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Month: March 2012

Revised Complaint Claims New Abuses At St. John’s Military As More Ex-Cadets Join Suit

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New allegations of abuses at a Salina military boarding school have been raised in a revised lawsuit brought by parents of former cadets from across the nation.

An amended complaint filed Friday in federal court adds more plaintiffs to the case against St. John’s Military School in Salina.

The school has denied there is a culture of abuse or failure to supervise.

A California student who attended St. John’s for only four days suffered two broken legs. An x-ray attached to the court documents shows the bone displaced several inches above the knee from the alleged abuse.

Another exhibit in the filing also depicts a uniformed Texas cadet gagged, blindfolded and bound with black duct tape.

An ex-cadet from Tennessee contends he was branded on his stomach as an initiation.

Trial Looms For Man Accused Of Killing Kansas Teen

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Almost two years after authorities found a 14-year-old Kansas girl’s charred remains, the man accused of luring her through text messages is facing a murder trial.

Adam Joseph Longoria is accused of killing Alicia DeBolt in August 2010, then leaving her body at an asphalt plant where he worked.

Prosecutors say the 38-year-old Longoria became obsessed with DeBolt after seeing her at a party. Investigators have hundreds of text messages between the two, and surveillance photos from the store where Longoria bought gas the night DeBolt disappeared.

Longoria denies the charges, claiming he never saw Alicia that night.

His trial begins Monday. Attorneys will face a daunting task of finding jurors who haven’t heard about the case. Defense lawyers unsuccessfully tried to get the trial moved out of Barton County.

Kansas Advances To The Elite Eight With Win Over N.C. State

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(Chris Neal/University Daily Kansan)

ST. LOUIS – Thomas Robinson had 18 points and 15 rebounds, Jeff Withey blocked 10 shots to finish one shy of the NCAA Tournament record, and No. 2 seed Kansas held on to beat North Carolina State, 60-57, Friday night in the Midwest Regional semifinals.

The Jayhawks (30-6), who hit only 1 of 14 3-pointers and finished 37.5 percent from the floor overall, advanced when Richard Howell’s off-balance heave at the buzzer came up well short.

Elijah Johnson added 11 points for the Jayhawks, including a layup off an inbound pass from Tyshawn Taylor with 13.5 seconds remaining that gave them a calming cushion.

N.C. State coach Mark Gottfried called a timeout to set up a play, but Scott Wood stepped out of bounds while fielding a cross-court pass with five seconds left.

C.J. Leslie had 18 points for the 11th-seeded Wolfpack (24-13), despite sitting much of the second half with four fouls. Wood finished with 12 points on 2-for-10 shooting.

Howell had 4 points and 16 rebounds for N.C. State, which led at halftime, 33-32.

– Associated Press –

Shots Fired In Junction City Over Loud Music

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Police in Junction City say an argument over loud music turned violent when a gunman opened fire outside an apartment building.

WIBW-TV reports a resident told police he argued Thursday afternoon with a stranger who was sitting in a vehicle in the building’s parking lot with loud music blaring.

The stranger apparently took offense and drove away, but came back a short time later. The resident says he went outside when the music started up again.

Junction City Police Chief Tim Brown says that’s when the suspect fired three shots at the resident, missing him but hitting the building behind him.

Police are investigating the case as an attempted homicide.

Construction Firm Owner Is New KDOT Secretary

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Gov. Sam Brownback has appointed the owner of a McPherson construction company to lead the Kansas Department of Transportation.

Brownback introduced 52-year-old Mike King as transportation secretary during a news conference Friday. King’s appointment must be confirmed by the state Senate.

The governor said King has extensive experience in construction, including highway work. The new secretary has owned King Enterprise Group since 1991.

King said his company isn’t involved in any state highway projects and concentrates on projects for the oil and gas industry. However, he said, he will put his interests in a blind trust.

He’ll replace Barb Rankin, formerly KDOT’s chief counsel, who became acting secretary in December following the resignation of Deb Miller.

Miller stepped down after nearly nine years as secretary to take a private-sector job.

UPDATE: Russell Boy Killed by Train Identified

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A Russell boy is dead after being struck by a train in Russell late Thursday morning.

According to Police Chief Jon Quinday, nine-year old Isaac Caleb Ehrlich was hit by an eastbound Union Pacific train about 11:07a.m.   The accident happened between North Van Houten and North Lincoln Streets.

Ehrlich was pronounced dead at the scene.  Eyewitnesses say the boy was playing on the tracks.

According to Union Pacific spokesman Mark Davis the train was eastbound between Denver and Salina.

Quinday says the accident remains under investigation pending interviews with witnesses and the Union Pacific crew..

 

Kansas Researcher Faces Sentence For Falsifying Research Data

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The lead research coordinator in a Kansas clinical trial of an allergy pill on human subjects is expected to learn her fate for conspiring to falsify test data.

Olathe nurse Lisa Sharp was scheduled for sentencing Friday in U.S. District Court in Topeka. Her co-defendant, Dr. Wayne Spencer, was sentenced earlier this month to a year of probation.

Sharp pleaded guilty last year to conspiracy to defraud and failing to maintain records in a clinical trial as required by the Food and Drug Administration.

Sharp and Spencer worked for Lee Research Institute, which was paid by Schering-Plough to conduct the clinical trial in 2010.

Sharp’s attorney has asked the court to impose a probationary sentence. Federal sentencing guidelines suggest a sentence of 18 to 24 months in prison.

Email Evidence: Business Discussed At Kansas Governor Meetings

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An email from the chief of staff for Gov. Sam Brownback’s wife said the purpose of the governor’s private dinner meetings with Republican legislators was, in part, to discuss business.

The Shawnee County District Attorney is investigating seven Republican-only dinners at the governor’s mansion for violations of the Kansas Open Meetings Act, which prohibits a majority of a legislative body from gathering behind closed doors to discuss business.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that among hundreds of emailed RSVPs obtained through an open records request, there’s one in which Rebecca Witte, Mary Brownback’s chief of staff, told a legislator’s assistant that committee members gathering for a dinner will “spend some time discussing business.”

Brownback’s office said Witte “misinformed” the lawmaker’s office, and the dinners didn’t violate the Open Meetings Act.”

Commission Continues to Tweak Economic Development Policy

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A change to the proposed economic development policy led the Hays City Commission to table a vote Thursday night. Commissioner Henry Schwaller says the proposed matrix for tax abatement has investment amounts that are too low to warrant 100 percent and even 75 percent abatements.

Under Schwaller’s proposal qualifying businesses could get a 50 percent tax abatement if they invest $500,001 in improvements or create a minimum of 11 new jobs. The commission will discuss Schwaller’s suggestion at the next work session.

Midwest Energy Receives National Award

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Midwest Energy’s HowSmart program has received yet another award. The National Rural Electric Cooperative Association chose Midwest Energy for the 2012 National Community Service Award for Energy Efficiency. Manager of Corporate Communications Bob Helm says this is a prestigious award.

Midwest Energy has now received five national awards for the HowSmart program, which allows customers to pay off energy efficiency improvements through the savings on their energy bills.

Ex-Mail Carrier Admits Not Delivering Kansas Mail

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A 77-year-old former mail carrier has admitted in court that she failed to deliver thousands of pieces of mail on her 115-mile northeast Kansas route.

Dixie Bontrager, of Whiting, pleaded guilty to mail theft Thursday in federal court in Topeka.

Bontrager told The Associated Press last month she didn’t believe she had stolen mail, but simply failed to deliver it. She also said that much of the undelivered mail consisted of advertising.

In her plea deal, Bontrager admitted that agents searched four nonworking vehicles on her property in 2010 and found 496 first-class items and more than 2,700 standard mail items dating back to 2002. They also found periodicals and telephone books.

Bontrager was fired from the Holton Post Office in November 2010 after 30 years on the job.

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