SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an altercation with weapons and are looking for a suspect.

Just before noon Thursday, police were dispatched to a disturbance at a residence in the 1900 Block of North Minneapolis in Wichita, according to Officer Charley Davidson.

A 26-year-old woman told police she got into an argument with her 31-year-old boyfriend. During the disturbance, the woman went to her vehicle in the driveway.  The suspect threw a rock that damaged the vehicle.

He also stabbed a dog that was in the front yard and fled the residence. Animal control transported the dog for treatment. The prognosis is that the dog will recover, according to Davidson.  He did not release the name of the suspect.

Authorities want to talk to the suspect and ask that anyone with information to call police.

TOPEKA – Governor Brownback on Thursday authorized state agencies to grant a 2.5 percent raise to any unclassified employee in the Executive Branch who was left out of the Legislature’s pay plan, according to a media release.

The decision comes after consultation with members of the Governor’s Cabinet, the Director of the Budget, and state employees.

The Governor does not have the legal authority to extend raises to only those classified employees who did not receive an increase from the Legislature, only further legislative action could do that. Therefore, the raise only applies to unclassified workers who fell through the pay plan criteria established by the legislature.

“This effort furthers the Governor’s commitment to rewarding employees for their performance and trust in their employer,” said Secretary of Administration Sarah Shipman said. “The administration is currently looking at the agency budgets for Fiscal Year 2019 to determine how inequities and salary compression can be further addressed. We look forward to working with the 2018 Legislature to further address this situation.”

The pay increases will utilize existing agency funds and take effect the pay period that starts Sunday, September 24th.

While most large agencies will utilize existing funds to allocate the raise via paychecks on an ongoing basis, some agencies will use one-time funds to give a bonus equivalent to the 2.5 percent increase.

Additional information will be provided to employees by agencies, including opportunities for classified employees to receive a pay increase by voluntarily accepting an unclassified position.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A conservative Kansas legislator says he would give money to North Korea before he’d support Kansas Public Radio.

The Lawrence Journal-World reported that Republican Rep. J.R. Claeys of Salina expressed disdain for public radio Wednesday in a tweet responding to a fundraising tweet by KPR Statehouse reporter Stephen Koranda.

I’d sooner give to DPRK News. At least their praise of dear leader is under duress. #ksleg https://t.co/GNbR8cDTPU

— Rep. J.R. Claeys (@jrclaeys) September 6, 2017

Claeys tweeted that he’d sooner give to “DPRK News” because its propaganda is “under duress.” DRPK is the acronym for the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, or North Korea.

Asked about the tweet, Claeys questioned in a message why anyone would be surprised that a Republican would balk at funding what he called a “democratic radio station.”

As for North Korea, Claeys retweeted a message suggesting that the U.S. has no reason not to launch a nuclear strike on that nation.

RENO COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with a series of robberies.

On Thursday, Police served a search warrant at 1604 E. 6th, the residence of 59-year-old Jeffrey Dean Howell.

Police arrested him without incident for the aggravated robberies that occurred at Dillon’s, 206 W. 5^th Street in Hutchinson, two Hutchinson Kwik Shops, The Subway in Hutchinson, and the Aggravated robbery of Vic’s Dog Grooming at 1017 E. 4^th Street which occurred in October of last year.

Howell was also faces charges for multiple counts of kidnapping.

He has prior convictions for burglary, and contributing to a child’s misconduct, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections. He is expected in court on Friday.

LYON COUNTY— Authorities are investigating a possible homicide after a body was found in a burned vehicle approximately 5 miles east of Emporia, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

Deputies made the discovery Thursday morning while responding to a report of a suspicious vehicle near road T and 160 Road.

Several law enforcement agencies are involved in the investigation, including the Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff’s office.

– The Associated Press contributed to this report

HASKELL COUNTY — A Kansas man died in an accident just before 3:30 Thursday in Haskell County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1991 GMC truck driven by Austin Samuel Holteen, 23, Wichita, was southbound on Road OO two miles east of U.S. 83.

The truck struck the trailer of a 2015 Mack truck driven by Orlando Mata-Orozco, 37, Johnson, that was eastbound on Road 100.

Holteen was ejected and pronounced dead at the scene. He was transported to Weeks Funeral Home.

Mata-Orozco was not injured.  Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

PHOENIX (AP) — Attorneys general in 20 Republican states including Kansas are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to allow the release of videos made by an anti-abortion group whose leaders are facing felony charges in California for recording people without permission.

The friend-of-the-court brief filed by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich on Thursday says the justices should lift an order from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals barring the recordings’ release. They were made by the Center for Medical Progress at meetings of an abortion provider association.

The group previously released several secretly recorded videos that it says show Planned Parenthood employees illegally selling fetal tissue. Planned Parenthood says they were deceptively edited to support false claims.

Brnovich’s filing says upholding the 9th Circuit decision will hamper law enforcement’s ability to investigate potential crimes.

In addition to Kansas, the other states joining Brnovich’s brief are Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Indiana,  Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

 

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 28-year-old Wichita man was sentenced to life with no chance of parole for 50 years for fatally stabbing an elderly man who was showing him a rental property.

Boe Adams was sentenced Wednesday for first-degree murder and other charges in the April 28 death of 86-year-old Otto Meyer. Prosecutors say Meyer was stabbed when he was showing the property to Adams and a woman who was with him.

Wichita police found the victim’s truck parked at an apartment complex in Wichita.

Adams and the woman were caught while trying to cash a check drawn on Meyer’s account.

His co-defendant, 19-year-old Yvonne Mosqueda, of Wichita, is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Sept. 20 on charges of first-degree murder, aggravated robbery and theft.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A 19-year-old man is charged with killing one man and wounding two others at a Lawrence motel.

Tyrone Carvin, of Kansas City, Kansas, was charged Wednesday with first-degree murder in the death of 23-year-old Cameron Hooks, of Lenexa. The shooting happened Saturday at a Motel 6 in Lawrence.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports Carvin faces three other felony charges after two men were injured. Carvin also suffered a gunshot wound but was treated and released and is being held in Douglas County on $1 million bond.

Police have released few other details about the shooting.

His next court hearing is scheduled for Sept. 13.

An attorney appointed for Carvin did not immediately return a call seeking comment.

ATLANTA (AP) — Credit monitoring company Equifax says a breach exposed social security numbers and other data from about 143 million Americans.

The Atlanta-based company said Thursday that “criminals” exploited a U.S. website application to access files between mid-May and July of this year.

It said consumers’ names, Social Security numbers, birth dates, addresses and, in some cases, driver’s license numbers were exposed. Credit card numbers for about 209,000 U.S. consumers were also accessed.

The company said hackers also accessed some “limited personal information” from British and Canadian residents.

Equifax said it doesn’t believe that any consumers from other countries were affected.