Militia Members Accused of Targeting Somalis Stand Trial This Week
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Months before the 2016 general election, members of a Kansas militia group that prosecutors say came to be known as the "the Crusaders" met in an office to pick the targets of bombings that they hoped would inspire a wave of attacks on Muslims throughout the U.S. In a business in the southwestern city of Liberal that sold mobile homes, the four men took precautions to avoid getting caught, putting their cellphones in a separate room and locking the door to prevent anyone from walking in on them. Three of them didn't know that the fourth was wearing a wire as part of a federal investigation that would thwart their alleged plot. Authorities say that on the day after Election Day, they hoped to detonate four car bombs outside of a mosque and an apartment complex that was home to Somali refugees who had settled in the meatpacking town of Garden City.
Jury selection begins tomorrow (TUE) in the trial of Patrick Stein, Gavin Wright, and Curtis Allen on charges of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and conspiracy against civil rights. Stein, who prosecutors say was the militia's leader, also faces an additional weapons-related charge, and Wright faces a charge of lying to the FBI. They have pleaded not guilty. If convicted of the weapon of mass destruction charge, each could be sentenced to up to life in prison.
Prosecutors have said that a militia member tipped off federal authorities after becoming alarmed by the escalating talk of violence and later agreed to wear a wire as a paid informant. The government's case features months of profanity-laced recordings in which militia members discussed plans and referred to the Somalis as "cockroaches." According to prosecutors, Stein was recorded discussing the type of fuel and fertilizer bomb that Timothy McVeigh used in the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, which killed 168 people. Stein was arrested when he delivered 300 pounds of fertilizer to undercover FBI agents to make explosives. Prosecutors also allege that Wright and Allen made an explosive in the kitchen of Wright's business and used it to successfully test a blasting cap, with the goal of using the cap to cause a much larger explosion at the apartment complex.
Agents also found aerial photographs in one vehicle depicting what appear to be apartment complexes marked with large x's, as well as an aerial photo of a church and a Burmese mosque, authorities say. The group also discussed killing the apartment complex's white owner to send a message to other landlords about renting to immigrants.
Defense attorneys either declined to discuss the case or didn't respond to calls seeking comment.
Prosecutors — anticipating the defense will attempt to argue the men were entrapped by the informant and an undercover agent — recently asked the judge to bar the defense from presenting such arguments to jurors before first justifying it to the court. U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren has not ruled on that request.
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More Measles Cases Confirmed at Johnson County Child Center
UPDATE: Ten cases of measles have now been identified – eight Johnson County residents, one Linn County resident associated with the daycare and one Miami County resident not associated with the daycare. Health authorities say they are working to identify other contacts.
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — The Johnson County Health Department says eight measles cases have been confirmed in the eastern Kansas county. The department said Thursday that seven of the cases were reported at a child care facility. The other case was associated with the center but was seen at a doctor's office and is being investigated to determine if the child was the source of the exposure. The department said three of the cases reported were in children less than a year old, who are too young to be vaccinated against the disease. The affected children and others who may have come in contact with them will be barred from the center for 21 days following the last exposure to the disease.
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UPDATE: Testimony Ends in Trial over Kansas Voter Law
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — After seven often contentious days, testimony has ended in a federal bench trial challenging a Kansas voter registration law. During closing arguments Monday, Dale Ho, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, argued that the thousands of noncitizens who Secretary of State Kris Kobach contends are stealing elections "are not real." But he said the law has stopped thousands of U.S. citizens from voting. And he says there has been real damage to the electoral process in Kansas. He asked U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson to find that the law should not be imposed on Kansas. In his closing, Kobach argued the law hasn't prevented anyone but noncitizens from voting. He says people put on a list of suspended voters have several ways to provide the required documentation and register to vote. He urged Robinson to uphold the will of the Kansas Legislature, which enacted the law in 2013. Robinson didn't say when she would issue a ruling but said she is mindful that elections are approaching. Attorneys have until April 16 for any more legal filings in the case.
earlier today:
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A pollster hired by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach testified Monday that a survey of 500 adults he conducted found just one person who couldn't produce a document proving U.S. citizenship. The Topeka Capital-Journal reported his testimony came on the seventh day of a federal bench trial challenging Kansas's proof-of-citizenship requirement. Pollster Pat McFerron also acknowledged possible bias in his survey under questioning by an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union. U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson allowed McFerron to testify, even though he was not identified as an expert witness before the deadline that had been set by the judge. McFerron is president of Cole Hargrave Snodgrass, a firm that primarily caters to Republican candidates. He was paid $9,000 for his survey. One of the survey questions asked: "In 2011, because of evidence that aliens were registering and voting in Kansas elections, the Kansas Legislature passed a law requiring that people who register to vote for the first time must prove that they are United States citizens before they can become registered. Do you support or oppose this?" Seventy-seven percent supported the law, 14 percent opposed and 9 percent had no opinion. Citing the wording of the survey question, ACLU attorney Neil Steiner asked whether it introduces bias into the survey. McFerron agreed it could.
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Kansas Political Leaders to Trump: Don't Scrap NAFTA
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Political and industrial trade group leaders in Kansas are urging President Donald Trump not to scrap the North American Free Trade Agreement, fearing that doing so would hurt major Kansas export industries like agriculture and aviation. The Trump administration has been in talks with Canada and Mexico to renegotiate NAFTA, a deal Trump once called "the worst trade deal maybe ever signed anywhere" during the 2016 campaign. KCUR reports that Republican Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer supports the negotiations, but is among those who wrote to Trump earlier this month in support of maintaining NAFTA. Canada and Mexico are key destinations for farm products grown in Kansas. A state official says agriculture and aviation in 2016 accounted for more than half the dollar value of Kansas' exports.
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Kansas House Committee Approves School Safety Legislation
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Legislation designed to make Kansas schools safer from gun violence has passed a House committee. The bill endorsed by the Appropriations Committee on Monday would require schools and state agencies to establish guidelines for fortifying schools against armed threats. It also would provide $5 million for safety measures like metal detectors and hardened glass. The House will consider the bill next. Kansas education lobbyists called the bill inadequate during a Friday hearing. Kansas National Education Association lobbyist Mark Desetti said that $5 million is not enough to secure the state's nearly 1,600 schools. The committee amended the bill Monday so that school districts must match any funding provided to them from the $5 million. Republican Representative Brenda Landwehr of Wichita proposed the amendment and said it would essentially double funding.
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Sticker-Shocked Kansas Lawmakers May Temper Education Goals
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators who suffered sticker shock from a report on the costs of improving public schools are considering whether to make the state's education goals less ambitious. Some Republican lawmakers appeared less anxious Monday after hearing from two out-of-state consultants who issued the report last week. It said improving schools could require the state to increase its education funding by $2 billion a year to give schools a 44 percent boost. That big price tag is tied to increasing the state's high school graduation rate from 86 percent to 95 percent and vastly improving how students perform on standardized tests. The consultants said during a legislative committee hearing that costs would be lower if the goals were less ambitious. Lawmakers face a Kansas Supreme Court mandate to increase education funding.
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Rains Give Crews a Break Fighting Kansas Wildfire Outbreak
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Rains across Kansas have given emergency responders a respite from a wave of wildfires that have charred more than 27 square miles across several counties in recent days. The Adjutant General's Department said in a news release Monday that the wildfire outbreak began March 14 in Rice County and later included fires in Barber, Butler, Kiowa, Labette, McPherson, Montgomery, Reno and Seward counties. Damage reported to the State Emergency Operations Center include a bridge destroyed in Marshall County. Four non-residential structures were destroyed in Kiowa and Barber counties. The Operations Center monitored 62 fires reported over the course of four days.
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Federal Agency Suspected Kids Abused at Kansas Boarding Home
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — State officials removed foster children from a Wichita group boarding home last year after a federal agency said it suspected sexual and physical abuse, according to newly released records. An emergency suspension order said failures at Carla's Youth Residential Center, which housed up to 10 teenage girls at a time, created a situation that put the residents "at risk of on-going physical and emotional harm," according to records the Kansas Department of Children of Families released last week in response to a records request. The Wichita Eagle reports the order also said that federal officials "have reason to believe that the residents ... are not in a safe living environment and have been the victims of sexual and physical abuse." The Eagle sought records about the girls' removal after the center asked for a Sedgwick County judge to review the suspension decision. In a petition filed in state court last month, the home said it operates "in a good and proper manner that does not endanger children" and its license suspension was based on "opinion accusation" rather than facts. The state's suspension order didn't give details about the exact nature of the suspected abuse or when it might have occurred. But it does say that DCF's licensing division started investigating the home on Nov. 17 after receiving a report of "potential inappropriate contact of a sexual nature" between residents that staff may have known about. That same day, all of the girls living there were removed, DCF Secretary Gina Meier-Hummel said. They have since been placed at other group homes, in foster care homes or were reintegrated into their own homes, she said. Meier-Hummel said she could not give additional specifics about the allegations because of the ongoing investigations. But, she said, DCF has been in contact with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General "from the moment they got involved."The suspension order says the home's executive director, Carla Hobbs, and her facilities are the subject of an ongoing federal investigation. Hobbs also ran two housing programs designed to prepare older teenage girls and young women to live on their own. Those homes were not mentioned in the suspension order. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General denied the Eagle's request for records, saying it could interfere with an ongoing investigation.
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Ex-Official: Chances Missed to Save Boy Encased in Concrete
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A former state welfare official says multiple chances were missed to save a 3-year-old Wichita boy before he was found encased in concrete. Dianne Keech says the "point of no return" was when the Department of Children and Families failed to call 911 last April after receiving a report that Evan Brewer had hit his head while taking a bath and "had no pulse" before being revived. The Wichita Eagle reports that Keech, a DCF deputy director from 2013 to 2015, says the agency "never recovered from that point on." Evan's body was found in September. A DCF spokeswoman declined to comment. Evan is the paternal grandson of former Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer, a Democratic candidate for governor this year. The boy's mother and her boyfriend are charged with murder.
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Senator Jerry Moran Pushes for Army Headquarters in Wichita
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A U.S. senator from Kansas is pushing for Wichita to be the headquarters for the Army's new innovation-focused command. The Wichita Eagle reports that Republican Sen. Jerry Moran met with Army Undersecretary Ryan McCarthy last week to advocate for the city as the headquarters of the new Army Futures Command. The new command is part of the Army's efforts to reform the service's system of acquiring new equipment more quickly and cost-effectively. The command will collaborate with academic institutions and employ civilian workers focused on innovation. Moran thinks Wichita qualifies partly because of Wichita State University, its Innovation Campus and the National Institute for Aviation Research. An Army Futures Command Task Force spokesman says the group is looking at several locations for the headquarters but can't openly discuss them.
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Lawyer: Former V-A Worker Subject of Around 100 Lawsuits
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — The number of lawsuits accusing a former physician assistant at a Veteran's Administration hospital in Kansas of sexual abuse is approaching 100. The Wichita Eagle reports that Kansas City attorneys Dan Curry and Sarah Brown filed three more lawsuits last week on behalf of former patients of Mark Wisner. He was sentenced last year to more than 15 years in prison for sex crimes involving patients at the Eisenhower Veterans Administration Medical Center in Leavenworth. Curry said he expects to file a few more lawsuits in the near future, bringing the total number to around 100. Some seek $2 million or more in damages. Prosecutors said Wisner performed improper and medically unnecessary genital examinations on patients from 2012 to 2014. He resigned and had his license to practice revoked in 2015.
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Police: Man Shot to Death in Lounge in Kansas City, Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Police say a man has been shot to death inside a bar in Kansas City, Kansas. Police say officers were called to the Firelight Lounge around 1:30 am Saturday for a report of a shooting. Arriving officers reported finding a man in his mid-30s who was dead from an apparent gunshot wound inside the lounge. Police had not released the man's name by midday Saturday and had not announced any arrests in the case. Police asked anyone with information on the shooting to call the TIPS hotline at 816-474-8477. Callers to the hotline may remain anonymous.
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27-Year-Old Man Dies in Shooting at Wichita Bar
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police are investigating a fatal shooting at a bar. Police say a 27-year-old man was shot to death around 2 am Sunday at Dueces Bar. The victim's name has not been released. Police say he was shot multiple times. Witnesses told police that the shooting happened after a disturbance involving several people. No arrests have been made.
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Fewer Drunk Driving Arrests in Kansas City for St. Patrick's Day
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Seventeen people are facing drunk-driving charges in Kansas City after a saturation effort on St. Patrick's Day, but that's fewer than last year. The Kansas City Star reports that Kansas City police and the Jackson County Sheriff's office on Saturday and early Sunday used multiple saturation patrols and targeted areas known for drunk-driving related crashes and arrests. Authorities say 58 vehicles were stopped and police issued 65 citations in addition to the 17 driving under the influence arrests.
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Wichita 5-Year-Old Missing for a Month
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The case of a 5-year-old boy missing from Wichita for a month continues to haunt the city. Lucas Hernandez was reported missing on February 17 by his stepmother. Despite extensive searches by law enforcement officers and Wichita citizens, no sign of the boy has been found. Wichita police say the boy's 26-year-old stepmother, Emily Glass, reported she last saw Lucas at their home before she fell asleep. Glass has been in jail on a child endangerment charge related to her 1-year-old daughter. She has not been charged in Lucas' disappearance. Wichita police closed a tip line earlier this week, but spokesman Charley Davidson says the investigation continues and police welcome any new information from the public.
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Brazilian Meatpacker Sells US Cattle Feedlot Operations
GREELEY, Colo. (AP) — A Brazilian meatpacking company has sold its U.S.-based Five Rivers Cattle Feeding operation as part of a $1.8 billion divestment of assets. JBS, the world's largest meatpacking company, was fined $3.2 billion after company leaders acknowledged paying about $150 million in bribes to Brazilian politicians to help it gain financing to expand the company. The Greeley Tribune reports JBS sold Five Rivers Cattle Feeding to Pinnacle Asset Management for $200 million in a deal that closed Friday. The feeding operations — which includes 11 feed yards in six states — will be managed by Acadia Asset Management and Ospraie Management. JBS's U.S. operations are based in Greeley. It also has feeding operations in Arizona, Idaho, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.
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Author James Patterson Donating $2 Million to Classroom Libraries
NEW YORK (AP) — James Patterson is stepping up his game. The best-selling author has increased his annual donations for classroom libraries from $1.75 million to $2 million. Scholastic Inc. told The Associated Press on Monday that Patterson is distributing 4,000 gifts of $500 each to teachers around the country, from Mechanic Falls, Maine, to Cheney, Kansas. The so-called "Patterson Pledge" was launched in 2015 and is run in coordination with Scholastic Book Clubs, which adds book club points to Patterson's contribution. More than 80,000 teachers applied for donations. "I can't underscore enough how important books and reading are to a child's development — better readers make better people, and ultimately better citizens," Patterson said in a statement. "I'm so grateful for the teachers who are doing imperative work with students every day, in every school in the country. These grants are my way of acknowledging their extraordinary efforts." "Teachers often have to find their own funds and use their personal money to buy books and build fresh classroom libraries. This is why we at Scholastic Book Clubs are truly inspired by James Patterson's commitment to offer real help to teachers in this work," Judy Newman, president of Scholastic Book Clubs, said in a statement Over the past few years, Patterson has also given millions of dollars to bookstores and literacy programs and endowed thousands of college scholarships for teachers.
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Weapons Charge Dropped Against Teen in School Guns Case
LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say charges have been dropped against a teenager initially accused of being among a group who brought guns onto the campus of Lee's Summit High School. The Kansas City Star reports that 18-year-old Landon Mikle no longer faces a felony weapons count. The Jackson County Prosecutor's Office says a closer review of evidence led to the dismissal. Eighteen-year-old Tynan B. Mullen, 17-year-old Tanner Nicholson and 19-year-old Scott Ryan are still each charged with unlawful use of a weapon, a felony count punishable by up to four years in prison. A witness reported seeing suspects in a car with an assault-style rifle, a shotgun and a handgun after classes ended for the day on March 1 at the school. Court documents say at least one suspect threatened a person and flashed the guns. Lee's Summit police later tracked down the car at a home and found the AR-15 rifle and other weapons.
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Muslim Engineer Sues After Kansas Flap over Malaysian Flag
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Muslim aerospace engineer has sued the Spirit Boeing Employees Association for religious discrimination stemming from a party at a lake in Wichita. The American Civil Liberties Union filed a federal lawsuit Friday on behalf of Munir Zanial, a Malaysian national of Indian ancestry. The association declined to comment. Zanial rented the group's lake last year to host a party to celebrate Malaysian Independence Day. The lawsuit alleges the association reported him out of fear he used the lake to hold an Islamic State meeting. It alleged an American flag that had "desecrated ISIS symbols." But the flag was actually a Malaysian flag and the guests included people of Malaysian Indian ancestry, some wearing hijabs. Spirit filed a complaint with the FBI, and the association terminated his rental benefits.
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Man Critically Injured in Crash with Wichita Officer
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a 71-year-old man has been critically injured in a crash with a Wichita police officer. Police say the crash happened at around 10:45 pm. Friday when an officer was speeding to a call of a burglary and hit the man's truck at an intersection. Police say the 71-year-old driver of the truck was taken to a hospital in critical condition. The officer suffered minor injuries. Police have not released the name of the man or the officer. The police department has asked the Kansas Highway Patrol to investigate the crash.
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Topeka Zoo Announces 2 Giraffes Are Pregnant
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Topeka Zoo officials say two of their giraffes are pregnant. The Topeka Capital-Journal reported that zoo director Brendan Wiley announced Friday that both of the zoo's giraffes, named Hope and Abi, are expecting calves sometime between May and June. The gestation period is about 15 months, but the staff isn't sure when the calves were conceived. The male giraffe, Sgt. Pepper, was transferred to Topeka from Oklahoma City in 2013. Wiley says the giraffe pregnancies are bringing some joy to his staff after the death of the zoo's lowland gorilla in August and the death of an African elephant in December.
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Report: More Than Half of Kansas Winter Wheat in Poor Shape
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The latest government crop report estimates that more than half of the winter wheat crop in Kansas is in poor or very poor condition. The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday that 17 percent of the Kansas wheat is in very poor condition with another 38 percent is rated as poor. About 34 percent is rated as fair with just 10 percent in good and 1 percent in excellent condition. That assessment comes at the same time that topsoil moisture supplies were rated as short or very short across 81 percent of the state. Their report covers crop conditions for the week ending on Sunday.
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Missouri Lawmakers, Health Agency Fight over Bourbon Virus
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri lawmakers and the state health department are fighting over data on the rate of the sometimes deadly Bourbon virus in Missouri. The fight stems from the death of Meramec State Park Assistant Superintendent Tamela Wilson last summer. She died from complications of the Bourbon virus after an infected tick bit her. Because the Department of Health and Senior Services has refused to provide testing information on the virus, the Missouri House now is considering slashing the agency's administrative budget. The House Budget Committee this past week approved a plan to cut 10 staffers in the director's office and cut that office's funding roughly in half. The health department has said that providing that information could lead to violations of patient privacy. The potentially fatal Bourbon virus was first identified in Bourbon County, in southeastern Kansas.
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Statue of Abolitionist John Brown Vandalized in Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A statue of fiery abolitionist John Brown has been vandalized in Kansas City, Kansas. Police spokesman Thomas Tomasic says officers were dispatched Sunday afternoon to the memorial to Brown, who made a name for himself in the Kansas Territory before leading a failed slave revolt at Harpers Ferry. The Kansas City Star reports that the statue was defaced with a swastika and racial slur. The statue was dedicated in 1911 and is located near the Quindaro Townsite ruins. The community of Quindaro was a free-state port for abolitionists and a safe haven for those escaping slavery. It was also home to Western University, the first African-American university west of the Mississippi River, until the school closed in the 1940s.
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K9 for Kansas Police Department Gets $1,700 Protective Vest
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The K9 member of the Kansas City, Kansas, police department has some protection as he helps officers investigate crimes. The department announced Friday that it's received a bullet- and stab-protective vest for its dog, Dax. The vest, valued at between $1,700 and $2,200, was donated by Vested Interest in K9s, a nonprofit based in Massachusetts that that provides assistance to law-enforcement dogs. The organization has provided more than 2,800 protective vests to departments across the country. It pays for the vests through private and corporate donations. The Kansas City, Kansas, vest was sponsored by WalMart and PetArmor.
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Kansas Farmer's Cows Say 'Hi' to SpaceX, Starman
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas farmer famous for cow art has gathered about 300 of his cattle to say "hi" to SpaceX, the orbiting Tesla and its "driver" called Starman. The Wichita Eagle reports that David Klingenberg is known for using his feed truck to move cattle into shapes before filming them with his drone. In his latest YouTube video, "Cow Space Art," Klingenberg explains how he got the photo proving his cows can be seen from outer space. Klingenberg gets daily satellite images of his farm from FarmersEdge. He says he used shadows on the images to find out when the photos would be taken, and then moved his cows to spell out the word "hi" during that time. Klingenberg has also made farm-themed song parodies, such as a trombone serenade of his cattle with Lorde's "Royals."
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K-State Prevails, Underdog UMBC Falls to Wildcats 50-43
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The ultimate underdog story is over, but this NCAA Tournament will always be remembered for the sweetest No. 16 in college basketball history. UMBC's brief, but historic run ended with a 50-43 loss to ninth seeded Kansas State on Sunday night. UMBC became the first 16 seed to beat a No. 1, destroying top-ranked Virginia 74-54 on Friday night. After pulling off an all-time sports stunner, the Retrievers ran out of magic against the Wildcats. The dream had ended, but some players managed smiles as they left the court. "(UMBC) played their hearts out," Kansas State coach Bruce Weber said. "UMBC, you've got to give Coach (Ryan) Odom credit. What they did to Virginia was unbelievable." Barry Brown led Kansas State with 18 points and Xavier Sneed came up with some huge plays down the stretch, including a monster dunk off an offensive rebound. The 9th seeded Wildcats (24-11) move on to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2010 when they lost in the Elite Eight to Butler. On Thursday, they'll face No. 5 Kentucky in Atlanta, a virtual home game for Big Blue Nation. Tip off is set for 8:45pm. The game will be televised on CBS.
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K-State Women Advance to Sweet 16 of the WNIT
The K-State women's basketball team has advanced to the Sweet 16 of the WNIT (Women's National Invitational Tournament). The Wildcats defeated Utah 74-57 in Manhattan yesterday (SUN) in the second round of the tournament. K-State will host UC Davis at 7 o'clock Friday night.
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Kansas Jayhawks Hold Off Seton Hall 83-79 to Reach Sweet 16
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Udoka Azubuike had practiced once in the last 11 days because of a lingering knee injury, and the mammoth Kansas forward's three-minute stretch in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament was about as underwhelming as his herky-jerky free-throw stroke. He managed to go 22 minutes against Seton Hall on Saturday night. The Jayhawks needed all of them. Azubuike stood toe-to-toe with the Pirates' bruising Angel Delgado, and he drew enough attention on offense to spring his high-scoring guards for open looks. The result was a 28-point performance from teammate Malik Newman, 16 more from Svi Mykhailiuk, and a gritty 83-79 victory that pushed the top-seeded Jayhawks to their third consecutive Sweet 16. "If 'Doke wasn't able to come back from his injury, we don't win," coach Bill Self said. "I was hoping for 20 minutes. That was what I was hoping. And he could have played more." Lagerald Vick added 13 points for Kansas (29-7), which converted every crucial play down the stretch to advance to the semifinals of the Midwest Region. Self improved to 35-13 in the NCAA Tournament with Kansas, highlighted by a national title in 2008. That breaks a tie with his predecessor and current North Carolina coach Roy Williams for the most tourney wins in school history. Williams was 34-14 with the Jayhawks. Next up, the Jayhawks will face Clemson in Omaha, Nebraska in the regional semifinals. Tip-off is set for 6 o'clock Friday night.
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