WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has voided the Kansas ban on same-sex marriages as unconstitutional in the wake of a U.S. Supreme Court decision on the issue.

U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree summarily ruled Monday that the provision in the Kansas constitution that prohibits issuing marriage licenses same-sex couples or recognizing such marriages violates the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. That ruling also applies to any Kansas statute, law, policy or practice that bars or fails to recognize such unions.

But Crabtree stopped short of issuing a permanent injunction so as to give Kansas the opportunity to voluntarily comply, as its attorneys have assured the court they will do.

The court says some facts in the court record suggest Kansas officials have not uniformly complied with the U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

HOXIE – A Kansas woman died in an accident just after 9:30 a.m. on Monday in Sheridan County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1990 Honda Goldwing motorcycle driven by Todd E. McCallister, 51, Wichita, was southbound on K23 nine miles south of Hoxie.

The driver lost control of the motorcycle when it blew a rear tire.

Both driver and passenger were ejected.

McCallister and the passenger Tina E. McCallister, 47, Wichita, were transported to the Sheridan County Community Health Complex where she died. Both were wearing helmets, according to the KHP.

SALINA – On Monday, the Salina Police Department released more details regarding a shooting incident that left one dead Friday afternoon.

Capt. Mike Sweeney said that officers from the Salina Police Department and medic units from the Salina Fire Department were sent to an address in the 1100 block of North 10th Street at approximately 3:39 p.m. Friday in reference to a shooting that just occurred.

Upon arrival, officers found a female in her 30’s and a male identified as Jerry Alkire, 32, lying in the street with gunshot wounds. The female had been shot multiple times with a high-powered handgun in the mid-torso and outer extremities. Alkire was shot in the abdomen and inner thigh. Another male subject, Dan Fisk, 38, was found deceased in the driveway with a gunshot wound to the head.

The officers secured the scene and the medic units transported the injured to the Salina Regional Health Center.

A police investigation revealed that shortly before the shooting, the female victim and a male acquaintance had arrived at the female’s residence. The victim operates a daycare center from her residence and was caring for three children along with her own three children. The victim found that her back door had been forced opened. She entered the residence and called the police. The acquaintance went out back to smoke a cigarette and started hearing shots inside the residence. He then saw several children running out the back door along with the victim. Fisk was in pursuit of the victim and continued shooting at her.

The victim ran to the front yard and eventually collapsed in the street. Alkire heard the shots, came to the aid of the victim and was shot in the thigh. He went back to his residence across the street and put a belt around his wound in an effort to restrict the bleeding. He then returned to the street and was shot a second time in the abdomen. Fisk then shot himself in the head and died at the scene. Alkire and the female were admitted to the hospital and underwent surgery for their wounds. The children, ages from 11 months to 10 years old, were found safe and uninjured.

Fisk was an estranged husband to the victim. He forcibly entered the victim’s residence through the backdoor and was in the residence when the victim arrived. The victim found him upstairs where he started shooting at her. She ran downstairs through the backdoor with Fisk in pursuit. She eventually collapsed from her injuries in the street.

Sweeney said that the female victim, who’s name was not released, remains hospitalized and is expected to recover. Alkire has been released.

According to Sweeney, the investigation into the incident is ongoing and no further arrests are expected.

WAMEGO, Kan. (AP) — Former tea party-backed candidate Dr. Milton Wolf has confronted Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran at a town hall meeting over the state medical board’s past investigation of Wolf’s license as Wolf was running for office.

Wolf declined to say Monday whether he plans to run in next year’s Republican primary against Moran. Wolf is a Leawood radiologist and gave Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts a tougher-than-expected challenge in last year’s GOP primary.

Wolf asked Moran at a town hall in Wamego what Moran knew about the medical board’s investigation of Wolf over his postings on Facebook in 2010 of X-ray images of fatal gunshot wounds. Moran said he didn’t know anything until he saw news reports last year.

Wolf said last week that the board closed its investigation without finding wrongdoing.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Postal Service is reporting a net loss of $586 million this spring. But that’s a big improvement over the $2 billion shortfall for the same period last year.

Postal officials say the loss was mitigated largely because interest rates associated with worker’ compensation expenses swung in the cash-strapped agency’s favor. Operating expenses outside the Postal Service’s control dropped by $1.6 billion for the same period last year to $389 million this spring.

The latest financial statement covers April through the end of June, a time period when the Postal Service says it typically experiences lower revenues.

VALLEY CENTER, Kan. (AP) — A ranch near Wichita that serves at-risk boys is expanding to serve more boys.

The Youth Horizons boys ranch near Valley Center currently has 12 boys in its residential program. They are taught such things as personal hygiene, caring for animals and how to behave in front of women.

The Wichita Eagle reports the program started in a house near downtown Wichita in the 1980s. Two houses were later built about 20 miles north of Wichita.

Construction is nearly complete on two more houses. President Earnest Alexander says $1.5 million of the $2 million needed has been raised. The organization is now trying to match a $250,000 grant by the end of September.

The new houses will allow the group to have 32 boys living at the ranch.

ATWOOD- A teenage driver was injured in an accident just before 8:30 a.m. on Monday in Rawlins County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1994 Chevy pickup driven by Kimberly K. Brunswick, 18, McCook, NE., was northbound on Kansas 23 four miles north of Atwood.

The truck entered the ditch and overturned.
Brunswick was transported to the Rawlins County Health Center.

She was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.