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Headlines for Wednesday, April 10, 2019

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1 in 4 Kansas Public Defenders Quit Last Year

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A record one in four Kansas public defenders quit last year, with many blaming high caseloads and low salaries. The Board of Indigents' Defense Services' executive direction, Pat Scalia, calls the situation "a crisis." She has asked lawmakers for a nearly $500,000 boast in next year's budget to fund public defender salaries. Among those quitting last year was Ruslan Ivanov. He blamed high stress, telling KCUR-FM that he typically juggled between 60 and 90 cases and sometimes worked seven days a week. Scalia told lawmakers in February that the situation is so bad that several public defender offices had to stop taking new cases because they were so overwhelmed. She says the heavy workloads have resulted in hundreds of cases being assigned to private counsel.

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Kelly Speaks Out Against 'All-Punitive' Prison System

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly says she wants to move the state's prison system from being "all-punitive to much more therapeutic." The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Kelly made the comment Tuesday while speaking to more than 200 people at a Wichita school district administration building. Kelly says she has learned challenges within the Kansas Department of Corrections are worse than anticipated. In the search for a replacement to the agency's interim leader, the governor said she would seek someone eager to properly staff prisons and transition the facilities to a rehabilitative footing. She also says Kansas should engage in comprehensive sentencing reform because too many people were being thrown in jails and prisons. And she added that too many were held long after a point in which it had any benefit.

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Schultz Launches Midwest Tour, Says He'd Win with GOP Votes

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz says he can win the presidential race as an independent candidate by drawing much of his support from disaffected Republicans. Schultz launched a heartland tour Tuesday in Kansas, long seen as reliable for the GOP. He spent part of a town hall meeting on the University of Kansas campus pushing back against Democrats' arguments that his running as an independent would help President Donald Trump win re-election in 2020 by splitting the anti-Trump vote. He says a campaign would have to get people who haven't been voting to the polls and tap support from independents. But he adds that he'd be most likely to take votes from Trump. The Brooklyn-born billionaire says he expects to decide whether to run by early summer.

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Tattoos, Some Book-Themed, Offered in Support of Library

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — More than three dozen people in Lawrence got their kicks from a different kind of ink at the town's public library this week. In celebration of National Library Week, the Lawrence Public Library on Tuesday hosted "Get Inked for the Library," featuring tattoo artists Jarod and Holly Hackney. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that 40 people signed up to get a permanent tattoo on an arm or a leg. They chose from eight different tattoos designed by the Hackneys, including some that were book-related. Each paid $100, which was donated to the Lawrence Public Library Foundation.

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Nebraska Trial Delayed over Crash Deaths of 4 from Iowa

OGALLALA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska trial of a Kansas man charged with the traffic deaths of four Iowa motorcyclists has been delayed until August. Keith County District Court records say the trial was scheduled to begin Tuesday for 23-year-old Jeser Cisneros-Hernandez, of Liberal, Kansas. He's pleaded not guilty to four counts of vehicular homicide, one of reckless driving and one of failing to drive in his lane. The records say the judge last week granted the delay because the attorneys have not completed the pretrial discovery process. The new starting date is Aug. 6. Prosecutors say Cisneros-Hernandez's vehicle hit two motorcycles carrying two people each on July 1, 2017, near Ogallala. Authorities say 54-year-old Sheila Matheny and 61-year-old James Matheny, from Bedford, Iowa, were on one motorcycle. The other motorcyclists were 58-year-old Michal Weese and 59-year-old Jerolyn Weese, who lived in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

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Wichita Settles with Woman Hurt in Crash with Front-Loader

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita officials have agreed to pay $125,000 to settle a lawsuit with an 81-year-old woman who was hurt when a city worker ran into her family's car with a front-loader truck. The Wichita Eagle reports that the City Council approved the lump sum payment to Francill Wilson on Tuesday. She sued in 2017 after the city denied a claim she made for damages related to the 2015 crash. The lawsuit says the city employee ignored a stop sign while turning right. The truck then hit the passenger side of a car, where Wilson was seated. The lawsuit says the crash totaled the car and hurt Wilson, who suffered head, back, spine and shoulder injuries, dizziness, swelling and bruising. The driver was cited for inattentive driving and failure to yield.

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17-Year-Old Dies After Fall from Jeep Driven by 15-Year-Old

LENEXA, Kan. (AP) — A suburban Kansas City teenager is dead after falling from a moving Jeep Wrangler driven by a 15-year-old boy. The Kansas City Star reports that 17-year-old Ean Schulmeister of Olathe, Kansas, was injured Saturday in Lenexa, Kansas. He died Monday. Schulmeister was a back seat passenger of the Jeep, which also included the driver and three other passengers. Police say Schulmeister was standing in the Jeep, which had its top and doors off. Witnesses told police he was holding onto a strap when the strap broke and Schulmeister fell. Police say the driver had a valid restricted license that does not allow transporting non-sibling minor passengers. None of the passengers were siblings. Police will forward a report to prosecutors, who will decide if any charges should be filed.

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Third Person Charged in Fatal Shooting of Olathe Teenager

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A third person is charged in the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old Olathe student. The Kansas City Star reports 18-year-old Matthew Lee Bibee Jr., is charged with first-degree murder in the March 29 death of 17-year-old Rowan Padgett of Overland Park. A 17-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl also are charged with first-degree murder in Padgett's death. Prosecutors are seeking to try both teens as adults. Authorities say Padgett's killing in an Olathe neighborhood occurred during a drug deal. Bibee was arrested March 31 after he became a suspect in a robbery. Police say Bibee shot at a police officer and missed. The officer returned fire, hitting Bibee, whose injuries were not life threatening. Bibbee faces an attempted capital murder charge and several other charges in that case. Bibee remains jailed on $1 million bond.

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Mexican National Murder Suspect Found Hanged

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Mexican national accused of killing four people in Kansas and one in Missouri in 2016 is dead after being found hanging from a light fixture in his St. Louis jail cell. Pablo Serrano-Vitorino was alone in his cell when he was found at 2:02 a.m. Tuesday. St. Louis Public Safety Director Jimmie Edwards told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Serrano-Vitorino had hanged himself and left a note written in Spanish. A spokesman for the city confirmed the death but declined further comment. Serrano-Vitorino used a safety razor to try and kill himself in his Montgomery County, Missouri, jail cell soon after his arrest in March 2016. Serrano-Vitorino was accused of fatally shooting four men at a home in Kansas City, Kansas, on the night of March 7, 2016. He was arrested a day later in Montgomery County, Missouri, where he was accused of killing Randy Nordman of New Florence. Serrano-Vitorino Was in the U.S. Illegally. He was being held in St. Louis awaiting trial in the Missouri case on a change of venue.

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Kansas Guard Brigade Captain Resigns over Suicide Concerns

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A captain in a Kansas National Guard brigade has resigned over what she says is a lack of concern from guard leadership over recent suicides. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Capt. Tara Fields is a behavioral health officer. She has served 12 years in military, eight on active duty. She said her resignation will be final by the end of April.
Kansas Guard Maj. Gen. Lee Tafanelli said the guard has had nine suicides in the last five years, with three in the past 18 months. Fields says suicides of a civilian worker and a man who had just been discharged weren't included in the guard's official number. Tafanelli said the guard is concerned about every death and offers several programs to help struggling members.

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Kansas Teen Dies in Farming Accident

NORTON, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a Kansas teen has been killed in a farming accident. Norton County Sheriff Troy Thompson says his office received a call around 9:25 p.m. Monday from a concerned parent. KWCH-TV reports that the parent said the teen went missing while doing chores. Deputies arrived and found that the teen had involved in an accident involving farming equipment. He was pronounced dead at the scene. His name wasn't immediately released.

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Former Starbucks CEP Howard Schultz Launches Midwest Tour, Says He'd Win with GOP Votes

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz says he can win the presidential race as an independent candidate by drawing much of his support from disaffected Republicans. Schultz launched a heartland tour Tuesday in Kansas, long seen as reliable for the GOP. He spent part of a town hall meeting on the University of Kansas campus pushing back against Democrats' arguments that his running as an independent would help President Donald Trump win re-election in 2020 by splitting the anti-Trump vote. He says a campaign would have to get people who haven't been voting to the polls and tap support from independents. But he adds that he'd be most likely to take votes from Trump. The Brooklyn-born billionaire says he expects to decide whether to run by early summer.

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Kansas Man Arrested for Killing Puppy, Fleeing from Police

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — A Hutchinson man who is accused of killing a puppy has been arrested after a police chase. Police said in an arrest affidavit that an officer began pursuing 28-year-old Gabriel Sanchez Jr. on Sunday after spotting him in a stolen vehicle. The Hutchinson News reports that after about 10 minutes, he got out of the vehicle and bolted. Police found him hiding in a bathroom in a nearby home. Charges weren't immediately filed in the pursuit. But he's charged with residential burglary and animal cruelty in the dog's death. A police report says Sanchez forced his way into a home on March 30, grabbed the animal and threw it. Sanchez told a judge during a court appearance that the dog was his. Sanchez's bond is set at $60,000.

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Nebraska Trial Delayed over Crash Deaths of 4 from Iowa

OGALLALA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska trial of a Kansas man charged with the traffic deaths of four Iowa motorcyclists has been delayed until August. Keith County District Court records say the trial was scheduled to begin Tuesday for 23-year-old Jeser Cisneros-Hernandez, of Liberal, Kansas. He's pleaded not guilty to four counts of vehicular homicide, one of reckless driving and one of failing to drive in his lane. The records say the judge last week granted the delay because the attorneys have not completed the pretrial discovery process. The new starting date is August 6.
Prosecutors say Cisneros-Hernandez's vehicle hit two motorcycles carrying two people each on July 1, 2017, near Ogallala. Authorities say 54-year-old Sheila Matheny and 61-year-old James Matheny, from Bedford, Iowa, were on one motorcycle. The other motorcyclists were 58-year-old Michal Weese and 59-year-old Jerolyn Weese, who lived in Council Bluffs, Iowa.

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Missouri Man Sentenced for Police Chase that Ended in Kansas

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) — A southwest Missouri man who was driving during a police chase that started in Joplin and ended in Kansas has been sentenced to four years in prison. Twenty-year-old Marquis Sanders, of Carterville, was sentenced Monday for felony child endangerment and resisting arrest. The Joplin Globe reports that Joplin police pursued Sanders' vehicle in June after a passenger pointed an unknown object at officers in a patrol car. During the pursuit, Sanders ran several red lights and stop signs and made reckless turns. Speeds reached over 100 mph before the vehicle became disabled in Oswego, Kansas. Because his passengers included four juveniles, Saunders was charged with four counts of first-degree child endangerment and resisting arrest. Three of the endangerment charges were dropped as part of his plea agreement.

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More Than 75 Years Later, Remains of Marine Back in Kansas 

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) _ More than 75 years after Nicholas J. Gojmerac was last seen alive dragging a wounded comrade to safety during a World War II battle, his remains are back home in Kansas. The Kansas City Star reports that a Marine Corps honor guard was on the tarmac of Kansas City International Airport Tuesday as Gojmerac's remains were returned to his family. Gojmerac was in the Marine Corps Reserve when he was wounded during a battle on the Solomon Island in 1943. The 29-year-old from Kansas City, Kansas, became one the multitude of U.S. service members listed as missing in action during World War II. He was officially declared dead on July 21, 1944. It wasn't until last September that relatives learned Gojmerac's remains had been identified through dental and anthropological analysis.

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Conservatives Push for Kris Kobach to Become Homeland Security Head

WASHINGTON (AP) — Outside allies of President Donald Trump have launched a public campaign urging him to nominate former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach as his next secretary of Homeland Security. That's despite the uphill battle Kobach would certainly face getting confirmed by the Senate. NumbersUSA, a group that seeks to reduce immigration rates, released a statement on Tuesday saying there is "no one more qualified" for the job and claiming Kobach has the support of Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Kobach also has the backing of other immigration hardliners, including conservative firebrand Ann Coulter, who supported Trump during the campaign but has since accused him of failing to make good on his promises. She tweeted that tapping Kobach would be "Trump's 300th chance to prove he believed one thing he said during the campaign." Conservatives were also rallying Tuesday to defend Lee Francis Cissna, the director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, whose job is said to be in danger as part of an overhaul of DHS leadership currently underway.

The Federation for American Immigration Reform, or FAIR, another group that advocates for lower rates of immigration, tweeted that, under Cissna's leadership, "USCIS has issued a steady stream of policy changes and regulations that are firmly in line with President Trump's immigration agenda" and that removing him "would be a huge mistake." NumbersUSA also praised Cissna, saying he "is exactly the type of leader @realDonaldTrump promised he would appoint. D.C. has a deficit of public servants of his knowledge, capability, and integrity."

Kobach did not response to a request for comment Tuesday morning. But in an appearance on Fox News Channel Monday night that felt like an audition, Kobach called DHS the "biggest impediment" to the president's policies. He said that since Trump took office, leadership at the agency, "has been unwilling to execute many of the president's plans." "There has been deliberate foot-dragging and I think that's why you're seeing the White House take the necessary steps to clean house at DHS and put people in, hopefully, who will quickly execute what the president orders," he said.

Asked by host Tucker Carlson what he would do first if he were put in charge, he said he would deploy thousands of FEMA trailers to border cities or military bases in Texas and Arizona and set up "processing centers" to handle asylum seekers, and prevent those living in the U.S. illegally from sending remittances home to Mexico, among other ideas. The White House declined to comment on the push, with spokeswoman Sarah Sanders saying, "We do not have any personnel announcements at this time."

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KU Freshman Quentin Grimes Declares for NBA Draft

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — University of Kansas guard Quentin Grimes announced Wednesday that he will enter the NBA draft, skipping his final three seasons after a rocky and inconsistent freshman year with the Jayhawks. The five-star prospect struggled to live up to expectations, averaging just 8.4 points and 2.5 rebounds. He scored 23 points in his debut against Michigan State, but that wound up being his career high as the Jayhawks finished 26-10 and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The 6-foot-5 Grimes is projected to be a fringe-second round pick. In a statement, KU coach Bill Self acknowledged Grimes "went through some highs and lows that, no doubt, will be great preparation for him moving forward." He is the fourth player to announce he will not return to Kansas next season. Dedric Lawson declared for the draft Monday while K.J. Lawson and Charlie Moore are transferring.

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