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Headlines for Tuesday, April 2, 2019

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Kansas Expansion Foes Signal Nervousness with Medicaid Move

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Top Republican lawmakers in Kansas appear skittish about being able to block Medicaid expansion, offering political cover to moderate GOP colleagues if they back off their push for an expansion this year. State Senate President Susan Wagle told reporters Tuesday that GOP leaders plan to have a legislative committee study Medicaid expansion this summer and fall. She said the panel would review proposals that could generate broader support among Republicans, such as a work requirement or drug testing for people receiving the expanded coverage. Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has made expanding Medicaid health coverage for as many as 150,000 additional Kansas residents one of her top priorities after her Republican predecessors thwarted it. Expansion has bipartisan support, but conservative Republicans who oppose it hold key positions in the GOP-controlled Legislature. Expansion opponents prevented even a legislative committee vote on a plan until supporters forced a debate in the House two weeks ago and passed a modified version of Kelly's plan. The Senate has yet to take up the bill, and expansion supporters are trying to pressure that chamber's GOP leaders into allowing a vote while working on ways to maneuver around them.

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Kansas Commerce Chief Confirmed Despite Vocal Opposition

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate has confirmed Democratic Governor Laura Kelly's commerce secretary despite vocal opposition from some Republicans and the state's most influential anti-abortion group.  The vote Monday on Secretary David Toland was 23-14. If the Republican-controlled Senate had rejected him, Toland would have been forced to step down.  Toland formerly served 11 years as executive director of the Iola-based economic development group Thrive Allen County. He earned praise from business leaders and local chambers of commerce across the state.  The anti-abortion group Kansans for Life opposed his confirmation. Thrive Allen County received two grants totaling less than $20,000 to promote women's health from a fund named for the late abortion provider Dr. George Tiller.  Local politics also generated opposition and Toland served as Kelly's unpaid campaign treasurer last year.

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Burn Ban for 16 Kansas Counties for the Month of April

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A burn ban is in effect in 16 Kansas counties through the month of April.  The ban restricts burning trees and brush from land clearing, crop residues, construction debris, yard waste, and the use of backyard chimineas and fire pits.  The counties under the ban are Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cowley, Elk, Geary, Greenwood, Johnson, Lyon, Marion, Morris, Pottawatomie, Riley, Sedgwick, Wabaunsee and Wyandotte.  Effective Monday, no new burn permits will be issued and all previously issued burn permits will be suspended until at least May 1. Live fire training also is suspended.  This ban does not include outdoor cooking devices or ceremonial fires. It also does not include burning for crop, range, pasture, wildlife or watershed management.

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1 Killed in Shooting in Kansas City, Kansas, Police Say

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say one person has been killed in a shooting outside a Kansas City, Kansas, apartment complex.  Police Chief Terry Zeigler says the shooting was reported around 9:20 Monday night.  The victim was in his 20s. Police say the shooter fled before officers arrived. No other details were immediately released, including the name of the victim or the motive.

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Kansas Teenager Dies in "Tragic Firearm Accident"

CONCORDIA, Kan. (AP) — A funeral is scheduled Thursday for a northern Kansas teenager who died in an accident involving a firearm.  WIBW-TV reports an email sent to parents in the Concordia school district that eighth-grader Mason Berk died Saturday in a "tragic firearm accident."  An obituary said the teenager passed away at Cloud County Health Center in Concordia.  Further details about the death were not released.

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Kansas to Investigate Missing Money / Documents at State Park

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas parks officials plan to investigate financial irregularities at Clinton State Park near Lawrence.  The investigation will proceed even though public documents concerning cash handling at the park are missing.  Brad Loveless, secretary of the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, says someone stole the relevant documents. The records show that placards were issued to campers who used a self-pay station. But those payments aren't recorded in an account of the cash from the box that is supposed to be put in a safe at the park.  State Parks Director Linda Lanterman says she is in the process of hiring someone to conduct an investigation and audit.  The Lawrence Journal-World reported that park leaders couldn't prove the money from the self-pay boxes was going to the state.

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Medical Marijuana Advocates Laying Plans for Next Session

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Advocates pushing for legalization of medical marijuana acknowledge that it's unlikely to happen this year in Kansas.  Most legislative work is scheduled to wrap up next week, with a short session in May that will focus on the budget.  So far the only marijuana-related bill to get a vote in either chamber would provide a legal defense for those who use CBD oil with up to 5 percent THC, which provides the high from marijuana. The House approved the bill on Wednesday.  The Wichita Eagle reports Lisa Sublett, founder of the advocacy group Bleeding Kansas, says advocates are laying the groundwork for next year. They want a legislative committee to study medical marijuana during the summer and make recommendations before the next session starts in January.

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Trump Considers Naming an Immigration Czar and Kris Kobach is a Possible Candidate

WASHINGTON (AP) — As he threatens to shut down the southern border, President Donald Trump is considering bringing on a "border" or "immigration czar" to coordinate immigration policy across various federal agencies, according to four people familiar with the discussions.  Trump is weighing at least two potential candidates for the post: former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, according to the people, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the conversations publicly.  Kobach and Cuccinelli are conservatives with strong views on illegal immigration. Cuccinelli was seen at the White House on Monday.  The planning comes as Trump is threatening anew to close the U.S.-Mexico border as soon as this week if Mexico does not completely halt illegal immigration into the U.S.  Aides hope the potential appointment, which they caution is still in the planning stages, would serve as the "face" of the administration on immigration issues and would placate both the president and his supporters, showing he is serious and taking action.
White House press aides, Kobach and Cuccinelli did not immediately respond Monday to requests for comment. Kobach previously served as vice chair of the president's short-lived election fraud commission, which was disbanded.  

Trump has often complained, both publicly and privately, about how he has not been able to do more to stop the tide of illegal immigration, which he has likened to an "invasion" and described as a national security crisis. Arrests along the southern border have skyrocketed in recent months and border agents were on track to make 100,000 arrests or denials of entry in March.  Trump has deployed National Guard troops to the border, forced a government shutdown to try to pressure Congress to provide more money for his long-promised border wall, and eventually signed an emergency declaration to circumvent lawmakers. He also moved Saturday to cut direct aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, where citizens are fleeing north and overwhelming U.S. resources at the southern border.

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Topeka Teens Charged in Shooting of 2 Lawrence Brothers

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Two teenagers from Topeka are charged with attempted first-degree murder and robbery in the shootings of two brothers at a Lawrence park. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the two suspects, both 17, made their first appearances Tuesday in Douglas County District Court. Both pleaded not guilty. Prosecutors could decide to try both as adults. The charges allege that the defendants shot the two victims several times on Friday afternoon at Holcom Park during an attempted robbery. Police haven't released the names of the brothers, who are 18 and 16. On Tuesday, the older brother was in critical but stable condition and the younger was in stable condition. Edwards also is charged with criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon. The two suspects remain in juvenile custody.

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Man Who Ran Kansas City, Kansas, Drug House Sentenced

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 35-year-old Arizona who ran a drug house in Kansas City, Kansas has been sentenced to 21 years in federal prison.  U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister said Jose Badilla, of Phoenix, was sentenced Monday on counts involving the distribution of methamphetamine and heroin, and possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking.  In his plea, Badilla admitted that when investigators served a search warrant at the house in Kansas City they found more than 6 pounds of heroin and two guns.  Investigators said Badilla moved to Kansas City from Phoenix in August 2017 in order to distribute drugs. He was paid $2,000 to $2,500 every other week to keep the drugs at his homes. The drugs he stored were shipped from Mexico.

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Kansas Groceries, Gas Stations Start Selling Stronger Beer

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Grocery and convenience stores in Kansas are stocking their shelves with stronger beer.  Starting Monday, they can sell beer with up to 6 percent alcohol by volume. Previously, groceries and convenience stores could stock beer with only up to 3.2 percent alcohol content — considerably lower than even leading light beer brands. In exchange, liquor stores will be able to sell more non-alcoholic products, such as shot glasses, mixers, lottery tickets and tobacco products.  Lawmakers have debated the issue for years. Some said they were concerned large grocery chains would put independent liquor stores out of business.  Oklahoma and Colorado have made similar charges. The beer revolution leaves just two states — Utah and Minnesota — where only 3.2 percent beer may be sold in grocery and convenience stores.

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Woman Buys Out Closing Payless Store to Donate Shoes to Nebraska Flood Relief 

HAYS, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas woman donated 204 pairs of shoes to Nebraska flood victims after buying all the remaining shoes at a Payless store that was closing. The Hutch Post reports the shoes were part of a flood relief shipment taken to farmers in Nebraska by Fort Hays State's agriculture sorority, Sigma Alpha, during the weekend. Addy Tritt, a Fort Hays State graduate, said she wanted to help others because so many people have helped her in the past. When the price at a Hays store dropped to $1 per pair, Tritt negotiated with the business to buy the remaining shoes for $100. They included 162 pairs of baby shoes, two pairs of men's shoes, and the rest were women's shoes. The retail price of the shoes would have been more than $6,000.

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Correction: Priest Trial Delayed Story 

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — In a story April 2 about a delay in the trial of a Kansas priest accused of molesting a child, The Associated Press reported erroneously that he was on a list of 22 priests that the Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas identified as facing substantiated claims of abuse. He appeared on a separate list of priests facing public allegations that the diocese wasn't able to substantiate. A corrected version of the story is below:

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A criminal trial of a priest charged with molesting a child has been delayed until at least summer. The Kansas City Star reports the trial of Rev. Scott Kallal was set to begin April 15 in Wyandotte County District Court. But at a hearing last week, the court granted Kallal's request for more time. A status conference is set for June 7. Kallal was charged in 2017 with two felony counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. He has pleaded not guilty. He was suspended from public priestly ministry in 2017 as associate pastor at Holy Spirit Church in Overland Park. In January, Kallal was identified by the Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas as having been publicly accused of abuse of a minor. But he wasn't among 22 priests that the diocese identified as facing substantiated claims of abuse.
The investigation is continuing.

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Dismembered Horse Found in Kansas City Park

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City police are investigating how the dismembered remains of a horse ended up in a city park. A man playing disc golf found the remains in Kessler Park on Monday evening. The Kansas City Star reports the horse's head, hooves, legs, entrails, ribs and lungs were scattered in the area. John Baccala, spokesman for the city's neighborhood services department, said the torso was missing. He says that section was likely consumed. Officials are investigating the discovery as an illegal dumping violation and an animal abuse case. The remains were not visible from the road and it's unclear how long they were in the park. Baccala says it would extremely difficult to identify the animal unless its owner has very detailed photographs.

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Siblings Buy Lottery Ticket Worth $2 Million from Kansas Store

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Two siblings have bought a Powerball ticket worth $2 million from a suburban Kansas City convenience store.  The Kansas Lottery says in a news release that the siblings anonymously claimed their prize Friday. The release says they rarely play Powerball but decided to buy four tickets Wednesday when they saw that the jackpot had reached an estimated $768.4 million. On one ticket, they used the random ages of family members and got all but one number right.  Picking five of the six numbers would normally be worth $1 million. But because they also bought the Power Play option, they doubled their prize.  The Shawnee, Kansas, store that sold the ticket is eligible for a $1,000 bonus.  One of the siblings lives in Kansas, while the other lives out of state.

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Person of Interest in Killing Accused of Shooting at Officer

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — An 18-year-old who was named as a person of interest in the killing of a suburban Kansas City teen has been charged with shooting at an officer. Matthew Lee Bibee Jr. was charged Tuesday with attempted capital murder, attempted first degree murder, attempted aggravated robbery, battery against a law enforcement officer and battery. None of the charges appear related to the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Rowan Padgett on Friday in Olathe. Police say Bibee was wounded Sunday in an exchange of gunfire with officers who were responding to an armed robbery attempt in which shots were fired. Bibee was treated at a hospital before he was taken to jail. No one else was hurt. Bibee's bond is set at $1 million. No attorney is listed for him in online court records.

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