Three Killed, One Injured in JoCo Train Collision
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Three people were killed and another critically injured when their Jeep was struck by a train in Kansas. Johnson County sheriff’s deputies were called 6:30 p.m. Saturday to the tracks where a Jeep was hit by the train, the Kansas City Star reported. Also responding were police officers from Overland Park. The Johnson County sheriff's office says the tracks were on private property where there were no lights or crossing bars. All the victims were adults.
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Kansas Officers Fatally Shoot One Man, Wound Another
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say Kansas law enforcement officers have fatally shot one man and wounded a second man in an exchange of gunfire. The shooting happened around 4 p.m. Friday after Kansas Bureau of Investigation agents and a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper stopped a vehicle with a wanted man inside in Salina. The KBI said in a news release that when law enforcement officers approached the vehicle, they came under fire. Two KBI agents and a trooper then returned fire, hitting the two men. The KBI said Saturday that 29-year-old Kalun Purucker, of Topeka, died from his injuries later Friday at a Salina hospital. A second man is hospitalized in stable condition with non-life threatening injuries.
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Two Men Fatally Shot, Man Arrested in Manhattan
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have arrested a man in a shooting that left two men dead in Manhattan. The Manhattan Mercury reports that police responded around 5:20 p.m. Friday to a report of gunfire and found 19-year-old Skylar Havens and 23-year-old Javon Gray dead. Riley County police said a man who knew the two victims was arrested later that night on two counts of second-degree murder. He is jailed on $500,000 bond. Police said no other arrests are anticipated in this case.
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Missouri Sets New Record with 5,000 New COVID-19 Cases
ST. LOUIS (AP) — Missouri reported more than 5,000 new COVID-19 cases on Saturday to more than double the previous single-day record. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said there have been a total of 144,230 confirmed cases since the outbreak started, up 5,066 cases from Friday. The previous single day high of 2,084 new cases was set on July 30th. Health department spokeswoman Lisa Cox didn’t immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press seeking an explanation for the large increase. It was reported on the same day that the number of deaths increased by 27 to bring the total to 2,422.
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Bidding Rules Delay $50 Million in Kansas COVID Testing Funds
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — State officials say nearly $50 million in funding for COVID testing is still moving through the state’s bidding system more than three weeks after Kansas legislators approved the spending. A special advisor to Governor Laura Kelly told lawmakers earlier this week that state regulations allow time for potential testing organizations to submit proposals for government funding. The Kansas City Star and The Wichita Eagle report that decisions on which organizations will receive the money will not be made until later this month.
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Viola Man Sues over Crash that Killed Wife, 4 Children
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man is suing a over a crash that killed his wife, three of his children and hisstepdaughter. The Wichita Eagle reports that Jeffrey Williams, of Viola, is seeking more than $75,000 in damages in the wrongful death lawsuit filed this month against Andrew Specht and his employer, Wellington-based L.B. White Trucking Inc. The suit alleges that Specht was driving a tractor-trailer loaded with grain at a “reckless speed” on September 25th when he ran a stop sign and slammed into the sport utility vehicle in which Williams’ family was riding in southwest Sedgwick County.
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Remains in Crawford County Identified; Homicide Suspected
PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have identified remains found in rural Crawford County as a man who was reported missing on July 1st. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Crawford County Sheriff's office says the remains were those of 19-year-old Joseph Ruttgen. A family member reported him missing to Erie police. He was last seen in Parsons. The remains were found August 10th in western Crawford County. DNA was used to identify the body. Authorities say Ruttgen's death is being investigated as a homicide but did not provide further details.
