Kansas Prisons Chief Declares Staffing Crisis at Facility
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas' corrections secretary has declared an emergency at the state's most crowded maximum-security prison because of what the state calls "serious staffing shortages." Governor Laura Kelly's office released a statement Tuesday announcing Interim Corrections Secretary Roger Werholtz's declaration for the El Dorado Correctional Facility, but it provided few details about what actions will follow. Past declarations have allowed the prison to force employees to work longer shifts. El Dorado saw multiple inmate disturbances in 2017 and 2018, and the state spent nearly $177,000 repairing damage from a July 2018 riot. Kelly said she met Tuesday morning with legislative leaders to discuss problems at the prison about 30 miles east of Wichita. It was holding 2,029 inmates as of Monday, or 74 more than its stated capacity of 1,955.
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Teen Slain Outside High School in Kansas City After Fight During Game
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say a teenage girl was fatally shot outside a Kansas City high school after two groups of people got into an argument at a basketball game. The Kansas City Star reports that the groups were escorted out of the Central Academy of Excellence one at a time Tuesday night. Officer Darin Snapp says that it appears the suspect was waiting in the parking lot when the second group exited the school and shot the girl. She was pronounced dead at a hospital, and the suspect fled in a minivan. Police didn't name the victim but said she was in her late teens. Police say witnesses told them that the suspect and the victim knew each other from a prior disturbance. Snapp says police are reviewing surveillance video.
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Colorado Man Guilty of Trying to Entice 7-Year-Old in KC
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A 42-year-old Colorado man has admitted that he traveled to Kansas City, Missouri, in an effort to have sex with a 7-year-old girl. Ryan Edward Mausner, of Basalt, Colorado, pleaded guilty Wednesday to enticement of a minor. Prosecutors say Mausner thought he was communicating with the girl's mother over several months in private chat sessions during which he said he wanted to have sex with the mother and daughter. He was actually talking to an undercover agent. Mausner was arrested in May 2018 in Kansas City.
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Kansas Not Using Voter Database it Administers, Security Upgrades Not Made
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A top election official has told Kansas lawmakers that a database that checks if voters are registered in multiple states hasn't been used since 2017 and won't be used again this year. Kansas elections director Bryan Caskey said Tuesday his office under former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach also chose not to make $20,000 in security upgrades to the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program it administers. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Caskey told the House Elections Committee that Secretary of State Scott Schwab has ordered a review of Crosscheck to determine whether to entirely abandon it. Twenty-eight states exchanged 98 million registration records using Crosscheck in 2017. Crosscheck aims to clean voter records and prevent voter fraud, but has drawn criticism for its high error rate and lax security.
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Report: Kansas' Nursing Home Inspections Faulty
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas state agency responsible for inspecting nursing homes did not correctly respond to problems uncovered in a federal government audit, but it has made some improvements in recent months, according to the agency's officials. The Office of Inspector General report estimated that the Kansas Department of Aging and Disability Services failed in 2014 to verify that 65 percent of the issues found during nursing home inspections had been corrected. The office also determined that the state agency neglected to conduct inspections every 15 months, as it is required to do, the Topeka Capital-Journal reported. The report said the longest break between inspections was 18 months.
Patty Brown, interim commissioner of the agency's Survey, Certification and Credentialing Commission, said the staff had a misunderstanding about who was doing the desk review of the facility surveys, and they were not properly following up. She noted the issues were fixed in early 2017. "The change that occurred was that we now require providers to submit the evidence that shows that that plan has indeed been implemented and the deficiencies are corrected," Brown said. "We will always go back and do an onsite revisit for serious deficiencies." The revised internal procedures brought the agency into compliance with the requirements set by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, she said. She highlighted the statistics from January that indicated just two facilities waited beyond 16 months to be surveyed. There were just 18 facilities exceeding 12 months, Brown said. "Compare to July 2018, we had 110 over 16 months and another 66 over 12 months," she said. "We have made a very significant change in that, and very significant improvement in the last six months."
The Office has issued recommendations to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid that would modify the way all states handle inspection reports as a result of Kansas and six other states failing to follow proper processes in previous years. The recommendations include the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid improving guidance to state agencies, refining forms related to the certification process and clarifying what is acceptable documentation based on the significance of the issue.
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Lawrence Considers Sharp Reduction in Marijuana Penalties
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - Lawrence city commissioners appear open to a proposal to significantly reduce the fines for possession of small amounts of marijuana in the city. During a work session Tuesday, the commission reviewed a draft ordinance that proposed reducing the minimum fine for possessing 32 grams or less of marijuana from $200 to $50 for first-time offenders. The Lawrence Journal-World reports commissioners indicated they were interested in reducing the fine to $1 for first- and second-time offenders. Court costs would remain $63. Mayor Lisa Larsen said she is in favor of doing anything to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana. And commissioner Matthew Herbert suggested the $1 fine as a way to send a message to state leaders to consider a growing national trend toward lower fines for marijuana possession.
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Gun Reports at Lawrence Schools Prompts Community Discussion
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Lawrence school Superintendent Anthony Lewis is planning a community discussion after a student allegedly brought a gun to school for the fifth time this school year. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the last incident occurred Tuesday at Lawrence High School, where a gun was found in a student's book bag after administrators received a tip. That came after another student brought a handgun to school last Wednesday. Other incidents were reported in April and September at Lawrence High School and Lawrence Free State. No one was injured in any of the incidents. All the students have been disciplined except one, who investigators determined forgot a rifle was in his car after a hunting trip. Lewis said the district needs the community's help to address what could be a dangerous problem.
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Massage Parlor Owner Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy Charge
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A 54-year-old woman has admitted that she operated a prostitution business out of massage parlors in Lawrence and Topeka. U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said in a news release Tuesday that Weiling Nielsen pleaded guilty to conspiracy. She owned and operated Naima Asian Massage and Serenity Health Spa in Lawrence, and Jasmine Massage in Topeka. In her plea, she admitted the massage parlors provided sexual services to customers for payment in cash. The services were advertised on the internet. Prosecutors say Nielsen and her husband deposited cash into various bank accounts and bought money orders to deposit in bank accounts in California. Nielsen agreed to pay a $650,000 judgment. She will be sentenced May 15. Both parties are recommending three years on federal probation.
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Wichita Girl Dies, Days After Ending 457-Day Hospital Stay
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita girl has died just days after going home following a 457-day hospital stay. The Kansas City Star reports that Zei (pronounced "Zay") Uwadia's mother says her daughter died Tuesday, less than two weeks after returning to Wichita . She left Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Missouri, on Jan. 31 — a day before her 17th birthday. Uwadia was hospitalized after her lungs failed without explanation. During the hospital stay, she became the first patient to walk on an invasive form of life support at the hospital. Hundreds of thousands of people watched her walking on videos posted online. Hospital staff lined her path, applauding and wiping away tears. The hospital said in a statement that everyone there was heartbroken by Uwadia's death but inspired by her "fighting spirit."
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Indictment: Ex-"American Idol" Contestant Was Drug Courier
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) — A recently unsealed court document says a former contestant on both "American Idol" and "Fear Factor" worked as a courier for a drug ring and was trying to deliver nearly 2 pounds (830 grams) of fentanyl when she was arrested last year. The Virginian-Pilot reports 32-year-old Antonella Barba was back in custody Monday, following a federal indictment charging her with conspiracy to distribute cocaine, heroin and fentanyl. Barba was originally arrested last October in Norfolk Virginia. She was previously charged with shoplifting in New York and has a felony marijuana case pending in Kansas. Barba, of New Jersey, reached the top 16 on "American Idol" in 2007, the year Jordin Sparks won. She competed on "Fear Factor" in 2012. Her public defender didn't immediately respond to the newspaper's request for comment.
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Man Killed After Amtrak Train Strikes Vehicle in Kansas
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a 67-year-old man was killed after his vehicle was struck by an Amtrak train in Marion County. The Marion County sheriff's office says a Jeep Liberty was on the tracks when it was struck at around 2:45 am Tuesday by the westbound train. KWCH-TV reports reports the train came to a stop after hitting the vehicle. People on the train say the vehicle appeared to be parked on the track with no lights on. The investigation is ongoing.
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Former Post Office Contract Driver Admits Stealing from Mail
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A former contract truck driver for the post office in Rose Hill has admitted to stealing items from the mail U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said in a news release that 30-year-old Manuel De La Cruz, of Wichita, pleaded guilty Tuesday to three counts of stealing from the mail. He admitted the items he stole were worth more than $6,500. The stolen items included a Lenova laptop computer, an upper receiver for an AR 15 rifle, an AR 15 rifle barrel and a gas block for an AR 15. Sentencing is set for April 29. He faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.
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Alleged Ringleader in Foiled Kansas Bomb Plot Plans Appeal
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The alleged ringleader of a foiled plot to massacre Somali Muslims in southwest Kansas is appealing his conviction and prison sentence. The attorney representing Patrick Stein on Monday filed a notice of appeal to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals. Stein was among three militia members convicted of plotting in 2016 to blow up a mosque and apartments housing Somalis in Garden City. A judge last month sentenced Stein to 30 years in prison for conspiracy to use a weapon of mass destruction and 10 years for conspiracy against civil rights. The sentences will run concurrently. Stein will return to federal court on February 22 for a change-of-plea hearing and sentencing in a separate indictment alleging possession of child pornography. The material was discovered during searches in the bomb case.
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Officials Identify Man Found Dead in Neosho Rapids Fire
NEOSHO RAPIDS, Kan. (AP) — Lyon County officials are investigating a fire that killed a man in Neosho Rapids. The sheriff's department said Monday that 55-year-old Daniel Lambeth died in a house fire. His body was found inside the home after fire crews arrived about 5 pm Sunday. The official cause of death will not be released until autopsy results are final. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
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More than 1,400 Potholes Reported in Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KC STAR) - In the first six weeks of the year, Kansas City road crews have received more than 1,400 pothole reports from frustrated citizens. According to the Kansas City Star, road crews have been fanning out across the metro during the warmer weather to repair some of the many potholes bothering drivers. City Hall has received about five times as many calls about potholes this year than last year. Across the state line in Kansas, the Department of Transportation says the number of potholes reported jumped about 43 percent over the same period last year.
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Officer Rescues Doe Trapped for About a Week in Storm Drain
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have rescued a deer found trapped in a storm drain in Kansas, and officials say the animal may have been there for a week. Video of the rescue shows an animal control officer using a long pole with a loop to pull the animal out. After emerging, the doe bounds into a wooded area. Olathe police said in a Facebook post that someone stumbled across the animal Saturday while walking a dog in the Kansas City suburb. Police say the open manhole was about 12 feet deep, and that the doe was "very agitated and in distress." Officials say the animal had likely been there for a week because it was so emaciated. The video shows the manhole cover at the bottom of the drain.
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