Several Roads Closed in Kansas Amid Storm
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A winter storm that is dumping more than a foot of snow across parts of Kansas has closed several roads. The Kansas Department of Transportation says westbound lanes of Interstate 70 are closed because of winter weather conditions and little to no hotel accommodations. Eastbound lanes of the interstate are closed primarily because of winter weather conditions. Stretches of U.S. 36 and Kansas 27 and 96 also are closed due to poor visibility. In some locations, heavy snow and blowing snow are causing white out conditions.
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Snowstorm takes aim at Plains, Midwest
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A spring snowstorm has delayed flights at Denver International Airport and closed several roads as it moves eastward, carrying the possibility of more than a foot of snow in some places. Transportation officials said Interstate 70 was closed from Denver to Colby, Kansas on Saturday. The National Weather Service predicted the Denver area could see up to 7 inches of snow Saturday. National Weather Service Meteorologist Jerry Killingsworth says 10 to 15 inches of snowfall already had fallen north of Interstate 70 in northwest Kansas and northeast Colorado by Saturday evening. Winter storm warnings have been issued for northern Kansas and Missouri, and the system will move into Illinois and Indiana overnight and into Sunday.
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Lawmakers won't investigate Brownback's $2B error
(Information in the following story is from: The Wichita (Kan.) Eagle, http://www.kansas.com)
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Lawmakers have decided not to investigate an incorrect figure that led Governor Sam Brownback to make erroneous claims about state spending under his Democratic predecessor. The Legislative Post Audit Committee rejected the audit request Friday on a 5-4 party line. The vote followed a harsh debate over the integrity of the Republican governor and Budget Director Steve Anderson. Anderson offered his resignation after the $2 billion error on a spreadsheet found its way into a chart the governor used to claim credit for spending cuts that never happened. Brownback declined to accept the resignation. Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley requested the audit, saying the error caused a "serious misrepresentation of the truth." Republican Sen. Julia Lynn, of Olathe, said the request was politically motivated.
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Kansas Innovative School District Bill in Play
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Legislators are continuing efforts to develop a pilot program aimed at freeing school districts from rules and regulations that many claim impair creative teaching. Republican legislators and school administrators say the program would foster creative ways to get more out of student achievement. The Kansas National Education Association and other detractors worry about the rights of teachers and whether such a proposal is even constitutional. The plan would set up a five-year pilot program allowing up to 28 districts to form a coalition of innovative districts. They would apply to be part of the program, spelling out what their goals would be for improving student performance. Senators approved the bill Thursday, sending it to the House for consideration.
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Suspect Surrenders in Topeka Homicide
(Information in the following story is from: The Topeka (Kan.) Capital-Journal, http://www.cjonline.com)
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A suspect in a deadly overnight shooting west of downtown Topeka has surrendered to police. The suspect was booked into the Shawnee County Jail after turning himself in around 9 a.m. Saturday. The suspect is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of 22-year-old Faustino Martinez the Second of Wichita. Police Lieutenant John Sturgeon said officers were called around 2:30 a.m. Saturday to an apartment building, where there had been reports of yelling and possible gunshots. Sturgeon says the responding officers found a man suffering from life-threatening gunshot wounds. An ambulance rushed the man to a Topeka hospital, where he died a short time later. Police said the suspect had been seen leaving the apartment building.
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Man Dies in Accident at Suburban KC FedEx Facility
SHAWNEE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities are investigating a deadly accident at a FedEx facility in suburban Kansas City.
Shawnee police said officers were called around 3:40 p.m. Saturday to the facility. Witnesses said the victim fell under the wheels of a tandem tractor-trailer rig that was attempting to leave the facility.
Police said it wasn't clear what caused the victim to fall. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene. The name of the victim wasn't immediately released, pending notification of relatives.
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Two Die in Fire in Central Kansas Town of Nickerson
(Information in the following story is from: The Hutchinson (Kan.) News, http://www.hutchnews.com)
NICKERSON, Kan. (AP) — Two bodies have been found in a home that burned to the ground in the central Kansas town of Nickerson. The Hutchinson News reports that George Danser and his daughter, Nicole Danser, died in the fire that was reported at 4:30 a.m. Saturday. Nickerson Fire District (hash)3 chief Kenneth Burgess says the house was fully involved when firefighters arrived. Burgess says the cause of the fire is under investigation.
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Kansas Zoo's New Habitat Aims to Meet Cats' Needs
(Information in the following story is from: The Garden City (Kan.) Telegram, http://www.gctelegram.com)
GARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) — Staff members at a southwest Kansas zoo are working to make sure a new cat habitat will meet the needs of each breed. Officials of the Lee Richardson Zoo now expect the new Cat Canyon to open by late summer. The habitat will be feature the zoo's "Cats of the Americas," which currently consist of two jaguars and two bobcats. Within the past few days, dead trees were placed in the exhibit for the cats to climb on. A special hollowed-out stump was installed in the bobcats' yards, since bobcats like a place to duck and hide. The yard being created for the water-loving jaguars includes a large pool next to some flat rocks, just right for basking in the sun.
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NCAA: KU Takes on UNC in Kansas City for Sweet 16 Spot
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas and North Carolina, two of the bluest of college basketball's blue bloods. They've shared coaches, they've shared history, and now they're about to share the same court on Sunday when the top-seeded Jayhawks play the 8th seed Tar Heels for a spot in the Sweet 16. KU and UNC have plenty of history, meeting for the sixth time in the NCAA tournament. That includes a 2008 national semifinal won by the Jayhawks — the eventual national champion — and a regional final last year, when Kansas lost to Kentucky in the title game. The Tar Heels' Roy Williams will be coaching about 40 miles from the Kansas campus in Lawrence, where he spent 15 years on the sideline, yet another intriguing subplot to a game already full of them. Tip-off is at 4:15 p.m.
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NCAA: Wichita State Knocks Out Gonzaga 76-70
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — The Shockers have lived up to their name. Cleanthony Early and Ron Baker scored 16 points apiece and Wichita State hit a season-high 14 3-pointers, including seven straight late, to knock the top-ranked and Number one seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs out of the NCAA tournament 76-70 yesterday. The Shockers advanced to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2006.
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NCAA: Oregon Sprints Past Saint Louis 74-57
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) — Damyean Dotson scored 23 points, Carlos Emory added 14 points and hot-shooting Oregon sprinted past fourth-seeded Saint Louis 74-57 in the NCAA tournament last night in San Jose, California. Kwamain Mitchell scored 18 points and Dwayne had 16 points and nine rebounds for the Billikens, who set a school record for wins this season following the death of coach Rick Majerus in December.
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NCAA: Lady Jayhawks Upset Lady Buffaloes 67-52
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Angel Goodrich and Carolyn Davis each scored 14 points and 12th-seeded Kansas upset 5th seed Colorado 67-52 last night on the Buffaloes' home floor. The lady Jayhawks used a 15-0 spurt spanning halftime to take control and advance to face fourth-seeded South Carolina tomorrow at Colorado's Coors Events Center.
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MLS: Revolution, Sporting KC tie 0-0
FOXBOROROUGH, Mass. (AP) — The New England Revolution and Sporting KC played to a scoreless tie Saturday in Foxborough, Massachusetts. It was the second straight shutout match for both clubs. New England (1-1-1) is scoreless through 208 minutes, and Sporting KC (1-1-2) is scoreless in 203 minutes. Sporting KC goalie Jimmy Nielsen didn't have to make a save en route to his second shutout of the season, while New England's Matt Reis stopped five shots in posting his second shutout. Sporting KC, 0-2-3 in its meetings with New England, had its best scoring chance in the 19th minute when C.J. Sapong banged a ball off of the crossbar out of a goalmouth scramble. During the second half, Sporting KC had two other good chances — a header by Ike Opara off of a corner kick in the 49th minute that was stopped by Reis, and a header by Sapong, off of another corner kick in the 83rd.