Deep Freeze Envelops Midwest, Even Stops the Mail
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A deadly arctic deep freeze has enveloped the Midwest, forcing widespread closure of schools, businesses, government offices, and prompting the U.S. Postal Service to take the rare step of suspending mail delivery to a wide swath of the region. Many normal activities are shutting down and residents are huddled inside as the National Weather Service forecast plunging temperatures from one of the coldest air masses in years. The bitter cold is the result of a split in the polar vortex that allowed temperatures to plunge much further south in North America than normal. Officials throughout the region are focused on protecting vulnerable people from the cold, including the homeless, seniors and those living in substandard housing. At least four deaths have been linked to the weather system.
(-Related-)
Wind Topples Power Lines, Overturns at Least 1 Vehicle
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say wind gusts have toppled power lines and overturned at least one vehicle in northeast Kansas. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the National Weather Service has issued a wind chill watch from Tuesday evening through Wednesday morning for an area that included Topeka, where it predicted wind chill index readings would be between minus 10 degrees and minus 25 degrees. The Kansas Highway Patrol says a tractor-trailer "flipped" Monday on the Kansas Turnpike about 1 mile east of Lawrence as gusts of up to 56 mph were reported. Also Monday, downed lines left more than 2,600 Westar Energy customers without power, although only a handful remained in the dark by Tuesday.
====================
Governor Laura Kelly Revives 2017 Plan for Expanding Medicaid in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Governor Laura Kelly has revived a plan for expanding Medicaid in Kansas that was vetoed by a Republican predecessor. Kelly released proposed legislation Tuesday that would expand state health coverage for the needy to another 150,000 people starting in January 2020. Expanding Medicaid is a top priority for Kelly after she made it a key issue in her successful campaign last year. Kelly's plan is based on a Medicaid expansion bill passed by bipartisan legislative majorities in 2017. It was vetoed by then-Republican Governor Sam Brownback and supporters were unable to override his action. Top Republicans in the GOP-dominated Legislature still oppose the idea, viewing it as potentially too costly. Kelly's proposed annual budget includes $14 million for the expansion, but GOP leaders think that's too little.
====================
Proposed Amendment Would Effectively Ban Abortion in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas House will consider a state constitutional amendment that would grant human rights from the moment of fertilization, even as lawmakers await a state Supreme Court ruling on whether the constitution guarantees a right to abortion. The amendment, which was introduced Monday, is sponsored by 21 legislators. It would grant "inalienable rights, equal protection and due process of law of every human being from the beginning of the biological development of that human being, including fertilization," The Wichita Eagle reported. Supporters and opponents say the amendment would effectively ban abortion under state law, but it would continue to be legal under federal law. A state Supreme Court ruling that the constitution includes the right to an abortion would leave state-level abortion regulations open to more challenges.
"My purpose is to protect unborn babies and unborn children. I think they're persons," said Rep. Randy Garber, a Republican from Sabetha. "I think life begins at conception and they should have equal protection under our constitution." But Garber, who has offered the amendment before, said he didn't introduce it this session because of the pending Supreme Court ruling. Two-thirds of both the House and Senate would have to approve the amendment. It would then go to Kansas voters, with a majority needed to pass it.
====================
Kansas Drops Kobach's Appeal of Contempt Ruling
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas attorney general says the state has dropped former Secretary of State Kris Kobach's appeal of a contempt order arising from a lawsuit over a proof-of-citizenship law. Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced Tuesday that the state dropped the appeal after the American Civil Liberties Union accepted $20,000 for attorney fees and expenses. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the state's obligation was $26,200 before the deal was reached. U.S. District Court Judge Julie Robinson found Kobach in contempt of court last year for failing to follow her instructions in ACLU's lawsuit challenging a statue requiring Kansans to show proof of citizenship when registering to vote. The settlement doesn't affect the state's appeal of Robinson's ruling that the proof-of-citizenship law is unconstitutional.
====================
Kansas Measure Would End Election Chief's Power to Prosecute
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A proposal to strip the Kansas secretary of state's office of its power to prosecute voter fraud cases has cleared its first major hurdle in the Legislature. The bill endorsed Wednesday by a House committee would dismantle a key piece of former Secretary of State Kris Kobach's political legacy. The Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee's unanimous voice vote sends the bill to the House for debate. Kobach received prosecution power in 2015 after arguing that his office needed the power to pursue cases on its own because local prosecutors often don't have time. He is an attorney but new Secretary of State Scott Schwab is not. Schwab and Attorney General Derek Schmidt backed the bill. Kobach left office earlier this month after losing the governor's race last year.
====================
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit over Dodge City Polling Site
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed against a western Kansas county after the only polling site in Dodge City was moved outside of town before the November election. U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree on Wednesday granted an unopposed motion filed last week by the American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas to voluntarily dismiss the litigation. The decision was made after Ford County Clerk Debbie Cox announced plans to open two voting sites in Dodge City for future elections. The ACLU sued Cox in October, arguing that moving the polling site made it more difficult for the city's majority Hispanic population to vote. Cox said she moved the site because of construction at the traditional polling site at the civic center in the mostly white part of town.
====================
Kansas AG: Sanctions Against Kris Kobach Settled in Voting Suit
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas' attorney general says his office has negotiated an agreement for the secretary of state's office to pay $20,000 over former Secretary Kris Kobach's conduct in a federal voting-rights lawsuit. Attorney General Derek Schmidt said Tuesday that the payment will offset attorney fees and expenses incurred by the American Civil Liberties Union's clients. The ACLU challenged a Kansas law requiring new voters to provide proof of their U.S. citizenship when registering. U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson put the law on hold and found Kobach in contempt in April 2018, saying he didn't see that counties properly registered voters. Robinson later struck down the law and sanctioned Kobach by awarding the ACLU's clients $26,215 for attorney fees and expenses. Kobach left office earlier this month after losing the 2018 governor's race.
=====================
Kansas Official: Transfers, Double-Bunking Factors in Riots
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The new head of Kansas's prison system is telling legislators that more frequent inmate transfers and housing offenders two to a cell helped contribute to several riots during the past two years. Interim Corrections Secretary Roger Werholtz's assessment of the factors behind inmate disturbances led lawmakers to say Wednesday that they previously did not have the full picture of what happened. Werholtz has painted a picture of a prison system in crisis in briefings for lawmakers this week. He has suggested that understaffing is compromising safety and said several prisons sustained serious damage from riots in 2017 and 2018. The department's officials previously had acknowledged that some inmates were upset by being moved but rejected the idea that increasing the number housed two to a cell was a factor.
====================
Company Closing in Edgerton Will Cost More Than 100 Jobs
EDGERTON, Kan. (AP) — A global transportation and supply chain management company is closing its Edgerton location, putting 136 people out of work. Joseph Checkler, spokesman for XPO Logistics says the company's main customer closed its operations in Edgerton. He didn't identify the customer. KCUR reports the employees were informed of the shutdown earlier this month. The company, headquartered in Greenwich, Connecticut, is one of the world's largest providers of transportation and logistics services. In Edgerton, it operated in the 1,700-acre Logistics Park, a rail intermodal and warehouse district that has been a boon for the Edgerton economy.
====================
Lab Owner Told to Pay $544,000 for Environmental Violation
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The owner of a defunct laboratory in Lenexa has been ordered to pay $544,287 for storing hazardous waste without a license. U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister announced Tuesday that 63-year-old Ahmed El-Sherif was found guilty of storing the waste at Beta Chem Laboratory. Kansas health officials took control of the laboratory in 2013. Environmental Protection Agency agents found numerous containers of hazardous wastes and radiation contamination during a search in January 2014. During a bench trial, U.S. District Court Judge Julie Robinson found that Beta Chem was a defunct operation by 2012 and hazardous chemicals were being stored rather than performing decommissioning and decontamination at the facility. El-Sherif was found not guilty of obstructing a federal investigation. He will serve two years of probation.
====================
KBI Helping Investigate Hidden Camera at Girls' Tournament
LINCOLN, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is helping with an investigation into a hidden video camera at a girls basketball tournament in north-central Kansas. The Lincoln County Sheriff's Office says the camera was found Jan. 16 in a restroom area at a tournament in Lincoln. The Hays Post reports the KBI said a juvenile suspect has been identified but no one has been arrested. Lincoln County authorities have released no additional details.
====================
Man with Airsoft Gun Shot, Killed by Kansas Sheriff's Deputy
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a man who was fatally shot by a Kansas sheriff's deputy had brandished an airsoft gun that resembles an actual firearm but shoots only nonlethal plastic pellets. Sedgwick County sheriff's Capt. Greg Pollock says the shooting happened Monday after deputies received a tip that a man with a felony drug warrant was going to be at a storage unit south of Wichita. The man was identified Tuesday as 55-year-old David Michael Bosiljevac, of Wichita. Pollock says Bosiljevac ignored commands to stop and pointed what appeared to be a pistol at a deputy. Pollock says the deputy fired several rounds because he feared for his life and the life of the other deputy. Bosiljevac died at the scene. An airsoft gun was recovered next to the suspect.
====================
Kansas Man Faces Hearing in Home Break-in Sexual Assaults
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors will make their case Wednesday that there is a sufficient evidence for a suburban Kansas City man to be tried in the sexual assaults of three women during home break-ins. The Kansas City Star reports that 18-year-old William Louis Elliott, of Overland Park, is jailed on $75,000 bond on charges of rape, sodomy, sexual battery and burglary in the sexual assaults. Prosecutors say they happened within a few days of each other in September and October. Police in Shawnee and Overland Park investigated. Details of the crimes are expected to be part of the testimony at the preliminary hearing.
====================
Twice-Convicted Rapist Arrested Again in Topeka
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A twice convicted Kansas rapist who has spent more than half his life in prison has been arrested in another sexual assault. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Shawnee County Jail records show that 58-year-old Billy Jack Hayes was booked early Monday on suspicion of rape in one case and aggravated burglary and misdemeanor sexual battery in another case. No charges were immediately filed. Kansas Department of Corrections records show that Hayes has been in and out of prison for the past four decades. He has convictions for rapes and other crimes committed in 1974 and 1984 in Shawnee County. He was paroled most recently in September.
====================
Mom Went to Kansas Bar, Left 2 Toddlers in Car on Cold Night
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a mother has been arrested after going to a Lawrence bar and leaving her two toddlers in a vehicle parked outside on a dangerously cold night. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that police responded around 1:30 a.m. Wednesday to a report that a customer was trying to get back into the bar after she was kicked out. Staff told police that the woman had been at the bar while her 2- and 3-year-old children stayed unattended in the vehicle as temperatures were in the single digits amid a polar vortex. Officer Derrick Smith says the woman left before police arrived, but officers stopped her vehicle. He says the children weren't hurt, although they were left "without heat for a substantial amount of time." The woman has been booked into jail on suspicion of child endangerment and drunken driving.
====================
Shawnee Man Wins $22K in Kansas Lottery
SHAWNEE, Kan. (AP) — A suburban Kansas City man says he discovered he had won $22,000 in the Kansas Lottery when he was bickering with his wife about how much he spends on lottery tickets. Shawnee resident and avid lottery player Louis Kronawitter tells the Topeka Capital-Journal that he and his wife were surprised when he found the winning 2by2 Quick Pick ticket last week. The Kansas Lottery confirmed the jackpot Tuesday. Lottery officials say 2by2 is a daily game that offers players eight ways to win. It has a top prize of $22,000. Kronawitter says he's always known he would win a jackpot and that he believes he'll win again someday. Kronawitter says he plans to give a portion of his winnings to his church and use the rest to help his family.
====================
Deputy Shoots, Wounds Suspect in Wichita During Pursuit
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a sheriff's deputy has shot and wounded a suspect after the 50-year-old rammed a patrol vehicle in Wichita. KSNW-TV reports that the shooting happened Tuesday night after the suspect fled in a pickup truck after a traffic violation. Sedgwick County Sheriff Colonel Brian Pollack says that when truck rammed a police vehicle, one of the deputies on scene fired his weapon, striking the suspect. The suspect was transported to a hospital with serious injuries. The suspect's name wasn't immediately released.
====================
Suspect Pleads Not Guilty in Deadly 2006 Fire in Topeka
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A 43-year-old Topeka man who was once convicted of setting a fire that killed a 53-year-old woman has pleaded not guilty in a court-ordered retrial. WIBW-TV reports Frank Jerome Robinson entered the plea Monday to charges connected to a fire that destroyed an apartment house in 2006, killing 53-year-old Marvina Washington. He is charged with reckless second-degree murder and aggravated arson. A trial date was not scheduled. Robinson was convicted in 2009 of reckless second-degree murder and aggravated arson. He was sentenced to 36.5 years in prison. The Kansas Court of appeals ruled in January that Robinson should receive a new trial because his attorney at the original trial didn't provide an adequate defense.
====================
Kansas Man Indicted for Threatening Anti-Abortion Workers
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Federal prosecutors have accused a Wichita man of threatening workers of the anti-abortion group Operation Rescue. A four-count indictment on Wednesday charges 22-year-old Christopher M. Thompson with making threats to injure a person. The indictment alleges Thompson made calls on Aug. 14 threatening to kill Operation Rescue employees and rape their daughters. The government said in a news release that Thompson faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250 if convicted. Online court records do not indicate whether he has an attorney yet.
====================
Kansas Pharmacy to Pay $9.5 Million Settlement in Fraud Case
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A small pharmacy based in Overland Park will pay $9.5 million to settle a federal health care fraud lawsuit. The Kansas City Star reports $1.5 million of that will go to Emily Barnes, of Lenexa, who filed a whistleblower lawsuit against Stark Pharmacy in 2015. She alleged she saw several types of health care fraud, including changing prescriptions without a doctor's authorization and charging full price for prescriptions that weren't totally full. The federal government intervened in that lawsuit, which named Stark Pharmacy and its three pharmacists. Barnes's attorney, Graves Garrett, said Stark reached the settlement in December. The lawsuit said Stark's routinely automatically refilled prescriptions for a pain cream that had an average profit of $2,000 per prescription when billed to Medicaid, whether the patient wanted it or not.
====================
Man Convicted in 2015 Dodge City Homicide
DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 31-year-old Dodge City man has been found guilty of first-degree murder in a 2015 shooting death. Julio Fraire was convicted Tuesday after a five-day trial. Prosecutors say 32-year-old Ramiro Nicolas Bernal was shot to death on July 25, 2015 in the parking lot of the Dodge City Daily Globe . Fraire was arrested and charged in October 2016. Besides the murder charge, Fraire also was convicted of criminal possession of a weapon by a felon. The newspaper's parking lot was being used as overflow parking for a concert Bernal attended. Prosecutors say Fraire shot Bernal six times before fleeing the scene. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.
====================
Kansas Man Killed When Trailer Backs over Him in Rose Hill
ROSE HILL, Kan. (AP) — Federal health inspectors are investigating after a 38-year-old Sedgwick County man died when a trailer backed over him. The Butler County Sheriff's Office said 38-year-old Stephen Farmer, of Sedgwick County, died early Wednesday in Rose Hill. Emergency crews found Farmer on the ground behind a truck, which had a flatbed trailer carrying a piece of loading equipment. The sheriff's office says a man driving the truck was turning around in a parking lot when the trailer hit Farmer. He fell and the right tires of the trailer ran over him. He died at the scene. Detectives determined the death was an accident and no charges are being pursued. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration sent investigators to the scene.
====================
Train, Leopard Habitat Part of Sedgwick County Zoo Upgrade
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Sedgwick County Zoo is planning a $15 million upgrade that will include a new habitat for a highly endangered Amur leopard and a train to transport guests. The Wichita Eagle reports that $6 million will come from the county and the rest from the community. They money also will be used to upgrade the zoo's entryway and gift shop. Zoo spokeswoman Jennica King said the private fund-raising effort will officially launch as soon as the county approves its funding, which is expected to happen Wednesday. The zoo already has received a $2 million "challenge grant" from a donor who will match other donations to that amount. The goal is to have the upgrades to the zoo in Wichita completed in time for its 50th anniversary in 2021.
====================
Chiefs Plan $10 Million in Renovations to Arrowhead Stadium
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs are planning more than $10 million in upgrades to Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs announced Monday that the renovations will include a "modernization" of the Arrowvision scoreboard, along with waterproofing and new seats — with cup holders — in the stadium's upper deck. Chiefs President Mark Donovan said in a news release that the last stadium renovation was completed a decade ago. The scoreboard will remain the same size but will have new LED panels to improve clarity. The work could begin next week. The Kansas City Star reports the Chiefs are paying for the work but can ask to be reimbursed by the Jackson County Sports Complex Authority. The Chiefs also announced Tuesday that the team's training camp will be at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph again this year.
====================
2019 William Allen White Award Goes to AP's Sally Buzbee
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Sally Buzbee, the executive editor of The Associated Press, is this year's recipient of the William Allen White Foundation award, which recognizes individuals for outstanding journalistic service. The foundation announced Tuesday that Buzbee, a Kansas native and 1988 graduate of the University of Kansas journalism school, will receive the award April 11 in Lawrence, Kansas. Buzbee became the news agency's executive editor in January 2017. Her AP career began in 1988 as a reporter in Topeka. Other assignments included correspondent in San Diego, assistant chief of bureau in the Washington bureau, AP's Middle East editor and deputy managing editor of the AP's Nerve Center in New York. She became Washington bureau chief in 2010. During her tenure, the bureau's investigative team won a Pulitzer Prize. The William Allen White Foundation is a complement to the University of Kansas' William Allen White School of Journalism designed to promote excellence in journalism.
====================
