TOPEKA -Paul Davis officially announced his campaign for Congress in the 2nd Congressional District of Kansas Tuesday. The 2nd district seat will be vacated by Republican U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins in 2018.
After visiting all 25 counties in the district, Davis, a Lawrence attorney concluded a four-month listening tour in Topeka Tuesday to formally announce his candidacy.
Additional stops are planned Tuesday in Pittsburg, Leavenworth, and Lawrence, according to a media release.
Paul Davis announces his candidacy for Kansas’ Second Congressional District! pic.twitter.com/CYGnS3Kvcs
Shane Stimatze, current District Stafford County Commissioner and local businessman, died over the weekend in an accident that took place at his home in rural Stafford County.
According to Stafford County Sheriff Robert Murrow, emergency personnel were dispatched to 341 NW 50th Avenue on Monday in reference to an individual finding a lawnmower flipped upside down in a pond at that location. Murrow says once the mower was removed, a male subject identified as Shane Stimatze was found dead in the water.
The incident is still under investigation by the Sheriff’s Office. It appears the accident happened sometime over the weekend. Stimatze, who lives alone, was found after efforts to contact him were made Monday morning when he failed to show up at work.
In addition to serving as County Commissioner, Stimatze was the owner of Mid-Kansas Ag Incorporated and Squeaks Club in St. John. He was also a successful basketball official.
Stimatze was 42-years old. He was transported from the scene Monday to Minnis Chapel in St. John.
Great Bend residents found the route on 8th Street, between McKinley Street and Grant Street, convenient to connect trips between Dillons and Walmart. The street had barricades blocking entrances because vehicles were tearing up the unfinished road next to the Reserves of Trail Ridge Apartment Complex.
The issue of completing and fully paving the road resurfaced with the upcoming Geometric Improvement Grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation to widen the 10th Street and Grant Street intersection.
Josh Golka, with Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC), says paving the 8th Street connection would make sense to Walmart for a detour during the road construction for the intersection project.
Josh Golka Audio
The 8th Street improvements will be completed this year to help alleviate traffic and the access issue to Walmart during the Geometric Improvement Project next spring. Great Bend City Administrator Howard Partington traveled to Bentonville, Arkansas in June to discuss the improvements with Walmart officials at their headquarters.
With Walmart signing a petition for the improvements, the cost of the project would fall upon Walmart. Great Bend agreed to have PEC design and handle the construction work on 8th Street from McKinley to Grant Streets with a cost of $47,500 for the design work, and $7,500 plus reimbursables for the construction phase.
Fatal fire Tuesday in Overland Park-photo courtesy Overland Park Fire Dept.
JOHNSON COUNTY – Officials are working to determine the cause of a fatal fire in Johnson County.
Crews responded just before 3a.m. Tuesday to the fire at an apartment complex in the 8800 Block of Broadmoor Court in Overland Park, according to a social media report.
Two children died in the fire. Two others escaped. The children’s mother was transported for treatment and two men were hurt when they jumped out of a second-story window
Heat exhaustion also sent one firefighter to the hospital and another was treated at the scene.
The unit where the children were found dead didn’t have a working smoke detector. The children’s names weren’t immediately released.
SHAWNEE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for a series of car burglaries.
On Sunday night, police made a traffic stop on a vehicle in the 400 Block of SW 33rd Street in Topeka, according to Lt. Jennifer Cross.
They arrested Olin D. Ashton II, 29, Topeka, for burglary, theft, criminal damage and an outstanding warrant. They also recovered property related to five identified victims.
A subject with Ashton fled the scene. He has been identified and continues to elude authorities.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Cam Gallagher hit a grand slam for his first career home run and second big league hit, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics 6-2 on Monday night.
Gallagher’s shot into the left-field seats in the sixth inning marked the first grand slam by a Royals rookie since Paulo Orlando connected in the first game of a doubleheader against Tampa Bay on July 7, 2015.
Jake Junis (5-2), recalled for his seventh stint with Kansas City this season, allowed two runs and four hits in six innings with two strikeouts and no walks.
The Royals moved into a second-place tie with the idle Twins, five games back of AL Central-leading Cleveland.
Top high school prospect Marvin Bagley III has committed to Duke and is eligible to play in the 2017-18 season, immediately making the Blue Devils a top national-title contender.
Bagley made his announcement on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Monday night.
The 6-foot-11 Bagley is widely considered the top recruit of the 2018 recruiting class, but last month petitioned the NCAA to reclassify and become college eligible for the upcoming season.
Bagley went on campus visits in July to Duke and USC, with UCLA also in the mix.
Bagley started his high school career at Tempe Corona del Sol High School and ended up at Southern California’s Chatsworth Sierra Canyon High School.
The long, athletic big man will likely be in the mix to be the No. 1 overall pick in the NBA draft whenever he decides to leave college.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – Cam Gallagher hit a grand slam for his first career home run and second big league hit, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Oakland Athletics 6-2 on Monday night. Gallagher’s shot into the left-field seats in the sixth inning marked the first grand slam by a Royals rookie since Paulo Orlando connected in the first game of a doubleheader against Tampa Bay on July 7, 2015.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – The Nebraska Cornhuskers’ athletics department plans to fund a new scholarship program for nonathletes. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Chancellor Ronnie Green says Nebraska Athletics will contribute $5 million annually. The first scholarships will be awarded in time for the 2018-19 school year.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – The two quarterbacks competing for the starting job at Kansas happen to be roommates and best of friends. Carter Stanley is the sophomore who started three games last season, while Peyton Bender is the transfer who began his career at Washington State. Kansas coach David Beaty has been in no hurry to appoint a starting quarterback.
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) – Joey Gallo’s 33rd homer of the season and a second straight strong outing from Martin Perez lifted the Texas Rangers over the Detroit Tigers in Arlington. Perez trailed 2-0 just two batters into the game but gave up no more runs in Texas’ 6-2 victory.
Law enforcement authorities on the scene of Sunday’s shooting-photo courtesy WIBW TV
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say they believe a man fatally shot a woman outside a Kansas home before killing their 3-year-old daughter and himself near wetlands roughly 10 miles away.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Monday the body of the woman, from Missouri, was discovered first about 1:30 p.m. Sunday on the driveway of a residence she had no connection to southwest of Lawrence.
Law enforcers later found the girl and her 41-year-old father dead near the woman’s vehicle at the Baker Wetlands.
Authorities said without elaborating that the man and woman had previously been in a relationship.
Investigators haven’t determined how the man and the girl died, saying autopsies were pending.
Identities of the girl or her parents were not immediately released.
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DOUGLAS COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating the death of three people including a 3-year-old girl.
Just after 1:30p.m. Sunday, deputies responded to report of a shooting in the driveway of a home in the 1000 Block of E900 Road southwest of Lawrence, according to a media release.
Upon arrival, deputies found a 36-year-old woman with several gunshot wounds. She died at the scene. She was not affiliated with the residence, according to the sheriff’s department.
Authorities later found the woman’s vehicle in the parking area at Baker Wetlands south of 31st and Haskell Avenue. A 41-year-old man and 3-year-old girl were found dead in the wetlands not far from the vehicle. Authorities have not determined how they died.
Authorities believe the man shot the woman and the child is their daughter and no other individuals were involved. Names of the victims were not released.
EL DORADO, Kan. (AP) — A man imprisoned for killing three suburban Kansas City women nearly three decades ago has lost his disciplinary appeal.
The Kansas City Star reports that Kansas Department of Corrections officials disciplined Richard Grissom Jr. for passing a sexually explicit note to a female corrections officer. Grissom is imprisoned at the El Dorado Correctional Facility for killing three young women who disappeared in June 1989.The bodies of Joan Butler, Christine Rusch and Theresa Brown have never been found.
The now 56-year-old admitted to writing the note. But he said the officer had asked him to write it — something she denied.
Grissom was sentenced to serve 30 days in segregation and fined $20. On Friday, a three-judge panel of the Kansas Court of Appeals denied Grissom’s appeal of the disciplinary action.
