PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — Two men have been sentenced for the shooting death of a Pittsburg State University student.

The Pittsburg Morning Sun reports that Darius Rainey was sentenced Monday to life in prison and Corbin Spragg to 27 years and six months in the death of Taylor Thomas. Rainey won’t be eligible for parole for 25 years.

Thomas was a 20-year-old junior at the school in October 2014 when he was killed during a planned robbery at his home. Authorities allege the intruders were seeking drugs and money, with the drugs belonging to Thomas’ roommate. Several others also were charged, including the shooter, who was sentenced earlier this year to life in prison.

Rainey previously pleaded no contest to first-degree murder, while Spragg pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and aggravated kidnapping.

SALINA, Kan. (AP) — A man has been sentenced to seven years in prison in connection with a 2016 head-on collision that killed a central Kansas woman.

34-year-old Patrick Driscoll was sentenced Monday in Saline County District Court after pleading no contest to felony involuntary manslaughter and misdemeanor reckless driving and endangerment charges.

Court records say Driscoll was driving a pickup truck south in a northbound lane early April 27, 2016, when he crashed into a sport utility vehicle driven by 55-year-old Song Horton. Horton died the next day at a Wichita hospital.

Police allege Driscoll’s blood-alcohol content was more than double the legal limit two hours after the crash.

Driscoll says he never intended to hurt anyone.

 

HARPER COUNTY – A third earthquake this week jolted portions of Kansas Tuesday evening. The quake just after 5p.m. measured a magnitude 3.1 and was centered approximately 8 miles southwest of Harper, according to the USGS

A pair of quakes shook portions of Kansas Monday. Just after 2.am. a 2.9 quake hit 6 miles northwest of Mankato in Jewell County. At 10:15 p.m. Monday, the USGS recorded a 2.6 quake three miles south of Rose Hill in Butler County.

The USGS recorded 13 quake in Kansas in June.

They reported 9 Kansas earthquakes in May, nearly a dozen in April, seven in March and six in February.
There are no reports of damage or injury from Tuesday’s quake.

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BUTLER COUNTY – Another small earthquake shook Kansas Monday evening.
The quake just after 10p.m. measured a magnitude 2.6 and was centered three miles south of Rose Hill, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

It was the second quake in Kansas Monday and the 12th quake in the state in June.

A quake just after 2a.m. Monday measured a magnitude 2.9 and was centered 6 miles northwest of Mankato in Jewell County, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The USGS reported 9 Kansas earthquakes in May, nearly a dozen in April, seven in March and six in February.

There are no reports of damage or injury from Monday’s quakes.

SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Two colleges are planning to launch new programs that would expand opportunities for nursing education in central Kansas.

Salina Area Technical College announced plans Monday to begin a one-year practical nursing program with a 40-student capacity beginning fall 2018, followed by a two-year associate in nursing degree program in fall 2019.

Both programs still need approval from the Kansas Board of Nursing before Salina Tech can accept applications.

Kansas Wesleyan University will be launching an online registered nurse to bachelor of science degree program beginning January 2018. The program will allow nurses who already have an unencumbered registered nursing license to complete a bachelor’s degree with a major in nursing in one year.

Salina Tech President Greg Nichols says there’s a statewide nursing shortage.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division says a proposed Kansas rule barring real estate brokers from offering gift cards would reduce competition and cause “significant harm” to the home buyers.

The federal government doesn’t often weigh in on Kansas real estate regulations and its letter comes as the Kansas Real Estate Commission considers public comments.

Wisner says Monday’s public hearing on it lasted less than an hour during which commissioners heard from speakers “various tones of opposition.”

Kansas law prohibits real estate brokers from offering “rebates” on part of a broker’s commission. The Justice Department says Kansas brokers are now able to compete by offering home buyers gift cards redeemable at retailers such as home improvement or furniture stores.

The commission will take up the issue at its Aug. 21 meeting.

SALINE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a suspect on alleged child sex crimes.
An investigation uncovered multiple sexual encounters between Kyle N. Morris, 27, Salina, and a 15-year-old girl.

The encounters were said to have happened between April and June 15 at a residence in South Salina, according to a police spokesperson.

On Monday, police arrested Morris and booked into jail for aggravated battery, aggravated criminal sodomy, aggravated indecent liberties with a child, electronic solicitation, indecent solicitation of a child and rape.

The police spokesperson said that all of the charges stem from the same case.

DAWSON COUNTY, NE- Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect who allegedly shot at a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper on I-70 on Monday evening.

Deputies from the Dawson County Sheriff’s Department arrested Richard Lee Gathercole, 39, from Arizona, according to KHP trooper Tod Hileman.

Gathercole reportedly fired a weapon at a Kansas Highway Patrol trooper during a traffic stop just after 6p.m. Monday on Interstate 70 at the Edson exit in Sherman County.

The trooper was not injured, according to Hileman.
Authorities were looking for a dark, possibly flat black Toyota Camry, or similar vehicle, with New York tags, according to the Thomas County Sheriff’s Department.

The suspect’s vehicle was located in Rawlins County and the suspect was believed to have stolen a Green F-150 Pickup and had been spotted in Nebraska just prior to the arrest, according to the Sherman County Sheriff.

Details on exact charges and bond were not available early Tuesday from Dawson County Sheriff Gary Reiber.

RILEY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Manhattan are using social media to calm fears after recent weeks of violent crime.

The Riley County Police Department wrote “We’ve had a noteworthy couple of weeks here in Manhattan. A murder, attempted murder, and shooting have left many on edge. We hear you, and understand your fear, anger, and confusion. We have made an arrest in the murder, and have suspects in the other 2 cases. Please be patient, as these investigations can take a long time to be conducted properly.”

On May 25, police arrested 38-year-old Steven Harris and his girlfriend for an alleged murder in Manhattan. They were found in a Wichita motel.

On June 15, police found a man in the 1000 Block of Fremont Street with critical stab wounds.

On Sunday June 18, police reported a shooting at Blue Hills Shopping Center in Manhattan. Two people were wounded. Neither required hospitalization.

Police said, “We have heard those seeking for ways to protect themselves and their communities. The answer, while not glamorous, has been shown to be effective. Get in the habit of locking the doors of your vehicles and houses, and if you see something, say something.

If you know someone who has been talking about hurting others, has shown a propensity for violence, or if you’ve seen a violent act that you know hasn’t been reported to police, give us a call. These actions tend to lead to more violence, and the cycle continues and escalates. In nearly all cases of violent crimes, the victims are known to each other. In many past instances, here and nationally, people described a troubling pattern of escalation but never reported it, until it was too late. Help us break that cycle.

We will continue to protect and serve the citizens of Riley County, and keep it a place that people are proud to call home.”

JOHN HANNA, AP Political Writer

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former Kansas legislator who was the Republican nominee for governor in 2006 is running for the office again.

Former state Sen. Jim Barnett is appealing to Republican voters who are upset with GOP Gov. Sam Brownback and his now-ended tax-cutting experiment.

The 62-year-old Barnett is a Topeka physician and is launching his campaign for the Republican nomination with a Tuesday morning announcement in his hometown. He planned stops in eight other cities over two days.

Barnett said during an interview that bipartisan legislative majorities showed courage in overriding Brownback’s veto of a measure that will increase income taxes to raise $1.2 billion over two years. The new law rolls back past tax cuts championed by the governor.

He also supports expanding the state’s Medicaid health coverage for the poor.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court plans to hear arguments from attorneys July 18 on whether a new school funding law complies with the state constitution.

The court set an expedited schedule Monday for its review. A four-page order from Chief Justice Lawton Nuss said the new law will take effect July 1 as planned and remain in force during the court’s review.

The law phases in a $293 million increase in spending on public schools over two years. It also creates a new per-pupil funding formula for the state’s 286 local school districts to provide more funds to programs for low-performing students.

The court ruled in March that the state’s $4 billion a year in education funding is inadequate under the state constitution. Four school districts sued Kansas in 2010.