WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police in Wichita, Kansas, say a 16-year-old girl died after accidentally shooting herself.
Wichita police Lt. Jason Stephens says 16-year-old Nautica Whittker shot herself unintentionally early Saturday when she and other teenagers were playing with a shotgun in the basement of a home she was visiting.
Whittker died at the scene.
Stephens says the shotgun belonged to a resident of the home.
Topeka, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on Kansas’ six members of the Electoral College casting their votes for president (all times local):
1:25 p.m.
The votes cast by Kansas’ six members of the Electoral College for President-elect Donald Trump have been greeted by boos from some of the dozens of people who watched.
The Republican electors met Monday in the Kansas Senate chamber. Trump received nearly 57 percent of the vote in Kansas.
About 80 people crammed into the Senate’s west gallery to watch, and about 40 more people watched from the Senate floor.
Some of the observers applauded the announcement that Trump had received the state’s electoral vote. But others in the gallery shouted “Shame!” and “The blood is on your hands!”
The Electoral College formally elects the president, and each state has as many votes as members in Congress. A candidate must win 270 of the 538 votes to be elected.
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12:35 p.m.
Kansas’ six Republican members of the Electoral College have cast their ballots for President-elect Donald Trump, keeping with the state’s popular vote.
In voting Monday at the Statehouse, the electors ignored thousands of emails urging them to vote against Trump. And about 19 people protested at the Statehouse on Monday.
But the electors said most of the emails came from outside Kansas and urged a vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton, as the winner of the national popular vote. Trump received nearly 57 percent of the vote in Kansas.
The electors signed separate ballots for Trump and his vice presidential running mate, Mike Pence.
The Electoral College formally elects the president, and each state has as many votes as members in Congress. A candidate must win 270 of the 538 votes to be elected.
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Electors are gathering Monday in every state to formally elect Donald Trump president even as anti-Trump forces try one last time to deny him the White House.
The six Republican members of the Electoral College in Kansas feel obligated to follow their state’s popular vote for Donald Trump in the presidential race.
They also defend the college as a much-needed institution for ensuring that most of the U.S. isn’t ignored.
The Kansas electors are State Treasurer Ron Estes, State Rep. Mark Kahrs, Kansas Republican Party chair Kelly Arnold, Helen Van Etten, a member of the Kansas Board of Regents, Kansas Republic Party Executive Director Clayton Barker and Kansas Republic Party Vice Chairwoman Ashley McMillan
All of them reported receiving thousands of emails urging them not to vote for Trump.
They said most emails were from outside Kansas. Some wanted them to pick another Republican, but most called on them to back Democrat Hillary Clinton as the winner of the popular vote nationwide.
They’re expecting their meeting at noon Monday in the Kansas Senate chamber to be short, despite the national attention on the Electoral College and the campaign against Trump.
Protests are planned Monday for several state capitals, but they’re unlikely to persuade the Electoral College to dump Trump. An Associated Press survey of electors found very little appetite to vote for alternative candidates.
The AP tried to reach all 538 electors and interviewed more than 330 of them, finding widespread aggravation among Democrats with the electoral process.
But despite the national group therapy session being conducted by some Democrats, only one Republican elector told the AP that he won’t vote for Trump.
WICHITA – A Mexican woman was sentenced Monday to time served for unlawful possession of a firearm connected to a homicide case in Salina, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.
She will be placed in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for deportation.
Azucena Garcia-Ferniza, 22, spent about 15 months in jail.
She pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Wichita to one count of possession of a firearm while unlawfully in the United States.
In her plea, she admitted that on May 7, 2015, she unlawfully possessed a Glock .45 caliber pistol. Her visitor’s visa had expired in February 1998.
In July 2016, Garcia-Ferniza was sentenced in Saline County District Court to18 months on probation for attempting to hide the gun that killed 17-year-old Allie Saum.
The gun belonged to her boyfriend, Macio D. Palicio, Jr. Saum was killed by gunfire when Palicio fired at a pickup he mistakenly believed was driven by rival gang members.
Palicio was convicted in Saline County District Court and sentenced to more than 50 years for the killing.
BARTON COUNTY -Law enforcement authorities in Barton County are investigating an alleged case of a woman being held against her will and searching for a suspect.
Just after 10p.m. on December 14, officers from the Great Bend Police Department were dispatched to 3408 Lakin Street in reference to an “open” 911 call, according to a media release.
The dispatchers could tell that someone had called 911 and could hear noise in the background, but couldn’t talk to anyone on the line.
As the responding officer arrived in front of the house where the phone appeared to be, a man (later identified as Bobby Stark) came outside. He told the officer there was nothing wrong, and then immediately walked back inside and shut the door.
The officer walked toward the door to investigate, and then heard a woman’s voice inside the house calling for help. The officer forced the door open just as Stark, age 30, was running out the back door.
The woman in the house claimed that Stark had been holding her against her will all day, and that she had secretly called 911 to get help.
Officers also quickly ascertained that Stark had multiple outstanding arrest warrants for probation violations.
Additional officers came to the area, established a perimeter, and searched for Stark. A police canine was also used in an attempt to locate Stark. However, he was not located.
Officers are still looking for Stark and ask that anyone with information about his whereabouts contact the Police Department at (620) 793-4120. Information can also be provided anonymously via the Crimestoppers Hotline at (620) 792-1300.
BY ANDY MARSO
Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration has requested a one-year extension of the current KanCare program while delaying a proposal for an updated version of the Medicaid managed care system.
KanCare, which placed all 425,000 Kansans in Medicaid under the administration of three private insurance companies, began in 2013 and is scheduled to expire at the end of 2017.
State officials had planned to make changes to the current contracts and then apply for a long-term extension of KanCare with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services at the beginning of 2017.
But in a Twitter post on last week, Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer said that the state had renewed the current contracts and would not request updated bids until late next year.
KS renews KanCare contracts. Obamacare/Expansion will soon be dead. Time will bring clarity from D.C. New RFP coming late ’17. #ksleg
— Dr. Jeff Colyer (@DrJeffColyer) December 15, 2016
He suggested the change was due to the uncertainty of what Donald Trump’s election as president — and Republican control of Congress — will mean for state Medicaid programs.
“Time will bring clarity from (Washington) D.C.,” Colyer said on Twitter.
He later added a Twitter post stating that Trump has proposed sending Medicaid money to states as block grants, free of CMS regulations.
“This is a great opportunity for Kansas and KanCare,” Colyer posted.
Colyer’s spokeswoman, Laura McCabe, confirmed via email Friday that the state had requested that CMS extend the current KanCare contracts one year until the end of 2018.
Angela de Rocha, a spokeswoman for state agencies that oversee Medicaid, said via email that the state had not received official approval from CMS to extend the current KanCare model one year, but nothing in the conversations with federal officials has suggested they will reject the request.
Rep. Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican who chairs the House Health and Human Services Committee, said delaying a KanCare revamp was prudent given the federal upheaval.
He said the flexibility of block grants could allow the state to write in all kinds of changes to the KanCare contracts that weren’t options before — like coverage of direct primary care with monthly fees rather than fees for service.
“I’m hoping a block grant system does come in,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins said he was confident federal officials will approve the one-year KanCare extension, which would give the state time to see what changes the Trump administration will make and respond accordingly.
Andy Marso is a reporter for KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team. You can reach him on Twitter @andymarso
Hello from Agra and Merry Christmas!
In just a few days many of us will gather with the ones we love and celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Like you, our family has many traditions during the holiday season, and we look forward to Christmas Eve service, singing “Silent Night” by candlelight. Our hope is you and yours have a magical Christmas and safe start to 2017.
We now know the Kansas House committee chairs and vice-chairs for the upcoming session. A couple of important ones include: Appropriations Chairman; Troy Waymaster from Bunker Hill, Education Chair; Clay Aurand from Belleville, Taxation Chair; Steven Johnson from Assaria and Transportation Chair J.R. Claeys from Salina. So some important leadership positions will be held from central and western Kansas people.
Also, Speaker Ron Ryckman appointed me Vice-Chairman of the Water/Environment Committee. This is a new committee, as these issues had been a part of the Agriculture Committee. Tom Sloan from Lawrence will serve as Chairman. Water has been identified as a critical issue and I look forward to developing good, science based policy to make sure we have an adequate supply for agriculture, municipalities and business development.
We have been reviewing survey results from constituents in the 110th District. Today we are going to discuss local control. Those who chose to participate were very vocal in their displeasure with the federal or state government stripping power from local units of government. By an almost 3 to 1 margin, people said the Kansas Legislature should not cap or limit how much cities, counties and school districts can spend in response to citizen needs.
The same margin was also reported by the 110th District residents said the Kansas Legislature should not prohibit locally-elected officials from increasing revenue for the jurisdictions they represent.
Some are probably surprised by these results, but is shows me that folks want a government that is accountable and decisions should be made locally, and not simply a cookie-cutter solution to each opportunity.
The challenges in the next session will be great, but one of my top priorities is to be cautious when it comes to raising taxes. Especially a consequence which would lead to another big jump in property taxes. The quest, which has already begun, is to find a fair and equitable revenue stream and review the efficiency study to find better ways to bring services to the taxpayers of Kansas. If you would like to review the study you can go to: www.kslegresearch.org and search Kansas Statewide Efficiency Review.
If you have questions, or if I can be of service, please contact me: Ken Rahjes, 1798 E. 900 Rd. Agra, KS 67621 or call (785) 302-8416. You can follow me on Facebook at Ken for Kansas or my website, www.kenforkansas.com
Thank you for the opportunity to be your representative, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!
SALINE COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating numerous reports of counterfeit cash used in the county and have made an arrest.
Just after noon on Friday, police were called to Rod’s Total Convenience Kristina Albers, 38, Salina, was trying to use a counterfeit $50 to make a purchase.
Employees recognized the bill was counterfeit and called police.
Albers who had an outstanding warrant was arrested on requested charges of attempted theft, obstruction, and making false information for lying to police about her name.
By GARRETT SAGER
Hays Post
At 5:30 p.m. Monday at the Rockwell Administration Center, the Hays USD 489 Board of Education will make a selection on which one of the architectural firms to use for the district capital outlay plan.
Firms the district will choose from are Hollis and Miller, Schafer; Johnson, Cox, Frey Architectural Firm; and DLR Group.
Hollis and Miller, a firm out of Overland Park, is 100-percent focused on education with three sectors to its firm — Public K-12, Private K-12 and Higher Education.
Wichita-based SJCF is a more diverse firm that handles many projects, but has still handled 26 bond issues in the last 10 years.
DLR Group is the only of the three firms that has worked a successful bond election in western Kansas.
Recently, DLR Group completed award-winning work on the bond election in Garden City.
Board President Lance Bickle and Superintendent John Thissen spent Dec. 7 in the Kansas City area visiting DLR Group, and Hollis and Miller and reported back to the board on their impressions at the board meeting last Monday.
RENO COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Reno County continue to investigate a residential burglary that injured a pet.
On December 15, a 67-year-old woman told deputies her home in the 5300 Block of East 4th, east of Hutchinson, was broken into and her dog cut up by the intruders.
The animal suffered serious injuries, according to sheriff deputies.
Authorities are looking for a green car possibly with Oklahoma tags.
The two suspects were described as a white male wearing gray and a Hispanic male wearing black.
No arrests have been made and no additional details were available on Monday.
By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
The Ellis County Commission will review the county environmental code and wastewater system regulations at Monday’s meeting.
Commissioner Marcy McClelland objected to the final plat of the purposed Blue Sky Acres residential subdivision south of Hays and cited a perceived danger to the water supply in the area because of the septic systems that were set to be installed for the project.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment and the Kansas Water office already approved the proposed systems. Outside of an objection to rezoning the area from agriculture to residential by city staff, the project has faced little opposition until a 1-1 vote on the plat by the county commission stalled the project.
Karen Purvis, Environmental Sanitarian with the Planning and Zoning Department, will present the commission with background on wastewater guidelines and a water demonstration.
Purvis will also discuss the impact changes in the city of Hays’ Extraterritorial Jurisdiction will have on the county.
In other business, the commission will discuss 2017 salaries for elected officials and a new job description and contract for county health services.
Monday’s meeting starts at 5pm at the county Administration Center.
Following a weekend water main break that forced a closure, the Hays Rec Fitness Center and the gyms will open at noon Monday. Scheduled group fitness classes and Biddy Basketball practices will resume at noon Monday.
Tumbling classes are still cancelled for Monday.
The main office at the Hays Rec will remain closed for the rest of Monday.
We’re down to the just-before 2017 Legislature time when every little hint about what the governor would or would not consider in the march to a balanced budget becomes important.
And last week, at a series of press conferences, Gov. Sam Brownback said that he might, just might, consider some proposals to increase state revenues to balance the budget—apparently blended with reductions in spending.
Reporters have spent a lot of time crafting questions that would bring some subtle indication about just what tax increases the governor would, with just his signature, allow to become law.
So far, we’ve managed to get one pretty solid indication of a tax that he absolutely has no interest in. That’s a start.
That “don’t do it” that was the firmest is his opposition to placing a state sales tax on services, as differentiated from hard, hold in your hand, products.
So…it’s time for the state’s lawyers and accountants and financial service owners to take a deep breath and then maybe a drink because the governor doesn’t want to tax the services they provide.
Oh, and that no-tax on services extends, of course, to nearly everyone who sells their services to make a living, ranging from roofers to lawn services to…we guess…pole dancers.
Those services amount to billions of dollars of transactions that don’t make the state as much in revenue as selling a bar of soap or a new shirt.
While that no-services tax might have a positive effect on those providers it doesn’t do a thing for revenues.
It does, though, echo through the Statehouse, and it means that those sales tax-free service providers won’t have to spend time and money lobbying the Legislature to keep their sales off the tax rolls. And, for them, it’s a good thing.
Brownback also last week defended what started out as a small business tax break, the Limited Liability Corporation exemption from Kansas income tax.
Aimed to help small businesses keep enough profit to hire new workers and buy equipment, it quickly spread to giant businesses which don’t have to pay income taxes on their income that isn’t considered a wage.
Brownback said that the LLC exemption is helping job growth, and while the $200 million to $300 million cost in lost income tax revenues to the state is large, it also doesn’t allow deductions for those non-tax business expenses. What the trade-off between taxes and allowing exemptions for business expenses works out to is not clear, but it pares the tax loss by whatever those businesses could come up with as deductible expenses.
And…Brownback notes, some states are taking a look at the LLC tax exemption here for possible use in other states. He said Kansas’ plan sounds a lot like President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to lower corporate taxes so those businesses have more money to spend on expansion, higher wages for their employees and more reason to keep jobs in the United States rather than send them to low-wage countries.
It really comes down to the politics of the issues. Everyone who pays income taxes has a good argument that the guy down the street with an LLC ought to pay something to the state, too.
But those sales-tax exempt service-providers don’t have to go to the expense and trouble of collecting taxes. And those income tax-exempt businesses don’t have to spend time and effort collecting information to use for tax deductions and then pay a sales tax-exempt service provider accountant or lawyer or tax preparer to figure their tax bills.
Or, do we tax ‘em both, and solve this revenue problem?
Can’t tell…yet…
Syndicated by Hawver News Company LLC of Topeka; Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report—to learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit the website at www.hawvernews.com
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Someone is on Santa’s naughty list after making off with his jacket and toy bag.
The Kansas City Star reports that the theft happened Saturday when longtime Santa actor 62-year-old Gary Senner stopped for coffee before spending the day hearing children’s Christmas wishes. While he was inside a convenience store in the Kansas City suburb of Overland Park, Kansas, someone drove off with his van.
He was wearing his Santa pants, but he left his coat and keys in the vehicle. Senner says police came and took a report, but he had to bum a ride.
He said his mother made his Santa outfit, which he describes as “very distinctive.” It is burgundy, not bright red, and has fur trim.
Senner says it’s “pretty upsetting to say the least.” A gofundme page has been established to help Senner
