Attorney: Not Possible to Open Dodge City Polling Site
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — An attorney for the elections official who sent newly registered voters a notice with the wrong location for its lone polling site in Dodge City has told a federal judge that it is "not humanly possible" at this late date to open a second polling site before the November election. But the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas countered during a conference call Monday that it filed its litigation after sending Ford County Clerk Deborah Cox three letters. She forwarded one to the Kansas secretary of state's office, with the notation "LOL." The ACLU says if there is a problem, it is of her creation. The ACLU is seeking an order for another voting site. U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree gave the parties until Tuesday to file written arguments.
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Kansas Voter Back on the Rolls After Accidental Deletion
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Lawrence woman says she had to go through a lengthy process to get her advance ballot counted for the Nov. 6 election, after her name was mistakenly deleted from the voter registration list. Jennifer Tucker told the Lawrence Journal-World that she has been registered to vote since 1996. But when she recently cast an advance ballot, she was told that her registration had been deleted. Here's what happened: Another person with the same first name and date of birth, but different last name, recently moved from Douglas County to Ellsworth County. A clerical error in Ellsworth County mistook the two Jennifers. Bryan Caskey of the Kansas secretary of state's office says Douglas County officials have updated Tucker's registration and her vote will be counted on Election Day.
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Lawrence Officials Raise Concerns About Possible New Tolls
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Concerns are being raised about a proposal to make one of Lawrence's busiest highways into a toll road. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Douglas County Commission Chair Nancy Thellman says a delegation of city and county officials will testify before the state's Joint Legislative Transportation Vision Task Force on Nov. 8. They're against a plan to use tolls collected from the South Lawrence Trafficway to help pay for a potential project to expand the western leg of the road to four lanes. The South Lawrence Trafficway takes travelers from Interstate 70 northwest of Lawrence to Kansas Highway 10 east of Lawrence. County Commissioner Mike Gaughan says he doesn't want to see Lawrence served by two toll roads. He was referencing the Kansas Turnpike, which goes along Lawrence's northern border.
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Man Arrested in Killing of Woman in Topeka Apartment
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a man has been arrested in the killing of a woman in Topeka. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the 34-year-old was booked Sunday into the Shawnee County Jail on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of 42-year-old Michelle Katherine Stadler. Police Lt. Robert Simmons says in a news release that Stadler was found dead Saturday in an apartment of what appears to be blunt force trauma. Simmons says a second man who was identified as a person of interest in the killing was released after questioning.
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Kansas Lawyer Sent to Prison for Not Paying Taxes
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 58-year-old Leawood lawyer has been sentenced to one year and six months in prison for not paying his taxes. David Mandelbaum was sentenced Monday for tax evasion. He also was ordered to pay more than $200,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. Mandelbaum pleaded guilty in August to owing more than $132,000 for the 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010 tax years. Prosecutors say Mandelbaum tried to hide his assets and income by setting up bank accounts under other identities and making false statements. He also mingled personal funds with trust funds that were supposed to be solely for clients' money.
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Suspect in Deadly Hoax Call to Change Plea on Federal Court
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A California man accused of making a hoax phone call that led police to fatally shoot an unarmed man in Wichita has told a federal court in Kansas that he intends to change his plea. A court notice filed Monday shows 25-year-old Tyler R. Barriss is scheduled for a change-of-plea hearing Nov. 13 federal court in Wichita. He was indicted for conspiracy to make a false call, cyberstalking and other crimes. Barriss allegedly called from Los Angeles to report a shooting and kidnapping at a Wichita home after online dispute over a video game between two gamers. A responding officer fatally shot 28-year-old Andrew Finch after he opened the door. Barriss still faces separate state charges of involuntary manslaughter, giving a false alarm and interference with a law enforcement officer.
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House Built by James Naismith in Need of New Owner
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The home that basketball inventor James Naismith built in Lawrence in 1923 is on the market for $300,000. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that its owner, Lew Llewellyn, who retired from decades of coaching at Haskell Indian Nations University, put the house on the market after turning 90. He bought the house in 1965 and is the third owner in 95 years. Over the decades, he's come across papers from Naismith, including a canceled check for a 21-cent loaf of bread. Naismith was handy with a hammer and put his skills to work building the home. He lived in it for 10 years before moving two doors away to a smaller home. He taught at the University of Kansas until 1937, and then finally retired. He died in 1939.
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Large Poppy Projection Planned in Kansas City to Honor WWI Armistice
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City's Liberty Memorial is planning an eye-popping exhibit in November to mark the centennial of the Great War's end. The entire northern facade of the memorial will have nearly 5,000 giant poppies projected onto it every night between Nov. 2 and Nov. 11. Poppies have been symbols for World War I since the poem "In Flanders Fields" was published in 1918. The exhibit, called "Peace and Remembrance," will recognize the nearly 9 million soldiers who died in the war. The Kansas City Star reports the lighting will complement the current temporary installation of 117 metal poppy sculptures in the reflection pool at the entrance to the museum. The World War I Museum is planning several events for the commemoration.
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Kansas City Police Recover Giant Inflatable Colon
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kansas City police say they have recovered a giant inflatable colon stolen earlier this month. The 10-foot long, 150-pound inflatable was stolen earlier this month from the back of a pickup truck in Kansas City. It is used by the Colon Cancer Coalition for education during walking and running events. Police says the colon, valued at $4,000, was found Monday in a vacant house in Kansas City. The department offered no information on how the large display was taken and moved, or why it was at the house. The investigation is continuing. No one has been arrested. The inflatable colon is stored at the University of Kansas Cancer Center. Spokesman Bob Hallinan said the center is planning a welcome home celebration for Thursday.
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Woman Ordered to Repay Nearly $100K Stolen from Wichita Man
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita woman has been sentenced to probation and ordered to repay nearly $100,000 she stole from a man she'd been hired to help. Wichita television station KSNW reports that a judge on Friday ordered Amy Gerdes to pay $97,000 in restitution over the next two years to the 76-year-old man, who had hired her to work as a housekeeper. The man gave Gerdes power of attorney so she could help him with banking and other appointments. Prosecutors say she then made nearly 50 unauthorized charges to his account. The judge ordered Gerdes to pay a minimum monthly payment until the money is repaid. If she fails to do so, she faces jail time.
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Huge Crane in Place to Dismantle KCK Water Slide Where Boy was Killed
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A crane as tall as the Verruckt water slide in Kansas City, Kansas, is in position to dismantle the attraction where a 10-year-old boy was killed more than two years ago. A spokeswoman for the Schlitterbahn water park tells the Kansas City Star that demolition work is expected to begin Thursday. The 17-story Verruckt slide was billed as the tallest water slide in the world. In August 2016, Caleb Schwab was killed when the raft he was in went airborne and he struck a metal rod that held a safety net in place. The demolition has been delayed because of disagreements over which parts of the slide should be preserved as possible evidence in criminal cases. Caleb's family received nearly $20 million in settlements.
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$1.3 Million in Lottery Prizes Unclaimed in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Lottery officials are encouraging people to check their lottery tickets. The lottery said in a news release Monday that more than $1.3 million in lottery prizes are unclaimed in October. The unclaimed winners include a $1 million winner in the Oct. 10 Powerball and five $50,000 Powerball prizes from Oct. 27, Oct. 24 and Oct. 3. There are also five $10,000 winners and one $20,000 winner in the Oct. 23 and Oct. 19 Mega Millions drawings, and $25,000 winners in the Oct. 28 and Sept. 30 in Holiday Millionaire Raffle.
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Man Shot, Wounded Outside Event Venue Near Wichita
HAYSVILLE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a man has been fatally shot outside an event venue near Wichita after a party. Haysville police said in a news release that officers responded early Sunday morning to a report of possible gun shots. Police found a large crowd leaving the party after a fight and the victim dead. The name of the victim wasn't immediately released and no one has been arrested. Haysville is about 10 miles south of Wichita.
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Colombian Artist Painting Giant Mural on Wichita Grain Bins
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Drivers going south on Interstate 135 near Wichita are watching the creation of what is being billed as the largest mural by a single artist in North America. Armando Minjarez says the mural on grain bins in north Wichita is designed to unite people who are physically, emotionally or mentally divided by the interstate. The mural will show members of Hispanic and African-American neighborhoods reaching out to each other. All of the figures in the mural are based on photographs of people who currently live or have lived in the surrounding neighborhoods in the past. The artwork was designed and is being completed by GLeo, a street artist from Cali, Colombia. The Wichita Eagle reports rains have delayed the painting but Minjarez hopes the mural is done by mid-November.
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Cosmosphere to Bring Spacecraft Exhibit to Overland Park
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A spacecraft that sank after its descent on the second U.S. manned space flight nearly 60 years ago is headed to northeastern Kansas as part of a temporary exhibit. The Hutchinson News reports that the exhibit featuring the Liberty Bell 7 capsule is expected to open in Overland Park next year as a preview to a proposed satellite location of the popular Hutchinson space museum, the Cosmosphere. The upcoming Cosmosphere Innovation Space at Bluhawk in Overland Park announced the temporary exhibit on Monday. The Cosmosphere assisted in the recovery of the space capsule, which was pulled out of the Atlantic Ocean in 1999. Cosmosphere chief development officer Mimi Meredith says the museum wanted to offer local residents a taste of the Cosmosphere experience while the satellite location is decided.
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Officials: Meth Addiction Fuels Growing Kansas Crime Rates
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Methamphetamine addiction is driving up Kansas' crime rates and filling jails with individuals who would be better served in treatment centers, according to state and Wichita-area leaders. Kansas and Sedgwick County officials met with community members at a Wichita Crime Commission event Thursday to discuss how to solve the state's growing meth and opioid problem, the Wichita Eagle reported. Seven out of 10 inmates at the county jail are struggling with drug addiction, many of whom are likely in need of drug treatment or mental health services, said Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter. "We can't arrest our way out of this problem," Easter said.
Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said meth addiction led many inmates to commit the crime that they were arrested for in the first place. "People aren't breaking into businesses, houses and cars for the thrill of it," Bennett said. "They're doing it to feed an addiction."
But meth is driving violent crimes as well, according to Bennett. About 11 percent of all charged felony cases the district attorney's office handles have at least one count of meth possession. "That's just the people who had meth in their pocket when they were arrested," Bennett said.
After the panel, Easter said an oversight board and a strategic plan could help slow the growth of meth addiction. He added that the sheriff's office is hiring a drug addiction specialist, which will help the county focus on drug treatment and mental health. "We are committed to solving this right now so we don't have to deal with it again in 10 years," Easter said.
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Filmmakers Trek Kansas on Foot for Documentary
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Two filmmakers traveled hundreds of miles on foot in Kansas to create a documentary on the beauty of their home state and the people who live there. Filmmakers Patrick Ross and Joshua Nathan will show a portion of their film, "Kansas: An Eclogue," at Lawrence's Watkins Museum of History on Friday, the Lawrence Journal-World reported. The screening will be followed by a discussion with a panel of writers and filmmakers who also have found inspiration in the state. Ross and Nathan trekked across Kansas for seven weeks in 2015, documenting monuments, land and people. "The walk was very important to us to stay on the back roads, stay on the dirt roads, see who we met and let that guide the trip in the moment," Nathan said. The filmmakers decided to begin in Garden City and walk to each of the "Eight Wonders of Kansas" selected by Marci Penner, executive director of cultural preservation group the Kansas Sampler Foundation. The wonders include the Monument Rocks and Castle Rock in Grove County, the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Chase County and the Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Barton and Stafford counties. Nathan and Ross finished their journey in Lawrence. The filmmakers didn't plan where they would stay during their hike, instead relying on Kansas hospitality to find safe places to sleep. Ross said the approach led them to meet many people along the way who supported their project.
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Hearing in 1990 Leavenworth County Murder Delayed
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A hearing has been delayed for a 73-year-old man who's challenging his sentence in a 1990 murder in Leavenworth County. Sherrill Brinkley was scheduled to have a status hearing Thursday in Leavenworth County, but the hearing was continued until December. The Leavenworth Times reports Brinkley is arguing that his life sentence for first-degree murder was illegal and he should be released. Bishop was convicted in 1993 of killing Everett Bishop in rural Linwood. The Kansas Supreme Court upheld the conviction in 1994, but found that a district judge erred in the sentencing. Brinkley was not resentenced at the time because he was serving a federal prison sentence for unrelated charges. He was resentenced for the murder charge last year, but has filed a petition arguing the sentence is illegal.
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Science City Partners with Engineering Firm in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Science City in Kansas City's Union Station is partnering with an engineering firm to improve science, technology, engineering and math education. The multimillion-dollar partnership between Science City and Burns & McDonnell was announced Thursday. The agreement is scheduled to last at least five years. The center will now be named "Science City Powered by Burns & McDonnell" The Kansas City Star reports the agreement includes the firm committing to two more Battle of the Brains competitions for K-12 students across the region, with the winning concepts becoming $1 million permanent center exhibits. Burns & McDonnell employees will provide talks and demonstrations at the science center, and the company will help with maintenance at Science City. Burns & McDonnell has made more than $8 million in contributions to Science City.
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Chiefs Complete Season Sweep of Broncos with 30-23 Victory at Arrowhead
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes had another 300-yard passing day with four touchdowns. Kareem Hunt had another hurdling, tackle-breaking touchdown that gave the Chiefs a lead they'd never surrender. Travis Kelce and Sammy Watkins produced huge games, too, as the high-powered Kansas City offense once again made the incredible look downright casual in a 30-23 victory over Denver on Sunday that finished off a season sweep of the Broncos.
"When we're clicking and spreading the ball around," Mahomes said, "we're really tough to stop."
You could make a case for nearly impossible. The only team to beat the Chiefs (7-1) so far has been New England, and it took the Patriots scoring 43 points at home to win by a field goal. The Broncos (3-5) never came that close Sunday.
Mahomes finished with 303 yards passing for his franchise-record seventh consecutive 300-yard performance. He joined Andrew Luck (eight games in 2014) and Drew Brees (seven games in 2011) as the only quarterbacks in league history with seven consecutive games with at least 300 passing yards in a season. Mahomes also became the fourth quarterback in NFL history to throw at least four touchdown passes in three consecutive games, joining Brees (three games in 2011), Peyton Manning (five games in 2004) and Hall of Famer Dan Marino (four games in 1984).
Watkins had 107 yards and two of the TD catches, and Kelce and Hunt had the other two, as the Chiefs won for the 19th time in their past 21 games against the AFC West rivals. "There were some good individual efforts there," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said, rattling off most of those same names before adding, almost as an afterthought: "Obviously our young quarterback was involved, too."
Obviously.
Case Keenum had 262 yards passing and two scores for the Broncos (3-5), while Phillip Lindsay had a big day in his first career start. The undrafted rookie had 95 yards rushing and a TD while catching three passes and providing a spark out of the backfield. Still, that production couldn't help the Broncos overcome their own sloppiness. They were flagged 10 times for 83 yards, several of the penalties wiping out big gains — and that doesn't include a few that were declined or offsetting, including a personal foul on defensive tackle Derek Wolfe. "We can't beat ourselves against this team. We know that," said Broncos cornerback Chris Harris, whose team has lost seven straight to the Chiefs. "We got to be smart and we didn't play smart enough here. We got to figure it out, why we keep having these same things happen every week."
Kansas City failed to score on its initial drive for the first time all season, and instead it was the Broncos jumping in front when Lindsay scored from a yard out midway through the first quarter. The Chiefs quickly found their stride, though.
UP NEXT: The Broncos return home to face Houston and the Chiefs head to Cleveland next Sunday.
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10-Man Sporting KC Beats LAFC for Western Conference Title
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Daniel Salloi scored the go-ahead goal for the third straight game and 10-man Sporting Kansas City beat Los Angeles FC 2-1 on Sunday for its first conference title since 2012. Sporting KC (18-8-8) will get a Knockout Round bye, hosting its first home playoff game since 2015. LAFC (16-9-9) was trying to become the first expansion team to finish atop its conference in its inaugural season. Six of Salloi's 11 goals this season have been game-winners, helping Kansas City extend its undefeated streak to five games. Roger Espinoza gave Sporting KC a 1-0 lead at halftime after a shot from distance in the 37th. But Sporting KC was reduced a man in the 62nd for denying an obvious scoring opportunity. Carlos Vela, who has 15 combined goals and assists on the road this season, converted the penalty kick to tie it.
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