EMPORIA, Kan. – A Hutchinson native who at one time ran a national retail company and a railroad builder who developed Johnson County will be inducted into the Kansas Business Hall of Fame next month located at Emporia State University.

David Dillon, who until January 1, of this was CEO of the Kroger Co., parent company of Dillon’s.

Dillon was born March 30, 1951, attended Hutchinson public schools and graduated from Hutchinson High School in 1969. He attended the University of Kansas where he received a bachelor’s degree in business. He then went on to earn a law degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas. After graduating from SMU, Dillon returned to Hutchinson to work for the Dillon Company, a grocery store chain that his grandfather had founded. Dillon’s merged with the Kroger Co. in 1983 and Dillon became the CEO as part of that merger.

The other inductee is the late William B. Strang, who built the interurban Strang Line for rail travel between Kansas City and Olathe.

Both will be recognized at the Kansas Business Hall of Fame induction ceremony during the 42nd annual Team Kansas Awards Banquet on Tuesday, June 17, at Wichita State University.

The ceremony marks the 26th year of inductions into the Kansas Business Hall of Fame. Business leaders selected for the KBHF are widely known for their contributions to Kansas, and are recognized as role models.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The former city clerk of a small, northeast Kansas community has been accused of embezzling at least $186,000 in public funds.

The U.S. Attorney’s office said 61-year-old Alice Riley, of Topeka, was indicted in federal court Tuesday on one count of interstate transportation of stolen funds. Riley’s attorney told The Topeka Capital-Journal there would be no immediate comment.

Riley was the city clerk for Auburn, a rural community of about 1,200 people in southwest Shawnee County.

Prosecutors allege that Riley began embezzling city funds in 2009, issuing duplicate payroll checks to herself and depositing other city checks into her personal accounts. She’s accused of trying to hide the alleged embezzlement by creating false entries in Auburn’s books and bank statements.

WASHINGTON, D.C.– The House of Representatives passed the Water Resources Reform and Development Act (WRRDA) of 2014 with an overwhelming bipartisan vote of 412-4. Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (KS-02) released the following statement after passage of the Conference Report:

“Today, the House passed critically important legislation to strengthen our infrastructure and improve our nation’s competitiveness and economic growth. This bill will create jobs, save money, and is the first water bill to have absolutely zero earmarks.

“I’m also proud to represent a state that has a unique network of rivers, levees, and infrastructure that supports our waterway transportation system. This legislation specifically includes authorization for the Topeka Flood Risk Management project, a need identified as a top priority by the Army Corps of Engineers. This is a long overdue and much-needed commitment that will help the city of Topeka correct deficiencies with its levee system and is vitally important to job growth and flood protection for our homes and businesses.

“Additionally, the Conference Report requires the Army Corps of Engineers to work with other agencies to more effectively monitor snowpack and soil moisture in the upper Missouri River basin. This is a commonsense, science-based solution that mirrors legislation I introduced in the aftermath of the 2011 Missouri River flood. This will help the Army Corps of Engineers to plan for and mitigate future flood events on the Missouri River.”

Items to Note:

Through WRRDA, Congress authorized the key missions of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, including developing, maintaining, and supporting the Nation’s economically vital waterway infrastructure and support effective and targeted flood protection and environmental restoration needs. One of these missions was the Topeka Risk Management project.
Congresswoman Jenkins introduced H.R. 2579 in the 113th Congress. For more details on the original legislation, please click here.
Instead of a “water bill flooded with earmarks” House Republicans passed a WRRDA bill that contains no earmarks and makes major reforms to increase transparency, accountability, and Congressional oversight in reviewing and prioritizing future water resources development activities
o In 2007, the LA Times reported: “Water bill flooded with earmarks. Democrats pledged to cut down on pork, but legislation suggests a hearty appetite for it. … If the water bill is a sign of things to come, the appetite for earmarks remains undiminished.”

o Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal editorial board reported:“The earmark ban is producing more spending accountability and oversight. … Remarkable to behold, something like priority-setting has happened in the current water bill, the first to go through Congress since the 2011 earmark ban. … Rather than follow Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s call to return to the pork-addled past, Congress ought to make this water bill a standard for future spending.”

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A county coroner has ruled that a northeast Kansas man who died after a standoff with police was killed by shots fired by officers.

The Kansas City, Kansas, police department announced the ruling by the Wyandotte County coroner on Tuesday.

Police went to an apartment in the city Friday evening on a report of a disturbance. Someone inside opened fire on the officers, prompting the evacuation of the nearby area as police fired back.

Tactical officers entered the apartment and found 24-year-old Charles Broadway dead.

The investigation was continuing Tuesday.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A northeast Kansas inmate is back in custody, four days after he was mistakenly released during a transfer to the state Department of Corrections.

WIBW-AM reports 35-year-old Armando Jimenez was captured Tuesday in Topeka. A spokesman for the Corrections Department says Jimenez was taken into custody without incident.

The agency says a procedural error allowed the Lawrence man to be released Friday when he was supposed to be transferred from the custody of Douglas County. Officials would not give details of the error.

Jimenez has recent convictions in Douglas County for making a criminal threat, domestic battery and aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer. The Corrections Department’s website also shows he was sentenced in 1999 for aggravated battery and other offenses, also in Douglas County.

Kansas Attorney General

TOPEKA – A California marketing company has been ordered to pay nearly $700,000 in fees and penalties for violating the Kansas No-Call Act, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said today.

Variable Marketing, LLC, based in Los Angeles, was ordered in a default judgment to pay $691,500 in penalties and fees for calling Kansas consumers registered on the Do-Not-Call list. Shawnee County District Judge Larry Hendricks entered the order against the company last week.

The attorney general’s office began investigating the case in January 2013 after receiving six complaints from Kansans registered on the Do-Not-Call list about the company. The Federal Trade Commission also received 28 complaints from Kansas consumers. The company tried to sell auto insurance to the consumers, while representing themselves to be with the “Kansas Division of Motor Vehicles.”

“The law requires companies to be honest with Kansas consumers about who they are and what they are selling – and to respect their wishes if they have registered on the Do-Not-Call list,” Schmidt said. “When companies have violated the law, our office will take action to protect Kansas consumers.”

Schmidt also reminded Kansans that a new law, taking effect on July 1, will allow the attorney general’s office to pursue violations of the No-Call Act when a telemarketer calls a consumer’s registered cell phone. Kansans can register their cell phone or landline numbers on the Do-Not-Call list on the attorney general’s consumer protection website atwww.InYourCornerKansas.org.