WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Two teenagers were each sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison for beating a man with a baseball bat and stealing about $20, two guns and some food.
The man, Horace Johnson, was beaten in May of last year in his Wichita home and remains in a coma. Police say a relative found him unconscious on the floor, likely two days after he was attacked.
The family went to the home after police found Johnson’s car abandoned and couldn’t reach him.
District Attorney Marc Bennett says 16-year-old Jalen Oliver and 17-year-old Matthew Florez-Duran broke into Johnson’s home, robbed him and beat him in the head with the bat several times.
The teenagers were prosecuted as adults for attempted first-degree murder.
Florez-Duran was sentenced Wednesday. Oliver was sentenced two weeks ago.
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement are investigating a robbery and asking for help to identify a suspect.
Just before 9p.m. Tuesday, deputies received a call of a robbery at the Viking BP, 4700 NW Hunters Ridge in Topeka, according to Sgt. Todd Staulbaumer.
Upon arrival deputies were told a white male, approximately 6-foot1, thin build, early 20’s, dressed in black with his face covered, entered the store and demanded money.
No weapon was displayed. The subject left the store and fled to the northeast. A K-9 officer checked the area but lost the trail in the Hunters Ridge Apartment Complex parking lot.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 785-234-0007 or Detective Kevin Kasl 785-251-2248
Police on the scene of Tuesday’s fatal shooting- photo courtesy KWCH
SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal Tuesday morning shooting and have identified the teen victim.
Just before 2:30a.m. police were dispatched to a shooting call in the 1600 Block of South Estelle in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson. When officers arrived they located an 18-year-old girl identified Wednesday as Myranda Keck.with a single gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Davidson.
The teen’s 40-year-old mother and her 18-year-old boyfriend were also in the vehicle. Investigators determined the three had just arrived home and parked the car in the street when an unknown suspect drove by and fired multiple shots that hit the teen. The mother and boyfriend were not injured.
Police don’t have a description of the suspects or their vehicle.
This is the fourth homicide in Wichita this year. Anyone with information is asked to call police.
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SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal Tuesday morning shooting.
Just before 2:30a.m. police were dispatched to a shooting call in the 1600 Block of South Estelle in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson. When officers arrived they located an 18-year-old girl with a single gunshot wound. She was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Davidson.
The teen’s 40-year-old mother and her 18-year-old boyfriend were also in the vehicle. Investigators determined the three had just arrived home and parked the car in the street when an unknown suspect drove by and fired multiple shots that hit the teen. The mother and boyfriend were not injured.
Police don’t have a description of the suspects or their vehicle.
This is the fourth homicide in Wichita this year. Anyone with information is asked to call police.
Gov. Jeff Colyer talks with reporters in his office on his second day in office. He promises a change of tone in the Statehouse. photo by Jim McLean – KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Jeff Colyer called Wednesday for an amendment to the Kansas Constitution to protect the state’s abortion restrictions and told legislators he doesn’t support increasing taxes to provide more funding for public schools.
During his first major policy speech, the new Republican also said he plans to issue executive orders to lower the cost of obtaining state records and make more information about agency meetings and operations available online.
Colyer discussed public school funding, abortion, transparency and other issues during an address to a joint session of the Kansas House and Senate that was widely seen as a follow-up to the State of the State address last month by former GOP Gov. Sam Brownback. Colyer, formerly lieutenant governor, replaced Brownback when Brownback resigned last week to become U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.
“These are times that set history for the next century,” Colyer told legislators. “I believe our best days are ahead of us.”
Colyer and lawmakers must respond to a Kansas Supreme Court mandate to increase spending on public schools. The court ruled in October that the more than $4 billion a year the state provides in aid to its 286 school districts is insufficient under the state constitution, even with an increase approved last year.
Brownback proposed phasing in an additional $513 million increase in aid over five years, relying only on growth in state revenues to cover the cost. Many Republican legislators considered the plan financially reckless, arguing that the state won’t be able to sustain the extra spending without a tax increase or deep cuts elsewhere in the budget.
Many legislators went into Wednesday’s speech looking for Colyer to outline a detailed position on school funding. He said he will sign legislation that phases in an increase in spending on schools “that doesn’t increase the tax burden on Kansas families.”
His call for a state constitutional amendment on abortion is a response to another case before the Kansas Supreme Court. Two abortion providers are challenging a 2015 state law that enacted the nation’s first ban on a common second-trimester procedure that critics call “dismemberment abortion.” A trial court judge ruled that the state constitution protects abortion rights independently of the U.S. Constitution — creating the possibility that state courts could strike down restrictions that the federal courts permit.
“This is violence against basic facts,” Colyer said. “This cannot stand.”
Colyer told reporters last week that he would roll out proposals designed to make state government more open, without providing specifics. Lawmakers already are working on a raft of proposals to strengthen lobbying, ethics and open-government laws, including one bill reviewed by a committee Wednesday that would require all legislative committee meetings to televised, starting in 2020.
The governor scheduled a Thursday news conference to formally issue his executive orders on transparency.
He said one would allow Kansas residents and groups seeking government documents to obtain the first 100 pages free, while another would limit officials’ use of private email when doing state business. Colyer also plans to establish a website where information about government meetings and associated documents will be posted and to set performance goals for state agencies, with data their progress available to the public.
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer is expected to outline proposals for making state government more transparent during an address to the Legislature, and lawmakers are hoping he also spells out where he stands on public school funding.
The new Republican governor was scheduled to speak Wednesday afternoon to a joint session of the House and Senate. His first major policy speech is widely viewed as his follow-up to the State of the State address from former GOP Gov. Sam Brownback last month.
Colyer, formerly lieutenant governor, replaced Brownback last week when Brownback resigned to become U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. Lawmakers are hoping for “more than just simple platitudes,” said state Rep. Melissa Rooker, a moderate Fairway Republican.
Senate President Susan Wagle, a conservative Wichita Republican, added: “Everyone is going to want to know exactly where he stands on school finance.”
Colyer told reporters last week that he would roll out proposals designed to make state government more open, without providing specifics. Lawmakers already are working on a raft of proposals to strengthen lobbying, ethics and open-government laws.
But Colyer and lawmakers also must respond to a Kansas Supreme Court mandate to increase spending on public schools. The court ruled in October that the more than $4 billion a year the state provides in aid to its 286 school districts is insufficient under the state constitution, even with an increase approved last year.
Brownback proposed phasing in an additional $513 million increase in aid over five years, relying only on growth in state revenues to cover the cost. Many Republican legislators considered the plan financially reckless, arguing that the state won’t be able to sustain the extra spending without a tax increase or deep cuts elsewhere in the budget.
“We have been delivered a budget that’s underwater in two years, and, so if he’d like to make corrections to that, we’d be very appreciative,” Wagle said.
Democratic state Rep. John Alcala, of Topeka, said he’s looking for signs that Colyer is willing to work with Democrats on issues such as school funding and expanding the state’s Medicaid program to provide health coverage to up to 180,000 more poor adults. Colyer has opposed Medicaid expansion.
“I have my doubts because he’s been a bystander, locked in step with Brownback for a long period of time,” Alcala said.
The City of Great Bend is beginning the process of updating the town’s official web-site. CVB Director and Community Coordinator Christina Hayes says it’s an upgrade that is long overdue.
Christina Hayes
Hayes says the new web-site will allow for easier navigation when using a traditional desk top or laptop computer, and will also be more user friendly for those using mobile devices.
Christina Hayes
The new site will also allow easier access to the city’s other social media sites including explore Great Bend, the Zoo, the Fire Department and the Waterpark to name just a few.
She also hopes the easier access will allow for more governmental transparency that has become the buzzword around city hall since the controversy of last summer.
Since Shannon Deines understands the whirlwind schedules of working moms, she wanted to offer an expanded service to make their lives a little easier. Deines, imaging supervisor at St. Rose Health Center, is now scheduling after-hours appointments for mammograms.
Beginning Feb. 12, Deines will offer the breast screenings on the second and fourth Mondays of the month. Appointments will be scheduled every 30 minutes, starting at 4:30 p.m. with the last one of the day set for 6:30 p.m.
“Many of our patients have asked about making the appointment schedule more convenient,” Deines said. “Their work schedules make it difficult for them to find time for this important screening.
“I hope women will take advantage of this new opportunity for preventive health care at St. Rose.”
The best way to fight breast cancer is to find it early, Deines noted. “And the best way to find it early is by having an annual screening mammogram,” she said. “The test is safe and takes only a few minutes. It could save your life.”
After-hours mammograms are scheduled only for screening purposes. They are not designed for: anyone with a history of breast cancer; anyone who needs a follow-up exam; or anyone with a particular breast concern.
“For these issues,” Deines said, “I may need to consult with a radiologist during regular hours.”
Deines added that she appreciates St. Rose accommodating this new schedule. “It is just one more example of our commitment to the health-care needs of our communities.”
The impacts of budget problems with the State of Kansas continue to have trickle down effects. The Kansas Department of Transportation’s funding has been gashed for years to make up budget deficits, and in turn local street departments are seeing less improvements and less money sent their way.
Great Bend Engineering Tech Karl Otter says the city will once again take advantage of Federal Fund Exchange, which turns federal dollars into state dollars.
Karl Otter Audio
The exchange program allows KDOT to pocket the difference on the reduced amount given to cities and counties, but the reduced amount comes with far less “red tape” and administrative expenses. The program also allows Great Bend greater flexibility with the types of repair work they can perform on streets.
Otter says KDOT does not have to orchestrate this program, but do so to keep the state’s roads in good shape.
Karl Otter Audio
KDOT has been forced to reduce the Federal Fund Exchange program from $4.5 million this year, resulting in a much smaller number for all area communities. In the past, the exchange of funds was at a rate of 90 cents in state funds for each $1 in federal funds. This year’s exchange rate has been reduced to 75 cents for every federal dollar.
Otter noted the City of Great Bend received roughly $186,000 in federal dollars last year, which was exchanged for over $160,000 in state funds.
Kara Hansen attended a 2015 benefit -photo courtesy Galena Sentinel Times
COLUMBUS, Kan. (AP) — A woman paralyzed from the chest down in a 2014 southeast Kansas crash has won a $38.5 million verdict.
Cherokee County jurors returned the verdict last week after a five-day trial. Kara Hansen was just 16 and behind the wheel of a 1966 Ford Mustang when she was struck from behind while waiting to turn left into the driveway of her family’s home.
The Mustang had only a lap belt and the back of her driver’s seat broke. She hit her head on the windshield and now needs around-the-clock care.
A deputy testified that the driver who rear-ended Hansen was following too closely and not paying adequate attention. The driver was minimally insured, raising questions about how much of the verdict Hansen will receive.
Part of the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce’s job is to improve the business climate in the City of Great Bend and encourage growth with existing and new businesses. Chamber CEO Jan Peters informed the Great Bend City Council Monday night that struggles with development on the local scene will not get better until things improve at the state level.
The Kansas Department of Commerce is currently without a director, working with an interim, and is understaffed as a whole.
Jan Peters Audio
Antonio Soave announced his resignation last June as Kansas Commerce Secretary, and Sam Brownback appointee Nick Jordan was replaced by Governor Jeff Colyer’s selection of Bob North earlier this month to serve as interim secretary.
One area that has been lacking across the state is workforce development. Peters says there is a push to improve how schools teach and what businesses need from their employees.
Jan Peters Audio
According to the Kansas Labor Department, there were 49,000 vacant jobs in Kansas last year. That number reflects a nine percent increase from 2016.
Current Kansas law imposes stiffer penalties for possession of marijuana residue, and concentrates, than for the plant. A bill in the Kansas Legislature would impose the lesser penalty for both. FILE PHOTO
Kansas lawmakers may once have thought stiffer penalties for marijuana made sense, but in recent years crowded prisons forced them to take another look.
One of the changes, made in 2016, reduced the crime of being caught with marijuana a second time from a felony to a misdemeanor.
But on Tuesday, the Kansas Sentencing Commission said that change overlooked state law that still keeps harsher penalties on the books for getting caught with pot residue than for possession of marijuana.
Scott Schultz, the commission’s executive director, said that “seemed inequitable.”
“It only seemed natural or made common sense that those penalties should be the same,” he said.
The situation arose because Kansas state law has separate language for tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, and marijuana possession. THC is the primary compound in marijuana that makes people high. Traces can be found on drug paraphernalia, or it can exist independently of marijuana in lab-derived versions.
The only objections to the sentencing commission’s proposal came from citizens or organizations who want lawmakers to go further. A resident of Inman, Kansas, asked the panel to decriminalize marijuana.
The ACLU of Kansas, meanwhile, wants lawmakers to clarify whether they intend cannabidiol, or CBD, oil to be considered marijuana and therefore illegal.
CBD is a substance that can be extracted from marijuana separate from the THC that makes people high. Some people say it helps treat seizures and pain, and it is allowed for medical purposes in some states where marijuana is illegal. Companies are seeking FDA approval for drugs containing CBD, but no such drugs have been approved so far.
Late last month, the Kansas attorney general’s office said under current Kansas law, it believes CBD counts as marijuana and is illegal regardless of whether it contains THC.
The ACLU wants lawmakers to weigh in because the attorney general’s opinion isn’t binding on law enforcement agencies, creating a risk that CBD will be treated as legal in some parts of the state and illegal in others.
