SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating an explosion at a business and asking for help to identify two suspects.

Just after 11:30 p.m. Wednesday, police were asked to assist the Wichita Fire Department in at Slice City Barber Shop in 2400 Block of West McCormick in Wichita according to officer Charley Davidson.

Investigator learned from witnesses that two suspects approached the business and then left the area. A short time later residents reported there was a loud explosion that caused damage to the business.

The Wichita Police Department Bomb Squad is also assisting with the investigation.

Both suspects are described as 30-40 years old, wore black cloth masks and blue jeans. One wore a flannel shirt with a light-colored hood.

Anyone who saw anything or who may have additional information is asked to call police.

WASHINGTON —  This week’s drought monitor shows many areas of Kansas are experience severe to moderate drought again.

Much of the state is abnormally dry. There is a chance for rain on Saturday night for central and eastern Kansas, according to
the National Weather Service.

GEARY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a body found in Geary County on Thursday.

Just after 11:30a.m. deputies responded to report of a man’s body found underneath the K-18 bridge on the east side of U.S. 77.
Geary County Sheriff Tony Wolf confirms the man found deceased appears to be from a transient population, and was not from Junction City or a member of the military.

Authorities have not released his identity pending notification of next of kin.

Wolf stated, “Right now there is no evidence to suggest a homicide. We have scheduled an autopsy for the individual. We treat all of these as if they were worst case scenario, a homicide. But we don’t have any evidence right now to suggest that.

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) — A teenager says a high school teacher told her she was too “busty” and that “plus-sized women” need to shop at stores that sell larger clothing.

An attorney for Kelsey Anderson said in a statement released Tuesday that the confrontation happened last Friday when the 17-year-old was sent to the office at Joplin High School for a dress code violation. The statement says the teacher also told Kelsey that “smaller busted women could get away with more than larger busted women.”

Anderson says she was “mortified.” Her mother wrote about the incident on social media.

Her attorney, Elizabeth Turner, said in the statement that “body shaming isn’t something to take lightly.”

The Joplin School District said in a statement that it doesn’t consider staff comments “about students’ bodies appropriate” and is investigating whether district policy was violated.

By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN

Lawmakers remain concerned about potential snags as Kansas wraps up years of work on migrating driver’s license records from an old mainframe computer to newer infrastructure ahead of a January launch date.

Rep. Kyle Hoffman, R-Coldwater, a member of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Information Technology, asked legislative auditing staff Friday whether the state might see a repeat of the technical woes that plagued the first phase of the same project five years ago.

“I’m just trying to understand why we’re having so much problems getting all this done on a timely basis, where it works,” Hoffman said. “Do you have an answer whether or not you think we’re going to have those same problems? Or do you think because of the monitoring you guys have done we’re going to be relatively problem-free?”

After a pause, auditor Katrin Osterhaus replied: “I am concerned.”

Auditors have been reviewing the progress of the driver’s license project on a quarterly basis because of its history of difficulties and its importance.

The portion of the project scheduled to go live at the start of 2018 will hold the records of 2 million drivers. It is launching six years behind schedule.

Osterhaus said some of the remaining obstacles to a smooth rollout include the timing of work related to a key contractor on the project, MorphoTrust. Auditors previously indicated the contractor had missed at least two major deadlines.

Rep. Blake Carpenter, R-Derby, asked whether Kansas could skirt problems by switching contractors.

“Is there any other group or company that also does the same services they do that you guys could potentially use to get this done faster?” asked Carpenter, chairman of the IT committee.

“At this point even if there were,” Osterhaus replied, “I don’t know if that would be a good option, because it’s so far into it.”

Members of the Legislature’s audit committee, which also is monitoring KanDrive, have expressed similar concerns about the upcoming rollout.

Officials at the Kansas Department of Revenue, which is carrying out the project, have indicated in recent months that they remain committed to the 2018 launch and that progress has been made on debugging trouble spots.

In a July 31 report, auditors laid out concerns regarding gaps in code and features that relied on technical workarounds to work.

Read the July IT project monitoring report.

The vision for KanDrive — recently renamed KanLicense — and related infrastructure projects began under another name a decade ago. Phase one of the estimated $40 million in IT modernization was a new vehicle title and registration platform that launched in 2012. County officials complained then of widespread technical problems that led to hours-long waits in some places for Kansans trying to update their tags.

Celia Llopis-Jepsen is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics. You can reach her on Twitter @Celia_LJ.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Police are investigating a stabbing death and have a suspect in custody.

Just before 7:30 p.m. Wednesday police responded to report of a stabbing at 625 North Carriage Parkway in Wichita, according to police Lt. Todd Ojile.

Upon arrival, officers found a 57-year-old victim identified at Dr. Achutha Reddy in an alley behind the business with numerous stab wounds, according to Ojile.

Emergency Medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene.

At 7:40p.m. police were dispatched to a report of suspicious  person at the Wichita Country Club.  A security guard at the club had observed a suspicious person sitting in a car at the club.  The individual had blood on him. Police arrived and arrested 21-year suspect Umar Dutt for the death of Dr. Reddy.

An investigation revealed the Dutt was a client of Dr. Reddy and had been at the office Wednesday

The suspect left and later returned with Dr. Reddy. They entered an office and a short time later an office manager heard a disturbance. She told police she saw Dutt assault the doctor and attempted to intervene, according to Ojile. This allowed the doctor to flee the office.

The suspect chased the doctor into the alley where police believe the second assault occurred.

Early Thursday police booked Dutt into the Sedgwick County jail on first-degree murder charges. Authorities will present the case to the district attorney on Friday afternoon.

———-

 

WICHITA— A man has been arrested in the stabbing death of a doctor at his holistic medicine practice in east Wichita.

The suspect identified as Umar Dutt, 21,  was taken into custody near the Wichita County Club. The Sedgwick County Jail booking report shows he is being held on suspicion of first-degree murder in the Wednesday night killing.

Wichita Police Lt. Drew Seiler says the attack happened after a man entered a business to talk with a doctor. Seiler says “one of the doctors was stabbed multiple times” during the conversation. Seiler says the doctor was found outside the business in a back parking lot. The doctor’s name wasn’t immediately released.

FINNEY COUNTY — A Kansas woman died in an accident just after 9p.m. Wednesday in Finney County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2017 Ford Explorer driven by Janet Pucket, 56, Ulysses, was traveling westbound on U.S. 50 two miles west of Garden City.

The SUV rear-ended a semi stopped at the railroad crossing with flashers on.

The crash caused the tanker to lose Anhydrous Ammonia.

Pucket was transported to the hospital in St. Catherine’s Hospital where she died.

The semi driver Mark R. Moore, 60, Woodward, OK., was not injured.   Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

The accident and ammonia leak kept roads closed overnight. There was no evacuation in the area although residents were advised to stay inside, according to the Finney County Sheriff’s Department.

—————–

FINNEY COUNTY —  First responders at a fatal accident involving a truck carrying anhydrous ammonia on U.S. 50 just west of Anderson Road northwest of Garden City were forced to leave the scene due the danger early Thursday morning, according to KHP Trooper Mike Racy.

This semi hauling anhydrous ammonia continues leaking and the wind changed directions, according to Racy.

The road will remain closed for some time until officials are able to determine it is safe for crews to return to the scene and just how to off load the semi.

One person died in the crash that occurred at approximately 10p.m. Officials have not released the name of the victim or details of the crash.

Just before 11:30p.m. a 2013 Mitsubishi Outlander driven by Teresa J. Lunsfor, 56, Mena, AR., ran over lights, cones at U.S. 50 and VFW Road near the scene of the semi crash and ammonia leak.

The Outlander rear ended an unoccupied KDOT Chevy Silverado with warning lights on and red flashing lights.

Ems transported Lunsfor to the hospital in Garden City.

—————–

FINNEY COUNTY —First responders are on the scene of a fatal accident involving a truck carrying anhydrous ammonia on Highway 50 just west of Anderson Road at the railroad tracks in Finney County, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol

This semi hauling anhydrous ammonia was leaking.

Emergency crews on scene recommended those living north or south of this location stay inside with the windows closed.

Officials also closed Highway 50 west bound from Campus street to Big Lowe Road just north of Holcomb. Both east and west bound lanes are closed between Big Lowe Road and VFW

Crews were also working a second injury accident at highway 50 and VFW Road westbound lanes.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump and immigration (all times local):

6:30 a.m.

President Donald Trump is denying assertions by the two top congressional Democrats that they have an agreement with him that will preserve protections for young immigrants in the U.S. illegally while adding border security without the wall he has coveted.

Trump sent out a series of tweets before daybreak Thursday taking issue with characterizations by Sen. Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of talks the group at a White House dinner Wednesday evening.

No deal was made last night on DACA. Massive border security would have to be agreed to in exchange for consent. Would be subject to vote.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 14, 2017

Schumer and Pelosi said they’d reached an agreement to restore the so-called DACA program in exchange for some additional security enhancements to ward off illegal immigration. But Trump said in a tweet: “No deal was made last night on DACA.”

“Massive border security would have to be agreed to in exchange for consent. Would be subject to vote,” the president said.

—————
WASHINGTON (AP) — The top House and Senate Democrats say they have reached agreement with President Donald Trump to protect thousands of younger immigrants from deportation and fund some border security enhancements — not including Trump’s coveted border wall.

The agreement represents the latest instance of Trump ditching his own party to make common cause with the opposition.

It was announced by Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi late Wednesday following a White House dinner.

It would enshrine protections for the nearly 800,000 immigrants brought illegally to this country as kids who had benefited from former President Barack Obama’s policy.

While DACA and border security were both discussed, excluding the wall was certainly not agreed to.

— Sarah Sanders (@PressSec) September 14, 2017

The White House quickly pushed back against any suggestion that Trump’s long-sought border wall was put in peril as a result of the talks

JACKSON COUNTY —  Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect for multiple burglaries.

On Tuesday, the Holton Police Department and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office arrested Curt Vandevelde 45, of St. Mary’s, Kansas, attempting to sell stolen property, according to a media release.

Vandevelde is being held on suspicion of multiple Jackson County Burglaries.  Items believed to have been taken from residences in Jackson County were recovered from a stolen vehicle Vandevelde was driving.

Vandevelde is currently being held in the Jackson County Jail with bond set at $50,000.00.

Vandevelde has almost 2-dozen previous convictions for forgery, theft and burglary in Shawnee, Riley, Osage and Jackson, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

HARPER COUNTY — An earthquake shook portions of Kansas late Wednesday. The quake measured a magnitude 3.2 and was centered approximately 4 miles northeast of Harper, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

This is the second quake in Kansas this week. A quake just at 10:15a.m. Sunday measured 2.3 and was centered near Argonia in Sumner County.

The USGS also reported quakes in Harper and Sedgwick County early in September.

There are no reports of damage or injury from Wednesday’s quake, according to the Harper County Sheriff’s Department.