PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — Pittsburg residents have approved a $31 million bond issue that will be used to expand the district’s six schools.
Unofficial results show the bond issued passed Tuesday in a special election by a 1,542-641 margin.
Funds from the bond will be used for projects such as heating and air conditioning and renovating the cafeteria and band rooms at Pittsburg High School. Several science classrooms at the high school will be upgraded.
Other projects include adding rooms at elementary schools and expanding the gymnasium at the middle school. All of the additions will also be storm shelters.
Superintendent Destry Brown says heating and air conditioning work will begin this summer, while planning and construction on other projects could take up to three years to complete.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas House unanimously passed a sales tax exemption for supplies and services to repair or construct fencing for agricultural land.
The bill passed Tuesday by the House is in response to fires that burned hundreds of thousands of acres in Kansas last week. The fires destroyed miles of fencing on ranches and farms, mostly in Comanche and Clark counties.
The Wichita Eagle reports (https://bit.ly/2nngeYn ) the legislation exempts from sales tax goods and services purchased to help repair or rebuild fencing.
The House gave the bill early and final approval Tuesday. It now heads to the Senate.
The Legislature passed a similar tax exemption last year after fires in Comanche and Barber counties.
The Kansas Department of Revenue estimates the sales tax exemption would cost the state about $4.6 million.
TOPEKA – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt has filed suit against three individuals accused of submitting false or fraudulent claims for payment to the Kansas Lottery in the form of rigged, winning lottery tickets, according to a media release.
In a lawsuit filed last month, Schmidt asked the Shawnee County District Court to order Eddie Raymond Tipton, Amy Demoney and Christopher McCoulskey to repay a total of about $44,000 they received from redeeming lottery tickets that “won” as the result of Tipton’s manipulation of number-generating software through the multi-state lottery. Tipton, a former computer-security official with the Multi-State Lottery Association, also faces criminal charges in Iowa related to his alleged manipulation of multi-state lottery software. The Kansas lawsuit was served on the defendants last week.
In the lawsuit, Schmidt alleges that in December 2010, Tipton purchased two lottery tickets from gas stations in Overland Park and Emporia, which he then gave to Demoney and McCoulskey to present for payment. Those tickets, the lawsuit alleges, had been rigged to win by Tipton’s software manipulation at the multi-state lottery. In February and June of 2011, Demoney and McCoulskey submitted the tickets to the Kansas Lottery, and were paid a total of $44,008 for the “winning” tickets. They then gave a portion of the proceeds to Tipton.
In addition to seeking repayment of the moneys paid for the rigged winning tickets, the lawsuit asks the court to impose civil penalties for violations of the Kansas False Claims Act.
Neither Tipton nor the Multi-State Lottery Association had direct access to the Kansas Lottery’s internal gaming system. The Kansas Lottery has conducted an internal analysis and investigation into whether Tipton’s activities otherwise affected the Kansas Lottery or its players. Those investigations revealed no indications that Tipton affected the Lottery’s internal systems, security of its games, or manipulated any internal drawings performed by the Kansas Lottery.
In 2009, the Kansas Legislature enacted the Kansas False Claims Act, giving the attorney general authority to file suit against individuals or entities that submit false or fraudulent claims for payment to a state agency or local government. As a member of the Kansas Senate at the time, Schmidt was one of the original proponents of creating a false claims act in Kansas.
Jason Hachmeister- photo Kan. Dept. of Corrections
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court is weighing an imprisoned convicted killer’s claims that investigators illegally seized his computer, leading to an additional prison term for child pornography.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that an attorney for Jason Hachmeister told the state’s high court Tuesday that the seizure of his client’s computer during the homicide investigation defied common sense.
Hachmeister was sentenced in 2015 to life in prison with no possibility of parole for 50 years in the 2011 killing of 58-year-old Sheila Hachmeister, who was stabbed and strangled.
That sentence was to run simultaneously to the seven-year prison he got for convictions of 105 counts of possession of child porn.
A Shawnee County prosecutor argued Tuesday that the confiscation of the computer and ensuing searches of it were handled appropriately.
SALINE COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a suspect after a Tuesday morning high-speed chase.
Just before 1:30 a.m., a deputy pulled over a 2013 GMC Sierra for improper driving left of center in the 2200 block of Kansas140 Highway, according to Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan
When the Deputy attempted to approach the vehicle, the suspect fled at a high rate of speed.
The deputy pursued the suspect at speeds of 100-miles-per-hour and turned south on Burma Road
The suspect, identified as Adam Gantenbein, 30, Abilene, eventually pulled over as he approached Smolan Road.
Gantenbein was booked into the Saline County jail for driving under the influence, flee and elude and speeding.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A man who admitted killing a Kansas police detective has been sentenced to life in prison without parole.
Curtis Ayers was sentenced Tuesday in the May 9 shooting death of Detective Brad Lancaster during a confrontation near the Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, Kansas.
Prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty when the 29-year-old Ayers pleaded guilty in January to capital murder.
Ayers didn’t comment before he was sentenced.
He also was sentenced for nine other felonies, including burglary, robbery, battery, kidnapping, assault and weapons counts, all committed after Lancaster was shot.
He was arrested in Kansas City, Missouri, after he was shot by a police officer while allegedly trying to steal a woman’s car.
Ayers still faces charges in Jackson and Leavenworth counties.
BUTLER COUNTY – A Kansas teen was injured in an accident just after 12:30 p.m. Tuesday in Butler County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Buick LeSabre driven by Elija Hankins, 19, Wichita, was westbound on Kansas 254 just east of Butler Road. The driver was distracted on a cell phone.
The Buick glanced off the back of a 2011 Toyota Tacoma driven by Bernard Dette, 80, Rose Hill.
The driver overcorrected and the Buick rolled into the ditch.
Hankins was transported to Wesley Medical Center.
A passenger in the Buick Kaylin Brown, 19, Towanda, was possibly injured but not transported.
Dette was not injured.
Hankins was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins speaks to a crowd Monday at the Dole Institute of Politics at the University of Kansas. JIM MCLEAN / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Kansas 2nd District Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins was jeered Monday at a town hall meeting in Lawrence for defending President Donald Trump and the Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act.
Jenkins, a five-term Republican who has announced that she won’t run for re-election in 2018, maintained a tight smile throughout the raucous meeting at the Dole Institute of Politics on the University of Kansas campus. The crowd, estimated around 350 people, regularly interrupted her with boos and shouts of “that’s not true” as she attempted to defend the American Health Care Act, the ACA replacement bill backed by Trump and GOP congressional leaders.
It was clear from the outset that Jenkins was in for a rough afternoon. The crowd waved red signs that read “disagree” as she mounted her opening defense of the GOP replacement legislation.
“The intent is to provide transition rules so that no one that has health care is thrown off their health care and folks that don’t have coverage are able to get coverage,” Jenkins said.
As she was speaking, members of the crowd were searching their cell phones for a just-released Congressional Budget Office report that estimated the Republican bill would increase the number of uninsured Americans by 14 million in the first year and by 24 million over 10 years.
When Jenkins questioned the accuracy of the report, Chris Johnston of Ottawa confronted her for echoing the talking points being used by White House officials and Republican congressional leaders.
“I want to hear you and every other person tell the truth about the Congressional Budget Office,” Johnston said.
In response, Jenkins pivoted to a criticism of the ACA, saying that it failed to live up to promises made by President Barack Obama and its supporters.
“From the very beginning we were sold some lies,” Jenkins said to an escalating chorus of boos. “The lie of the year was, ‘If you liked what you had, you could keep it,’ and that was proven not to be the truth.”
Rising premiums and the diminishing number of insurance companies willing to offer plans in the ACA marketplace are proof that the health reform law commonly known as Obamacare isn’t working, Jenkins said.
Access To Insurance
Several people in the audience challenged that assertion by talking about the importance of their ACA coverage and criticizing the decision by Gov. Sam Brownback to reject Medicaid expansion.
Janella Williams said she wouldn’t have been able to overcome her health problems, start a small business and become “a contributing member of society” without the coverage she was able to purchase in the ACA marketplace despite her pre-existing conditions.
“I have a medical condition that I’ve had since 1995, when I was 29 years old, and if I don’t get treatments every seven weeks, I will lose the use of my left hand, my left side and my right foot,” Williams said.
However, Jean Hall, a University of Kansas professor who has written extensively about high-risk pools for several national health policy organizations, said they didn’t work when 35 states, including Kansas and Missouri, operated them prior to the ACA.
“What we found in Kansas was that premiums were very high and coverage was very limited,” Hall said. “So, you have people with chronic conditions who don’t have access to very comprehensive care.”
Unconventional Style
While health care dominated the discussion, it wasn’t the only point of contention. Several people also expressed anger at Trump for making false claims, attacking the media and being unwilling to criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“Trump’s love affair with Putin and Russia is treasonous in my opinion,” said Chad Smith of Lawrence, while asking Jenkins to “put country ahead of politics” by supporting the creation of a bipartisan commission to investigate a series of allegations about Russian involvement in the presidential election.
Jenkins said she would support the establishment of an independent commission, but only if investigations by the House and Senate intelligence committees determined the need for one.
“If they (the committees) think we need to do it, then we need to do it,” Jenkins said, adding that she agreed that “Russia is a problem” and “Putin is a thug.”
More generally, Jenkins defended Trump. She said while he wasn’t her pick for the GOP nomination and that she doesn’t “agree with his early-morning tweeting,” his unconventional style is what appealed to many voters, including a majority in the congressional district that she represents.
“I guess I’m not particularly concerned if we get results, if we get the economy moving, people back to work, fix the health care system,” she said before getting drowned out by boos.
Pam Ensley, a retired teacher from Topeka, was among the last to speak. She criticized Jenkins for sticking to political talking points and not providing detailed answers.
“So, if you have any sway with Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell, who think they know better than we do, tell them people in Kansas are damn mad,” Ensley said to cheers.
Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of kcur.org, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics in Kansas. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks.
SALINE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a wanted man on assault charges against a police officer.
Just before 1:30p.m. Monday, a Salina police officer recognized Richard Long walking in the 900 Block of Highland Avenue in Salina, according to Police Captain Paul Forrester.
The officer confronted Long who ran and then pulled a handgun on the officer.
After tackling the suspect, it was determined that the handgun was fake.
Long will now face additional aggravated assault charges, according to Forrester.
Long has previous convictions for aggravated burglary, criminal damage to property and unlawful manufacture of controlled substances, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
