Criminal Charges Filed against Kansas Senate Majority Leader
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — One of the Kansas Legislature’s most powerful lawmakers has been charged with driving under the influence and a felony offense for trying to elude law enforcement. Senate Majority Leader Gene Suellentrop is also accused of speeding the wrong way on a highway in Topeka. He faces a total of five criminal charges, including the felony count, the misdemeanor DUI count and a misdemeanor count of reckless driving. The Wichita Republican turned himself in at the local jail. His bond has been set at $5,000. The charges were announced yesterday (FRI) by Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay. The accusations stem from Suellentrop’s early-morning arrest March 16th on Interstate 70 just blocks east of the Statehouse.
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Kansas Opens up Vaccinations to All Adults
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is making everyone age 16 or older eligible to get the coronavirus vaccine starting Monday. Governor Laura Kelly said in a news release that the move comes as the state prepares to get more vaccine from the federal government. She encouraged all Kansans to get the vaccine, saying it was crucial to getting “back to normal.” Several other states also have made the vaccine available to all adults, including Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Utah, and West Virginia. As of Friday, 35.1% of the adult population in Kansas had received at least one dose of the vaccine.
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Jackson County Eases COVID-19 Restrictions
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) - Jackson County is the latest Missouri jurisdiction to ease COVID-19 protocols as the number of new cases, deaths, and hospitalizations continues to drop. County Executive Frank White Jr. said yesterday (FRI) that as of April 9th, all businesses can open at full capacity. That includes gyms, fitness centers, and recreation centers. White says restaurants and bars also can operate at full capacity and serve food and alcohol. Masks will be required when patrons aren't consuming food or drinks, and social distancing protocols remain in effect. The county also is dropping capacity limits. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) warns that the risk of COVID-19 spread increases in restaurants or bar settings as interactions within 6 feet of others increase, calling on-site dining with tables spaced at least six feet apart as "higher risk." The CDC calls indoor on-site dining with tables not at least 6 feet apart the "highest risk."
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Wichita Man Arrested in 1979 Homicide in Colorado
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 64-year-old Wichita man is in jail and awaiting extradition to Colorado, where he is charged in a 1979 murder. Authorities say James Herman Dye was booked into the Sedgwick County jail on Monday. He is charged with first-degree murder in the killing of 29-year-old Evelyn Kay Day. Her body was found in her car near the campus of Aims Community College in Greeley, Colorado. Weld County Sheriff Steve Reams said yesterday (FRI) Day was beaten, sexually assaulted, and strangled to death with a cloth belt from her overcoat. Authorities said the case was reopened in May and DNA evidence linked Dye to the crime.
