TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas nursing homes are facing a spike in fines and citations industry members consider heavy-handed enforcement of federal regulations.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the Legislature’s KanCare oversight committee heard concerns from nursing home industries on Wednesday. Industry members say rising citations and penalties from regulatory enforcement surveys make it tough to stay in business and provide care to patients.

A trade organization representing not-for-profit nursing homes called LeadingAge Kansas says federal fines levied against nursing homes for non-compliance have risen nearly 8,900 percent since 2012.

LeadingAge officials say the increased fines don’t result from a lack of quality at nursing homes and add to significant challenges the institutions already face, such as limited resources, a small workforce and slow Medicaid reimbursements.

An advocate for seniors says she thinks enforcement is instead lacking and that citations are underreported.

SALINE COUNTY — A State Fire Marshal has determined that a heat lamp in a chicken coop caused a fire that heavily damaged two homes in Gypsum Wednesday morning.

Just before 9a.m. Wednesday, first responders were sent to the 100 block of King, in Gypsum, for a reported fire in a shed, according to Saline County Sheriff’s Lt. Scott Anderson.

The fire spread to a home at 117 King, several vehicles, a home at 123 King and another shed before fire crews arrived.

Rural Fire Districts #1, #2 and #5 were dispatched to the scene.

Saline County Fire District #2 Capt. Shane Pearson said that firefighters arrived to heavy smoke coming from both homes. Flames became visible from the attics as they battled the fire.

The fire did over $200,000 in damage before crews were able to get it under control.

Saline County Sheriff Roger Soldan said that the home at 117 King, owned by 25-year-old William Winship, lost several cars, a carport, appliances, five chickens, a rooster, a dog, and a shed. The interior and exterior of the back of the home also sustained heavy damage.

Winship was not home at the time of the fire.

The home at 123 King, owned by 53-year-old Gary Olson, was vacant at the time. It also sustained heavy damage to the rear-interior and exterior. A shed in the backyard was also lost.

There were no reported injuries.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The leader of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment plans to leave the agency in early January.

Gov. Sam Brownback on Thursday announced Susan Mosier’s decision to leave a job she has held since Dec. 1, 2014.

Mosier, an ophthalmologist, was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives in 2010 and became the state’s Medicaid program director in 2012 until three private health insurers took over daily operations in 2013 and rebranded the program KanCare.

The KanCare program, which serves more than 400,000 poor, disabled and elderly residents, has been criticized for offering too few services, too quickly denying services and a large backlog of claims.

Brownback said Lt. Governor Dr. Jeff Colyer will name a replacement for Mosier in the near future.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against the city of Wichita saying police officers’ actions in the fatal shooting of an Iraq veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder were reasonable.

Police fatally shot 26-year-old Icarus Randolph in front of his family in 2014 when he came toward officers with a knife and after a Taser didn’t stop him. Family members say they were trying to get Randolph taken to a hospital so he could be treated for a mental health crisis.

The family’s lawsuit says officers didn’t follow proper procedure on dealing with mental health crises when approaching Randolph, who had PTSD.

Sedgwick County District Court Judge Bruce Brown ruled Wednesday that the officers’ actions were reasonable. He says police procedure on dealing with mental health crises allows officers to use their discretion.

Randolph had convictions for drugs and forgery, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

RILEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects for a pair of alleged robberies Wednesday night and early Thursday in Manhattan.

Just after 1:30 a.m. Thursday Domino’s Pizza in the 2200 block of College Avenue reported that two known male suspects took money from the victim which belonged to the business. The total loss in that case was approximately $14, according to a media release.

Just before midnight, Jimmy Johns in the 800 block Osage Street reported two known male suspects punched and kicked the a delivery man and then took money belonging to the business. The total loss in that case was approximately $15.

Police arrested Timothy Escamilla, 21, and Shakeem Bispham,19, both of Fort Riley, on suspicion of Robbery and Aggravated Robbery.

Bonds for Escamilla and Bispham were set at $60,000.

SHAWNEE COUNTY —A Kansas man died in a tractor accident on Wednesday.

Just after 6p.m. first responders were advised of a man trapped under an overturned tractor in the back of the property in the 4400 Block of NE Croco Road, according to a media release from the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Department.
Upon arrival the man identified as 67-year-old Marty L. Garren of Topeka was pronounced dead at the scene

It was determined that that Garren was using an 800 series Ford Tractor with a front loader and rear box blade attachment to do dirt work at the back of the property.

Sometime between 3pm and 6pm as he was moving dirt to level a sloped area on the property the tractor rolled over, pinning him underneath it. When family returned home he was discovered and summonsed emergency personnel.

Emergency personnel from Soldier Fire, AMR and the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office responded.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspects in connection with a murder following a chase and crash that caused power outage.

Police working on information that an alleged murder suspect was at a home in the 3300 Block of North Jackson, according to officer Charley Davidson. Officers observed the suspect leave the residence and get into a blue Acura. When officers attempted a traffic stop, the driver refused. At one point, according to Davidson, the driver stopped and allowed a woman passenger out of the car.

The driver continued to flee east on 24^th Street when the car hit a northbound Mitsubishi driven by a 27-year-old woman on Market Street, according to Davidson. The crash then toppled a power pole that left 1,500 Westar Customers without electricity.

Police took the 18-year-old suspect and the woman passenger into custody.  He is going to be jailed for alleged first-degree murder, in connection with the July shooting death of 19-year-old Timothy Golden, according to Davidson.

Golden was found dead inside an apartment building after more than a dozen rounds were fired into his apartment, according to police.  Two other suspects are already in custody.

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House official says plan being discussed to replace Secretary of State Tillerson with CIA Director Mike Pompeo.

President Donald Trump selected Tillerson, the former Exxon Mobil CEO, back in December, shortly after he was elected.

A native of Wichita Falls, Texas, Tillerson came to Exxon Mobil Corp. as a production engineer straight out of the University of Texas at Austin in 1975 and never left. Groomed for an executive position, Tillerson came up in the rough-and-tumble world of oil production, holding posts in the company’s central United States, Yemen and Russian operations.

The U.S. Senate voted 66-32 to confirm Pompo’s appointment as CIA Director.

The 53-year-old Pompeo was originally elected to serve Kansas fourth congressional district in 2010

MOUND CITY –A Kansas man was sentenced Wednesday to nearly 12 years in prison for battery of a law enforcement officer and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.

John Teters, 55, pleaded guilty in September to one count each of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and battery of a law enforcement officer. Teters was sentenced in Linn County District Court by Judge Terri Johnson to 142 months to be served in the Kansas Department of Corrections. The convictions stemmed from a crime that was committed in August.

Teters has previous convictions for second degree murder, theft and aggravated escape from custody, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Houston man playing video games in an online group says he and others heard the gunshots that hundreds of miles away killed a Kansas man and his mother this past weekend.

Three to four players, including one from Canada, were playing online Saturday night when one of them and his mother were shot. The gamers could hear, but not see, each other.

Among the players that evening was 23-year-old Cody Ha, who lived with his 62-year-old mother, Huong Pham, in Wichita.

Playing online from Houston was Ha’s friend Ashley Martinez. Martinez says he and the other gamers heard popping noises so loud it hurt his ears under the headphones.

When they called Ha’s number, they could hear his phone ringing.