WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., Wednesday held a business meeting where bipartisan legislation to reauthorize child nutrition programs was favorably reported out of the Agriculture Committee.

The legislation, “Improving Child Nutrition Integrity and Access Act of 2016,” reforms and reauthorizes child nutrition programs in the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act of 1966.

WATCH Senator Roberts Opening statement here

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas senators are considering a measure that would allow limited possession of marijuana.

The bill includes provisions that reduce penalties for first- and second-time offenders. It also allows some medical cannabis treatment for those suffering from seizures and encourages industrial hemp research. The House passed the bill last year.

In a Kansas Senate committee hearing Wednesday, parents of children with developmental disabilities discussed the advantages of using medical marijuana for seizures.

Scott Schulz, executive director of the Kansas Sentencing Commission, also supported reducing criminal penalties for the possession of marijuana. The bill would reduce the severity of a first-time offense, while a second conviction would be considered a misdemeanor instead of a low-level felony.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers are reviewing a bill that would lessen the state’s penalties for marijuana possession and allow the limited use of marijuana for medical purposes.

The Senate Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee was meeting Wednesday for the first of two days of hearings on the marijuana legislation. The panel was taking testimony from supporters first and hearing from opponents Thursday.

The House approved the bill last year.

The measure would decrease the maximum penalties for first-time, misdemeanor marijuana possession to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine from a year in jail and a $2,500 fine. A second possession conviction would no longer be a felony.

The bill also would allow cannabis to be used in treating seizures and set up a program to research industrial hemp production.

GREAT BEND -Safety is the number one thing law enforcement officers provide and preach to citizens. Part of that safety also involves how they protect themselves from harmful situations.

While officers gear up with protective equipment including body armor, there typically is no gear for the four-legged officers.

The Great Bend Police Department has two police canines that serve as drug dogs and are able to apprehend criminals.

Sergeant Nikki Woodrow with the Wichita Police Department began the Four Legged Project. The project raises money to purchase ballistic vests for canines in Kansas.

“This canine vest costs over one-thousand dollars, so I created a non-profit to help police departments around the state of Kansas get ballistic vests for their departments,” she said.

All the money raised is from private donations and last year we provided over 30 vests.”

In 2012, Woodrow says they began keeping record of canine deaths in the line of duty. Since that time, over 20 police dogs have been killed by gunshot or stabbing.

Four Legged Project donated two body armor vests for Great Bend’s Kia and Lazer. Both dogs reluctantly tried their vests on for the first time this week.

The vests weigh approximately 6 pounds, according to Woodrow. “After a little bit of training the dogs are fine. They don’t wear it all the time because of the weight and officers can get it on and off the dog easily once they begin working with it.”

Four Legged Project began in early 2015 and still has money in its fund. Woodrow says there is no waiting list at the moment so they are just waiting to make more donations to law enforcement agencies across the state.

FINNEY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Finney County are investigating a suspect who allegedly attempted an assault on officers, according to a media release.

Just after 4 a.m. on Wednesday, Officers of the Garden City Police Department were patrolling the area of First and Maple Street when they observed a Blue Oldsmobile stop at a stop sign, then pull out into the intersection nearly striking the Officer in the patrol vehicle.

As Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop on the Oldsmobile it made a U turn and drove head on towards the Officers.

The suspect’s vehicle stopped directly in front of the patrol unit and the driver began to exit the vehicle. As Officers began exiting the patrol vehicle the driver reentered the Oldsmobile and fled.

A vehicle pursuit was initiated east on Maple Street.

Officers pursued the vehicle to the 700 Block of East Santa Fe where the suspect’s vehicle drove into a backyard and the driver fled on foot.

Officers located the suspect, Francisco Moreno, no known address, hiding inside a residence in the 700 block of East Santa Fe.

Moreno resisted arrest and was taken into custody after a brief struggle.
There were no injuries or property damage in this incident.
Moreno was arrested and is being held in the Finney County Jail and could face the possible charges of: Fleeing and Eluding
Interference with a Law Enforcement Officer Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Assault on a Law Enforcement Officer

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach says he has no plans at this time to ask lawmakers to ban voters who use a federal form to register from casting ballots in state and local elections.

Kobach said Wednesday that he believes a judge made legal errors when he ruled last week in favor of voters who challenged his office’s “dual registration” system. He says he may appeal or ask the judge to reconsider.

The court found last week that the right to vote under current Kansas law is not tied to the method of registration.

The American Civil Liberties Union says the fact Kobach is unwilling to go to the Legislature shows just how arbitrarily his office has been behaving, and that they do not believe lawmakers would authorize it.

MANHATTAN – Law enforcement authorities in Riley County have made arrests in connection with a five-month drug investigation.

Detectives found that approximately $300,000.00 had been transferred across state lines in order to facilitate the distribution of illegal drugs locally in the Manhattan and Riley County area, according to a media release.

Police in Manhattan executed a search warrant on Tuesday in the 2100 Block of Sloan Street and arrested Daniel Bigley, 20, Manhattan for the allegedly distributing a certain hallucinogenic, use of a telecommunication facility to facilitate a drug transaction, possession of hallucinogenic drugs, and use or possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia. He was given a bond of $11,000.

Arturo Green Jr., 29, and Joseph Lee, 31, both of Manhattan were also arrested.

Green for the offenses of distributing certain hallucinogenic drugs, use of a telecommunication facility to facilitate a drug transaction, and possession of hallucinogenic drugs. His bond was set at $8,000.

Lee was given a bond of $12,000 and had been released at the time of this report after being arrested for the offenses of distributing certain hallucinogenic drugs, use of telecommunication facility to facilitate a drug transaction, distributing certain hallucinogenic drugs, use or possession with intent to use drug paraphernalia, and possession of a hallucinogenic drug.
Several grams of methamphetamine and marijuana were seized as a result of this investigation.