Kansas Governor Concedes Pension Proposal Unlikely to Pass
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Governor Laura Kelly is acknowledging that her proposal to reduce Kansas's annual contributions to its public pension system probably won't pass the Republican-controlled Legislature this year. But Kelly said Friday that the state "absolutely" must revise its schedule of payments to the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System.
She added, "I think the Legislature knows that."
Republicans have said her plan is unwise. The House rejected it last month. By law, the state must ramp up contributions to close a long-term KPERS funding gap by 2035. Kelly proposed giving the state an extra 15 years to create budget breathing room. Kelly's comments Friday came after she signed a bill for an immediate, $115 million payment to KPERS. It repays with interest a contribution skipped in 2016 because of budget problems.
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Kansas Medicaid Expansion Push Hasn't Cracked GOP Roadblock
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Governor Laura Kelly and other advocates are ramping up a campaign for her proposal to expand Medicaid in Kansas. The push comes after conservative lawmakers have shown they hold enough power to block her proposal, for now. Kelly held a news conference Thursday with four business leaders and kicked off a two-hour seminar on the potential economic benefits of expanding state health coverage for the needy. Religious leaders also were at the Statehouse, partly to lobby for expansion. The new Democratic governor is trying to crack Republican leaders' hard opposition to Medicaid expansion as she seeks her first major victory in the GOP-dominated Legislature. Advocates believe they have bipartisan majorities for her proposal but are still trying to figure out how to get around Republican leaders.
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Kansas House Approves GOP Leaders' Income Relief Proposals
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Republican-controlled Kansas House has approved GOP income tax relief proposals and a small cut in the state's sales tax on groceries. The vote Friday was 76-43 on a bill aimed at preventing individuals and businesses from paying more state income taxes because of changes in federal tax laws at the end of 2017. The measure also would drop the sales tax on groceries to 5.5 percent from 6.5 percent and includes provisions to increase tax collections from internet sales. The Senate approved the bill last month but without the sales tax provisions. Senators expect to decide next week whether to accept the House's changes or force negotiations. GOP leaders contend the bill prevents a tax increase but Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly said lawmakers should stabilize the budget first.
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Kansas Supreme Court Rejects Mom's Appeal in Son's Death
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has denied a 37-year-old Kansas woman's appeal of her conviction for killing her son. Lindsey Blansett was convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated assault in the December 2014 death of her son, Caleb, in Wellington. Prosecutors said she beat him with a rock and stabbed him to death. She was given a Hard 25 sentence. Prosecutors argued during Blansett's trial that she killed her son to spare him from suffering. Her defense argued she was mentally ill at the time and believed people were coming to her house to hurt Caleb. Blansett's appeal argued jury instructions not to consider her mental illness were erroneous. The state Supreme Court said the instructions didn't prevent the jury from considering how Blansett's mental illness affected her ability to premeditate the crime.
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Fire Marshal: Death Investigations 'Falling Through Cracks'
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas fire marshal says investigations of fatal fires are too often "falling through the cracks," and he wants lawmakers to do something about it. Fire Marshal Doug Jorgensen on Thursday proposed a reform plan. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Jorgensen identified six fatalities from fires or explosions in the past year that were not thoroughly investigated. In one instance, the death was later revealed to be a homicide. Jorgensen urged a committee to amend state law to require an investigation whenever a person dies in a fire or explosion, as well as when a body is found at a fire scene. Fire chiefs also would be required to report the name and address of the dead to the fire marshal's office.
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Riley County: 2 Recent Deaths Likely Caused by Fentanyl
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Riley County police say a second death in Manhattan this month likely was caused by fentanyl found in heroin. The department says a 35-year-old Manhattan man was found dead on Tuesday. A 50-year-old man who was taken to a hospital on March 5 later died. And on March 2, a 27-year-old Emporia man was treated and released at a hospital in a drug-related case. The police department issued a news release this week to draw attention to the dangers of the drug. WIBW reports police say the fentanyl laced heroin is relatively new to Riley County. But statistics from the Kansas Bureau of Investigation says the recent spike is part of a statewide problem.
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Suspected Arrested in Death of Man Found in Kansas River
WAMEGO, Kan. (AP) — A 23-year-old man has been arrested in the killing of a 19-year-old man whose body was found in the Kansas River. Pottawatomie County Sheriff Greg Riat said in a news release that Cody Lamia-Beck was taken into custody Wednesday. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that he is a suspect in the death of Jacob Bouck, whose body was found December 24 in the river about 1 mile west of Wamego. He was last seen on December 21. A forensic autopsy indicated Bouck's death was a homicide.
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Man Died After Becoming Trapped in Sawdust Hopper
VALLEY CENTER, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a man has died after becoming trapped in a container that sawdust is discharged from. KAKE-TV reports that Valley Center police responded around 12:30 pm Thursday to Conner Industries, where the man had gone to purchase sawdust. Authorities believe he became trapped after attempting to manually free up some sawdust that was stuck in a hopper. He wasn't breathing when first responders arrived. Emergency responders tried to revive him but weren't successful. Valley Center police say the case is being investigated as an accident. The man's name wasn't immediately released. He had planned to use the sawdust for agricultural purposes.
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Kansas Professor Removed from Teaching Class; Accused of Telling Student to Learn English
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A University of Kansas engineering professor says administrators removed him from teaching a course for the rest of the semester after he told a student to "learn English." The Lawrence Journal-World reports Gary Minden, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science, said he was told Thursday that students were upset by his comment. Minden says he made the comment because the student was using a translator on a cellphone. He says the student didn't seem to be offended but other students complained. The comment prompted an hour-long discussion in the class. University spokeswoman Erinn Barcomb-Peterson said the university assigned a different instructor to the class because several students raised concerns about the comment. The new instructor will remain in the class while the investigation continues.
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Man Sentenced in Beating Death of Topeka Man During Burglary
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A 32-year-old man was given the maximum sentence possible for beating a Topeka man to death during a burglary. Howard Dale Burchfiel was sentenced Friday to 16 years for involuntary manslaughter and aggravated battery. Topeka police say they found 66-year-old Allen Wichman injured after he was beaten in June 2017. He died the next month. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Shawnee County deputy district attorney Brett Watson noted that Burchfiel was convicted of attempted murder and given a lesser sentence in a 2009 case. Watson said Wichman likely would be alive today if Burchfiel was given the standard or maximum sentence in that case. Burchfiel said during the hearing that he accepts responsibility for Wichman's death and apologized to his family.
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Struggling Hospital in Rural Missouri Loses Medicare
SWEET SPRINGS, Mo. (AP) — A rural Missouri hospital has been cut off from the federal Medicare program after the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services found serious deficiencies threatening patient health and safety. KCUR-FM reports that the federal health agency pulled I-70 Community Hospital in Sweet Springs from its Medicare program Thursday. The 15-bed facility, about 65 miles east of Kansas City, had voluntarily suspended its license in February after state regulators found the hospital was "out of regulatory compliance." It's the latest hospital formerly run by North Kansas City-based EmpowerHMS to face regulatory and financial trouble. Oklahoma-based Cohesive Healthcare Management & Consulting was appointed by a court to take over the hospital's operations and plans to appeal the federal agency's decision. The hospital's interim CEO, Roland Gee, says the facility is working to address deficiencies so that it can reopen.
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Kansas Doctor Sentenced to Life in Prison for Patient Death
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas doctor has been sentenced to life in prison for unlawfully prescribing medication blamed for an overdose death. Steven R. Henson was immediately taken into custody following Friday's hearing. There was an audible gasp in the packed courtroom when U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten pronounced the life sentence. The 57-year-old Wichita doctor was convicted last year for the 2015 death of Nick McGovern. Marten told Henson that he put his patient in the position that he had to take those pills to get through the day. Henson was also convicted of conspiracy to distribute prescription drugs outside the course of medical practice, unlawfully distributing various prescription drugs, presenting false patient records to investigators, obstruction of justice and money laundering.
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Judge Dismisses 5 Remaining Charges Against Sedgwick County Commissioner
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has dismissed the five charges remaining against Sedgwick County Commissioner Michael O'Donnell at the request of prosecutors. Jurors on Monday found O'Donnell not guilty of 21 counts of wire fraud but deadlocked on two counts of wire fraud and three counts of money laundering. U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren dismissed on Thursday those remaining counts without prejudice, meaning they could be refiled. The government had filed a motion the day earlier seeking the dismissal of those charges. The Wichita Eagle reports O'Donnell said Wednesday he's glad common sense prevailed but he's sorry the legal action was such an expense for him and taxpayers. O'Donnell was indicted last year on charges that he misspent $10,500 during campaigns for state senate and the Sedgwick County Commission.
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Man Who Killed Son, Wounded Dad Collapses During Sentencing
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A man convicted of wounding a father and killing his 34-year-old son collapsed during his sentencing hearing and was removed from the courtroom on a stretcher. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that 30-year-old John Towner Jr. had just taken the oath to testify Thursday when he said, "I can't breathe. I'm about to pass out." After collapsing, he appeared to begin convulsing. The Topeka Fire Department says he was transported to a local hospital. Towner was convicted earlier this year of voluntary manslaughter and attempted second-degree murder in a January 2018 shooting that left John Austin Jr. dead and his father, John Austin Sr., wounded. Towner was acquitted of attempted aggravated robbery and a more serious first-degree murder charge. During the trial, Towner contended he shot the Austins out of self-defense.
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Victims of Wichita Crash Were 2 Men, 1 Woman
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say the victims of fiery wreck in northeast Wichita were two men and a woman. The Kansas Highway Patrol identified the victims as 41-year-old Terry Wehry, 44-year-old Renata Wehry and 68-year-old Lonnie Jesser, all of El Dorado. They were killed around 12:30 pm Wednesday when a northbound box truck collided with the victims' westbound car while crossing Kansas 254. Both vehicles went into a ditch and caught fire. The patrol says the truck's driver appeared to be uninjured. The patrol says it appears that he didn't yield before crossing the highway.
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Russian Woman Convicted of Parental Kidnapping, Extortion
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 38-year-old Russian woman has been convicted of taking her child out of the U.S. and keeping the child away from the father in Kansas. A federal jury convicted Bogdana Alexandrovna Mobley on Wednesday of one count of international parental kidnapping and two counts of attempting to extort money from the child's father. Prosecutors said Mobley took a child to Russia in April 2014 even though the father, Brian Mobley, was awarded joint custody when the couple began divorce proceedings. The child has not returned to the United States. Brian Mobley was able to communicate with the child only by cell phone and Skype between April 2014 and November 2016. His ex-wife told Brian Mobley he needed to send her money in order to see the child.
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$2.8 Million Gift Funds Scholarships for KU Med Students
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas School of Medicine says a gift of more than $2.8 million will fund scholarships for medical students. The school announced the gift from the estate of Alton and Helen Knechtel, of Chula Vista, California, on Thursday. The two were Kansas natives who graduated from Kansas universities. Alton Knechtel was born in Larned and Helen was born in Alma. He died in 1984 and she died in 2018. Dr. Mark Meyer, senior associate dean for student affairs at the School of Medicine, says the gift will help medical students whose average debt at graduation is more than over $180,000. Helen Knechtel earned a music degree from Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, and studied music at the University of Kansas. Alton Knechtel earned an architectural engineering degree at Kansas State University.
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Groundbreaking Set for New Kansas City Airport
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A groundbreaking celebration is planned for late March for the new single-terminal Kansas City International Airport. The Kansas City Aviation Department and the project developer announced Thursday that the celebration will be March 25 at the airport. The announcement is another step toward a new airport in the city, which was a source of controversy for years before voters in November overwhelmingly approved demolishing the current three-terminal airport and replacing it with a single terminal. The City Council last week approved agreements between the city and developer Edgemoor over the design and construction of the airport. The new terminal will have 39 gates and more than 1 million square feet.
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It's Official: Everyone's Sick of Winter, Meteorologists Say
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Even the National Weather Service is sick of winter. The agency's Kansas City area office said in a tweet that "After a recent poll, stats confirm that 96% of our followers are tired of winter." It jokingly added that, "The other 4% are wrong." Just over 29 inches of snow has fallen since November at the Kansas City International Airport. Meteorologist Jonathan Welsh says that's 10 inches more than fell over the past three winter seasons combined. None of those winters saw more than 8 inches. The last time there was more snow in the area was in 2012-2013, when accumulations totaled nearly 32 inches. Welsh says no additional snow is expected anytime soon in the area, although "we're certainly not out of the woods."
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