TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a federal lawsuit challenging a Kansas law prohibiting state contractors from participating in boycotts against Israel.

The ACLU filed the lawsuit Wednesday for a Wichita public school curriculum coach. It says Esther Koontz was denied a state teacher training contract because she wouldn’t sign a statement saying she wasn’t boycotting Israel.

The lawsuit says Koontz is boycotting Israeli products because of Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and that the Kansas law violates her free speech rights.

The law took effect in July. The pro-Palestinian group Palestine Legal says 21 states have such laws, but the ACLU says this is its first challenge.

The Kansas attorney general’s office didn’t immediately reply to phone and email messages seeking comment.

TOPEKA – The Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) on Wednesday issued more information on the agency’s policies and procedures for handling situations involving missing and runaway children.

The DCF Policy and Procedure Manual (5245) outlines the departments guidelines for handling situations involving children missing from the foster care system. The policy presents clear guidelines for the reporting of a missing child, including the filing of a missing person’s reports, notification of the child’s biological and foster families, the legal steps to be taken with the court and weekly check-ins with local law-enforcement. The department’s policy also provides steps to be taken after the child’s safe return.

The full language of the policy can be found here: https://content.dcf.ks.gov/PPS/robohelp/PPMGenerate/ (search 5245 in search bar; the document is also attached).

“We made the decision to highlight the protocol for handling situations involving runaways and missing children because of questions that arose during the final minutes of the Child Welfare System Task Force meeting on Tuesday,” DCF Secretary Phyllis Gilmore said. “We want to assure the public that protocols are in place, and have been for many years, to ensure that when children run away from their foster care placement, every effort is made to locate them and return them to a safe and appropriate foster care home or facility.”

“There are more than 7,000 children in the foster care system,” Secretary Gilmore said. “These children who run away are not under lock and key; they are generally in family foster homes, older youth, who attend school and activities, and they often miss their biological families. We work closely with our foster care contractors, law enforcement, the school system and affected families to locate missing children as quickly as possible.”

While it is unfortunate when any child runs away from the foster care system; this issue is not unique to Kansas. In our state, 1 percent of children in foster care are considered missing, which correlates with the national average. Often, children who run away are located quickly and returned in a short amount of time. In some cases, the missing children are considered on the run with a parent who is attempting to keep them from State care.

 

DCF maintains monthly reports on this issue.

 

DCF and its contracted partners, KVC and Saint Francis Community Services, take seriously their obligation to protect children. We encourage anyone who has information about missing children, from foster care or otherwise, to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678. Visit www.missingkids.com to learn more about missing Kansas children.

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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Lawmakers are expressing outrage after learning more than 70 foster children are missing in Kansas.

The Kansas City Star reports that foster care contractors discussed the issued Tuesday. The discussion was prompted by the disappearance in August of three sisters from a northeast Kansas foster home. Democratic Sen. Laura Kelly, of Topeka, says she’s “flabbergasted.”

The Kansas Department for Children and Families’ chief, Phyllis Gilmore, says in many cases children went to their biological families or other people with whom they have a relationship.

Chad Anderson, an official for one contractor, KVC Kansas, says the number of missing represents about 1 percent of the foster care population and is in line with the national average. But Anderson acknowledged more could be done to share day-to-day information about missing youth.

DICKINSON COUNTY — A Kansas woman died in a fire Tuesday in Dickinson County.

Just before 8:30a.m fire crews responded to the fire at a home in the 200 Block of South Lincoln in Enterprise, according to Sheriff Gareth Hoffman.

Fire crews found the home fully engulfed in flames when they arrived. Once inside, they found the body 48-year-old Patricia Humes, according to Hoffman.

Cause of the fire is ruled undetermined and possibly accidental, according to Enterprise Fire Chief Cecil Thrush.

Two dogs and a cat also perished in the fire. The home is considered a total loss, according to Thrush.

Fire District Number One and the Abilene Fire Department assisted the Enterprise Volunteer Fire Department in fighting the blaze.

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DICKINSON COUNTY —The Kansas State Fire Marshal’s office is investigating the cause of fatal Tuesday fire in Dickinson County.

Just before 8:30a.m fire crews responded to the fire at a home in the 200 Block of South Lincoln in Enterprise, according to Sheriff Gareth Hoffman.

Fire crews found the home fully engulfed in flames when they arrived. Once inside, they found the body 48-year-old Patricia Humes, according to Hoffman.

Fire District Number One and the Abilene Fire Department assisted the Enterprise Volunteer Fire Department in fighting the blaze.

BY JIM MCLEAN

Kansas gubernatorial candidate Ed O’Malley came out swinging Tuesday at a campaign launch event in Overland Park.

The Republican former state legislator from Johnson County, who for the last decade has served as president and CEO of the Wichita-based Kansas Leadership Center, swung for the policy fences by pledging that his primary goal as governor would be to make Kansas public schools the “best in the world.”

“That is not rhetoric, and that is not beyond our reach,” O’Malley said. “We can be known literally as the very best in the world. And it will fuel our economy for generations to come.”

O’Malley, who started in politics as an aide to former Kansas Gov. Bill Graves, also took some aggressive swings at one of his rivals for the Republican nomination, Secretary of State Kris Kobach, calling him a divisive candidate who is running for governor to further his national political ambitions.

“Let me be incredibly blunt,” he said. “Kris Kobach will divide us in order to try to win. And make no mistake, if he succeeds he’ll keep dividing us so he can win an even higher office.”

Kobach’s aggressive efforts to combat a voter fraud problem that many argue does not exist have made him a high-profile but controversial figure in Kansas and nationally. At his urging, Kansas legislators passed anti-fraud measures that among other things require new Kansas voters to provide proof of citizenship for state registration.

“Secretary Kobach is the only candidate for governor with a proven record of achieving conservative results,” wrote Samantha Poetter, Kobach’s campaign spokesperson, in an email response. “He led the effort to pass bipartisan election security reform through the Kansas legislature, which was supported by two-thirds of House Democrats and three-fourths of Senate Democrats.

“Kobach’s proven record of results show that he is ready to lead and fix Topeka’s problems,” Poetter wrote.

Plenty of candidates

O’Malley, 41, is the first Republican gubernatorial candidate to explicitly criticize Kobach, the perceived front-runner for the GOP nomination.

Reporters recently had to push Mark Hutton, a former legislator and owner of a Wichita construction company, to acknowledge that he was referring to Kobach when he compared his pragmatic approach to that of candidates “with a little more of a grenade-throwing mentality.”

Even Democrat Josh Svaty hesitated before acknowledging that he was referring to Kobach when he said “a hyperpartisan bomb-thrower” would not be the best choice for Kansans wanting a problem-solver in the governor’s office.

Svaty represented Ellsworth in the Kansas House before former Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius appointed him to head the Kansas Department of Agriculture.

Others competing for the Democratic nomination for governor are Kansas House Minority Leader Jim Ward and former Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer.

In addition to O’Malley, Hutton and Kobach, the crowded Republican field includes Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer, Wichita oil executive Wink Hartman and former Kansas Sen. Jim Barnett, a loser to Sebelius in the 2006 governor’s race.

Orman as independent?

Candidates in both parties are bracing for an expected announcement from Olathe businessman Greg Orman, who sources say will run as an independent.

Orman, who mounted a strong independent challengeto U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts in 2014, has done preliminary polling and is putting together a campaign staff, according to several sources who would only speak on background.

“Based on my last conversation with him, I believe he’s going to run,” said one source. “But as far as I know, he hasn’t made a final decision.”

That decision is expected soon.

If he runs, Orman — a multimillionaire who sources say intends to self-fund his campaign — would appeal to the same moderate Republican voters whose support O’Malley, Barnett, Hutton or Selzer would need to capture the nomination over Kobach, the leading conservative in the race.

Perhaps anticipating Orman’s candidacy, O’Malley urged all who attended his Overland Park announcement to vote in the GOP primary.

“I need you to be registered as a Republican,” he said. “We have to win this primary election.”

The conventional wisdom among Kansas political observers is that if Kobach prevails in the primary, Orman running as an independent would increase Kobach’s chances of winning the general election with a solid bloc of conservative votes.

Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks.

BUTLER COUNTY —One Kansas Turnpike Authority employee remains hospitalized after lightning strike Monday in Butler County.

Just after 4:30 Monday, KTA crews were working approximately 12 miles north of Cassoday, according to Rachel Bell, the KTA Director of Business Services.

A thunderstorm rolled in more rapidly than expected. The crews had a difficult time loading a piece of equipment they were using. Two employees were outside a vehicle and one inside when lighting hit, according to Bell.

Emergency medical crews transported all three to an area hospital.

The KTA did not release names of the employees.

SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a case of animal cruelty and asking the public for help

Early Monday, a resident reported seeing a blue van in the alley in the 1800 block of N. Arkansas in Wichita drop something off and leave, according to officer Charley Davidson.

The resident went to see what was left and found a brown, female Pitbull that was nothing but skin and bones and apparently, left for dead.

The resident took the dog to a local vet clinic where it is being treated but is in extremely critical condition.

The only description police have is the van is a 1990’s model blue van. Police are asking for any information from the public to try and locate the suspect(s) responsible for the mistreatment of this dog.

Please crime stoppers at 267-2111 or WPD animal services bureau at 350-3360 with any information.