Kansas Lawmakers Approve Mandating Notice on Abortion 'Reversal'
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers have approved a measure that would require abortion providers to tell patients that medication abortions can be reversed after they take the first of two pills. The votes Friday were 85-35 in the House and 26-11 in the Senate. The bill goes to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. She is an abortion-rights supporter and has questioned whether the bill is based on sound science. The bill deals with medication abortions involving RU-486. It would require abortion providers to inform patients that RU-486 isn't always effective in ending a pregnancy, so that a medication abortion can be reversed. Supporters said the bill ensures that women have the information so they can continue their pregnancies if they change their minds. Critics say it requires providers to distribute questionable information.
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School District Attorney: Kansas School Aid Plan is Inadequate
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An attorney representing four school districts suing Kansas says an education funding plan approved by lawmakers isn't adequate. Attorney John Robb predicted Thursday that the Kansas Supreme Court will reject Democratic Governor Laura Kelly's plan for an education funding increase of roughly $90 million a year. Robb said it doesn't provide enough new money for public education after the 2019-20 school year. The House approved the plan, 76-47, and the Senate passed it, 31-8, to send the measure to Kelly. The four school districts sued the state in 2010. The Supreme Court said in an order last year that a 2018 law promising additional funding increases wasn't sufficient because it hadn't accounted for inflation. Robb said of the plan: "The math just doesn't do it."
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Kansas Lawmakers Pass Bill to Allow Farm Bureau Health Plan
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in Kansas pressed ahead Friday with allowing the state Farm Bureau to offer health coverage to members that doesn't satisfy the Affordable Care Act, a state-level effort to circumvent an Obama-era law President Donald Trump wants to replace. The Kansas House approved an insurance bill on an 84-39 vote that includes provisions to exempt health coverage offered by the Farm Bureau from state insurance regulation, anticipating that the nonprofit group could offer lower-cost products to thousands of individuals and families. The Senate approved the bill Thursday on a 28-12 vote, so it goes next to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly. The bill had overwhelming support from GOP legislators and faced strong opposition from Democrats, but Kelly hasn't taken a public position on it. The Kansas proposal is patterned after a Tennessee law in place for decades, and an Iowa enacted a law last year.
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KBI Investigating Marshall County Clerk's Office
MARYSVILLE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say Kansas Bureau of Investigation agents served search warrants at several locations in Marysville, including at the Marshall County Clerk's Office. KBI spokeswoman Melissa Underwood told The Topeka Capital-Journal the warrants were related to an ongoing criminal investigation into alleged conduct by an employee of the clerk's office. She said more information would be released if the investigation leads to an arrest or charges. Additional details weren't immediately released.
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Wichita Man Gets Life in Prison for Drug Deal Death
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 20-year-old Wichita man has been sentenced to life in prison for the shooting death of a man during a marijuana deal. KAKE-TV reports Mark Holley III was convicted in January of first-degree murder and six other charges in the April 2017 shooting death of 18-year-old D'Shaun Smith. Holley will be eligible for parole after 25 years. District Judge Stephen Ternes added more than 10 years to be served after Holley completes the life sentence. Investigators believe Smith and a woman met Holley to buy marijuana. Instead, Holley tried to rob them and shot Smith, who died in his car.
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Oklahoma Man Charged in Murder-for-Hire Plan
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A 69-year-old Oklahoma man who owns several vape stores in Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri is charged with trying to hire someone to kill a former employee and her boyfriend. Federal authorities say Vernon Wayne Brock, of Ava, Oklahoma, was charged Thursday with using interstate commerce facilities in the commission of a murder for hire. A federal complaint alleges Brock offered $5,000 to his business partner to attack the woman and her boyfriend in Oklahoma City. The partner, who lives in Kansas, contacted the FBI and cooperated with authorities. The complaint says Brock was upset that the woman ended a sexual relationship with him. Brock was arrested Wednesday after allegedly delivering a $5,000 check to his partner at a Kansas cafe. His attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Wichita Detective Faces Misdemeanor Charge, Put on Leave
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police say a detective was charged with misdemeanor battery after an incident with a co-worker. Police spokesman Charley Davidson said in a news release Thursday that Rick Craig was placed on unpaid leave until investigators determine whether he violated police department policies. Davidson said no physical injuries occurred but he did not provide details of the incident. The Wichita Eagle reports court documents say that between April 1 and May 30, 2018, Craig contacted another person in a "rude, insulting or angry manner." Sedgwick County District Judge David Dahl issued a protective order that forbids Craig from contacting the co-worker. The Sedgwick County Sheriff's office investigated the incident.
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Lawsuit Challenges Kansas Statehouse Policy on Banners
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the three college students who were detained after unfurling banners at the Kansas Statehouse in support of Medicaid expansion. The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas said Thursday the Kansas restrictions suppress political expression. It seeks a court order prohibiting Kansas from enforcing what ACLU contends are flawed policies. The litigation stems from an incident last month involving Kansas State University students who hung large banners saying Republican legislators who oppose expanding Medicaid have "blood on their hands." The students were initially barred from the Statehouse for a year, but have since been reinstated. House Majority Leader Dan Hawkins, a conservative Republican singled out in one of the banners, says the rule is in place to prevent damage to the Statehouse.
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University of Kansas Offers Course on the "Angry White Male"
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A congressman is chastising the University of Kansas for offering a course titled "Angry White Male Studies." Kansas Republican Rep. Ron Estes was among those turning to social media, lamenting in a tweet that the university has "decided to offer a class that divides the student population." The school's academic catalog says the course will chart "the rise of the 'angry white male' in America and Britain since the 1950s, exploring the deeper sources of this emotional state." Humanities professor Christopher Forth, himself a white man, will teach the course this fall. Forth and a university spokeswoman didn't immediately return phone and email messages from The Associated Press. Other colleges also have been exploring masculinity amid the #MeToo movement, including Duke University, which describes its "Men's Project" as being "dedicated to interrogating male privilege."
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Pipeline Opponents Ask Judge to Strike Down Trump's Permit
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Opponents of the long-stalled Keystone XL oil pipeline asked a federal court Friday in a lawsuit to declare President Donald Trump acted illegally when he issued a new permit for the project in a bid to get around an earlier court ruling. In November, U.S. District Judge Brian Morris ruled that the Trump administration did not fully consider potential oil spills and other impacts when it approved the pipeline in 2017. Trump's new permit, issued last week, is intended to circumvent that ruling and kick-start the proposal to ship crude oil from the tar sands of western Canada to U.S. refineries. White House officials have said the presidential permit is immune from court review. But legal experts say that's an open question, and that the case could further test the limits of Trump's use of presidential power to get his way.
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Midwest Governors Demand More Control over Waterways
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The governors of three Midwest states ravaged by March flooding say they will pushing for more control over management of the Missouri River that borders their states. Management of the dams and levees along the river falls to officials of the U.S Army Corps of Engineers, who met with Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds, Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts and Missouri Governor Mike Parson for much of Wednesday afternoon in Council Bluffs, Iowa. The three governors, all Republicans, questioned a shift by the Corps in 2004 to no longer prioritize flood control along the river over other goals, such as maintaining fish and wildlife habitat. Asked whether the Corps indicated it would or could cede some river management decisions to the states, Parson replied, "Well, they listened." The governors said they plan to work together for that change, even if it means petitioning Congress to give states more authority in river management. Kansas Governor Laura Kelly has been slated to attend Wednesday's meeting, but ran into travel problems that required her to back out.
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Man Convicted in 2015 Shooting Death in Hutchinson
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — A 34-year-old Hutchinson man has been convicted in the shooting death of another man. The Reno County attorney's office says Brennan Trass was convicted Thursday of first-degree murder in the August 2015 death of 24-year-old Jose Morales in Hutchinson. Trass also was convicted of criminal possession of a firearm by a felon. He's expected to be sentenced next month to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 51 years. Investigators say Morales was shot three times in the back as he removed drugs from a safe. Investigators testified Trass fired off other rounds as he ran from the house. KAKE-TV reports that Kansas Department of Corrections records show Trass has prior convictions of aggravated burglary, obstruction and unlawful voluntary sexual relations.
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Deadly Shooting under Investigation in Kansas City, Kansas
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say one man is dead after a Kansas City, Kansas, shooting. The Kansas City Star reports that the shooting happened shortly before 11 pm Wednesday. Officers responding to the area found a man who had been shot. Police say he was pronounced dead at the scene. The man's name wasn't immediately released. Police are urging anyone with information to call a tips hotline.
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KJ Lawson Decides to Leave Kansas as Graduate Transfer
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Kansas forward K.J. Lawson says he plans to transfer for the second time, this time as a graduate transfer. That would leave him with two years of eligibility remaining. Lawson and his brother, All-Big 12 forward Dedric Lawson, sat out last season after transferring from Memphis. K.J. Lawson appeared in 35 games, averaging 3.1 points and 2.0 rebounds. He appeared in 42 games and averaged 11.5 points and seven rebounds while at Memphis. His decision on Friday could be a sign that Dedric Lawson is planning to declare for the NBA draft a year early. Dedric Lawson averaged 19.3 points and 10.3 rebounds last season. Earlier this week, point guard Charlie Moore announced he would be transferring from Kansas.
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