2 Kansas Corrections Employees Fired, Others Disciplined, in Inmate Injury Case
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – The Kansas prison system has fired two employees and disciplined six for mocking an injured inmate and refusing to help. The Kansas News Service reports that Topeka Correctional Facility inmate Elizabeth Wince fell and hurt herself, but was denied treatment by staff. Days went by without help, and when she tried again to get medical help, Wince was denied again. According to other inmates, Wince was so badly injured she had to crawl back to her cell. Prison officers reportedly laughed at her, saying she was too fat or lazy to walk. Wince eventually spent several weeks at the hospital. Officials with the Kansas Department of Corrections called the officers’ behavior unacceptable. They said prison staff will also receive training to report unethical behavior by fellow employees. (Read more.)
(– Additional Reporting –)
Two Kansas Prison Employees Fired After Injured Inmate Was Mocked
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Two employees at a Kansas prison were fired, and six others were disciplined, after accusations that they mocked and failed to help an injured female inmate.
Other inmates at the Topeka Correctional Facility said the injured inmate spent two hours crawling back to her cell after hurting herself in September, KCUR-FM reported. Inmates told KCUR that prison staff called the injured woman “fat” and “lazy,” and didn't provide assistance because they thought she was faking.
Hours later, the inmate was hospitalized with an injured foot, and didn't return to the prison for several weeks, the Kansas news service reported.
Kansas Department of Corrections spokesperson David Thompson said in a statement that officials take allegations of mistreatment seriously.
“We are confident that these actions represent a temporary lapse in judgment for the handful of staff that were involved and do not reflect a systemic issue at TCF or the larger correctional system,” Thompson said.
Prison staff will get training so that “employees feel empowered to challenge and report any order — including from a superior officer — that they feel is illegal, immoral, or unethical,” Thompson said.
==========
Security Problem Takes Down Computer Systems for Almost All Kansas Courts
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Multiple computer systems for almost all of Kansas’ courts have been offline for five days because of what officials call a “security incident." The problem has prevented courts in 104 of the state's 105 counties from accepting electronic filings and has blocked public access to many of their records. A judicial branch spokesperson said Tuesday that officials still don’t know the extent of the problem or how long the computer systems will remain offline. The problem doesn't affect Johnson County in the Kansas City area, but the courts in all other counties must take paper filings or filings by mail or fax.
(–Related–)
Some Child Support Payments Delayed Due to Kansas Court Security Breach
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) — Some child support payments will be delayed because of a security breach in the Kansas court system. The Kansas News Service reports that the breach happened last week. Court staff are calling it a security issue, and say that it knocked out many online systems. Kansas courts have been taking filings on paper and by fax. That’s now slowing down child support cases. Court hearings and new child support payment orders are delayed. Cases that were filed before October 9 will proceed normally. The problems are not affecting Johnson County, which uses a separate online system.
==========
Report Shows Kansas Agency Investigated Girl's Family 5 Times Before She Was Killed
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Child welfare officials investigated the family of a 5-year-old Kansas girl five times in the 13 months before she was raped and killed, but couldn't confirm allegations of neglect or drug use by her mother, and the family repeatedly declined offers of help, a report released Tuesday showed.
The report by the state Department of Children and Families said in one case, the agency confirmed that the mother wasn't properly supervising Zoey Felix, but the girl was placed with her father and because of that, “No safety concerns were identified.” After receiving allegations in late August of drug use and lack of utilities in the home, child welfare officials made seven failed attempts to reach the family over the next month.
On Oct. 2, Zoey died after fire crews couldn't resuscitate her at a gas station. Neighbors believe Zoey and her father had been camping in a grove of trees on a vacant lot nearby.
Mickel Cherry, a 25-year-old homeless man, is charged with first-degree murder, rape and capital murder, and could face the death penalty. Authorities haven't said how Zoey died.
“Zoey Felix’s death was an unacceptable tragedy," Gov. Laura Kelly said in a statement accompanying the Department of Children and Families' two-page summary of its interactions with the girl's family.
Kelly said she plans to push for legislation next year that would expedite the release of information when a child dies of abuse or neglect. Her administration pushed for such a change in 2021, but a bill never passed.
Currently, DCF only releases a summary of its involvement initially and can't do so until attorneys vet the document. Typically, the full case reports aren’t released until after the prosecution is completed, which can take well over a year.
This has left an information vacuum in Zoey's case that was exacerbated Tuesday when a judge sealed the arrest affidavit that was used to support criminal charges against Cherry.
Judge Christopher Turner concluded that releasing the records would jeopardize the safety of witnesses or sources or “cause the destruction of evidence.”
Cherry’s attorney, Mark Manna, of the Kansas Death Penalty Defense Unit, has declined to comment. Cherry’s family didn’t respond to phone messages, and his Facebook friends described him as chronically homeless.
Neighbors said Zoey wandered their neighborhood dirty and hungry. Several reported calling child welfare to express concerns.
According to the summary from DCF, child welfare officials said they received the first tip about Zoey on Sept. 8, 2022, alleging poor conditions in the home and possible drug use in the presence of a child. The mother agreed to a drug screen and it came back negative, the agency said.
The agency also said in its summary that Zoey's mother was working with court services. By then, she had been charged with domestic battery against her husband and teenage daughter, court records show. The DCF summary said the agency offered help to the family, but they declined and the case was closed.
Another complaint alleging an unsupervised child was lodged with the agency on Nov. 8, 2002. Just six days earlier, Zoey's mother had called to report that the then 4-year-old was missing, a police incident report shows. Zoey was found unharmed a short time later.
The DCF summary made no reference to Zoey's disappearance, and it was unclear whether that prompted the complaint. The summary said simply that the case was unsubstantiated and offers of help were denied.
Later that month, Zoey's mother was arrested after crashing her car near a north Topeka bar while driving drunk with Zoey in the front seat. A sworn statement from a Topeka police officer, which also was released Tuesday, said the mother was “having difficulty standing upright, attempting to walk away with a small child.”
He also wrote that in looking into her car, he saw two open bottles of vodka, one half-full and the other, three-quarters full. The officer said that in interviews, Zoey said her mother had been drinking from both bottles before and while driving.
The officer wrote that the mother was uncooperative and, “She was taken to the ground in order to be handcuffed.”
The DCF summary said welfare workers left Zoey in her father’s care; court records show he was living with a girlfriend at the time. Zoey's mother was jailed until March, when she pleaded guilty to felony aggravated battery and driving under the influence and was sentenced to probation.
Zoey's father was evicted from his apartment in May. Another tip the agency received that month alleged there were no operating utilities in the mother's home, but the agency found the home to be “livable," with utilities, food and no signs of drugs. Again, the family declined services.
Then on Aug. 29, another complaint alleged drug use and no utilities, prompting the seven failed attempts by the agency to contact the family in September.
But during that time, police went to the home twice, once even tracking down Zoey and talking to her. But officers were told by Zoey’s father that she wasn’t living there, city spokeswoman Gretchen Spiker said.
The second time police responded, an officer stood outside as belongings were retrieved from the house, a police report said. Police reports do not explain where Zoey, her sister, her father and Cherry went after that, but neighbors said they were living in a makeshift camp.
Laura Howard, the top administrator for the Department for Children and Families, vowed to launch a thorough investigation.
“We will take every step necessary," she wrote in a statement.
DCF opened another investigation as a result of Zoey’s death.
==========
Kansas Farming and Ranching Interests Seek Limits on Eminent Domain in Utilities Projects
TOPEKA, Kan. (KNS) – Groups representing Kansas farmers and ranchers are asking lawmakers to limit the use of eminent domain by utility companies. The Kansas News service reports that the move is in response to a power transmission project in southeast Kansas, where Kansas regulators granted Florida-based NextEra Energy eminent domain authority last year. The utility wants to build an $85 million transmission line from the Wolf Creek nuclear power plant across five Kansas counties to a substation in Missouri. Current law allows utilities to take over land needed for those projects. Kansas Farm Bureau State Affairs Manager Claudia Hissong says projects by out-of-state companies are creating frustration among property owners. Residents affected by the project say utility companies have too much authority to take land.
==========
Former Missouri Officer Who Fatally Shot a Black Man Plans Another Appeal and Asks for Bond
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A former Missouri detective convicted in the 2019 death of a Black man plans another appeal and asked for bond Wednesday, a day after he was jailed.
Eric J. DeValkenaere's lawyer asked appeals court judges to reinstate his bond so he can remain free pending requests for a rehearing or an appeal to the Missouri Supreme Court.
The former officer had been free on bond during his initial appeal, but judges revoked bond Tuesday after upholding his conviction of second-degree manslaughter and armed criminal action in the death of 26-year-old Cameron Lamb.
DeValkenaere surrendered himself Tuesday but has not yet been transferred from a Platte County jail to state prison.
His lawyer did not immediately return a request for comment from The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Republican Attorney General Andrew Bailey's office supports DeValkenaere's bond request. Bailey has played an unusual role in the former detective's case, in June asking the appeals court to reverse DeValkenaere’s conviction or order a new trial. In Missouri, the attorney general’s office handles criminal appeals and typically defends convictions, rather than appealing them.
Rumors have swirled that Republican Missouri Gov. Mike Parson was considering pardoning or granting clemency to DeValkenaere, although on Tuesday spokesperson Johnathan Shiflett said in an email that the governor is “assessing the situation” and no decision has been reached on whether to grant a pardon.
Lamb’s stepfather, Aqil Bey, during a Wednesday press conference asked Parson to think about Lamb when deciding whether to pardon DeValkenaere.
“We pray that he take into consideration who Cameron Lamb was, what he would offer this city and could offer this city as an upstanding citizen (and) as a father to his children,” Bey said.
Kansas City Law Enforcement Accountability Project founder Steve Young asked supporters to call Parson and request that he not pardon DeValkenaere.
“He has one foot in and one foot out (of jail),” Young said. “Who gets that kind of privilege?”
DeValkenaere, who is white, was found guilty in 2021 in the death of Lamb, who was parking a pickup truck in his backyard in Kansas City when the officer shot him.
The judge who found DeValkenaere guilty in a bench trial said police were the initial aggressors and had a duty to retreat, but DeValkenaere illegally used deadly force instead.
Prosecutors and Lamb’s family have alleged a handgun was planted after the shooting, but that issue was not addressed by Jackson County Circuit Court Presiding Judge J. Dale Youngs when he convicted the detective.
On Tuesday, a three-judge panel ruled unanimously there had been enough evidence to convict DeValkenaere. He had been sentenced to three years in prison for involuntary manslaughter and six years for armed criminal action, with the sentences to run consecutively.
Police said DeValkenaere and his partner, Troy Schwalm, went to Lamb’s home after reports he'd been chasing his girlfriend’s convertible in a stolen pickup truck. DeValkenaere said he fired after Lamb pointed a gun at another detective. The judge said the officers had no probable cause to believe any crime had been committed, had no warrant for Lamb’s arrest, and had no search warrant or consent to be on the property.
==========
Kansas Board of Regents Plans to Review Underperforming Programs
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS) – The board that oversees public universities in Kansas plans to review more than two dozen programs that aren’t meeting goals for enrollment and other measures. The Kansas News Service reports that the Kansas Board of Regents worked over the summer with the state’s six universities to identify academic programs that are underperforming after five or more years. Officials looked at how many students are enrolled in the program, how many get degrees and whether graduates find jobs. Regents say that list is being finalized and will include about 30 programs. In coming weeks, university provosts will meet with a Regents committee and make recommendations. They could propose cutting or merging programs, or developing a plan for improvement.
==========
Ribbon Cutting Held for New Pet Food Plant in Leavenworth County
TONGANOXIE, Kan. (Midwest Newsroom) - Kansas leaders cut the ribbon on a new pet food plant in Tonganoxie this week. About 100 employees will be working at the Hills Pet Nutrition facility, making wet pet food for dogs and cats. At a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday, Kansas Governor Laura Kelly said Hills Pet Nutrition is a welcome addition to the regional economy. The $450 million “smart plant” features automation and advanced technology to handle the entire pet food production process – from ingredient mixing to cooking and container-filling. Hills Pet Nutrition specializes in what it calls science-led-nutrition.
The Midwest Newsroom is a collaboration between NPR member stations in our region.
==========
Explosion in Southwest Kansas Kills Mom, Dad and Toddler
BUCKLIN, Kan. (Wichita Eagle) - We're learning more about a fatal weekend explosion in southwest Kansas. The Wichita Eagle reports that an explosion inside a business in Bucklin killed three people - a mom, dad and toddler. State and local officials are still investigating Saturday's explosion inside a hair salon. The victims have been identified as 26-year-old Jerry Isakson, 29-year-old Robyn Hamilton and 19-month-old Stormy Isakson, all from Dodge City. Isakson and Hamilton were the parents of the 19-month-old child. Another person, 26-year-old Christian Stimpert, of Bucklin, was taken to a hospital in Dodge City for treatment of burns. It's still not known what caused the explosion. The commercial building was in the process of being remodeled when the explosion occurred. The State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating, but authorities believe the explosion was accidental.
==========
Kansas Families Pile Up School Meal Debt
WICHITA, Kan. (KNS/KMUW) - More Kansas families are piling up school meal debt following the end of federal COVID subsidies that made all meals free. A new report from the advocacy group Kansas Appleseed shows that student lunch debt in Kansas reached $23.5 million this year. The report looked at district policies regarding lunch debt. About two-thirds of Kansas districts have policies that allow students an alternate meal or snack if they don’t have money in their account. Martha Terhaar, with Kansas Appleseed, says punitive policies cause additional stress for students and families. “It’s still limiting kids’ access to meals and putting a lot of fear around access to food, which should just be a basic necessity," she said. Less than a quarter of school meal debt is ultimately paid off by parents. Districts typically end up covering the shortfall with general funds or donations.
==========
Goodland School Placed on Temporary Lockdown Monday
GOODLAND, Kan. (KWCH) - The Goodland Junior and Senior High School was placed on temporary lock down Monday morning. The Sherman County Sheriff’s Office said all schools were put on high alert and locked down for a threat made against district staff and the high school. KWCH TV reports a suspect was later located and taken into custody.
==========
Big 12 Women's Hoops Tourney Poised to Join Men's Event at Glitzy T-Mobile Center
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The home of the Big 12 women's basketball tournament for most of its existence has been Municipal Auditorium, a Streamline Moderne and Art Deco archetype built during the Depression in downtown Kansas City.
It had history. Some charm. An entirely unique feel.
That feel also was a bit second-rate compared with the men's Big 12 tourney, which has been played down the street at T-Mobile Center. It has all the trappings of a modern arena: luxury suites, spacious locker rooms, video boards and almost three times as many seats at Municipal Auditorium, which could fit just over 7,000 fans for each game.
That all changes beginning this season.
Both tournaments, which had run concurrently so traveling fans could see both of their teams on the same trip, will be played at T-Mobile Center. The women's event will run March 7-12 and the men March 12-16.
“They deserve to be in a world-class venue,” said Big 12 Commissioner Brett Yormark, who has made it a point to help promote women's basketball. “I'm excited that this year we'll have both the men's and women's tournaments at T-Mobile Center.”
It won't be the first time the Big 12 women's tourney will be played in an NBA- or NHL-level building. The tournament was held twice at Reunion Arena and twice at American Airlines Center, the past two homes of the Dallas Mavericks, and for six years in Oklahoma City with four editions at Paycom Center, the home of the Thunder.
Just like T-Mobile Center, those buildings seat more than 18,000 for basketball, and that meant larger crowds those years, due in part to home crowds that cheered on Oklahoma and Baylor when they were national title contenders. But the tradeoff of selling more tickets is the risk of vast sections of empty seats for some of the games, which would create some poor optics and was rarely a problem in the more intimate Municipal Auditorium.
“I think it's great that women's basketball is coming to the forefront,” said Texas Tech coach Krista Gerlich, who helped lead the Lady Raiders to a national title as a player, and who is entering her fourth season leading the program. “I think our commissioner has done a fantastic job of showcasing that.”
Last year, the Big 12 approved a two-year extension to keep Kansas City, Missouri, the host of the men's and women's tourneys through the 2027 editions. The way the city rallies around the event each March, coupled with the arena setup next door to the Power and Light District of bars and restaurants, made it the clear choice going forward.
“Kansas City has been a great home for the Big 12 basketball championships,” Yormark said at the start of Big 12 media days Tuesday. “Because of that, we are currently in discussions on an early extension to keep the Big 12 championships right here in Kansas City at the T-Mobile Center through 2031.”
WELCOME WAGON
None of the four programs joining the Big 12 this season had a winning record a year ago, so there could be some significant growing pains for BYU from the West Coast and Cincinnati, UCF and Houston from the American Athletic conferences...especially given that three of them have relatively new coaches.
Merriweather is returning to Cincinnati, her alma mater, after two successful seasons at Memphis, while BYU's Amber Whiting and UCF's Sytia Messer are entering their second seasons. Ronald Hughey is beginning his 10th at Houston.
“We have a whole other level of enthusiasm," Bearcats guard Mya Jackson said. "We're extremely grateful where we came from, and to have this opportunity to be here, and we're going to show up and compete and work hard every day.”
BUILDING BLOCKS
Kansas hopes to build off a WNIT title last season behind a trio of super-seniors who could have transferred or turned pro but chose instead to return to Lawrence for a shot at getting the Jayhawks back to the NCAA Tournament.Taiyanna Jackson leads the bunch after averaging 15.2 points and 12.7 rebounds last season, becoming the first Kansas player since 1981-82 to average a double-double. Zakiyah Franklin had a team-leading 15.7 points per game last season, and has already started 115 games in her career. Holly Kersgieter is poised to break into the top 10 on the school's career scoring list.
“Two seasons ago we made it to the (NCAA) Tournament and so people saw last year as a step backwards,” Kersgieter said, "but the way we addressed the NIT was almost a blessing in disguise. The main takeaway was honestly we learned to have fun again. We had the biggest crowds of the season and I don't think that was a coincidence in those (WNIT) games....We had a taste of the good, a taste of the bad, and we know that it takes to take a step forward after that run.”
==========
Big 12 Expects to Play 20-Game Schedule in Men's Hoops, 18 Games for Women Next Season
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Big 12 is preparing to play a 20-game conference schedule in men's basketball, and an 18-game women's schedule, when the league loses Texas and Oklahoma but welcomes four additions from the Pac-12 beginning next season.
The arrival of Arizona, Arizona State and Utah along with former Big 12 member Colorado from the latest round of conference realignment has created new challenges in scheduling. The league will stretch across all four time zones, which was one of Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark's goals, but that also means some long and time-consuming road trips.
“Scheduling and travel are a major priority for the conference,” Yormark said Tuesday at the start of two days of basketball media days at T-Mobile Center, which for the first time will host both the men's and women's conference tournaments this season.
“For basketball, it's looking like a 20-game schedule and 18 for women is in our future, and on the football front we're working diligently as well," said Yormark, whose league is losing Oklahoma and Texas to the SEC. "Our schedule is being guided by a few key parameters, including geography, competitive balance, historic matchups and rivalries.”
That could mean the continuation of the Territorial Cup between Arizona and Arizona State.
“We haven't come up with any definitive decisions,” Yormark said, “but rivalries and historic matchups are critically important to us. They're part of our guiding principles. It's most likely that will occur but nothing has been cemented yet.”
The men are expected to play two conference basketball games more than the women because of the preferences of Big 12 coaches and the fact that the women's conference tournament will take place a week before the men's championship.
Yormark reiterated the Big 12 is doubling down on basketball, particularly with the arrival of hoops heavyweight Arizona next season. The league intends to begin playing games internationally beginning with the 2023-24 season, and the league is looking into alternative broadcasts and streaming options that could better bring the game to younger demographics.
When it comes to streaming, Yormark said “volume is key. Big 12 basketball and its depth provide that better than anyone.”
The Big 12 has finished atop KenPom's conference ranking eight of the past 10 seasons, and Baylor and Kansas — the preseason No. 1 team this season — have given the league two of the past three national championships.
“I said before, I think basketball is undervalued, but it goes beyond monetizing it," said Yormark, who has previously worked for the Pistons and Nets. "No sport connects better with culture than basketball. It is also a great catalyst for international growth, and it will continue to grow and play a huge role in the future of our industry.”
In fact, Yormark so values college basketball as a product that he considered its future in the latest of TV negotiations, which resulted in a deal with ESPN and Fox Sports worth about $2.3 billion that goes through at least the 2030-31 season.
“We gave ourselves some optionality when you think about our back-end rights, not only to renew our traditional format but to potentially break apart football from basketball,” he said. “Our job is to explore all options and further monetize what we do, and create value for our member institutions.”
Given its focus on college basketball, it is only natural to ask whether the Big 12 would renew conversations with West Coast Conference power Gonzaga and reigning national champion UConn, which is a member of the Big East. Yormark said earlier this year that those talks had ended in part due to the latest round of realignment involving the Pac 12.
Yormark declined to take questions about future expansion, but did say that “no different from last year, if an opportunity presents itself to strengthen this conference, I'm going to explore it.”
“There's nothing imminent," he said, "but I do explore all options that come to me, and if it creates value for membership both short- and long-term, we're going to explore it even more.”
Yormark also was quick to defend the Big 12 as the nation's premier basketball conference after UConn coach Dan Hurley said on a recent podcast that the Big East was “the best conference in the country and it's not particularly close.”
“I mean, listen, history speaks for itself. The data speaks for itself," Yormark said. “Our ratings, the tournament, where we have been the last five years — I don't think there's a deeper conference in America right now. Danny is a great coach, UConn is a great program, but I would certainly debate him on that.”
==========
AP Source: Jets Trading Mecole Hardman Back to Chiefs in Deal Including Draft Picks
NEW YORK (AP) — A person with knowledge of the deal says the New York Jets are trading seldom-used wide receiver Mecole Hardman back to the Kansas City Chiefs. Hardman signed with the Jets as a free agent last offseason and now returns to the team with which he played his first four NFL seasons and helped win two Super Bowls. The deal includes the Jets sending a seventh-round pick in the 2024 draft to the Chiefs for a sixth-rounder, according to the person who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the teams hadn’t announced the trade.
==========
Patrick Mahomes Says He 'Jumped' at the Chance to Invest in Formula One's Alpine Team
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Patrick Mahomes says he “jumped” at the the chance to invest in a Formula One team when he was asked to join a group of celebrity backers behind the Alpine team. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and golfer Rory McIlroy were among a group of top sports names announced as joining the Otro Capital investment. The F1 season resumes this week at the United States Grand Prix in Austin. Otro had previously announced an investor group headlined by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
==========
This summary of area news is curated by KPR news staffers, including J. Schafer, Laura Lorson, Tom Parkinson and Kaye McIntyre. Our headlines are generally posted by 10 am weekdays and updated throughout the day. These ad-free headlines are made possible by KPR members. Become one today. And follow KPR News on Twitter.