HUTCHINSON — In September of 2015, a Kansas man charged with alleged distribution of drugs was bound over for trial, but that trial will be delayed even longer.

Brian Green, 29, Hutchinson, faces trial for possession of methamphetamine with intent to sell, possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to distribute, possession of marijuana, personal use drug paraphernalia, interference with law enforcement and aggravated false impersonation. But, the state added a charge of identity theft after testimony in the case was complete.

The defense has filed a motion to suppress and that will delay the trial, which was scheduled to begin Tuesday.

The state alleges at the time of his arrest by Hutchinson Police, Green was in possession of between 3.5 and 100 grams of methamphetamine as well as the paraphernalia, which the state alleges was used to distribute drugs.

He also allegedly had a small amount of marijuana and gave police the name of Shawn Green, which they later learned was not his name.

Green has previous convictions involving the manufacturing of methamphetamine and associated charges in Reno, Rice and
Harvey counties.

 SALINA – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a bomb threat.

The threat was called into the City of Salina’s Water Department just before 3p.m. on Monday, according to Salina Police Captain Mike Sweeney

Officers searched the city-county building at on West Ash for explosives and none were found.

Following the search, announcements were made to courtrooms, as well as those in attendance at the weekly city commission meeting, to alert people in the building that a threat had been made.

They were given the option to leave.

By ALEX SMITH

State health officials announced Friday that a southwest Kansas resident contracted the Zika virus after the resident traveled to an unspecified country where the pathogen has spread.

It’s the first confirmed case of Zika virus disease in Kansas.

Though a few cases of the virus in the United States have been spread through sexual contact, the vast majority of cases worldwide have been spread by mosquitos. So far, no transmission of the disease by mosquitos has been identified in the continental U.S.

Cassie Sparks, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Health and the Environment, says the spread of the virus via mosquitos in Kansas is still highly unlikely, but the state is taking precautions.

“We’ve been prepared for Zika virus to have a case here and working with health care providers across the state to respond to both suspected and confirmed cases,” Sparks says.

KDHE provided no further details on the Kansas case, including whether the patient is a male or female and where he or she lives.

Zika has provoked alarm by its rapid spread in South America and in Brazil in particular. Although the virus causes relatively mild symptoms in most healthy people, the virus can cause brain defects in infants, including microcephaly, a neurological condition characterized by babies born with abnormally small heads.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has warned pregnant women against traveling to countries where Zika has spread.

Sparks advises anyone traveling to those countries to take measures to avoid mosquito bites.

The first Zika case in Missouri was confirmed last Friday in a patient who had traveled to Haiti. Kansas City health officials say the individual is not a local resident.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it’s unable to predict how much the virus might spread in the continental United States. While many areas have the type of mosquitos that can spread the virus, the agency says that “recent outbreaks in the continental United States of chikungunya and dengue, which are spread by the same type of mosquito, have been relatively small and limited to a small area.”

Alex Smith is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a reporting collaboration based at KCUR.

MINNEAPOLIS, Kan. (AP) — A north-central Kansas man will be sentenced April 29 for the deaths of a Topeka father and daughter in a traffic collision.

An Ottawa County jury convicted Jason Jeardoe of Bennington on Friday of two felony counts of involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence of alcohol in the 2014 deaths of Jason and Emma Jo Pisocki.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Jeardoe will be held in jail until his sentencing.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says the collision occurred April 11, 2014, on Kansas 18 about three miles west of Bennington. A parked vehicle was partially in the westbound lane and Jeardoe, who was driving west, moved his pickup truck into the eastbound lane to avoid it, colliding head-on with the Pisockis vehicle. They died at the scene.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A recent report has determined that women in Kansas who work full-time, year-round earn 79 cents for every dollar made by men.

The Topeka Capital Journal reports that the University of Kansas’ Center for Science and Technology & Economic Policy was commissioned by the Women’s Foundation to analyze factors such as economic well-being, health and civic engagement of women across the state.

The report, titled “Status of Women in Kansas,” found that the median earnings of women who work full-time, year-round is about $35,560 annually. Johnson County has the highest median earnings for women, while Gove County has the lowest.

Women account for more than 49 percent of the employed individuals in Kansas.

MANHATTAN- A Kansas man, awaiting a trial for arson, was sentenced in Riley County Court for drug distribution on Monday.

According to the prosecutor, Donnie Hill, 43, Manhattan, was on parole for the distribution of narcotics when he was arrested in June of 2015 for the distribution of marijuana.

Hill’s attorney submitted a motion for downward departure in order to try to reduce the possible sentence time but was denied.

Judge Stutzman stated there was not sufficient reason for the departure, and Hill had a criminal history with 12 felonies, as well as a recent arrest for arson since he had entered a plea in the distribution case.

Hill was was arrested on February 20, 2016 on the offense of arson and theft in connection to a house fire at 615 Yuma street that occurred on February 12.

He was found at the scene of the fire with a significant cut to his arm and was transported to Via Christi Hospital.

The Manhattan Fire Department responded to the fire, but the house was a total loss and was listed at $95,000.

Judge Stutzman sentenced Hill for 46 months for distribution of marijuana.

The arson hearing is still pending in Riley County Court.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita lawmaker’s bill would roll back a tax exemption for business owners in order to reduce sales tax on groceries.

Republican Rep. Mark Hutton’s bill is scheduled for a hearing Tuesday before the House Taxation Committee. It would remove the income tax break for owners of limited liability companies and other pass-through businesses.

The Kansas Department of Revenue says that action would raise about $261 million. That would allow the state to lower the sales tax on groceries between 2.6 percent and 2.9 percent.

The Wichita Eagle reports (https://bit.ly/1TIXTOE ) Hutton led a coalition last year that tried to remove the same income tax exemption. That effort stalled when Gov. Sam Brownback threatened to veto any bill that contained that provision. Brownback has made similar comments this session.

SALINE COUNTY – Two weekend fires are responsible for thousands of dollars in damage was, according to Saline County Sheriff’s Captain Roger Soldan

David Schoenig was burning weeds on his property in the 5000 block of West Slope Road on Friday afternoon and had put out the fire.

The fire rekindled a short time later and made its way into a nearby shed.

The fire damaged several items inside the shed, including a push mower and a snow blower. Total damage caused by the fire was estimated at $1,945.

Just after 9:30 p.m. Sunday evening, Matthew Hubele was burning brush on his property in the 1500 block of East Hedberg Road, when a skid loader he was using, slid off an embankment and into the fire.

The skid loader, which was destroyed, was valued at $45,000.
Hubele was not injured.