Medicaid Expansion Proposal Advances in Kansas House
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A plan for expanding Medicaid in Kansas has won first-round approval in the Republican-controlled House. The vote Wednesday was 70-54 in favor of a bill that contains Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's plan for expanding Medicaid health coverage to as many as 150,000 additional people with a few key changes. The House is expected to take another, final vote Thursday to determine whether the measure goes to the Senate. The House's action is a significant victory for Medicaid expansion supporters. They showed they have enough votes to advance a proposal over the strong objections of GOP leaders. Kelly's plan had been bottled up in committees in both chambers. One key change to Kelly's plan ends the expansion if the federal government stops covering 90 percent of the cost.
- earlier reporting on the Medicaid expansion issue -
Medicaid Expansion Backers Win Big Kansas Vote
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Supporters of expanding Medicaid in Kansas have won a big vote in the Republican-controlled Kansas House on Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's expansion plan. The House voted 69-53 on Wednesday to add Kelly's expansion plan to an unrelated health care bill. The House broke off its debate so that members could draft other amendments but the House expected to return to it later Wednesday. The vote indicates that supporters have enough votes to get a version of Medicaid expansion through the House. Majority Leader Dan Hawkins conceded that a bill is likely to pass and said the dynamics of the Legislature's debate have changed. The conservative Wichita Republican opposes Medicaid expansion. Kelly wants to provide Medicaid coverage to up to 150,000 more Kansans. Top Republicans argue that expansion would be costly.
Medicaid Expansion Supporters Force Debate in Kansas House
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Medicaid expansion supporters have forced a debate in the Republican-controlled Kansas House on Democratic Governor Laura Kelly's expansion plan. The House was debating Kelly's proposal Wednesday as a proposed amendment to an unrelated health bill. The chamber's GOP-led Rules Committee declared the amendment out of order, but the House voted 62-55 to overturn that decision. Medicaid expansion supporters hoped to rewrite the bill and gain first-round approval in the House later Wednesday. It would be their first significant victory since 2017, when they passed an expansion bill, only to see then-Republican Gov. Sam Brownback veto it. Kelly wants to provide Medicaid coverage to up to 150,000 more Kansans and supporters argue that it will help many working families. Top Republicans argue that Medicaid expansion would be costly for the state.
====================
Kansas Senate Leader: Judge's Tweets Should be Reviewed
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate's top leader says a judicial ethics commission should review the conduct of a judge whose political Twitter posts sunk his nomination for the state Court of Appeals. Senate President Susan Wagle said Tuesday that she is considering filing a complaint herself against Labette County District Judge Jeffry Jack. Wagle said the Commission on Judicial Qualifications should consider whether Jack's tweets in 2017 violated a rule in the code of conduct for judges saying they should act in ways that promotes public confidence in their impartiality. Jack's tweets criticized President Donald Trump and expressed support for abortion rights and gun control. Democratic Governor Laura Kelly withdrew his nomination Tuesday for the appeals court. Jack defended his tweets as personal opinions that didn't affect his work on the bench.
====================
Lawrence Commission Backs Plan to Cut Pot Fines to $1
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The Lawrence City Commission is backing a plan that would decrease the fine for possessing small amounts of marijuana to $1. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the commission voted 4-1 Tuesday to amend the city ordinance related to penalties for marijuana possession. The change would apply to people age 18 and older convicted of possessing 32 grams or less. Commissioner Matthew Herbert says the vote sends a message to state lawmakers, especially since surrounding states have legalized marijuana in some form. Missouri voters in November approved medical marijuana. But Commissioner Stuart Boley, who cast the lone dissenting vote, says he's concerned that people will be confused because while the fine for the first and second offenses will be $1, the third marijuana possession offense constitutes a felony under state law.
====================
Missouri Regulators Approve Midwest Wind Energy Power Line
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri regulators have reversed course and given the go-ahead to one of the nation's largest renewable energy projects. The Grain Belt Express power line approved Wednesday would carry wind power from Kansas on a 780-mile (1,255 kilometer) path across Missouri and Illinois before hooking into a power grid in Indiana that serves eastern states. The Missouri Public Service Commission had rejected the project twice previously, but it reconsidered following a ruling last year by the state Supreme Court. In November, Chicago-based Invenergy announced it was buying the project from Houston-based Clean Line Energy Partners. That deal should bolster the financing, but the sale still needs regulatory approval. The transmission line also would need regulatory approval in Illinois, where a state appeals court overturned the state's previous approval.
====================
2 Homes Damaged After Explosive Device Detonates in Topeka
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Topeka authorities are investigating after an explosive device detonated early Wednesday near a duplex, damaging that home and a house next to it. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the blast was reported at 12:18 a.m. on the west edge of downtown. No one was hurt. Police Lt. Manny Munoz says the duplex's front porch was badly damaged, and a second-floor window of the neighboring home was shattered. Munoz says the type of device used was "definitely not a consumer-type of fireworks," but the Topeka Fire Department and the police bomb squad are still investigating the source of the explosion.
====================
Kansas Artist Creates Beto O'Rourke Image in Texas Field
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Beto O'Rourke's face has been temporarily enshrined in a Texas field as the former Democratic congressman runs for president. A 2-acre circle with an image of the El Paso politician's face has been carved into a field near Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The crop art also includes the words "Beto 2020." Kansas artist Stan Herd is responsible for the work, which is visible to passing airplanes. He says he wants to show support for O'Rourke, who rose to prominence while trying to unseat Republican Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018. Herd says he used grass, mulch and clay to create the portrait that was unveiled Sunday at Carson Creek Ranch. Land was donated for the project. Herd says he expects the portrait to last about two weeks before deteriorating due to weather.
====================
Kansas Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Crime Involving Child
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man could face up to 30 years in federal prison after admitting that he drove to Missouri to meet what he believed was a woman willing to sell her 10-year-old daughter for sex. Federal prosecutors say 64-year-old Michael David Mitchell of Ottawa pleaded guilty Tuesday to interstate travel to engage in unlawful sexual conduct. Sentencing is April 24. Investigators received information that Mitchell was seeking a woman with a minor child that he could make his sex slave. Prosecutors say Mitchell communicated with an undercover investigator posing as a broker who could connect Mitchell to a mother willing to sell her child. Mitchell admitted in his plea that in June 2017 he drove to Independence, Missouri, to meet a woman and brought $5,000 to pay her.
====================
Kansas Man Gets Murder Trial Delayed Despite 4 Years Waiting
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Lawrence man who's been in jail awaiting his murder trial for more than four years will remain in custody longer after a judge delayed the trial because attorneys gained last-minute access to the victim's phone. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that 22-year-old Rontarus Washington Jr. was set to go to trial Monday for the 2014 slaying of 19-year-old Justina Altamirano Mosso. But a judge this week pushed the trial back until September, waiving Washington's rights to a speedy trial. Washington faces first-degree murder and aggravated burglary charges. Prosecutor C.J. Rieg says Mosso's phone has been a critical piece of evidence that's been locked for the past four years. Rieg says she learned of an FBI program to remove the phone's memory chip in February, and attorneys received the data this month.
====================
2 Die After Driver Crashes into Tree in Kansas City, Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say two people have been killed in a crash in Kansas City, Kansas. KMBC-TV reports that it happened around 2:40 a.m. Tuesday when a driver lost control, went off the side of a road and hit a tree. The driver and his female passenger died at the scene. Both of them were in their 30s. Police say speed may have been a factor.
====================
Ex-President of Kansas Credit Union Admits Embezzlement
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a former president of a credit union in Topeka has pleaded guilty to embezzlement. The U.S. attorney's office said in a news release that 52-year-old Connie Marie Kent of Topeka pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of theft from a credit union and has agreed to repay nearly $40,000. She admitted in her plea agreement that she was an officer and employee of 1st Kansas Credit Union, formerly known as Post Office Credit Union. Its membership is limited to government employees. She faces up to 30 years in prison. Sentencing is set for June 25.
====================
Former Kansas Lawyer Admits Stealing from Clients' Estate
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A former lawyer has admitted stealing from a bankruptcy estate of a couple he once represented. The U.S. attorney's office said in a news release that 69-year-old Christopher O'Brien of Wichita pleaded guilty Monday to one count of embezzlement from an estate. In his plea, O'Brien admitted he embezzled $132,000 from the estate of Roger and Maria Altis. He also agreed as part of his plea agreement to an order of restitution for more than $780,000 that includes the Altis case and two others. O'Brien has voluntarily surrendered his law to practice law in Kansas. Prosecutors say he faces up to five years in prison at his June 3 sentencing.
====================
Ex-Priest's Medical Licenses Become Inactive in 2 States
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Records show a former Kansas City priest no longer has valid licenses to practice medicine in Kansas and Missouri after being defrocked last year following an investigation into multiple allegations of child sexual abuse. John Wisner's medical licenses to practice as a psychiatrist remained active for months after the Archdiocese of Kansas City removed him from the clergy over credible allegations that he abused three minors decades ago. The Kansas City Star reports that Kansas registration records now list Wisner's license as inactive, while Missouri's professional registration agency says Wisner's license has lapsed because it wasn't renewed. Kansas State Board of Healing Arts official Kathleen Selzler Lippert declined to say whether Wisner's license had been revoked. The board's website doesn't show disciplinary records involving Wisner. The Missouri agency's spokeswoman, Lori Croy, says Wisner's license wasn't revoked.
====================
Vice President Mike Pence Tours Flooded Areas in Nebraska
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence took a look at the raging Elkhorn River at the small town of Waterloo, Nebraska, which found itself cut off from the outside world last week by floodwaters. Pence visited the flood disaster area Tuesday at the request of President Donald Trump. He met with a group of first responders who helped pluck people from their flooded homes along the river's banks. He also thanked Brad and Mary Brown, who used their recreational airboat to guide rescuers to stranded residents, saying, "I never fail to be inspired at moments like this. It's just the best of America." Pence later visited a temporary shelter set up at a school in far-west Omaha, where about 25 people who had been evacuated from their homes were eating dinner. Several also had pets, as the Humane Society had set up a make-shift pet shelter in the school's basement.
====================
For Many, Robert Mueller is Now an Unlikely Icon
For devoted Democrats, Robert Mueller has become a sort of folk hero since his appointment as special counsel. And they've found all sorts of ways to express their adoration. Mueller is a 74-year-old registered Republican, Marine and former director of the FBI. He has inspired his own genre of arts and crafts as he leads the investigation into Russian involvement in the 2016 election. One can buy Mueller paintings, prayer candles, valentines and ornaments. A necklace, earrings, keychains. A stuffed toy of Mueller in a Superman outfit, cross-stitch patterns, baby onesies — even an illustration of his haircut to hang on the wall. Others, like Kansas City resident Alicia Barnett, take it even further. She has given her family's chocolate Lab puppy the name Mueller.
====================
Barton County Replacing Aging Voting Equipment
GREAT BEND, Kan. (AP) — Barton County is purchasing new voting equipment to replace its aging machines and move back to using paper ballots. The Great Bend Tribune reports that commissioners on Monday approved $183,000 to buy voting equipment from Election Systems and Software in Omaha, Nebraska. The county's current system is 12 years old and beginning to show wear. County Clerk Donna Zimmerman says it should be replaced before the equipment becomes unreliable. She says they have been working on the project for three years viewing various products before suggesting Election Systems and Software, which provides the county's current voting machines. For voters who cast an electronic ballot, a paper copy will be printed for scanning. Voters who want a paper ballot can fill one out that can be scanned.
====================
Kansas Man Who Survived Attack at Pearl Harbor Dies
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — The man believed to be the last Kansas City-area resident to survive the attack at Pearl Harbor has died. WDAF-TV reports that 96-year-old Dorwin Lamkin of Overland Park, Kansas, died March 17. A cause of death was not disclosed. Born in Wisconsin, Lamkin joined the Navy in 1940. He was a corpsman on the USS Nevada when the Japanese attacked at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941. Lamkin later served at several battles while on the USS San Francisco in 1943 and 1944. He was awarded several medals and citations. He was the longtime president of a chapter of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association and helped lead the drive to create the Pearl Harbor Memorial Park in Mission, Kansas.
====================
