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Police: Man shot during sale of marijuana

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police say a man has been shot in Wichita after being involved in the sale of $1,600 worth of marijuana.

Lt. James Espinoza says the 35-year-old man was selling the marijuana Tuesday to three men when one of them pulled out a gun, shot the victim and left with the drugs.

Espinoza said the victim drove to a convenience store to call his wife for help. His wife then called police.

Officers found the victim with a gunshot wound to his stomach. He was taken to a local hospital, where he is in serious but stable condition.

Police say they found 3 pounds of marijuana worth nearly $10,000 and several thousand dollars in cash inside the victim’s rental car. He will be arrested on several suspected offenses.

Two 18-year-old men and a 19-year-old man were arrested in connection to the robbery and shooting.

Kansas man dies after pickup overturns

WICHITA – A Kansas man died in an accident just after 9 p.m. on Wednesday in Sedgwick County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2000 Ford Ranger driven by Cameron D. Langley, 27, Wichita, was southbound on Interstate 235 just north of 25th Street.

The pickup left the roadway and struck the guardrail. The driver overcorrected and the vehicle overturned.

Langley was transported to St. Francis medical center where he died.

He was not wearing a seat belt according to the KHP.

City says pot ordinance should be stayed until Kan. court rules

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita is asking the state’s highest court to let the Sedgwick County District Court decide first whether a voter-approved ordinance lessening criminal penalties for marijuana possession is legal.

Wichita agreed in a filing Wednesday that enactment of the ordinance should be put on hold until the courts rule. But it contends the petition filed by Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt at the Kansas Supreme Court should be dismissed or transferred to the district court.

The city argues the decision should be made in its separate lower court case where the initiative circulators are parties.

The ordinance imposes up to a $50 fine for first-time possession of a small amount of pot. State law deems it a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.

Woman shot during street altercation in Salina

Police on the scene of Wednesday night's shooting in Salina
Police on the scene of Wednesday night’s shooting in Salina

SALINA- Law enforcement authorities in Salina are investigating a Wednesday night shooting.

According to authorities just after 9:30 p.m., a woman was shot in the head during an incident near the intersection of Russell and Roach Streets.

She was transported to Salina Regional Medical Center.

Police were looking for two vehicles in connection with the shooting.

Neighbors in the area reported that a group of individuals were involved in an altercation just before hearing as many as six gun shots.

Police have released no additional details.

Check the post for more information as it becomes available.

Indians rough up Danny Duffy, roll to win over Royals

By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Just about everyone in the Cleveland lineup drove in a run, Carlos Carrasco tossed seven sharp innings and the Indians rolled to a 10-3 win over the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday night.

Brandon Moss homered and added a two-run double to lead the charge, but six other Indians also drove in runs, helping Carrasco (4-2) end a three-game skid against the Royals.

He gave up a two-run homer to Kendrys Morales, but otherwise shut down a Kansas City lineup that returned hot-hitting outfielder Lorenzo Cain from a two-game suspension.

Cleveland had already taken a 4-0 lead when Danny Duffy (2-1) was yanked after facing five batters without getting an out in the second. The Royals’ bullpen briefly slowed the onslaught, but the Indians added four more runs in the seventh to put the game away.

FHSU’s Herman sixth at regional, comes up short in national tourney bid

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State senior Trey Herman closed out his collegiate career on Wednesday (May 6) at the NCAA Midwest/Central Regional in Lemont, Ill. Herman played very well, finishing sixth overall out of 108 golfers, but it wasn’t quite enough to make the NCAA Championship site.

The top two individuals not on NCAA Championship qualifying site teams move on to the NCAA Championship site. Garrison Myles of Malone University, who made the regional as a member of a team, turned into the top individual since his team didn’t finish in the top five. Myles finished second overall with a score of 1-under par. The second qualifier also came to the tournament with a team, Michael Hearne of Southern Nazarene, who finished in a tie for third at 1-over par.

Hearne won a playoff to take the second qualifying spot against DJ Vogt of Bellarmine, who also finished at 1-over par. Vogt came to the tournament as an individual.

Herman finished the tournament 3-over par, the relation to par he shot on Wednesday after entering the day at even par. Herman remained in the top 10 of the standings throughout the tournament, shooting a 4-under 68 on the first day to sit in a tie for third, then a 4-over par 76 on the second day to enter the final round in a tie for fifth place. Herman’s 3-over 75 in the final round was good enough for seventh, the same exact place in the standings he finished at last year’s Midwest/Central Regional.

Herman played in the same group as DJ Vogt on Wednesday. Vogt started the day one stroke back of Herman, but turned the tables after shooting 1-under through the first three holes and Herman started the day 2-over. A bogey by Vogt later in the first nine had him just one stroke ahead of Herman heading to the back nine.

Herman slipped four behind Vogt after a bogey at the 11th and birdies by Vogt at the 11th and 12th. Herman’s only birdie of the day at the par-5 15th cut the gap to three. Vogt bogeyed two of the last three holes, but it was too late for Herman, who played the last three holes 1-over par. Vogt’s bogeys proved costly, as it eventually resulted in a playoff that he lost in a chance to reach the national championship site.

Eric Kline of Central Oklahoma won the tournament at 2-under par overall, shooting 1-under in his final round. He and Garrison Myles were the only two golfers to finish under par. Kline helped Central Oklahoma (885) to the regional team championship over Central Missouri (895) by 10 strokes. UCO and UCM moved on to the national championship site.

Herman recorded six top-10 finishes in his senior year and had a scoring average of 73.9. He was a two-time All-MIAA selection and qualified for the NCAA Midwest/Central Regional two consecutive years as a junior and a senior.

Tornado causes damage in North Central Kansas UPDATE

Tornado in Lincoln County on Wednesday afternoon
Tornado in Lincoln County on Wednesday afternoon

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A line of severe storms rumbled through Kansas late Wednesday afternoon, producing at least nine confirmed tornadoes but no reported injuries as of 7 p.m.

The National Weather Service said the strongest tornadoes were in the sparsely populated north-central part of the state. That includes a large and extremely dangerous tornado that was spotted near the tiny town of Republic just south of the Nebraska state line, moving northeast at 35 mph.

A dispatcher with the Republic County Sheriff’s Office said reports of damage to some rural homes were starting to come in Wednesday evening, but there had been no reports of injuries.

Farther south, a tornado in Harvey County north of Wichita at 5:06 p.m. destroyed a hog barn and damaged trees, the weather service said.

—————-

LINCOLN COUNTY -A severe thunderstorm spawned a tornado that caused damage between 2:30 and 3:00 p.m. Wednesday in Lincoln County.

There were several reports via the National Weather Service in Wichita of multi-vortex tornadoes near Kansas 14 south of Lincoln.

Residents reported tree damage and outbuilding damage on the east side of the community of Lincoln.

No injuries were reported.

Matt Unruh with the Kansas Water Office took pictures of the tornado looking north from Ellsworth County.

The picture is via the twitter feed from the Kansas Water Office.

Roberts on Labor Rules that Hurt In-Home Care for Seniors and Disabled

RobertsWASHINGTON, DC – With oral arguments set to begin Thursday in a case before the U.S. Court of Appeals (D.C. Circuit), U.S. Senator Pat Roberts today released the following statement in support of the plaintiffs challenging proposed U.S. Department of Labor rules that will undermine the quality and affordability of in-home companion and domestic care for seniors and disabled individuals:

“I hope the court will agree with the previous court ruling that this rule is impractical and attempts to impose burdensome and costly labor requirements in the home where standards must remain flexible due to the individual nature of care for those in need of companion care,” Roberts said. “This is regulatory overreach gone haywire.”

The case is Home Health Care Association of America, et. Al. v. Weil, in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Case No. 15-5018.

At issue is the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Wage and Hour Division’s rulemaking entitled “Application of the Fair Labor Standards Act to Domestic Service,” which would void the companionship exemption to the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

The current companionship exemption allows the elderly and disabled to obtain the home care they need to remain independent without having to comply with the recordkeeping requirements that the FLSA imposes. Current law is a reflection of the will of Congress to protect both the interests of elderly and disabled care recipients who need affordable care along with those of caregivers who want predictable employment arrangements. For more on the rule go here.

Last month, Roberts and U.S. Representative Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) offered an Amicus Brief for Members of the U.S. Congress to the court.

The brief was signed by Senator Roberts, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Senators Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) and Richard Burr (R-N.C.). Support for the brief in the House in addition to Congressman Walberg includes U.S. Representative Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.).

Campus sex crime reporting increases, says Education Dept.

KIMBERLY HEFLING, AP Education Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of sex offenses on college campuses reported to the Education Department has nearly doubled over a five-year period.

Department officials say in a letter to California Sen. Barbara Boxer that they believe the increase is the result of federal enforcement efforts and growing public attention to the issues of campus sexual assault.

There were nearly 3,360 sex offense cases reported to the department in annual crime statistics reports in 2009. But the letter released by Boxer’s office says there were more than 6,000 in 2013.

Education and law enforcement officials say sexual assault is an underreported crime, and the true number of such crimes is likely much higher.

Kansas AG outlines proposal for disclosure of private emails

email2 - letterTOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt has outlined a proposal for requiring the disclosure of some private emails from public officials when they deal with government business.

But Schmidt said in a letter Wednesday to the director of the Legislature’s bill-drafting staff that expanding the Kansas Open Records Act is difficult because of free-speech protections for state employees.

Schmidt issued a legal opinion last week saying state employees using private accounts or devices are not covered by the records act. The law requires agencies and other government-funded entities to make their records available to the public.

Schmidt faced criticism for the opinion and said in his letter Wednesday that the law should be revised.

The Kansas Press Association said it would work closely with Schmidt and legislators on a fix.

US reopens investigation into Jeep, Dodge sun visors

DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government is reopening an investigation into Jeep and Dodge sun visors after reports that some caught fire even after a recall repair.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles recalled 895,000 2011-2014 Jeep Grand Cherokees and Dodge Durangos worldwide last summer after a government investigation found that a short in the vanity lamp wiring could cause visors to burn. FCA has been adding a plastic part to properly guide the wires.

FCA said the defect was only present in SUVs that were incorrectly reassembled after previous repairs.

But on Tuesday, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said it has reopened its investigation after receiving eight reports that visors caught fire even after the recall repair. No crashes or injuries related to the issue have been reported.

FCA says it’s cooperating with the investigation.

Kansas House panel mulls sales tax hike to close budget gap

Rep. Kleeb
Rep. Kleeb

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers are considering increasing the state sales tax as the Legislature gathers proposals to close a looming budget deficit.

The House Taxation Committee held a hearing Wednesday on a measure that would increase the state sales tax to 6.5 percent from 6.15 percent. The move would raise an estimated $164 million in each of the next fiscal years, but much more would be needed to balance the state’s budget.

The projected shortfall for the fiscal year beginning July 1 is about $800 million, but a proposed budget would narrow that to about $422 million.

Taxation Committee Chairman Marvin Kleeb, a Republican from Overland Park, said that he expects the Legislature will begin building consensus on the combination of tax increases needed to close the gap next week.

Court enters not guilty plea in Ft. Riley bomb case

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal magistrate has entered a not guilty plea on behalf of a Topeka man charged with conspiracy in a plot to bomb the Fort Riley military base.

Alexander E. Blair stood silent at his arraignment Wednesday on a criminal information accusing him of conspiring with John T. Booker, Jr., in the planned attack. The court then entered the plea for him.

Previously Blair had initially been charged with failing to report the plot to authorities, but the conspiracy charge unsealed Tuesday is more serious.

A status conference was set for June 8.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Gary Sebelius ordered the prosecutor and defense attorney to meet before then and discuss in good faith whether the case can be resolved with a plea change or whether it will require a trial.

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