About 550 Federal Workers in Kansas Apply for Unemployment
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Department of Revenue says hundreds of furloughed federal employees have applied for unemployment as the partial government shutdown continues. WIBW-TV reports the agency has received 549 unemployment claims through Wednesday. Federal employees who are working full time without pay during the shutdown are not eligible for unemployment. Labor officials say federal workers applying for unemployment should be prepared to provide wage verification because the agency may not be able to reach their employers during the shutdown. Workers will have to repay unemployment benefits if they receive back pay when the government reopens.
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Kansas Governor Creates Advisory Group to Improve Education
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Laura Kelly has signed an executive order creating an advisory group that aims to improve education in Kansas. The governor told reporters Thursday that educating children is one of the most important obligations of elected leaders and one of the best economic and civic investments to make in Kansas. The Governor's Council on Education will look for ways to enhance early childhood education, create relationships between the education and the business community and develop partnerships to address workforce needs in Kansas. Kelly says improving education means not only fully funding public schools, but also looking for ways to evaluate and innovate from early childhood all the way through to the workforce. The group, which builds on the work of a previous education council, will hold its first meeting Wednesday.
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CIA Director Mike Pompeo Deflects Kansas Senate Talk, Says He Has "Full Plate"
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is deflecting speculation that he might run for Senate in Kansas, saying he has a "very full plate" in his current job. Pompeo was asked Wednesday night in a Fox News television interview about whether he might run next year for the seat held by retiring Republican Senator Pat Roberts. He stopped short of ruling it out but said his "singular focus" is his work as the nation's top diplomat under President Donald Trump. He acknowledged receiving encouragement from several Republicans to seek the seat. At least seven Republicans have said they're interested in running. Pompeo represented a Wichita-area district in the House for six years before Trump named him CIA director in 2017. He became secretary of state in April 2018.
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Man Who Attacked Kansas Deputy Pleads to Missouri Rape
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — A 41-year-old man who raped a Kansas sheriff's deputy has pleaded guilty to a second rape in Missouri. William Luth pleaded guilty Thursday and was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the attack on an Independence, Missouri, woman in February 2016. The Kansas City Star reports that sentence will run concurrently with a 41-year sentence Luth received for attacking a Johnson County, Kansas, sheriff's deputy in October 2016. Prosecutors charged Luth and another man, Brady Newman-Caddell, in the both crimes. The Missouri woman was attacked as she slept, with her 2-year-old daughter on the bed next to her. No suspects were identified until DNA was found after the Kansas attack. Newman-Caddell on Wednesday asked to withdraw his guilty plea in the Kansas case and go to trial.
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Man Asks to Change Guilty Plea in Deputy's Kidnapping, Rape
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A suspect in the ambush, kidnapping and rape of a Johnson County sheriff's deputy wants to withdraw his guilty plea. The Kansas City Star reports 23-year-old Brady Newman-Caddell, of Independence, Missouri, was scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty in May to the attack. Instead, he asked to withdraw his plea and go to trial. His attorney, Zane Todd, then withdrew from the case. His co-defendant, 26-year-old William Luth, of Blue Springs, Missouri, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 41 years in prison. Court testimony indicated the two men kidnapped the deputy as she arrived for work, forced her into a car and took turns raping and sodomizing her. Newman-Caddell and Luth also are suspected of attacking an Independence, Missouri, woman several months before the deputy was attacked.
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Topeka Worker Finds Injured Homeless Man with Dog
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An employee of a business at a Topeka shopping center found an injured homeless man curled up in a fenced-off area with a small black dog at his side. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the homeless man told the employee who found him Wednesday at the Holliday Square shopping center that he had fallen and hurt his hip and had been laying there about seven days. Two snowfalls had occurred during that time with temperatures dipping into the single digits. Police say the man had no shoes and his feet were wrapped in socks. He was treated in an ambulance but refused to go to the hospital. Animal control officers placed the dog in a shelter for safe-keeping. The man's name and condition weren't immediately available.
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Gun Safe Had Been Locked Before Deadly Shooting of Boy in Wichita
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say an 11-year-old boy and his 9-year-old friend managed to unlock a bedroom gun safe before the older boy fatally shot the younger child in a Wichita mobile home. The Wichita Eagle reports that Officer Charley Davidson said Tuesday in an email that the family who lives in the home didn't know that the gun was loaded when Roy'Ale Spencer was killed. Davidson said the children got into the safe Monday after the adults in the home left for work, leaving three teens in charge. Students in Wichita public schools were out of class Monday for Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Inside the safe were two rifle-style BB guns and one shotgun, which had ammunition in it. After Spencer was shot, one teen attempted lifesaving efforts and called 911.
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Winter Storm Cancels Classes in Kansas and Missouri
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Hundreds of public schools and several universities in Kansas and Missouri are closing or starting late after a winter storm hit the region. Freezing rain that was coated with a layer of 1 to 3 inches of snow has slickened roads for the Wednesday commute. The Kansas Department of Transportation warned drivers to expect ice, especially on bridges. The University of Kansas and Missouri Western State University will be closed, while Baker University and Emporia State University are opening late. Among the Kansas districts canceling classes are Emporia, Atchison, Lawrence, Shawnee Mission and Topeka. Closures in Missouri included St. Joseph and Kansas City. For Riley announced it is operating with minimal manning and limited services. And the Kansas Legislature and state offices will open late.
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New Kansas House Rules Still Allow Unrecorded Votes on Bills
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Some Democrats are protesting new rules in the Kansas House because they still allow unrecorded votes by committees on legislation. The House approved its operating rules Wednesday on a 104-15 vote. The rules will be in effect for 2019 and 2020. Leaders from both parties said the rules contain changes designed to make the legislative process more open. They require more disclosure of information about who seeks bills and are aimed at making it easier to track when they're completely rewritten. But some Democrats said the changes aren't significant and that the GOP-controlled House needs to require recorded votes on legislation in committee. Most committee members' votes are not recorded. It's a long-standing practice. Top House Republicans said requiring recorded votes in committee would slow their work down.
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Kansas Governor Wants Review of State Sentencing Guidelines
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly says she wants a review of state sentencing guidelines. The Democratic governor said in an interview Tuesday with The Topeka Capital-Journal's editorial board that she wants to redirect an overcrowded prison population to receive treatment instead of a cell. Kelly says many of the people who are incarcerated don't belong in prison. They lose their job, their family and become unemployable. Prison reform could find bipartisan support in the Legislature. Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning says he thinks it would get a lot of attention, adding it's been talked about not only in Kansas but nationally. Kelly says rehabilitation programs elsewhere have led to declines in recidivism. She wants the new head of the Kansas Department of Corrections to evaluate the prison system.
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Kansas Offers Unemployment Benefits to Furloughed Workers
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Department of Labor says federal employees who are furloughed during the partial government shutdown can seek unemployment benefits. The Salina Journal reports that federal workers in Kansas can apply for unemployment benefits by calling the department's Unemployment Contact Center. The state says federal employees who are still working full-time without pay during the shutdown won't be eligible. Kansas labor officials say federal workers should be prepared to provide wage verification because the agency may be unable to reach their employers as the five-week old stalemate over President Donald Trump's demand for border wall funding endures. Workers will have to repay unemployment benefits if they receive back pay once the government is reopened. Trump signed legislation last week to guarantee back pay to federal employees once the shutdown ends.
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Kansas to Use Gift for Chemical Engineering Research Lab
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas plans to use a $1 million gift to establish a new chemical engineering research laboratory. Richard and Elizabeth Hoover, of Northport Michigan, both graduated from the university in 1971. They now live in Northport, Michigan. Richard Hoover said in a news release that he hopes the lab will give students more hands-on research experience so they will be better prepared for the job market. Richard Hoover worked in several positions for Dow Corning, including as CEO of Dow Corning Asia in Tokyo for six years. His wife worked for the pharmaceutical company Hoffman-La Roche in New York as an analytical chemist until they started their family.
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Lawrence Police: Subway Robbery Report Was a Hoax
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Lawrence police say an employee at a Subway restaurant apparently made up an armed robbery in order to steal money from the business. The armed robbery was reported Tuesday. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the Subway employee initially reported being outside the restaurant when a man with a knife demanded cash. The employee described the suspect and said he ran away from the Subway. Police said Thursday investigators found information that didn't match the employee's statement and determined the theft was committed internally. Sgt. Amy Rhoads said stolen money was recovered. No one has been arrested but Rhoads said police intend to submit affidavits for the district attorney's office to consider charging the suspect and an accomplice.
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17-Year-Old Fatally Shot in Overland Park Home
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Overland Park police say a 17-year-old male was fatally shot in his home and the case is being investigated as a homicide. Police spokesman John Lacy says officers were called to the teenager's apartment Wednesday evening. He was identified Thursday as Ben Workman. The preliminary investigation indicates Workman had two visitors and a fight broke out before he was shot. Neighbors told police they heard a disturbance in the victim's apartment and saw two men running down the stairs. Information about possible suspects has not been released.
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2 More Lawsuits Filed Against Newman University in Wichita
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The number of lawsuits alleging that a private Catholic college in Wichita unfairly fired employees has grown to four with the filing of two new ones. The Wichita Eagle reports that former Newman University counseling program director John Walker claims in one of the new suits that his 2018 firing was retaliation for reporting information about an October 2017 overdose death at an off-campus party. The gathering led to the temporary suspension of three baseball players. The other suit was filed by former School of Social Work director Sue Ellen Gardner, who says she was terminated without good cause. Newman spokesman Clark Schafer called Walker's allegations "without merit" and said the school couldn't comment on Gardner's lawsuit because it hadn't been formally served. A former Newman education professor and human resources director also have sued.
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Fire Official: Wichita Victim Was Smoking While Using Oxygen
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita's fire marshal says a 58-year-old man who died in a house fire was smoking while using oxygen. Battalion Chief Jim Wilson says crews were called to a home in south Wichita early Thursday after a passerby reported seeing smoke coming from the home. The victim was found dead in a bedroom, where the fire was burning. KAKE-TV reports Fire Marshal Stuart Bevis said the fire is believed to have been sparked by the victim smoking while using oxygen. It caused $55,000 in damage to the home and its contents.
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Woman Convicted in Drug-Deal Robbery Shooting at Kansas Park
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Lawrence woman has pleaded no contest in a drug-deal robbery in which a 17-year-old was shot and critically wounded. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that 19-year-old Ardyn Pannell, of Lawrence, entered the plea Wednesday to counts of robbery and conspiracy to commit robbery. An attempted second-degree murder case is pending against Pannell's former boyfriend, 19-year-old Michael Hormell, of Lawrence. The affidavit says Pannell and Hormell set up a January 2018 drug buy with the victim at a Lawrence park. But authorities say their plan was to rob him. Pannell is accused of pulling the trigger. The victim was flown to a hospital in critical condition with a chest wound but survived. Pannell's sentencing is scheduled for May 13.
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Man Driving When Missouri Boy Was Fatally Shot Gets 15 Years
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A man who was driving a vehicle when a passenger started shooting at a Missouri home, killing a sleeping 3-year-old boy, has been sentenced to 15 years in prison. KMBC reports 26-year-old SirTerry Stevenson pleaded guilty Wednesday to second-degree murder and three other charges in the May 2015 death of Amorian Hale. Investigators say Stevenson was driving a vehicle when a passenger fired at a Kansas City home where the boy's family lived. Bullets from an assault-style rifle struck the house. The boy was struck in the head and died instantly. The passenger who fired the shot, Dominique Marchbanks, was sentenced to life plus 165 years in prison in December 2018. Two adults and three other children in the home were not injured.
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Choreographer, Coach Deny Saying Student's Skin "Too Dark"
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The former coach and a choreographer for a Kansas high school dance team are denying they prevented a black student from performing during an event because her skin was "too dark" and clashed with the costumes. Former student Camille Sturdivant has sued the Blue Valley School District, alleging she was discriminated against after complaining about how she was treated. Choreographer Kevin Murakami released a statement Tuesday saying the allegation was "absolute nonsense." He says he treated all dancers with respect. The lawsuit also alleges Murakami and former coach Carley Fine exchanged racist text messages about Sturdivant after she was named to the University of Missouri dance team. Fine was fired a day after the principal became aware of the messages. Fine told WDAF-TV the accusations are "false and/or misleading." She says her lawyers told her not to comment further.
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Kansas City Man Pleads Guilty, Sentenced for Triple Killing
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 26-year-old Kansas City man pleaded guilty to killing three people, including a 1-year-old boy. Joseph Nelson was scheduled to go to trial this week for the killings of 18-year-old Shannon Rollins Jr., 17-year-old Bianca Fletcher and Fletcher's son, Joseph. Instead, he pleaded guilty Thursday to three counts of second-degree murder, armed criminal action and witness tampering. He was sentenced to 33 years in prison, with three of those years added because Nelson tampered with a potential witness by trying to persuade the witness to say someone else committed the murders. Prosecutors say the victims were killed in September 2015 after Fletcher and Nelson got into an argument and she threw a diaper at him. Nelson killed Fletcher, then shot the baby and Rollins.
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3 Men, Including 1 from Missouri, Charged with Conspiracy to Make "Swatting" Calls
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Three men have been charged with conspiracy to help a Los Angeles man make phony emergency "swatting" calls around the nation in hopes of sending police to the scene or forcing building evacuations. Federal indictments unsealed Wednesday in Los Angeles allege they conspired with Tyler Barriss in 2017 to make bomb and shooting reports to police, a high school and convention center in Connecticut, Texas, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri and Illinois. Barriss pleaded guilty in November to making hoax calls, including one that led a Wichita, Kansas, police officer answering a shooting call to kill an innocent man. The Los Angeles indictment names Neal Patel of Des Plaines, Illinois; Tyler Stewart of Gulf Breeze, Florida; and Logan Patten of Greenwood, Missouri. Two are in custody. It's unclear if the men have lawyers.
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Prosecutors Charge Disbarred Wichita Attorney with Embezzlement
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Federal prosecutors have charged a disbarred Wichita attorney with embezzling more than $132,000 from a bankruptcy estate. A criminal information filed Wednesday in federal court in Kansas charges Christopher W. O'Brien with one count of embezzlement and two counts of making false statements. Court records do not list a defense attorney. The government alleges O'Brien was acting as an attorney in the bankruptcy case of RCCA Well Service, LLC, when he stole between 2011 and 2014 money belonging to the estate. O'Brien is also charged with making false statements in sworn affidavits related to bankruptcy cases for RCCA Well Service and Machining Program Manufacturing, Inc. His first court appearance is February 6.
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Illinois Ends Participation in Multi-State Voter Database
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois State Board of Elections has voted to end the state's participation in a multistate voter registration system. Board spokesman Matt Dietrich said Wednesday that the board voted 8-0 Tuesday to withdraw from the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program. Critics have said the program is inaccurate and vulnerable to hackers. The database is run through the Kansas secretary of state's office and checks if voters are illegally registered in multiple states.
The board has the final say over whether Illinois participates in the program. Eight other states have left due to security risks and data reliability concerns. Former Governor Bruce Rauner last year vetoed a bill that would have ended the state's participation in the program. He argued leaving would hinder Illinois' ability to cross-reference voter information from various states.
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USFS Executives Urge Full Investigation in Coughlin Case
DETROIT (AP) — Two U.S. Figure Skating executives urged a full investigation into abuse allegations against former skater and coach John Coughlin, who killed himself last week. Both officials at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships mentioned there were assertions of sexual misconduct but would not elaborate. Coughlin, a two-time national pairs champion, received an interim suspension from the U.S. Center for SafeSport and USFS a week ago for unspecified conduct. He was barred from any activities sanctioned by the skating body or the U.S. Olympic Committee. He then was found dead in Kansas City, Missouri, on Friday. Anne Cammett, president of the federation, and David Raith, USFS executive director, said Thursday they have reached out to SafeSport.
"When allegations of abuse are made, we need to make sure the process is fair and carried out to the fullest extent under the circumstances," Cammett said.
Added Raith: "Whenever an allegation of sexual misconduct comes to light, it's upsetting for everyone."
