Kansas Congressman Marshall Considering Senate Race
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A spokesman says Kansas Representative Roger Marshall is seriously considering running for the U.S. Senate in 2020 now that Sen. Pat Roberts does not plan to seek re-election. Marshall spokesman Brent Robertson said Friday that the Republican congressman will not make a formal decision until Congress approves border security funding. The federal government is partially shut down since over President Donald Trump's demand for funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. Marshall represents the 1st Congressional District of western Kansas and won his second term in November. It is the same seat Roberts held for 16 years before being elected to the Senate in 1996. Other potential Republican candidates include departing Governor Jeff Colyer and outgoing Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who lost the governor's race last year.
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Two Oklahoma Murder Suspects Captured near Wichita
MAIZE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say two people wanted for a murder in Oklahoma have been arrested in Kansas. The U.S. Marshals Service says 33-year-old La'shae Terrell and 42-year-old Kenneth Williams were arrested Thursday in the Wichita suburb of Maize. They are charged with first-degree murder in the Dec. 29 death of Louis Poole in Tulsa. Tulsa officers say Poole was shot to death at a home on the city's west side. The Marshals Service said in a news release that marshals determined the suspects were staying with an associate in Maize. That person was also arrested on unrelated charges. KAKE-TV reports Sedgwick County jail records show Terrell and Williams remained in custody Friday afternoon on fugitive from justice and failure to comply charges.
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Eudora Man Sentenced for Fatal Shooting of Bar Bouncer
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A 37-year-old man who fatally shot one man and tried to kill two others outside a bar has been sentenced to nearly 19 years in prison. Danny Queen, of Eudora, was sentenced Friday for the June 2017 death of 32-year-old Bo Hopson outside D-Dubs Bar and Grill in Eudora. He also was sentenced for attempted second-degree murder and attempted voluntary manslaughter for trying to kill two other bar patrons. Prosecutors say his gun jammed when he tried to shoot the two other men. The Lawrence Journal-World reports Queen was kicked out of the bar after making offensive comments to women. When Hopson offered to find Queen a ride home, Hopson instead pulled a gun and shot Hopson, who was the bar's security guard. Queen claimed he shot Hopson in self-defense.
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Waste Service Employee Dies in Douglas County Landfill Accident
OSKALOOSA, Kan. (AP) — Jefferson County authorities say a waste services employee has died at a landfill north of Lawrence. Sheriff Jeff Herrig says the man, who died Friday morning, was an employee of Hamm Waste Services in Jefferson County. The Kansas Highway Patrol identified him as 59-year-old Mark Wilson of Lawrence. The patrol says the Wilson was operating a "tipper" machine that empties out large amounts of waste when he was pinned between a semi-trailer and a dock, causing fatal injuries.
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Government Shutdown Delays Crop Reports
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it must delay the release of key crop reports due to the partial government shutdown. The announcement Friday left investors and farmers without vital information during an already tumultuous time for agricultural markets. The USDA planned to release the reports Januaryth 11 but said that even if the shutdown ended immediately, the agency wouldn't have time to release the reports as scheduled. Grain market analyst Todd Hultman says the situation will worsen if the shutdown continues. The lack of information comes amid the uncertainty of trade with China, where tariffs led to an abrupt drop in U.S. exports to the country. There were indications that China was beginning to resume purchases of U.S. crops, but because of the government shutdown it's unclear what's happening.
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Ex-Massage Therapist Sentenced for Secretly Recordings
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A 32-year-old former massage therapist who is on the Kansas Sex Offender registry has been sentenced to 16 months in jail for secretly recording a woman while she undressed. Daniel Justin Gorski was sentenced Friday in Johnson County for the incident at a chiropractic clinic in Gardner. He pleaded guilty in November to breach of privacy. Gorski was at one time charged with recording several women. All but one charge was dropped as part of a plea agreement. The Kansas City Star reports police began investigating Gorski in 2016 after his girlfriend reported finding a flash drive containing images of women undressing or nude. Gorski had previously pleaded guilty in Jefferson County, Kansas, to possession of child pornography.
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Former Kansas Jailer Charged with Having Sex with Inmates
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A former Kansas jailer has been charged with having sex with inmates. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says in a news release that 42-year-old Frank Alexander, of Russell, was arrested and made his first court appearance Thursday. He has been charged with two counts of unlawful sexual relations. His attorney, Colton Eikenberry, didn't immediately return a phone message. The release says the Russell County sheriff asked the KBI in October to investigate allegations that Alexander was having sex with inmates while working as a jail detention officer. Alexander was fired two weeks later. After Alexander's arrest, he was booked into the Russell County Jail, which is about 25 miles east of Hays. He then was transferred to a nearby jail. No other details about the case were immediately released.
