KBI Issues Blue Alert After Missouri Officer Shot
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) has issued a blue alert in Kansas on behalf of Missouri, after a Lee’s Summit officer was shot and critically injured Sunday night. The Missouri State Highway Patrol issued the alert Monday morning trying to locate a suspect wanted in related to the shooting. The alert has been extended into Kansas.
Authorities are looking for 27-year-old Thomas Eugene Tolbert, 6' 2" black male, around 240 pounds with brown eyes and black hair. At the time he was last seen, he was wearing a black top with a hood, and black shorts.
He is armed with a handgun and considered dangerous.
On Sunday night, law enforcement responded to a domestic disturbance (at 3560 SW Hollywood Drive) in Lee’s Summit, Missouri. After a short foot pursuit between Tolbert and officers, Tolbert shot a Lee’s Summit police officer multiple times, seriously injuring him. Tolbert left the scene in a vehicle that has since been recovered in Grandview, Missouri, but Tolbert remains on the loose.
Anyone who sees Tolbert should immediately call 911.
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Missouri Lawmakers Talk Chiefs and Royals in Special Session
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KCUR) - Missouri lawmakers began a special session Monday that could decide whether the state will provide funding for stadiums for the Chiefs and Royals. The plan, which would counter an offer from Kansas, could determine whether the Kansas City teams stay on the Missouri side of the state line. Eric Woods is a Democratic representative from Kansas City. He hopes the Missouri Legislature passes the stadium funding bill. "We're all just kind of watching and waiting to see what the Senate does. Ultimately, we are kind of in wait and see mode until something comes to us, which I expect will not be until at earliest the 2nd week of the, the special session," he said. Missouri lawmakers have 60 days to complete their work during the special session. Bipartisan opposition to the plan has already formed.
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Kansas Mayor Arrested, Charged with Felony Stalking
ROSE HILL, Kan. (Wichita Eagle) — The mayor of Rose Hill has been arrested and charged with felony stalking. The Wichita Eagle reports that Gary Weaver made his first appearance in court Monday. He's charged with one count of felony stalking after being served with an order prohibiting him from making contact with the woman who sought the order.
Rose Hill City Council President Jeanine Schantz will run council meetings and take care of some other responsibilities in Weaver’s absence. Weaver was elected mayor in November 2021. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 30. Rose Hill is a city of 4,300 people southeast of Wichita in Butler County.
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KCK Police Shoot, Wound Suspect While Responding to Domestic Violence Call
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (KMBC) — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation has been called in to examine a shooting involving a Kansas City, Kansas, police officer that left one person hospitalized. KMBC TV reports that officers were called to a domestic disturbance (in the 200 block of North 78th Street) early Monday morning. As they were responding, officers became involved in a shooting with an adult male. Police say the suspect was taken to an area hospital and is currently in stable condition. No officers were injured.
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Proposed Cuts Would Eliminate Most Federal Funds for Kansas Forest Service Budget
UNDATED (KNS) - A proposal from the Trump administration would eliminate most of the federal money going to the Kansas Forest Service’s budget next fiscal year. That’s if Congress agrees to sweeping cuts to U.S. Forest Service programs that support states. Jason Hartman is the state forester for Kansas.“Even if you are not on a volunteer fire department, even if you aren’t a forest landowner - all the technical advice and support that’s by provided by the Forest Service does improve everybody’s life by providing wildfire protection, providing a healthier ecosystem," he said. The proposal could affect efforts to help landowners curb the risk of wildfire on their properties. The state agency would also have less money for deploying airplanes to wildfires. And fire departments would lose federal money for buying equipment.
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KCC Holds Public Hearings on Evergy's Rate Hike Request
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) - Utility giant Evergy is asking state regulators to let it increase rates by more than 8.5% for some customers in eastern and central Kansas. More than 700,000 customers would see their rates increase by an average of $13 a month. If approved, Evergy would raise the rates by September. The plan would affect customers in Wichita, Topeka and Pittsburg, among others. Evergy says the increases will help fund improvements to infrastructure. The Kansas Corporation Commission will hold public hearings on the proposed increases in Wichita and Topeka. Customers can also attend the hearings virtually and submit written testimony online. For more information, visit kcc.ks.gov.
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Kansas Maternal-Care “Desert” Growing
UNDATED (KPR) — The growing maternal-care desert in Kansas is causing more women in the state to drive long distances for care, and 59 percent do not have local access to inpatient maternity services. That’s according to a report released by the University of Kansas School of Nursing.
Over the last ten years, many rural hospitals across the country have closed or have stopped offering maternity care services altogether. This includes Kansas, which is second only to Texas in terms of the number of counties considered rural. Rural hospitals are at an increased risk of closure due to declining occupancy rates, high fixed costs and market pressures.
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National Weather Service Lifts Hiring Freeze for Goodland Office
UNDATED (KMBC) — A National Weather Service office in northwestern Kansas is getting an exemption from the agency’s hiring freeze. The office in Goodland, Kansas, has been short-staffed due to the freeze, and has recently been forced to close overnight. KMBC TV reports the exemption will allow the Weather Service to restore round-the-clock operations, starting with a temporary rotating staff next month.
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Weekly Anti-Trump Protests in Lawrence Continue
LAWRENCE, Kan. (Lawrence Times) — Protestors returned to the streets of Lawrence Sunday, as they have every Sunday for months, to protest the Trump administration’s policies. The protestors say the administration is damaging democracy. The Lawrence Times reports that the demonstrations have often drawn crowds in the hundreds to Ninth and Massachusetts streets, as well as to South Park, at noon on Sundays since February. Protesters chant messages such as “Power to the people” and “Love, not hate, makes America great!”
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Topeka Bridge Closing for Repairs
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW) — A Topeka bridge is closing temporarily. Crews will shut down the Branner Bridge in the Oakland neighborhood for repairs on Monday. WIBW TV reports the closure will last close to four months. The project will include replacement of roadway pavement, approach slabs, abutment, and expansion joints.
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Lawsuit Challenges Pregnancy Exclusion in Kansas Natural Death Act
UNDATED (KNS) — Three Kansas women and two doctors are suing the state over a law that invalidates pregnant women's decisions about life support care. The Kansas News Service reports that the Kansas Natural Death Act allows adults to decline life-support like feeding tubes and ventilators. But those advance directives are invalid if a patient is pregnant. The lawsuit asks the court to prohibit Kansas from enforcing the pregnancy exclusion. Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach did not respond to a request for comment. More than 30 states have pregnancy exclusions, but a smaller number — including Kansas — exclude women at all stages of pregnancy. The lawsuit comes as concern grows over a legally dead Georgia woman who has been kept on life support for more than three months due to her pregnancy. (Read more.)
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Kansas Supreme Court Rules Police Can Search Vehicle if Driver Has No Legal License
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) – The Kansas Supreme Court narrowly ruled police can search a vehicle when the driver does not have a legal license. Wichita police arrested Gina Wilson after a drug dog alerted them to oxycodone in her vehicle. Wilson argued in court that the K-9 sniff was unconstitutional. She said she did not consent to a search and was not allowed to leave after being issued a traffic citation. The court ruled that a K-9 sniffing the outside of a car in public does not amount to a search. Wilson also had a suspended license, which the majority argued nullified her rights against unreasonable search and seizure. Three justices in the minority argued that the search was illegal.
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KBI Arrests Law Enforcement Officer in Child Sex Crimes Case
FORD COUNTY, Kan. (KPR) – Agents with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) have arrested a fellow Kansas law enforcement officer for alleged child sex crimes. Friday morning, KBI agents arrested 42-year-old Erik Lalicker, of Ashland. He was taken into custody in Dodge City. Lalicker was arrested on seven counts of child sexual exploitation. He served as a Kansas Gaming and Racing Commission (KGRC) Enforcement Agent and is currently on leave, pending the outcome of the investigation.
The KBI Child Victims Unit began investigating after a cyber tip was submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Following his arrest, Lalicker was booked into the Ford County Jail.
Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME. Anonymous tips can be submitted online here.
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KBI Investigates Financial Woes in Comanche County
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is digging into allegations against official county personnel in Comanche County, in south-central Kansas. The Kansas Reflector reports that residents have been reaching out to local officials to ask what happened after former county clerk Casey Huck resigned in March and the KBI opened an investigation. Until that investigation concludes, it’s unclear how the county may have been affected by potential financial wrongdoing. The possible wrongdoing appears to involve the use of county owned credit cards. A spokesman for the KBI confirmed an investigation continues. In a previous story, former county clerk Casey Huck told the Reflector that she “made a mistake.”
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Kansas Department of Commerce Grant to Aid Milford Medical Helipad Project
GEARY COUNTY, Kan. (KNS) – A rural town with limited access to hospitals is building a helipad to improve its medical response. The Kansas News Service reports that the upgrade highlights the lack of medical services in rural parts of the state. The Kansas Department of Commerce awarded small grants to help improve rural health. The town of Milford in Geary County is using $10,000 from the state to finish a helipad for rapid medical services. Patients in small towns often need to travel to larger communities for health care. The helipad offers quicker access to emergency services not only to small towns but also for incidents along the nearby highway.
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Federal Court Dismisses "Swampbuster" Lawsuit
UNDATED (HPM) – A federal judge in Iowa has dismissed a lawsuit aimed at dismantling a long-standing wetlands law known as "Swampbuster." Harvest Public Media reports that under Swampbuster, the U.S. Department of Agriculture can withhold federal dollars, like crop insurance and disaster payments, from farmers who clear, drain or convert designated wetlands. CTM Holdings, a company that owns farmland in Iowa, claimed that was unconstitutional.
Dani Replogle is a staff attorney with Food and Water Watch, one of several environmental and sustainable agriculture groups that intervened in the case. “We were thrilled with Judge Williams’s order. This is a decisive victory for wetlands and for everyone who understands how important wetlands are for climate resiliency and for wildlife habitat,” she said.
Liberty Justice Center, one of the law firms representing CTM Holdings, says it will appeal the decision.
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