LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Lawrence man accused of killing his 19-year-old neighbor will undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine if he is competent to stand trial.

Lawyers for 20-year-old Rontarus Washington Jr., was scheduled to go on trial Tuesday for first-degree murder in the November 2014 death of Justina Altamirano Mosso at an apartment in Lawrence.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports an earlier evaluation found Washington suffers from several significant mental disorders and determined he was incompetent to stand trial.

Because of those findings, Washington’s attorney requested he undergo the psychiatric evaluation.

Judge James McCabria granted the motion and suspended the trial until the evaluation is complete.

Washington will be committed to the Larned State Hospital for no more than 60 days for the evaluation.

HUTCHINSON — A second suspect has been charged in an alleged attack from April.

Destiny Witt, 19,  was before a judge Monday where she was read the charges of aggravated robbery, aggravated battery, conspiracy to commit aggravated battery and battery.

Witt and Jamice Craig are charged in the case. The victim says the incident occurred in the 600 block of East 4th at a local laundry mat.

The victim was allegedly knocked down, had bleach poured on her and her ankle run over by a vehicle.

She was transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for treatment.

Witt asked for a reduction of her $45,000 bond, but that was denied.

The cases against Witt and Craig will now move to a waiver-status docket.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate has backed away from a floor debate on the state’s controversial concealed carry law and opted to send a bill back to committee.

Senators on Tuesday voted to send back a bill that would allow public hospitals and nursing homes, community mental health centers, low-income health clinics and the University of Kansas Medical Center to ban guns in their facilities.

Under a law taking effect July 1, those health care providers will have to either allow guns on the premises or secure building entrances using metal detectors and armed guards. The bill would allow the facilities to ban guns without paying for the added security.

Ways and Means Committee Chair Sen. Carolyn McGinn says the committee could work on the bill as soon as Wednesday.

SALINA, Kan. (AP) — A man in central Kansas who pleaded no contest to shooting at a police detective and assaulting two teenagers has been sentenced to more than 10 years in prison.

The Salina Journal reports Judge Rene Young sentenced 36-year-old Michael Ryan Monday in Saline County District Court.

Ryan pleaded no contest to felony charges of attempted manslaughter of Salina detective Crystal Hornseth; aggravated assaults of his daughter Destiny Hunt and her friend Tyler Wolf; and criminal discharge of a firearm into an occupied dwelling. He also pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor charge of driving under the influence.

According to a testimony, Ryan arrived at a house in June 2015 where Hunt was with her friends. He pointed an AR-15 rifle at Wolf, forced his daughter to come with him and later fired 10 shots as Salina police arrived.

RILEY COUNTY- The Riley County Attorney’s office is working to determine whether to file charges in a hit and run accident that critically injured a Kansas woman.

Just before 2a.m. April 13, police responded to a report of a hit and run injury accident that at the intersection of 12^th Street and Bluemont Avenue in Manhattan, according to a media release.

First responders found a pedestrian identified as Amber Wilhelm, 21, Manhattan, suffering from severe injuries after being struck by a pickup driven by 21-year-old Nicholas Blaha of Manhattan. He left the scene of the accident.

Wilhelm was transported to Via Christi and then flown to Stormont Vail in critical condition.

Blaha came forward following the release of a video of the truck involved in the accident.

Detectives and patrol officers spent hundreds of hours investigating the case, interviewing dozens of people, looking at video pulled from a variety of sources throughout the city (including Fort Riley), and reconstructing the scene. At this point the investigation has concluded.  Although no arrests have been made or citations issued, the case has been forwarded to the Riley County District Attorney’s office for review to determine whether charges will be filed.

SHAWNEE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in a what may have been an attempted bank robbery on Tuesday.

Just after 9a.m., a suspect with a sword in a scabbard entered a bank in the 700 Block of SW Topeka Boulevard, according to police spokesperson Coleen Stuart.

Security staff asked for and the subject gave them the sword. The subject also mentioned wanting money.

Police transported the subject to the Law Enforcement Center for an interview.

Police have not reported an arrest.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators are delaying discussions about public school funding and raising taxes to fix the state budget.

House and Senate negotiators who had planned to convene Tuesday to discuss proposals for increasing income taxes never scheduled a meeting.

Lead House negotiator Steven Johnson said he doesn’t know when the group will convene again. The Assaria Republican said it’s an indication that lawmakers remain divided on tax issues.

The House postponed a debate until at least Thursday on a plan to phase in a $280 million increase in spending on public schools over two years. Leaders want to give House members more time to review the details.

Kansas faces projected budget shortfalls totaling $887 million through June 2019, and the state Supreme Court ruled in March that education funding is inadequate.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Some Kansas legislators are floating the most aggressive plan yet to raise income taxes to fix the state budget.

The House and Senate resumed their negotiations over taxes Monday. Three House negotiators offered a proposal to raise $1.4 billion over two years through income tax increases.

The proposal would return Kansas to the income tax laws in place in 2012 before lawmakers began cutting income taxes at Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s urging.

The negotiators planned further discussions Tuesday.

House negotiators said they were presenting another plan for lawmakers hoping to close projected budget shortfalls totaling $887 million through June 2019 and raising additional funds for public schools.

Their action came after the House advanced proposals on sales taxes and school funding that would allow lawmakers to avoid such large income tax hikes.

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A Kansas House committee has approved a proposal to phase in a $280 million increase in spending on public schools over two years after whittling down a larger funding plan.

The special committee on school finance’s 10-6 vote sends the education funding bill to the House for debate. It’s a response to a Kansas Supreme Court ruling in March that education funding is inadequate.

The state spends about $4 billion a year on aid to its 286 local school districts. The court did not say how much more the state must spend.

The committee started Monday with a plan to phase in a $783 million increase over five years.

Some members questioned whether lawmakers would boost taxes enough to pay for it. Others said the committee’s plan is inadequate.

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LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A man accused of ripping the tail off a classroom’s pet rabbit while working as a custodian for a University of Kansas child care will face two misdemeanors instead of a felony.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that a judge ruled Monday after a preliminary hearing for Shawn Zuehlsdorf.

A woman testified that she saw a man drop off the bleeding rabbit in March at a park and snapped a picture of his car.

Zuehlsdorf told a university police officer that the rabbit’s tail came off while “roughhousing” and described what happened as “an accident” in a note left at the school.

The rabbit was later euthanized. Zuehlsdorf no longer works for the university. He’s scheduled to be arraigned next month on misdemeanor cruelty to animals and theft charges.

SEDGWICK COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities in Sedgwick County are investigating a stabbing and asking for help to identify a suspect.

Just after 12 a.m. Tuesday, there was an altercation between two adult men inside the Quik Trip, 1430 North Nelson Drive in Derby.

The incident resulted in one of the men being stabbed.

The suspect fled the scene on foot. He is described as a black male in his 30s, 5 foot 10inches to 6-foot-tall and weighs approximately 160-170 pounds.

He was wearing a white, red and blue button up shirt, light-colored jeans and black tennis shoes.

It is believed that the initial disturbance between the men started earlier at a local club and continued at QuikTrip. The suspect arrived at QuikTrip as a passenger in a 1990s white Mercury Cougar driven by a black female.

Anyone with information regarding this suspect should call the Derby Police Department at 788-1557,

Derby Crime Stoppers at 788- TIPS (8477) or 911. Do not approach or attempt to apprehend the suspect who is considered armed and dangerous.

BY SAM ZEFF

A divided K-12 Education Budget Committee on Monday passed out a school funding plan for Kansas schools that essentially nobody likes.

It adds $279 million over two years: $179 million in the first year and $100 million in the second. After that, school funding would increase based on the inflation rate. The measure was kicked out of committee without recommendation.

A bill lawmakers had been working on for weeks would have added more than $150 million a year over five years. But the measure now on its way to the House floor adds far less than the total of $750 million in the earlier version.

House Democratic Leader Jim Ward of Wichita predicts the legislation will not pass constitutional muster with the state Supreme Court, which earlier this year ordered the Legislature to revamp its school funding formula to meet a level of “adequacy” before a June 30 deadline.

“The issue that the court sent the case back is woefully inadequate, and I think everybody around that table who’s serious about it knows it is,” Ward says.

David Smith of the Kansas City Kansas school district, which is a plaintiff in the school funding case, also has concerns that the bill won’t satisfy the court.

“I think the court is going to have to decide whether this lower number meets adequacy,” he says. “If it doesn’t, we’ll be back here in the summer.”

During Monday’s K-12 Committee meeting, at least a dozen spending amendments were proposed. Each amendment featured a discussion of whether the high court would think it was enough money.

The committee has been working on the funding bill since the legislative session started in January. Chairman Larry Campbell, a Republican from Olathe, defended the deliberate pace.

“You got one shot. I mean this is like shooting for the moon. You just don’t rush it and miss,” he says.

Campbell says he’s proud the bill funds all-day kindergarten and adds $21 million for at-risk students: “This is a big step.”

The legislation now goes to the House floor where debate may begin as early as Tuesday evening. Moderate Republicans and Democrats are expected to try to add millions in funding.

“We may have some who vote no because it’s still too much, and clearly many legislators that I think believe it isn’t enough,” says Mark Tallman, the chief lobbyist for the Kansas Association of School Boards, who has pushed for a much larger funding package.

The slow progress creates budget challenges for school districts as they prepare for the next school year.

“We have got to get our budgeting going, and not having any idea what the number would be has been really difficult,” Smith says.

Sam Zeff covers education for KCUR.org and the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @SamZeff.