Spirit Admits Delay in Boeing Fuselage Deliveries
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Spirit AeroSystems says the Kansas-based company was late for the first time in nearly four years delivering major parts of Boeing's best-selling airplane. The Wichita Eagle reports that Spirit officials cite a number of factors leading to last month's late deliveries of 737 fuselages to Boeing. Chief Executive Tom Gentile says reasons for the missed deliveries include supply chain issues, rising monthly production rates and extra quality checks on parts and structures Spirit sends to Boeing. Delays in getting 737 fuselages to the Boeing assembly plant in Washington state could make the aerospace company late delivering planes to airline customers. An e-mail from Boeing says the company has "been able to mitigate things in our factory." Gentile declined to say whether Spirit will see any financial penalties for the delay.
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Apple Watch May Have Saved Kansas Woman's Life
SCRANTON, Kan. (AP) — An Apple Watch may have helped save a Kansas woman's life by alerting her to her rapid heartbeat. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Heather Hendershot went to an urgent care clinic and then to Stormont Vail Health's emergency room after the watch alerted her to her above average heart rate. Endocrinologist Alan Wynne says blood tests determined Hendershot had moderate to severe hyperthyroidism. The condition occurs when the thyroid pumps too much hormone into the bloodstream. Symptoms include a rapid heart rate, tremors, shortness of breath and chest pain. Wynne says the condition can be fatal in extreme situations if left untreated. Hendershot's only symptom was the rapid heart rate. Apple Watches use LED lights and light-sensitive photodiodes to detect the amount of blood flowing in an individual's wrist.
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Ex-Wyandotte County Sheriff Gets Probation in Theft Case
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A former Wyandotte County Sheriff's deputy accused of stealing nearly $7,000 from the agency has been sentenced to a year of probation. The Kansas City Star reports that Jay Pennington was sentence on a felony theft count Friday. Wyandotte County District Attorney spokesman Jonathan Carter says Pennington stole about $6,800 from Offender Registration Unit, taking cash payments from dozens of offenders required by state law to register with the sheriff's office and pay a $20 registration fee each. Pennington was a team leader for the offender registration unit at the time. Pennington had no prior offenses. He faces up to a year in prison if he violates the terms of his probation. Pennington also was ordered to pay restitution.
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Oldest Chimp at Kansas City Zoo Dies
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — One of the oldest female chimps in America has died at the Kansas City Zoo. Zoo officials announced Friday that Patty, who was 55, was euthanized Thursday after her health quickly deteriorated during the last 10 days. The zoo said the average life expectancy of a female chimpanzee is 37. The Kansas City Star reports Patty, who was born in Africa, lived at the Kansas City Zoo since 1966. She was one of the 10 oldest female chimps at an AZA-accredited zoo. Zoo spokeswoman Kim Romary says tests will be performed to determine if Patty had health issues. Patty had no offspring of her own, but zoo officials said she was a surrogate mom to one chimp and was a grandmother figure for the entire troop.
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Kansas Woman Found Guilty of Killing Fiance's Daughter
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas woman pleaded no contest to second-degree murder in the death of her fiancé's 2-year-old daughter last year. The Kansas City Star reports 25-year-old Lindsey Thomasson entered the plea Friday in the child abuse death of Presley Porting. The girl died in February 2017 in Gardner. Thomasson also pleaded no contest to a charge of aggravated kidnapping. Assistant District Attorney Jason Covington said Friday that Presley died from blunt force trauma to the head, injuries she suffered while Thomasson was babysitting her. He said the girl had severe bruising on her face and head and one of her eyes was swollen shut when emergency responders arrived. Thomasson had told investigators that the girl was injured when a crutch fell and struck her on the head.
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Wichita Man Charged with Killing Wife, Dumping Body
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita man accused of killing his wife and dumping her body into a dumpster is now charged with first-degree murder. A Wichita television stations reports 30-year-old Donnell Stafford appeared in Sedgwick County court by video Friday. Police allege he killed 37-year-old Leuh Moore early Sunday and put her body in a dumpster behind a liquor store less than a mile away. Stafford was captured Tuesday at a hotel in Davenport, Iowa, and extradited to Wichita Thursday. His bond was set at $650,000. Investigators believe the couple's 7-year-old son was home at the time of the alleged crime. The boy was found safe at a relative's house. Stafford was also charged with two counts of animal cruelty for allegedly stabbing two dogs. His next court appearance was scheduled for April 26th.
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350 Pounds of Marijuana Seized in Kansas Traffic Stop
JUNCTION CITY, Kan. (AP) — Law enforcement officials say three people are being investigated after officers seized 350 pounds of marijuana during a traffic stop on Interstate 70. Geary County Sheriff Tony Wolf says a drug interdiction team discovered the drug haul during a traffic stop near Junction City on April 5th. The Hays Post reports the vehicle was en route to Sterling Heights, Michigan. Two people were arrested and Geary County notified the Drug Enforcement Administration's Michigan office. A third suspect was arrested the next day in Sterling Heights. The DEA and Michigan authorities also seized $326,000 in cash. The names of the suspects were not released. The investigation is ongoing.
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New Details Emerge about Missing 5-year-old Wichita Boy
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Sedgwick County juvenile court document indicates the state of Kansas was told at least twice that a 5-year-old Wichita boy who has been missing since mid-February was being abused. The document includes detailed accounts from people who said they saw Lucas Hernandez with bruises, black eyes and cuts at various times in the year before he disappeared. His stepmother, Emily Glass, who reported him missing February 17th, is jailed on child endangerment charges involving her 1-year-old daughter. She hasn't been charged in Lucas' disappearance. A juvenile court judge allowed The Wichita Eagle to see the child-in-need of care petition regarding Glass' young daughter on Wednesday. The newspaper says the document details a violent and dysfunctional family life. Glass' attorney didn't return a phone message left Friday.
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Kansas Supreme Court Affirms Topekan's Murder Conviction, Orders Resentencing
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Topeka man convicted in the 2013 killing of his girlfriend will remain in prison but will be resentenced. The Kansas Supreme Court on Friday affirmed Andrew Charles Redick's conviction for first-degree murder and arson in the strangling of 39-year-old Lena Ann Keithley. Redick was sentenced in 2014 to life in prison for murder and 13 months for arson. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that in his appeal, Redick challenged his waiver of the right to a jury trial. He had asked Shawnee County District Court Judge Cheryl Kingfisher to hear the case and sentence him, rather than a jury. The Supreme Court rejected the appeal of his conviction but said Kingfisher had miscalculated Redick's sentence. The case was sent back to Shawnee County for resentencing.
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Governor: Child Support Website is Working
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer says a website created to find and shame people who owe child support is getting heavy use and has already found one person. Colyer said Thursday the website had nearly 45,000 visits in the first 24 hours after it became operational. He says one of the ten people identified on the site has already been found. The governor says the man owes more than $56,000 in child support and the state was able to get an order garnishing his wages. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the Kansas Child Support Evaders site was announced Wednesday. Hosted by the Kansas Department for Children and Families, it shows people who owe more than $5,000 in late support, and allows people to submit anonymous tips about the person's whereabouts.
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Kansas Telemedicine Bill Stalled by Abortion Fight
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A political fight over abortion restrictions could prevent passage of a proposed bill in Kansas that could improve telemedicine access for rural areas. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the bill, which has been approved in different forms in the House and Senate, has stalled because of the disagreement. The bill would require insurance companies in Kansas to cover health care services provided through telemedicine if that service is already covered by personal visits to a doctor. The roadblock is a provision that would include language forbidding abortions to be performed by telemedicine, by using chemicals. Kansans for Life wants a clause that legally connects abortion and telemedicine, which means if the law were later struck down during a lawsuit over abortion, the telemedicine portion would also be nullified.
