Kansas Senate Passes Proposed $14.2B Budget
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ The Kansas Senate has given final approval to a proposed $14.2 billion state budget that's slightly more generous than one proposed by Governor Sam Brownback. Senators voted 39-1 Wednesday to send the measure to the House after it was amended to include language from a House committee restricting abortion training at the University of Kansas Medical Center. The bill cuts overall spending by almost 4 percent, or $572 million, during the fiscal year that begins July 1. But it includes funds for social service programs that Brownback didn't include in his spending recommendations. It includes an additional $16 million for children's programs and nearly $9 million to boost the pay of state workers whose salaries are below the pay for people with similar private sector jobs.
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KS Senate Rejects Cuts in Sales & Income Taxes...Then Reconsiders
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ The Kansas Senate has reconsidered its rejection of a bill cutting income and sales taxes and passed the measure. The Senate approved the bill on a 29-11 vote Wednesday, only two hours after rejecting it on a 20-20 vote. Nine Republicans, including Senate President Steve Morris, of Hugoton, switched their votes. The bill is dramatically different than Brownback's plan to overhaul the state's individual income tax code. Senators embraced Brownback's proposals to cut the state's top individual income tax rates and eliminate income taxes for 191,000 businesses. But they rejected his proposals to eliminate income tax credits and deductions and voted to cut the sales tax from 6.3 percent to 5.7 percent in July 2013. The Senate also approved, 38-2, a separate property tax relief measure.
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Kansas Senate Passes Tax Cuts after Governor Steps In
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate's decision to reverse course and pass a bill cutting taxes came after Governor Sam Brownback and his staff talked to some senators. Brownback spokeswoman Sherriene Jones-Sontag said Wednesday that Brownback and his staff spoke with an unspecified number of senators between two votes only two hours apart. The bill reduces income and sales taxes, and it's dramatically different from Brownback's plan to overhaul the individual income tax code. But Brownback declared that it's a step toward creating more jobs. The Republican-controlled Senate initially rejected the bill on a 20-20 vote, which left supporters one vote shy of the majority they needed. It was seen as a snub of Brownback. But nine GOP senators switched their votes two hours later, when the vote was 29-11.
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Kansas Senate Approves Bill to Make Stalking a Felony
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate has approved a measure that adds protections for victims of stalking and domestic violence. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the Kansas Senate has now approved a version of the measure that the House passed earlier. The bill now heads to conference committee. The bill would make violations of protection from stalking and protection from abuse orders a level 6 felony. Such crimes are now misdemeanors. The measure also would allow judges to extend the length of time that protection orders are valid, up to life. Orders are now valid for up to one year, and victims have to reapply every year. KBI deputy director Kyle Smith, who helped write the bill, said a new law would be a welcome change for victims and advocates.
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Kansas House Rejects Congressional Redistricting Map
Kansas House Speaker Mike O'Neal is no longer pushing for a congressional redistricting plan that would split the Kansas City area between two districts. O'Neal, a Hutchinson Republican, took that stance Wednesday even though the House rejected an alternate plan that would have kept Kansas City in a single district. The vote was 76-48 against that measure. But O'Neal said the fact that an alternative to his plan emerged from House debate shows that many lawmakers don't want to divide the Kansas City area. He said the alternate plan probably failed over other issues. It dramatically redrew U.S. House district lines in south central and southeast Kansas. O'Neal says the House Redistricting Committee will work on a new plan next week.
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Kansas Democrats Keep Abortion Foe Off Caucus Ballot
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Democratic Party has determined that anti-abortion activist Randall Terry is not a bona fide Democrat and won't be awarded any delegates from the party's April 14 Kansas caucuses. Terry, the founder of Operation Rescue, is seeking the Democratic nomination for president. His supporters were setting up Kansas campaign headquarters Wednesday in Wichita. But Kansas Democratic Party attorney Joe Sandler says the party's delegate selection rules only recognize candidates who have demonstrated a commitment to the party's goals and objectives. He says Terry also missed two state deadlines and submitted his application only days ago. The state party issued a statement saying Terry's name won't be on the caucus ballot. Terry says he meets legal and party requirements to be a candidate.
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Wounded Topeka Soldier Dies of Injuries
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A soldier who was left mostly paralyzed by a sniper's bullet in Afghanistan has died of his wounds, less than five weeks after he arrived home in Topeka. Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home in Topeka confirms the death Wednesday of 27-year-old Sergeant Jamie Jarboe. Jarboe was stationed at Fort Riley in 2009 and deployed to Afghanistan in February 2011. He was on foot patrol there last April when a sniper's bullet penetrated his spine, leaving him paralyzed from the chest down. The married father of two had more than 100 surgeries and was due for more after his February 17 return to a hero's welcome in Topeka. Jarboe was a native of Frankfort, Indiana. He was assigned to 4th Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Heavy Brigade Combat Team of the 1st Infantry Division.
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Vigil Held in Topeka for Slain Child
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Dozens of people gathered in Topeka to honor an 8-year-old girl who was killed last week. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the vigil was held last (TUE) night near the site where Ahliyah Nachell Irvin was found slain March 13. The child's mother Angela Ortega cried as family members wrapped a large tree in Dornwood Park with pink, white, yellow and baby blue ribbons. A Topeka man, Billy Frank Davis Jr., has been charged with capital murder, among other crimes that include kidnapping and rape of a child, in connection with the death. Police said the girl was abducted from an apartment complex where she'd been living. Davis is being held in the Shawnee County Jail on $10 million bail.
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Defense Rests in Oklahoma Woman's Kansas Murder Trial
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The defense has rested its case in the Topeka trial of an Oklahoma woman accused of killing her ex-husband and his fiancee in 2002. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that a former neighbor was among the last witnesses to testify Wednesday in the trial of 51-year-old Dana L. Chandler, of Duncan, Oklahoma. The neighbor, Ken Crockett, told jurors that one of the victims, 53-year-old Karen Harkness, sometimes left open her garage and front doors while taking walks. Chandler is charged with two counts of premeditated first-degree murder in the slayings of Harkness and 47-year-old Mike Sisco. They were found dead in Harkness's home. Prosecutors allege Chandler shot the two after Sisco told her he planned to marry Harkness. Chandler was arrested in Oklahoma last July. Closing arguments are scheduled Thursday.
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Kansas Man Gets Life Sentence for Sex Abuse of Child
OTTAWA, Kan. (AP) — An eastern Kansas man who pleaded no contest to sexually abusing a child will serve at least 25 years of a life sentence before he qualifies for parole. The Ottawa Herald reports that 33-year-old Duane Francis Brannan received the maximum term allowed by state law at his sentencing Monday in Franklin County District Court. Four other counts were dropped in exchange for the Ottawa man's plea last month to a single count. Brannan's victim — an 8-year-old girl — calmly answered questions from a prosecutor before the judge pronounced the sentence. The girl, who was known to Brannan, also read a statement and told Brannan he had made her "very sad." The girl was joined in court by family members and about 15 members of the group Bikers Against Child Abuse.
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Rain Soaks SE Kansas and SW Missouri, Raising Flood Concerns
JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) — Flood watches continue for southeast Kansas and western Missouri after a few days of heavy rain that has forced closures of several rural roadways. The National Weather Service says that the large, slow-moving storm over north Texas was expected to continue pushing eastward, producing more rain in parts of Kansas and Missouri. Up to 4 inches of rain has been recorded in the Missouri Ozarks and southeast Kansas. The rain is expected to taper off tomorrow (THUR). The Missouri Department of Transportation reported several roadway sections closed across southwest and south-central Missouri because of high water. In Cherokee County, Kansas, Sheriff David Groves told The Joplin Globe that low-lying county roads had flooded there, as they do during rains each spring. No major damage or injuries have been reported.
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Woman Gets Prison for Kidnapping and Robbing Senior Citizen
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A woman who abducted an 81-year-old woman outside a northeast Kansas grocery store and forced her to withdraw money from banks is going to prison. The Kansas City Star reports that a Johnson County judge has sentenced 24-year-old Sarah Nicole Zaragoza to 11 years. It's the same sentence given earlier to her female co-defendant in the August 2010 crime. The victim - Edna Wells - was in the courtroom to see the second of her kidnappers sentenced. The women grabbed Wells at knifepoint outside a Shawnee supermarket and forced her to drive around Johnson County withdrawing money from ATMs. The episode ended when Wells decided to drive to a bank where they had to go inside to get money. She mouthed the word "help" to a teller and her kidnappers took off.
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Lawyer for Soldier Suspected in Massacre Plans Trip to Afghanistan
FORT LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — The lawyer for the Army staff sergeant suspected of killing 16 Afghan civilians is questioning the quality of the evidence against his client and says he plans to travel to Afghanistan to gather his own. Seattle attorney John Henry Browne says he met with Sgt. Robert Bales for 11 hours over two days at Fort Leavenworth, where his client is being held. He added that there was still a lot he didn't know about the March 11 shootings. "I don't know about the evidence in this case. I don't know that the government is going to prove much. There's no forensic evidence. There's no confessions," Browne said outside his hotel near the post. Browne said there were legal, social and political issues linked to the case and how it will be prosecuted. The 38-year-old Bales has not been charged yet. Browne expects that his client will be charged this week, possibly as early as tomorrow (THUR).
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Rose Hill Student Wins Stamp Design Contest
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) _ An 18-year-old student from Rose Hill has won this year's Kansas Junior Duck Stamp contest. The Wichita Eagle reports that Christin Gillman has entered the contest for eight years. This was her last year to enter the contest. For this year's entry Gillman was of the king eider, a large sea duck. She found out Tuesday that she'd won the contest's Best of Show award and is now eligible to represent Kansas in the nationals April 20 at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center in Laurel, Md. Her entry was among 873 entries submitted by Kansas students. The Junior Duck Stamp program was created 20 years ago to help raise awareness of and appreciation for the nation's wetlands and waterfowl. Kansas was among the first states to participate.
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Dole: Santorum Must Soon Consider Dropping Out
WASHINGTON (AP) — Former Senator Bob Dole of Kansas says GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum is "getting close to the point" where he'll have to decide whether to stay in the race for the nomination or drop out. In a telephone interview Wednesday, Dole told The Associated Press he was speaking from the experience of staying in the 1988 GOP nomination fight too long. Dole said: "As much as you don't want to do it, sometimes you have to face reality." Dole is a supporter of GOP front-runner Mitt Romney. He says Romney's lead in GOP convention delegates and his handy victory Tuesday in the Illinois primary make overtaking him a longshot for Santorum. Dole said Santorum's "got a real problem" because Romney will pick up delegates in every race.
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This Month Marks 81st Anniversary of Knute Rockne's Death
BAZAAR, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has been gearing up for the 81st anniversary of the plane crash that killed Notre Dame football legend Knute Rockne and seven other people. The plane went down on March 31st, 1931 in a field near Bazaar, Kansas. The Wichita Eagle reports that the events beginning March 30 will include unveiling the 1932 Rockne Family Studebaker at the Chase County Historical Museum. They also will include live music and tours of the Chase County Courthouse and the Rockne crash site. Rockne's death, at age 43, came at the height of his career. He had led the Fighting Irish to consecutive undefeated seasons his final two seasons and his death made front-page news across the country. The crash site is located near the small town of Bazaar and is marked with a marble-and-limestone monument. The monument is on private property. However, a detailed photographic display on Rockne's life and times can be found inside a public rest stop on the Kansas Turnpike, near the town of Matfield Green.
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Judge Denies Gag Order in Military School Lawsuit
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has declined to impose a gag order in a lawsuit accusing a Kansas military school of allowing older students to discipline younger ones and fostering a culture of abuse. Lawyers for St. John's Military School had sought to bar parties involved in the case from talking publicly after an attorney for the plaintiffs granted media interviews soon after filing the lawsuit this month. The plaintiffs, the parents of four former cadets, had called the request an attempt by the school to violate their free-speech rights. St. John's attorney Derek Johannsen told U.S. District Judge John Lungstrum the motion was intended to keep the lawsuit from being tried in "a public forum." But Lungstrum denied the motion. Plaintiffs' attorney Dan Zmijewski, meanwhile, said he planned to file a motion to prevent St. John's students from purging their Facebook pages of anything that might be related to the plaintiffs' claims. The school has denied the claims.
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Abortion Foe Runs as Democrat Against President Obama
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Supporters of anti-abortion activist Randall Terry are opening a presidential campaign office in Kansas ahead of the state's April 14 Democratic caucus. Terry, the founder of Operation Rescue, is best known in Kansas for organizing the massive 1991 Summer of Mercy abortion protests in Wichita. He is now running as a Democratic candidate against President Barack Obama. Terry's campaign has scheduled news conferences today (WED) in Wichita, Topeka and Kansas City, Kansas, to coincide with the opening of his campaign headquarters in Wichita. An assistant campaign director plans to speak on Terry's behalf. Terry received 18 percent of the vote in Oklahoma's Democratic primary earlier this month and could claim at least one delegate under party rules.
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Former Owner of KC Basketball Team Charged w/ Tax Evasion
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The former owner of the Kansas City Knights basketball team faces charges of evading federal taxes. Prosecutors in Kansas City, Kansas allege James Clark, of Leawood, owes nearly $503,000 in unpaid payroll taxes and penalties from 2002 to 2004. The Kansas City Star reports that the charges filed March 9 accuse Clark of withholding taxes from employees of the SWISH Holding Corporation, a health care consulting firm, and failing to forward them to the Internal Revenue Service. He's also accused of trying to secure bank credit in 2004 without notifying the bank that he'd sold SWISH's assets. Kevin Dellett, who represents Clark, said the charges have nothing to do with the Knights, a former American Basketball Association team. He said he's reviewing records to determine the facts behind the fraud allegations.
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Man Pleads to Guilty in Wichita Bank Robbery
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 29-year-old Wichita man has pleaded guilty to taking part in a Wichita bank robbery last year. Sergio Little pleaded guilty in Wichita yesterday (TUE) to one count of abetting a bank robbery. The robbery took place at the Sunflower Bank on August 11, 2011. He is scheduled for sentencing June 7. The Wichita Eagle reports that three other defendants have been convicted in the case and are awaiting sentencing.
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Fallen Fort Riley Soldier Posthumously Honored by Home State
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) _ A soldier from Red Boiling Springs, Tennessee has been awarded the first Tennessee Fallen Heroes medal, honoring service members killed in the line of duty. In a Wednesday ceremony at the Capitol, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam and Veterans Affairs Commissioner Many-Bears Grinder honored Sergeant 1st Class Dennis Murray, who was killed in November by a roadside bomb while serving in Afghanistan. Murray was assigned to the 1st Infantry Division out of Fort Riley. His mother, Wanda Maxey, accepted the award on behalf of the family. Survivors include his wife, Shelee Murray, and two children. The medal was established last year by the Tennessee Legislature. Tennessee State Representative John Ragan, who sponsored the measure, said he wants the families of service members who are killed to know that Tennesseans are grateful for their sacrifice.
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Missouri Ethics Commission Fines Former Leaders of KC Political Club
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) _ The Missouri Ethics Commission has fined three former leaders of a Kansas City political club. The commission fined Velda Cook, former secretary of Freedom Inc., about $3,000 for allegedly taking club money. Freedom's former president, Craig Bland, was fined about $3,000 for signing checks he wasn't authorized to sign. Former treasurer Carl Evans was fined $556 for failing to keep accurate records. The Kansas City Star reports documents released Monday show the probe focused on 14 payments in 2008 and 2009 totaling about $7,000 from Freedom's political fund, "some of which respondent Cook converted into personal use." The three former leaders couldn't be reached for comment. Cook, however, signed documents acknowledging probable cause. Freedom Inc. was founded 50 years ago to give black voters a bigger voice in politics.
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KC Officials Apply for Grant to Build Streetcar Line
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City has applied for a $25 million federal grant to help pay for a proposed $101 million streetcar line connecting Crown Center and the River Market. City officials say they sent 56 letters of support from legislators, local governments, businesses and other groups with the application. Kansas City Mayor Sly James says the streetcar would fill a transportation gap and promote further economic development downtown. The 4-mile line along Main Street would include 12 stations, spaced every two blocks, operating at 10-minute intervals. Officials say the streetcar would benefit the downtown area's 65,000 workers, roughly 15,000 residents and more than 15 million annual visitors. Besides the grant money, the city says it will use $76 million in approved state and local funds for the project.
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Kansas Native Named University of Mississippi Athletic Director
Ross Bjork has been named the University of Mississippi's new athletic director. The 39-year-old Bjork has been the athletic director at Western Kentucky University since March 2010 and has also worked in the athletic departments at UCLA, Miami and Missouri. Ole Miss announced Bjork's hiring on Wednesday afternoon and will have an official press conference on Thursday. The Dodge City, Kansas native will take over for Pete Boone, who has announced his retirement effective later this year after more than 13 years as Mississippi's AD. One of Bjork's challenges will be helping rebuild Mississippi's football program. The Rebels finished 2-10 last season, 0-8 in the Southeastern Conference. Fourth-year football coach Houston Nutt was fired after the season and Hugh Freeze replaced him in December.
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New Airport Nears Completion in Northwest Kansas
STOCKTON, Kan. (AP) _ A new, regional airport with a 5,000-foot runway is set to open next month in northwestern Kansas. The Hays Daily News reports that paving on the runway of Rooks County Regional Airport has been completed, and the opening is scheduled for April 5. Not all amenities will be available at that time. Rooks County officials say a parking lot and taxiway will be added, and construction of a hangar is also planned. Once more work is done, officials plan to stage a grand opening...possibly in the summer.
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Kansas Senate to Debate Proposed $14 Billion Budget
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate is preparing to debate a proposed $14.2 billion state budget that's slightly more generous than one proposed by Governor Sam Brownback. The budget bill on the Senate's calendar today (WED) still cuts overall spending by almost 4 percent, or $572 million, during the fiscal year that begins July 1. But it includes funds for social service programs that Brownback didn't include in his spending recommendations. It includes an additional $16 million for children's programs and nearly $9 million to boost the pay of state workers whose salaries are below the pay for people with similar jobs in the private sector. The spending blueprint would leave about $460 million in cash reserves at the end of June 2013. The House approved a tighter proposed budget last week.
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KS Senate Unsure Bill Cutting Taxes Will Pass
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Members of the Kansas Senate aren't sure a bill cutting taxes can pass their chamber. The measure is up for a final vote today (WED). It cuts the state's top individual income tax rates and eliminates income taxes for 191,000 partnerships, sole proprietorships and other small businesses. It also cuts the sales tax from 6.3 percent to 5.7 percent in July 2013. The Senate's plan could come with a massive price tag — as high as $800 million a year. It's a departure from a plan outlined by Governor Sam Brownback to overhaul the individual income tax code. He also wanted to cut top tax rates and help businesses but proposed eliminating numerous tax credits and deductions, which the Senate rejected. Brownback didn't want to cut the sales tax.
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KS House Set to Take Vote on Congress Remap Bill
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A congressional redistricting plan faces a final vote in the Kansas House after members dropped Speaker Mike O'Neal's proposal to split the Kansas City area between two districts.
The bill on today's (WED) agenda would keep the Kansas City area in a single district but split the tight-knit, area of southeast Kansas in half between two districts. House members advanced it rather than a plan O'Neal was pushing. The Hutchinson Republican wanted to pull part of the Kansas City area into the 1st Congressional District of western and central Kansas, tying urban neighborhoods to rural communities more than 400 miles away. Lawmakers must redraw political boundaries to account for changes in population over the past decade. Also today (WED), the Senate plans to debate a bill redrawing members' districts.
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Plan Would Use Casino Revenue to Help Fund KS Pension System
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gamblers at state-owned casinos in Kansas would help prop up the pension system for teachers and government workers with each hand of blackjack and spin of the roulette wheel. That's the idea behind a bill approved yesterday (TUE) by the Kansas House. The measure, approved 92-33, is aimed at boosting the long-term financial health of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System. It would dedicate future revenues from three state-owned casinos to help close a projected $8.3 billion funding gap in the system. The gap is between the pension system's anticipated revenues -- and the benefits that have been promised to current and future retirees through 2033. The House's bill also would require public employees hired after 2013 to choose between two new retirement plans, neither of which are traditional plans that guarantee benefits based on a worker's salary and years of services. One of the options is a 401(k)-style plan, in which benefits would depend upon investment earnings. The second option would guarantee a 5 percent interest rate on retirement savings set aside by the worker and state. The measure now goes to the Senate, which is working on its own legislation.