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Headlines for Friday, October 11, 2019

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Search Continues for Second Suspect in Deadly KCK Bar Shooting, Police Seek Help

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A suspect in a Kansas bar shooting that left four dead and five wounded remains on the lam and stymied authorities behind an ongoing manhunt are urging witnesses to come forward.  Police continued searching Thursday for 29-year-old Hugo Villanueva-Morales, more than four days after gunfire erupted early Sunday at the Tequila KC bar in Kansas City, Kansas. Villanueva-Morales and 23-year-old Javier Alatorre are charged with four counts of first-degree murder. Alatorre was arrested hours after the shooting at a home in Kansas City, Missouri.  Officer Thomas Tomasic says officers don't know whether Villanueva-Morales has left the area. He says police are at a "slow point right now as far as information." Police want to talk to any witnesses who were in the bar but left before officers arrived.

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New Records Reveal Extent of Damage from Fire at KC Police Evidence Building

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — New court records show the extent of damage from an August 2018 fire in one of the Kansas City police evidence buildings.  KMBC-TV reports that cleanup business Servpro says in an affidavit that the warehouse was storing hundreds of thousands of evidence bags, and that 54% of the bins had been affected. Defense attorney Dan Ross sought information about the fire while representing Robert Townsend, who's charged with two counts of second-degree murder in a March 2017 double homicide.  Ross says a T-shirt that may be a crucial piece of evidence was damaged by the water used to put out the fire.  Kansas City police said they are confident Servpro handled the evidence up to their standards. Officials say no cases have been dismissed as a result of the fire.

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Nancy Boyda Drops Out of Kansas Senate Race

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former Kansas Democratic congresswoman has dropped out of the race for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Republican Pat Roberts.  Former U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda formed a campaign committee in June to run for the Democratic nomination next year. Former federal prosecutor and Kansas City area attorney Barry Grissom is also seeking the nomination.  Boyda represented a northeast Kansas district in the U.S. House in 2007 and 2008, ousting a Republican incumbent in 2006, only to narrowly lose the seat two years later. She said Thursday she was leaving the Senate race to focus on bringing Kansans together at a time of civic strife without what she described as the "constraints of a partisan campaign."  Republicans haven't lost a U.S. Senate race in Kansas since 1932.

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Third Republican Enters Kansas Congressional Race

ROELAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A former suburban Kansas City mayor has become the third Republican to kick off a campaign to challenge freshman Democratic Rep. Sharice Davids.  The Kansas City Star reports that Adrienne Foster announced her campaign this week for the GOP nomination in the 3rd Congressional District. Foster served one term as the mayor of Roeland Park, a community of about 6,800, before becoming executive director of the Kansas Hispanic and Latino American Affairs Commission under Republican Govs. Sam Brownback and Jeff Colyer.  During her tenure with the commission, she faced calls for her resignation over comments she made in support of then-candidate Donald Trump.  Also running in the Republican primary is former National Down Syndrome Society CEO Sarah Hart Weir and Amanda Adkins, a Cerner Corp. executive with political ties to Brownback.

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Wichita Water Plant Behind Schedule Amid Scrutiny of Mayor

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A new water plant planned for Wichita is behind schedule, delaying a City Council decision on keeping a nearly $524 million contract that has prompted an investigation of the mayor.  The Wichita Eagle reports the contract gave Wichita Water Partners until Oct. 4 to submit a cost estimate for a part of the plant it is designing. The council had planned to decide at the end of October whether the group could start construction.  But on October 3, City Manager Robert Layton approved the group's request for a 75-day extension. The December 18 deadline is after the Nov. 5 mayoral election.  Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett opened an investigation after The Eagle reported that Mayor Jeff Longwell steered the contract to the group and it includes friends of his.

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Kansas City Man Convicted of Rape, Filming Crime on Victim's Cellphone

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City man has been found guilty of raping a 16-year-old girl while recording the crime on her cellphone.  This week, a Platte County jury found 20-year-old Martese Johnson-Winters guilty of first degree rape, first degree sodomy and sexual exploitation of a minor. Platte County Prosecuting Attorney Eric Zahnd said Johnson-Winters forced the girl to have sex while pointing what she believed to be a gun at her.  Johnson-Winters' attorney did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment on his behalf. Sentencing is set for December 5.

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Lawsuit Claims ICE Mistreated Missouri Immigration Attorney

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri has sued two immigration agents alleging they mistreated an attorney who was accompanying her 3-year-old client to be reunited with his pregnant mother before both would be deported to Honduras.  The ACLU said in a news release Thursday that ICE agents separated immigration lawyer Andrea Martinez from the child last year at an ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Facility in Kansas City, Missouri. Its claims agents pushed her to the ground.  Their lawsuit alleges the ICE agents refused her medical treatment for her bleeding leg and fractured foot and illegally detained her inside the facility. They also allegedly seized and searched her cell phone.  The incident was recorded as part of the Netflix documentary, Living Undocumented, which was released this month.

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Software Engineer to Change Plea in Kansas Cyberattack Case

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A computer software engineer accused of plotting cyberattacks on websites criticizing a Wichita attorney's work has notified the court he plans to change his plea.  A docket notation on Wednesday in U.S. District Court says VIRAL Artificial Intelligence co-founder David Dorsett is set for a change-of-plea hearing on October 21 in Wichita.  Dorsett and Wichita lawyer Bradley Pistotnik pleaded not guilty last year to federal charges of computer fraud and conspiracy. Pistotnik is also charged with making false statements to the FBI.  The indictment alleges that Pistotnik and Dorsett are responsible for cyberattacks on Leagle.com, Ripoffreport.com and JaburgWilk.com in 2014 and 2015. The indictment also accuses Dorsett of filling website inboxes with threats. Court records say one email demands that a webpage be removed or the hackers will target advertisers.

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Rig Hauling Cattle Overturns on Kansas City Highway

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say a tractor-trailer hauling cattle has overturned on a Kansas City highway, causing several other crashes as more than 40 animals broke free.  The rig flipped around 1 am Thursday on Interstate 29 near the Interstate 636 interchange.  Police say another tractor-trailer and at least one car hit loose cattle. Police say another driver crashed into a police cruiser. No drivers were injured, but traffic was disrupted for hours as crews cleaned up the mess and rounded up the loose cattle.  Police say several head of cattle had to be euthanized at the scene.

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Missouri River Will Remain at High Level into December

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The lower Missouri River will remain high into December because of the large amount of water being released from dams into the river.  The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the amount of water being released from the Gavins Point dam on the Nebraska-South Dakota border will remain at a level more than twice what is typical for this time of year — 80,000 cubic feet per second — into mid-December.  Officials do not expect significant new flooding along the river because of the high releases. But many levees remain damaged from severe flooding in the spring, allowing the floodwaters to flow into many farm fields and rural areas.  The amount of rain and melting snow flowing into the river has remained exceptionally high this fall, and wet weather is expected to continue through the end of the year.

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2 Men Killed in Central Kansas Crash with Semi Truck

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Two men were killed after their van collided with a semi headed in the opposite direction in Marion County.  The Wichita Eagle reports that 84-year-old Cecil Gill Jr. of Illinois was headed west on Highway 50 around 7:36 p.m. Wednesday. The Kansas Highway Patrol says Gill was traveling partially in the eastbound lane of traffic.  In the 2005 Dodge Caravan with him was 20-year-old Dwayne J. Scott of Missouri.  Both Gill and Scott were killed when their vehicle collided with a semi driven by 57-year-old Kevin M. Thompson of Wisconsin. Thompson was taken to the hospital with minor injuries.

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Emporia State Awarded $2 Million Grant Aimed at Deaf, Autism disorders

EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — Emporia State University is receiving more than $2 million in grants to help professionals seeking to bolster employment opportunities for people with hearing problems and autism spectrum disorders.  The university says in a news release that it has one of three programs nationwide that concentrates in working with deaf and hard-of-hearing people.  Its education department will use the grants to support students with tuition, training and professional development through 2024. Vocational rehabilitation personnel will receive online instruction leading to a master's degree or certification.  The university says the funds aim to address shortages in rehabilitation services in the region.

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