LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the University of Kansas by parents of two former rowers who alleged they were sexually assaulted by a former football player in a dorm.

The Kansas City Star reports Douglas County District Judge B. Kay Hoff dismissed the lawsuit on Friday, ruling that the former rowers have left the university and no longer face an immediate threat of harm.

The lawsuit initially filed by James and Amanda Tackett claimed that when recruiting their daughter to attend Kansas, the school falsely advertised safe dorms.

That lawsuit later was joined by James McClure and daughter Sarah McClure, who said she was sexually assaulted in 2015 by the same football player who fellow rower Daisy Tackett said also had attacked her a year earlier.

An attorney for the families says they will appeal Hoff’s ruling.

The player wasn’t charged.

SALINE COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating 3 teen suspects on various charges after one fired a gun in the Salina city limits.

Just after 5:30p.m. Tuesday, a witness saw one suspect fire a handgun in the air before getting into a 1979 Chevy pickup with two others, according to police Captain Mike Sweeney.

The witness then followed the suspects to Dillon’s, 1235 E Cloud in Salina where they were met by police.

Police arrested the pickup driver and a passenger. Another suspect ran and locked himself in the store’s bathroom. Police say he attempted to hide the semi-automatic handgun in the bathroom.

Authorities recovered the loaded handgun after the suspect gave up peacefully, according to Sweeney. Officers also located the empty casing.

Police identified the suspect in the bathroom as a 16-year-old from Salina. He was placed in juvenile detention and faces charges of criminal possession and unlawful discharge of a firearm.

Sweeney said Christopher Shields, 19, Salina, faces unlawful discharge, criminal possession of a firearm and contributing to child’s misconduct. He was a passenger in the pickup.

The pickup driver Dalton Hulse, 18, Salina, was booked for contributing to a child’s misconduct; encourage to commit a felo

FINNEY COUNTY – Law enforcement and school officials in Finney County are investigating an alleged threat at a middle school in Garden City.

On Friday March 10, USD 457 and Police in Garden City began an investigation of threats made towards Horace Good Middle School indicating a possible school shooting, according to a media release.

This threat was reported to the school resource officer by a faculty member after a note was found in the hallway of the school.
During the spring break the investigation progressed and USD 457 and GCPD personnel coordinated additional law enforcement presence at the school for the safety and security of the students and faculty upon their return from spring break.

On Tuesday March 21, several more notes threatening violence began to appear in the hallways again. After further investigation officers were able to identify and arrest two students for allegedly dropping the notes in school.
The investigation revealed no immediate threat towards the school, students or staff of the school. The notes were allegedly left with the intentions of humor.
Police arrested Andrew Garcia,14 and another 13-year-old both of Garden City on allegations of criminal threat.

SHAWNEE COUNTY -Law enforcement authorities in Shawnee County are investigating a Kansas teen on alleged aggravated assault charges after altercation with police.

Just before 8p.m. on Tuesday, police were called to a fast food restaurant in the 1000 Block of SW Wanamaker in Topeka after report of a customer causing a disturbance, according to a media release.

The customer was also displaying hand gun.

Officers received multiple reports of an armed suspect in the restaurant. Upon arrival inside the restaurant, the suspect refused to comply with verbal commands from police.

During apprehension of the armed suspect Tieler Alan Lay, 18, Topeka, an officer discharged his firearm. No one was hit by the gunfire. One officer was transported to a local hospital and treated for a minor abrasions, according to police.

Police recovered the suspect’s gun during the arrest and also found illegal drugs.

Lay is being held in the Shawnee County jail on charges of disorderly conduct, four counts of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, felony obstruction and drug charges.

By SAM ZEFF

Kansas lawmakers have waited for half the session to get a look at what will probably be the basis for a new school funding formula.

Rep. Larry Campbell, the chairman of the House K-12 Education Budget Committee, released an outline of the measure Tuesday.

It looks a lot like the formula scrapped two years ago for block grants, a funding scheme ruled unconstitutional earlier this month by the Kansas Supreme Court.

Campbell’s proposal has a per-pupil base state aid and provides extra money for English language learners, at-risk students and transportation — all things educators wanted to see.

What’s unknown is how much Campbell’s plan will cost.

“It’s hard to have a real judgment on this until you see what that number is going to be,” says Mark Desetti of the Kansas National Education Association.

That number has to satisfy a lot of people. It can’t be so high that conservatives in the Legislature will deem it dead on arrival. But it has to be high enough to gain support from moderate Republicans and Democrats.

And there must be enough new spending that the state Supreme Court will approve it.

“What we tried to do was hear what the court was telling us and build from there,” says Campbell, a Republican from Olathe.

The bill will be introduced Wednesday, and that’s when the negotiations will start. The Kansas State Department of Education (KSDE) also will release what it calls “runs,” which are spreadsheets that show exactly how much districts can expect under the proposed formula.

While it looks much like the old formula, there are some significant differences. This is “not a small change,” according to Rep. Ed Trimmer, the ranking Democrat on the K-12 committee.

First, it changes the way districts raise money locally.

The one local tax, known as the local option budget, would be divided into three taxes. It appears those three taxes would prevent local districts from raising as much as they do now. In addition, some of that money would have to be used to increase spending on at-risk students and English language learners to satisfy the state high court.

That mandate doesn’t sit well with David Smith, chief of staff of the Kansas City Kansas School District.

“If we’re really going to support students who are at-risk, we’re not going to do it by simply moving money from one pocket to another,” he says.

The bill also expands the number of low-income students who are eligible for scholarships to private or religious schools funded by tax credits. This is something crucial to gaining conservative support. But the measure requires that those schools have KSDE accreditation and perform better than public schools in the state.
“If you’re going in this direction of state money, you better make sure that people are providing you with data and evidence that they’re making a difference for kids,” says Desetti of the KNEA.

One other thing was clear from the briefing Tuesday: Unlike previous sessions, Campbell brought all stakeholders into the process.

“I know he reached out to me the moment he became appointed to this position, before anything started, just to say his office was open. He has been true to that,” Desetti says.

Campbell has promised two days of hearings and more if needed.

Sam Zeff  covers education for  KCUR.org and the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @SamZeff. 

JOHNSON COUNTY – Six people were hospitalized after a fire at a residential group home in Johnson County on Wednesday.

Just after midnight, fire crews from Olathe and Overland Park were called to a fire at a two story, single family home for individuals with disabilities near 141th and Parkhill Street, according to a media release.

Police met fire crews at the scene and reported they evacuated four individuals but two others were still inside the home.

Fire crews were able to locate two additional individuals on the second floor of the home. Additional fire crews were able to knock down the fire in the back of the residence.

All occupants of the home were transported to local hospitals. One individual was reported in critical condition and another in serious condition, according to fire officials.

The kitchen and basement area suffered the most damage. The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

KANSAS CITY– An Kansas man pleaded guilty Monday to distributing child pornography on the Internet while posing as a 46-year-old woman, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.

Frank Joseph Kurtz, 70, Overland Park, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography. In his plea, he admitted that an investigation by the Israeli National Police first identified emails in which Kurtz used the alias “Lisayearning46” to send child pornography to another person. The FBI in Kansas followed an electronic trail to Kurtz, who registered with Yahoo under the name “Lisa Lewis” and used photos he found on the Internet as his profile picture.

Kurtz is scheduled for sentencing July 10. Both parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of 97 months in federal prison. Beall commended the FBI, the Heart of America Regional Computer Forensics Laboratory and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Flannigan for their work on the case.

 

OVERLAND PARK— Investigators say the cause of Monday’s fire that spread from a suburban Kansas City apartment complex that was under construction to nearly two dozen homes was an accident.

 

Fire Marshal Sweany updating the press: #CityPlaceFire determined to be accidental by a welder doing hot work at the construction site. pic.twitter.com/koIaWOuNnB

— Overland Park, KS (@opcares) March 21, 2017

Overland Park Fire Department spokesman Jason Rhodes said investigators interviewed witnesses Tuesday as crews monitored hot spots at the multimillion-dollar CityPlace development.

More than 100 firefighters battled the blaze before it was brought under control late Monday. The fire leveled one apartment building and heavily damaged a second. Debris from the blaze rained down on a nearby neighborhood.

Rhodes says at least 22 homes were damaged, with about a third of them sustaining significant damage.

Three firefighters were treated for minor injuries. He said it was a “blessing” that none of the injuries were serious.

FINNEY COUNTY – A convicted Kansas felon is back in jail and recovering from injuries after a weekend arrest.

Just before 10 p.m. Saturday, police observed a suspicious person in the 1800 block of West Kansas Ave. in Garden City, according to a media release.

Officers made contact with the suspect who they identified as Darnell Wilks, 48, Garden City.

After contacting him, Wilks fled from police on foot and officers gave chase.

As he ran, Wilks was seen tossing a handgun to the ground in the west alley of the 900 block of Pearl Street.

Wilks was ultimately apprehended by a Garden City Police K-9 in the 900 block of Inge Avenue.

He was then transported to St. Catherine Hospital for treatment for injuries from the K-9 apprehension.

Wilks is being held in the Finney County Jail and could face the possible charges of:
Criminal Possession of a Weapon by a Convicted Felon and Felony  Interference with a Law Enforcement Officer.

GEARY COUNTY – A Kansas man pled guilty Tuesday to one count each of second degree murder and aggravated robbery in the stabbing death of 52-year-old Sharon Moody.

In Geary County District Court Daniel E. Edwards, 34, Topeka, admitted that he did stab Moody. She was found dead at her Junction City home on March 15, 2015.

Edwards was arrested later that night in Topeka.

He also admitted in court records to taking a 2011 Mazda CX 7 automobile, keys, and other personal items including credit cards from Moody.

He remains jailed on a $1 million bond.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 5, in Geary County District Court.