(AP) – Kansas authorities say a man who impersonated law enforcement officers as part of a scam to cash phony checks and pass bad checks has been arrested in Oklahoma.

The Kansas State Bureau of Investigation says 46-year-old Robert Helms of Pittsburg, Kan., was arrested Wednesday in Vinita when a clerk at a Wal-Mart called police after recognizing one of the aliases Helms was known to use.

Authorities told reporters that Helms targeted stores in Kansas, Missouri, Colorado and Oklahoma. He allegedly would by electronics and gift cards with fraudulent checks from non-existent banks and cashed phony payroll checks from current and non-existent sheriff’s offices in Kansas. Investigators say Helms would show a badge and a weapon and portray himself as a plainclothes officer or a detective.

AP) — Authorities in a northeast Kansas community are cracking down on illegal water consumption but say old and faulty meters are the biggest reason for the apparent overuse of water. State officials notified Junction City earlier this month that it was using as much as 30 percent more water than allotted. Interim City Manager Cheryl Beatty said Wednesday that residents illegally taking water from hydrants are a small percentage of the problem. Beatty attributes the rest to an aging system of meters that leak and inaccurately report usage. Beatty says the city will replace more than 9,000 meters over the next two years. The police department issued a notice July 7 asking the public’s help in identifying the source of the water usage.

U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) released the following statement today after Senate passage, by a vote of 81 to 18, of the bipartisan agreement to address federal student loan interest rates. The legislation reverses the July 1, 2013, rate hike on subsidized Stafford loans, and provides a permanent solution for interest rates on all new student loans taken out after July 1. Sen. Moran also recorded audio and video statements that can be downloaded via the links below.

“In the interest of students, parents and taxpayers, I am pleased to support an agreement to address the July 1, 2013, student loan rate hike,” Sen. Moran said. “This legislation provides much-needed certainty and savings to all students and families who are working to invest in their futures through higher education. In contrast to current law, this solution lowers rates for all students taking out new federal student loans, while saving taxpayers more than $700 million over the next decade. Higher education is often a family’s most important investment, and it is critically important that this legislation is signed into law before students return to campuses and classrooms in a few short weeks. We ought to make certain that everyone has the opportunity to pursue their dreams through additional education.”

The House of Representatives passed a bill in May to base student loan interest rates on market rates, and the Obama Administration offered a similar plan in its 2014 budget. The Senate-passed bill bases interest rates on all federal student loans off of the 10-year Treasury bill.

Update 6:30 pm Wednesday:     On Wednesday at 9:00 am the female suspect, who was involved in the Wednesday morning high speed chase, is alleged to have visited Emannuel Christian Church in Salina.

3 p.m.     Early Wednesday morning, Saline County Deputies and Salina Police Officers assisted Newton Police Department and Harvey County Sheriff’s Office in apprehending a vehicle that was involved in a chase.

The chase started in Newton and ended in Saline County.  The vehicle was spiked by deputies near the I-135 / I-70 junction and came to rest on I-135 near the area of Pleasant Hill Road.

A search of the area was conducted and the two passengers were arrested and detained.

26-year-old Kyle Main was arrested on an out of state warrant and the other subject was questioned and released.

Saline County Deputies are still searching for a white female who has been identified as the driver of the car.  The woman’s identity has not been confirmed yet, but attached is a photo of the that both passengers have identified as the driver.

If anyone has seen or had contact with the woman, please contact the Saline County Sheriff’s Office.

9   a.m. Authorities are looking for a woman who ran from a car involved in a high-speed chase early Wednesday morning.

Saline County Undersheriff Dave Dunstan told the Post two men who were in the car, are now in custody.

The search for the woman, is in an area about a mile north of the I-170/I-135 junction.

Exact details on the chase and the stop might be released later Wednesday.

The chase that began south of Saline County, ended around 5am.

3:15 p.m. update

DERBY, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have identified a man found dead in a backyard pool in south-central Kansas, but they still don’t know the circumstances of the death.

The Sedgwick County sheriff’s department said Wednesday the man has been identified as 34-year-old Kyle Phelps, of Derby.

Deputies found Phelps floating in the pool behind a Derby-area home Tuesday afternoon after being asked to check on his welfare. The deputies performed CPR until paramedics arrived and pronounced Phelps dead.

Sheriff’s Capt. Mike Stover says that Phelps was connected to a person who lives at the home and was a frequent visitor.

The investigation into the death continues.

5 a.m. (AP) — Sedgwick County deputies are investigating the death of a man whose body was found in a residential pool.

The sheriff’s office says deputies went to a home near Derby Tuesday afternoon after being asked to check on a man’s welfare. They found the body of a man in his 30s in the pool behind the home.

The cause of his death is being investigated. It’s unclear if the man lived at the home.

U.S. Senators Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Jon Tester (D-Mont.) and Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) – members of the Senate Banking Committee – today introduced legislation to ensure a healthy future for America’s community banks. The Community Lending Enhancement and Regulatory (CLEAR) Relief Act, S. 1349, would provide much needed regulatory relief to community banks and their customers as well as support the housing recovery. By stripping away outdated or unnecessary regulation, the CLEAR Relief Act would help community banks focus on what they do best: providing loans to their communities and helping small businesses grow.

“With 12 million Americans looking for work, our government’s first priority should be to create an environment where businesses can be created, grow and hire workers,” Sen. Moran said. “I continue to hear concerns from Kansas bankers who are hesitant to lend as they wait for the next burdensome regulation to come out of Washington. Until banks are willing and able to make prudent loans to hometown customers, job creation will remain stifled and our economic recovery will continue to lag.”

“Montana families and small businesses rely on their local community banks for the financing they need to support their families and grow their businesses,” Sen. Tester said. “We need to make sure community banks have the flexibility to continue supporting our economy with their unique brand of relationship-based lending, and that’s what this bipartisan bill does.”

“Illinois has over 580 community banks – the second-most of any state in the US,” said Sen. Kirk. “These banks understand their customers’ financial needs and their ability to repay loans, and they continue to lend even in times of financial crisis. In an era of new regulations that hamper community banks’ ability to meet the credit needs of their communities, I am proud to join Senators Moran and Tester in this bipartisan bill that aims to address the unique differences between mega global financial institutions and community banks.”

Community banks play a critical role in the nation’s economic recovery, serving rural, small town and suburban customers alike. Unfortunately, some regulations and requirements make it more difficult for these banks to compete with larger financial institutions that have greater resources. This competitive disadvantage diminishes the ability of community banks to attract capital and support the credit needs of their customers and local businesses.

“This bipartisan legislation is key to unlocking the doors of local economic prosperity,” ICBA President and CEO Camden R. Fine said. “As a former community banker, and one who represents the nation’s community banks, I realize just how important regulatory relief is for community banks and the future of their communities. I urge the Senate to support this vastly important bipartisan legislation because it’s a win-win for community banks and communities of all sizes throughout the nation.”

The CLEAR Relief Act includes 4 provisions, including those that would:

• Exempt community banks with assets less than $1 billion from the Sarbanes-Oxley 404(b) internal-controls assessment mandate. Because community banks’ internal control systems are monitored continually by bank examiners, they should not have to sustain the unnecessary annual expense of paying an outside audit firm for attestation work.
• Require the Federal Reserve to revise the Small Bank Holding Company Policy Statement by increasing the qualifying asset threshold from $500 million to $5 billion. This will help ease capital requirements for small bank and thrift holding companies.
• Support the housing recovery by exempting from any escrow requirements any first lien mortgage held by a lender with less than $10 billion in assets; and
• Provide “qualified mortgage” status under the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) ability-to-repay rules for any mortgage originated and held in portfolio for at least three years by a lender with less than $10 billion in assets.

Sen. Moran is a member of Senate Banking Committee’s Subcommittee on Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection. He is committed to highlighting and solving the challenges facing community banks in the current regulatory environment, and providing these financial institutions with relief.

Sen. Tester is the Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee’s Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment. A strong advocate for rural America’s smaller financial institutions, he made sure that community banks continue to have equal access to the housing finance market in his Housing Finance Reform and Taxpayer Protection Act.

U.S. Representative Blaine Luetkemeyer (R-Mo.), has already introduced the CLEAR ReliefAct, H.R. 1750, which similarly seeks targeted regulatory relief for small financial institutions.

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol “Shortly after 5 a.m. Wednesday, 38-year-old William Ralph Wilburn of St. Francis was westbound on I-70 with 3 passengers in the vehicle: 36-year-old Jennifer Hall, 13-year-old Ashleigh Nepote, and 15-year-old Allyson Nepote, all of Burlington, CO.

About 6 miles east of Quinter, Wilburn fell asleep at the wheel.  His Chevy Trailblazer swerved slightly into the median and then swerved back onto I70.

He then lost control, went through the median sideways, continued onto the eastbound lanes and struck a Toyota Avalon driven by 25 year old Briana Taylor of Winona, KS.

Jennifer Hall and Ashleigh Nepote were transported to Gove County Hospital.  The others involved in the accident had no reported injuries.  All parties were wearing seat belts.”