Rural Kansas Fire Station Destroyed by Fire
WAKEENEY, Kan. (AP) — Officials are investigating a fire that destroyed a rural north-central Kansas fire station. Television station KWCH reports that Trego County Rural Fire Station One was destroyed in a blaze Friday afternoon. Emergency responders say the fire was reported shortly after 2 p.m., when flames were seen coming from the building. The Wakeeney Fire Department and Trego County Fire Department responded. Crews were on scene until after 6 p.m. No one was hurt. Firefighters were able to save all four of the station vehicles, but the building is a total loss. The cause of the fire is under investigation.
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National Hotline to Study Texting Help in Missouri
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The country's top child abuse hotline is looking to Missouri for help determining how efficiently the nonprofit's new text line service is working. The Kansas City Star reports that the national child advocacy nonprofit Childhelp launched its first text line this month as part of an effort to reach more young people, who may be less comfortable or unable to report abuse over the phone. Childhelp's national director, Michelle Fingerman, says the majority of people calling the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline are adults speaking on children's behalf. Fingerman says recent informal testing of text lines shows 80 percent of users were under 18 years old. Childhelp officials plan to study what works for text line counselors in Missouri, which ranks third in the country for helpline calls made per capita.
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Wichita Rollover Crash Kills Man
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police say a man has died in a rollover crash in southwestern Wichita. Television station KSN reports that the crash happened early Saturday morning near Interstate 125 and West, killing 26-year-old Ernesto Flores of Wichita. Police say Flores was thrown from the vehicle after it left the roadway and entered the median. Investigators say the driver then overcorrected, causing the vehicle to roll several times.
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Topeka Man Convicted in 2017 Homicide
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A jury has found a 22-year-old Topeka man guilty of murder and other crimes for the shooting death of another man last year. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Zachary Buck-Schrag was convicted Friday of first-degree murder, assault and weapons and other counts following a four-day trial. He faces up to life in prison when he's sentenced at a later date. Buck-Schrag had argued he shot 37-year-old Travis Larsen in self-defense on January 14th, 2017. Buck-Schrag contended Larsen and another man threatened him and a friend by flashing an ammunition clip and making unfriendly remarks. Buck-Schrag said he showed the people in the other car a gun as Larsen's car pursued his. Eventually, Larsen's car hit Buck-Schrag's vehicle and Buck-Schrag fired four times, hitting Larsen in the head.
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Man Sentenced for KCK Apartment Rapes, Burglaries
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A man found guilty of sexually assaulting and burglarizing victims at a Kansas City, Kansas, apartment complex has been sentenced to more than 33 years in prison. The Kansas City Start reports that the Wyandotte County District Attorney's office announced 36-year-old Adalberto Mata-Deras was sentenced Friday. A judge ordered lifetime post-release supervision and registration as a sex offender for Meta-Deras. Mata-Deras was convicted last April of two counts of rape, aggravated sexual battery, three counts of aggravated burglary and interference with law enforcement. The case stemmed from multiple sexual assaults and burglaries reported at Woodview Apartments between August 2014 and October 2016. Prosecutors say DNA evidence linked Mata-Deras to one of the victim's apartments.
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Company donates $2 Million to KU for Cryptocurrency Technology
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Silicon Valley company has donated $2 million to the University of Kansas to support research related to cryptocurrency and digital payments, such as Bitcoin. The university says in a news release that the donation from Ripple will provide $400,000 each year for five years. It will go to the Information and Telecommunication Technology Center at the Kansas School of Engineering. The university will determine its own research topics and Ripple, which provides digital commerce services, will collaborate with students and faculty and provide technical resources and expertise. The gift also will support the KU Blockchain Institute, a student-led organization that promotes the use of blockchain technology. Blockchain is a digital record that is often used to track the use of cryptocurrency, or digital money.
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Olathe Nursing Home Worker Pleads Guilty to Stealing from Resident
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A 51-year-old former Olathe nursing home employee pleaded guilty to stealing jewelry from a resident suffering from dementia. Tonette Raylene Ealy, of Kansas City, Kansas, pleaded guilty Friday to a misdemeanor count of mistreatment of a dependent adult. She also was ordered to pay restitution to the victim. The Kansas City Star reports as a part of the plea deal, a second count was dismissed. Ealy was placed on probation for one year. She will serve 30 days as a condition of the probation. She was charged last year with stealing jewelry worth less than $1,500 from two patients and selling the items at a pawn shop.
