Manhattan Drug Bust Ensnares 50 People; Officials Say Drug Ring Tied to Overdose Death
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Federal and local authorities say they've dismantled a major drug-trafficking operation in northeast Kansas linked to the 2017 overdose death of a college student. U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister and other officials said Wednesday that federal criminal charges against more than 50 people in the Manhattan area are part of a single, large drug-trafficking case. The charges were contained in 13 grand jury indictments issued last week and unsealed Tuesday. Six defendants face a felony charge of conspiring to distribute illegal drugs resulting in the September 2017 overdose of an 18-year-old Kansas State University student. Officials said the student was trying heroin but it also contained the powerful opioid fentanyl. McAllister said some of the defendants were former Chicago residents and obtained illegal drugs through Chicago.
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Kansas Insurance Commissioner Controls Malpractice Company
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas insurance commissioner will take supervisory control of a company that provides malpractice insurance to nearly 500 medical professionals in Missouri and Kansas. A Shawnee County judge last week placed Physicians Standard Insurance Company in rehabilitation mode with Kansas regulators. The action comes after Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt filed a petition seeking the action, with the consent of the company's board of directors. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports company's financial condition has declined since 2018 but the order gives PSIC the chance to remain solvent while working to rehabilitate its situation. Most of the physicians covered by PSIC work in Missouri but the company is based in Kansas. Under the court order, PSIC will continue to operate and malpractice policies will remain in effect.
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Manhattan City Official Launches US Senate Campaign
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A northeast Kansas city official is running for the U.S. Senate next year as a Democrat. The Kansas City Star reports that Manhattan City Commission member Usha Reddi launched her campaign Thursday and hopes to become the first Hindu to serve in the Senate. The 54-year-old Reddi is an elementary school teacher who has served on the city commission since 2013 and is now Manhattan's mayor pro tem. She also ran unsuccessfully for a State Board of Education seat in 2012. Four-term Republican Sen. Pat Roberts announced in January that he's not seeking re-election in 2020. Reddi is the third Democrat to launch a campaign, after former federal prosecutor Barry Grissom and former U.S. Rep. Nancy Boyda. Democrats have not won a Senate race in Kansas since 1932.
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Corps: If on Water This Holiday Weekend, Wear a Life Jacket
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers' Kansas City District say there is a simple way for lake visitors to greatly reduce their risk of drowning this Labor Day weekend: Wear a life jacket. The Corps district manages 18 lakes in Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. Public safety manager Kyle Ruona said Thursday that 89 percent of all water-related fatalities at Corps lakes involve people who fail to wear life jackets. Swimming in a lake is harder than swimming in a pool, so Corps officials urge people to take precautions, be alert and to expect the unexpected when on the water. People using boats also are encouraged to avoid alcohol.
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Kansas Man Convicted After Alleged Rape Victim Dies in Crash
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 35-year-old Kansas man has been convicted of murder after a woman died in a traffic crash while fleeing from what prosecutors alleged was a rape. A Wyandotte County jury on Wednesday found Orlando Taylor guilty of first-degree murder in the August 2017 death of 39-year-old Shannon Keithley of Kansas City, Kansas, and two counts of aggravated robbery. He was acquitted of rape. Investigators say Keithley died when the car she was driving hit a concrete pillar near her home while she was calling 911. Officers arrested Taylor after finding him hiding under the deck of Keithley's house. A knife was found in the driveway. Taylor was initially charged with rape and burglary, but Keithley's family and friends pushed prosecutors to charge him with murder as well.
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Autopsy: Wichita Toddler Overdosed on Methadone
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — An autopsy has found that a Wichita toddler who died at a motel overdosed on the addiction treatment medication methadone. KAKE-TV reports that the autopsy results for 2-year-old Zayden JayNesahkluah were released Wednesday. Kayden's body was found May 31 at a Wichita motel. His mother, 23-year-old Kimberly Compass , was charged earlier this month with first-degree murder. Her next court date is scheduled for September 5. Zayden is at least the ninth child age 5 or younger to die in the Wichita area under suspicious circumstances since 2017. Several of the children died after state welfare officials had contact with their families.
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Update: Police Fatally Shoot Man at Salina Kansas Home, Grandmother Slain
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have identified a man who was fatally shot by police at a central Kansas home where his step-grandmother was stabbed to death. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says in a news release that 28-year-old Jeremy Connolly was killed Wednesday after a 911 caller reported that someone was injured or dead inside a Salina home. Officers found blood on the porch and 71-year-old Linda Kromer stabbed to death on the first floor of the home. The KBI says Connolly was barricaded inside a basement bedroom. The KBI says he refused repeated commands to drop a knife. The release says that when he advanced toward officers with the knife, two Salina police officers shot him. He died at a hospital. No officers were hurt. The KBI is investigating the shooting.
(earlier reporting)
Man Dies After Being Shot by Police in Salina
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Salina police say an officer fatally shot a man at a home where a woman had been found dead. Police Chief Brad Nelson said in a news release that officers went to a home Wednesday in west Salina after someone reported a person had been injured. When entering the house, officers found a recently deceased woman. During the search, officers encountered a man in the basement. Nelson said the man was armed with a knife and two officers shot him after a brief confrontation. The male was pronounced dead at a Salina hospital. No officers were hurt. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation. No further details were immediately available.
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UMKC Settles with Lawsuits with Professor
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A University of Missouri-Kansas City associate professor whose complaints led to the eventual ouster of a top pharmacy professor has agreed to the settlement of two lawsuits. The Kansas City Star reports Mirdul Murkherji, of Lenexa, Kansas, will receive a $360,000 settlement. Murkherji claimed the university retaliated against him and others who complained to school officials about abuse from his former boss, Ashim Mitra. He also said the university retaliated against Mukherji because he claimed in the lawsuits that Mitra mistreated foreign students. Mitra resigned in March after allegations he used foreign graduate students as servants. The university also alleged in a lawsuit that Mitra stole a student's research and sold it to a pharmaceutical company. Last week, the university fired pharmacy professor Anil Kumar but has refused to say why.
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Kansas City Man Charged in Killing at Transitional-Living Facility
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A man who lives at a transitional-living facility in Kansas City has been charged with fatally shooting another resident. Twenty-three-year-old Isiah Ferguson was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder and armed criminal action in the death of 20-year-old Samuel Cummins at an apartment complex operated by a nonprofit that provides services for addicts and people with mental illness. Ferguson is jailed on $250,000 bond. No attorney is listed for him in online court records. The shooting early Tuesday led to a three-hour standoff at the complex. Court records say Ferguson told police he was having "suspicions" about Cummins before shooting him. The records say that when police asked for clarification, Ferguson responded, "get him before he get me." Ferguson also said he's been diagnosed with schizophrenia and takes medicine for it.
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2 Dead, 2 Hurt in Accident Near Kansas Casino
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Two people are dead and two others are injured after a crash near the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane. The accident happened around 1:30 p.m. Thursday and involved two vehicles. Names of the victims and details about what caused the accident have not been released. KAKE-TV reports that one of the injured people is in critical condition. The other person's injuries are being called serious. Mulvane is about 17 miles south of Wichita.
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Farmers' Loyalty to Trump Tested over New Corn-Ethanol Rules
LACONA, Iowa (AP) — When President Donald Trump ordered tariffs on China that scrambled global grain markets, many U.S. farmers were willing to absorb the financial hit. But the patience of Midwest farmers with a president they mostly supported in 2016 is being newly tested. The administration has now granted waivers to 31 more oil refineries so they don't have to blend ethanol into their gasoline. Given that roughly 40% of U.S. corn is processed into ethanol, that's a fresh blow to producers struggling with low prices and potentially mediocre harvests. Nebraska farmer Lynn Chrisp, president of the National Corn Growers Association, calls it "the straw that broke the camel's back." Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said in Illinois Wednesday that Trump will take action to soften the effects, but there are no details.
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USDA: Probe Launched over Beef Pricing After Kansas Fire
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The U.S. Agriculture Department says it has launched an investigation to determine if there is any beef price manipulation, collusion or other unfair practices after the fire at the Tyson beef processing plant in Holcomb, Kansas. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said Wednesday that as part of efforts to monitor the fire's impact, he has directed the department's Packers and Stockyards Division to examine recent beef pricing margins. Perdue says in a statement if unfair practices are found, it will take quick enforcement action. The price of live cattle has fallen since the August 9 fire, while wholesale beef prices have risen. Industry experts say the Holcomb plant processed about 6,000 cattle a day, about 6% of all the cattle processed in the United States. Tyson plans to reopen the plant.
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Man Wanted in 2012 Killing in Dodge City Arrested in Mexico
DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — A suspect in a 2012 murder in Ford County has been returned to Kansas after being arrested and extradited from Mexico. Ford County Attorney Kevin Salzman said 23-year-old Miguel Solis is a suspect in the death of Miguel Tol Juarez, who died in August 2012. The Dodge City Daily Globe reports Solis is charged with first-degree murder, two counts of aggravated battery, one count of attempted aggravated robbery and one count of criminal possession of a firearm. He is being held on $4 million bond. Investigators say Solis was one of three Dodge City males who shot Tol Juarez at his home during an attempted robbery. The other two suspects were arrested shortly after the death but Solis fled to Mexico. Solis's next hearing is scheduled for September 5.
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Federal Lawsuit: Missouri Mom Says Juul Targets Teens
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri mother is suing Juul Labs, Inc. in federal court, accusing the electronic cigarette company of developing a marketing strategy that targets teenagers. The lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Kansas City seeks class action status. It contends Juul sought to portray its e-cigarettes as trendsetting and stylish. The Kansas City Star reports that Juul denies the allegation, saying it never marketed to youth and doesn't want non-nicotine users to try their products. California-based Juul said in a statement that it launched an aggressive plan last year to combat underage vaping. Mindy Boyd of Clay County, Missouri, alleges in the complaint that her 14-year-old daughter started vaping with Juul products in 2018. The lawsuit claims the teen became addicted to nicotine and hasn't been able to quit.
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Kansas Faculty Protests Higher Visibility for Chick-fil-A
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Faculty advocating LGBTQ rights are denouncing the University of Kansas' more visible relationship with Chick-fil-A and calling for a boycott of the restaurant chain. The Kansas City Star reports they are upset that a Chick-fil-A outlet moved this year from the basement of one building to a high-traffic area in the student union and that the restaurant is sponsoring the coin toss starting each home football game. The university's Sexuality & Gender Diversity Faculty and Staff Council said in a letter this week to Chancellor Doug Girod and the athletic department that each move "violates the feelings of safety and inclusion" that council members strive to foster. The group is protesting Chick-fil-A owners' support for anti-LGBTQ causes. The company did not respond to requests from The Star for comment.
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Worry in Shawnee After Nearly 2 Dozen Pets Disappear or Die
SHAWNEE, Kan. (AP) _ Pet owners in a suburban Kansas City town are puzzled and concerned after nearly two dozen animals have been reported disappeared or killed in recent weeks. Shawnee, Kansas, resident Cindy Weber says her cat, Kitty Boy, failed to show up for breakfast on the morning of July 30, and he's not been seen since. Weber told KMBC-TV that 21 animals have vanished or turned up dead over the past five weeks in Shawnee. Officials aren't sure what's happening, but some people have taken photos that appear to show coyotes and bobcats in the area. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism recommends not leaving food or water near the home. Residents also are urged to hire a professional rather try to capture or kill predatory animals.
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Aetna Insurance Chief Promises Fast Fix for Kansas Medicaid
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An insurance company with a $1 billion-a-year contract to help run the Medicaid program in Kansas is apologizing for failing to meet the state's expectations. Aetna Medicaid CEO Randy Hyun told lawmakers on Tuesday that the company is taking steps to quickly improve its performance. The Kansas City Star reports that Ryan said experts from across the company are coming to Kansas to help resolve issues. Hospitals and others have complained about problems including delays and mistakes in payments to doctors and hospitals. The program, known as Kancare, provides health coverage to about 400,000 low-income and disabled Kansans, and Aetna serves about 100,000 of them. Kansas Medicaid director Adam Proffit told lawmakers the state would like Aetna to improve and keep the contract but the state won't let the problems drag on for years.
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Federal Death Row Inmate from Kansas Wants Execution Delayed
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A federal death row inmate from Kansas who raped, killed and dismembered a 16-year-old girl and beat an 80-year-old woman to death wants the chance to present claims that his trial lawyer was ineffective. The Kansas City Star reports that attorneys for Wesley Ira Purkey want his execution stayed. It currently is scheduled for Dec. 13. The defense argues that his trial lawyer failed to investigate his traumatic childhood, which included sexual abuse by alcoholic family members and a Catholic priest. Purkey, of Lansing, killed Jennifer Long in 1998 after picking her up in Kansas City, Missouri, and dumped her remains in a Kansas septic pond. Nine months later, Purkey beat Mary Ruth Bales to death in her Kansas City, Kansas, home. He was sentenced to death for Long's killing.
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Corps Official: Study Needed of Missouri River Flood Options
NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. (AP) — An official with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says a study is needed to consider changes to flood-control measures along the Missouri River south of Sioux City, Iowa. Speaking after a U.S. Senate field hearing Wednesday in North Sioux City, South Dakota, Brig. Gen. Peter Helmlinger noted such a study could call for actions such as changing the Missouri River channel in the Sioux City area to let the river spread out and carry more water. The Sioux City Journal reports that levees also could be rebuilt farther from the river to give the waterway more room. Helmlinger, commander of the corps' Northwestern Division, says such a study would take three years and be delivered to Congress. He spoke after answering questions at a hearing headed by Senator Mike Rounds of South Dakota.
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KPR's daily headlines are generally posted by 10 AM weekdays and updated throughout the day. KPR's weekend summary is usually published by 1pm Saturdays and Sundays.
