KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Royals designated infielder Omar Infante for assignment before Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Indians, likely ending his rather unproductive tenure in Kansas City.
Infante has struggled with injuries since signing a $30.25 million, four-year deal prior to the 2014 season. Unless he is traded or claimed on waivers, both unlikely, the Royals would owe him the remainder of $7.75 million due this season, $8 million on his contract next season and a $2 million buyout for the 2018 season.
The 34-year-old Infante has gradually lost playing time to Whit Merrifield and others, and was hitting just .239 with 11 RBIs in 39 games. He hit .220 in 124 games last season, when an injury sidelined him during the Royals’ run to the World Series title.
Kansas City recalled left-hander Brian Flynn to take his roster spot.
Thousands of people in Kansas have incomplete voter registrations, which means they haven’t been able to vote. They were caught up in the state’s requirement that some people provide citizenship documents when registering.
Now, a federal appeals court says many of those people should be allowed to vote in federal elections.
Republican Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach has pushed for the more stringent voter registration rules to ensure security in elections, but voter advocacy groups say the cost has been too high.
A few years ago, people didn’t need as much to register to vote. Now, people registering for the first time in Kansas need a document like a birth certificate or passport to prove their citizenship.
Bernadette Forge, with the League of Women Voters in Topeka, unpacked scanners and iPads at a recent voter registration event. “The iPad, the advantage is you don’t need electricity.
These copiers are inexpensive and rather slow,” Forge said. That’s why Forge is registering people at a naturalization ceremony where nearly 200 people will become U.S. citizens. They’ll have freshly minted documents in hand ready to copy.
“We’re trying to get away from feeling upset about the proof of citizenship, and try to just look at ‘Here’s what has to get done now,’” she said.
But the process hasn’t been so simple for people like Tad Stricker. He moved to Kansas and registered to vote at the Department of Motor Vehicles before the 2014 election. “I walked in to cast my ballot,” Stricker said, “and I can’t tell you what a shocker it was to find out my vote wasn’t going to be counted.” Stricker thought he had done everything required to vote, but his registration was incomplete because it didn’t include a document proving his citizenship.
He is now a party in a lawsuit over the rules. “I had this barrier put up that I just feel was very unjust,” Stricker said.
Photo by Stephen Koranda/Kansas Public Radio Marge Ahrens, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Kansas, says voter registration requirements in Kansas have gone too far.
Marge Ahrens, co-president of the League of Women Voters of Kansas, said actual voter fraud cases are rare.
She said, in the name of security, Kobach’s policies are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. “He has taken away the rights of, for sure, 20,000 people to vote,” Ahrens said. “It’s a terrible trade. It’s a loss of the most important privilege in a democracy to thousands of Kansas citizens.”
For his part, Kobach said voting crimes where non-citizens vote are real and documented. “The League of Women Voters is deceptive with their words when they say that people are being disenfranchised or blocked,” he said.
Kobach said requiring people to provide a citizenship document is a necessary step because illegal votes cancel the votes of Kansas citizens, possibly turning the results of a close election.
“And that’s real disenfranchisement, not the fake disenfranchisement that the League of Women Voters complains about when they say someone is temporarily on a suspense list for a week while they get their birth certificate,” he said.
Photo by Stephen Koranda/Kansas Public Radio Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach pushed for a 2011 state law that requires voter applicants to submit proof of citizenship. The law faces a court challenge.
In fact, Kobach said 95 percent of people who register to vote complete the process. He believes the law will survive legal fights and said Kansas is leading on the issue.
With a primary and general election coming up, what could be the impact of thousands of voter registrations that are incomplete? “If this law kept even a handful of people from voting in a hotly contested House race, that could be the difference in that race,” said Patrick Miller, a political science professor at the University of Kansas.
While it’s possible the voting rules could affect an election, Miller calls it highly unlikely because of the types of people on the list. He said many of them are younger people or move frequently.
“Disproportionately, we’re talking about a group of people who tend to register in the moment without a huge intention to actually following through with the documentation, let alone vote,” he said.
Right now, the voter registration rules in Kansas are up in the air. A court said people who registered at the DMV and are suspended should be allowed to vote, at least in federal elections, but there’s still some uncertainty. A federal appeals court will consider the issue in August.
Stephen Koranda is a reporter for KCUR in conjunction with the KHI News Service
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ governing board of the state’s universities has signed off on requests to raise tuition higher than first proposed by many of the campuses.
The Kansas Board of Regents’ Wednesday in Topeka came weeks after Republican Gov. Sam Brownback cut higher education spending by 4 percent. That was one percent more than the state’s universities had expected.
Many of the campuses responded by pushing their tuition requests upward.
The University of Kansas’ tuition will rise by 5 percent. That’s one percent higher than the school sought last month.
The state’s other universities’ tuition boosts range from 4.9 percent at Emporia State to 6 percent at Fort Hays State. Only the University of Kansas’ medical center and Wichita State didn’t increase their rate requests. They will remain at 5 percent.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Health care analysts say Gov. Sam Brownback’s decision to cut money for Medicaid health coverage for the needy, disabled and elderly will add to the problems some hospitals are facing.
The Wichita Eagle reports that the 4 percent budget-balancing Medicaid reimbursement cut takes effect July 1.
Health care providers already had been raising concerns that the state’s decision to not expand Medicaid was harming them. Currently, Kansans who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid, but don’t make enough money to qualify for federal subsidies, fall into a coverage gap. When patients are uninsured and can’t pay, the hospitals get stuck with the cost.
Cindy Samuelson, of the Kansas Hospital Association, says the budget is being balanced “on the shoulders of providers and patients around the state.”
Velda E. Transue, 86, of Quinter, Kansas, passed away June 13, 2016 in Quinter. She was born Dec. 5, 1929 to Ralph A. and Leta May (Mace) Transue.
Preceded in death by: parents; brother, Lewis Transue and his wife Eva; sisters, Venda Transue, and Vesta McCready and her husband Gene.
Funeral services: 2 p.m. Saturday, June 18, at Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, Studley, with visitation one hour prior to the service. Interment in Baker Township Cemetery.
Memorial contributions are suggested to Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church, or Gove County Medical Center – LTC in care of Schmitt Funeral Home, Quinter, KS.
The Hays Police Department is becoming “more proactive” when it comes to distracted drivers, according to Chief Don Scheibler.
Scheibler quoted statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA) of what he called the “real consequences” of distracted driving.
“In 2014, over 3,100 people were killed in distracted driving accidents and over 440,000 were injured,” Scheibler reported, “and teenage drivers had more fatality accidents caused by distracted driving than any other age group.”
During the last three years, 417 people have been cited for inattentive driving in the city of Hays, according to Scheibler. “They were distracted and failed to give their full attention to their driving and as a result, an accident occurred.”
Distracted driving comes in many different forms, not just relatively new electronics such as smart phones, cell phones, portable computers or video players. The more conventional distractions to driving include talking with passengers, eating, and even applying makeup.
The biggest problem is caused by smart phones.
“Texting, which is apparently the preferred method of communication for our teenagers, is the most dangerous of all distractions while driving,” Scheibler noted. “Texting causes visual, manual and cognitive distraction of the driver. It requires you to take your eyes off the road, your hands off the (steering) wheel, and your mind off your driving.”
The city of Hays and the state have laws prohibiting all drivers from texting while operating a vehicle. Drivers younger than 17 are completely prohibited from use of wireless communication devices except to report illegal activity or to summons medical or emergency help.
The fine for texting while driving in Hays is $50 plus $75 court costs. Scheibler said Hays police have issued 61 tickets in the past three years for texting while driving.
In an effort to make Hays streets safer, HPD has joined the One Text Or Call Could Wreck It All campaign by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The message focuses on how distracted drivers are a danger to themselves and to everyone else on the road.
“Our plan for spreading the message is two-fold,” Scheibler said. “We plan to continue the education of our drivers and the dangers of distracted driving and we’ll use social media, presentations to the public and other events.
“The second half of our plan won’t be quite so popular.
“It’s going to include the Hays Police Department being more proactive in enforcement of our traffic laws related to distracted driving. We will be writing tickets to those who choose to violate the law. We know that working with the community, we can help make the roads safer for everyone.”
Scheibler also outlined steps to avoid distracted driving.
“Remember this: focus on driving, refrain from eating, drinking, reading, grooming, smoking or other activities that take your mind off the road. Turn off your phone or switch it to silent mode before you get in your car and then stow it away so it’s out of your reach.
“Don’t ever text and drive, surf the internet or read your email while driving. It’s dangerous and it’s against the law.”
FORD COUNTY – A Kansas teen was injured in an accident just before 9:30p.m. on Wednesday in Ford County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2012 Mack Truck with a dump trailer driven by Cesar Alejan Lopez-Delgadillo, 34, Woodward, OK., and a 2004 Chevy truck driven by Austin Lampe, 16, Spearville, were traveling on 127 Road at Foothill one mile east of Spearville.
Both vehicles entered the intersection at the same time.
The Mack truck driver failed to yield to the right of way. He admitted he sped up to beat the Chevy and the vehicles collided, according to the KHP.
Lampe was transported to Western Plains Medical Center.
Lopez-Delgadillo was not injured.
Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP
Salina -With the departure of Great Lakes Airlines flight #3021 from the Salina Regional Airport Wednesday morning at 7:45, Central Kansas residents again have access to scheduled air service.
“The Salina market looks very promising and we expect to see a quick increase in passenger boardings “stated Great Lakes president Chuck Howell in a media release.
Howell added, “Salina passengers will be pleased with the comfort and speed of our 30 seat Embraer Brasilia regional aircraft.”
For travel beyond Denver, Great Lakes is a United Airlines code share partner, which enables passengers the opportunity to connect with United Airlines flights at the airline’s Denver hub.
FINNEY COUNTY -Law enforcement authorities in Finney County are investigating a suspect following an alleged report of domestic violence and police chase.
Just before 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Officers of the Garden City Police Department were dispatched to the 1700 Block of N. 8th Street for a reported battery in progress, according to a media release.
As officers were responding to the scene the reporting person advised the suspect had left the scene in a white passenger car westbound on Campbell Street.
Officers located the suspect vehicle traveling north on 11th Street and attempted a traffic stop on the vehicle at 11th and Emerson Street.
The suspect vehicle refused to stop and a vehicle pursuit was initiated. The pursuit ended when the suspect, Eli Mendoza, 26, Garden City, lost control of his vehicle in the 1100 Block of Labrador Blvd.
After he struck a dip in the road. The vehicle careened into bushes between the sidewalk and street coming to a stop on Rebel Road.
Mendoza was arrested without incident.
The investigation into the initial battery report revealed Mendoza engaged in a fight in the front yard of an apartment complex in the 1700 Block on North 8th Street.
A witness who was driving by saw the battery in progress so he stopped to intervene, according to police.
The victim ran into the apartment and Mendoza pursued her, pushing his way into the apartment. Once inside the apartment Mendoza battered the victim again, took her cell phone and then fled the scene in the vehicle.
Mendoza is being held in the Finney County Jail and could face the possible charges of:
Aggravated Burglary, Interference with a Law Enforcement Officer, Battery,
Assault, Fleeing and Eluding, Driving under the Influence
Driving While License Suspended and Transportation of an Open Container of Alcohol
In recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day today, June 15, the Office of the Kansas Securities Commissioner spotlights the importance of safeguarding Kansas’s senior population by keeping a watchful eye for signs of elder financial exploitation and promptly reporting possible abuse to appropriate officials.
Elder financial abuse is rising with the rapid aging of the North American population, due in part to the amount of wealth seniors have accumulated throughout their careers and their increasing isolation.
Many in our older population are vulnerable due to social isolation and distance from family, caregivers, and other support networks. The days of aging in communities surrounded by generations of family members are fading into the past. We need as many eyes and ears as possible listening and watching for signs of suspect elder financial exploitation.
The Kansas Area Agencies on Aging provide resources to older Kansans in all 105 counties across the state and have partnered with the Office of the Kansas Securities Commissioner to help prevent the financial exploitation of older Kansans.
According to Julie Govert Walter, executive director of the North Central-Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging, scammers and fraudsters target older Kansans, and their ploys often rob seniors of millions of dollars of their hard-earned money. She says many seniors who have health issues also experience a diminished capacity to manage their personal finances. Worse yet, sometimes the people seniors turn to for help with their money prove to be less than worthy.
To help fight this problem, watch for the following warning signs of suspicious behavior that may indicate potential elder financial exploitation:
* Has an elder moved away from existing relationships and toward new associations with other “friends” or strangers?
* Has a new person entered the elder’s life and shown an excessive interest in the elder’s finances or accounts?
* Are you unable to speak directly with the elder despite repeated attempts at contact?
* Does the elder display unexplained excitement over a financial windfall or prize check and reluctance to discuss details?
The KSC has developed presentations titled Outsmarting Investment Fraud to provide across the state to older Kansans and have been presenting to senior center groups this month. Seniors attending the presentations will leave equipped with the skills to recognize the persuasion tactics of scam artists and the red flags of fraud, as well as the knowledge of what to do to prevent scams. If you are interested in the KSC presenting to your local group, contact Shannon Stone, Director of Investor Education at the KSC, at (913) 652-9164.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on search for boy dragged away by alligator (all times local):
4:30 p.m.
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings says searchers have recovered the body of a 2-year-old Nebraska boy snatched by an alligator at Walt Disney World.
The boy was attacked Tuesday night as he waded in shallow water at the edge of the Seven Seas Lagoon at Disney’s Grand Floridian resort.
Demings identified the boy as Lane Graves of Elkhorn, Nebraska.
The search team grew to 50 people Wednesday as trappers and divers searched Disney’s network of man-made canals, ponds and lakes. At least five other alligators were caught and cut open before they found the killer.
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12:20
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings says Walt Disney World has been providing “amazing” support as they search for the body of a 2-year-old boy who was snatched by an alligator.
Experienced alligator trappers, sheriff’s department divers and sonar equipment are being used to search a network of man-made canals, ponds and lakes where the gator may have taken the boy.
The sheriff says that after 15 hours of searching, the attack is “certainly not survivable at this point.”
Demings says Disney has never had anything like this happen in 45 years of operations. He says the theme parks’ wildlife management system works diligently to keep guests safe from dangerous Florida creatures, removing or killing any alligators they find.
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12:10
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings says some 50 people are now “working on recovering the body” of a 2-year-old boy snatched by an alligator at Walt Disney World.
He says the boy’s family “will no question how they could lose a 2-year-old child.”
Some 50 people are now using sonar equipment as they search a system of lakes and ponds linked by canals to the Seven Seas Lagoon where the boy was attacked while wading in about a foot of water at 9 p.m. Tuesday night.
Demings says they are trying to “bring some closure to this family.”
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11:45
Disney is closing all beach areas in its Lake Buena Vista resorts after an alligator dragged away a 2-year-old boy at the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
The company announced Wednesday that it’s closing the beaches in “an abundance of caution.”
Officials say the little boy was wading at the edge of the Seven Seas Lagoon around nightfall Tuesday when an alligator estimated to be between 4 feet and 7 feet long dragged him under.
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings said the family of five from Nebraska arrived on Sunday in Orlando, where only hours earlier, a gunman’s attack on a gay nightclub left 49 people dead. Two days before that, 22-year-old Christina Grimmie, a contestant on season six of “The Voice,” was killed in Orlando while signing autographs after a show.
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10:40 a.m.
The Nebraska governor says his heart goes out to the family of a 2-year-old boy who was snatched by an alligator while on vacation at a Disney resort in the Orlando, Florida, area.
The Nebraska family’s name has not been released, and Gov. Pete Ricketts’ office said in a statement Wednesday that all they know was what they have seen in media reports.
The Orange County sheriff says the family of five from Nebraska was wading in the Seven Seas Lagoon at Walt Disney World on Tuesday evening when an alligator dragged the child into the water. Authorities are still searching for the child.
Ricketts says “no family should ever have to experience such horror” and that he and his wife are praying for them.
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6:40 a.m.
Authorities in Orlando, Florida, are still searching for a 2-year-old boy who was dragged into the water by an alligator near Disney’s upscale Grand Floridian Resort & Spa and are hoping for the best.
Orange County Sheriff’s spokesman Jeff Williamson said at a Wednesday morning news conference that it’s still being considered a search and rescue operation and additional deputies will be joining the search.
The boy was with his family on vacation from Nebraska. The family of five was wading in the water of the Seven Seas Lagoon on Tuesday night when the alligator came out of the water and attacked.
Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings says the boy’s father tried to rescue him but was not able to.
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1:30 a.m.
Authorities in Orlando are searching for a 2-year-old boy who was dragged into the water by an alligator near Disney’s upscale Grand Floridian Resort & Spa.
Speaking at a news conference early Wednesday, Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings says the family of five from Nebraska was on vacation and wading in a lake Tuesday evening when the attack happened. Demings says the father tried to rescue the child but was unsuccessful.
Demings says more than 50 law enforcement personnel are searching the Seven Seas Lagoon for the boy and will keep looking.
Demings says there have been no other recent reports of similar alligator attacks at the lake.
By KHP TROOPER TOD HILEMAN Public Resource Officer-Hays
Harvest time is right around the corner, so time for us to be thinking about all the extra traffic and large heavy trucks that are hard to stop.
Preliminary numbers indicate that statewide in 2015, there were 106 crashes involving farm equipment. In those 106 crashes, no one was killed, but there were 40 people injured. Already this year, preliminary statistics indicate there have been 22 crashes, with four people injured.
It is important to share the road safely, for the sake of the farmers, and for the motoring public. Tips to keep in mind when sharing Kansas roads with farmers:
• Don’t assume the farmer knows you’re there. Most operators of farm equipment regularly check for vehicles behind them, however, most of their time must be spent looking ahead to stay on the road and watch for oncoming traffic. Implements are very loud, hindering the farmer’s ability to hear your vehicle.
• Pass with extreme caution. Don’t pass unless you can see clearly ahead of both your vehicle and the farm equipment you are passing. If there are curves or hills blocking your view of oncoming traffic, wait until you can clearly visualize the area you’re passing in. You should not pass in a designated “No Passing Zone,” even if you are stuck behind a farm vehicle. Do not pass if you are within 100 feet of any intersection, railroad grade crossing, bridge, elevated structure, or tunnel.
• When a farm vehicle pulls to the right side of the road, it does not mean it is turning right or allowing you to pass. Due to the size of some farm equipment, the farmer must execute wide left turns, so allow it plenty of room and time to turn, and be alert to see if there might be a driveway or field they may be turning into.
• Be patient. Don’t assume that a farmer can move aside to let you pass. Shoulders may be soft, wet, or steep, which can cause the farm vehicle to tip, or the shoulder may not support the weight of a heavy farm vehicle. The farmer understands you are being delayed and will move over at the first safe location available.
• Think of the slow moving vehicle emblem as a warning to adjust your speed. When you see the slow moving vehicle emblem, you should immediately slow down. While the emblems are visible from a long distance away, it is often difficult to judge the speed at which you are closing in on a vehicle, especially at night.
• Pay attention. When you are not focused solely on the road, you increase your chances of a collision, especially if you should come upon a slow moving farm vehicle.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ governing board of the state’s universities has signed off on requests to raise tuition higher than first proposed by many of the campuses.
In an effort to make Hays streets safer, HPD has joined the 
FORD COUNTY – A Kansas teen was injured in an accident just before 9:30p.m. on Wednesday in Ford County.
FINNEY COUNTY -Law enforcement authorities in Finney County are investigating a suspect following an alleged report of domestic violence and police chase.
By KHP TROOPER TOD HILEMAN