WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita, Kansas, man has been convicted of murder and child abuse in the 2015 death of her then-girlfriend’s 17-month-old daughter.

KAKE-TV  reports that a Sedgwick County jury found 22-year-old Michael Ross guilty of second-degree intentional murder and the alternative first-degree murder charge. The prosecutor’s office says in a statement that a judge now is required to sentence Ross on the first-degree murder conviction because it’s the most severe.

Grace Harris died at a hospital in November 2015. A coroner determined she died of blunt-force trauma to her head and neck.

Police said hospital staff found bruises and bite marks on the girl’s body, swelling and bleeding of her brain and a fractured leg.

Ross has previously told police that the child sustained the injuries in a fall.

By ANDY MARSO

Kansas public colleges will have to allow firearms on their campuses starting in July. But they’re still battling with the gun lobby over how people should be allowed to carry their guns.

In preparation for the law mandating concealed carry on campuses, the colleges have proposed some restrictions. For example, people carrying a semi-automatic weapon on campuses would not be allowed to keep a round in the chamber.

But the National Rifle Association wants the Legislature to pass House Bill 2220, which would wipe out any restrictions colleges enact when it comes to owning, possessing, storing, carrying or transporting concealed guns.

Representatives of the NRA and the Kansas State Rifle Association were the only ones to testify for the bill at a hearing Thursday.

They said some of the colleges’ proposed regulations are overly restrictive and people need to be able to carry weapons unfettered in order to protect themselves on campuses.

Students, faculty members and Kansas Board of Regents Chairwoman Zoe Newton testified against the bill, saying colleges should be able to make rules to reduce the risk of accidental shootings.

Rep. Vic Miller, a Democrat from Topeka, said he thought both sides were being overly dramatic.

“The idea that because you can carry on campus you now have this grand protection you didn’t have before is highly exaggerated,” Miller said. “The flip side is, no I don’t believe that because you’re now allowed to carry that any significant percentage of students are going to.”

Miller said that because concealed carry on campuses will only be allowed for people who are 21 and over, it won’t apply to the majority of students. Other states that have allowed concealed carry on campuses have seen few problems or benefits, he said.

Rep. Stephanie Clayton, a Republican from Overland Park, said she thought the bill was retaliation against the colleges for pushing legislation to repeal concealed carryon campuses.

But Rep. Blake Carpenter, a Republican from Derby who introduced HB 2220, said that wasn’t the case.

The repeal effort stalled last month with an 11-11 vote of the House Federal and State Affairs Committee.

Rep. John Barker, a Republican from Abilene who chairs the committee, said he has no timeline for a vote on HB 2220.

Under the law that goes into effect in July, colleges and the University of Kansas Medical Center will be able to ban guns only in buildings where all public entrances are secured with metal detectors and armed guards. The medical center has said that would be too expensive.

During Thursday’s hearing, Ron Barrett-Gonzalez, an aerospace engineering professor at the University of Kansas, said a lab where he works contains incendiary materials. The lab already is outfitted with metal detectors, but he agreed that hiring guards would be cost-prohibitive.

Andy Marso is a reporter for 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 @andymarso. 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas appellate court says a man convicted of assault and weapons charges deserves a new trial because his trial judge fell asleep during testimony.

The Kansas City Star reports the Kansas Court of Appeals on Friday threw out Daquantrius Johnson’s 2014 convictions.

According to the ruling, a juror noticed that Sedgwick County District Judge Ben Burgess had fallen asleep and asked a bailiff whether Johnson could get a fair trial. The bailiff passed that comment on to Burgess, who later told jurors they alone would decide the case and that no attorneys indicated his nodding off affected his decisions.

Burgess asked Johnson’s attorney if he wanted to request a mistrial. That lawyer declined.

A message Friday with Burgess by The Associated Press wasn’t immediately returned.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita State University has agreed to pay a $98,578 fine for mishandling hazardous wastes.

The university said Friday in a news release that its agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency stems from violations found during an inspection in 2014. The problems were corrected that same year.

Those violations included failure to conduct a hazardous waste determination, operation of a hazardous waste facility without a permit and failure to meet disposal and used oil storage requirements.

As part of the agreement, Wichita State has also agreed to do environmental projects for the university and Wichita public schools.

The projects include the purchases of hazardous material computer inventory systems for the university and the local school district.

JACKSON COUNTY -Law enforcement authorities in northeast Kansas are investigating to suspects on drug charges.

Just after 11am Thursday, Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputies conducted a traffic stop on a 2002 Mitsubishi Diamante near 4th and Arizona in Holton, according to a media release.

The driver Garrett Michael Collins, 31, and passenger Brandon Michael Scrimsher, 38, both of Topeka were taken into custody on drug charges.

Items including drug paraphernalia and substances believed to be methamphetamine were seized during the investigation.

Collins was booked into the Jackson County Jail on the following charges: possession of methamphetamine, with intent to distribute, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and driving while suspended. Bond on Collins was set at

$25,000.00 cash only.

Scrimsher was booked into the Jackson County Jail on the following charges: possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Bond on Scrimsher was set at $ 2,500.00.

Scrimsher has a previous conviction for giving a worthless check in Shawnee County.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has ruled in favor of two men who were charged with aggravated battery but said they were acting in self-defense in stabbing or shooting others.

The high court’s ruling Friday rejected a tougher rule for determining when someone can avoid prosecution under the state’s 2006 “Stand Your Ground” law.

The Kansas Court of Appeals had ruled in each case that when someone seeks to avoid prosecution on self-defense grounds, a trial-court judge must view evidence in the light most favorable for the prosecution in deciding whether a case goes to trial.

The Supreme Court said the judge must weigh evidence impartially.

Marlon T. Hardy was charged after a 2013 shooting in Wichita. Dustin Alex Evans also was charged in 2013 after a stabbing in Overland Park.

RILEY COUNTY- A Kansas woman was injured in an accident just after 10a.m. on Thursday in Riley County.

Police in Manhattan reported a Cadillac passenger vehicle driven by Kelley Goss, 54, White City, was traveling on Fort Riley Blvd. and Miller Parkway.

She lost control of the car. It veered off the road and struck an occupied residence, according to police.

There were no injuries to those inside the home.
Goss was transported to the hospital in Manhattan. No citations were issued at the scene of the accident, according to police.

The homeowner thanked police and other first responders who “went above and beyond” to help his kids calm down and feel secure following the crash. He said he was incredibly grateful for amazing people who made a horrible situation much easier to deal with.”

RENO COUNTY – Law enforcement and fire investigators say they have determined the cause of The Highlands fire in Reno County is suspicious in nature.

In a media release Friday, officials confirmed the fire was 95 percent contained. Two people were in the the fire that burned approximately 5585 acres. All evacuations have been lifted. The residents were allowed back into the area after 3 p.m. on Thursday and the area was reopened at 6:00 p.m. to the public

Per the local disaster declaration, open burning is not allowed in the area.

Officials also reminded residents that had a question about their insurance coverage or were having an issue with their insurance company can contact the Consumer Assistance Hotline is 1-800-432-2484 or you can visit www.ksinsurance.org.

By JIM MCLEAN

Reports that Gov. Sam Brownback may soon be leaving the state to take a United Nations post have lawmakers and others at the Statehouse talking about how things might change with Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer in charge.

Like Brownback, Colyer is a socially conservative Republican who has championed efforts to restrict abortion and rein in government spending. He also led the Brownback administration’s controversial initiative to privatize the state’s Medicaid program and fought efforts to expand eligibility for the program.

Still, the 56-year-old plastic surgeon from Overland Park remains somewhat of a blank political canvas.

That has many lawmakers and lobbyists asking: Who is Jeff Colyer?

“That’s really the big question,” said House Minority Leader Jim Ward, a Wichita Democrat. “He served in the House for two years and didn’t leave much of a footprint. He wasn’t in the Senate long enough to leave a footprint, and he’s been kind of a backroom guy for Governor Brownback.”

Colyer won a seat in the Kansas House in 2006. He moved to the Senate in 2008 but served only two years there before Brownback selected him as his running mate for the 2010 campaign.

‘Will it happen to me?’

Both Brownback and Colyer declined comment on a possible hand off when questioned by reporters Thursday after a public event at the Statehouse. A grinning Colyer joked that he remained focused on becoming “the longest serving lieutenant governor,” in state history, a milestone he would reach this summer.

“So, I’m just doing my job,” he said. “I’m just focusing on my job.”

However, in what could either have been a slip of the tongue or an intentional signal about what was to come, Colyer twice referred to himself as governor during a Feb. 9 speech to Republicans gathered to nominate a candidate in the 4th Congressional District.

During the speech he said the Trump administration had invited him and “other governors” to Washington, D.C., to discuss state policy priorities. A few minutes later, in another reference to the meeting, Colyer recalled “sitting there with a half a dozen other governors” and talking about the privatized Medicaid program that he had helped to implement in Kansas.

A noticeable change in Colyer’s schedule and interaction with lawmakers also signaled to many that a change could be in the offing. In a December article in the Wichita Eagle, Colyer acknowledged the possibility that Brownback could leave.

“When you sign up for this job, you’ve signed up for that situation,” Colyer said. “It’s happened before and it’ll happen again in the future. Will it happen to me? I’m going to do my job now.”

Prior to jumping into politics, Colyer was perhaps best known for the humanitarian work he did with the International Medical Corps. He was featured on “60 Minutes” in 2002 for traveling to Sierra Leone to surgically remove scars from children forced to fight in that country’s civil war. Rebels abducted the children and burned brands into their skin so that they could be returned to the fighting if they ran away.

Interviewed by Christiane Amanpour, Colyer said his desire to “make a difference” motivated him to do volunteer work for IMC around the globe.

“They (the children) look at you and you can see it in their eyes,” he told Amanpour. “They’re reliving those items in their eyes, and it’s a very sad thing. God knows what they’ve been through.”

An opportunity for healing?

Colyer’s humanitarian work is a reflection of his commitment to service, said former Rep. Steve Brunk, a social conservative who now lobbies for the Family Policy Alliance.

“He’s a highly intelligent, dedicated, generous man,” said Brunk, who sat next to Colyer on the House floor during the two years they served together.

While the lieutenant governor is loyal to Brownback and shares many of his conservative views, Brunk said Colyer might attempt to “hit the reset button” with the Legislature if he becomes governor.

“There is some estrangement in the relationship now, so this may be an opportunity for some good healing and to move forward in a productive way,” Brunk said.

The tensions between Brownback and lawmakers stem from a budget crisis that many believe was triggered by income and business tax cuts that the governor pushed through the Legislature in 2012 when conservatives controlled both houses.

That is not the case anymore. Moderate Republicans and Democrats ousted many of the governor’s conservative allies in the 2016 election by promising to fix the budget problems that have forced cuts in spending on higher education, social programs and highway projects.

Watch Lt. Governor Colyer address the Kansas 4th District Republic Party Special Election Convention.

Relations reached a flashpoint recently when Brownback vetoed a bill that rolled back many of his signature tax cuts. The House quickly voted to override the governor’s veto, but the Senate fell three votes short. However, most observers believe the votes needed to override in the Senate are within reach.

Brownback has been “the biggest obstacle” to making progress on a budget solution, Ward said.

“Hopefully the lieutenant governor won’t be so wedded to these policies,” Ward said.

House Majority Leader Don Hineman, a moderate Republican from Dighton, is also among those who think Colyer might be more open to compromise.

“The present governor is probably more personally invested in one particular view of how to solve the problem,” Hineman said. “Possibly, Lieutenant Governor Colyer would be more amenable to other options. But that’s speculation.”

The timing of any change also is in question. If President Donald Trump nominates Brownback to be ambassador to the United Nations agencies for food and agriculture, the U.S. Senate would have to confirm him. That, Hineman said, could take weeks or months.

But if things move more quickly, Hineman said he believes Colyer would be ready to take the reins of state government.

“He has been meeting on a regular basis with Senate Majority Leader (Jim) Denning and myself,” Hineman said. “So, we’ve established a relationship. And if it turns out this way, I look forward to working with him.”

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. 

SEDGWICK COUNTY – Wichita police department officials on Friday provided an update in the recovery process of injured officer Brian Arterburn.

He is improving each day, according to a social media report. “Brian, his family, and the Wichita Police Department appreciates the community support and prayers during this tough time.

He will be going to rehab soon.

Arterburn, a 25-year-veteran of the police force suffered injuries to his chest, abdomen and brain, after he was run over by a suspect in a stolen SUV in early February.

Police encouraged everyone to continue to keep Brian and his family in your thoughts and prayers for continual improvement.