Girl Killed, Six Injured in Wichita Crash
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police say an 8-year-old girl died and six others were injured in a three-vehicle crash this week in Wichita. Police say 8-year-old Kiya Johnson was thrown from a large sport utility vehicle in which she was riding Thursday evening when it turned in front of a Jeep at a Wichita intersection. A car at the intersection was also hit in the crash. Police say Kiya was taken to a local hospital, where she died. Three other children — a 5-year-old girl, 5-year-old boy and 2-year-old girl — in the SUV also were injured, as was the 32-year-old woman driving and a 33-year-old passenger. The 28-year-old man driving the Jeep also suffered injuries. Police say the driver of the car was the only person involved not taken to a hospital.
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Woman Killed in I-35 Hit-and-Run in KCK
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Police in Kansas City, Kansas, say a woman has been killed in a hit-and-run along Interstate 35. Kansas City station KMBC reports that the incident happened early Saturday morning when the woman was hit by a vehicle around the northbound lanes of I-35 near the Seventh Street Trafficway. Police had not released the identity of the woman by midmorning Saturday. Investigators are asking the public for any information on the hit-and-run.
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Kansas Officials Concerned about Drop in Young Hunters
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas officials are concerned about a possible drop in conservation funds as fewer young people take up hunting. Out-of-state hunters continue to flock to Kansas for its deer, elk and turkey. The total number of licenses and permits for out-of-state hunters more than doubled in the past two decades to more than 150,000. The Kansas News Service reports in-state licenses have declined about 14%. Hunters' fees and licenses bring in about 60% of Kansas' conservation dollars. The Department of Wildlife and Tourism last year hired 23-year-old Tanna Fanshier as its new hunting recruitment coordinator. She said to attract younger hunters, Kansas is moving away from emphasizing the long tradition of hunting in the state toward emphasizing how hunting helps conservation of wildlife and habitat.
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Governor's Council on Expanding Kansas Medicaid to Hold First Meeting
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Laura Kelly's new council on expanding Medicaid is scheduled to have its first meeting Monday at the Statehouse. The agenda for the meeting includes a welcome from Kelly and briefings about other states' experiences in expanding Medicaid health coverage for low-income residents. Kelly formed the council earlier this month to review other states' expansions and advise her and the Republican-controlled Legislature on the best alternatives for Kansas. The governor took office in January promising to expand Medicaid, but her efforts were blocked by conservative Republican leaders in the Senate who said they were worried about its potential cost to the state. They said lawmakers would consider a plan next year. Kelly formed the council after creating a Medicaid working group in January that had no public meetings.
