PAWNEE COUNTY – A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 9:30a.m. on Tuesday in Pawnee County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Cement Truck driven by Kevin Michael Kennon, 37, Larned, was west bound on U.S. 56 one mile west of Larned.

The driver attempted to turn right on L Road. The truck overturned into the northwest ditch.

Kennon was transported to Pawnee Valley Community Hospital.

He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

LIBERAL – Olney won this year’s International Pancake Race and set a new record. The International Race Winner is Lianne Fisher of Olney, England, who finished with a time of 55.02 seconds, breaking the previous record of 55.6 set by Devon Byrne of Olney in 2014.

The winner of the 2016 race in Liberal was Summer Parsons with a time of 62.61 seconds, according to a social media report from the International Pancake Day.

The racer on the left is Miss Liberal, Gaby Amparan, who won the crown on Sunday and was running as an honorary racer and ineligible to win.

Parsons also won the Liberal race in 2014, with a time of 63.5. She did not run last year because she was pregnant. Leslie Spikes placed second and Sally Yates was third.

By James Hoyt
KU Statehouse Wire Service

TOPEKA – Gov. Sam Brownback has failed to make public safety a priority, Democratic lawmakers said at a news conference Monday.

“Communities across Kansas are less safe because of decisions the governor and his Republican allies have made, mismanaging the state and failing to support law enforcement the way they should,” Rep. Tom Burroughs, D-Kansas City, said.
The legislators announced their support for three bills they say will improve public safety.
Two of the bills, SB 350 and HB 2559, are focused on increasing the numbers of Kansas highway patrolmen and staff at state agencies. The third, HB 2452, prohibits the distribution of firearms to individuals on the terrorist screening database or similar lists.

Increasing highway patrol funds
SB 350, introduced Jan. 22, would create a “Kansas highway patrol staffing and training fund” in the state treasury. The fund would be paid for by a $2 surcharge on Kansas vehicle registrations. The Kansas Highway Patrol (KHP) had asked for increased state funding earlier this year.
The KHP employed 413 troopers as of Jan. 1, 2016. At the same time in 2006, it employed 475 troopers. Thirty-five counties are still without an assigned KHP trooper, Democratic lawmakers said in a news release.
The bill is scheduled for a hearing later this week.

Establishing minimum staffing levels
HB 2559, introduced on Jan. 27, would require state agencies and facilities to establish a minimum level of staffing.
“Other state law enforcement facilities, prisons and state hospitals are severely understaffed,” Rep. Dennis “Boog” Highberger, D-Lawrence, said.

Staff numbers became a concern after a patient at the Osawatomie state hospital was charged with the rape of a hospital employee in 2015.

Limiting firearms for individuals on watch lists
HB 2452, introduced on Jan. 13, prohibits the distribution of firearms to any individuals listed in a government terrorist screening database, such as the no-fly list. The White House has endorsed a similar policy, which has been met with some concern from conservative politicians.
Republican lawmakers and the governor’s office were unavailable for comment late Monday afternoon.

– Edited by Leah Sitz

LIBERAL – A fire at the Kenworth dealership in Liberal on Monday has been ruled an accident, according to the Kansas State Fire Marshal’s office.

Just after 4 a.m. on Monday fire crews responded to the dealership in the 300 Block of South Country Estates Road. The fire originated within the engine compartment of a semi in one of the bays and spread to another semi.

In addition to smoke damage, the shop and garage areas of the dealership suffered the most significant damage.

The blaze caused an estimated $1million dollars in damage. There were no injuries.

ANDREW TAYLOR, Associated Press Writers
MARTIN CRUTSINGER, Associated Press Writers

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is sending Congress his eighth and final budget, proposing to spend a record $4.1 trillion on a number of initiatives. They include launching a new war on cancer, combating global warming and fighting growing threats from ISIS terrorists.

The new spending plan, for the budget year that begins Oct. 1 — just 3½ months before he leaves office — is facing heavy fire from Republicans who hope to capture the White House. The proposal had dim prospects of winning approval in a Republican-controlled Congress.

In all, Obama’s budget would increase taxes by $2.6 trillion over the coming decade, nearly double the $1.4 trillion in new taxes Obama sought and failed to achieve in last year’s budget.