FRANKLIN COUNTY- Two people died in an accident just before 7 p.m. on Tuesday in Franklin County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1991 Toyota Camry driven by April L. Brown, 28, Kansas City was southbound on Interstate 35 four miles north of Ottawa.
The driver lost control of vehicle. It crossed the median.
A northbound 2006 Infiniti G-6 driven by Courtney J Houston, 28, Wellsville, struck the Toyota broadside.
Brown and a passenger Jeremiah “JJ” Persinger, 9, Kansas City, were pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Frontier Forensics.
Another passenger in the Toyota James F. Whitfield, 46, Kansas City, was transported to Overland Park Regional.
Houston was transported to KU Medical Center.
Brown was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Saline County and a former interim director of the Saline County Health Department have reached a $75,000 settlement over a sexual discrimination claim.
The Salina Journal reports the county said Tuesday that it denied liability associated with the claim, and that it would allow its insurance company to resolve the matter to avoid further litigation costs.
Suzette Brotton filed a claim against the Salina Human Relations Commission after it chose Bronson Farmer to direct the health department in 2014. Brotton claimed that she was not chosen because she is a woman.
Farmer was chosen despite having previously been fired from the health department after being accused of falsifying mileage reports. He has denied that charge.
The Kansas Human Rights Commission had ruled there was “probable cause” to believe Brotton’s allegations of sexual discrimination in hiring and pre-employment testing.
Lt. Gen. Robert Brown gave his final farewell speech as commanding general of the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center and Fort Leavenworth last week.-photo by Dan Neal-Fort Leavenworth
FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii (AP) — A new commander is taking over as the leader of Army soldiers in the Pacific.
Lt. Gen. Robert Brown is succeeding Gen. Vincent Brooks as the commander of U.S. Army Pacific. Brooks is becoming the new commander of U.S. Forces Korea.
Brown will lead about 80,000 soldiers from Washington state, Alaska and Hawaii to Japan.
Brooks will hand over command to Brown during a ceremony at U.S. Army Pacific headquarters in Hawaii on Wednesday. Brown will be promoted to a four-star general just before the ceremony.
The West Point graduate comes to Hawaii from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas where he commanded the U.S. Army Combined Arms Center. He experience commanding the I Corps in Washington state and serving as a U.S. Army Pacific plans officer and U.S. Pacific Command staff officer.
BUTLER COUNTY – A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 10p.m. on Wednesday in Butler County
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Toyota Avalon driven by Keith Arlen Urbanek, 79, was northbound on S.W. Santa Fe Lake Road from U-54.
After passing S.W. 90th the vehicle left the roadway, struck a ditch embankment and became airborne.
The vehicle took a nose-dive in the air and impacted the ground with the front bumper. Urbanek was transported to Wesley Medical Center. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
Game 1: TMP 3, Sacred Heart 2 (9 innings) Game 2: TMP 4, Sacred Heart 2
TMP needed extra innings in Game 1 and a two out, seventh inning rally in Game 2 to pick up a doubleheader sweep of Salina-Sacred Heart on Tuesday night in Salina. The Monarchs won Game 1 in nine innings 3-2 and a 4-2 win in Game 2. Pitching and defense were the name of the game on both sides of the field in both games as runs were a premium throughout the night.
TMP never trailed in Game 1. The Monarchs scored a run in the second inning, one more in the fifth and the game winner in the ninth. Ryan Ruder pitched the final two innings in relief to pick up his fourth win on the season. The Monarch senior went two for five at the plate and had the game winning, two out RBI single in the top of the ninth to help TMP to the win.
In Game two Sacred Heart took their first and only lead of the game in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Knights used go an RBI double from catch Cooper Turpin. TMP would answer immediately in the top of the sixth with three straight hits with the last of those being a game tying RBI single from Justin Pfeifer.
Sacred Heart would quickly put the pressure on the Monarchs in the bottom of the inning putting runners at second and third with only one out. That’s when senior Jared Rack took control on the mound by striking out the final two Knights to take the game to the seventh tied at 2. TMP had two quick outs in the top of the inning but were able to scratch across two runs with a couple of hits, a stolen base, a walk and an error.
Rack goes the distance for the win allowing two runs and striking out nine to pick up his third win of 2016. TMP improves to 12-4 on the year and will travel to Goodland for a doubleheader on Thursday.
KDA
MANHATTAN–The month of May has been declared Kansas Beef Month, according to a proclamation signed by Governor Sam Brownback.
Kansas is home to some of the highest quality cattle in the United States, and the state’s ranches and feedyards play a key role in the state’s agricultural success.
The Kansas beef industry is vital to the Kansas economy, generating over $9 billion annually. Kansas is home to 6.25 million cattle as of Jan. 1, 2016, which is more than twice the human population of 2.9 million. Kansas also ranks third nationally in the value of beef and veal exported, at $787.7 million in 2014. The industry also supports more than 48,400 jobs in Kansas.
“We are very proud of our beef heritage. Kansas is one of the most important beef states in the country, and is known across the globe for the high quality of its beef,” said Secretary of Agriculture Jackie McClaskey. “The beef industry is a critical and significant part of the Kansas economy, and impacts all local communities as you’ll find beef cattle in every single county in the state. It’s also important for consumers to remember that beef is a very important part of a heart-healthy and nutritious diet. We encourage all Kansans to join us in celebrating Beef Month.”
Beef fits into healthy lifestyles as a rich source of nutrients, especially protein. A 3-oz. serving of lean beef has less than 10 grams of fat, 150 calories and less than 95 mg. of cholesterol, while providing nearly half of the daily value for protein.
Kansas has historically been a leader in beef production, and remains at the heart of the U.S. beef industry. Warm up your grill this May and celebrate Kansas Beef Month.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A former police officer for the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri, is accused of sexually abusing two girls in Kansas.
The Kansas City Star (https://bit.ly/1WGW7xx ) reports 38-year-old Sean Acree of Mission, Kansas, was arrested Monday and was being held in the Johnson County jail on $250,000 bond.
He is charged with five felony counts, including aggravated indecent liberties with a child and indecent liberties.
A Veterans Affairs spokesman says Acree had been a training sergeant for the VA police but resigned last month. He made his first court appearance on Tuesday and is scheduled for another next week.
It was unclear after business hours Tuesday if Acree had obtained an attorney.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has issued a boil water advisory for the City of Norton public water supply located in Norton County. KDHE officials issued the advisory because of a chlorination system failure. Failure to maintain adequate chlorine residuals can lead to bacterial contamination.
The advisory took effect on May 3 and will remain in effect until conditions which place the system at risk of contamination are deemed by KDHE officials to be adequately resolved.
Customers should observe the following precautions until further notice:
Boil water for one minute prior to drinking or food preparation, or use bottled water.
Dispose of ice cubes and do not use ice from a household automatic icemaker.
Disinfect dishes and other food contact surfaces by immersion for at least one minute in clean tap water that contains one teaspoon of unscented household bleach per gallon of water.
Water used for bathing does not generally need to be boiled. Supervision of children is necessary while bathing so that water is not ingested. Persons with cuts or severe rashes may wish to consult their physicians.
If your tap water appears dirty, flush the water lines by letting the water run until it clears.
Public water suppliers in Kansas take all measures necessary to notify customers quickly after a system failure. Regardless of whether it’s the supplier or KDHE that announces a boil water advisory, KDHE will issue the rescind order following testing at a certified laboratory.
Gov. Sam Brownback signing a welfare reform measure last year. CREDIT JIM MCLEAN / HEARTLAND HEALTH MONITOR
The Kansas Legislature approved additional restrictions on people who receive government assistance but removed one proposal that would have required women to return to work shortly after giving birth.
The changes, passed late Sunday as part of Senate Bill 402, reduce the lifetime limit for cash assistance through Temporary Assistance for Needy Families from three years to two years. There is a one-year hardship extension.
Gov. Sam Brownback hasn’t made a statement about the bill, but he has supported past reductions to assistance programs. Kansas lowered the lifetime TANF limit from five years to four years in 2011 and to three years in 2015, then as part of the Hope, Opportunity and Prosperity for Everyone (HOPE) Act.
Shannon Cotsoradis, president and chief executive of Kansas Action for Children, said the average Kansas family using TANF receives it for about 18 months. Many have to use it again when an unexpected expense or job loss hits, she said, and the new limit may remove that cushion.
“These are families that are pretty vulnerable,” she said. “Most families don’t just make the leap out of poverty and stay out of poverty.”
Sen. Michael O’Donnell, a Wichita Republican, previously pointed to reduced TANF enrollment as evidence that lower lifetime limits and work requirements have been effective in encouraging Kansans to find a job and improve their incomes.
“We know that these programs work,” he said during a floor debate earlier this session. “We’re getting people off TANF and into the workforce.”
It isn’t clear how many of those people left TANF because they became employed, though data available so far isn’t encouraging.
During negotiations Sunday, a conference committee loosened one provision that would have eliminated the work exemption for mothers who recently gave birth if they had received TANF for one year or longer. Under the version that passed, a parent of an infant would be exempted until that infant was 3 months old unless the parent already hit the lifetime limit of two years.
That was one of the more important changes that KAC sought, Cotsoradis said, because the lower limit would have required some mothers to return to work almost as soon as they left the hospital.
“I think any mom that’s had to find infant care, let alone subsidized infant care, knows that’s very difficult,” she said.
Other changes in the bill will:
· Remove a limit on ATM withdrawals for cash recipients. Federal officials said it violated laws that recipients must have adequate access to their benefits.
· Require the Kansas Department for Children and Families to monitor repeated requests to replace a benefit card.
· Make recipients ineligible if they don’t cooperate with fraud investigators.
· Require the state to cross-check the names of assistance recipients and people who have won $5,000 or more in the lottery.
· Allow the state to recover fraudulently obtained assistance.
· Limit work experience placements to six months for TANF recipients.
· Require Kansans who receive child care assistance to work at least 20 hours per week.
Theresa Freed, spokeswoman for the Kansas Department for Children and Families, said the department expects about 155 families per month to hit the two-year limit in fiscal year 2017. If those projections are accurate, about 1,860 families will be removed from TANF over the year. DCF reported 4,941 families received TANF in March 2016.
DCF will begin contacting families in July, Freed said, and plans to remove them starting Jan. 1, 2017.
“The transition to a 24-month time limit for TANF is proposed to begin July 1, allowing for all clients to be contacted by DCF staff and an individual transition plan developed,” she said in an email. “Additionally, cases will be screened to see if they are eligible for a hardship extension.”
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
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Former Bel Air Police Chief John Daily plans to change his plea over his role in a scheme to buy and sell discounted firearms by falsely claiming they would be used for law enforcement purposes.
A notice posted Tuesday notified the court of his intention and set May 31 for the change-of-plea hearing.
Charges against two Bel Air police officers were initially filed in December 2014, and the investigation eventually ensnared the department’s police chief along with a third police officer. The indictment against one officer was dismissed in January.
Most charges involve wire fraud and mail fraud in connection with the alleged scheme.
Prosecutors allege the officers bought and sold numerous firearms by falsely certifying they were for law enforcement use and not resale — thereby avoiding paying taxes.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — University of Kansas architecture graduate students are completing final touches on a newly constructed sustainable house in east Lawrence.
Officials at the university’s architecture school tell the Lawrence Journal-World that the two-bedroom, two-bathroom home with a detached garage is designed to meet two sustainable building standards: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum and the Passive House Institute standards.
The home is the latest design-build project of the Studio 804 class, which concentrates on environmentally-friendly development.
The house includes solar panels on the roof that will supply nearly all of its electricity needs and barn door-style sliding panels on the house’s exterior can be closed to clock sunlight in the hottest months.
There is also a concrete storm shelter in the back of the lot near the garage.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas woman who took her children to perform for occupiers during the armed takeover of an Oregon wildlife refuge says authorities have removed seven of the children from her home and arrested her for assaulting an officer.
Jail officials told The Kansas City Star Odalis Sharp of Auburn was booked into the Shawnee County jail Friday for battery of an officer and interfering with a law enforcement officer. No charges had been filed as of Tuesday morning.
Sharp and her children, who have a family gospel band, traveled to Oregon to support the 41-day occupation at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge earlier this year. She says the arrest and removal of the children happened after a dispute involving her landlord.
Neither the state Department of Children and Families nor the local prosecutor could be reached for comment.
Today Sunny, with a high near 75. North wind 9 to 14 mph.
