CEO Confident Struggling Horton Hospital Will Remain Open
HORTON, Kan. (AP) — The CEO of a northeast Kansas hospital that is facing financial struggles says he is confident the hospital will remain open. Ty Compton on Monday acknowledged problems at Horton Community Hospital but said employees and its corporate owner, EmpowerHMS, are working diligently to keep the hospital open. It offers 25-bed critical care access, a rural health clinic and an emergency room in the town of 1,700. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the hospital recently hasn't had enough money to buy supplies, food, or medications and employees haven't received some promised health benefits. Compton says the hospital is meeting patients' needs and hasn't had to transfer or divert any patients because of lack of supplies. Gerald Kratochvil, a spokesman for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said the agency is looking into the situation at Horton.
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Official: Horton Hospital Struggling with Lack of Funds
HORTON, Kan. (AP) — A northeast Kansas hospital run by a troubled hospital management company is operating without enough supplies or the necessary funds to buy medications and food for patients, according to its chief nursing officer. Krissy Torkelson said she has had to negotiate with city officials to keep the lights on at Horton Community Hospital and trash piled up because the bill wasn't paid, The Topeka Capital-Journal reported. Torkelson said employees weren't paid on Friday but were assured they would be paid Monday. The hospital in the town of about 1,700 people is operated by EmpowerHMS, a subsidiary of The Empower Group. That Florida-based corporation has struggled to pay its bills across the country and was recently removed as operator of the hospital in Hillsboro, Kansas, because of funding problems. Hospital CEO Ty Compton attributed the lack of paychecks on Friday to a problem transferring money between bank accounts, according to an email obtained by the Capital-Journal.
Messages left Monday for Empower officials, Compton and Torkelson were not immediately returned. Torkelson said the hospital has been cleaning out freezers to provide food for patients, the business office's utilities were cut off and the accounts payable list is close to $1 million for vendors who are owed money. Torkelson said she spent four hours on New Year's Eve negotiating with Police Chief John Calhoon, who is acting city administrator, to keep electricity on at the hospital. The business office was shut off but Calhoon won't shut off the hospital because of employees and patients, she said. She said employees also have encountered problems with promised benefits and questions about their insurance coverage. In an email from Compton to the staff last week, he said EmpowerHMS has agreed to pay back insurance premiums that were withheld. He said he is negotiating over problems with 2018 insurance claims not being paid and insurance for 2019 has been prepaid after the hospital switched to another insurer. The hospital's 40 to 50 full-time employees have become increasingly frustrated, Torkelson said, and she's not sure how long employees will stay. "I have nothing to offer you guys to stay here," she said. "They haven't gotten raises for years."
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Kansas Spent at Least $414,000 Repairing Prisons After Riots
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas spent at least $414,000 repairing damage and replacing equipment after inmate riots at three prisons in 2017 and 2018, corrections officials reported, surprising some state lawmakers Tuesday with the amount of expenses. The figures represented the first attempt by the state Department of Corrections to calculate for legislators the cost of the damage from four major disturbances. "That amount is startling to me," said Sen. Rick Billinger, a Goodland Republican and chairman of a Senate budget subcommittee on corrections, whose district includes a low-security prison in Norton where a 2017 riot occurred. "It's concerning any time there's damage done and we're having to use taxpayer dollars to do the repairs." Interim Corrections Secretary Roger Werholtz has suggested in legislative briefings that the prison system is in crisis , facing persistent staffing problems and facilities made more volatile by housing too many inmates two-to-a-cell. He was corrections secretary from December 2002 through 2010 and returned last month when Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly took office. Under Republican Governors Sam Brownback and Jeff Colyer, the department acknowledged staffing problems but avoided calling the disturbances riots. It said that the riots together resulted in only a few minor injuries to staff or inmates. But Werholtz last week released several dozen photos from two disturbances at the state's maximum-security prison in El Dorado in June 2017 and July 2018, the Norton riot in September 2017 and a disturbance at the state's correctional mental health center in November 2018 . They show broken windows, smashed-up bathrooms and trashed offices. Department officials said their cost figures are likely low because they don't have complete calculations for staff overtime or the expense of calling in teams from other facilities to help with the riots. About half of the costs — nearly $208,000 — came from repairing damaged buildings. "That's money we don't have to spend on things it needs to be spent on," Werholtz said Tuesday. "They just ate the costs."
Representative Russ Jennings, a Lakin Republican and House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee chairman, said without such figures, lawmakers "didn't know the scope of those disturbances." "How can the Legislature respond to an agency's needs if we don't have a clear picture of what's going on, on the ground?" Jennings said.
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KBI Looks into Clergy Sexual Abuse in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says it is investigating reports of sexual abuse by clergy in the state's four Catholic dioceses. In a news release issued today (TUE), the KBI encouraged all victims of clergy abuse to contact the agency - no matter when the alleged abuse occurred or whether it had already been reported to the church or the police. The KBI appointed a task force of six special agents who will investigate abuse reports of clergy sexual abuse from the public and review church documents.
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Natural Gas Prices Going Up in Kansas
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The Kansas Corporation Commission has approved a rate increase that will cost Kansas Gas customers an average of $2.40 per month. Kansas Gas Service had sought an increase that would have increased average customer bills by nearly $6 per month. The new rates will take effect tomorrow (WED).
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Photojournalist with Kansas Connection Remembered as Innovator, Problem-Solver
ATLANTA (AP) _ Jim Dietz, who helped photojournalists to document history on the world's biggest stages, died while on assignment to cover the Super Bowl in Atlanta. He was 53. Dietz died Jan. 30 while coordinating Getty Images' photo coverage of Super Bowl 53. His death was confirmed by the company and his loved ones. Before he joined Getty Images, Dietz spent about 20 years with The Associated Press, photographing events worldwide, editing pictures, developing new products and coordinating photo coverage of major events. Colleagues say Dietz was a creative innovator and a master problem solver. Mike Stewart, an AP regional photo editor based in Atlanta, said Dietz always worked to get the best pictures out fast. Stewart said Dietz was adept at finding solutions when technical challenges arose. Dietz's partner Diane Turner says a memorial ceremony is planned for February 16 in Ottawa, Kansas.
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Kansas Governor Tries to Sell Wary Retirees on Pensions Plan
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Governor Laura Kelly is trying to sell wary retired teachers and government workers on her plan to reduce the state's annual payments to its public pension system. Kelly made her pitch Monday during a retirees' rally at the Statehouse amid widespread opposition to her pension plan among Republicans in the GOP-controlled Legislature. The governor contends her plan would make the state's annual pension payments more manageable as it closes a long-term funding gap. Her plan would give the state lower payments for 17 years and save $145 million during the budget year that begins in July. But Kansas would wait 15 years longer to close its pension funding gap and that has Republicans opposing the plan. The retirees at the Statehouse rally appeared split over the idea.
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Woman Guilty of Murder in Shooting, Burning of Ex-Boyfriend
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A woman has been convicted of killing her ex-boyfriend whose body was found inside a burning home near Lawrence. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that jurors deliberated 1½ hours Friday and Monday before finding 39-year-old Tria Evans guilty of first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit murder, arson and aggravated burglary in the November 2017 killing of 34-year-old Joel Wales. Evans and Wales had a child together and a history of domestic disputes. Prosecutors say text messages show that she plotted his death with a friend for more than a month. One text between the women reads: "This needs done this week." A murder charge is pending against the friend, 38-year-old Christina Towell. She is accused of driving Evans to the scene. Sentencing for Evans is set for March 19.
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Lawsuit Filed over Death of 88-Year-Old Hurt at Nursing Home
DERBY, Kan. (AP) — The family of an 88-year-old woman who died after she was hurt at a nursing home that was taken over by the state has filed a wrongful death lawsuit. The suit alleges that Westview of Derby failed to properly care for Barbara Ann Bennett after she slipped out of her recliner in January 2018 and hit her leg on a wheelchair. The Wichita Eagle reports that despite swelling and bruising, she didn't receive antibiotics until almost a month later, after she fell again. The suit also alleges that the facility failed to send her to a wound clinic for treatment as her condition worsened. She died in March, and the state took over the facility in September due to insolvency. An attorney for LSL of Derby, a limited liability company named in the lawsuit, declined to comment.
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Man Admits Fatally Stabbing Girlfriend in Wichita
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 25-year-old man has admitted that he stabbed his girlfriend to death in June in Wichita. Sedgwick County authorities say Dylan Barbert pleaded guilty Monday to first-degree murder in the death of 22-year-old MacKenzie Payne, of Emporia. The Emporia Gazette reports Payne had graduated from the University of Kansas and was scheduled to begin classes at the University of Kansas Medical School when she was killed on June26. A sentencing hearing was scheduled for April 30.
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Topeka Man Burned in Fire of Van He Was Living in Has Died
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Topeka fire officials say a man who was burned last week after using a space heater to stay warm in a van has died. Fire Marshal Mike Martin reports 53-year-old Russell Dean Harris Sr. was living in the van when it caught fire last Wednesday. Martin says Harris was able to escape the van but he suffered second- and third-degree burns. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Martin said an investigation found the fire was accidental and caused by a space heater. The National Weather Service reports temperatures on Wednesday morning were around zero.
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Kansas Judge Calls Girls the "Aggressor" in Sex Abuse Case
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (Staff and Wire Reports) - More public outcry and a backlash from child advocates after a judge in Leavenworth partially blamed two teenage girls for their sexual assault at the hands of a 67-year-old man. The judge called the underage girls the "aggressors" in the sexual assault case before giving the 67-year-old defendant a lighter prison sentence than called for under sentencing guidelines - eight years less. Prosecutors had wanted more than 13 years behind bars for Raymond Soden because he had prior convictions. Instead, Leavenworth County District Judge Michael Gibbens sentenced Soden to five years, 10 months for sexually assaulting the minor girls. One victim was 13-years-old, the other was 14. Judge Gibbens said at the sentencing that the girls were "more an aggressor than a participant." He also cited as a reason that the girls had voluntarily gone to Soden's house and taken money for sexual favors. Harleigh Harrold with the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault says children don't have the ability to understand the consequences of such an act. Michelle Herman, president and CEO of the child advocacy center Sunflower House, says "sexual assault is never the victim's fault."
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Man Arrested After Homeless Woman's Blankets Set on Fire
PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — Pittsburg police say a man is being held on $100,000 after he allegedly tried to start a homeless woman's blankets on fire while she slept. Police say in a news release that the woman, Chrystal Thompson, originally thought a hand warming device accidentally set her blankets on fire Thursday night while she slept in the alcove of a business. The Pittsburg Morning Sun reports the business owner told police Friday that surveillance video showed a man intentionally setting Thompson's blankets on fire and walking away. The blankets burned briefly before the fire went out. The suspect, 60-year-old Richard Lee Dickerson, of Pittsburg, was arrested Saturday. He is facing potential charges of attempted murder, aggravated arson and criminal damage to property.
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55 Kansas Lawmakers Sponsor LGBTQ Anti-Discrimination Bill
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Fifty-five Kansas lawmakers are co-sponsoring a bill that would ban discrimination in the private sector based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The bill introduced Monday would protect LGBTQ residents in employment, housing and services. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports 38 representatives and 17 senators are co-sponsoring the bill. Representative Susan Ruiz, a Democrat from Shawnee who is one of the state's two openly gay legislators, said the legislation would help attract outside businesses to Kansas. The bill would amend the Kansas Act Against Discrimination to add sexual orientation and gender identity to a list that includes race, religion, color, sex, disability, national origin and ancestry. Tom Witt, executive director of Equality Kansas, said the law already exempts religious institutions, and concerns by people who support those institutions are unfounded.
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Former Teller Pleads Guilty to Bank Embezzlement
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A former bank teller in Leavenworth has pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $125,000. Federal prosecutors say 42-year-old Charles Lee Staples pleaded guilty Monday to embezzlement by a bank employee. He was a bank teller at Mutual Savings Association in Leavenworth. An audit revealed that Staples took the money from his teller drawer. He entered false entries in bank reports to cover his crimes. As part of his plea, Staples agreed to pay back the full amount of the theft. He will be sentenced April 22. Both parties agreed to recommend a sentence of three years on supervised release.
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KCK Woman Took Part in Meth and Heroin Ring
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) - A 41-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, woman has pleaded guilty to being part of a methamphetamine ring that distributed the drug in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Federal prosecutors said Karen Ortega distributed methamphetamine out of a home where she lived with her three children. Officers searching the home found about 20 pounds of methamphetamine, almost two pounds of heroin and about $230,000 in cash. They also recovered several firearms.
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Topeka Man Sentenced for Firearms Violations
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - A 30-year-old Topeka man who led police on a chase to avoid stopping at a DUI checkpoint has been sentenced on a firearms charge. U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said in a news release that Darryl Kevin Norwood was sentenced Tuesday to 3.5 years in prison for possession of a firearm. Police say rather than stopping at the checkpoint in May, Norwood fled from police. The chase exceeded 70 mph before Norwood hit another car. He fled on foot but was arrested.
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Chiefs Fan Banned over Claims He Pointed Laser at Tom Brady During AFC Championship Game
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have instituted a lifetime ban against a fan accused of flashing a laser at New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady during last month's AFC championship game. The Kansas City Star reports the Chiefs say the team is also working with authorities to charge the fan "as aggressively as possible," but the decision is ultimately up to prosecutors in Jackson County. Prosecutor's office spokesman Michael Mansur says charges hadn't been filed as of Sunday. Laser pointers are banned at most sporting events because of the potential for distraction and safety reasons. The light can damage the retina in the eye after even a short period of time. The Patriots won the AFC championship game 37-31 in overtime, sending them to the Super Bowl.
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Real Pic in Fake Facebook Profile Leads to Suspect's Arrest
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a Hutchinson man was arrested on suspicion of using counterfeit bills to purchase electronics because the fake Facebook profile he's accused of using to arrange the transactions included a real picture. The Hutchinson News reports that the man was arrested last week and booked into jail on suspicion of counterfeiting, theft and drug charges. Police say that last month, he used a counterfeit $100 bill to purchase a computer and five fake $20 bills to buy an iPhone 6. Minutes after posting the photo from the suspect's fake Facebook profile online, a parole officer called to say the man was a client. Police say he had a powdery substance in his pocket that is believed to be methamphetamine when he was arrested. His bond is set at $9,500.
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Missouri Criminal Brags on Facebook, Gets Caught
KIRKSVILLE, Mo. (AP) - A 27-year-old Kirksville man who bragged on Facebook about fleeing the country to avoid jail time has been sentenced to prison. The Kirksville Daily Express reports Matt McCloud was sentenced in 2017 to a suspended seven-year sentence for a forgery conviction. That probation was revoked on Tuesday and McCloud was sent to prison. McCloud violated his probation when he fled to the Ukraine and posted pictures from there in September 2018. He was arrested in Texas trying to re-enter the U.S.
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$1 Million Powerball Prize Sold in Kansas Still Unclaimed
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Lottery officials are urging people to check their Powerball tickets from December 29. One ticket sold in south central Kansas is worth $1 million. The ticket matched the first five numbers of the drawing but not the Powerball. The winning numbers in the December 29 Powerball drawing were 12-42-51-53-62 with a Powerball of 25. The winner has a year from the date of the drawing to claim the prize.
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Kansas Geology Department Buys 600 Acres of Colorado Land
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas geology department bought 600 acres of land in Colorado to ensure geology students continue to take a class there each summer. The department bought the land, known as Blue Ridge, from the landowner. It is in the mountains outside Canon City, Colorado. The geology department has used the land since 1922 to teach a six-week "field camp" class there. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the department paid $360,000 for the land, which offers wide rock diversity. The owners recently decided to sell the land and the department was concerned a new owner would not allow students there. Money for the purchase came from a fund established by the family of late Lawrence resident Bob Harrison, who took the field camp course almost 90 years ago.
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