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Headlines for Friday, February 7, 2020

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UPDATE: Proposed Abortion-Related Amendment Fails in Kansas House

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Republican lawmakers in Kansas have failed to get a proposed anti-abortion amendment to the state constitution on the ballot.  Today's (FRI) vote in the Kansas House stalls efforts to ensure that the state's Bill of Rights does not secure a right to an abortion. The vote was 80-43, leaving supporters four votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass the measure. But neither side expected it to be the last word on whether the proposed amendment ultimately is put to a vote in a statewide election.  Abortion opponents will likely try again. Lawmakers are in session until early May.  

Earlier reporting...

Kansas Lawmakers Vote on Abortion Measure; Passage Unsure

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Top Republican legislators have moved to a vote in the Kansas House on a proposed anti-abortion amendment to the state constitution without knowing whether they had the votes to get it through the GOP-controlled Legislature and onto the ballot. GOP leaders were looking to win over a few reluctant lawmakers. They were keeping House members locked in their seats without closing the roll to give themselves time to make telephone calls at their desks. It was a process that could on for hours. The proposed amendment would overturn a Kansas Supreme Court decision last year protecting abortion rights.

- Related -

Kansas Fight over Abortion Turns Debate "On its Head"

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators considering a proposed amendment to the state constitution on abortion are raising the spectre of women being forced back into using unsafe and unclean “back alley” clinics if their measure does not pass. But in a twist, anti-abortion lawmakers were making the argument Thursday as the House gave first-round approval to the proposed amendment. The measure would overturn a Kansas Supreme Court decision last year protecting abortion rights. Amendment supporters have appropriated language often used by abortion rights backers to fight proposed abortion restrictions. Anti-abortion groups argue that if legislators cannot enact restrictions, clinics will return to being unsafe.

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WSU Tech Offers Free Scholarships to Laid-Off Aircraft Workers

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - WSU Tech in Wichita is offering free scholarships to laid-off Spirit AeroSystems employees. The college's president (Sheree Ustash) announced today (FRI) that the school and its partners will offer scholarships with several options for tuition-free, short-term certification training in manufacturing and engineering.  Spirit plans to lay off more than 2,800 workers.  The layoffs come as the result of the grounding of Boeing's 737 Max.  Spirit makes more than 70 percent of that airplane.  

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KBI Identifies Topeka Man Killed During Officer-Involved Shooting

TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says 33-year-old Gaston Nava-Saucedo was killed during an officer-involved shooting.  The Topeka man died from injuries he suffered after he was shot by a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper.  The KBI says the shooting took place during a traffic stop Wednesday in Topeka.  The trooper tried to arrest the suspect but the Highway Patrol says the man resisted.  During the incident, the trooper became entangled in the suspect's vehicle and was dragged as the suspect tried to flee the scene. The officer fired multiple shots, hitting the suspect.  The officer was treated for his injuries and released.

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5 Guards Injured During Inmate Disturbance at Hutchinson Correctional Facility

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — State prison officials say five correctional officers were injured during a disturbance at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility this week. The Department of Corrections says the officers received medical treatment.  The incident happened Tuesday but prison officials didn't release information about the disturbance until Thursday.  The Kansas Department of Corrections said in a news release that the facility is on lockdown and inmates in the Central Unit have limited movement. The inmates involved in the disturbance are in restrictive housing during an investigation. Weekend visitation for the Central Unit only has been canceled until further notice.

Earlier reporting...

Part of Hutch Prison on Lockdown Following Inmate Disturbance

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (KPR) - Part of the Hutchinson Correctional Facility remains on lockdown with weekend visitation canceled.  Officials announced today (THUR) that the Central Unit was placed on lockdown following an inmate disturbance on Tuesday.  The disturbance resulted in the battery of five correctional officers.  Beginning tomorow (SAT), weekend visitation will be canceled for the Central Unit only.
 
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Douglas County Makes Changes After False Rape Report Cases

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Douglas County law enforcement officials are making changes after controversy over how it investigated and prosecuted sexual assault cases. District Attorney Charles Branson said this week all attorneys and victim/witness coordinators in his office have completed a five-hour training course on trauma-informed sexual assault investigations. Lawrence police detectives are also undergoing the training. The Lawrence Journal-World reports a consultant will visit in April to provide more training and help coordinate responses of area law enforcement and attorneys in sexual assault cases. Last year, Branson's office dropped three cases against women who were accused of making false sexual assault reports.  

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Missouri Lawmakers Advance Proposal for Casinos at Lake of the Ozarks

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) - Casinos could be coming to the Lake of the Ozarks.  A Missouri House panel has endorsed a plan that could allow casinos to be built near the lake.  The proposal endorsed this week would ask voters whether to amend the state constitution to allow casinos in that part of central Missouri.

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Western Kansas Affected by New Travel Restrictions for Certain Immigrants

GARDEN CITY, Kan. (KNS) - Travel restrictions announced last week on immigrants from six countries could hit refugee families who live and work in Garden City.  Among them are Rohingya Muslims, an ethnic minority fleeing genocide in Myanmar.  Matt Allen, the city manager of Garden City, says the area economy needs refugees.  Cuts to refugee numbers threaten the region’s meatpacking industry, which relies heavily on immigrant labor.  A new beef packaging plant with 300 jobs is expected to open in the next few years.  Some Somali refugees in Kansas have been separated from their families since the initial travel ban was announced in 2017.

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Body Found in Burned SUV in Wichita Was 17-Year-Old Girl

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Authorities say a body found last month in a burned sport utility vehicle in Wichita was that of a 17-year-old girl. The Wichita Eagle reports that police identified the girl Thursday as Elisabeth Renteria, of Wichita. Her body was found after police responded to a shots fired call on January 29 and found the SUV engulfed in flames. Officer Kevin Wheeler said in a news release that investigators are working with the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center to determine the cause of death. Police previously arrested a 30-year-old woman on suspicion of arson and criminal desecration of a body.

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Wichita Woman Convicted of Beheading Ex-Boyfriend's Mother

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A Wichita woman has been convicted of first-degree murder in the decapitation death of her ex-boyfriend's mother, whose head she left in the kitchen sink. Prosecutors say Rachael Hilyard cut off 63-year-old Micki Davis' head using two steak knives on April 9, 2017. Hilyard was convicted Thursday.  Sentencing is set for March 27.  A prosecutor said the 38-year-old Hilyard attacked Davis without provocation then grabbed a knife "to finish what she started." Hilyard testified that she thought Davis was dead when she cut off her head. Her defense attorney says his client made bad decisions with horrible consequences.

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Topeka Man Sentenced to Jail, Probation in Deadly Kansas Crash

OSKALOOSA, Kan.  (AP) - A Topeka man has been sentenced to one year in jail for a fatal December 2017 crash. The Jefferson County Attorney's Office announced Thursday that Henry Clay Carey Jr. also will serve one year of probation after he is released from jail. Jurors found Carey guilty previously of vehicular homicide, driving while suspended and having no proof of insurance in the crash that killed Thomas Prescott, also of Topeka.

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Body Found in Cowley County Likely that of Wichita Murder Victim

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Wichita police say they believe a body found in Cowley County is that of a 50-year-old homicide victim from Hutchinson. Police spokesman Charley Davidson says the body was found during an investigation into the death of Jerry Jones. KAKE-TV reports the body was found in a structure in northwest Cowley County. Forensic scientists will make a positive identification. Fifty-three-year-old Jefferey Hill is charged with second-degree murder in Jones' death.Police have said a man reported Hill's involvement in a homicide in December and said Jones' body was buried at an unknown location outside of Wichita.

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Plan for Work Requirement is Focus of Kansas Medicaid Debate

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Republicans expect to consider a work requirement when a Kansas legislative committee this week begins debating a bipartisan bill for expanding Medicaid, and that's despite opposition to the idea from a GOP leader. The Republican-controlled Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee is starting its debate today (THUR) on a bill containing an expansion plan from Democratic Governor Laura Kelly and Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, a Kansas City-area Republican. A final committee vote on the entire bill is expected next week.  Denning acknowledges that work requirements are "a popular idea in Medicaid expansion," but he and Kelly are urging lawmakers to reject the idea for now.

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Armed Robbery Suspect Turns Himself in to Lawrence Police

LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) — A man suspected of robbing a Lawrence business has surrendered to police.  Authorities say 26-year-old Joeseph Michael Splechter, of Lawrence, turned himself in to Lawrence police for the armed robbery of Check Into Cash.  On Thursday, police released photographs of the suspect.  They also reported that a heavyset male, approximately 5’6” or 5’7”, entered the business, indicated that he was in possession of a weapon and demanded money.  The suspect then fled with an undetermined amount of cash.  Police say all the money has been accounted for or recovered.  Splechter turned himself in at the urging of family after seeing his image on LPD social media.  He was arrestd on suspicion of committing armed robbery.  

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Kansas House Bill Aims to Bar Transgender Athletes from Middle, High School Sports

TOPEKA, Kan.  (KNS) - State Representative Michael Capps, a Republican from Wichita, wants to introduce a bill that would bar transgender students from participating in Kansas high school and middle school sports.  A draft of the bill would require participation in boys and girls sports to be based on each student’s "assigned gender" at birth.  Capps says the bill is meant to keep sports fair, particularly for girls.  LGBTQ activists and some legislators condemned the bill as discriminatory, saying it targets a group of people already vulnerable to bullying, violence and suicide.  LGBTQ rights advocates are trying to kill the proposal even before it can be formally introduced.  The LGBTQ rights group Equality Kansas had a Statehouse news conference Thursday to denounce the proposal.

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Remains of Kansas Man Killed During Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor Identified

SOUTH HAVEN, Kan. (AP) - The remains of a Kansas man who was killed 78 years ago when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor have been identified. The Wichita Eagle reports that U.S. Navy Fireman First Class Rex Wise will be buried in April near his home in South Haven, near the state's southern border with Oklahoma. The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced Tuesday that Wise was accounted for in fall 2019. The 21-year-old was serving aboard the USS Oklahoma when torpedoes hit the ship, killing 429 people aboard.

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Kansas Insurance Agent Sentenced to Probation for Fraud

SMITH CENTER, Kan.  (AP) - A Kansas insurance agent has been sentenced to three years of probation and fined $3,000 for fraud that included filing false claims against the insurance policies of her customers and keeping the payments for herself. The Kansas attorney general's office announced in a news release that 42-year-old Trisha Wiehl, of Smith Center, was sentenced Wednesday for several dozen counts, including insurance fraud, theft and forgery. Besides filing false claims that netted her $100,000, Wiehl also took money from the city of Smith Center and a local business and kept the money for herself instead of submitting the money as payment for insurance premiums.

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Man Accused of Killing Wisconsin Brothers Appears in Court

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) - A man accused of killing two brothers from Wisconsin made his first in-person court appearance in Missouri. Garland Joseph Nelson did not speak during Thursday's hearing. A preliminary hearing date was set for March 24. Nelson, of Braymer, is accused of killing 35-year-old Nick Diemel and 24-year-old Justin Diemel, 24, of Shawano County, Wisconsin. A probable cause statement says the brothers visited Nelson to collect a $250,000 debt. Their remains were found in Missouri and Nebraska. The brothers were reported missing July 21 after they failed to show up for a flight home.

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Missouri Lawmakers Advance Proposal for Casinos at Lake of the Ozarks

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri House panel has endorsed a plan that could allow casinos to be built near the Lake of the Ozarks. The proposal endorsed Thursday would ask voters whether to amend the state constitution to allow casinos on the Osage River between the Bagnell Dam and the point where the Osage River meets the Missouri River. House member Rocky Miller, who represents the lake area, said he filed the proposal to try to preempt a potential initiative petition drive to allow casinos on the popular tourist lake in central Missouri. The Missouri Constitution currently allows casinos only along the Mississippi and Missouri rivers.

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Project Preserves Historic Kansas Public Radio, TV Programs

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A collaborative effort is underway to preserve and make accessible historic television and radio programs produced by public media stations in Kansas. KMUW Radio and The American Archive of Public Broadcasting said in a news release Wednesday that the online collection will be digitized from deteriorating and obsolete formats. It will showcase statewide coverage of social issues, commentary, public reporting and history from more than 70 years of archival collections in the state. More than 3,000 programs are expected to be preserved during the two-year Kansas Public Media Preservation Project.

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Chiefs Fan Says He Took an "NFL Hit" in Parking Meter Collision

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A Kansas City Chiefs fan says he took a "professional NFL hit" when he slammed into a parking meter while trying to catch a pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes during the team's Super Bowl victory parade. Forty-three-year-old LaRue Bell told The Kansas City Star that the pass was intended for him but that the parking meter denied him the opportunity Wednesday.  Millions have watched the video on social media. Even Mahomes checked in on Twitter, asking "Yo is the dude who hit the parking meter okay." Bell says he is sore, noting that the pole "was not forgiving at all."

- Related -

KC Police Chief Lauds Officer Restraint During Car Chase at Chiefs' Parade

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Kansas City officials are praising the decision-making and restraint shown by the officers who stopped an allegedly impaired driver who led police on a chase along the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl parade route. Prosecutors on Thursday charged 42-year-old Addae Doyle, of Kansas City, Kansas, with resisting arrest, possession of a controlled substance and misdemeanor driving while intoxicated. Kansas City Police Chief Rick Smith said at a news conference that the arresting officers avoided hitting the speeding car along the route or shooting the driver because they didn't want the car to veer off course and hit fans. No one was hurt and the parade went off hours later without a hitch.

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U.S. Army Corps Increases Water Flow into Lower Missouri River

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - The amount of water being released into the Missouri River from Gavins Point Dam has been increased to free up more space in the reservoirs upstream before spring. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said Thursday that the amount of water flowing out of Gavins Point on the Nebraska-South Dakota border had been increased to 35,000 cubic feet (991.09 cubic meters) per second. The current releases from Gavins Point dam are more than double what is typical for this time of year. The Corps is working to clear out as much space as possible in the reservoirs ahead of what is expected to be another wet year.

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KPR's daily headlines are generally posted by 10 am weekdays and updated throughout the day.  KPR's weekend summary is usually published by 1 pm Saturdays and Sundays.

 

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