Winter Storm Creates Blizzard Conditions in Northwest Kansas
COLBY, Kan. (AP) — Blizzard warnings have been issued across part of northwest Kansas, closing schools and making travel dangerous. The National Weather Service says snow and wind gust as high as 55 mph will create whiteout conditions today (THUR). Drivers are urged to stay home and bring a winter survival kit with them if they must travel. The Kansas Department of Transportation says many roads are partially or completely snow covered. A tractor-trailer crash temporarily closed part of Interstate 70 Wednesday in western Kansas, and a Colorado stretch remains closed. Among the districts calling off classes was Colby Public Schools. The districts said in a tweet announcing the closure, "Yes, it is morning and you could tell if you could see out your door which you can't, because of the SNOW in APRIL!"
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Kansas Governor 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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Lawrence Middle School Student Charged in School Threat
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A middle school student in Lawrence who allegedly threatened to shoot people at the school is facing a felony charge in juvenile court. The Douglas County district attorney's office says the boy is facing one count of criminal threat. Court records show he appeared in court and pleaded not guilty Monday. The Lawrence Journal-World reports police received a report just before midnight April 4 that a student at Billy Mills Middle School saw several messages from another student threatening to bring guns to school and shoot people on the last day of school. Police investigated and arrested the boy.
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Museum Pulls T.rex Fossil from Public View Amid Dustup
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas has pulled the fossil of a juvenile Tyrannosaur Rex from public view at its Natural History Museum after anger erupted when the fossil's private owner listed it for sale for $2.95 million. The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Alan Detrich, who isn't a trained paleontologist, says he originally shared his rare fossil with the museum two years ago because "the public ought to get to see it." The sales pitch for the fossil highlighted its ties to the school. Detrich says he's now editing the eBay listing. Detrich has long been a source of frustration to some in the scientific community. They think fossils should be uncovered by people with more training and then donated for scientific study. Detrich says fossil hunting is a risky, expensive business.
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Priest Arrested After Money Goes Missing at Kansas Church
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — Reno County authorities say a Roman Catholic priest has been arrested after an investigation into money missing from a church. The sheriff's office said in a news release that 51-year-old Juan Gregorio Garza-Gonzalez, of Wichita, was arrested Thursday. The Hutchinson News reports the Catholic Diocese of Wichita contacted Reno County authorities in February with questions about finances at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in South Hutchinson. The release said detectives determined nearly $14,000 was missing from several locations at the church. Garza-Conzalez has been pastor at the church since June 2018. He was removed from his position at the church in March. The priest was released on a $2,500 own recognizance bond. No further court date has been set.
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Man Guilty of Blocking Kansas Internet Provider's Computers
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 35-year-old man has been convicted of making a Kansas internet provider's computers inaccessible to the public because he was upset his classified ad was removed. Michael Golightley, of Larned, was convicted Thursday on seven counts of damaging a protected computer and one count of threatening to damage a computer connected to the internet. The U.S. Attorney of Kansas said in a news release that Golightley arranged six denial of service attacks on Nex-Tech's computers in March 2017. The attacks made Nex-Tech's computers inaccessible to the public. Prosecutors say Golightley was angry that Nex-Tech removed his ad for a PlayStation 3 that had been modified to bypass a system security check. He placed the ad a second time and threatened to retaliate if it was removed again. Sentencing is set for July 1.
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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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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, was injured Saturday in Lenexa. 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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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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Census: Number of Kansas Farms Drops 7% over 5 Years
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) _ The government's latest Census of Agriculture for Kansas shows the number of farms in the state has dropped 5% from the count taken five years earlier. The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Thursday that there were 58,569 farms in Kansas during 2017. They covered some 45.8 million acres, down 1% from the 2012 census. Farms comprise 87.5 percent of total land in Kansas. Kansas farms averaged 781 acres, about 34 acres larger than when the agency counted five years ago. Kansas producers sold $18.8 billion of agricultural products in 2017, up 2% from 2012. About 66% of those products came from livestock and 34% from crops. Average net farm income was $49,291 in 2017, down 3% from 2012. The government's agricultural census is conducted every five years.
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1 of 4 People Shot at Kansas City Home Has Died
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — One of four people shot in front of a Kansas City home has died. Captain Tim Hernandez, a police spokesman, said in a news release that a male victim died Wednesday at a hospital. His death is being investigated as a homicide. Hernandez says three other victims — an 18-year-old man, a 42-year-old woman and a 42-year-old man — were shot Tuesday. There injuries were not considered life-threatening. Police said the suspects were on foot and shot from down the street from the home. No further information was released.
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Wichita Teenager Dies After Falling Off Skateboard
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita teenager who was hurt when he fell off a skateboard has died. Wichita police said Thursday that a 15-year-old boy died from injuries he suffered Sunday. His name has not been released. Officer Charley Davidson previously said the boy fell off his skateboard and hit his head on the ground near Edgemoor Park. The boy was found lying in the street and was taken to a hospital in critical condition. The Wichita Eagle reports he was one of two teens holding onto a vehicle by the car's open windows. The other teenager let go of the car and safely stopped on his skateboard. A 16-year-old boy was driving the car. Police say the three teenagers were friends.
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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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City 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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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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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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DUI Charge Dropped Against Kansas City Mayoral Candidate
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped a driving under the influence charge against a Kansas City, Missouri, mayoral candidate who was arrested while sleeping in his car in Lawrence, Kansas, after a fundraiser. Lucas praised Thursday's decision in a news release. He says he made the "the responsible choice" in October when he decided that he shouldn't drive back to Kansas City. He says he never moved his vehicle from the public spot where it was parked before his arrest . Lucas is a law lecturer at the University of Kansas. He was elected in 2015 to the Kansas City council. He and fellow council member Jolie Justus were the top-two vote getters in this month's mayoral primary. Voters will pick between them in the June 18 general election.
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Man Dies While Changing Tire on College Baseball Team's Bus
BALDWIN CITY, Kan. (AP) — Police say the owner of a Lawrence towing company was crushed to death while changing a tire on a college baseball team's bus. Baldwin City Police Chief Mike Pattrick said 53-year-old Kevin Raasch died early Sunday on the Baker University campus. Pattrick said Raasch came to the campus to fix a flat tire on the bus for the Benedictine College team after a Baker-Baldwin City baseball game. The Lawrence Journal-World reports Raasch was trying to release the jack after changing the tire when he was pinned under the back of the large motor coach. Pattrick says several players and coaches lifted the bus and pulled Raasch out but he died at the scene. Raasch owned and operated TransMasters Towing and Roadside Recovery for over 30 years.
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Baby Boom Among Teachers at Kansas Elementary School
GODDARD, Kan. (AP) — A baby boom at one Kansas elementary school has caught the attention of Ellen DeGeneres. Seven teachers were pregnant at the same time at Oak Street Elementary School in Goddard when the school posted a photo on Facebook last month with the women showing off their bulging bellies.The suburban Wichita school district said the school's kindergarten classes of 2024-2025 are "growing by the day." DeGeneres invited the teachers to sit in a Skybox during her Mother's Day show in a segment posted online Wednesday. The TV talk show host instructed them to "take deep breaths" and warned: "Nobody have a baby right now." After the photo was taken, two teachers delivered within a day of each other while just two rooms apart in the same hospital. One teacher is expecting twins.
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Fort Hays Receives $20 Million Gift from Late Hays Couple
HAYS, Kan. (AP) — Fort Hays State University officials say the school has received a $20 gift from the estate of a couple who met at the school in Hays. The university held a celebration Thursday to honor Earl and Nonie Field, lifelong residents of Hays and longtime supporters of Fort Hays State. Nonie Field died in 2009 and her husband died in 2013. Earl Field was a board member and president of the university's Alumni Association. Jason Williby, president and CEO of the FHSU Foundation, said in a news release that the gift will support student scholarships for art, athletics and music. The couple built the Field Abstract and Title Co., which Earl Field operated it from 1946 until he retired in 1979.
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Kansas 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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