NEW YORK (AP) — A federal judge has refused to impose bail for an Adidas representative embroiled in a bribery scandal that’s thrown college basketball into turmoil.
At a hearing Thursday in federal court in Manhattan, prosecutors urged Judge Katherine Parker to require that James Gatto post $100,000 bond to keep his freedom. The judge instead continued the no-bail conditions set at an earlier court appearance in Oregon.
Lamont Evans, an assistant coach at Oklahoma State who was fired after being charged in the case, appeared on Thursday in the same courtroom. He was freed on $100,000 bond.
Both men and eight other defendants were charged last month in an alleged scheme to bribe assistant coaches in exchange for steering top-flight NBA prospects to a particular agent or financial adviser.
According to documents in the case, Evans expected $2,000 a month for his services. Evans said it was necessary to use his influence over the youngsters early in their college careers because many of them are “one and done,” meaning they play one year of college ball before joining the NBA, according to court papers.
Evans graduated with a degree in social science from K-State in 2009. He worked with the Wildcat basketball program as a Student Assistant from 2008-09, a Graduate Manager from 2009-2011, and an Assistant Coach 2011-12, according to his OSU bio.
DOUGLAS COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an armed robbery and asking the public for help to find a suspect.
Just before 3a.m. Wednesday, officers responded to a reported armed robbery that just occurred at a convenience store 1802 West 23rd Street in Lawrence.
A store employee reported a male suspect, armed with a firearm, wearing a mask and dark clothing, entered the business and demanded money.
The suspect took an undisclosed amount of money and exited the business. As the suspect exited the business, two female victims entered the business.
The suspect reentered the business and robbed the two female victims each of an undisclosed amount of money. The suspect then fled the area southbound on foot.
This investigation is ongoing. Lawrence Police request anyone who may have information related to this incident to please contact the Lawrence Police Department at 785-832-709 or Crime Stoppers of Lawrence and Douglas County at (785) 843-TIPS. Tips to Crime Stoppers can be made anonymous.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A new report says Kansas farmers are expected to harvest record crops of soybeans and cotton this season.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service said it anticipates 209 million bushels of soybeans will be cut in Kansas this fall. That is up 9 percent from last year.
Kansas growers planted 5.1 million acres of soybeans this season. The anticipated spike in production is due to the fact that farmers planted 27 percent more acres than a year ago.
Another record crop is expected to come in for cotton, with harvest forecast at 190,000 bales. That is a 168 percent jump from last year.
Corn production in Kansas is forecast at 697 million bushels, down slightly from last year. The anticipated sorghum production of 194 million bushels is down 28 percent.
I am running for a seat on the USD 489 Board of Education. I ask for your consideration. I am a Hays resident, concerned citizen, and taxpayer. I am an advocate of public education, having attended public schools as a child and public universities while earning my undergraduate and graduate degrees.
I have 21 years of volunteer service to schools. A short list includes O’Loughlin Elementary Site Council, Hays High Site Council, and District Site Council. I have also served on numerous home & school associations, PTAs, and booster clubs since my youngest child began kindergarten, as well as a debate judge and music completion judge assistant. Finally, I have my share of blisters and scrapes from building HHS from musical sets at 12h Street Auditorium. You may recognize me as the bald guy helping with the HHS Marching Band drink/snack table during football games and parades. I feel that whatever we can do, we should do; no matter how big or how small.
I currently serve as the director of FHSU’s Docking Institute of Public Affairs. The Institute provides research services (e.g., surveys, strategic planning, and economic impact studies) to communities. I meet with community groups, plan research, contract and budget projects, manage professional and student staff, maintain positive account balances, and assist with community planning. When teaching, my courses address rural development, community planning, and population change. Prior to coming to Hays, I served in the U.S. Army, US Congressional staffer, and worked as a journalist in Washington, D.C. I would like to bring these experience and talents to the board.
My personal motto is “Engagement, Commitment and Temperament.”
Citizen engagement is of vital importance. It is better to engage and assist, than to withdraw and dismiss. In addition to volunteer service to the schools, I engage in the larger community through work as a member of the Hays Chamber of Commerce and the western Kansas Regional Economic Development Alliance. I would like to bring these networking skills and social capital to the board.
I have a record of commitment. I already attend board meetings, know the budget process, understand the Kansas Education Systems Accreditation process and Rose Capacities, and have attended a Kansas Association of School Board workshop. While I have much more to learn, I can start off running.
I believe I have the temperament for the position. My approach is to seek information, speak with experts, and make informed decisions in calm and collected ways. Perhaps military training has taught me to stay cool under pressure. I feel temperament and emotional intelligence are necessary for any leader, and I pledge to be a calm voice of reason on the board.
Thank you for your time. I ask for your vote on Nov. 7. If you would like to contact me, please email [email protected].
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A man who was not in the country legally has admitted causing a traffic accident that killed a Johnson County sheriff’s deputy.
Adrian Espinosa-Flores pleaded guilty Thursday to reckless second-degree murder in the September 2016 death of Master Deputy Brandon Collins.
The Kansas City Star reports Collins was killed while conducting a traffic stop in Overland Park. A pickup driven by Espinosa-Flores ran into Collins’ parked vehicle, pushing it into the SUV the deputy had pulled over.
Espinosa-Flores also pleaded guilty to three counts of aggravated battery for injuries suffered by people in the SUV.
Court documents say Espinosa-Flores’ blood-alcohol content was twice the legal limit when he was arrested.
Immigration officials will take Espinosa-Flores into custody after he completes his prison sentence.
ALLEN COUNTY — A Kansas woman was injured in an accident just after 9a.m. Thursday in Allen County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Chevy Uplander driven by Lisa Marie Strickland, 28, Coffeyville, was northbound on U.S. 169 four miles south of Iola.
The vehicle crossed the center line and stuck a head-on.
Strickland was pronounced dead at the scene. The semi driver Andrew Jeremiah Robinson, 38, St. Mary’s, was not injured. Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) — Federal regulators have ordered Via Christi Health in Wichita to suspend a senior care program because of “severe” deficiencies.
The program, Via Christi HOPE, is designed to help senior citizens in Sedgwick County stay in their homes by offering a complete health care plan involving primary care, specialists and nurses.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said program should not enroll new clients because it was not providing participants with medically necessary services.
During an audit in August, regulators found problems that hurt patients’ health, a failure to determine if patients could safely live at home, and a pattern of home health aides not showing up for scheduled visits.
Spokesman Johnny Smith Jr. said the health system is working to address the auditors’ findings.
Due to some unforeseen circumstances that are both sad and exciting I will be moving to Colorado and no longer running for Hays City Commission. My wife got a chance for a better job opportunity out of left field and it has come as a pleasant surprise! So much has changed in the last week that we couldn’t expect.
I have been so surprised by the support from the community I have received. Hays is an amazing city and I hope going forward that the city continues to grow and be the best it could ever be.
After some thought and discussion I would like to endorse Shaun Musil moving forward as candidate for City Commission. I do want to make it very clear Shaun had no influence on my action to withdraw or to relocate. He has been an outstanding leader for the community and I think one of the best options moving forward to help the city grow and solve it’s problems.
Again, thank you for everything you’ve done Hays. Keep being outstanding and I’ll see you around soon.
Approximate location of Thursday’s investigation-google map
RENO COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating the discovery of skeletal remains across the tracks behind the Home Depot, 1907 East 17th Avenue in Hutchinson.
It appears that it was a homeless person who had set up camp at that location, according to Police Lt. Marty Robertson. The body had been there for an extended period of time.
The remains were discovered by another homeless person looking for a place to live.
Robertson says there is no evidence at this time of foul play.
PAWNEE COUNTY—A two-day Jury Trial was conducted Tuesday and Wednesday in the Pawnee County District Court regarding a criminal complaint against 20-year-old Zachary Hutchens, of Garden City.
The jury heard testimony that around 5:15 p.m. on September 6, 2016, a motorist in Great Bend witnessed a young woman in another vehicle being struck repeatedly and having her hair pulled.
The motorist testified that when their vehicles were side by side at the intersection of 10th and Main the woman looked at him and mouthed “Help me, help me, please help me!”
The motorist then called 911 and followed the suspect vehicle to Ellinwood. As the suspect vehicle entered Ellinwood on US Highway 56 it tried to elude an Ellinwood Police Department Officer that was sitting at the edge of town. The vehicle was ultimately stopped in an alleyway. The Barton County Sheriff’s Department also responded to the scene.
The Ellinwood officer found a very distraught 17-year-old woman in the vehicle with Hutchens. She told the officers that Hutchens had forced her into the car in Larned and that every time she tried to exit the vehicle he struck her and pulled her hair.
The defendant, Zachary Hutchens, was taken into custody at the scene by the Barton County Sheriff’s Department. The deputies testified they classified the case as a “rolling domestic” and it was referred to the Larned Police Department for follow-up as the jurisdiction in which the incident started.
At trial, the victim told the jury that she had been in an on again off again relationship with Hutchens for approximately a month. After they broke up, they had made arrangements to meet September 6, 2016, at 4:30 p.m. in Schack Park in Larned to exchange property.
Once there, an argument ensued and Hutchens took her car keys and cellular phone. When she tried to walk away the defendant grabbed her arm and forced her into the passenger side of her vehicle and then drove the vehicle in the direction of Great Bend. She further testified that Hutchens stated he would drive head on into a semi-truck if she continued to try to escape. The defendant later threw her cellular phone out the window.
The jury made up of five women and seven men deliberated for approximately three hours before returning at 6:40 p.m. Wednesday with guilty verdicts for aggravated kidnapping, theft of a motor vehicle, aggravated endangering of a child and misdemeanor theft. Prior to the case being sent to the jury, the Court dismissed a charge of criminal threat.
Following the reading of the verdict, presiding Judge Bruce Gatterman advised Hutchens that he will now be subject to lifetime registration as a violent offender. The defendant was already a registered sex offender. The defendant was then remanded to the custody of the Pawnee County Sheriff.
The defendant is also subject to a probation hold for a prior Finney County conviction for aggravated indecent solicitation of a child of less than 14 years of age. Sentencing is scheduled for November 16, 2017 at 2 p.m.. Depending on his criminal history, Hutchens faces a maximum sentence of 653 months in the custody of the Department of Corrections for the aggravated kidnapping conviction to run consecutive to his Finney County convictions by operation of law.
Pawnee County Attorney Douglas McNett presented the State’s case at trial. Hutchens was represented by Scott James and Chay Howard of Greensburg.
Claudette Humphrey, of Catholic Charities of Northern Kansas, speaks Wednesday to a legislative committee considering legislation on payday loans. credit STEPHEN KORANDA
Kansas lawmakers considered tighter rules on payday lending during a committee meeting Wednesday, but they ultimately decided not to recommend more regulations for the short-term loans.
Republican Senate Vice President Jeff Longbine chairs the Special Committee on Financial Institutions and Insurance. He said Kansas officials should wait to see the effects of federal regulations recently released on the issue.
Some members of the committee weren’t happy with the lack of action. Rep. Randy Powell, an Olathe Republican, said the industry needs more regulation.
“I’m not a big government guy. I don’t like to see unnecessary regulation, but when you’re looking at 270 percent, 330 percent interest … they walk into these things having no idea what they’re getting into,” Powell said.
The committee could have recommended legislation for lawmakers to consider when the session starts in January. The bill before them to cap interest rates and add other requirements to short-term loans will still be available for consideration.
Alex Horowitz, a research officer with the Pew Charitable Trusts, told the committee that small loans can be a useful service for people — within limits.
“They can help people get through difficult stretches, but only if structured appropriately at affordable prices,” Horowitz said.
He noted that the short-term loans often carry high interest rates, which can mean that, for example, someone borrowing $300 for a five-month period would have to pay back a total of $750.
Claudette Humphrey used short-term loans in the past. She now works with Catholic Charities of Northern Kansas on a program that helps people get out from under that type of debt.
“People who live on fixed incomes and limited incomes are our most vulnerable,” Humphrey said. “I understand that maybe they didn’t pull themselves up by the bootstraps as some people think they can, but sometimes you don’t have bootstraps.”
Brad Smoot is with Anderson Financial Services, which runs LoanMax Title Loans. He said the bill the committee was considering could kill the industry, taking away an option for people who need short-term cash.
“It’s a good alternative to other lending options or no lending options, which unfortunately some people are faced with,” Smoot said.
Whitney Damron, who spoke to the committee on behalf of the Kansas Consumer Financial Services Association, said decisions about the loans should be left up to Kansans.
“Customers of payday loan lenders are qualified to make financial decisions for themselves without government interference,” Damron said.
Longbine said one issue people often don’t recognize is that ballooning interest costs are usually caused by having the short-term loans reissued over and over.
“Oftentimes, the companies are blamed for the cost of the loan, when had the loan been repaid on schedule, the cost would have been minimal,” Longbine said.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump’s executive order on health care (all times local):
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order that aims to make lower-premium health care plans available to more Americans.
The president says the order will provide what he calls “Obamacare relief” for millions of Americans.
Trump is relying on the executive order because the Republican-controlled Congress has been unable to pass a plan to repeal and replace the Obama-era health care law.
Trump says the health care system “will get better” with his action, and the action will cost the federal government nothing.
The president says he still wants Congress repeal and replace the Obama health care law. But his says his order will give people more competition, more choices and lower premiums.
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3:38 a.m.
President Donald Trump has made no secret he’s frustrated with the failure of Congress to repeal and replace “Obamacare.”
Now Trump will try to put his own stamp on health care with an executive order that aims to make lower-premium insurance plans available to more consumers. He will unveil his plan Thursday.
Administration officials say it will let groups and associations sponsor coverage that can be marketed across the land, reflecting Trump’s longstanding belief that interstate competition will lead to lower premiums.
Trump’s move is likely to encounter opposition from medical associations, consumer groups and even insurers — the same coalition that has blocked congressional Republicans. They say it would raise costs for the sick, while the lower-premium coverage for healthy people would come with significant gaps.
