Freezing Drizzle Causes Deadly Wreck and School Cancellations in Kansas
The University of Kansas, Baker Univerity, Emporia State and Washburn University all closed early today (WED) due to the wintry weather -- primarily freezing drizzle which has created slick roads AND slippery sidewalks. Freezing drizzle caused at least one deadly wreck in Kansas yesterday (TUE) and forced dozens of school districts to cancel classes The Kansas Highway Patrol says Dennis Gentry was killed Tuesday when he lost control of his pickup truck on U.S. 169 while crossing a Miami County bridge, then slid into a grassy area and overturned. Meanwhile...
An ICE STORM WARNING remains in effect until noon Thursday for part of the listening area - including Lawrence, Leavenworth, Kansas City and Ottawa.
And a WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY remains in effect for everyone else in eastern Kansas until noon Thursday.
Check here for school closing information.
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KBI: Son Killed Father, then Himself in Northwest Kansas
REXFORD, Kan. (AP) - The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says the deaths of a Kansas father and son were a murder-suicide. Rawlins County emergency responders found the bodies of 74-year-old Gary Withers and 41-year-old Daniel Withers February 1 on a farm in northwest Kansas. The KBI says preliminary autopsies revealed the elder Withers was killed by a gunshot wound. His son died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
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St. John's Military School in Salina to Close
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - An embattled Kansas military school has announced it plans to close after 131 years. St. John's Military School in Salina announced on its website today (WED) that it will not reopen after the conclusion of this school year. The school has been plagued for years by accusations of abuse, followed by a series of lawsuits filed by former cadets.
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Kansas Democratic Governor Set to Battle with GOP Legislature
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - A political battle is brewing in Topeka... over taxes. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly's election victory suggested that Kansas had repudiated past GOP fiscal policies. Yet voters also encouraged top Republicans to pursue income tax relief by giving conservatives more power in the Legislature. Now, a clash is coming to a head quickly, with the state Senate debating a tax bill tomorrow (WED). The proposal is designed to keep Kansans from paying more to the state because of federal tax changes.
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Crime Numbers Down on KU Campus
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - University of Kansas says crimes reported on the Lawrence campus last year (2018) dropped to the lowest level in 10 years. According to the Office of Public Safety, 619 crimes were reported in 2018. That's down 8 percent from the year before. The report found that theft continues to be the most common crime reported on campus.
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Suspect Wounded in Exchange of Gunfire with Law Enforcement
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a carjacking suspect has been shot and wounded in an exchange of gunfire with law enforcement in central Kansas. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says in a news release that 24-year-old Colt Wright, of Derby, has undergone surgery at a Salina hospital. The release says Salina police began chasing him around 5 pm Tuesday after he stole a Jeep Wrangler at gunpoint. The release says he shot at law enforcement officers and hit a patrol vehicle before crashing in a rural area. The release says Wright then was wounded in an exchange of gunfire with a police officer and Saline County sheriff's deputy. The release says a deputy also was treated for a facial injury. The deputy was hurt by debris from a round hitting a patrol vehicle.
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CEO is Confident Struggling Horton Hospital Will Stay 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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Kansas Spent at Least $414,000 Repairing Prisons After Riots
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas says it spent at least $414,000 repairing damage and replacing equipment after inmate riots at three of its prisons in 2017 and 2018. The figures represent the first attempt by the state Department of Corrections to calculate for legislators the cost of the damage caused by four major disturbances. Several lawmakers said Tuesday that they were surprised the figure was so large. But corrections officials said their calculations are probably low because they don't have complete estimates of what the prisons spent on overtime or what it cost to bring in teams from other facilities. The riots occurred at the state prison in El Dorado in June 2017 and July 2018, at its prison in Norton in September 2017 and at its correctional mental health center in November 2018.
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Rate Hike for Kansas Gas Service Customers Approved
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. The commission on Tuesday approved a settlement between its staff, the Citizens Utility Ratepayer Board, Kansas Gas Service and others. The new rates will take effect Wednesday. Kansas Gas Service had sought an increase that would have increased average customer bills by $5.67 per month. The utility had asked to increase base rates by $45.6 million. The settlement will result in an annual increase of $21.5 million. The commission has not yet decided whether Kansas Gas Service will be allowed to keep tax savings accruing because of tax changes under the Federal Tax Cut and Jobs Act.
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Kansas Senate Approves $115 Million Payment to State Pension System
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate has approved a bill that would make a $115 million payment to the state pension system for teachers and government workers. The vote Tuesday was 40-0 even though Democrats in the GOP-dominated Senate argued that lawmakers should review the entire budget first. The bill goes next to the House. The money represents part of the state's annual contribution to the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System that lawmakers skipped in 2016, plus interest. Legislators shorted the pension system that year to help close a budget shortfall. Under the bill, the payment would be made before July. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly did not include the payment in her budget proposals, but she told reporters Monday that the state has the money "to take care of that."
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KBI to Investigate Reports of Catholic Clergy Sex Abuse
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 Tuesday, the KBI encouraged all victims of clergy abuse to contact the agency. In November, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt asked the KBI to investigate clergy sexual abuse allegations. 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. The KBI task force will work with prosecutors and law enforcement to determine if any of the reports should be considered for prosecution.
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Kansas Woman Pleads Guilty to Being Part of Meth 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. Ortega pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court to conspiracy to possess methamphetamine with the intent to distribute. Ortega was charged after investigators observed her selling about two pounds of meth in a Walmart parking lot in Kansas City, Kansas. She is scheduled to be sentenced May 7.
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Topeka Man Who Fled DUI Stop Sentenced for Having Weapon
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. Because of previous felony convictions, Norwood was not allowed to have 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. Police found a .380 caliber pistol on the floorboard of his car. State prison records show Norwood had previously been convicted of two burglaries and theft in Shawnee County.
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Photojournalist 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 Feb. 16 in Ottawa, Kansas.
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Big 12 Events Receive Approval for Sponsorship Increase
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — An Oklahoma City event sponsorship committee is providing more funding for Big 12 Conference events this year than in the past. The Journal Record reports that the Convention and Visitors Bureau's event sponsorship committee on Feb. 1 approved an increase in subsidies for Big 12 women's basketball to help with marketing and to boost the city's image. The Big 12 softball championship will also receive more money to bring in new bleachers at the USA Softball Hall of Fame complex. The committee agreed to distribute a total of $195,000 for Big 12 women's basketball, women's softball, and men's baseball tournaments. The three events received a combined $108,000 in 2018. The city's hotel/motel tax feeds the committee's fund.
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Brown, Sneed Help Kansas State Beat No. 13 Kansas, 74-67
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kamau Stokes trailed Cartier Diarra all the way to the basket, the senior guard watching right along with every Kansas State fan that squeezed into Bramlage Coliseum to see its showdown with Kansas. He knew the springy sophomore guard would do something special. With nobody else around him, Diarra elevated for an NBA-style windmill dunk, putting a highlight exclamation point on a 74-67 victory over the No. 13 Jayhawks on Tuesday night — one that snapped an eight-game skid against Kansas and consolidated the Wildcats' lead atop the Big 12. "I mean, this is our first time beating Kansas since we've been here," Stokes said with a broad grin, "so it definitely means a lot for us. Staying first in the Big 12, that means a lot. So we just have to keep this momentum going." Barry Brown scored 18 points, Xavier Sneed added 14 and Dean Wade had 12 for the Wildcats (17-5, 7-2), who dropped the Jayhawks (17-6, 6-4) to 1-6 in true road games this season. "Just a big-time win for us, the seniors," Brown said, "and our teammates. It was a game we knew we wanted to win, not just for our seniors but for everyone — our fans, ourselves."
Dedric Lawson led the Jayhawks with 18 points and nine rebounds, but the league's leading scorer was just 6 of 15 from the floor. He also took such a physical beating in the old-school Big 12 showdown that he limped to the bench at one point in the second half. Devon Dotson added 13 points before fouling out. The freshman also committed four of the Jayhawks 23 turnovers, continuing what has been a season-long issue with ball-handling on the road. They're averaging 17 per game in their six losses.
"People think there's a common theme: turnovers," Kansas coach Bill Self said. "It's leadership. It's toughness. It's inexperience. There are a lot of things that go into it. We could have come over here and played great tonight and still lost. They have a great team."
MISSING GARRETT
Kansas played its second consecutive game without sophomore Marcus Garrett, and the absence of their most experienced guard and best perimeter defender was clear. "But that's not an excuse," Self said. "Hey, we got our asses kicked."
BIG PICTURE
Kansas now trails the Wildcats by 1 1/2 games in the conference race, making it an uphill battle to win a 15th consecutive title. "We can't worry about that," Lawson said. "We just worry about getting better. We're worried about winning our game on Saturday." Kansas State has won seven straight Big 12 games, the last six of those coinciding with Wade's return from an injury. They've relied mainly on a defense that is fourth nationally in scoring, but the offense has been much sharper this past week.
UP NEXT
Kansas returns home to play Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Kansas State visits Baylor on Saturday night.
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