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Headlines for Monday, October 9, 2017

Here's a look at area headlines from the Associated Press.
Here's a look at area headlines from the Associated Press.

Topeka Police Investigate Fatal Shooting

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ Topeka police are investigating separate shootings that left one person dead and another injured.  Police on Monday responded at the same time to reports of a man wounded at a local hospital, and a man found dead in an alley in central Topeka.  Investigators believe the two shootings are related.   Police are looking for a red Fiat occupied by three black men in connection with the shooting.  The victims' names have not been released.

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Grandparents Challenges Kansas Child Immunization Mandate

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) _ The grandparents of a 2-year-old Kansas boy say the state is acting as "religious police'' by requiring vaccinations for children.  Linus and Terri Baker are suing the state Department for Children and Families after the agency announced its intention to vaccinate the boy despite the family's wishes.  The Bakers have physical custody of the boy as his foster parents. The couple opposes immunization on religious and health grounds.  But because the child is in temporary state custody, the department has the authority to make the immunization decision.  State law says children in child care facilities are required to have current immunizations unless there are health risks or religious reasons.  A department spokeswoman says the agency can't comment on the pending lawsuit.  

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KBI Identifies Southwest Kansas Man Shot by Police Officers 

GARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) - Authorities have identified a southwest Kansas man killed by officers last week after he charged at them. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation said in a news release that the man was 29-year-old Cristino Umana-Garcia, of Garden City. The KBI says the shooting happened Thursday after authorities received a call about a man who began acting erratically when his vehicle became stuck on a rural road about 15 miles southwest of Garden City. The release says Umana-Garcia was armed with a knife and held the weapon to his throat before locking himself in his vehicle. He is accused of charging at officers after emerging from the vehicle. A Finney County sheriff's deputy and Garden City police officer then fired at Umana-Garcia, who was pronounced dead at the scene. 

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KBI Investigates Death of 1-Year-Old in Ulysses

ULYSSES, Kan. (AP) _ Law enforcement agencies are investigating the death of a 1-year-old boy from Ulysses.  The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says Ulysses police were called to a Ulysses home last week because a toddler was unresponsive.  First responders found 13-month-old Jaxon Silva unresponsive. He was flown to a Wichita hospital, where he was declared brain dead on Friday.  An autopsy is scheduled for this week. 

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Tax Shooting Affidavit: "I Just Killed a Guy... I Lost It"

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) _ Court records say a man accused of walking into a tax office in Wichita and shooting a tax seizure agent told an acquaintance in a phone call that he'd "lost it'' and "just killed a guy.''  The Wichita Eagle reports that the arrest affidavit for Ricky Wirths says the call was one of two that the 52-year-old made after the September 19 shooting that wounded Cortney Holloway.  The affidavit says Wirths also asked the acquaintance to care for his employees and children.  Wirths remains in jail on $500,000 bond after pleading not guilty to attempted first-degree murder. He owed nearly $400,000 in outstanding tax warrants.

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KBI Investigating Officer-Involved Shooting in Barber County

SUN CITY, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is investigating after a man died when he was hit by a bean bag round fired by officers during a confrontation in south-central Kansas. The shooting Friday evening in Barber County resulted in the death of 42-year-old Steven Myers of Sun City. The KBI says Barber County Sheriff's deputies responded to reports of a man threatening people with a gun outside a bar in Sun City. When officers arrived, the man had left but they later found him in a shed. The KBI says when the man came out of the shed, he didn't follow several orders given by deputies. One deputy shot him with a bean bag. Myers was pronounced dead at the scene. No officers were injured. No further information was released.  

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Kansas Boy Whose Town Gave Him a Special Early Christmas Dies

LEBO, Kan. (AP) — A 3-year-old boy whose fight with cancer prompted his small eastern Kansas hometown to celebrate Christmas in September has died.  Christian Risner of Lebo died Saturday in Emporia. Christian's family announced his death on a Facebook page they established after the boy was diagnosed with Rhabdoid kidney cancer in April 2016.  Christian began hospice care in August.  He loved Christmas, so Lebo — a town of about 940 people — put on a special celebration September 10, with Santa, a horse-drawn sleigh and homes throughout the town decorated for the holiday.  The Jones-Vans Arsdale Funeral Home says his funeral will take place Saturday at Lebo High School, with visitation before the service.  He is survived by his parents, two brothers and paternal grandparents.

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Police Investigate Sexual Assault of Special Needs Student in Missouri

LEE'S SUMMIT, Mo. (AP) - Authorities are investigating a report that a special needs student was sexually assaulted in a bathroom of a suburban Kansas City high school. The Kansas City Star reports that the assault is alleged to have occurred in August at Lee's Summit West High School but wasn't reported until last month. Police said Monday that the investigation is ongoing and that the school district is cooperating. No arrests have been made.  

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Federal Children's Insurance Delay Could Impact Kansas Kids

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas officials are considering options if Congress doesn't reauthorize a program that helps provide health insurance for nearly 80,000 children in the state. The Children's Health Insurance Program provides insurance for children in low- and moderate-income, working families. Congress didn't reauthorize funding before the end of the September deadline. Gerald Kratochvil, spokesman for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, told The Topeka Capital-Journal that if the program isn't reauthorized, funds in Kansas won't run out until March 2018. He says about 37,000 Kansas children are enrolled in CHIP, with another 42,000 in a hybrid CHIP-Medicaid program. Republicans pushed a bill extending financing the program through a House committee Wednesday, but partisan conflict over how to pay for it could delay the approval.

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Complaints over Dicamba Chemical Continue in Missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) _ The Missouri Department of Agriculture says it is continuing to receive a high volume of complaints over dicamba (Dye-CAM'-buh) from farmers who say the chemical is ruining their crops.  The agency received more than 310 complaints about dicamba this year, the highest number in years.  The Columbia Missourian reports an estimated 3.1 million acres across the U.S. have been harmed by the chemical this summer.  The state temporarily banned the chemical in July, but the ban was lifted within a week with restrictions on its use.  The chemical was designed to kill broadleaf weeds but can drift into other farmer's crops that are not dicamba-resistant.  

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4th Teen Announces Plans to Run for Kansas Governor 

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — A fourth teenager is running for governor in Kansas, entering an already crowded field of more than a dozen candidates. The Hutchinson News reports that 17-year-old Dominic Scavuzzo, of Leawood, appointed his father as his campaign treasurer. The senior at an all-boy Jesuit school in Kansas City, Missouri, says the race is a "good opportunity" to gain experience. Kansas doesn't set any qualifications to run for governor, including any age restrictions. Other teens from suburban Kansas City and Wichita already have announced plans to run in 2018. Scavuzzo and two other teen candidates are Republicans; the other is a Democrat. Friends University political science professor Russell Fox says the teens won't have the money to run effective campaigns and described their candidacies as a "stunt."

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Streetcar Supporters Win Election in Kansas City Vote

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Voters have elected several supporters of expanding Kansas City's streetcars in a weekend election. The Kansas City Star reports that a group of seven people who want to expand streetcars were the top finishers in the election although none of them won more than 2,000 votes because turnout was low. Saturday's election is part of a process to build an expanded streetcar system that will connect downtown to the University of Missouri-Kansas City campus. Next year, voters will be asked to approve sales and property taxes that would pay for the project.

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Jewish Holiday "Sukkah" Structure Vandalized on Kansas State Campus 

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) - Authorities are investigating the vandalism of a temporary dwelling erected outside a Kansas State University residential complex for the Jewish harvest festival Sukkot. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the sukkah was found late Friday wrapped around the car of graduate student Glen Buickerood, damaging the vehicle. Buickerood, who doesn't identify as Jewish, had collaborated with the Jewish student group Hillel to put up the sukkah to promote diversity. Buickerood said in an email to university officials that he distributed posters and hung one on the sukkah telling students about the structure before the vandalism. Hillel adviser Greg Newmark says what happened was "certainly anti-Semitic in effect." Newmark says the "most generous" thing he can say is that the people involved "are remarkably insensitive." The sukkah was rebuilt Sunday morning.

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New Federal Grant Will Fund Body Cameras for KCK Police 

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A new federal grant will mean more body cameras for Kansas City, Kansas police. The police department said the $342,000 grant from the U.S. Justice Department will buy body cameras for 228 officers. A separate $499,402 grant will fund up to 25 more intersections to the video camera network, with crime prevention areas as the top priority. Last year, the Unified Government spent $500,000 to build a fiber network to download and transmit video from the cameras. Earlier this year, the government approved another $300,000 to buy the cameras. The new grant will fund the purchase of even more cameras.

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New Topeka Statue Will Honor Frontier Kansas Doctor, Public Health Pioneer 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - A new statue outside the Kansas state capitol will pay tribute to a frontier doctor from Dodge City who was an early leader in public health efforts.  

The statue will bring attention to Samuel Crumbine's work at the beginning of the 20th century, when he served as the state's first public health director.  Crumbine started a don't spit on the sidewalk campaign to help limit the spread of tuberculosis.  He successfully pushed for legislation outlawing the public drinking cup and the common towel.  Crumbine also championed the law that required hotels to change the bedding between guests.  The Kansas Health Institute will dedicate the statue of Samuel Crumbine next month at its office building near the capitol.

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Kansas City Chiefs Still Undefeated After 42-34 Win Over Texans

HOUSTON (AP) — Chiefs' quarterback Alex Smith threw for 324 yards and three touchdowns to help the Kansas City Chiefs remain undefeated with a 42-34 victory over the Houston Texans on Sunday night. A 48-yard touchdown pass by Houston's Deshaun Watson's got the Texans within six points early in the fourth quarter before Smith extended the lead for Kansas City (5-0) to 32-20 on a 10-yard pass to De'Anthony Thomas with about 9 minutes left. Tyreek Hill padded the lead when he returned a punt 82 yards for a touchdown. Kansas City's Charcandrick West caught two touchdown passes and Travis Kelce had eight receptions for 98 yards in the first half, but didn't return after halftime and the team said he was being evaluated for a concussion. Watson threw for 261 yards and five touchdowns, but the Texans (2-3) failed to recreate the magic they found last week when they scored a franchise-record 57 points in a victory over Tennessee. The Texans' J.J. Watt, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year, was injured in the first quarter and the team announced that he had broken his leg but didn't provide any details on how long he'll be out.  

 

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