TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Ron Estes will take his seat in Congress Tuesday after Kansas officials certified his victory in the state’s special election.

Estes replaces former Republican Rep. Mike Pompeo, who was chosen by President Donald Trump to head the CIA.

Election totals released Monday show Estes defeated Democrat James Thompson by 6.2 percentage points, a strong challenge by a Democrat in a historically GOP district. Pompeo was re-elected to the seat by about 30 percentage points in November.

Estes was state treasurer before the election. Brownback nominated state Sen. Jake LaTurner to the post and he will be sworn in Wednesday.

GEARY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Geary County are investigating a suspect on numerous charges following a brief chase on Interstate 70.

Just after 11p.m. Sunday, a Grandview Plaza Officer was assisting a motorist on I-70 when a passing vehicle failed to yield to the emergency vehicle, according to the Chief of Police in Grandview Plaza.

Officers conducted a traffic stopped on the vehicle and made contact with the driver identified as Devoris Newson, 30, Junction City.

A woman and three children were also in the car.

When officers asked Newson to exit the vehicle, he drove away from the scene.

Grandview Plaza police and Geary County Sheriff’s Deputies pursued the vehicle into Junction City. Newson led officers through a portion of the city, allegedly committing numerous traffic violations.

During the pursuit, it appeared the suspect swerved at police. Officers discontinued the pursuit approximately four minutes after it began due to the risk of injury to innocent motorists, pedestrians and occupants of the suspect vehicle.

The vehicle eventually came to a stop in an alley and the driver fled the scene.

He was later taken into custody and booked into the Geary County Detention Center pending multiple charges including suspicion of Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Reckless Driving, Failure to Yield to an Emergency Vehicle, Aggravated Child Endangerment, Driving While Suspended, Aggravated Assault on LEO and Kidnapping.

Newson has two previous convictions for Flee and Elude police in Riley County, according to the Kansas Department of Correction.

HAMILTON COUNTY -Law enforcement authorities in southwest Kansas have identified the body recovered in rural Hamilton County on April 18, as a missing Garden City man.

The Hamilton County Sheriff’s office reported Manuel Avalos, 29, was reported missing from his home in Garden City, Ks on April 7.

The report was made to the Kearny County Sheriff’s Office by his mother, who lives in Deerfield, Kansas.

According to the report on file in Kearny County, Avalos last spoke with his mother on April 5, 2017.

After becoming concerned that she had been unable to reach Avalos over the next two days, she filed the report.

During the investigation of the missing person, it was determined that Manuel Avalos had been contacted by sheriff’s deputies in the three counties while attempting to walk to Colorado. He was transported from an area near Garden City in the early morning of April 6 and transferred to a Kearny County Deputy at the Kearny/Finney County line.

He was given a ride to Syracuse and dropped off there at around 8:00 a.m..
During the afternoon of April 6, a Hamilton County Deputy received a report of a male walking on US-50 west of Syracuse and made contact with him. The male declined the offer of a ride and some water from the deputy, and was last seen walking west.

Avalos gave the initiating deputy an alias name prior to receiving a ride west. His identity as the missing person was not known until the Kearny County deputy later saw the picture in the missing person file and recognized him as the person receiving the ride the previous week.
Hamilton County patrol car video captured the contact with the man on April 6th 2017 and was useful in determining that the unidentified body was the same person who had received law enforcement assistance the previous week.

Formal identification was received on April 24 by fingerprint analysis. No foul play is suspected in the death and the investigation is ongoing.

KANSAS CITY (AP) — About 2,000 people are expected to attend a conference in Kansas City designed to address inequality by discussing the difficult topic of white privilege.

The 18th annual National White Privilege Conference is scheduled for Thursday through Sunday.

The Kansas City Star reports supporters of the conference say it provides participants of all races a chance to examine the idea that whites in America have more advantages than others because of their skin color. Supporters also hope it will lead to conversations in the region about its racial and economic history.

Several social justice activists wanted the conference to come to Kansas City.

The conference is popular with academics, teachers and professors, students, social workers and community organizers.

Media are not permitted to record the sessions or interview participants.

RENO COUNTY— The Mesa, Arizona, woman arrested for reportedly having 44 pounds of high-grade marijuana in her vehicle was back before a judge Monday with an attorney present.

Prosecutors formally charged Alyssa Holler, 31, with possession of marijuana with intent to sell and conspiracy to distribute marijuana.

On April 15, police stopped a Holler for speeding at U.S. 50 and Main Street in South Hutchinson.
At that time, she granted permission for police to search the vehicle.

During that search, they found the large stash of the drug.

She remains jailed on a $100,000 bond. The case moves to a waiver-status docket on May 3.

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  U.S. Senator Pat Roberts, R-Kan., Chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, is pleased to announce that former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue was approved by the U.S. Senate Monday on a 87-11 vote to be the next Agriculture Secretary.

“I’m pleased that the U.S. Senate was able to work in a bipartisan fashion to confirm Governor Perdue,” Roberts said. “I have faith that Governor Perdue will put the needs of farmers and ranchers first, and I know that rural America is thankful to have such a qualified Agriculture Secretary on their side.”

First District Congressman Roger Marahall commented on the Senate confirmation vote.

“I want to congratulate Sonny Perdue on his long-overdue confirmation to Secretary of the US Department of Agriculture. His leadership is especially relevant as producers face record world surpluses and depressed farm prices.

Throughout this long process, one silver lining has been the broad, bipartisan support shown for Perdue, and support coming from all over the ag community. It shows that agriculture can still put partisanship aside for the good of our country, economy and our producers. I welcome the chance to work hand-in-hand with the Secretary as we help producers navigate existing programs and as we look toward the 2018 farm bill.

In addition to farm and nutrition policy, I expect Perdue to be a sound champion for trade, something I have heard time and again from Kansans concerned about our ability to open new markets for products made in Kansas. Secretary Perdue’s experience as an exporter and governor leading trade missions will be invaluable as this administration pursues trade policy.

As I have said before, Perdue’s background growing up on a farm, his service in the military as a veterinarian, as well as his career in agribusiness and successful tenure as governor, make him a good fit to lead the US Department of Agriculture at this critical time for our nation’s farmers and ranchers.”

SEDGWICK COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a drive-by shooting and asking the public for help to locate possible suspects.

Just after 6:30 p.m. officers were dispatched to the 2900 Block of South Richmond in Wichita after report of a drive-by shooting, according to Sgt. Nikki Woodrow during Monday’s online media briefing.

Several people called 911 to report that the occupants in an unknown silver vehicle were shooting at occupants in an unknown dark-colored truck.

A short time later, a dark-colored truck pulled into Wichita Fire Station-4 on Meridian. A 60-year-old occupant reported injuries from broken glass. Two others, a 22-year-old and 57-year-old, in the truck were unable to provide any additional suspect information.

Police say gunshots hit the truck at least 3 times. Police are still looking for the silver vehicle.

Anyone with additional information is asked to contact police or crimestoppers.

ALLISON KITE, Associated Press

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The death of a colleague’s son has spurred lawmakers in the often anti-regulation Kansas to toughen the state’s inspection requirements for amusement parks.

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback said he plans to sign legislation on Monday that will strengthen amusement park regulations. The bill passed the House and Senate by wide margins.

The change comes after Republican Rep. Scott Schwab’s 10-year-old son, Caleb, died last summer on a waterslide at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas City, Kansas.

An investigation into the death is ongoing, but the waterslide, which was dubbed the world’s highest when it opened, has been closed since the accident.

The Schwab family has settled with the park’s owner, the manufacturer of the raft that carried riders down the slide, a general contractor and a consulting company.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a hunter accidentally shot his brother and a friend after mistaking them for wild turkeys in southeast Kansas.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism says the victims were shot in face and body on April 12.

Crawford County Sheriff Dean Peak says the shooting was ruled an accident. Peak says the victims were hit by shotgun pellets and are expected to survive. The victims are at the University of Arkansas Medical Center in Fayetteville, which isn’t releasing their conditions.

The wildlife department’s game warden, Jim Bussone says three men were hiding behind preserved turkey tail fans, which are used to disguise hunters, but ended up hunting each other while making turkey calls to lure the animals.

Bussone says the shooter broke several hunting safety rules, including shooting at movement.