Payless to Close All Remaining Stores
NEW YORK (AP) — Payless ShoeSource is shuttering all of its 2,100 remaining stores in the U.S. and Puerto Rico, joining a list of iconic names like Toys R Us and Bon-Ton that have closed down in the last year. The Topeka, Kansas-based chain said Friday it will hold liquidation sales starting Sunday and wind down its e-commerce operations. All of the stores will remain open until at least the end of March and the majority will remain open until May. The debt-burdened chain filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April 2017, closing hundreds of stores as part of its reorganization. At the time, it had over 4,400 stores in more than 30 countries. It emerged from restructuring four months later with about 3,500 stores and eliminated more than $435 million in debt. The company said in an email that the liquidation doesn't affect its franchise operations or its Latin American stores, which remain open for business as usual. It lists 18,000 employees worldwide.
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Fights Prompt Search in Hutchinson Jail
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say more than five inmate fights that all occurred within a week at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility prompted jail officials to move up the timing of a large-scale search that confiscated contraband, including inmate-made weapons. Jail spokesman Jordan Bell said Friday the fights were all gang-related and none of the inmates suffered serious injuries. The fights broke out among two or three inmates and involved "homemade stabbing devices." Several inmates were treated for injuries at the facility's clinic. No staff members were hurt. The facility temporarily halted visitation privileges the weekend of Feb. 2-3 and restricted movement of inmates because of the fights. Tuesday's search involved more than 1,000 inmates in the jail's central unit yielded 46 weapons, 10 cell phones, eight phone chargers, illicit drugs and drug paraphernalia.
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Governor Say Kansas 'Hoodwinked' in Prison Deal
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas was "hoodwinked" into hiring a private company to build a new prison based on a promise that the new lockup would require significantly less staff and the savings could be used to pay for the project, Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly said Friday. Kelly's comment during an Associated Press interview comes as her corrections secretary questions whether the staff savings will materialize because of what he sees as a less-than-ideal prison design. The new prison is under construction in Lansing, in the Kansas City area, and due to open early next year. Former Republican Gov. Sam Brownback pushed the project as a way to replace the deteriorating prison in Lansing with no additional net cost to the state. Legislative leaders gave the final go-ahead for the project in January 2018, after Brownback's administration assured lawmakers that the new prison could run safety with 46 percent fewer employees.
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Small Hospital, Clinics in Southeast Kansas Will Close
OSWEGO, Kan. (AP) — A hospital in a small southeast Kansas town is closing immediately, in part because it doesn't have enough money to pay employees. The board of directors of Oswego Community Hospital announced the decision Thursday. The board said the Oswego Community Hospital, the Oswego Community Clinic and the Chetopa Community Clinic will all close. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the hospital is one of three Kansas hospitals owned by EmpowerHMS, which has struggled to pay its bills at rural hospitals across the country. Its other two hospitals in Kansas are in Horton and Herington. The board also said Kansas officials' refusal to expand Medicaid contributed to the closure. The Oswego hospital is a 12-bed critical access hospital. According to its website, the hospital and its clinics employ 65 people.
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Another Round of School Closures Ahead of Latest Winter Storm
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Numerous Kansas schools are canceling classes before another winter storm hits. Districts canceling classes Friday include Topeka, Lawrence, Shawnee Mission and Olathe. The National Weather Service has issued a winter weather advisory for much of Kansas, except the northwest and extreme southwestern part of the state. Snow is expected from midmorning through late afternoon, with accumulations in some areas up to 5 or 6 inches expected. In some areas, sleet and freezing rain also are possible, making roads dangerous.
See our list of weather-related closings for Friday, February 15, 2019.
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Kansas House Rejects Governor Laura Kelly's KPERS Refinancing Plan
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas House has rejected a measure that would extend out the time it would take to fully fund the state's obligations to current and future retirees. The Wichita Eagle reports that the House voted down the pension refinancing measure 36-87 on Thursday. Governor Laura Kelly put forward the plan as part of her state budget proposal. Kelly contends that the current contribution levels aren't affordable. Pension officials said the refinancing plan would save the state $770 million over the next five years. But over 30 years, Kansas would ultimately have to contribute $7.4 billion more than currently projected. The plan faced widespread opposition among Republican lawmakers, who viewed it as Kelly's way of freeing up funds for additional spending on public schools and government programs.
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Kansas Ends 2 Child Welfare Grants, Reviews 4 Others
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has canceled two grants to private agencies for services for troubled families and plans to renegotiate the terms of another four grants for services for foster children. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly announced actions Thursday that undo key decisions made by the Department for Children and Families under former Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer. His administration's grants were set to start July 1. Kelly said the grant process wasn't open enough and the grants were flawed. One agency chosen to provide family preservation services earned low scores in an internal review. Kelly said existing contracts for family preservation services will be extended another six months so DCF can take competitive bids. She said existing contracts for foster care services will be extended three months for negotiations with the agencies that won bids to provide the service next year.
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Kansas Man Who Threatened to "Blow up" White House Sentenced
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man accused of threatening to "blow up" the White House has been sentenced to 10 months in federal prison. A court filing shows Brandon Koss of Wichita was sentenced Wednesday on a misdemeanor charge of willful interference with the protective work of a Secret Service agent. Prosecutors agreed to drop a felony charge of threatening the president after Koss pleaded guilty in December to the lesser offense. Koss admitted in his plea deal that he called the White House in January 2018, used a profanity when addressing the woman who answered the phone, and said: "I'm going to blow up the White House." He also admitted that he lied to a Secret Service agent about who made the phone call to the White House.
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Hill's Plans $20 Million Expansion to Shawnee County Plant
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Hill's Pet Nutrition plans to spend $20 million to expand its plant in Shawnee County during the next two years. The expansion announced Wednesday by economic development leaders will create only six new jobs, which reduced the incentives given to the company for expansion of its Pet Nutrition Center. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Hill's was originally offered a maximum incentive for $212,000, but that dropped to $196,000 when the number of created jobs decreased from 12 to six. The Joint Economic Development Organization approved the contract Wednesday. The expansion of the Pet Nutrition Center will allow the company to do nutritional research on the animals kept there. The center currently holds 900 cats and dogs. The six new jobs are for animal research technicians.
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Sedgwick County Recovers Stolen Property Worth $170,000
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office is looking for the owners of a huge cache of stolen items. The sheriff's office received information Tuesday from the Sumner County Sheriff's office that stolen property was being kept in a Wichita storage unit. Detectives found stolen property worth an estimated $170,000. Police say the property apparently was taken in at least eight burglaries in Winfield, Bel Aire, Wichita and other parts of Sedgwick County. The items included power tools, golf carts and cameras. Ten people, most from Wichita, have been arrested. Colonel Greg Pollock said Thursday about $70,000 worth of property has been returned to the owners. Authorities are working to identify owners of the rest.
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Kansas Students Send Sweet Notes to Florida Students
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Students in suburban Kansas City have sent thousands of sweet notes of encouragement to students in Parkland, Florida, on the first anniversary of a shooting rampage that left 17 people dead. The Kansas City Star reports that Missy Pint, of Lenexa, Kansas, began planning the surprise weeks ago. She encouraged students at several schools to write words of encouragement on a candy label for "The Sweet Note Project." Pint flew this week to Florida, where she and a friend spent 18 hours applying labels to 400 pounds of chocolate. They delivered about 3,500 chocolate bars Tuesday to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Pint saved 2,000 for the Kansas City community. One note read: "You are brave." Another charmingly misspelled message proclaimed: "Your a treashore to the world."
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Kansas Library Will Keep 3 Challenged Books in Kids Section
ANDOVER, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas public library has rejected a request to move three children's books with LGBT characters out of the children's section. The Andover Public Library board of directors voted Wednesday to keep children's books "George," ''Lily and Dunkin" and "I am Jazz" in the juvenile section. All the books included characters that are transgender. Andover resident Marci Laffen had asked the board to move the books to the adult section because of their content. In her written challenge to the books, Laffen argued the books were part of a "sexual revolution agenda, indoctrination of children." The Wichita Eagle reports there was little discussion before Wednesday's vote. About 55 people attended a January meeting to discuss the issue.
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Kansas Senate Condemns New York Abortion Law
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican legislators in Kansas are condemning New York's new law protecting abortion rights with a resolution that would be sent to New York's governor and lawmakers. The Kansas Senate adopted the resolution Thursday on a 27-13 vote. The measure goes next to the House, which is expected to approve it. The resolution decries the New York law as harmful to both "unborn children" and women. Kansas abortion opponents are as eager as ever to impose new restrictions in their home state but aren't sure of their options because the legal climate is uncertain. The Kansas Supreme Court is considering whether the state constitution protects abortion rights in a lawsuit that could upend nearly a decade's worth of restrictions. And so Kansas lawmakers are putting energy into condemning New York's law.
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Crime-Fighting Effort Expanded to Springfield, Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — State and federal law enforcement officials are expanding an effort to fight violent crime to two more Missouri cities. After introducing the effort last month in St. Louis, Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and Tim Garrison, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced Thursday the Safer Streets program will be used in Springfield and Kansas City. In Kansas City, three to five lawyers from the attorney general's office will be designated as special assistant United States attorneys to prosecute violent crimes in federal court. At least one lawyer will be named a special assistant U.S. attorney in Springfield. Schmitt says Safer Streets also includes community outreach, with he and others from his office meeting with individuals and communities most affected by violent crime to hear their concerns.
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