Kansas Child Support Collection System Under Scrutiny
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas lawmakers are looking into the state’s child support collection system after one mother says the state failed to help her collect $53,000 she was owed. Kansas has paid $194 million to contractors for child support enforcement since 2015, but some Kansans are still waiting for their payments. Katie Whisman says state contractors failed to collect child support for her after the father moved to Missouri. She told lawmakers she knows there are others like her in Kansas owed child support. “I am here today because I am losing hope," she said. Whisman told lawmakers she was told to hire a private attorney for services that state contractors should be handling. Whisman told lawmakers Tuesday that the private companies that handle child support collection for the state haven’t helped her collect more than $50,000 in back child support. “I'm tired of fighting, what is a losing battle. And while I might be the only person in this room today, sharing my experience, I can assure you that I am not the only one," she said. The state contractor in her case, YoungWilliams, says working across state lines and collecting from self-employed people can be difficult. State lawmakers say they may recommend ways to tighten rules for state contractors.
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Audubon Lawsuit over Quivira Wildlife Refuge Water Dismissed
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by Audubon of Kansas over water rights at the Quivira Wildlife Refuge in central Kansas. Audubon sued the U.S. Department of Interior and other federal and state agencies in January. The environmental group contended the government agencies had not protected senior water rights at the refuge. U.S. District Judge Holly Teeter ruled Audubon did not have jurisdiction to file the claim against state entities in federal court and had not identified any action that would allow it to sue the federal agencies. The lawsuit contended Quivera has a shortage of water because of groundwater pumping upstream by irrigators.
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Lawrence Man Charged in Shooting that Killed Toddler
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A 21-year-old Lawrence man is charged with several felonies after an accidental shooting killed a toddler. Bishop Mendoza was charged Tuesday with involuntary manslaughter and three other felonies. Officers responding to a shooting report at a Lawrence home on September 17 found a 2-year-old critically wounded. The child, Legend King, later died. Police said at the time the shooting appeared to be accidental. Court records indicate Mendoza is also accused of endangering a nearly 4-year-old child who was in the home at the time. Police have not released details of how the shooting happened.
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Wichita Man Charged in Shooting of 11-Year-Old Girl
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 25-year-old Wichita man has been charged in a shooting that injured an 11-year-old girl. Byron Purcell is being held on $250,000 bond after being charged Tuesday in a drive-by shooting on October 12. Police say shots were fired at a house and a girl who was inside lying on a bed was hit by a bullet. Her injuries were not life threatening. Police Chief Gordon Ramsay said investigators believe Purcell was targeting someone who lived at the house. None of the other four people inside the home were injured. Purcell was charged with aggravated battery, criminal discharge of a weapon and possession of a firearm by a felon.
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Third Woman Charged in Sexual Predator's Escape from Larned State Hospital
LARNED, Kan. (AP) - A third woman has now been charged with helping a convicted sexual predator escape from Larned State Hospital. The Pawnee County Attorney's Office said 29-year-old Sydni Eileen Hartman, of Larned, appeared in court Monday on charges related to the escape of John Colt in June. She is being held on $75,000 bond. Colt was being held in the sexual predator program when he escaped by posing as a doctor and walking out of the hospital. He was arrested in Utah last month. Two other hospital employees appeared in court last week on charges related to Colt's escape.
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Kansas Attorney General Criticizes Federal Effort to Protect School Officials; Says It Threatens Free Speech Rights of Parents
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) - Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is accusing federal officials of stifling the free speech rights of parents, following an initiative to combat a rise in threats against public school officials. School board meetings across the country have been derailed by controversies over face masks, critical race theory and other issues. At least one school board member in Wichita has reported a threatening e-mail to local police. U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland directed federal authorities to hold strategy sessions to address the problem, but didn’t specifically say to monitor public meetings. Schmidt, a Republican, is one of 17 state attorneys general asking the Biden administration to withdraw its directive, because they’re concerned it could target people who speak out during meetings. He says local law enforcement can handle any threats or violence.
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Questions Surround Redacted Audit of State Prescription Drug Spending
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - What is the state of Kansas trying to hide? That's a question many are asking about an audit of state spending on prescription drugs for state employees. Kansas is defending its decision to black out parts of the $100,000 report that examines state spending on medications for government workers. The state spends $80 million a year on medications for its employee and retiree health plan. When the Kansas News Service asked for a copy of an audit of that spending, state officials let the authors redact it. Whole pages were blacked out. Legal experts question the legality of the redactions. The authors say they consider the work proprietary and confidential. But that doesn' sit well with some members of the board that oversees the state health plan, including Kansas Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt. “We just can’t take their word for it when they say that it is proprietary, whatever. I mean, we have some due diligence as a state," she said. The state says it followed standard procedures. And that the authors of the report had wanted to shield even more from public view, but that the state didn’t allow that. ( Read more.)
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Advocacy Groups Push Kansas GOP Lawmakers for More Meetings on Redistricting
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) - Advocacy groups in Kansas are calling on Republicans in the state Legislature to hold up their pledge to schedule more redistricting town hall meetings. The majority of the redistricting town hall meetings held in August happened before the state even had the data to redraw its legislative and congressional districts. Republicans promised more meetings in the fall. Now, Michael Poppa, with the Kansas Mainstream Coalition, and others are calling on Republican leadership to follow through. "In effect, no one was heard at these town halls," he said. "They held 14 meetings in a five day period, (so) a significant portion of Kansans were not represented in this process.” Without more public input and transparency, Poppa fears lawmakers could try to protect the seats of sitting officials. "It's a very real possibility that if incumbent protection is not named in the guidelines there will be that bug in the process," he said. A spokesperson for Kansas House Speaker Ron Ryckman says more meetings are in the works.
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Tennessee Man Arrested in Kansas Woman's Shooting Death
PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) - A 23-year-old Tennessee man has been charged with second-degree murder after a woman was shot to death in southeast Kansas. This week, the Crawford County Prosecutor charged Bri'yon Baker, of Mount Boswell, Tennessee, in connection with the death of 18-year-old Jase Delich, of Pittsburg. He's being held on $1 million bond. Officers responding to a call about a bleeding woman on Saturday night found Delich inside an apartment. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Baker was arrested after officers spotted him later that night walking on a Pittsburg street.
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Former Derby Teacher, Coach Gets Probation in Child Porn Case
DERBY, Kan. (AP) - A former Kansas middle school teacher who was caught with more than 250 images and videos of child pornography has been sentenced to three years of probation. The defendant, 40-year-old Cody Chitwood, must also register as a sex offender for 25 years. Chitwood taught special education at Derby Middle School. He also coached football, track and girls' basketball. The Derby school board fired him in 2018 after prosecutors charged him with several counts of sexual exploitation of a child.
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Detainee Dies at Shawnee County Adult Detention Center
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - An investigation is underway after a jail detainee was found dead at the Adult Detention Center in Topeka. The Shawnee County Department of Corrections says 58-year-old Curley Charles Anderson Jr. was booked into the jail on Friday on charges that included aggravated battery, driving with a suspended license and reckless driving. Late Monday afternoon, authorities were alerted to a medical emergency and Anderson was found unresponsive in his cell. He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead. In addition to an internal investigation, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation is looking into Anderson's death.
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Woman Pleads Guilty to Murder After Fatal Crash During Chase
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 26-year-old woman pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder after two people died in Wichita when she crashed a stolen vehicle into their car while fleeing from police. Mia Collins also pleaded guilty Wednesday to three counts of aggravated battery and one count of attempting to elude an officer. The crash in May 2019 killed 70-year-old Maria Wood and her 12-year-old granddaughter, Rosemary McElroy. Wood's daughter, Jenny Wood, a well-known Wichita musician, and a 65-year-old man in another vehicle were injured. Collins's sentencing date has not been scheduled.
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Kansas City Police Shooting Leads to $100,000 Settlement
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City will pay a $100,000 settlement to a family whose child was injured when a police officer fired several rounds at their vehicle. Court records indicate officer Terrence Brown fired at a car he was pursuing for speeding in August 2015. He said he was concerned the driver was aiming at him or was going to hit his motorcycle. A 1-year-old girl in the car was hit in the foot. The family sued the city last year. A federal judge approved the settlement on Friday. A police spokesman said state law prevents him from saying if Brown was disciplined. Brown remains on the police force.
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Data Breach Affecting Teachers Could Cost Missouri $50 Million
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP/KPR) - The Social Security numbers of approximately 100,000 Missouri teachers were compromised by a massive state data breech. Helping those teachers could cost Missouri as much as $50 million. Republican Governor Mike Parson's office confirmed that the rough cost estimate includes credit monitoring and the cost of a call center to help teachers. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch says it found the vulnerability and flagged the issue to the education department. The newspaper says it gave the agency time to fix the issue before it published its story. Governor Parson has cast blame on the newspaper for reporting on the problem.
(Earlier reporting...)
Data Breach Prompts Review at Missouri Teacher Pension Fund
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Officials with the pension fund serving teachers and other public school employees in Missouri say they’re reviewing safety protocols after a data breach. A notification on Friday from the Public School and Education Employee Retirement Systems of Missouri says the incident happened September 11 when a system employee’s email account was accessed by an unauthorized individual. The incident was reported Monday by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Last week, Governor Mike Parson threatened criminal prosecution of a Post-Dispatch journalist who uncovered an unrelated data flaw at the Missouri Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.
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Scientists Release Harmless Red Dye into Kansas River to Run Series of Experiments
LAWRENCE, Kan. (KPR) - As part of a study, scientists with the U.S. Geological Survey will inject a harmless, bright red fluorescent dye into the Kansas River this week. The dye-tracing study will begin near Wamego and will provide a better understanding of how quickly water flows from one location to another. Water-resource managers use this information to effectively respond to potential critical events such as harmful algal blooms or contaminant spills that may make the water unsafe for the public. The Kansas River provides drinking water for multiple cities in northeastern Kansas and is used for recreational activities. The study is being conducted in cooperation with the cities of Topeka, Lawrence, Manhattan and Olathe, as well as the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, Kansas Water Office, Nature Conservancy and WaterOne to improve understanding of streamflow velocities and travel times in the river. The study will consist of multiple experimental runs to optimize time-of-travel data collection by injecting the red-hued dye (non-toxic rhodamine) into the Kansas River during low, medium and high flow conditions. ( Read more.)
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Kansas City Man Struck, Killed by Train
PARKVILLE, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say a Kansas City man was struck by a freight train and killed in the suburb of Parkville. The Kansas City Star reports that police identified the victim as 43-year-old Christopher Burdick. Captain Jon D. Jordan, a spokesman with the Parkville Police Department, said he was crossing a sidewalk Saturday night when he was hit. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said the train crossing signals were activated prior to Burdick being struck.
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Kansas Inmates Wait Months for Mental Health Treatment
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - Inmates with mental health issues are waiting months to get the medication and treatment they need to be deemed competent to assist in their own defense because a state hospital is so overtaxed. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Douglas County Sheriff Jay Armbrister says the situation is so bad that the case of one man with severe mental health issues took six years to make it through the court system. The man ultimately was sentenced to 16 months, or less than a quarter of the amount of time he was incarcerated. Armbrister says the case encapsulates the “dark underbelly” of the state’s criminal justice system, which he believes fails to properly account for the mental health of those who are held in jail prior to conviction.
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Jackson County, Missouri, Settles Lawsuit Brought by Church over Pandemic Restrictions
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Jackson County, Missouri, and its health department have settled a lawsuit filed last year by a church over pandemic restrictions. The Jackson County Legislature voted Monday to approve a $147,000 settlement with Abundant Life Baptist Church and attorney Jonathan Whitehead. Payment of the settlement will be divided between the county and University Health which runs the county health department. The lawsuit, filed in May 2020, contended the COVID-19 health restrictions discriminated against religion. The church attracts thousands to its services in Blue Springs and Lee's Summit. The church sued after services were grouped with other large gatherings and social events and limited to no more than 10 people.
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Kansas Man Sentenced for Series of Armed Robberies in Kansas City Area
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A man from Overland Park has been sentenced to 19 years in federal prison for a series of armed robberies in Kansas City and Grandview, Missouri, three years ago. This week, a federal judge sentenced 28-year-old Joshua West, who pleaded guilty in April to robbery and firearms charges. Prosecutors say that during July and August in 2018, West robbed a CVS Pharmacy, a Sprint store and the Phone Shack in Kansas City. He also robbed an AT&T store in Grandview and tried unsuccessfully to rob a T-Mobile store in Grandview.
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Kansas City Suburb Bans LGBTQ Conversion Therapy
PRAIRIE VILLAGE, Kan. (AP) - This week, the Prairie Village City Council banned controversial "conversion therapy" for gay, lesbian and transgender young people. Licensed medical or mental health professionals now face a $1,000 fine for trying to change a person's sexual orientation or gender identity. The Prairie Village City Council approved the ban Monday on an 11-1 vote. The ban does not prohibit churches or religious leaders from speaking with youth about their sexuality or gender identity.
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Dog Helps Lead Game Warden to Suspect at Kansas Lake
WELLINGTON, Kan. (AP/KPR) - Ruby, a K-9 officer for Kansas game wardens, is being hailed as a hero for sniffing out a suspect. Officials say Ruby played a key role in tracking down a man wanted by police in the south-central Kansas town of Wellington. Ruby and her handler, Chris Stout, joined in the search for the suspect on October 8 at Wellington City Lake. Ruby found the suspect "face down in mud under dense brush." For her hard work, Ruby was rewarded with a swim in the lake.
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Expansion Talk Looms over Big 12 Hoops as Season Draws Near
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Oklahoma and Texas will leave the Big 12 for the Southeastern Conference in a few seasons. It led to various discussions at Big 12 basketball Media Day. New Texas coach Chris Beard says his Longhorns will have a target on their backs for fans eager to jeer them when they go on the road this season. New Oklahoma coach Porter Moser says the same thing. He says road trips to hostile venues will just be that much more exciting. The league will be tough again: Three teams are ranked in the top 10: Kansas, Texas and defending national champion Baylor.
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These area headlines are curated by KPR news staffers, including J. Schafer, Laura Lorson, Kaye McIntyre and Tom Parkinson. Our headlines are generally posted by 10 am weekdays. This news summary is made possible by KPR listener-members. Become one today!