Man Fatally Shot by Topeka Police Had Served Time in Prison
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Records show that a black man fatally shot by two police officers in Topeka was months out of prison after serving time on burglary and illegal gun possession charges. Authorities confirmed Friday that 30-year-old Dominique Tyrell White had a criminal record and spent seven months in prison starting in 2015. White died Thursday. Topeka police said he struggled with officers responding to a reported disturbance near a park, tried to flee and reached for a pocket containing a handgun. Authorities haven't identified the officers. Department of Corrections records showed White was sentenced to probation in 2015 for felony burglary and was discharged in August 2016. The records show he returned to prison in October 2016 for illegal possession of a firearm as a felon and was released in May.
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Most of Kansas Congressional Delegation Supports GOP Tax Bill
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ Most members of Kansas's congressional delegation are supporting a proposed federal tax code being developed by House and Senate Republicans. U.S. Senators Pat Roberts and Jerry Moran and Representatives Lynn Jenkins, Roger Marshall and Ron Estes all say they support legislation that would reduce the corporate income tax rate from 35 to 20 percent. It also would reduce the top individual income tax rate from 39 percent to 35 percent. None of the members' statements discussed how the tax bill would affect the federal deficit. Roberts said there is widespread bipartisan agreement on the need for tax reform and Congress should work together to take action on some most Americans support.
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Police: 2 Brothers Dead After Family Dispute in Topeka
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say two brothers are dead after an apparent family dispute in Topeka. Topeka police said in a news release that officers responded Thursday afternoon to a report about a possible shooting in a wooded area near the Kansas River. The officers found two people who had sustained injuries consistent with gunshot wounds. Police on Friday identified the dead as 29-year-old Shawn Paul Jacobs and 36-year-old Robert Raymond Jacobs Jr., brothers from Topeka. Police say there is "no threat to the public" but provided no other information about what happened.
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4 Charged in 2014 Drive-By Shooting That Killed Kansas Girl
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Four people have been charged with first-degree murder in connection to a drive-by shooting that killed a 10-year-old girl in eastern Kansas. The Kansas City Star reports that two of suspects are jailed in Wyandotte County Detention Center. The district attorney's office says another suspect is hospitalized and one suspect isn't in custody. Investigators say the girl, Machole Stewart, was killed in October 2014 when bullets from a passing vehicle ripped into a home she was visiting for a family gathering. Family members say Machole jumped up and ran because she was scared. No one else was injured. Police say the intended target was a 19-year-old relative.
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Court Dismisses Appeal from Man Convicted of Capital Murder
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - A federal appeals court has dismissed an appeal from a man convicted in the 2002 killing a teenager at a Leawood swimming pool. The Kansas City Star reports the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver on Thursday upheld a lower court ruling dismissing the appeal of Benjamin Appleby. Appleby, now 42, is serving a life sentence for capital murder and attempted rape of 19-year-old Ali Kemp in the pump room of a swimming pool where she worked.
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3rd Teenager Enters Race for Kansas Governor
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A third teenager says he wants to be the governor of Kansas. Ethan Randleas is a 17-year-old from Wichita who says he will join two other teenagers as candidates in next year's gubernatorial race to replace Governor Sam Brownback. Kansas has no law governing the age qualifications for governor. The Kansas City Star reports that Randleas is a student at Wichita Heights High School and is running as a Republican. He calls himself is a "conservatarian," which he says is a mix of conservative and libertarian. The other teenage candidates are 17-year-old Republican Tyler Ruzich, of Prairie Village, and 16-year-old Democrat Jack Bergeson, of Wichita.
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Overall Enrollment at 6 State Universities Shows Slight Drop
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Board of Regents says enrollment at public universities fell less than 1 percent this fall. Enrollment figures released Friday show enrollment increased more than 3 percent at Fort Hays State University and Wichita State University. The University of Kansas reported a 1.1 percent increase in fall enrollment compared with last fall. Kansas State University reported the largest enrollment drop, of 4.1 percent. Emporia State's enrollment declined 2.6 percent and enrollment was down 2.7 percent at Pittsburg State. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports cumulative enrollment at the six state universities was down 239 students, or 0.25 percent. The 19 community colleges in Kansas reported 1,500 fewer students enrolled, while the state's technical colleges added nearly 1,000 students.
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Woman Who Accused Bragg of Battery Pleads Guilty in Case
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A woman who reported being punched and shoved by a former University of Kansas basketball player has pleaded guilty to battering him. Nineteen-year-old Saleeha Soofi alleged in December 2016 that former player Carlton Bragg hit her while they were at a party. Bragg was charged with misdemeanor battery but the charges were dropped when surveillance video showed Soofi was the aggressor. Soofi was granted diversion in June, which included abstaining from alcohol and recreational drugs. But she was charged later in the summer with driving under the influence, possessing a controlled substance and refusing a preliminary breath test. The Lawrence Journal-World reports Soofi pleaded guilty last week to the original battery charge. She was sentenced to six months of probation. Bragg transferred this summer to Arizona State University.
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Witness: 1 of 5 Suspects in Triple Slaying Forced to Help
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Witnesses have testified that three people were killed in a Kansas drug house over a rape allegation and that one of the suspects was forced to participate to save his life. The details about the case were revealed during a preliminary hearing that ended Wednesday with a judge finding sufficient evidence for 19-year-old Shane Mays, 33-year-old Brian Flowers and 31-year-old Joseph Lowry to be tried on charges that include first-degree murder. Two other people also are charged in the killings. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that witness Richard Folsom testified that Mays was told he had to take part in the killings in March in Topeka to "dirty his hands." A detective testified that the violence stemmed from an unproven rape allegation against Leavitt.
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Kansas School Helps Restore Vandalized Rainbow Parking Spot
MARION, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas high school student who fought to keep his rainbow-painted parking spot found it vandalized this week. The Wichita Eagle reports that Marion High School senior Logan Waner decorated his parking spot with an LGBT pride design. It was covered in black paint or tar Thursday. Seniors at the school are allowed to paint their parking spots, as long as the designs are approved by administrators. Students and administrators helped Waner clean up his parking spot. Waner's parking spot initially drew attention after he was told he had to paint over the design on Wednesday. The school reversed the decision that afternoon. Principal Tod Gordon says he initially approved the design, but later met with Waner to discuss possible modifications to make sure there weren't any issues.
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Kansas Girl Scout Camp to Cease Operations
DOVER, Kan. (AP) — Girl Scouts of northeast Kansas and northwest Missouri have announced plans to close one of its camps in Shawnee County. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that activities at Camp Daisy Hindman will cease November 30. Girl Scouts CEO Joy Wheeler says the decision was based on a steady decline in the resident camp program and operating at a loss of nearly $200,000. The camp has been renovated several times in the past five years, including upgrades to its water and electrical infrastructure. The program also installed new cabins, a natural playground and a spray park. A Facebook post by Sophie Devanney says she "found a home at Camp Daisy Hindman this summer." She says she's upset to hear about the closure but will "cherish every memory" she has.
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Deal Reached in Kansas City Public Housing Harassment Suit
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The Justice Department has reached a settlement in its 2015 lawsuit against the Kansas City, Kansas, Housing Authority and three of its officials over sexual harassment claims. A joint motion for dismissal and settlement agreement was filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Kansas. The deal requires the housing authority to submit for approval a policy prohibiting sexual harassment of public housing applicants and tenants and to establish a complaint procedure. It permanently bans former hearing officer Victor L. Hernandez, former property manager Derrick Estelle, Sr., and former housing director Ronald Cobb from participating in public housing programs. Under the agreement, the defendants must pay $350,000 to 15 women. They also must pay a $5,000 civil penalty. The agreement also requires Hernandez and Estelle to pay one woman $10,000.
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Police: Student Dies by Suicide at Missouri High School
LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. (AP) — Police say a Missouri student has died by suicide at a Kansas City-area high school. A release from Lee's Summit police says officers and medical crews arrived at Lee's Summit North High School on Friday morning following reports of attempted self-harm by a student. Other students heard a single gunshot. Police say medics took the student to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries. The student died shortly after arriving. Lee's Summit police say staff locked down the school and dismissed students early. Professional counselors have been called in to work with students in the district.
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Tigers Top Royals 4-1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Tigers' Daniel Norris threw five scoreless innings to pick up his first victory in more than three months as the Detroit Tigers snapped a season-high nine-game losing streak by beating the Kansas City Royals 4-1 on Thursday night. Norris (5-8) gave up two hits in five innings. The Tigers had been outscored 68-39 in their losing streak, which was their longest since dropping nine straight in September 2005. Nicholas Castellanos' fifth-inning double with the bases loaded scored Alex Presley, JaCoby Jones and Dixon Machado. Jones singled home Andrew Romine with the first run of the inning. Royals left-hander Danny Duffy (9-10) did not make it through the fifth inning. He was charged with four runs, six hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings. Duffy, who was the Royals' opening day starter, finishes the season with a 3.81 ERA in 24 starts.
