Low-Lying Part of St. Joseph Evacuated
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are evacuating a low-lying area of St. Joseph, Missouri, as the Missouri River crests at near-record levels. Missouri State Highway Patrol Sergeant Jake Angle says the evacuation began late Friday morning in the city's Lake Contrary area. The river is cresting in the city at levels that are less than 1 foot lower than those reached during historic 1993 flooding. More than 100 people are sandbagging to shore up the levee that protects the Missouri Air National Guard and Rosencrans Airport. Across the river, about 1,200 residents of the Kansas town of Elwood were urged to leave. Kansas City Power & Light says that because of the flooding, crews have shut off power to some customers in five communities, including St. Joseph, which has a population of about 75,000.
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Flood Levels Reached Record in Three Nebraska Towns
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - This year's round of Midwestern flooding is the worst ever at three locations in Nebraska. National Weather Service hydrologist Kevin Low said Friday that the Missouri River reached record levels at Plattsmouth, Nebraska City and Brownville. It crested just short of a record at several other places, including St. Joseph, Missouri, where the river reached 32.02 feet on Friday, inches short of the record of 32.07 feet set during the historic 1993 flood. Crests are still coming further south and east on the Missouri River, but flooding in Kansas City and other points in Missouri isn't expected to be nearly as severe. Officials with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers say it is too early to begin assessing total damage from the flood. While the crests in Nebraska, southwestern Iowa and northwestern Missouri have largely passed, water will remain high for several days.
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Court: Judge Went Too Far in Dropping Kansas Man's Drug Case
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A federal appeals court says a judge went too far by dismissing a Kansas drug indictment after finding that a prosecutor violated the defendant's right to a fair trial. The Kansas City Star reports that the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that U.S. District Court Judge Julie Robinson should retry Gregory Orozco. Robinson dismissed Orozco's two drug charges in December 2017 after finding that federal prosecutor Terra Morehead intimidated a witness into not testifying and belatedly disclosed evidence. Morehead was also accused of misconduct in her handling of a case in the 1990s that caused a man to be imprisoned for nearly 23 years for a crime he didn't commit. The appeals court says Robinson never addressed why dismissing Orozco's case was necessary to deter misconduct.
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ACLU: Black Man Detained While Moving Into His Tonganoxie Home
TONGANOXIE, Kan. (AP) - The American Civil Liberties of Kansas has asked for a state investigation after a black man was detained by local police while moving into his own home. The ACLU says that Karle Robinson was held at gunpoint and handcuffed as he moved into a home he had purchased in Tonganoxie, about 40 miles northeast of Topeka. Robinson says police harassed him and that Tonganoxie's police chief stopped him from filing a racial bias complaint. Police Chief Greg Lawson says he had not seen the ACLU's allegations and would comment later. ACLU alleges a pervasive culture of racial bias exists in the Tonganoxie Police Department. The organization asked Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt to investigate or refer the group's complaint to the Kansas Commission on Officers Standards and Training.
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New Charges for Man Accused in Missouri Planned Parenthood Arson
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A Missouri man accused of trying to burn down a Planned Parenthood clinic in February now faces new charges. Wesley Brian Kaster was originally charged March 4 with maliciously damaging a building owned by an organization that receives federal financial assistance. The Columbia Daily Tribune reports that a grand jury indictment on Wednesday replaced that charge with two new counts - using explosive material to maliciously damage federal property and malicious use of explosive materials. An attorney for Kaster didn't immediately respond to a message seeking comment. The clinic in Columbia, Missouri was empty when the pre-dawn fire broke out February 10 . Authorities allege that the 42-year-old man broke the glass front door and threw in a "Molotov cocktail-type device."
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Kansas Commerce Chief Under Fire from Republican Lawmakers
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Democratic Governor Laura Kelly's top economic development official might have trouble keeping his job after a committee recommended that the Kansas Senate reject his appointment. A two-day Senate Commerce Committee confirmation hearing for Acting Commerce Secretary David Toland turned bitter and partisan. Some Republicans questioned his credentials and criticized him over social media posts and comments during a Statehouse rally last year for Medicaid expansion. The committee voted 6-5 against his appointment. Toland is from Iola and served as the unpaid treasurer for Kelly's campaign for governor last year. He also earned national praise in 11 years as executive director of the economic development group Thrive Allen County. The Senate's rules require the full chamber to vote on confirming Toland despite the committee's vote. Kelly is standing by him.
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Kansas State University to Lower Tuition for Students in Five States
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State University is becoming cheaper for good students from five more states. The Manhattan Mercury reports that the Kansas Board of Regents agreed this week to allow new students from Arkansas, California, Colorado, Oklahoma and Texas to begin paying less in fall 2020. To qualify, they must have at least a 3.25 overall high school GPA and scores of either 22 on the ACT or 1100 on the SAT. President Richard Myers says it will help with recruitment. Under the reduced rate, they would have paid $6,562.50 this fall for 14 credit hours. Regular out-of-state students spent $11,610, and in-state students shelled out $4,375. Qualifying students from nine other states already can receive out-of-state tuition at the same reduced rate, which is 150 percent of the in-state tuition cost.
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Authorities Release Name of Child Killed by Truck in Downtown Kansas City
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Authorities have identified the child struck and killed by a commercial truck in downtown Kansas City as 3-year-old Jayden Courtney. The accident happened Wednesday afternoon. Police say Jayden and his father came out of a store on 11th Street when the child broke away from his father's hand and ran between two parked vehicles into the street. He was struck by a truck belonging to Spire, a company based in St. Louis. Police say the truck driver stayed at the scene and cooperated with police. The investigation continues.
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K-State Ousted from NCAA Tournament
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) _ UC Irvine got back-to-back 3-pointers from Evan Leonard to spark the deciding run in a 70-64 upset over Kansas State that marked the Anteaters' first NCAA Tournament victory in school history. UC Irvine's victory on Friday was the team's first NCAA tournament win. They lost 57-55 to Louisville in 2015 in their only other NCAA appearance. Leonard and Max Hazzard each scored 19 points to send UC Irvine (31-5) into the second round of the South Region for a matchup against either Wisconsin or Oregon.
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Kansas Man Wins $50 Million in Missouri Lottery Game
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A gas stop in Missouri paid off handsomely for a Shawnee, Kansas, man, to the tune of $50 million dollars. The Missouri Lottery announced that Hira Singh claimed a $50 million Mega Millions jackpot at the agency's office in Jefferson City. Singh stopped at a Kansas City, Missouri, QuikTrip store for gas earlier this month. While there, he bought a Mega Millions ticket for the March 12 drawing. It matched all of the numbers: 10, 12, 16, 49 and 57, with a Mega Ball of 18. Singh didn't initially realize he won. He found out while using a Check-A-Ticket machine. Just to be sure, he checked three times.
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