Kansas Abortion Recount Nears Completion
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP/KPR) — Recounts of election results in eight of nine Kansas counties appear to confirm that voters soundly rejected an amendment to remove abortion rights from the state's constitution. The counties faced a deadline of 5 p.m. Saturday to report the results of the hand recounts, which came at the request of anti-abortion activists. Sedgwick County officials said Saturday they would not meet the deadline but did not explain why. Results for the other eight counties found a total of 13 fewer votes for the amendment and 19 fewer votes opposing the amendment. Election officials attributed the changes mostly to human error, such as voters making unclear marks on ballots. The outstanding votes from Sedgwick County are not expected to change the outcome of the amendment, which failed 59 to 41 percent statewide.
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Wichita Legislator Finney Dies at 63
WICHITA, Kan. (TCJ) - Longtime Wichita legislator Representative Gail Finney died Saturday morning. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Finney was 63 years old. The cause of death is unknown. Finney had encountered health issues in recent years and received a kidney replacement earlier this year. Finney, a Democrat, was first elected to the Kansas House in 2009. She was not seeking re-election to the house in the fall. Governor Laura Kelly directed flags to be lowered to half-staff in honor of Representative Finney. In a written statement, Kelly said, “Kansas lost a warrior today. No one fought harder for her constituents, for her community, for justice and equity than representative Gail Finney."
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KC Mother Taken into Custody in Toddler's Death
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KMBC) - A 36-year-old Kansas City woman is being held in connection with the death of her 2-year-old. KMBC reports that Michaela Chism faces two first-degree charges of endangering the welfare of a child. Police were called to the residence where they found the child and what appeared to be drugs and drug paraphernalia. A second child was transported to Children's Mercy Hospital, where lab analysis indicated the presence of amphetamines in his system. The investigation into the child's death is continuing and additional charges are possible.
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CDC Confirms Nebraska Child Died of Brain-eating Amoeba
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Federal health officials have confirmed that a Nebraska child died from a rare infection caused by a brain-eating amoeba. The Douglas County Department of Health in Omaha said Friday that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed the presence of the naegleria fowleri amoeba in the child. Authorities have not released the child's name. Health officials believe the child became infected Sunday while swimming in the Elkhorn River near Omaha. It is the second death in the Midwest this summer from primary amebic meningoencephalitis, an infection caused by the amoeba that is almost always fatal. Health officials say a Missouri resident died of the infection in July after swimming in a southwestern Iowa lake.