Democrat Laura Kelly Sworn in as New Kansas Governor
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democrat Laura Kelly has been sworn in as the new governor in Republican-leaning Kansas. Kelly took the oath of office Monday on the south steps of the Statehouse in front of banners that declared, "Equality," ''Education" and "Opportunity." She was a veteran state senator from Topeka who pitched herself to voters as a no-nonsense problem-solver who could work with Republicans. The GOP has supermajorities in the Legislature. Her victory last year drew national attention partly because she defeated Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach. He's a staunch conservative who touted an endorsement from President Donald Trump. Kelly is the state's 48th governor. Her swearing-in followed those of Lt. Gov. Lynn Rogers, Attorney General Derek Schmidt, Secretary of State Scott Schwab, Insurance Commissioner Vicki Schmidt and State Treasurer Jake LaTurner.
-related-
GOP Leaders Brush Off Kansas Governor's Criticism
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Two top Republican leaders in the Kansas Legislature are brushing off Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's negative assessment of state government under GOP control during the previous eight years. Senate President Susan Wagle and House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins said Monday that they will look for areas where compromise is possible. Kelly was sworn in Monday. She said in her inaugural speech that the Statehouse had lost the "spirit of neighbor-helping-neighbor" and was too partisan. Hawkins, from Wichita, disagreed but said Republicans will try to work with the new governor. Wagle, also from Wichita, said she was excited that Kelly ended her speech by talking about finding compromise and reaching agreements by shaking hands. Wagle added: "I'm looking forward to that and I'll hold her to it."
====================
Kansas Lawmaker-Turned-Governor Eyes New Budget Priorities
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democrat Laura Kelly's top priorities as Kansas's new governor arise from her work as a state lawmaker and a decade as one of the Legislature's key players on budget issues. Kelly has an agenda that includes boosting spending on public schools and expanding the state's Medicaid health coverage for the needy. The 68-year-old Kelly is a former state senator who represented a Republican-leaning, Topeka-area district for 14 years. For a decade starting in 2009, she was the top Democrat on the Senate Ways and Means Committee, one of six lawmakers who negotiated the final version of all budget legislation. She told voters that she learned that many agencies suffered significantly under Republican governors and need to be rebuilt.
====================
New Kansas Governor in Dispute with DCF over Research
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly is up in arms with the state's troubled child welfare agency for spending public funds to undercut research linking welfare restrictions with a rise in the number of abused children in foster care. The Kansas City Star reports the Kansas Department for Children and Families recently released a $24,000 report questioning University of Kansas research that Kelly has cited. The KU research found that certain cash assistance restrictions in recent years have fueled abuse and foster care placements. Kelly has expressed a desire to roll back the welfare restrictions, but it's unclear if she'll be able to with a Republican-controlled Legislature. DCF Secretary Gina Meier-Hummel says the report shows the state can't rely on one study to change public policy. Kelly plans to replace Meier-Hummel when she officially takes office today (MON).
====================
Kansas Seeks to Expand Housing Program for Mentally Ill
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas officials are offering an unconventional housing program to mentally ill homeless people that they hope will ease overcrowding at state hospitals. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the state Department for Aging and Disability Services is considering offering the Housing First program beyond Wichita, Shawnee County and Wyandotte County. The program deviates from traditional housing assistance programs because it has no curfew and sobriety requirements. Melissa Bogart works in housing employment and benefits for the department. She says the program has been effective in Wichita, which has the state's largest homeless population. The department secured legislative support last year to maintain the three existing programs. It's seeking an additional $250,000 to help homeless communities in other parts of the state. More than 240 people in the program have found a permanent home.
====================
Kansas Legislature to Test Governor's Skill at Splitting GOP
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators are preparing to open their annual session as new Democratic Governor Laura Kelly launches her new administration. Kelly takes office and lawmakers convene today (MON). Lawmakers expect big debates over the next four months on boosting aid to public schools and expanding the state's Medicaid health coverage for the needy. Those are top Kelly priorities. Republican legislative leaders are more interested in cutting income taxes. They want to prevent federal tax changes from forcing Kansas residents to pay more to the state. The GOP holds large majorities in both chambers, so Kelly will have to woo moderate Republicans to pass her proposals. It will be a new experience for most legislators. Eighty percent of lawmakers — 132 of 165 — don't have any experience with a Democratic governor.
====================
State: WIC Funding Available into March Despite Shutdown
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — State health officials say Kansas has enough money to provide WIC benefits into March, even if the partial federal government shutdown continues. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment said in a news release Monday that the U.S. Department of Agriculture provided enough extra funding to keep the Women, Infants and Children program going until March 4. The agriculture department gave Kansas more than $1.4 million for food purchases and nearly $900,000 for Nutrition Services and Administration. The state agency says the new funds will keep its staff operational until March 13, regardless if the government shutdown continues through February.
====================
Douglas County Grand Jury on Kobach to Start Next Week
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A grand jury process to investigate former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach will begin next week in Douglas County. District Court Judge Kay Huff said she anticipates selecting the jury and calling the first witness on Tuesday, January 22. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the grand jury is being called after a successful citizen petition drive. Steven Davis, who initiated the petition drive, alleged that Kobach's office failed to properly register several voters in 2016 who applied for registration while renewing their driver's licenses or filling out an online form. Kobach's office has called Davis's allegations "patently false." The office said the allegations concern a brief period in 2016 when online registration systems were malfunctioning. They said election officials quickly made sure the affected residents were able to vote.
====================
Lactation Room for Breastfeeding Women Opens at Kansas Statehouse
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Women needing to breastfeed their babies at the Kansas Capitol now have a room set aside just for them. The private lactation room on the first floor of the Statehouse was unveiled Friday. Governor-elect Laura Kelly said Friday she thought it was about time the State Capitol joined more than 300 work sites across the state that provided accommodations for breastfeeding employees. She says the room makes the Statehouse "a 21st century employer." The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Kelly said her administration will study creating breastfeeding areas in other state office buildings. Kelly, who will be inaugurated Monday, said she was honored that opening the lactation room was "sort of my very first official act."
====================
Judge Again Delays Trial of County Commissioner in Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has delayed until late next month the fraud trial of Sedgwick County Commissioner Michael O'Donnell. U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren set trial to begin Feb. 25 in Wichita after meeting with attorneys during a Monday status conference. A trial had been previously set for Jan. 29. Attorneys agreed the trial would likely take five days. The government has accused O'Donnell of fraudulently obtaining $10,500 from his campaign accounts for his personal use. An indictment charges him with 23 counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering. The Wichita Republican was elected to the state Senate in 2012 for a term that ended in January 2017. He did not run for re-election and instead was elected to the Sedgwick County Commission. His term expires in 2020.
====================
Filing: Kansas Military School Failed to Supervise Cadets
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas military school failed to adequately supervise cadets entrusted to its care and intentionally inflicted emotional distress in 2014 on a bullied 11-year-old student who had been physically tied together with his harasser in public as punishment, according to an arbitration award made public Monday. Shortly thereafter, the boy was allegedly raped and sodomized by his harasser in a dorm room at St. John's Military School in Salina, the court filing said. A $369,175 arbitration award last month against St. John's Military School and its endowment fund was made public on Monday when the family's attorney, Dan Zmijewski, filed a procedural motion in the federal case seeking a court order confirming it. Zmijewski represents the Tennessee father of the bullied boy. The initial complaint listed the boy's age as 12, but the family's attorney and arbitrator both noted the boy was 11 at the time of the alleged assault. School officials and the school's attorneys did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment. The private boarding school for grades 6 to 12 draws boys from around the country as it touts its ability to develop academic and leadership skills in a military environment. Tuition is $34,100 a year, according to its website. Arbitrator John Phillips of the American Arbitration Association found St. John's school was suffering from decreasing enrollment and did little review of applicants to determine their own safety or the safety of other students.
====================
Police: 29-Year-Old Wichita Man Shot by Officers Has Died
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A man who was shot last week by Wichita police officers has died. Wichita police said Monday that 29-year-old Geoffrey Morris, of Wichita, died from his injuries Saturday. Police say Morris was shot Thursday when officers tried to arrest him on an outstanding warrant. Police say Morris intentionally backed into a car then drove forward, causing officers to fear they could be run over or seriously hurt. Officers fired and hit Morris several times. Police say they tried several times before Thursday to talk Morris into surrendering peacefully. The two officers involved in shooting are a 13-year veteran and a five-year veteran. Both have been placed on administrative leave, which is standard in officer-involved shootings.
====================
Kansas Teacher Arrested After Allegation of Sex with Student
LIBERAL, Kan. (AP) — A southwest Kansas teacher has been arrested after police investigated an allegation that she had sex with a student. Liberal police said in a news release that the 25-year-old teacher was arrested Sunday. School administrators asked police to investigate allegations that the teacher had sexual relations with an 18-year-old student on Saturday. The release says the teacher has resigned from the school. Her name was not released. An affidavit was forwarded to the Seward County attorney's office seeking a charge of unlawful sexual relations.
====================
Dave? Dave? Kansas City Man Gets Tickets for Helping Chief
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A random act of kindness has netted AFC Championship tickets for a man called Dave who helped dig a Kansas City Chief out of the snow. Offensive linesman Jeff Allen posted on Twitter that his car got stuck as he was heading to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Indianapolis Colts in Saturday's playoff. Allen says "a nice guy named Dave," who didn't know he is a Chief, got him back on the road. The Chicago native asked his 21,000-plus followers to help him track down the Good Samaritan so he could reward him with tickets. Hundreds of people replied — many claiming to be Dave — and thousands retweeted the plea. On Sunday, Allen tweeted that he has found the real Dave "despite the recent influx in people changing their name to Dave in the KC area lol."
====================
Beef-Friendly Nebraska Eyes Regulations on the Word "Meat"
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — More than four months after Missouri became the first U.S. state to regulate the term "meat" on product labels, Nebraska's powerful farm groups are pushing for similar protection from veggie burgers, tofu dogs and other items that look and taste like meat. Nebraska lawmakers will consider a bill this year to prevent companies that package and sell food from advertising plant-based, insect-based and lab-grown products as meat. Similar measures are pending in Tennessee, Virginia and Wyoming. Critics say the measures infringe on companies' free-speech rights. In Nebraska, farm groups have found an unusual ally in state Senator Carol Blood, a vegetarian from suburban Omaha. Blood says Nebraska's agriculture industry needs to be protected for the good of the whole state. Nebraska is one of the nation's top states for livestock production.
====================
Crash That Killed 81-Year-Old Man Also Hurt Kansas Redshirt Safety
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a crash that killed a Kansas man also injured a University of Kansas football player and two others. The Kansas Highway Patrol says redshirt freshman safety Nicholas Caudle lost control of a pickup truck Friday on U.S. Highway 59 in Jefferson County. The 20-year-old from Atchison then struck a car, killing the 81-year-old driver, Lee Crum, of Oskaloosa. Caudle, another student in the pickup and Crum's passenger were taken to a hospital. KU football officials told the Lawrence Journal-World that they are "still learning the details" of the crash. Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff Herrig told WIBW that roads in the area were wet at the time of the crash, and rain was changing over to snow. He says it is possible slick roads were a factor in the wreck.
====================
Judge Certifies Lawsuit as Class Action in Dispute over Re-Incarcerations
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Thousands of people who were jailed in Missouri for violating their parole may be eligible for relief from a lawsuit alleging their re-incarcerations were illegal. KCUR Radio reports U.S. District Judge Stephen Bough certified as a class action a lawsuit filed in 2017 that argues the inmates were re-incarcerated for parole violation without hearings or legal representation. The MacArthur Justice Center in St. Louis filed the lawsuit. The center contends the Missouri Corrections Department and its Division of Probation and Parole ignored U.S. Supreme Court decisions establishing procedures for protecting parolees' due process rights. The class certified by Bough could cover as many as 15,000 paroled inmates. The center's director, Amy Breihan, says many parolees have been sent back to prison for technical violations, rather than for committing more crimes.
====================
Man Who Ran over Wichita Police Officer Sentenced
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 33-year-old man who ran over a Wichita police officer nearly two years ago has been sentenced to more than 28 years in prison. KAKE-TV reports Justin Terrazas was sentenced Monday to 28.4 years, which will run consecutive to an 11-year sentence in a separate case from Ellsworth County. Prosecutors say Terrazas ran over officer Brian Arterburn while fleeing in a stolen vehicle in February 2017 as Arterburn placed spike strips on a road in south Wichita. Arterburn, a 25-year police veteran, spent nearly 10 months in hospitals in Colorado and Texas. He returned to Wichita in November 2017 and took a medical retirement from the police department last year. Terrazas was on probation in Ellsworth County for introducing contraband into a correctional facility when he ran over Arterburn.
====================
Trial Moved to June 10 for Suspect in Triple Killing
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The trial of a man charged with fatally shooting three people in downtown Lawrence has been pushed back. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that lawyers for 21-year-old Anthony Roberts Jr., of Topeka, said Friday that they needed more time to prepare for the trial. It had been scheduled to begin February 4 but was moved to June 10. Prosecutors didn't object to the delay. Shaye Downing and another attorney were appointed to represent Roberts after his old attorney was kicked off the case over concerns about her competency. The concerns culminated in a judge declaring a mistrial in November. Roberts is charged with three murder counts and one attempted murder count. Two other suspects face less series charges in the October 2017 shooting.
====================
Report: Missouri is "Promised Land" for Polygamous Community
HUMANSVILLE, Mo. (AP) — For members of a polygamous community of about 400 people in rural Missouri, their enclave has always been the promised land. The group still practices plural marriage 35 years after it was established a 600-acre property between the towns of Humansville and Stockton in southwest Missouri. A report by The Salt Lake Tribune in collaboration with The Guardian looked at the community known as "The Ranch" to its residents and as "The Compound" to people in neighboring towns. Community residents include people from at least three polygamous sects as well as some with fundamentalist Mormon beliefs who do not affiliate with a church.
====================
Missouri River Water Levels Remain Elevated in Early 2019
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The amount of water being released into the lower Missouri River will remain elevated at the start of the year, but should return to normal levels throughout 2019. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the amount of water being released from Gavins Point Dam on the Nebraska-South Dakota border was recently increased to help clear out excess water collected last year. Those higher winter releases will help generate more power and clear out space for this spring's rain and melting snow. The 49.9 million acre feet of water that flowed into the Missouri River's reservoirs last year was the third-highest level on record. This year, officials expect the amount of water to be close to the average amount of 25.3 million acre feet.
====================
