Abortion Flap Could Cost Kansas Governor Her Commerce Chief
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) _ Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly could be forced to replace Kansas's top business development official because of an abortion controversy. Acting state Commerce Secretary David Toland has no role in regulating abortion providers. Yet he is under fire because of two small grants received by a local economic development group he previously ran. The grants were from a fund named for the late Dr. George Tiller. He was a Kansas physician who performed late-term abortions. The Republican-dominated Senate is expected to vote on his appointment next week, and if it refuses to confirm him, he will have to step down from the Cabinet post he's held since Kelly took office in January. Some GOP lawmakers already wanted to oust Toland and now have the backing of the state's most influential anti-abortion group.
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Grocery Store Employee Wounds Co-Worker, Kills Himself
CHERRYVALE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a southeast Kansas grocery store employee took a co-worker hostage before wounding the man and fatally shooting himself. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says the shooting happened Monday after law enforcement officers from several agencies responded to a report of an armed man at the G&W Foods grocery store in Cherryvale. The KBI identified the man Tuesday as 28-year-old Jamal Brown of Independence. The agency says Brown was holding the co-worker hostage in an office at the store when officers arrived. Customers and employees were being evacuated when gunshots were heard from the office. The KBI says officers who entered the room saw Brown shoot himself. The co-worker, a 39-year-old man, was hospitalized in Joplin, Missouri. His condition was upgraded Tuesday to fair. No further information was released.
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Kansas Republicans Condemn Veto of Tax Bill
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Top Republicans in the GOP-controlled Kansas Legislature are condemning Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly's veto of a tax relief bill. Kelly on Monday rejected a measure aimed at preventing individuals and businesses from paying more in state income taxes because of changes in federal tax law at the end of 2017. She said the measure would have created a "self-inflicted budget crisis." Senate President Susan Wagle and House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins said Kelly is breaking a promise she made in last year's campaign not to raise taxes. The two Republicans argued that the bill they championed prevented an unlegislated tax increase. Hawkins has compared the tax debate to finding a wallet full of cash on the sidewalk with the owner's ID. He said: "She kept the money for herself."
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Kansas House Gives 1st Round Approval to Abortion "Reversal" Bill
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A bill requiring health care providers to tell women that some medically-induced abortions can be reversed received first-round approval from the Kansas House. The House passed the bill on voice vote Monday after nearly two hours of debate. The Kansas City Star reports the issue involves medical abortions, which involve women to take two pills. The proposed bill would require patients be given notice that an abortion can be stopped if a doctor intervenes before the second medication is taken. Opponents say the "reversal" method is scientifically unproven and controversial in the medical industry. Proponents say the method is a viable option and women should know about all of their choices. After a final vote Tuesday, the bill is expected to head to the Senate.
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Kansas Congresswoman Not Committing to Green New Deal, Medicare-for-All
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Democratic Congresswoman Sharice Davids says she's committed to expanding health care access and combatting climate change. But during a town hall meeting Sunday in Olathe, Davids stopped short of endorsing "Medicare For All" or a "Green New Deal" pushed by many leading Democrats. The Kansas City Star reports Davids says she is focusing on health care legislation that would get bipartisan support. She says she can't say yet whether she supports a bill to give all Americans access to government-run health care. She notes she is co-sponsoring legislation to give states incentives to expand Medicaid eligibility. Davids said she isn't currently backing the Green New Deal because it contains some specific policies she doesn't support. But she agrees the country needs to find bold ways to address climate change.
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Congress Approves Military Promotion for Bob Dole
WASHINGTON, Kan. (AP) — Former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole of Kansas has been promoted from captain to colonel for his service in the Army during World War II. The Wichita Eagle reports both chambers of the U.S. Congress have unanimously passed a bill promoting the 95-year-old Dole. He earned two Purple Hearts and two Bronze Stars for valor for his service in the war. Dole was an infantry lieutenant in 1945 when he was wounded by German machine gun fire, which left him with limited use of his right arm. Dole represented Kansas in the U.S. House and Senate for a total of 35 years and ran unsuccessfully for president in 1996. The legislation to honor Dole was promoted by the entire Kansas delegation.
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Video Shows Lawrence Police Officer Shooting, Wounding Combative Man
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Dashcam video has been released of a Kansas police officer shooting and wounding a man in a case in which the rookie officer told investigators that she intended to fire her Taser but instead used her firearm. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the video is from the patrol vehicle of an officer who pulled over 35-year-old Akira Lewis for a suspected seatbelt violation near downtown Lawrence. Lewis said in the video that he was pulled over because he is black. When he refuses to provide identification, officer Brindley Blood was summoned. She is seen shooting Lewis when he punches and tackles the other officer. Blood is charged with aggravated battery and resigned from the police force in January. Lewis was treated at a hospital and is charged with several misdemeanors.
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Police Identify Kansas Man Who Died After His Bicycle Was Hit
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A bicyclist who died after being hit by a vehicle last week was a 71-year-old Olathe man. Police said Monday Karman Wells died hours after being hit on Friday in southern Overland Park. The Kansas City Star reports police continue to investigate the crash. The driver has not been cited. Police say there is no evidence the driver of the vehicle was impaired.
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Report Gives Kansas Winter Wheat Mostly Upbeat Assessment
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The government's latest snapshot gave a mostly upbeat assessment of the winter wheat crop in Kansas amid plentiful soil moisture supplies. The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday that 7 percent of the state's wheat is in excellent condition, with another 45 percent listed in good shape. It also rated 37 percent of the crop as far, 8 percent as poor and 3 percent as very poor. The agency said just 1 percent of the state had short topsoil moisture supplies.
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Wichita Seeks to Shutter Coin-Operated Laundry over Gambling
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita officials are seeking to padlock a coin-operated laundry because of ongoing gambling on the property. The Wichita Eagle reports that police have seized at least 34 illegal gambling machines from the Fabric Care Center since 2016. But the city said last week in a court filing that every time authorities haul some out, more show up. Wichita police officers also have logged one homicide, one rape, five aggravated assaults, two simple assaults, five weapons cases, three larcenies and 12 drug cases at the site over the past 14 months. The city's application for a temporary injunction described the ongoing gambling as a "common nuisance." The president of the laundry owner's, Cooper Inc., didn't immediately returned phone messages from The Eagle seeking comment. A hearing is set for April 3.
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Suspect in Man's Death in Kansas Arrested in California
BAXTER SPRINGS, Kan. (AP) _ A Kansas sheriff says a man who was charged along with his mother in the death of a homeless man from Oklahoma has been arrested. The Cherokee County Sheriff's office said in a news release that Ty Bohlander was arrested Wednesday in Santa Monica, California. Bohlander and his mother, Diana Bohlander, are charged with first-degree murder in the April 2017 death of 64-year-old James McFarland, of Tulsa. Sheriff David Groves said Diana Bohlander has not been arrested and is thought to still be in the Santa Monica area. McFarland's body was found along a rural Cherokee County road in April 2017. The sheriff's office previously said the Bohlanders apparently were homeless. They frequented Tulsa shelters and were acquainted with McFarland.
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Former Wichita Church Leader Sentenced for Embezzlement
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) _ The former executive director of Inter-Faith Ministries in Wichita has been sentenced to probation for embezzling more than $100,000 from the church. Sixty-six-year-old Garland Egerton, of Wichita, was sentenced Tuesday to five years of probation, with an underlying prison sentence of 32 months. Egerton pleaded guilty in February to one count of theft. District Attorney March Bennett said in a news release that Egerton's lack of criminal history and a request from the church were factors in granting him probation. Egerton also was ordered to pay $129,556 in restitution, to have no contact with the Unity of Wichita Church and to attend a theft offender class. An audit found that $120,000 went missing from the church between 2013 and 2018. Egerton was the church's bookkeeper at the time.
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Fleeing Teen in Stolen Car Hurts 2 in Wichita Crash
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a fleeing 17-year-old in a stolen car has injured two people in a Wichita crash. Sedgwick County Sheriff's Office spokesman Lt. Tim Myers said in a news release that the teen pulled into a gas station Sunday after a deputy began following her. The Wichita Eagle reports that she waited until the deputy exited his vehicle and then fled. She drove about 1 mile (1.6 kilometer) before running a red light and crashing into another vehicle, injuring its 87-year-old driver and the elderly woman's 45-year-old passenger. Myers says the teen attempted to get away but was arrested by another deputy. She was treated at a hospital before being booked into the juvenile detention facility on suspicion of aggravated battery, driving under the influence and several other charges.
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Judge with Key Role in First Kansas LGBT Marriage to Retire
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A judge who played a key role in Kansas's first same-sex marriage has announced his retirement. The Kansas Office of Judicial Administration says Johnson County District Judge Kevin Moriarty will retire on June 28. In October 2014, Moriarty ordered the county to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples following the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal to hear appeals from five states seeking to preserve their bans on gay marriage. Moriarty said at the time that his ruling was meant to avoid confusion about the legal climate surrounding gay marriages. His ruling led to the state's first same-sex wedding and a contentious legal fight. A failed drive was started to oust Moriarty from the bench before the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately declared a nationwide right to same-sex marriage in June 2015.
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Whooping Cranes Make Kansas Pit Stop While Migrating North
STAFFORD, Kan. (AP) — A flock of rare whooping cranes is delighting visitors at a Kansas wildlife refuge during a pit stop there on its northern migration. The Wichita Eagle reports that staff and visitors at the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge counted 29 of the birds on Monday. Refuge biologist Rachel Laubhan says they are part of the endangered Aransas-Wood Buffalo flock, which is believed to be only about 505 birds strong. The birds spend their winters in Texas and make a dramatic sight at the refuge during their journey back home to Canada. They stand about 5 feet tall with a wing span of 7 feet. When wildlife enthusiasts hear they're making their way through Kansas each spring and fall, they flock to the refuge to get a look.
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Longtime Lion at Rolling Hills Zoo Near Salina Euthanized
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — A zoo near Salina is working to find a new lion for its exhibits after one of its lions was euthanized. Officials at Rolling Hills Zoo said Motomba, an African lion, was euthanized Friday after a long term illness. He would have been 22 on March 30. The Salina Journal reports Motomba and his brother, Simba, lived at the Rolling Hills Zoo since 1997. Simba died in 2016. Neither Motomba nor Simba ever produced offspring. The staff of Rolling Hills Zoo will be working with the Association of Zoo and Aquariums to secure a new lion or lions for the zoo.
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Man Accused of Kicking Child, Yelling Slurs to Stand Trial
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A man who is charged with kicking a toddler and shouting racial slurs inside a Wichita grocery store has been found competent to stand trial. KWCH-TV reports a Sedgwick County judge on Tuesday ruled that Trace Riff could face trial on several charges, including attempted aggravated battery. Prosecutors say Riff kicked a 1-year-old black boy inside a Dillon's Grocery store in Wichita in December. The boy was not seriously injured. The boy's mother and witnesses told police Riff shouted racial slurs and said he was a white supremacist during the incident. Riff is also charged with interference with law enforcement and disorderly conduct. Riff's family says he has a history of mental health and substance abuse problems.
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Wichita Art Advocates Want Public Arts Funding Proposal
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Arts advocates in Wichita are pushing an ordinance that would fund more public art projects. The Wichita Eagle reports an ordinance that will be presented Tuesday at a city council workshop would set aside a percent of the city's capital-improvement project budget for public art. If the council approves the ordinance, Wichita would join more than 350 other cities that have similar ordinances. Patricia McDonnell, director of the Wichita Art Museum, said a large group of local artists and designers wrote the proposal based on what other cities have passed. The ordinance would ensure that public projects factor art and design elements into their budgets. Currently, a citizens group makes recommendations to the City Council about integrating art into public projects, but those recommendations aren't always accepted.
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