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Headlines for Monday, April 22, 2019

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Kansas Governor Vetoes Abortion 'Reversal' Counseling Bill

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas's new Democratic governor has vetoed a measure that would require abortion providers to tell patients about a disputed treatment to stop a medication abortion after it's been started. Governor Laura Kelly's action Monday sets up a confrontation with the Republican-controlled Legislature. Supporters of the abortion "reversal" bill appear to have the two-thirds majorities needed in both chambers to override Kelly's veto. Lawmakers return from a weekslong break on May 1. Arkansas, Arizona, Idaho, Utah, South Dakota, North Dakota and Kentucky all have similar laws. Abortion opponents contend such measures ensure that women harboring doubts about ending their pregnancies will learn that they can stop a medication abortion after the first of two pills. Abortion-rights supporters say such mandates force doctors to present patients with dubious information.

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Kansas Supreme Court Asked to Say Who Names Judge

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) —  Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is asking the state Supreme Court to decide whether Gov. Laura Kelly can nominate a new judge to the state Court of Appeals. Schmidt filed a petition Monday with the Supreme Court for a ruling on whether Kelly nominates the new judge or whether the nomination must be made by Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss. Kelly withdrew her first choice of Labette County District Judge Jeffry Jack last month because of political posts on Jack's Twitter feed in 2017. The governor is moving ahead to nominate another candidate for confirmation by the Kansas Senate. Senate President Susan Wagle says because Kelly withdrew Jack's nomination, she missed a deadline for making the nomination and it now falls to Nuss under a 2013 law.

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Kansas Governor Moves Toward Nominating New Appeals Judge

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Governor Laura Kelly is moving ahead with plans to nominate a new Kansas Court of Appeals judge despite a dispute over whether she has the authority to do it. The Democratic governor said Monday that the vacancy on the state's second-highest court needs to be filled and the Republican-controlled Legislature should clarify the law on appointing judges. Kelly withdrew her first choice of Labette County District Judge Jeffry Jack last month because of political posts on Jack's Twitter feed in 2017. Senate President Susan Wagle says Kelly failed to nominate someone properly on time and the task now falls to Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss. Kelly contends Wagle is incorrect. Kelly announced last week that she's considering three candidates. Wagle called it "a blatant disrespect" for the law.

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Kansas Zookeeper Attacked by Tiger Leaves Intensive Care

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Officials say a Kansas zookeeper who was attacked by a Sumatran tiger is out of intensive care. Topeka city spokeswoman Mally Hadfield says the woman is stable and was moved Sunday to a different unit of the hospital. The woman's name hasn't been released, and Hadfield says her family is requesting privacy. The 7-year-old male tiger, named Sanjiv, attacked the woman Saturday morning in his outdoor habitat as several visitors watched. The tiger was lured away so the injured zookeeper could receive emergency aid. Zoo director Brendan Wiley has said the zoo is investigating and will determine what changes might be needed after talking to the injured worker, who has worked at the zoo since 2002. The zoo has no plans to euthanize Sanjiv, who is back on display.

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Board Alleges Pathology Assistant Misrepresented Himself

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas board alleges in a lawsuit that a pathology assistant performed autopsies without the proper oversight. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts also alleges that Shawn Parcells made medical diagnoses and represented himself as a medical examiner and pathologist. Parcells was involved in the autopsy of Michael Brown after the black teenager was fatally shot by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. Parcells was barred last month from working in Kansas because of a civil lawsuit filed by the Kansas Attorney General's Office. He's accused of violating the state's False Claims Act and the Consumer Protection Act. In a court filing, Parcells has denied representing himself as a physician and said the board doesn't have oversight because he's not a health care provider.

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Salina City Leaders Explore Possibility of Plastic Bag Ban

SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Salina city leaders are exploring the possibility of a ban on plastic shopping bags. The Salina Journal reports that city staff was briefing commissioners Monday on other communities with bans and what it would take to gather public input on such a policy. Salina City Commissioner Joe Hay proposed the ban. He told KAKE-TV earlier this year that the city should be a leader in the state. He says the bags fly like kites and blanket fences and trees after a wind storm. California and Hawaii already ban disposable plastic bags. So do many cities including Chicago, Seattle and more than a dozen local communities in New York state.

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Kansas Law Will Reduce Number of Safety Drills in Schools

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - A new Kansas law will reduce the number of required safety drills in public and private schools only a year after lawmakers mandated sixteen crisis drills every school year to prepare for active shooters and other threats. The measure recently signed by Governor Laura Kelly calls for nine safety drills per school year. Four drills for fires, two for tornadoes and three for crisis lockdowns. Some educators and lawmakers said the frequency of emergency exercises added to students' anxiety and took away from class time. The Kansas Association of School Boards and state fire marshal's office supported the change.

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Police Break Up Brawl Involving Hundreds of Teenagers at Worlds of Fun

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Authorities say officers responded to a brawl involving up to 300 teenagers at the Worlds of Fun amusement park in Kansas City, Missouri. Kansas City police say several law enforcement agencies were called to the park Saturday night when an off-duty Clay County sheriff's deputy reported several large fights involving mostly teenagers. Kansas City police said Sunday that no injuries were reported and no one was arrested. But police said the Clay County Sheriff's Office issued some citations to people at the scene. Worlds of Fun officials said in a written statement that local and park authorities broke up the altercation and removed those involved from the park.

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Kansas Man Sentenced to 14 Years for Child Sex Crime

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A 64-year-old Kansas man has been sentenced to 14 years in federal prison for driving to Missouri because he believed a woman was willing to sell her 10-year-old daughter to become his sex slave. Federal prosecutors say Michael David Mitchell of Ottawa was also ordered Monday to pay $5,000 to the Justice of Victims of Trafficking Act. Mitchell pleaded guilty last month to interstate travel to engage in unlawful sexual conduct. Prosecutors say Mitchell communicated with an undercover office posing as a broker who would connect him with a woman willing to sell her child to become his sex slave. Mitchell said took $5,000 from Ottawa to Independence, Missouri, to meet the woman.

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School Where Band Room Was Vandalized Gets Instruments

PRETTY PRARIE, Kan. (AP) — Students at a Kansas school where the band room was extensively damaged are back to practice thanks to a donation from another school district. KAKE-TV reports the Hutchinson Public Schools donated instruments to the band program at Pretty Prairie High School. The Pretty Prairie district says Hutchinson's donation replaced all the instruments damaged earlier this month when vandals trashed the music room. The donation allowed the Pretty Prairie band to reschedule its spring concert to May 3. Four students, three of whom are between the ages of 8 and 11, were suspended after the vandalism.

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Army Veteran, Wife Killed in Crash with Vulture

MEDICINE LODGE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a vulture caused a crash that killed an Army veteran and his wife as they rode a motorcycle in southern Kansas. The Kansas Highway Patrol says the bird came out of a ditch Saturday afternoon and struck 42-year-old Brandon Husband, of Fowler, in the head on a rural road near Medicine Lodge, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) southwest of Wichita. The motorcycle then went off the road, struck a barbed wire fence and overturned. The patrol says neither Husband nor his wife, 43-year-old Jennifer Lynn Husband , was wearing a helmet. Brandon Husband's obituary says he served one tour in Kosovo, three in Afghanistan and was part of an Iraqi soldier training mission on the Iraq-Jordan border. The Husbands leave behind four children.

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Government Report Gives Kansas Wheat Crop Upbeat Assessment

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A new government report gives the Kansas winter wheat crop a mostly upbeat assessment. The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday that 57% of the wheat in Kansas was in good to excellent condition. About 32% was rated as fair, while 11% was judged to be in poor to very poor shape. The agency also reported that 44% of the wheat crop has now jointed. That is ahead of a year ago, but behind the five-year average of 61%. Kansas farmers also made progress on seeding their corn crop with about 17% now planted. That is more than the 14% planted by this time last year, but is behind the 24% average.

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Wichita Police Investigate Easter Sunday Stabbing Death

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) - Wichita police are investigating the stabbing death of a man. Police say officers were called to a home in southeast Wichita early Sunday. KAKE-TV reports officers found a man in his 40s with several stab wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene. No further information was immediately released.

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Man Sentenced After Father-in-Law Dies in Drug Test Scam

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) - A 35-year-old Kansas man has been sentenced to prison after his father-in-law died while taking methadone to help the younger man cheat on a drug test. Justin Jones was sentenced to four years in prison for involuntary manslaughter in the 2017 death of 47-year-old Eric Everts. Both men lived in Baldwin City. Jones also pleaded guilty in January to distribution of methadone. As part of his treatment for drug addiction, Jones was required to turn in urine samples containing nothing but methadone, which treats opioid addiction. Baldwin City investigators said in an affidavit that for months Everts took methadone and provided otherwise clean urine samples, which Jones submitted as his own. Everts was found dead at his home in September 2017.

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Woman Charged in Kansas Death Arrested in California 

COLUMBUS, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a 57-year-old Kansas woman sought in the murder of a homeless man two years ago was arrested Sunday in California. Cherokee County Sheriff David Groves said Diana Bohlander was taken into custody in Santa Barbara. Bohlander is charged with first-degree murder in the August 2017 death of 64-year-old James McFarland, whose body was found along a road in southeast Cherokee County. Bohlander's 23-year-old son, Ty Bohlander, was arrested last month in Santa Monica, California, and has been returned to Kansas. He is also charged with first-degree murder. The Joplin Globe reports the Bohlanders and McFarland, who were all homeless, were known to be together in the weeks before McFarland's death. The sheriff's office has not said how McFarland was killed.

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Wichita Man Killed in Fight During Easter Meal Preparations

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police say a man was stabbed to death when two couples began arguing while preparing an Easter meal. Police Capt. Brent Allred said the couples lived together and were making a meal Sunday when 53-year-old Keith Kevell Thurman and 62-year-old Albert Thomas began arguing. At some point, the men went outside and the fight turned physical. Police say Thurman stabbed Thomas several times and he died outside the home. Allred said it wasn't clear what prompted the men's arguments. Officers found Thurman and his 57-year-old girlfriend at a hospital being treated for wounds. Allred said the girlfriend was stabbed in the arm when she tried to break up the men's argument. The Wichita Eagle reports Thurman is being held on suspicion of second-degree murder.

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Couple Donates Popular Restaurant to Bethel College

LINDSBORG, Kan. (AP) - A central Kansas college will soon own a popular Swedish-themed restaurant. Donice and Roy Applequist announced last week that they will donate the Swedish Crown restaurant to Bethany College and its president, William Jones. Jones said June 10 is the target date for reopening the Lindsborg restaurant, which opened in 1966. Jones said the restaurant will continue to operate to have a Swedish theme. Bethany students will be able to use their dining hall meal cards at the restaurant. He said it will also be used to introduce prospective students and new donors to the college. The school's food vendor, Sodexo, will operate the restaurant. Business, marketing and communications majors will work to help make the restaurant a success.

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Kansas City Sculptor Chosen to Create Harry Truman Statue for US Capitol

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - A Kansas City artist has been selected to create a statue of former President Harry Truman for the U.S. Capitol.  Truman's family and the Truman Library Institute selected sculptor Tom Corbin to make a statue of the country's 33rd president. Missouri lawmakers have been trying to honor Truman in Washington's National Statuary Hall for years. The state has displayed the same two men since the end of the 19th century - Thomas Hart Benton and Francis Preston Blair. The Missouri Senate approved a resolution in March to replace Benton's statue with one of Truman. The statue will be installed next year to mark the 75th anniversary of Truman's presidency.

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Kansas State Receiver Hunter Rison Suspended After Arrest

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) - Kansas State wide receiver Hunter Rison has been indefinitely suspended after his arrest on a domestic battery charge. The Manhattan Mercury reports that Riley County police arrested Rison on suspicion of domestic battery. The charge also covers knowingly or recklessly causing bodily harm to family or a person in a dating relationship. Rison was released on $1,000 bond. Kansas State football coach Chris Klieman says that Rison has been suspended for a violation of team and departmental policy. Rison transferred to Kansas State last year after playing one season at Michigan State. He sat out last season under NCAA transfer rules. He is the son of former NFL Pro Bowl receiver Andre Rison.

 

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KU Center Udoka Azubuike to Return for Senior Season

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — University of Kansas center Udoka Azubuike will return for his senior season, giving coach Bill Self the 7-foot center he hoped to build his offense around last season. Azubuike averaged 13.4 points and 6.8 rebounds before undergoing season-ending wrist surgery last season. The Jayhawks went on to finish 26-10 and lose in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Azubuike, who led the nation in field-goal percentage as a sophomore, briefly considered heading to the NBA. But the recovery from his wrist injury meant he could not participate in the NBA's combine or work out for NBA teams, making his return to Kansas a prudent decision. The Jayhawks are still putting the finishing touches on this year's recruiting class, and keeping Azubuike in the fold for one more season helps to round out the roster. Four other players have said they will not return: Quentin Grimes, Dedric Lawson, K.J. Lawson and Charlie Moore.

 

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