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U.S. Marshals arrest man wanted for multiple sex crimes in Russell

U.S. Marshals Service

TOPEKA – U.S. Marshals arrested Corey Brian Harrell Sr., 45, a Kansas resident wanted by the Russell Police Department. Harrell was wanted on three counts of rape, eight counts of aggravated criminal sodomy, and two counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. A warrant was issued for his arrest in December 2013, but Harrell left the state of Kansas to avoid prosecution.

US Marshals Service

Information was developed that Harrell was most likely residing in Washington, with possible plans of leaving that area to continue his run from Kansas authorities. With the assistance of the Snohomish County Violent Offender Task Force, Harrell was located at a residence in Bellingham, Washington. Harrell was identified and taken into custody without incident. Harrell was booked into the Snohomish County jail, where he will be held pending extradition back to Russell County.

“Catching dangerous child predators is a priority for the Marshals Service,” said Chief Deputy United States Marshal Craig Beam. “In spite of the great efforts that fugitive sex offenders employ to avoid arrest and prosecution, the U. S. Marshals Service will relentlessly pursue them until they are captured. Finding and arresting these offenders ensures they cannot victimize any other children.”

The U.S. Marshals Service is the nation’s oldest federal law enforcement agency. Annually, U.S. Marshals arrest more than 50 percent of all federal fugitives and serve more federal warrants than all other federal agencies combined.

Additional information about the U.S. Marshals Service can be found at http://www.usmarshals.gov.

Hays Area Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament is Friday

The fifth annual Hays Area Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament, presented by Eagle Communications, will be Friday at Smoky Hill Country Club.

Registration begins at 8 a.m., with tee-off at 9 a.m. Thirty-eight teams of four are expected to take part in event.

Other sponsors include ITC, Smoky Hill Country Club, Dillons, Kansas Natural Gas, Commercial Builders, Downing Nelson Oil, Walmart Supercenter, Heartland Building Center and Copper’s Carts.

Kansas toddler hospitalized after being struck by lawn mower

BONNER SPRINGS, Kan. (AP) — A 15-month-old has been flown to a hospital after being struck by a lawn mower in Leavenworth County.

Authorities say the toddler suffered injuries to the lower body in the Wednesday night incident.

According to the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office, the victim, who was taken to Children’s Mercy Hospital, lives at the home where the incident occurred.

Further details were not released.

English honors organization at FHSU honored at international convention

FHSU University Relations

FHSU’s Rho Psi Chapter of Sigma Tau Delta, the International English Honor Society, received several awards and distinctions at the recent international convention of Sigma Tau Delta in Albuquerque, N.M.

Eight students had scholarly and creative writing chosen for presentation by blind review: Alfredo Anaya, Liberal senior; Taylor Deutscher, Solomon senior; Kaci Ferguson, Glade senior; Brigid Markey, Olathe senior; Seon-jin Na, Gwangju, South Korea, senior; Kimberly Voeller, St. Francis senior; Patrick Vulgamore, Norwich senior; and Zach Walker, Garden City senior.

Markey and Walker also presented in roundtables, which are competitively selected like paper submissions.

Sigma Tau Delta has more than 800 active chapters internationally, with tens of thousands of active members. Only inducted members may submit work to present at the convention. To be inducted, members must have a GPA of at least 3.2 in their English coursework and 3.0 overall.

FHSU’s “Lines from the Middle of Nowhere,” 2014 edition, received third place in the outstanding literary arts journal competition. This competition is separate from the convention, but the delegation of 11 students and one faculty member were able to accept the award in person at the convention’s awards ceremony.

The editorial board of the 2014 edition were editor Kat Goetting, Lawrence junior; Adaline Billinger, Ellinwood senior; Kristi Cash, Atchison senior; Ferguson, and Markey. The faculty advisor is Dr. Brett Weaver, associate professor of English.

“Lines” is an annual publication featuring student work from across campus.

Walker earned a $1,000 Regents’ Scholarship, one of only 37 scholarships awarded nationally.

Taran Becker, Hays junior, was elected associate student representative for the High Plains Region, one of six regions that each elect a student representative and an associate student representative.

Becker will represent the region on the national student leadership board, will work throughout the year to encourage activity in the High Plains Region, and will help plan next year’s convention in Minneapolis, Minn.

“I serve on the national Board as the High Plains Regent, and it is a great pleasure to have one of our own students serve in a leadership position there with me,” said Dr. Lexey Bartlett, associate professor of English.

“In the best FHSU fashion, they exhibited every positive quality of citizenship at the convention” said Bartlett, “and were able to engage in a number of presentations and workshops on scholarly and creative writing, career, and leadership topics.”

“The spirit of community involvement and service that permeates FHSU travels with us, and our students distinguish themselves by their community spirit everywhere they go, creating positive associations with our university’s reputation nationwide,” said Bartlett.

The chapter also celebrated its 25th anniversary with the presentation of a plaque that is on display near the English office. Kris Bair, former FHSU instructor of English, founded the chapter in 1989

Royals drop series finale in Cleveland

CLEVELAND (AP) – Jason Kipnis homered and drove in four runs to help the Cleveland Indians snap a four-game losing streak with a 7-5 win over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night.

Kipnis hit a three-run home run – his first since July 31 of last season – in the third and then capped another three-run rally in the sixth with an RBI grounder. Michael Bourn’s double gave Cleveland the lead.

Danny Salazar (3-0) allowed four runs in six innings.

Kansas City shortstop Alcides Escobar suffered a bruised left cheek after being hit in the head by a pitch from Salazar in the fifth inning. The ball struck Escobar on the left side of the helmet and he was on the ground for several moments. He walked off the field with help from two Royals trainers.

Yordano Ventura (2-2) allowed five runs in 5 1-3 innings.

Ricci Named All-MIAA Honorable Mention

FHSU Sports Information
Fort Hays State senior Brittney Ricci earned the second All-MIAA Women’s Tennis honor of her career at Fort Hays State as she was named an honorable mention selection at the No. 2 singles position for the 2014-15 season.

Ricci finished the season at 11-8 overall in singles play and she went 10-6 while playing at the No. 2 singles position. In conference action, she had a record of 6-4.

Ricci was also an All-MIAA selection as a freshman in 2011-12, earning second team honors.

Ricci finished with 90 career wins (44 singles, 46 doubles) at Fort Hays State. She finished third on the all-time NCAA combined wins list at FHSU, just six shy of the record 96 held by Kris Marten. Her 44 singles wins are also third on the career list.

5 teens arrested for a deadly attack threat at Kan. high school

HUTCHINSON— Five juveniles, including two Hutchinson High School students were arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of solicitation to commit first-degree murder.

Police arrested Tyler A. Cabral, Jacobsen T. Eells, Takoda D. Bowman and Dominic D. Collins, all 16, and 17-year-old Andre R. Harris, Wednesday afternoon.

According to District Attorney Keith Schroeder the five mutually encouraged one another to commit murder at Hutchinson High School. A press release from the police department said the investigation began Monday when threats on Facebook were reported.

Schroeder said he didn’t know how real the danger was but the threats had to be taken seriously. He said there was no need for further concern after the arrests.

The suspects are in the Reno County Youth Services Detention Facility pending appearances in juvenile court.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Former Kan. school safety director to stand trial on sex charges

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A former Wichita school safety supervisor who also is an ex-police sergeant will go to trial on eight charges accusing him of sex crimes against three boys.

The Wichita Eagle reports 52-year-old Alex Robinson was in court Wednesday, where a judge determined there is enough evidence to order him to stand trial.

Robinson’s attorney asked that that not-guilty plea be entered for his client, who showed no emotion and looked straight at the three witnesses during the hour-long preliminary hearing.

The witnesses — a 13-year-old, 17-year-old and 26-year-old — testified that Robinson groped or sodomized them when they were younger.

Robinson spent 22 years with the Wichita Police Department before going to work with the school district in 2006.

Kansas Supreme Court to consider city councilman’s case

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court is taking up the case next week of a suburban Kansas City official who was kicked out of office for allowing a homeless friend to sleep in City Hall.

Johnson County District Attorney Steve Howe’s office sought the review after the Kansas Court of Appeals found in October that the ouster of Prairie Village Councilman David Morrison was improper. Morrison came under fire after he allowed his longtime friend to stay at City Hall over a four-day period in 2012. A Johnson County jury found Morrison willfully engaged in misconduct after a civil trial.

But the appeals court found Morrison’s actions didn’t meet the legal requirements for the “drastic” step of ouster. The appeals court said a “simple error of judgment” is not sufficient.

Kansas State awards $500K in grants for global food research

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Kansas State University has awarded $500,000 in grants to faculty members who are researching way to boost food production as the world population grows.

The university says the Kansas Department of Commerce provided the grant money, which will be divided among nine projects. One of the projects is a three-day symposium to increase education and food production in urban settings. Other projects will look into irrigation and improving the beef transport system.

An 11-member panel of faculty members and students evaluated the grant requests. The effort is part of the school’s Global Food Systems Initiative.

Kansas man formally charged in child sexual assault case

HUTCHINSON — A Kansas man has been formally charged in the sexual abuse of a child following his arrest last week.

Steve Love Jr., 30, Hutchinson, is charged with one count of rape and one count of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.

Authorities say he is accused of the repeated rape of a young child over a three-year period in two different cities including one outside of Reno County.

The case was brought to the attention of the police after the alleged victim told adults of what was happening.

Police came to Love’s residence as he was pulling out of the driveway with his bags packed.

He remains jailed on a $75,000 bond.

Kansas officials awaiting word on tax collections in April

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators and other officials are waiting to learn whether the state’s tax collections in April met expectations.

The report Thursday from the state Department of Revenue will be the first since a new, more pessimistic fiscal forecast for state government was issued earlier this month. The forecast came from department officials, legislative researchers, university economists and Gov. Sam Brownback’s budget staff.

The new outlook reduced projected tax collections by a total of $187 million for the current fiscal year and the one beginning July 1.

The state expects to collect $5.7 billion in taxes during the current fiscal year and almost $5.9 billion during the next fiscal year.

Lower-than-anticipated tax collections could signal further budget problems because they’d come so soon after the new forecast.

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