HOPE YEN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A congressional audit says the federal government isn’t fully prepared to handle a nuclear terrorist attack or large-scale natural catastrophe. It finds that the government lacks effective coordination and in some cases is years away from ensuring adequate emergency shelter and medical treatment.

The report by the Government Accountability Office was obtained by The Associated Press. It says the Federal Emergency Management Agency didn’t always keep track of disaster efforts by agencies, even after Superstorm Sandy in 2012.

The report says it would still take one to five years to develop a strategy to determine whether people were exposed to unsafe levels of radiation, and five to 10 years to plan for a full medical response.

Investigators said FEMA needs to set deadlines to ensure agencies fulfill the goals.

By Andy Marso
KHI News Service

TOPEKA — Gov. Sam Brownback appointed Susan Mosier as secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment on Friday, one month after giving her the job on an interim basis.

Mosier, an ophthalmologist and former Republican legislator, also has been serving as head of the Kansas Medicaid program and KDHE’s Division of Health Care Finance.
“Susan has done an excellent job as the interim secretary,” Brownback said in a prepared statement. “Her experience, passion and leadership will serve KDHE and the people of Kansas well. I am grateful for her willingness to take on this important challenge.”

Mosier replaced Brownback’s first KDHE secretary, Robert Moser, a family practice doctor who formerly headed the Greeley County Health Services. He left to take a job with the University of Kansas Hospital.

Mosier’s permanent appointment must be approved by the Senate, but there is likely to be little dissent. Democrats hold only eight seats in that chamber as the opposition party and Rep. Jim Ward, one of the House Democrats most critical of Brownback, said Friday that Mosier was unobjectionable.

“Susan’s very competent and she will manage the policies of the governor just fine,” Ward said.

In her previous roles, Mosier helped shepherd KDHE through a complicated and controversial switch to managed care Medicaid administered by three private insurance companies that began in 2013.

The governor’s ambitious goal for the privatized plan, known as KanCare, is to save the state $1 billion in Medicaid money over five years and improve health outcomes by coordinating care and not cutting benefits, eligibility or provider reimbursements.

“I am honored by the governor’s trust in me,” Mosier said after she was appointed Friday. “I am committed to the KDHE mission of protecting and improving the health and environment of all Kansans.”

Ward has pointed to the amount of money lost by the private managed care companies in KanCare’s first two years as a warning that the program is unsustainable and cuts will be coming.

As the governor enters his second term, Ward said Brownback and Mosier will have “very significant issues and a lot of important things to address” when it comes to protecting the quality of life for Kansans with disabilities and other vulnerable populations.

“That all sits on her desk and his desk, and it will be interesting to see how they do that,” Ward said.
Andy Marso is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Topeka teenager will be tried as a juvenile on charges of attempting to hire two people to kill four adults at his high school.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that a Shawnee County judge on Friday denied a prosecution motion to try the former Topeka West High School student in adult court. The teen was 17 when he was arrested in January. He is charged with four counts of soliciting first-degree murder.

The judge did agree to allow the teen, if he’s convicted, to receive a controlling sentence as a juvenile as well as an adult sentence. That means if the teen fouls up on the juvenile sentence, he would face the longer adult prison sentence.

A psychologist testified before the ruling that the teen is mentally ill.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Restoration work is taking long than expected on a B-29 Superfortress bomber last used during the Korean War.

The Wichita Eagle reports the giant bomber, dubbed “Doc,” is expected to make its first flight in the spring. It has been undergoing restoration in Wichita for more than a decade after being rescued from the California desert. Volunteers had expected it would fly by the end of 2014.

Restoration project program manager Jim Murphy says the biggest holdup was delays putting in the fuel system. Now weather is a factor because the outside temperature must be above 50 degrees to warm the oil enough to lubricate the engines properly for taxi testing and flight.

The newspaper reports “Doc” will be one of only two restored B-29s now in flying condition.

EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — Hunter Brenda Doudican had to do a double take this month when she saw a bull elk wandering through a Lyon County clearing with deer.

The Emporia Gazette reported that the spotting led Doudican to obtain a permit on Dec. 12 to hunt elk, which are unusual in the area. She didn’t catch a glimpse of the elk that night, but the next morning she got a clear shot. She then completed the paperwork needed to have the animal processed. Doudican says she’s “still kind of in awe.”

Doudican began hunting with muzzle loader season. She continued with bow season and then followed with rifle season. She says she spent a great deal of time waiting and now feels it was worth it.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — University of Kansas Chancellor Bernadette Gray-Little says traditional liberal arts programs in subjects like literature, music and history are struggling for respect, recognition and funding.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports the chancellor was among a group of educators who addressed the Kansas Board of Regents on Thursday to discuss a report about liberal arts education. The Regents requested the report partly in response to messages from the Kansas Legislature and Gov. Sam Brownback urging Regents institutions to put more focus on programs that produce tangible benefits for the state’s economy.

It shows that people who earn a four-year bachelor’s degree earn significantly more than people with only a high school diploma.

It also found that people with liberal arts degrees tend to earn slightly less than those with professional degrees.

ROXANA HEGEMAN, Associated Press

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran urges the Treasury Department to immediately rewrite cumbersome regulations that have made it difficult to sell wheat and other agricultural commodities to Cuba.

He says this is an issue for Kansas because wheat is Cuba’s second largest import behind oil and Kansas is the largest wheat-producing state.

The Republican said Friday the agency can take that step even before Congress grapples with whether to lift the U.S. trade embargo.

Agricultural commodities are among the few exceptions to the embargo. Moran says the administration of George W. Bush instituted costly rules such as requiring up-front cash payments before commodities leave U.S. ports. It also required the payments go through banks in other countries.

Moran also vows to work in Congress to entirely lift the embargo.

ELLIOT SPAGAT, Associated Press

SAN DIEGO (AP) — The search for documents is on for immigrants who may qualify for a work permit and reprieve from deportation under measures President Barack Obama announced last month.

Applicants must prove they were in the country continuously since January 2010 — a tall order for many accustomed to avoiding trails. For critics, conditions are ripe for fraud.

The administration has not said which documents it will accept, but advocates are taking guidance from a 2012 reprieve for immigrants who came to the country as young children. The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program allows vehicle registrations, baptism records, mortgages, postmarked letters — and those are just some suggestions from the agency.

Denver immigration attorney Laura Lichter suggests using movie rental receipts, veterinarian bills and customer loyalty programs that detail purchase histories.