OTTAWA, Kan. (AP) — A Franklin County District Court judge has denied a request to unseal dozens of documents in the case of a man charged with killing three adults and a child.

Kyle Flack is charged with capital murder in the 2013 slayings of a 21-year-old woman and her 18-month-old daughter, and with premeditated first-degree murder in the deaths of two men.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports (https://bit.ly/1eYnAJD ) that District Court Judge Eric Godderz said Tuesday that granting a motion to unseal 68 documents would represent “a clear and present danger” to the trial. The judge also denied a defense request to move the trial outside of Franklin County.

The judge is also considering a request from Flack’s lawyers for a postponement of the trial to April 2016. It’s scheduled to begin in September.

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OTTAWA, Kan. (AP) — A witness testifying at a hearing for a man accused of killing three adults and a child in eastern Kansas says more than 90 percent of people surveyed recently believe the defendant is guilty to some extent.

Kyle Flack was charged with murder and rape after two men, a woman and her daughter were found slain near Ottawa in 2013. His defense lawyer’s seeking a change of venue for the trial, set to begin Sept. 21.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Troy Comeau, an associate professor at Pittsburg State University, testified Tuesday that a survey he conducted for the defense of 330 Franklin County residents found 92.6 percent of respondents believe Flack’s guilty to some extent.

Franklin County Attorney Stephen Hunting wants the case to stay in Ottawa.

HUTCHINSON– The Ulster Project is under way for another year in Hutchinson.

A mix of Protestant and Catholic teens arrived from Portadown Northern Ireland on Monday night.

Tuesday is the first full day of activities including the ecumenical service at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. The public is invited to attend.

The Ulster Project brings teens from Northern Ireland to spend a month with teens from Central Kansas to learn secular tolerance and understanding according to officials.

The project was started in 1975 as a small step towards peace in Northern Ireland.

More than 6,000 U.S. teens have participated in the Ulster project.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) released the following statement upon news that the Colmery-O’Neil VA Medical Center – part of the VA Eastern Kansas Health Care System – would reopen the Emergency Department starting Tuesday.

The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has determined that the Topeka Emergency Department now meets all policy, procedures and staffing levels.

“This is the good news Eastern Kansas veterans have been waiting for – they will once again be able to count on emergency services at Colmery-O’Neil,” Sen. Moran said. “It has been a long road since the emergency room was temporarily shuttered in January 2014, and Topeka veterans were suddenly without the emergency care they could need at any moment. I am pleased our efforts alongside Director Klopfer, Congresswoman Jenkins and VA Heartland Network Director Patterson‎ resulted in this positive outcome. Safe and quality care for our nation’s veterans is one of my top priorities and I trust that the reopening of the Colmery-O’Neil emergency room will help make certain veterans in Kansas can get the timely, quality care they earned through their selfless service to our nation.”

According to a press release from Colmery-O’Neil, all veterans reporting to the Colmery-O’Neil VA Medical Center’s Emergency Department (ED) will be triaged and given the appropriate care.

Sen. Moran first raised concerns about the shuttering of the emergency department with then-VA Secretary Eric Shinseki in August 2013. He also expressed frustration with the Veterans Health Administration in January 2014 once the emergency room at Colmery-O’Neil was temporary closed. In order to resolve the ongoing issues, in April 2015, Rep. Lynn Jenkins (R-Kan.) and Sen. Moran asked the VA Heartland Network Director about the support the Network is receiving from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in Washington, D.C. In early June, they received a response from the VA Heartland Director dated April 27, 2015, which stated that “we anticipate the temporary ‘pause’ on the Emergency Department to be removed by the end of May.” The June 30, 2015, reopening follows the completion of a plan by Colmery-O’Neil to make certain the emergency department is fully capable of meeting the needs of the veterans.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The federal agency that oversees railroads is asking digital mapping companies to alert users as they approach track crossings.

The Federal Railroad Administration announced Monday that, so far, Google has agreed.

The effort comes as deaths from train-on-vehicle collisions increased in 2014 over 2013 — a rare rise in recent years. This year included major accidents near New York City, Los Angeles and in North Carolina.

It’s not yet clear when the audio and visual cues will begin popping up.

For its part, Google Maps said through spokeswoman Mara Harris that it is sees a chance to make the maps more useful.

Agency spokesman Matthew Lehner said the railroad administration also has asked Apple, TomTom, MapQuest and Garmin to participate.

by Julie Gibbs

As part of K‐State’s comprehensive and proactive approach to encourage students to stay safe and healthy, K‐State is requiring all students — new and returning* — to complete the Alcohol and Sexual Assault Prevention Program, a Web‐based educational program referred to as Think About It from CampusClarity.

Beginning on July 1, K‐State will implement this comprehensive sexual violence prevention and education program for all students of the K‐State community. This systemwide program will address substance use and sexual violence through interactive educational contents and scenarios. It will take approximately two hours to complete the program and the associated climate survey. The program is designed to help students to:

Make healthy decisions.
Know and understand state laws and K‐State campus policies.
Know local community resources associated with these topics.
Because of its importance, all students are required to complete the training in its entirety prior to the first day of classes in the upcoming semester. Students who do not complete the required training will be unable to register for future classes until the training has been completed.

The content of the sexual violence education portion of Think About It training may be triggering for some individuals. Please direct triggering concerns and requests for alternative training options to the K-State Center for Advocacy, Response and Education, or CARE, at 785-532‐6444 or [email protected] to the first day of classes in the upcoming semester.

The Alcohol and Sexual Assault Prevention program will be available beginning July 1 and must be completed by Aug. 24. An email will be sent to each student with a link directly to the program. A hold will be put on students’ accounts if students do not complete this requirement.

If you have any questions, please email [email protected] or call Lafene Health Center, Health Promotion office at 785‐532‐6595. Please visit www.k-state.edu/asap for more information.

*Returning students will take the sexual assault prevention portion only. This training will take place annually and will serve to satisfy federal regulations.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — The Overland Park City Council has agreed to give $25,000 to a planned memorial commemorating a 1981 hotel disaster in Kansas City.

The skywalks at the Hyatt Regency Hotel collapsed July 17, 1981, killing 114 people. The skywalk collapse remains among the deadliest structural collapses in U.S. history.

Overland Park said in a release Sunday that the city council approved a one-time grant of $25,000 to the Skywalk Memorial Foundation for construction of the memorial near the site of the disaster. The planned memorial is intended to honor first responders, rescuers and victims of the Hyatt hotel skywalks collapse, and will be part of a larger park near Children’s Mercy Hospital.