Kansas Couple Files Lawsuit to Keep Son from being Vaccinated
STILWELL, Kan. (AP) — A suburban Kansas City, Kansas, lawyer and his wife are suing to try to keep from having to vaccinate their 4-year-old son. The Kansas City Star reports it's the second time Linus and Terri Baker, of Stilwell, have sued over the issue. They sued the Kansas Department of Children and Families after the agency in 2017 said it would vaccinate the boy against their wishes. That never happened, even though a judge dismissed the suit. The Bakers say they are worried vaccines could affect the health of the boy, who was born with a heart condition that has since been corrected with surgery. They are now suing the Blue Valley school district and various state officials, seeking an injunction to allow the boy to attend school without being vaccinated and without filing religious or medical exemptions. They're also asking a judge to declare Kansas' vaccination requirements unconstitutional. The school district and health agency declined to comment to the newspaper.
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Series of Earthquakes Rattles Reno County
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — A series of earthquakes shook parts of Kansas near Hutchinson, knocking down ceiling tiles and breaking some windows. The largest earthquake measured 4.2 and struck around 8 am Friday, with an epicenter about 3 miles from Hutchinson. The U.S. Geological Survey received reports that it was felt in Topeka; Ponca City, Oklahoma; and even Kansas City, Missouri, which is some 200 miles from Hutchinson. Rick Miller, of the Kansas Geological Survey, says three temblors with magnitudes ranging from 2.8 to 3.3 quickly followed in the same area. He says the epicenters were within 200 yards of each other, near the intersection of U.S. 50 and Kansas 96. A 2.5 earthquake on Wednesday may have been a foreshock.
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Kansas Cancels Grant for Kansas Reading Roadmap, the Early Literacy Program in Schools
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is cancelling a grant with the company that administers an early literacy program for public school children after an audit found the company received millions of dollars it wasn't entitled to during former Gov. Sam Brownback's administration. The Kansas Department for Children and Families announced Friday it was ending the contract with Hysell & Wagner, which operated the Kansas Reading Roadmap program. For the next academic year, the agency will directly fund schools planning to offer the program. Auditors found Hysell & Wagner claimed nearly $2.3 million in 2014 and 2015 it should not have received. The agency said in a news release the audit that uncovered the incorrect payments began during Brownback's administration but was never finalized or released.
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1,040 Kansans Ignore School Bus Stop Signs in 1 Day
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas education officials are expressing concern that many motorists are ignoring a state law that requires them to stop when approaching a stopped school bus that is loading or unloading children. A recent survey found 1,040 motorists illegally passed school buses in Kansas during a one-day test in April, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported . The survey included only three-fourths of the state's school districts so the number of violations is likely higher. Education officials are expected to make recommendations during the next legislative session on ways to reduce the number or school bus violations. ( Read more about this story.)
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GOP Waits on U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to Enter Kansas Senate Race
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Even though U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has declared a Senate run to be "off the table" next year, many fellow Republicans in Washington and his home state of Kansas aren't buying it. The wooing of President Donald Trump's top diplomat to run for Senate stems in part out of GOP fears that the party could nominate a more divisive Trump ally, Kris Kobach, The former Kansas secretary of state and advocate of tough immigration policies lost the governor's race last year. Pompeo is a former Kansas congressman and is considered a shoo-in if he chooses to run. Republicans are worried about how hard they'll have to work to keep the seat despite the GOP's unbroken string of Senate victories in the state dating back nearly 90 years.
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Missing Kansas Sheriff's Deputy Believed to be in Turkey
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A missing Sedgwick County Sheriff's deputy is believed to be in Turkey. Sheriff Jeff Easter says Homeland Security was able to confirm that Deputy Derick Chandler flew to Istanbul. KAKE-TV reports Chandler Chandler is implicated in an investigation in Wellington of a sex crime involving a 13-year-old. On Monday, a deputy found Chandler's gun, badge, identification and armor in the back of his patrol car. He hadn't been on duty for about a week. Investigators believe he drove from Wichita to Dallas, flew to Houston and took another flight to Istanbul. Wellington officials have not issued a warrant for Chandler, so he is not currently considered a fugitive. Easter said termination proceedings will begin, which can take at least a couple of weeks.
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Mother Arrested in Death of 2-Year-Old Wichita Boy
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The mother of a 2-year-old boy who was found dead in a Wichita hotel has been arrested in his death. Wichita police spokesman Charley Davidson said Thursday that 23-year-old Kimberly Compass faces a possible felony murder charge in the death of Zayden Jaynesahkluah. The boy was found dead May 31 at the Sunset Motel in Wichita where he lived with his mother. Davidson said in a news release that new information from the Regional Forensic Science Center led to the arrest. He did not elaborate. Information on how the boy died has not been released. Davidson said the investigation is continuing. State Representative Michael Capps, a Wichita Republican, said when the boy died that state welfare officials had previous contact with Zayden's family.
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Mother, 2 Young Children Killed in Eastern Kansas House Fire
BURLINGTON, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a mother and her two young children have been killed in a house fire in eastern Kansas. WIBW-TV reports that Coffey County Sheriff Randy Rogers says a fourth person suffered severe burns Friday morning while escaping from the home in Burlington. The survivor was flown to an area burn center. Rogers didn't identify any of the victims, pending notification of their relatives. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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83-Year-Old Topeka Man Convicted of Killing Man Who Was Buying His Home
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An 83-year-old man has been convicted of fatally shooting the buyer of his Topeka home because he felt too much was being asked of him before he moved out. WIWB-TV reports that jurors found Anthony Darcy guilty Friday of second-degree murder and assault in the death of 36-year-old Stephen Matthew Snyder. He also was convicted of child endangerment because the killing happened in front of Snyder's 8-year-old son. Prosecutors allege Snyder was shot three times in May 2017 when he went to the house he was buying from Darcy to measure a room for carpet. Snyder had closed on the house but allowed Darcy to live in it for two weeks before moving out. The defense argued that Darcy acted in self-defense. His sentencing is set for November 8.
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Man Pleads No Contest in Woman's Death in Dodge City
DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 20-year-old Kansas man is awaiting sentencing after pleading no contest in the death of a woman at a Dodge City hotel. Ford County Attorney Kevin Salzman said Boston Boswell pleaded no contest Monday in the death of 27-year-old Shantel Rose Winkler. The Dodge City Daily Globe reports prosecutors say Boswell went to work at Howell County Feeders on March 3, 2018, and told co-workers he had killed a woman. Officers found Winkler's body at a Super 8 hotel in Dodge City. She had been shot in the head. Sentencing has not been scheduled.
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