Kansas Mayor Charged With Voter Fraud
COLDWATER, Kan. (KPR) — The mayor of a small town in south-central Kansas has been charged with voter fraud. Joe Ceballos is the mayor of Coldwater in Comanche County. Ceballos is a permanent legal resident of the U.S. but not a citizen. He is accused of voting in elections since 2022. Only citizens are permitted to vote. Ceballos was elected to a second term as mayor on Tuesday with nearly 83% of the vote. If convicted, he could face more than five years in prison.
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Shawnee County School Sub Charged With Child Sex Crimes
TOPEKA, Kan. (WIBW-TV) — More details are emerging in the case of a Shawnee County substitute school employee who’s been charged with crimes against children. Shawnee County prosecutors say they received a tip about James Hankensiefken in early October. WIBW-TV reports a subsequent investigation found Hankensiefken had allegedly had sex with a child known to him between August and October. Charges were filed against him on Wednesday. They include: aggravated indecent liberties and criminal sodomy with a child aged 14 to 16. Hankensiefken was a substitute para-professional for the Shawnee Heights School District. The district says no students are believed to be victims.
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City of Topeka Raising Funds To Help Families Affected by SNAP Cuts
TOPEKA, Kan. (KPR) — With federal food assistance uncertain due to the federal government shutdown, the city of Topeka has launched a fundraising campaign for families who depend on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The city’s Office of Inclusive Communities and the Topeka Fire Department will collect monetary donations Friday and Saturday in a “Pass the Hat” campaign. Residents will be able to make donations at five collection sites. City officials say the money collected will go to local families who are experiencing hardship due to delays in the allocation of SNAP benefits.
Related:
Emporia Suspends Utility Disconnections Amid Uncertain Snap Funding
EMPORIA, Kan. (KPR) — The city of Emporia is suspending utility disconnections due to the uncertainty around SNAP funding. In a statement, Emporia city manager Trey Cocking said city officials “understand that many households are experiencing financial uncertainty” and want to ease the burden. The city will hold off on disconnect fees and water shutoffs for individual residential utility accounts until the federal government shutdown has ended and SNAP funding has been restored.
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Topeka Moves Closer To Selling City-Owned Hotel
TOPEKA, Kan. (KSNT) — The city of Topeka is a step closer to getting out of the hotel business. KSNT reports the city is expected to sell Hotel Topeka within a week. The city purchased the hotel for $7.6 million about two years ago. Since then the city has invested another $10 million into it. The city loses more than a million dollars a year running the hotel.
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Kansas School Districts Take Stock After Failed Bond Votes Force
UNDATED (KSN) — The leaders in Kansas school districts whose bond measures were defeated on Tuesday are looking for ways to move forward. KSN reports school bond measures failed in Wellington, Rock Hills, Hutchinson, Russell, Oberlin, and St. John-Hudson. Oberlin superintendent Jeremy Holloway says the district’s schools desperately need updating and he’s not sure how those needs will be met now. Meanwhile, voters in Goodland, Ark City, Mulvane, and Oakley did vote in favor of school bond measures.
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Lawrence Rec Center Memberships To Go on Sale
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — Lawrence residents will soon have to pay to use the city’s recreation centers. Membership fees will be required beginning January 5. Residents can begin purchasing memberships on November 17. Previously the rec centers were free for Lawrence residents. The new fees are $120 a year for adults and $80 a year for seniors. Children 17 and under can still use the rec centers for free.
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Republicans' Effort To Hold Special Session on Redistricting in Kansas Fails
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS/KPR) — There won’t be any congressional redistricting in Kansas, at least not this year. Republican legislative leaders wanted to call a special session to redraw the state’s congressional map to eliminate the lone Democratic seat. But yesterday they conceded they could not muster enough support from the Republican rank-and-file to call a special session. Two-thirds of each legislative chamber must sign a petition for a special session to move forward. Republicans got enough lawmakers to sign on in the state senate. But a handful of Republican holdouts kept the House from meeting the two-thirds threshold. The issue could still be raised when the next regular legislative session begins next year.
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Proposed Changes to Corrections Funding on Hold
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) — Proposed changes to the funding formula for corrections programs in Kansas are on hold after some local agencies raised concerns. The Kansas News Service reports that state officials say changes are needed to ensure that funds for probation and parole programs are distributed fairly. The new formula would substantially cut funding in certain areas, including Wichita, which has the highest population of offenders under supervision. Steve Stonestreet is director of the Sedgwick County Department of Corrections. He says a 40% cut to his agency could reduce oversight of people on probation and put residents at risk. "Any changes to the formula need to be done to at least keep public safety on the forefront," Stonestreet added. Some areas would receive increases under the proposed change, including Johnson, Leavenworth and Shawnee counties.
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Investment Firm CEO Indicted on Fraud Charges
TOPEKA, Kan. (Kansas Reflector) — The former CEO of an investment firm granted a bank charter in Kansas has been arrested and jailed. Brad Heppner, a native of Hesston, Kansas, is the founder and former CEO of the Beneficient investment firm. He was taken into custody Tuesday by the Irving Police Department in Texas, and indicted in federal court in New York on multiple counts of securities fraud, wire fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud, and falsification of records. The Kansas Reflector reports that his firm was granted a unique bank charter by the Kansas Legislature for one of Beneficient's subsidiaries. Kansas Senate President Ty Masterson championed the legislation granting the unique charter, which allowed the company to anchor its asset-swap business in Kansas. The legislation granting the charter was opposed by the Kansas state banking commissioner, but it was signed into law by Democratic Governor Laura Kelly in 2022. The charter was designed to allow Beneficient to work with investors to cash out their illiquid assets or to trade them for stock. Beneficient agreed to put money into a foundation to support economic development in rural communities, including the town of Hesston.
Heppner is accused of misappropriating at least $150 million from a Beneficient subsidiary and what prosecutors characterize as a shell company being operated for Heppner's benefit. He had resigned from Beneficient rather than cooperate with an audit examining financial irregularities. A spokesperson for Beneficient issued a statement saying that company no longer employs Heppner, and that it is pursuing its own claims against him on behalf of its shareholders.
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Invasive Pest Detected in Another Kansas County
UNDATED (KPR) — An invasive insect has appeared in another Kansas county. The Kansas Forest Service and the Kansas Department of Agriculture confirm that emerald ash borer beetles have been detected in Marshall County. It’s the fourth Kansas county in which the destructive beetle has been detected this year. Officials say the emerald ash borer is an exotic, invasive beetle from eastern Russia and northeastern Asia that likely came to the U.S. in infested packing material. The beetle threatens urban and rural forests by killing North American ash trees. State ecologists are asking Kansans to avoid bringing firewood from another state or county where the beetle has been detected.
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Kansas City Royals Seek Public Feedback on Stadium Sites
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCUR) — The Kansas City Royals are asking the public for feedback on three potential stadium sites. KCUR reports that the organization released a survey on Monday asking for input on the merits of three locations: downtown Kansas City, North Kansas City, and Johnson County, Kansas.
The team is also asking participants to offer opinions on the team, gameday experience and television broadcasts. Royals CEO and Chairman John Sherman says the results of the survey could help shape where the team plays for the next 50 years. The survey will be available to season ticket holders and fans who attended a minimum number of games in the past few seasons.
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