Kansas Committee Kills Bill About "Child Aggressors" in Sex Abuse Cases
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas House committee rejected a law proposed by Attorney General Derek Schmidt after a county judge called a young girl an "aggressor" in a sex crime. The House committee voted Monday to table the bill, which would prevent judges from reducing a sentence if they found a child victim younger than 14 was an aggressor in such crimes. The bill was in response to outcry after Leavenworth County District Judge Michael Gibbens sentenced a 67-year-old man in December to less than six years in prison for soliciting a 13-year-old on Facebook. The judge said the victim and another young girl were "more aggressor than a participant" in the case. The Wichita Eagle reports committee members said the legislation was well-intentioned but judges must have discretion in such cases.
====================
Kansas Senate GOP Blocks Governor's School Funding Proposal
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans in the Kansas Senate have thwarted an attempt by the chamber's top Democrat to advance Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's proposal to boost spending on public schools. The Senate vote Tuesday was 28-12 against an amendment offered by Minority Leader Anthony Hensley of Topeka to a bill to clarify a law dealing with which programs for at-risk students can receive state funds. The amendment contained Kelly's proposal to increase education funding by roughly $90 million a year to comply with a Kansas Supreme Court ruling last year. No legislative committee has voted on Kelly's proposal. Republican leaders said they want a funding bill to be thoroughly reviewed. The Supreme Court said a law enacted last year to boost education funding wasn't sufficient because it didn't adequately account for inflation.
====================
Kansas Lawmakers Add Tax Cut on Food to Income Tax Bill
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Kansas have added a popular proposal to cut the state's sales tax on groceries to an income tax relief bill to make it more palatable to skeptics. But supporters acknowledged Monday that they aren't sure the move would keep Democratic Governor Laura Kelly from vetoing the measure. The House Taxation Committee endorsed the measure on a voice vote Monday, sending it to the full chamber for debate. The GOP-controlled Senate passed the bill earlier this month as a measure designed only to keep individuals and businesses from paying more state income taxes because of federal income tax changes in 2017. Kelly called the Senate version irresponsible. The House committee's version also would lower the sales tax on groceries to 5.5 percent from 6.5 percent in October.
====================
Governor Promises More Openness in Kansas Foster Care System
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly is pledging to give legislators and the general public more information about children who run away or go missing from the state's foster care system. The Democratic governor on Monday announced the launch of a new state Department for Children and Families website that will provide daily statistics about missing foster children. Kelly also promised that legislative committees will receive information about specific cases if they agree to keep it confidential. The announcements came less than a week after a Republican-controlled Senate committee had a hearing on a bill aimed at ensuring that the governor and Legislature would be notified within 72 hours of a foster child going missing. The Public Health and Welfare Committee endorsed the measure Monday, sending it to the full Senate.
====================
Lawmakers Consider Criminal Justice Review
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Legislature is considering creation of a panel to study and recommend changes to the state's criminal justice system. The Kansas City Star reports that the group's findings could have major implications as Kansas looks to fix problems caused by prison overcrowding. Kansas prisons have a capacity of 9,971 inmates but held 10,075 as of Feb. 22. The panel would analyze sentencing guidelines, placement of prisoners and other processes. Gov. Laura Kelly has expressed interest in sentencing reform, which could potentially lower the number of new inmates coming into state prisons. Unless there are significant changes that slow population growth, corrections officials will have to look at expansion options. The bill is set for a debate in the House as soon as this week.
====================
House Backs Bill to Expand Deer Hunting for Non-Kansans
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A bill allowing Kansas landowners to resell their permits for hunting white-tail deer on the open market to nonresidents won approval in the House on Tuesday. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the bill survived a first-round House vote, but similar bills have failed to survive the legislative process in recent years. Bill sponsor Rep. Ken Corbet, a Republican of Topeka, said the bill is about rural revitalization and he expected permit transfers would attract 4,500 tourists a year. State officials worry the proposal would lead to an increase in poaching by trophy-seekers while limiting access to Kansas hunters. The Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism opposed the bill. A similar program in Kansas two decades ago was suspended after violations of permit transfer rules and poaching.
====================
Man Who Made Hoax Call in Deadly Swatting Case Seeks 20 Year Term
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A California man is asking the judge for a 20-year prison sentence for making a hoax call that led police to fatally shoot a Kansas man following a dispute between online gamers. Twenty-six-year-old Tyler R. Barriss faces sentencing Friday in federal court in Wichita for making the false report resulting in a death. His attorney argued in a motion Barriss never intended for anyone to get hurt and his conduct was an outgrowth of the culture within the gaming community. Barriss pleaded guilty in November to 51 charges related to fake calls and threats across the country. He seeks the shortest term allowed in that plea deal calling for 20 to 25 years in prison. He still faces a state trial March 4 for involuntary manslaughter and other charges.
====================
UPDATE: Methodist Conference Rejects Same-Sex Marriage
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Delegates to a crucial conference of The United Methodist Church, America's second-largest Protestant denomination, have rejected a move to ease the faith's ban on same-sex marriage and ordination of LGBT clergy. Some supporters of greater LGBT inclusion were in tears, while others vented their anger after delegates, on a 449-374 vote, defeated a proposal that would have let regional and local church bodies decide for themselves on gay-friendly policies. Methodist pastor Rebecca Wilson of Detroit, who is gay, says she is devastated by the vote.
--related--
United Methodist Church on Edge of Breakup over LGBT Stand
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The United Methodist Church is teetering on the brink of breakup after more than half the delegates at a national conference voted to maintain bans on same-sex weddings and ordination of gay clergy. The preliminary vote was held Monday. If the plan is formally approved on Tuesday, it could drive supporters of LGBT inclusion to leave America's second-largest Protestant denomination. The United Methodist Church has 12.6 million members worldwide, including nearly 7 million in the U.S.
====================
Kansas Woman Convicted in Heroin Ring, Money Laundering
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 61-year-old Kansas woman has been convicted of participating in a conspiracy to distribute drugs supplied by a drug cartel in Mexico. Christine Little Wood, of Overland Park, was found guilty Monday of being part of a ring that distributed heroin and methamphetamine from January 2010 to April 2017. She was found guilty of conspiracy, using a cell phone to aid the drug-trafficking conspiracy and of maintaining a residence for the distribution and use of heroin. Twenty of Wood's co-defendants have pleaded guilty in the conspiracy. Prosecutors say the conspirators distributed heroin and methamphetamine received from Mexico-based and Kansas City-based suppliers. Investigators who searched vehicles and homes in September 2016 found several drug-related items, along with more than $200,000 in cash and a load vehicle with hidden compartments.
====================
Kansas Fraud Trial for County Commissioner Begins
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Opening remarks in the trial of Sedgwick County Commissioner Michael O'Donnell offered jurors contrasting portrayals of his handling of campaign funds. Trial began Monday on allegations that O'Donnell of fraudulently took $10,500 from campaign funds for his personal use. He faces 23 counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering related to his state and county campaign funds. Jury selection took up most of the first day of trial. KSNW-TV reports that the prosecution's opening statement outlined O'Donnell's extraordinary access to resources through his elected position and his access to campaign donations through his state and county campaigns. Prosecutors say he was a great fundraiser. His defense attorney in his opening remarks focused on explaining the legitimacy of the campaign funds, saying nothing illegal occurred.
====================
Regulator: Return Tax Savings to Kansas Gas Customers
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas regulators have ordered Kansas Gas Service to return more than $17.9 million in tax savings to its customers. The Kansas Corporation Commission said in a news release Monday that its order will mean a one-time bill credit of $22.78 for residential customers. The agency says the savings are the result of a federal law that reduced the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent in January of last year. The Commission had required utilities to track and keep separate savings from the tax cut pending its review. Kansas Gas Service had asked to keep the savings to offset its service costs, but the Commission determined that was not in the public interest.
====================
Kansas Lawmakers Study Bill Addressing Ballot Signature Problems
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers are considering a proposal that would require election officials to notify voters before they throw out ballots because of problems with signatures. The proposal comes after last year's GOP primary for governor between Kris Kobach and then-Gov. Jim Colyer was decided by only a few hundred votes. Currently, Kansas law allows election officials to throw out ballots with signature problems unless the voter fixes the signature by the end of Election Day. The Wichita Eagle reports the proposed law would require election officials to try to notify voters whose advance ballots are missing signatures before the ballots are counted at county canvass meetings. The change would also apply to voters whose ballot signatures don't match signatures on file with county offices. A legislative committee on Friday sent the bill to the Senate floor.
====================
Lawrence Newspaper Names Lawhorn as New Publisher
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The Lawrence-Journal World has announced that Editor Chad Lawhorn has been named publisher of the newspaper. Ogden Newspapers of Kansas, the paper's owner, said Tuesday that Lawhorn will also continue to serve as editor. He will oversee news, advertising, circulation and other operations of the Journal-World as well as write for the newspaper and LJWorld.com website. Lawhorn has been with the Journal-World since 2001 and has served as a reporter, managing editor and editor. Before joining the Journal-World, Lawhorn was editor and publisher of The Baldwin Ledger and the Lawrence Business Ledger and owned their parent company. He joined the Journal-World after selling those weekly newspapers to the Journal-World. Lawhorn, a fourth-generation Kansan from Melvern, replaces Scott Stanford, who has accepted a promotion within the Ogden organization.
====================
Kansas City Renames Roadway for Martin Luther King Jr.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City has shed its reputation as one of the largest cities in the U.S. without a public memorial to Martin Luther King Jr. The city on Monday installed the first signs along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. After an often contentious debate, the City Council voted last month to rename a 10-mile (16-kilometer) stretch of a local roadway after the civil rights leader. The Kansas City Star reports the change came after a push by religious leaders and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, an organization King helped found. The delay was caused by some council members who didn't believe residents and businesses along Paseo Boulevard had been properly consulted about changing the name of the section of the roadway, known locally as The Paseo. The city will replace the remaining signs over the next few months.
====================
Report: Kansas Winter Wheat Doing Well Amid Wet Month
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A government report shows Kansas winter wheat is doing well with an abundance of moisture this month. The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday that 97 percent of the state had adequate to surplus topsoil moisture conditions. About 98 percent of the state had adequate to surplus subsoil moisture. The agency rated the Kansas winter wheat as 9 percent poor to very poor, 40 percent as fair, and 51 percent as good to excellent.
====================
No. 15 KU Tops No. 16 K-State 64-49 to Keep Big 12 Title Hopes Alive
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas got exactly what it needed after a humiliating loss at Texas Tech when the schedule produced a high-profile showdown with Big 12-leading Kansas State inside raucous Allen Fieldhouse. The Jayhawks took advantage of the opportunity, too. Playing with a newfound sense of urgency, Dedric Lawson and the rest of the Jayhawks roared to a 64-49 victory over their biggest rival Monday night, flushing the memory of that lopsided loss to the Red Raiders while keeping alive their hopes of a 15th consecutive conference championship. "It's just handling business," said Lawson, whose 18 points and 14 rebounds likely cemented his front-runner status as the league's player of the year. "We take that approach and build off the energy we had," Lawson said, "we're going to be great."
Devon Dotson added 16 points and fellow freshman Quentin Grimes had 12 for the Jayhawks (21-7, 10-5), who moved within a game of the Wildcats (21-7, 11-4) with three to play. Texas Tech, which has played one less game, is a half-game back in second place. "If you get beat the way we got beat Saturday," Jayhawks coach Bill Self said, "it's bad in some ways that we played so quick but it's also good in some ways that you have a way to redeem yourself a little bit. So yeah, it was a good way to bounce back."
There was clearly a sense of desperation inside the Phog, where Kansas — despite all the injuries and unrest this season — had not lost in 19 games. And it manifested itself in the kind of cutthroat D that has become a hallmark of Self's teams over the years.
The Wildcats shot just 32 percent from the field, struggled with turnovers at key junctures and never seemed as comfortable as they were at Bramlage Coliseum, where they roared past the Jayhawks nearly three weeks ago to seize control of the conference race.
BIG PICTURE
Kansas has been short-handed with Udoka Azubuike out with a season-ending wrist injury and senior guard Lagerald Vick on a leave of absence. But forward Mitch Lightfoot provided a huge lift off the bench in the first half, and he wound up with nine points and five boards in 31 minutes.
Kansas State still has not swept a season series from the Jayhawks since the 1983 season, and the Wildcats have not won back-to-back games against Kansas since 1993-94. But they still command the Big 12 heading down the stretch, and they have extra time to prepare for Baylor on Saturday.
UP NEXT
Kansas heads to Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Kansas State plays Baylor on Saturday night.
====================
