WELLINGTON, Kan. (AP) — A Wellington woman accused of stabbing her 10-year-old son to death is set to undergo a second mental evaluation.
The Wichita Eagle reports Lindsey Nicole Blansett will spend 30 to 45 days undergoing psychological testing to determine if she had a mental defect that rendered her incapable of premeditation. She’s charged with first-degree premeditated murder and aggravated assault for the death of Caleb Blansett last December.
Sumner County Attorney Kerwin Spencer said Tuesday that he asked for the evaluation after Blansett’s attorney filed a notice of his plan to assert his client had a mental disease or defect as a possible defense in the case.
This evaluation is different from the competency exam she previously underwent to determine if she was fit to stand trial. A judge ruled that she is competent to face her charges.
Another pleasant day with highs in the mid 80s is in store for southwest Kansas. There will be a slight chance for thunderstorms mainly over central and south central Kansas Friday afternoon and across much of the area late Saturday as a cold front moves through the region. Cooler, fall-like weather is expected on Sunday.
Today Sunny, with a high near 87. Breezy, with a south wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon. Tonight Mostly clear, with a low around 63. South wind 13 to 17 mph.
FridayMostly sunny, with a high near 88. Breezy, with a south wind 9 to 14 mph increasing to 15 to 20 mph in the afternoon.
Friday NightA 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 2am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 69. South wind 13 to 17 mph.
SaturdayA 10 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 5pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 94. South wind 13 to 16 mph.
Saturday NightA 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 2am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60.
JACKSON COUNTY – A Kansas man died in an accident just before 7:30p.m. on Wednesday in Jackson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported 1993 Honda Accord driven by Artak Nicholas McCarthy, 23, St. Marys, was westbound on 134th Street three miles west of U.S 75 on the Pottawatomie Indian Reservation.
The driver lost control of the vehicle. It went off the south side of the road and struck some trees.
McCarthy was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Capital City Mortuary.
He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
Current Kansas Drought monitor map -click to expand
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) â A Kansas official says despite recent rain, sections of western Kansas still need about five inches of rain before they make up what they lost in the drought.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Diane Knowles, an environmental specialist with the Kansas Water Office, says even some areas in northeast Kansas haven’t benefited from more frequent rains this year.
She spoke Wednesday at the Kansas Environmental Conference in Topeka.
Knowles says in June, 33 western Kansas counties were still under a drought watch due to low stream flows and soil moisture. In some areas, the drought was severe enough to raise concerns about water supplies.
Overall, most Kansas counties have more moisture than they did a year ago. Rainfall can be scattered so crops have struggled even in eastern Kansas.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Topeka Zoo officials have denied claims by activists that the zoo’s two elephants are suffering from lack of social interaction.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wrote to Topeka Zoo director Brendan Wiley asking for a meeting to discuss elephants Tembo and Sunda.
Rachel Mathews, with PETA’s Captive Animals Law Enforcement unit, says the animals need a third elephant to interact with.
On Wednesday, Wiley sent his response, declining the request for a meeting.
Wiley says the zoo meets accrediting standards of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and has space for another elephant, but he says adding a third elephant this year or next year wouldn’t be a good idea because of zoo construction.
CINCINNATI (AP) – Lorenzo Cain had a tie-breaking RBI single in the second inning, Ben Zobrist had four hits and Kansas City benefited from a Cincinnati baserunning gaffe as the Royals beat the Reds 4-3 Wednesday night to complete a two-game sweep.
Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie left in the fifth with the 4-3 lead and the bases loaded and one out. Luke Hochevar (1-0) got Jay Bruce to pop up along the first base line. Bruce was out under the infield fly rule, but Jason Bourgeois tried to score when the ball dropped, and Hochevar threw to catcher Drew Butera, who easily tagged Bourgeois out.
Zobrist had his eighth career four-hit game as the Royals completed a sweep of the four-game season series with Cincinnati. The Royals have won five straight and the Reds have lost five straight.
Keyvius Sampson (2-2) gave up the four runs and nine hits in 3 1/3 innings.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Police have identified two men who were fatally shot in a drive-by shooting in Kansas City.
According to authorities, 23-year-old Deron J. Rucker and 24-year-old Antonio R. Rucker, both of Kansas City, Kansas, were found dead in a parking lot outside of a restaurant Tuesday afternoon. Police had responded to several calls about shots fired in the area.
Redshirt junior Crystal Whitten and true freshman Azlyn Cassaday both had 11 kills to lead the Fort Hays State volleyball team in their annual Black and Gold Scrimmage Wednesday night at Gross Coliseum. Mallory Flagor, the team’s lone senior added 10 kills in the three set match won by the FHSU Black team (25-15, 31-29, 18-25).
Abby Groth and Hannah Wagy both had 19 assists. Wagy led the way with 16 digs.
Neither team hit particularly well with the Gold finishing with a .090 average and the Black .148. Seventh year head coach Kurt Kohler chalks that up to their youth as well as familiarity. “I think it is our defense knowing what our hitters are going to do” Kohler said. “Our passing wasn’t real good today so our offense wasn’t able to come along”.
7th year coach Kurt Kohler discusses Wednesday’s Black and Gold Scrimmage
Kohler has just one senior and seven true freshman on his roster and knows there will be some growing pains.
“Most of these kids are now playing like freshman, which is nice” Kohler said. “A lot of these girls look like they’ve played at a high level already so that’s going to be fun to get them on the court and really challenge our upper classman”.
The Tigers, who are picked eighth in the MIAA coaches’ preseason poll, are looking to improve on last season which saw them finish three spots higher than in 2013.
FHSU will host Bethel College at Gross Memorial Coliseum in an exhibition doubleheader starting at 4 pm on Wednesday, August 26. They then open the 2015 regular season in Marquette, Mich., at the Northern Michigan Tournament, Sept. 4-5.
Data collected by undergraduate agricultural students at Fort Hays State University was recently published in John Deere’s magazine, “The Furrow.” Eagle’s Mike Cooper talks with FHSU Assistant Professor of Agriculture Business Craig Smith.
A baler and bales were destroyed in a Wednesday morning fire northeast of Ellis.
Just after 10:20 a.m. Wednesday, Ellis County Rural Fire crews were dispatched to the 2100 block of 130th Avenue for the report of a baler on fire.
According to Fire Chief Darin Myers the baler was a complete loss, as were a few bales, in the fire that burned approximately 10 acres of CRP. Crews were able to save the tractor that was attached to the baler.
The fire threatened a house, forcing a second company out of Hays to be dispatched to the location. Company 5 out of Hays responded with another fire truck and a water truck.
Crews were able to extinguish the fire with the help of farmers in the area who broke up the bales and plowed up a fire line.
Myers said the cause of the fire has not yet been determined other than it was an accident.
Company 6 out of Ellis and Company 5 from Hays both responded to the fire.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran says he wanted the nation’s top federal transportation official to see the importance of unmanned aerial vehicles to the Kansas economy.
The issue came up during an aviation forum Wednesday attended by U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx.
Fox told the state’s leading aviation leaders that while the government is on “a good path” when it comes to commercial use of drones, he is concerned about their private use. Foxx says officials are looking at strategies such as a possible registration system at the point of sale so that problem drones can be traced back to their owners.
Moran says drones are important to the Kansas economy with its aviation research centers and manufacturers. They also can be valuable for use by agriculture, utilities and rail transportation.
David Wiebe, one of the best known advocates for people with mental illness in Kansas, died Monday in Fairway at age 76. He had cancer.
“If you step back and look at how, over the decades, Kansas’ mental health system was developed, created and formed to where it is now, you’ll see that he was one of the pioneers,” says Tim DeWeese, executive director at the Johnson County Mental Health Center.
“His service to both the mental health field and to mental health consumers was invaluable,” DeWeese says.
Wiebe served as executive director of the Johnson County Mental Health Center from 1985 to 2011. He also served as president of the Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas from 1996 to 1998.
At the time of his death, Wiebe was president of the Kansas Mental Health Coalition.
From 1988 to 1990, he was an active member of then-Gov. Mike Hayden’s Task Force on Mental Health Reform.
“His mission in life was to bring the best services to people who suffered from mental illness,” says Howard Snyder, who served on the task force with Wiebe. “He succeeded in that.”
Snyder says Wiebe was instrumental in the group’s push to make mental health treatment available in community-based settings.
At the time, Snyder says, the University of Kansas “came out with some data that showed that 80 cents out of every dollar the state spent on mental health was being spent in the state hospitals. Only 20 cents was being spent on services in the community.”
“That’ll be David’s legacy: moving as many services as possible into communities all across the state,” he says.
Wiebe also championed in-state efforts to help law enforcement officers develop alternate responses for crisis situations involving people with mental illness, now known as Crisis Intervention Training, or CIT.
“When we started out, CIT was an idea,” says Steve McCorkill, a sergeant with the Shawnee Police Department and a 10-year member of the Kansas Law Enforcement CIT Council. “A lot of people didn’t have the vision. But David did; he got it. He was 100 percent supportive. He was committed to making it happen not only in Johnson County but all across the state of Kansas.”
At the onset of the initiative, McCorkill says, Kansas had “maybe a handful” of trained officers. Today, he says, there are close to 1,200.
“You have to understand, we started out with nothing,” McCorkill says. “David gave us really good guidance. He understood budgeting. He knew how to build something out of nothing.”
Born in Aberdeen, Idaho, Wiebe moved to Newton, Kansas, when he was 12 years old. He later graduated from Newton High School and Bethel College. He earned a master’s degree in social work at KU.
Wiebe is survived by his wife, Leslie; three children, and six grandchildren.
Services will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Rainbow Mennonite Church, 1444 Southwest Blvd., Kansas City, Kan.
Dave Ranney is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.
