TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Two Kansas residents have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the state’s proof-of-citizenship requirement for new voters and plans to remove people who haven’t complied from voter registration rolls.
The two residents of northeast Kansas’ Douglas County filed the lawsuit Wednesday against Secretary of State Kris Kobach.
Kobach predicited the lawsuit is “going nowhere.”
Kobach is the architect of a law requiring people registering for the first time in Kansas to document their U.S. citizenship.
He enacted a regulation requiring county election officials to purge voter rolls of registrations incomplete for more than 90 days. It takes effect Friday.
Prospective voters Alder Cromwell and Cody Keener sought to register months ago but haven’t met the proof-of-citizenship requirement.
They’re seeking a court order to block the purge and the proof-of-citizenship requirement.
“Since then, city staff has been very busy in the background continuing to fine-tune the investigation and implement the results as was previously discussed. I feel it is imperative that city staff and the commission continue to discuss this issue to keep it in the forefront of our thoughts and actions,” Dougherty said.
He will present an update at tonight’s city commission work session.
According to Dougherty, ‘Strong Towns’ fits in well with the city’s comprehensive plan. It differs, he said, “by putting a fiscal perspective on what we can afford to maintain over the years.”
He used parks as an example.
“As a community, we can have six really nice parks and support them with a population of 20,000 from the revenues we receive. Those parks can have shelter houses, expensive pieces of playground equipment, restrooms and things like that.
“Or we can have 12 parks that don’t have the amenities because we can’t afford to put the same amenities in all 12 parks.
“When we look at quality of life investments, we have to make sure we’re getting the maximum exposure, the maximum utilization of those amenities. That’s simply one way of looking at things.
“From our standpoint, ‘Strong Towns’ is a way of life for us. It’s a way of making sure that we are looking at short-term benefit, who we’re benefiting, and long-term cost.
“That all fits into the comprehensive plan. It talks at length about sustainability, quality of life amenities and paying attention to these issues.
“Essentially, it makes for a stronger Hays,” Dougherty added.
The other agenda item for the Oct. 1 work session is adoption by ordinance, the updated 2015
Uniform Public Offense Code for Kansas Cities (UPOC) and the updated 2015 Standard
Traffic Ordinance for Kansas Cities (STO) for use within Hays.
EMPORIA — Emporia State University Theatre opens its season this month with musical “South Pacific.” Featuring one of the most beloved scores of the musical stage, “South Pacific” is based upon the Pulitzer-prize winning “Tales of the South Pacific” by James A. Michener. The musical was also awarded a Pulitzer in 1950.
Rodgers and Hammerstein’s musical romance centers on a group of American sailors and Navy nurses who are stationed in the South Pacific during World War II. Arkansas native Nellie Forbush befriends and quickly falls for Emile de Becque, a French expatriate and plantation owner. Meanwhile, Lt. Joe Cable finds himself in a passionate affair with Liat, the young daughter of Bloody Mary, the local grass skirt peddler. As the war against Japan escalates, reality sets in for both Forbush and Cable, who struggle to reconcile their unconventional love affairs with their long-held prejudices and insecurities.
Richard Rodgers composed the music with lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II. Hammerstein and the show’s original director, Joshua Logan, wrote the book.
Students from this area with parts include:
• Dustin Bittel of Ellis, a sophomore theater major, is on the scenery construction crew.
• Rachel Muirhead of Hays, a sophomore theater education major, is playing Ensign Cora MacRae.
Proceeds from this production support scholarships for ESU students in the performing arts. “South Pacific” runs Oct. 22 through 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Oct. 25 at 2 p.m. in Albert Taylor Hall on the Emporia State University campus. Tickets can be reserved at the university box office in the Memorial Union or by calling (620) 341-6378.
It will be cloudy through at least Saturday with chances of precipitation Friday and Saturday.
Today A slight chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 11am. Cloudy, with a high near 66. East southeast wind around 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tonight Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50. East wind 7 to 10 mph.
FridayA slight chance of showers and thunderstorms, then a chance of showers after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 65. East southeast wind 8 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Friday NightA 50 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 46. East wind 6 to 13 mph.
SaturdayShowers likely, mainly between 9am and 2pm. Cloudy, with a high near 53. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Saturday NightA 30 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 45.
CHICAGO (AP) – Eric Hosmer hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the top of the 10th inning, and the Kansas City Royals beat the Chicago White Sox 5-3 on Wednesday night to clinch home-field advantage in an AL Division Series.
Ben Zobrist singled with one out, and Hosmer drove a pitch from David Robertson (6-5) into the bullpen in right field to give the Royals the lead. For Hosmer, it was his 18th homer of the season.
Alex Gordon and Mike Moustakas also homered for Kansas City, which had already clinched the AL Central title. They will host the first two games of their ALDS, and a Game 5 if necessary.
Combined with Toronto splitting its doubleheader in Baltimore, the Royals pulled within a game of the Blue Jays for home-field advantage throughout the AL playoffs. Toronto did win the season series, giving it the tiebreaker over the Royals.
PEABODY -Three people were injured in an accident just before 5:30p.m. on Wednesday in Harvey County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2013 Toyota passenger vehicle driven by Victoria E. Lowry, 25, Wichita, 1 was westbound on U.S. 50 two miles west of Peabody.
The vehicle went left of center and struck an eastbound semi.
The semi overturned and came to rest in the roadway.
Lowry and two children in the Toyota Kaden Freeman, 8, and Aria Murphy, 1, both of Wichita were transported to Wesley Medical Center.
The semi driver was not injured.
All were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita State University business research center report says the Kansas economy is growing far slower than the rest of the nation.
The report released Thursday by the Center for Economic Development and Business Research forecasts sluggish growth for the state next year.
The center’s own director, Jeremy Hill, says employment nationwide increased by 2.1 percent the past 12 months, while Kansas employment increased by less than 1 percent, or 0.9 percent. The report forecasts Kansas employment next year to grow 1.4 percent. If realized, that would mean 19,958 jobs.
Hill attributed the slow growth to problems in the agriculture, oil and manufacturing industries. Wages for 80 percent of workers have shown no real growth, hurting the retail industry.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police say a man is in critical condition after being run over by a city transit bus in Planeview.
The Wichita Eagle reports the bus made a left turn Tuesday morning and struck 75-year-old Hai Huynh, who had been standing in the road near a curb and talking to a motorist.
Wichita police Lt. James Espinoza said the bus knocked Huynh down and then ran over “his lower extremities.” Huynh was taken to Wesley Medical Center for treatment.
City officials say the 51-year-old driver of the bus is currently on leave. Espinoza said an investigation is ongoing.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Police say a man who had been reported as possibly missing has been found dead at the Kansas Historical Society in Topeka.
According to Kansas Capitol Police Lt. Adam Winters, officers were notified Tuesday night of a possible missing person who was last seen working at the historical society.
The Topeka Capital Journal reports police searched the area of the society and located the man.
Winters said foul play is not suspected in the man’s death. An investigation is ongoing.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – Kansas forward Dwight Coleby, a transfer from Ole Miss, tore the ACL in his left knee during a light team workout last week and will be unable to practice with the team this season.
Coleby had already planned to sit out under NCAA transfer rules.
Jayhawks coach Bill Self said Wednesday that Coleby will have surgery Oct. 11, and he should be ready by the start of next season. The Bahamas native will have two seasons of eligibility left.
Coleby started four of 28 games as a freshman two years ago, and played in all 34 games last season. He averaged 5.4 points and 4.8 rebounds while helping Ole Miss go 21-13 and reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
