, Kan. (AP) - Authorites say a pair of dogs have killed 10 alpacas and injured a llama on a farmstead in south-central Kansas. Reno County Sheriff's Sergeant Troy Selby tells the Hutchinson News that the attack happened Thursday night in western Slyvia. The sheriff's office is investigating who owns the dogs.
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