Orman's Campaign Treasurer Resigns to Support Democrat Kelly
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The campaign treasurer for independent candidate Greg Orman has resigned to endorse Democrat Laura Kelly in the Kansas governor's race. Tim Owens, a former Republican state senator from Overland Park, resigned Tuesday, effective immediately. In a news release issued by Kelly's campaign, Owens said it was time to unite behind Kelly and stop GOP candidate Kris Kobach. Kelly and Kobach are locked in a tight race with Orman a distant third in recent polling. The Lawrence Journal-World reports Owen said he has supported Orman's political ambitions for several years. He said he resigned because he believes electing Kobach would be one of the worst things that could happen to the state. Orman said he accepted Owens's resignation but he did not intend to leave the race.
====================
Embattled GOP Incumbent Tries to Paint Democrat as Radical
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Republican incumbent in danger of losing his Kansas congressional seat is aggressively portraying his Democratic foe as a radical leftist "rooting against this country" and tried to turn her criticism of President Donald Trump against her. GOP Rep. Kevin Yoder and Democratic challenger Sharice Davids had their first and likely only debate in the Kansas City-area 3rd District only hours after Trump repeated an earlier endorsement of Yoder. Trump narrowly lost the district in 2016, encouraging Democrats to try to oust the four-term incumbent. Davids has received national attention as an openly LGBT and Native American candidate who also has fought mixed martial arts bouts. She described Yoder during the debate as someone who supports Trump "through thick and thin." Yoder suggested such comments show Davids can't be moderate.
====================
US Attorney to Send Monitor to Observe Dodge City Election
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister has notified a federal judge that his office in Kansas plans to send a monitor to Dodge City to observe voting in the November election. His court filing on Tuesday comes the same day that U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree scheduled a hearing for Thursday to hear arguments on the American Civil Liberties Union's request for a court order forcing Ford County to open a second polling site in the city. The southwest Kansas town has only one polling site to service 13,000 voters. For nearly two decades, that sole location was at the civic center in the mostly white part of town. The county last month moved it outside the city limits to a facility more than a mile from the nearest bus stop.
====================
Kelly Leads Kobach in Campaign Contributions by Nearly $1 Million
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ Democratic state Sen. Laura Kelly has raised $900,000 more than Republican Secretary of State Kris Kobach since the end of July in the tight governor's race. The Kansas City Star reports that new campaign finance reports filed Monday show that Kelly has raised $2.3 million, Kobach $1.3 million and Independent Greg Orman $805,000 over that period. In the final weeks of the campaign, Kelly has half a million available to spend, compared to $61,000 for Kobach and less than $15,000 for Orman. Kobach, who is nationally known for advocating tough immigration and voter identification policies, enjoys the support of President Donald Trump. But Kelly said in a statement that her advantage is ``enthusiasm.'' She says Kansans of ``all political stripes have a home in our campaign to rebuild our state.''
====================
Kansas National Guard to Send Troops to US-Mexico Border
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas National Guard says it will be sending soldiers and airmen to the U.S.-Mexico border. The announcement Monday comes after the Defense Department said it was sending 5,200 active duty troops to the southern border to prepare for the arrival of a large group migrants moving through Mexico toward the United States. Kansas Adjutant General spokeswoman Jane Welch said in a news release the Kansas guardsmen will be screened to ensure the deployment doesn't conflict with other deployments and that they have the skills needed to help at the border. Welch said Kansas Guardsmen will be sent to Arizona. It is not clear what exact duties the Kansas guardsmen will perform. Guardsmen who deploy to the border could be gone from 60 days up to a year.
====================
Kansas Militia Men Blame Trump's Rhetoric for Planned Attack
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Attorneys for three Kansas militia members who conspired to bomb a mosque and apartment complex housing Somali immigrants have asked the court to take into account what they called President Donald Trump's rhetoric encouraging violence at their sentencing next month. One attorney also asked the judge to consider the fact that all of them read and shared on their Facebook feed Russian propaganda designed to sow discord in the U.S. political system. A federal jury convicted Patrick Stein, Gavin Wright and Curtis Allen of conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction against civil rights in April. Wright was also found guilty of lying to the FBI. Sentencing is November 19 and 20. Prosecutors are seeking life terms for all three while the defense is pleading for a shorter time.
====================
Demolition Begins of Kansas Waterslide on Which Boy Died
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Crews are tearing down a giant waterslide that a 10-year-old Kansas boy was riding when he was decapitated two years ago. KMBC-TV reports that deconstruction of the 17-story Verruckt, which was billed as the world's tallest waterslide, began Tuesday. Caleb Schwab, the son of a Kansas legislator, was riding the slide at the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City, Kansas, in August 2016 when the raft he was in went airborne. Caleb was killed when he struck a metal rod that held a safety net in place. The demolition was delayed because of disagreements over which parts of the slide should be preserved for evidence in criminal cases. Two maintenance workers have been acquitted of impeding the investigation. Charges are pending against the park's co-owner and the ride's designer.
====================
Lawrence Officials Raise Concerns About Possible New Tolls
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Concerns are being raised about a proposal to make one of Lawrence's busiest highways into a toll road. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Douglas County Commission Chair Nancy Thellman says a delegation of city and county officials will testify before the state's Joint Legislative Transportation Vision Task Force on November 8. They're against a plan to use tolls collected from the South Lawrence Trafficway to help pay for a potential project to expand the western leg of the road to four lanes. The South Lawrence Trafficway takes travelers from Interstate 70 northwest of Lawrence to Kansas Highway 10 east of Lawrence. County Commissioner Mike Gaughan says he doesn't want to see Lawrence served by two toll roads. He was referencing the Kansas Turnpike, which goes along Lawrence's northern border.
====================
Man Sues over Injuries at Kansas City Mental Health Center
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A man who says he who was injured by another patient at a state-run mental health center in Kansas City, Missouri is suing for $10 million. The lawsuit filed on behalf of Daniel Garcia alleges staff at the Center for Behavioral Medicine knew the patient who assaulted him had committed other physical attacks. The lawsuit contends the center's staff didn't protect Garcia and other residents. It claims that Garcia was punched on March 22, fracturing several facial bones. The lawsuit recounts three other violent incidents at the center allegedly involving Hughes. Police reports were taken on the three other assaults. The resident, Nathaniel Hughes, is charged with first-degree assault in the Garcia case. A Missouri Department of Mental Health spokeswoman says that the agency doesn't comment on pending litigation.
====================
Kansas Lawyer Sent to Prison for Not Paying Taxes
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 58-year-old Leawood lawyer has been sentenced to one year and six months in prison for not paying his taxes. David Mandelbaum was sentenced Monday for tax evasion. He also was ordered to pay more than $200,000 in restitution to the Internal Revenue Service. Mandelbaum pleaded guilty in August to owing more than $132,000 for five years beginning in 2005. Prosecutors say Mandelbaum tried to hide his assets and income by setting up bank accounts under fake identities and making false statements. He also mingled personal funds with trust funds that were supposed to be solely for clients' money.
===================
Wichita Police Suspect Shooting Could be Connected to Haysville Killing
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) _ Authorities say a Wichita shooting that critically injured one man may be related to a killing outside an event venue in the nearby community of Haysville. The Wichita Eagle reports that emergency crews responded around 5:45 p.m. Monday to the Wichita shooting. Police Sergeant Robert Henning says a man in his 20s had been shot once in his chest. The man was taken to a hospital. Henning says it appears that he was on a sidewalk with his friends and was flagged over to a vehicle, where a disturbance happened and he was shot. Henning says the vehicle is possibly connected to a deadly shooting that happened around 1:45 a.m. Sunday in Haysville after a party. Haysville is about 10 miles south of Wichita.
====================
Disbarred Kansas Lawyer Sentenced for Hitting Nurse with Car
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A recently disbarred lawyer has been sentenced to two years and four months in prison for hitting a nurse while she was crossing a street. Fifty-five-year-old Mark Logan was sentenced for aggravated battery and failure to yield to a pedestrian. The victim, who was pregnant, was hit in October outside the University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City, Kansas. The collision broke both of her legs. The Kansas City Star report s her baby is 10 months old and in good health. The Kansas Supreme Court disbarred Logan in June after he voluntarily surrendered his law license. The court noted in the disbarment order that Logan, who had a law office in Shawnee, faced six disciplinary complaints. He admitted to such violations as misappropriating client money and not cooperating with investigators.
====================
Suspect in Deadly Hoax Call to Change Plea on Federal Court
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A California man accused of making a hoax phone call that led police to fatally shoot an unarmed man in Wichita has told a federal court in Kansas that he intends to change his plea. A court notice filed Monday shows 25-year-old Tyler R. Barriss is scheduled for a change-of-plea hearing November 13 federal court in Wichita. He was indicted for conspiracy to make a false call, cyberstalking and other crimes. Barriss allegedly called from Los Angeles to report a shooting and kidnapping at a Wichita home after online dispute over a video game between two gamers. A responding officer fatally shot 28-year-old Andrew Finch after he opened the door. Barriss still faces separate state charges of involuntary manslaughter, giving a false alarm and interference with a law enforcement officer.
====================
Virginia Man Indicted in Missouri in $5 Million Romance Fraud
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ A Virginia man has been charged with swindling women in the Kansas City area and across the country out of more than $5 million in a romance fraud scheme. Federal grand jurors in Kansas City indicted 33-year-old Henry Asomani in a wire fraud conspiracy that victimized 13 people over two years. The indictment alleges that Asomani and others contacted people who had posted ads on online dating sites such as ChristianMingle.com, or through their Facebook pages. The indictment says one Lee's Summit widow, whose husband had died of cancer, lost more than $3.2 million she thought was for an investment in a gold mine in Ghana. Asomani is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Ghana. Another victim from Leawood, Kansas, ended up losing about $800,000.
===================
House Built by James Naismith in Need of New Owner
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The home that basketball inventor James Naismith built in Lawrence in 1923 is on the market for $300,000. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that its owner, Lew Llewellyn, who retired from decades of coaching at Haskell Indian Nations University, put the house on the market after turning 90. He bought the house in 1965 and is the third owner in 95 years. Over the decades, he's come across papers from Naismith, including a canceled check for a 21-cent loaf of bread. Naismith was handy with a hammer and put his skills to work building the home. He lived in it for 10 years before moving two doors away to a smaller home. He taught at the University of Kansas until 1937, and then retired. He died in 1939.
====================
Kansas City Police Recover Giant Inflatable Colon
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kansas City police say they have recovered a giant inflatable colon stolen earlier this month. The 10-foot long, 150-pound inflatable was stolen earlier this month from the back of a pickup truck in Kansas City. It is used by the Colon Cancer Coalition for education during walking and running events. Police says the colon, valued at $4,000, was found Monday in a vacant house in Kansas City. The department offered no information on how the large display was taken and moved. The investigation is continuing. No one has been arrested. The inflatable colon is stored at the University of Kansas Cancer Center. Spokesman Bob Hallinan said the center is planning a welcome home celebration for Thursday.
====================
Cosmosphere to Bring Spacecraft Exhibit to Overland Park
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A spacecraft that sank after its descent on the second U.S. manned space flight nearly 60 years ago is headed to Johnson County as part of a temporary exhibit. The Hutchinson News reports that the exhibit featuring the Liberty Bell 7 capsule is expected to open in Overland Park next year as a preview to a proposed satellite location of the popular Hutchinson space museum, the Cosmosphere. The upcoming Cosmosphere Innovation Space at Bluhawk in Overland Park announced the temporary exhibit on Monday. The Cosmosphere assisted in the recovery of the space capsule, which was pulled out of the Atlantic Ocean in 1999. Cosmosphere chief development officer Mimi Meredith says the museum wanted to offer local residents a taste of the Cosmosphere experience while the satellite location is decided.
====================
Filmmakers Trek Kansas on Foot for Documentary
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Two filmmakers traveled hundreds of miles on foot in Kansas to create a documentary on the beauty of their home state and the people who live here. Filmmakers Patrick Ross and Joshua Nathan will show a portion of their film, "Kansas: An Eclogue," at Lawrence's Watkins Museum of History on Friday. The Lawrence Journal World reports that the screening will be followed by a discussion with a panel of writers and filmmakers who also have found inspiration in the state. Ross and Nathan walked across Kansas for seven weeks in 2015, documenting monuments, land and people. The filmmakers decided to begin in Garden City and walk to each of the "Eight Wonders of Kansas" selected by the Kansas Sampler Foundation, a cultural preservation group. The wonders include the Monument Rocks and Castle Rock in Grove County, the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Chase County and the Cheyenne Bottoms and Quivira National Wildlife Refuge in Barton and Stafford counties. Nathan and Ross finished their journey in Lawrence.
====================
