Governor Laura Kelly Commutes 5 Prisoners' Sentences, Pardons 3 Others
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ Kansas Governor Laura Kelly says she has commuted the sentences of five people and granted pardons to three others. Kelly said the people she decided to act on all showed strong signs of rehabilitation and being able to safely re-enter society. The eight people were chosen after their records were reviewed by the governor's legal team, the Department of Administration and the Prison Review Board. The three people pardoned were Chivonda Hall, Xuan Hiep Le, and Joshua Townsend. Those who received commuted sentences were Joseph Agrillo, Dominic Holder, Joseph A. Jones, Michael McLoud and Loren Thibodo.
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Jury Recommends Life Sentence in Kansas City Child Sex Case
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 36-year-old Kansas City man faces a possible life sentence after being convicted of sexually abusing a young girl. A Jackson County jury on Tuesday recommended a life sentence plus 25 years for Adalberto Gaitan. He was convicted of two counts of first-degree statutory rape, two counts of statutory sodomy and one count of first-degree statutory sodomy. The investigation began when the Missouri Children's Division received a tip about alleged abuse of a 10-year-old girl. Prosecutors said the abuse occurred in an Independence, Missouri, home while Gaitan was staying with children while the girl's mother worked. He will be sentenced August 31.
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Kansas Man Sentenced for Stealing from Kansas Medical Center
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 50-year-old Lenexa man has been sentenced to two years in prison after stealing more than $556,000 from the University of Kansas Medical Center. Prosecutors said Michael Tae Kim Ahlers also stole money from the KUMC Research Institute and the KU Endowment. Ahlers pleaded guilty in February to bank fraud and filing a false tax return. As part of his sentence, he was ordered to pay $680,000 in restitution. Ahlers was an administrative officer of the KUMC Occupational Therapy Education Department between 2009 and 2015. Federal prosecutors say he spent the money on gambling, vacations, golf club memberships and sports tickets.
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14-Year-Old Boy Dies After Falling from Moving Vehicle
BONNER SPRINGS, Kan. (AP) — A 14-year-old Kansas boy has died after falling from a moving vehicle driven by another juvenile. The accident happened Monday in Bonner Springs in suburban Kansas City. Police did not identify the victim. A statement from police said officers responded to a report of a medical emergency in a parking lot and determined that two juveniles were riding on a vehicle driven by another juvenile. One of them fell and was critically injured. He died at a hospital. No additional information was immediately released.
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Cause of Sickness at Wichita-Area Wildlife Splash Park Found
GODDARD, Kan. (AP) — Health officials have identified the bacteria that caused an outbreak of illnesses at a splash park near Wichita. State and Sedgwick County health investigators said Wednesday the Shigella bacteria was found in three original cases linked to visits to the Tanganyika Wildlife Park. The bacteria is spread through exposure to contaminated feces. The investigation began Friday after several cases of a “diarrheal illness” were connected to the park. More than 200 people have responded to a survey designed to identify Tanganyika visitors with symptoms of fever, diarrhea or vomiting. Health officials say it's not yet clear how many of them are connected to the splash park outbreak.
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Lawsuit Filed over Sicknesses at Goddard Wildlife Park
GODDARD, Kan. (AP) — A woman who says she and her three children became "violently ill" after visiting a splash park at a wildlife attraction in Goddard is suing the business. Public health officials have not determined what caused several people to become ill at the Tanganyika Wildlife Park. The splash park remains closed. Elena Davis alleges in the lawsuit that one of her children went to the hospital after the family became ill after visiting the splash park. Lawyers for the family allege the park didn't maintain proper sanitary conditions or warn guests about the outbreak in a timely fashion. State and Sedgwick County health officials are investigating.
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Missouri Judge: Medicaid Expansion Unconstitutional
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri judge has found that a voter-approved ballot measure to expand Medicaid is unconstitutional. Cole County Circuit Court Judge Jon Beetem on Wednesday said the amendment unconstitutionally sought to force lawmakers to set aside money for the expansion. Under the Constitution, lawmakers can't be forced to make appropriations unless the ballot measure includes a funding mechanism. Voters passed the constitutional amendment last year. But Republican Governor Mike Parson refused to implement it because lawmakers didn't set aside any money for it. Three low-income women sued to try to force the state to enact the program. They're appealing the ruling.
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Missouri Special Session on Medicaid Funding Begins
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri senators are back at the Capitol to work on a critical piece of Medicaid funding. Republican Gov. Mike Parson called lawmakers back to Jefferson City on Wednesday to pass a tax on medical providers. The tax draws down a significant amount of federal Medicaid funding. The tax wasn't renewed during the regular session because of a fight over Medicaid coverage for Planned Parenthood and some family planning services. Parson says lawmakers have until July 1 to reup the tax. Otherwise he says he'll cut $722 million from the state budget to make up for it.
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Scott Schwab Seeks Second Term as Kansas Secretary of State
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Secretary of State Scott Schwab has announced he will seek a second term, saying the state needs leaders who will defend election integrity. In a press release Wednesday announcing his candidacy in the 2022 election, the Overland Park Republican touted his efforts to implement election security, improve business services and modernize office functions. He says it is imperative the state protect its election processes and streamline business filings. He took office in 2019.
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New KCK Police Chief Wants to Establish Cold Case Division
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The new police chief in Kansas City, Kansas, wants to solve some old cases. The Kansas City Star reports that newly sworn-in chief Karl Oakman hopes to create a cold case unit sometime in 2022. Oakman said in a statement Tuesday that the new division will be established "once staffing allows." Oakman served as deputy chief in Kansas City, Missouri, before being sworn in as the new chief across the state line earlier this month. Oakman's statement came on the same day a social justice group called Justice for Wyandotte urged creation of the unit during a rally near the Wyandotte County Courthouse.
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Man Pleads No Contest After 6-Year-Old Accidentally Shot
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A 28-year-old Lawrence man who was at home when a 5-year-old boy shot a 6-year-old friend has pleaded no contest to aggravated endangering of a child. As part of the plea agreement on Wednesday, prosecutors agreed to recommend a sentence of one year of probation for Rashun Lewis. Prosecutors said Tayshawn Mack Harris was shot at Lewis's home in August after another boy found a gun. He was critically injured but later stabilized.
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Uber Eats Tackles App Profile Issue that Outs Trans Drivers
BELLE PLAINE, Kan. (AP) — Uber Eats says it has apologized and resolved issues with app profiles that outed a Kansas man as transgender. The move comes after the ACLU of Kansas warned the food delivery service that its app profiles place transgender drivers at risk of harassment and violence. ACLU released a letter Tuesday that it had sent the day earlier to the food delivery service on behalf of Laine Repic, a 41-year-old transgender man in Topeka, Kansas, who has been driving for the company since April. The ACLU of Kansas contended that Uber Eats has forced Repic to have his app profile display his legal name, which he no longer uses and which does not match his male gender presentation.
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Man Sentenced to Prison for Fatal Drunken Driving Crash
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 36-year-old Wichita man with previous drunken driving convictions was sentenced to more than six years in prison for a crash that killed a woman in 2018. Monty Carpenter Jr. was sentenced Monday to 76 months in prison in the death of 56-year-old Marsha Oglesby. He pleaded guilty in April to involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence. Police say Carpenter ran a red light and hit Oglesby's car on Sept. 3, 2018. KAKE-TV reports court records show Carpenter had three previous convictions for drunk driving.
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Wichita Police Seek Federal Partnership to Address Violence
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police are asking the City Council to approve a federal partnership in an effort to address a surge in violent crime. The Wichita Eagle reports that police want help from the U.S. Marshals Service as gun violence escalates in the city. Nine people were shot over the past weekend, including a police officer who was shot in the head and legs. The partnership with the U.S. Marshals Service would be known as Operation Triple Beam. It would be a 60-day effort starting in July with a goal of investigating and arresting people who have active state or federal arrest warrants.
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Grandmother: Boy Injured on Branson Roller Coaster Might Lose Legs
BRANSON, Mo. (AP) — The grandmother of an 11-year-old boy from Tennessee who was injured on a roller coaster in Missouri says doctors are concerned they might not be able to save his legs. Shelandra Ford is with Aalondo Perry at a Missouri hospital. He was hurt in Branson on Sunday. Ford told WREG-TV in Memphis, Tennessee, that her grandson is visually impaired. She says he fell when he tried to get off The Branson Coaster and was trapped under the ride's rails for 1 1/2 hours. Ford says her grandson's legs and one arm were crushed. The Missouri Division of Fire Safety is investigating.
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Inmate Charged in Death of Prisoner at St. Joseph Prison
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — A 41-year-old inmate at a state facility in St. Joseph has been charged in the beating death of another prisoner. Court documents show Akwasi Sawyer was charged last week with involuntary manslaughter in the death of 44-year-old Christopher Balducci. The records contend Sawyer assaulted Balducci and Tyler Breslin inside their cell at the Western Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in October 2020. Balducci died about a month later of complications from blunt force trauma he suffered in the beating. Sawyer was serving a 19-year sentence for multiple counts of resisting and interfering with a felony arrest and felony drug possession.
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Kansas City Man Sentenced for Stabbing Father to Death
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — A 43-year-old Kansas City man has been sentenced to life in prison for stabbing his father to death. The Jackson County Prosecutor's office said Curtis Lee was sentenced Thursday for first-degree murder and armed criminal action. Prosecutors say Lee was arrested at an Independence home in April 2018 after police found two brothers — Lee's father and uncle — dead inside. According to a court affidavit, Lee told police his father, Charles Burton, had stabbed his uncle, Clyde Burton, to death. Prosecutors said the father and son then smoked a cigarette before Curtis Lee killed his father.
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In Pandemic, Drug Overdose Deaths Soar Among Black Americans
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Overdose deaths among Black Americans surged during the COVID-19 pandemic. In St. Louis, deaths among Black people increased last year at three times the rate of whites, skyrocketing more than 33%. Dr. Kanika Turner describes the soaring death rate as a civil rights issue as pressing as any other. The communities being hit hardest are those already devastated by the war on drugs that demonized Black drug users and hollowed out neighborhoods by sending Black men to prison instead of treatment, she said. Even today, Black people are more likely to be in jail and less likely to access treatment.
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Jim Bakker, His Church Settle Lawsuit over Claims of a Cure for COVID-19
O'FALLON, Mo. (AP) — Jim Bakker and his southwestern Missouri church will pay restitution of $156,000 to settle a lawsuit that accused the TV pastor of falsely claiming that a health supplement could cure COVID-19. Missouri court records show that a settlement agreement was filed Tuesday. It calls for refunds to people who paid money or gave contributions to obtain a product known as Silver Solution in the early days of the pandemic. The settlement prohibits Bakker and Morningside Church Productions from advertising or selling Silver Solution as a treatment for any illness. Republican Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed suit in March 2020.
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Tombstones Found Abandoned in Little Arkansas River
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The city of Wichita is investigating after tombstones were found in the Little Arkansas River. KAKE-TV reports that one of the stones is for a woman who was born in 1902 and died in 1984. The other reads, "beloved husband, father, son." It's unclear how the tombstones got into the river behind trees and brush. City of Wichita Communications and Special Events Manager Megan Lovely says the city plans to leave the stones where they are, for now, while the investigation continues.
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Kansas Public Radio Aims for More Sustaining Members
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - After getting a $216,000 budget cut from the University of Kansas, Kansas Public Radio is hoping to make up the difference by holding a special two-day, on-air fund drive later this month. KPR's goal is to increase membership by 300 new or upgrading sustainers. Sustainers are donors who sign up for automatic monthly contributions to the radio station. The recent budget cut from KU is the largest in the 69-year history of the station and represents about 70% of the station's annual funding from the university. The on-air portion of KPR's two-day fund drive begins Thursday, June 24, but fundraising is already underway. KPR supporters have pooled their money to create a $30,000 matching grant when KPR receives 300 new or upgrading sustainers during the month of June. Those wanting to become KPR listener-members can join anytime by making a pledge.
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