NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court has reversed a jury’s finding that Bank of America Corp. was liable for fraud for its actions before the economy collapsed in 2008. It also negated a more than $1.2 billion penalty imposed after trial.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeal in New York City ruled Monday. The court says there was insufficient evidence that mail and wire fraud was committed by the bank’s Countrywide Financial unit in late 2007 and 2008.
A jury in October 2013 had found the bank liable after the government said Countrywide lied about the quality of mortgages it passed along to financial firms Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.
The Manhattan court said there was insufficient evidence for the jury to reach its verdict.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – Liberty forward Evan Maxwell is transferring to Kansas, where the school announced Monday that he will have to sit out next season under NCAA rules.
The 6-foot-10 Maxwell played two seasons for the Flames and started all but one game last season. He was second on the team with 10 points and 4.8 rebounds per game.
He had a career-high 24 points with 12 rebounds in a game against Radford in December.
Maxwell joins a highly regarded recruiting class that includes Josh Jackson, the top-ranked in the nation, five-star forward Udoka Azubuike and forward Mitch Lightfoot. Maxwell will be eligible for the 2017-18 season.
The Kansas Legislature will have to approve any plans to privatize the state’s two mental health hospitals after Gov. Sam Brownback signed a bill that limits a state agency’s ability to go it alone.
Senate Bill 449, largely deals with procedural changes in how the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services licenses certain health care facilities.
Lawmakers added language to the bill forbidding KDADS from privatizing Osawatomie State Hospital and Larned State Hospital without legislative approval.
During the session, some legislators said they hadn’t been consulted about plans to build a new power plant for the statehouse complex and wanted to avoid a similar situation.
Osawatomie and Larned are the state’s two hospitals for mental health patients deemed a danger to themselves or others. Osawatomie lost its Medicare certification — and about $1 million per month in federal payments — late last year due to concerns about patient safety, and Larned has dealt with staffing shortages for years.
Rep. Scott Schwab, an Olathe Republican, said earlier this session that KDADS still could explore the option of privatizing, but legislators should approve any deal.
“You have the tools to look at privatization,” he said. “This doesn’t prevent you from doing the (request for information.)” KDADS officials initially objected to the idea of limiting the option to privatize.
Tim Keck, interim secretary of KDADS, described it as “taking an arrow out of our quiver.” “We need to have as many options as possible to do right by patients,” he said in February.
Angela de Rocha, a spokeswoman for KDADS, said Wednesday that the department has no intention of pursuing privatization without legislative approval, so the bill signing won’t affect its plans for the state hospitals. She previously said its first priority would be to get Osawatomie recertified.
The final bill appeared to address some of the concerns raised by KDADS Deputy Secretary Kelly Ludlum, who said the state hospitals already outsource some functions, such as food services.
The law would allow KDADS to renew contracts that existed in early March or to contract with a new provider to offer services in “substantially the same form as an existing agreement.”
Megan Hart is a reporter for KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team. You can reach her on Twitter @meganhartMC
RENO COUNTY – Two people avoided injury after a train hit a car in Reno County.
Just after 10:30a.m. on Monday, deputies were dispatched to 6th Avenue and North Valleypride Road for a motor vehicle versus train accident, according to a social media report.
The Reno County Sheriff’s office reported a vehicle driven by Kristi Weiser was eastbound on Valleypride Road.
As she approached the railroad crossing, she saw the crossing arms coming down in front of her, according to the sheriff’s department.
She stopped the vehicle, tried to back up her vehicle.
The tires were not getting any traction to go in reverse or go forward due to the rain.
Train vs Car at 6th/Valley Pride no injuries. Both occupants escaped after getting stuck on track. pic.twitter.com/Xtj4vdXJ6E
— Reno County Sheriff (@RenoCoSheriff) May 23, 2016
She told her 13-year-old brother to get out of the vehicle.
When she and her brother were out of the vehicle, a BNSF railway train struck her vehicle, pushing it down into a ditch.
There were no injuries, according to the sheriff’s department.
Fort Hays State University Marketing and Relations
Two public relations projects produced by students from Fort Hays State University won a first and a second-place award in the recent 2016 Kansas Professional Communicators statewide contest.
Both entries were produced in 2015 in classes taught by Hsin-Yen Yang, assistant professor of communication studies.
State winners were announced at the KPC Conference in Winfield. First-place winners will advance to the National Federation of Press Women communications contest. Winners in the national contest will be awarded at the national conference in Wichita from Sept. 8 through Sept. 10.
Twelve students won first place in the collegiate division for “Building the Future of Public Relations Student Society of America at FHSU.” The students are listed by hometown with current classifications and high schools.
Burdett (67523): Scarlett Olsen, senior, is a Pawnee Heights High School graduate.
Calhan, Colo. (80808): Christina Munster, junior, is a Calhan High School graduate.
Colorado Springs, Colo. (80919): Chelsea Payne, junior, is an Air Academy High School graduate.
Colwich (67030): Chase Kear, senior, is an Andale High School graduate.
Garden City (67846): Carla Parra-Martinez, sophomore, is a Garden City High School graduate. Jayden Speer, junior, is a Garden City High School graduate.
Goddard (67052): Marina Witt, senior, is a Northeast Magnet School graduate.
Hays (67601): Cody Luebbers, junior, is a Hays High School graduate.
Lenexa (66227): Sophia Young, senior, is a De Soto High School graduate.
Medicine Lodge (67104): Zach Larkin, senior, is a Medicine Lodge High School graduate.
Osborne (67473): Katherine Hindman, senior, is an Osborne High School graduate.
Toledo, Ohio (43606): Libby Flores, senior, is a St. Ursula Academy graduate.
“It is an honor to win first place in this statewide contest. Our team worked diligently to produce a thoughtful, informative and creative campaign to launch the PRSSA Chapter at FHSU,” Flores said. “It was a privilege to work with such a creative team, and we are all extremely thankful for all of Dr. Hsin-Yen Yang’s support and guidance throughout this project and the semester.”
Six students took second in the Web and social media division for non-profit campaign for “Envision Volcanes: Breaking the Cycle of Poverty with Education.” Students are listed by hometown with classification and high schools.
Dodge City (67801): Tanner Schubert, senior, is a Hodgeman County High School graduate.
Garden City (67846): Melissa Galvez, a 2015 FHSU graduate, is a Garden City High School graduate.
Hays (67601): Alexis Pfannenstiel, senior, is a Hays High School graduate.
Hutchinson (67502): Victoria Hale, senior, is a Trinity Catholic High School graduate.
Kearney, Neb. (68845): Noelle Husmann, a 2015 FHSU graduate, is a Kearney Catholic High School graduate.
Lancaster, Texas (75146): Laura Calvillo-Martinez, a 2015 FHSU graduate, is a Ferris High School graduate.
“Advocacy, diversity and critical thinking are always the core values in our public relations courses,” Yang said. “The students created these campaigns to advance education, professionalism and social equality not only within the United States, but also cross-border. I am glad to see that their hard work has not gone unnoticed.”
TOPEKA—The Kansas Supreme Court announced today that it has appointed Peter Scott Johnston of Salina to the Kansas Board of Law Examiners for a five-year term that starts July 1.
“I have known Mr. Johnston nearly 20 years, and he will make a terrific addition to this hard-working board that ensures applicants who want to be licensed attorneys in Kansas meet the qualifications established by the Supreme Court,” said Chief Justice Lawton Nuss. “We appreciate his commitment to his profession and we look forward to his contributions.”
Johnston will replace Kenneth L. Cole, an attorney from Russell, who has served on the board since 2005 and has reached the maximum term of service permitted by Court rule.
In addition to Johnston’s appointment, the court announced that it reappointed Carol M. Park to serve another five-year term starting July 1. Park is with Schwartz & Park LLP of Hays.
The court also announced that Donald N. Peterson II will begin serving July 1 as vice chair. Peterson has served on the board since 2009 and is with Withers, Gough, Pike, Pfaff & Peterson LLC of Wichita.
The 10-member Kansas Board of Law Examiners is composed of judges and lawyers. It manages and grades a twice-yearly bar examination and conducts hearings on applicants’ character and fitness to practice law. It also makes recommendations to the Supreme Court on policies and procedures related to bar admission.
SALINA – Law enforcement officials in Saline County are busy.
They have established a record for the number of inmates that are currently housed in three regional county jails.
Those 108 inmates are currently being housed at jails in Ottawa, Cloud, and Mitchell Counties at a cost $30 per day, according to Saline County Under Sheriff Roger Soldan
The total inmate population for Saline County on Monday was listed at 293, which is just short of a record of 296 inmates that was set in 2015.
The Saline County Jail was last expanded in 1995 and currently has a capacity for 193 inmatesNe
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A man accused of conspiring in a foiled plot to bomb a Kansas military base on behalf of the Islamic State group has pleaded guilty to conspiracy.
Alexander E. Blair changed his plea to guilty Monday in a Topeka federal court.
Prosecutors say Blair helped 21-year-old John T. Booker in his plot to plant a 1,000-pound bomb at the Fort Riley military base to aid the Islamic State group. Blair admitted in court that he loaned Booker $100 to secure a storage space for the explosives and failed to inform law enforcement of the plot.
A court document states that Blair decided to change his plea because he believed that the government had collected enough evidence to convict him.
Booker has pleaded guilty and admitted to the plot.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge is slated to hear a change-of-plea request from a 29-year-old Topeka man accused of helping another man who plotted to bomb a northeast Kansas military installation last year.
The hearing is scheduled for Monday in Topeka.
Alexander E. Blair previously pleaded not guilty to charges that he helped 21-year-old John T. Booker in his plot to plant a 1,000-pound bomb at the Fort Riley military base to aid the Islamic State group. Booker has pleaded guilty and acknowledged the plot.
Authorities say Blair loaned Booker $100 for a storage space for the explosives and failed to inform law enforcement of the plot.
A federal court document says Blair has decided to change his plea because he believes the government collected enough evidence to convict him of conspiracy.
FINNEY COUNTY – A Kansas woman was injured in an accident just after 6:30 a.m. on Monday in Finney County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1998 Ford Econoline van driven by Fidel Santana Martinez, 33, Salina, was westbound on Kansas156 thirty-three miles east of Garden City.
The van hit a cow that was entering the roadway from the north.
A passenger Gloria Valdivia Garay, 36, Salina, was transported to St. Catherine’s Hospital.
Martinez and two small children in the van were not injured. All were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
DURANGO, Colo. (AP) — The Durango Herald reports that the body of a 40-year old man discovered along the west bank of the Animas River has been identified as Kansas native Randy Shaw.
The newspaper says that around 2:30 p.m. Saturday, a worker spotted Shaw’s body behind a West Park Avenue home, downstream from the Main Avenue bridge. The Herald says the body was in a sleeping bag, covered in brush near the river’s edge.
Detective Sgt. Deck Shaline says an autopsy will determine if foul play may have played a role in his death. But Shaline says there are no obvious signs of trauma.
Cathy Seibel, the LaPlata County deputy coroner, says it’s unclear how long Shaw’s body had been along the riverbank.
Family members told the Herald that Shaw, who grew up in Hutchinson was a good soul plagued by drugs, addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder.
Fort Hays State University Marketing and Relations
The Opportunity Through Education Living Learning Community at Fort Hays State University drove to New Orleans to spend time at SciTech Academy and had the opportunity to work with pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade students. The school is one of seven ReNew Charter Schools in New Orleans.
Students from FHSU participated in their areas of interest for two days, in which they shadowed and helped with small-group instruction, learned about classroom management, the history of education before and after Hurricane Katrina, and charter schools in New Orleans.
The SciTech Academy has a traditional curriculum, like most public schools, with a primary focus on science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Examples of this are a dedicated robotics program and a one-to-one Google Chrome initiative for fifth- to eighth-grade students.
Besides the two days the group spent at SciTech Academy, students also navigated the city using streetcars to visit the French Quarter and the Garden District.
Within the French Quarter, students learned the history of New Orleans regarding the French and Spanish influences through two guided walking tours.
NEW YORK (AP) — A federal appeals court has reversed a jury’s finding that Bank of America Corp. was liable for fraud for its actions before the economy collapsed in 2008. It also negated a more than $1.2 billion penalty imposed after trial.
The Hays Recreation Commission’s third annual Opening Day will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Bickle/Schmidt Sports Complex.
