Former Kansas governor and Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius
CINCINNATI (AP) — A former Barack Obama administration Cabinet member is returning to her native state to rally opposition to Republican efforts to repeal his health care overhaul.
Cincinnati-born Kathleen Sebelius is joining a bus tour campaign for press conferences Wednesday in Cincinnati and Dayton. Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, both Democrats, are among officials joining her in their cities.
The former secretary of Health and Human Services says Republicans should stop trying to “sabotage” Obama’s Affordable Care Act and work with Democrats to improve it.
She and two Republicans who also headed HHS say President Donald Trump and Congress should make stabilizing health insurance marketplaces their immediate goal.
Sebelius is the Democratic former governor of Kansas. Her late father, Democrat John Gilligan, served as Ohio’s governor.
WICHITA, Kansas (AP) — A conservative firebrand promoting President Donald Trump’s unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud oversees a Kansas election system that threw out at least three times as many ballots as similarly sized states did. That is fueling concerns about massive voter suppression should its practices become the national standard.
Data collected by the bipartisan U.S. Election Assistance Commission shows only six states — all among the top 10 in population — discarded more votes during the 2016 election than the 33rd-largest state of Kansas.
Kansas’ 13,717 rejected ballots even topped the 13,461 from Florida, which has about seven times as many residents.
GREAT BEND — Edwin R. “Ed” Johnson, 73, died Aug. 22, 2017, at Wesley Medical Center, Wichita. Services are pending and will be announced by Bryant Funeral Home, Great Bend.
John R. “Jack” Miller, Sr., 96, died Aug. 23, 2017 at River Bend Assisted Living in Great Bend. He was born Aug. 7, 1921, at Claflin, the son of J. W. and Frances (Linsner) Miller. He married Ruth I. Brackeen on Oct. 12, 1941, at Great Bend. She died Aug. 23, 2013. Mr. Miller worked for Phillips Petroleum and various subsidiaries for 43 years in many states and foreign assignments. He was a lifetime member of the Catholic church.
Survivors include one son, Col. John R. Miller, USAF (Ret.) and his wife Chloellen of Woodbridge, Va.; one daughter, Monica Koenigsberg, PhD of Westcliffe, Colo.; two grandchildren: Semra Staut and Evan Miller and his wife Tonya, both of Charlotte, N.C.; and one great-granddaughter, Audrey Miller. He was preceded in death by five brothers, Walter Miller, Bob Miller, Albert Miller, Joe Miller, and Arthur Miller; and three sisters, Ella Casad, Marie Reasoner, and Ann Norton.
Graveside service will be at 2 p.m., Thursday, August 24, 2017 at Great Bend Cemetery with Father Ted Stoecklein officiating. Memorials have been established with Prince of Peace Parish, in care of Bryant Funeral Home.
Chief Mike Napolitano received the fire chief of the year award in 2016 from the Kansas Fire Chiefs Association.
Great Bend Fire Chief Mike Napolitano hasn’t reached the finish line yet but he sure can see it. Thursday, August 31 will be Napolitano’s last official day on the job after working for the department for the past 43 years. Before becoming chief in 1998, Napolitano worked as a volunteer firefighter, firefighter, EMT, paramedic, captain, and assistant chief.
Veteran Great Bend Fire Department Battalion Chief John Stettinger says Napolitano’s leadership will be missed.
John Stettinger Audio
Fire Inspector Mark Orth has worked a long time with Napolitano and says the chief always worked hard to get the best equipment for his firefighters so they could work in a dangerous job as safely as possible.
Mark Orth Audio
While a search for his replacement has yet to begin, the department’s three Battalion Chiefs will all help lead the department after Napolitano’s retirement.
Napolitano submitted his resignation on August 11.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A judge has ruled that a man accused of raping and trying to kill a 7-year-old Wichita girl will go on trial.
Corbin Breitenbach is charged with attempted capital murder, aggravated criminal sodomy and aggravated burglary. Prosecutors allege he broke into a woman’s condo in June and attacked the girl before putting her back into a bed and leaving.
The now 8-year-old girl testified during a preliminary hearing Wednesday. She and her younger brother were staying at the woman’s home the night she was attacked. Breitenbach was staying at his girlfriend’s nearby apartment.
Prosecutors say DNA linked Breitenbach to the crime.
A trial is tentatively set for Sept. 25.
Breitenbach did not say anything during the hearing. His attorney entered not guilty pleas to all the charges against him.
We ask the important questions to Larned High School football coach A.B. Stokes before the season starts. Question 1: What does A.B. stand for? Listen to the interview and show here.
Police on the scene of the Monday night shooting-photo courtesy KAKE
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting that sent four people to a hospital.
Just after 11p.m. Monday, officers responded to a home in the 2000 Block of West MacArthur in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.
When officers arrived, they came in contact with a 23-year-old resident of the home with a gunshot wound to his thigh, according to Davidson. Three other adults were also at the home at the time of the shooting. They were not injured.
Investigators learned that four suspects including three 18-year-olds and a 23-year-old went to the home to purchase marijuana. A physical altercation occurred inside the home. The 23-year-old resident and three suspects were shot. One of the 18-year-old suspects remained in a vehicle and did not enter the home.
Officers observed blood, bullet casings and other damage inside the home, according to Davidson. While officers investigating the scene, a vehicle dropped off the suspects at St. Francis Hospital.
On Tuesday afternoon, police located the suspect’s vehicle, a black Cadillac with blood inside. They also located the fourth 18-year-old suspect at the hospital. He was not injured. Officers booked him into the Sedgwick County jail for aggravated battery, aggravated assault, aggravated burglary and discharge of a weapon at an occupied dwelling, according to Davidson.
The 23-year-old resident of the home was treated at the hospital and released. The three suspects remain hospitalized in critical condition, according to Davidson. One was shot in the face, another in the groin and the other in the chest.
Possible charges against all those involved will be presented to the Sedgwick County District Attorney. Two of the suspects are known gang members, according to Davidson.
On Monday, August 28, L & M Contractors will begin the bridge deck repair project on SW 50 Avenue. The bridge crosses the Arkansas River approximately one mile south of US-56.
The $398,945 project consists of removing the existing asphalt from the deck surface, removing deteriorated concrete and replacing it with new concrete, and constructing a thin concrete overlay to provide a new wearing surface.
The work will be done one lane at a time with traffic being allowed across the adjacent lane with traffic signals. Concrete barriers will be placed near the center line of the bridge, resulting in a lane width of 10 feet. Wider loads will need to find an alternate route.
There are 90 working days allotted for completion of all work. Work should be completed towards the end of 2017 depending on the weather.
