LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Lawrence police officer who was accidentally shot during a training exercise is out of the hospital.
The police department says the officer was shot Monday afternoon at a police lodge southwest of the city.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports a preliminary investigation found the shooting occurred when equipment became entangled in a trigger guard, causing the officer’s gun to fire. The department did not explain what type of equipment was involved.
Officer Drew Fennelly said Tuesday no crime was involved. The department is investigating to determine if any policies were violated.
Fennelly would not release the officer’s name but said he was a two-year veteran.
The shooting occurred during on-duty, state-required firearms training.
Teens spent Tuesday afternoon turning trash into fashion as a part of the Hays Public Library’s Trash ‘n’ Show program.
The library has a variety of programs scheduled this week during spring break for children of all ages as well as adults. Click here for more information.
The theme for the fashion show is the “Future is Now.” The students designed outfits and costumes. The youth will show off their designs during at public fashion show at 5:30 p.m. March 27 in the Schmidt Gallery on the ground floor of the library.
Mylissa Molnar, 12, Hays, designed a tie for her friend, Christopher Isbell, 14, Hays.
“I just found something, and I used it,” she said.
The front of the tie was decorated with bottle caps and can lids. Christopher also wore a hat with horns and sported a pair of shades.
Molnar also repurposed an umbrella into a jellyfish.
Justus Nelson, 11, Hays, patterned his costume from Neo on the “Matrix.”
“This would be what Neo would wear if he went to a party and was not in the matrix,” he said.
“This is very fun,” he said. “It is a super nice day outside. I stopped by the library and decided to join in.”
ROOKS COUNTY– The investigation conducted by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI), the Plainville Police Department, and the Rooks County Sheriff’s Office has led to an arrest in connection to the death of Alexis Garcia, age 24, of Plainville.
Alifonso Eduardo Garcia, age 35, husband of Alexis Garcia was arrested at 5 a.m. on Mar. 19 by Plainville Police Department for first degree murder. Formal charges will be determined by the Kansas Attorney General’s office.
Garcia is currently hospitalized and is being held on a million dollar bond.
This investigation is ongoing. No further information will be released at this time.
NEW YORK (AP) — The Latest on the alleged use of Facebook data to influence the U.S. presidential election (all times local):
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Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is admitting mistakes and outlining steps to protect user data in light of privacy scandal involving a Trump-connected data-mining firm.
Zuckerberg is breaking more than four days of silence as he posts an update about the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
Zuckerberg posted on his Facebook page Wednesday that Facebook has a “responsibility” to protect its users’ data, and “if we can’t then we don’t deserve to serve you.”
Zuckerberg and Facebook’s No. 2 executive, Sheryl Sandberg, have been quiet since news broke Friday that Cambridge may have used data improperly obtained from roughly 50 million Facebook users to try to sway elections.
A new social work cohort program from Garden City Community College and Fort Hays State University will begin in fall 2018 for students interested in studying social work in the Garden City area.
The three-year cohort program, which will begin in August 2018, is a partnership between GCCC and Fort Hays State for individuals who wish to complete their social work degree from FHSU. The cohort program provides an opportunity for individuals in Southwest Kansas to complete a Bachelor of Social Work degree without having to leave their homes and jobs. Students will complete classes online and one evening a week from 6 to 9 p.m. in the GCCC academic building.
FHSU’s Department of Social Work offers the development of skills and knowledge that enables individuals to help others. The department offers significant resources for students including various student organizations and research support. Hands-on experiences through clinical, service and internship opportunities are also available.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Kansas has filed a complaint in federal court on behalf of a Wichita man who said he was targeted because he is Muslim and was falsely accused of flying a terrorist flag.
The ACLU said in a news release Monday that it filed a complaint against the Spirit/Boeing Employees’ Association, or SBEA, on behalf of Munir Zanial, who works at Spirit AeroSystems.
The flag of Malaysia
SBEA is a member-owned nonprofit open to current or former Spirit and Boeing employees, according to its website. It is not affiliated with Spirit AeroSystems.
The complaint says an SBEA employee reported to Spirit’s security team that Zanial and people in “Muslim garb” had held an ISIS meeting in September 2017 on SBEA property. SBEA later revoked Zainal’s right to use the group’s property.
Zanial said the gathering was to celebrate an Islamic holiday and Malaysia’s independence day.
Trish Pulliam, SBEA’s executive director, said Monday the group had not received any paperwork regarding the complaint. She said without knowing the details outlined in the complaint, she could not comment.
Zanial has lived in Wichita since 2011, according to the court filing. He earned a master’s degree in aerospace engineering from Wichita State University and is a senior stress engineer at Spirit.
He is a native of Malaysia and a permanent resident of the United States.
“To label someone a terrorist due to their appearance and their celebration of their heritage is shameful, but to continue to use that mislabel as grounds for blatant discrimination — even after it had been discredited by the FBI — is downright reprehensible,” Micah Kubic, executive director of the ACLU of Kansas, said in a statement.
In the complaint filed in federal court in Kansas City, Kan., Zanial alleges the following took place:
He had rented SBEA’s recreational lake in south Wichita on Sept. 2, 2017, to celebrate Eid-Al Adhara — a Muslim holy day — and Malaysian independence day with about 45 guests.
An SBEA employee reported the gathering to Spirit’s security team, saying Zanial may be affiliated with radical Islamic terrorism and used the property to hold an ISIS meeting.
The employee also reported that an American flag had been “desecrated by ISIS insignia” and that people at the property were wearing “Muslim garb.”
Spirit forwarded the report to the FBI, which determined the desecrated flag actually was the national flag of Malaysia. After talking with Zanial, the FBI closed its investigation shortly after receiving the complaint.
Zanial said he continued to pay membership dues to SBEA — about $14 a month — but was told in January 2018 when he tried to rent a pavilion that his membership rights had been restricted.
Zanial is seeking to have his membership restored. He also is seeking damages from SBEA and payment of his attorneys’ fees.
Tom Shine is the director of news and public affairs KMUW, a partner in the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @thomaspshine. Stephan Bisaha contributed to this report.
BARTON COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with the disappearance and death of a 2-year-old Barton County girl.
Chaz Zachery Stephens-photo Barton Co.
Just before 4 p.m. Tuesday, the Hoisington Police department received a report of a missing Iviona Lewis. She had last been seen just before 11p.m. on Sunday in the 400 Block of Elm Street in Hoisington, according to the Barton County Sheriff’s office.
On Wednesday, authorities found the girl’s body in rural Barton County and arrested her mother’s boyfriend Chaz Stephens, 25, of Hoisington.
He is being held on a $1,000, 000 Bond for alleged second degree murder, according to the sheriff’s department.
Hoisingon police Chief Kenton Doze said the girl’s mother had been visiting her brother in Great Bend, and the delay in reporting Iviona’s disappearance stemmed from confusion over who was supposed to be caring for her.
Once the autopsy is complete formal charges will be filed by the Barton County Attorney’s office, according to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
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Iviona Lewis -Courtesy Barton County Sheriff
BARTON COUNTY – The Hoisington Police Department, the Barton County Sheriff’s Office, and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) have found the missing girl, Iviona Lewis, age 2 of Hoisington, Kan. She has been located deceased in rural Barton county, according to a KBI media release.
Agents and local law enforcement worked through the night and made an arrest at approximately 7:30 a.m. Wednesday. Chaz Stephens, age 25, of Hoisington, acquaintance of Lewis, was arrested and booked into Barton County Jail on second degree murder. Once the autopsy is complete formal charges will be filed by the Barton County Attorney’s office.
The investigation is ongoing. No further information will be released at this time
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BARTON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are asking the public for help to locate a missing child.
Just before 4 p.m. Tuesday the Hoisington Police department received a report of a missing child. Two-year-old Iviona Lewis was last seen just before 11p.m. on Sunday in the 400 Block of Elm Street in Hoisington, according to the Barton County Sheriff’s office. She was only wearing a diaper.
Iviona has brown eyes and black hair. She is thirty-seven inches tall and weighs twenty-seven pounds. Please call 911 if you have any information.
RILEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on child abuse allegations.
Just after 2:30p.m. Tuesday, police filed a report for aggravated battery, abuse of a child and aggravated endangering a child at a home the 3100 Block of Heritage Court in Manhattan, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.
Officers listed a 6-month-old boy as the victim. EMS transported the child for treatment, according to RCPD Public Information Officer Hali Rowland
Authorities did not report an arrest and did not release the name of the 24-year-old suspect.
HaysMed, part of The University of Kansas Health System has launched a new Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) program at the hospital. The clinic will be located in Suite 304 in the Miller Pavilion at HaysMed.
Several years ago the only ENT specialist in Hays discontinued his practice leaving no services available locally. “The closure of that practice left a void for patients needing ENT services both here and in the region.” said Bryce Young, Chief Operating Officer at HaysMed. “We have been working diligently to find a solution and bring those services back to Hays.”
Joint collaboration between HaysMed and the health system resulted in identifying a group of specialists to provide clinic and surgeries in Hays the second and fourth Mondays and Tuesdays beginning March 26. According to Young, the goal is to start with these services and then add another ENT specialist from the health system this summer to increase the number of days patients can be seen in the clinic.
“Early on in our affiliation with the health system we identified establishing an ENT program as a high priority to meet local community needs.” Young remarked. “This is just one example of the advantages of being part of a larger health system and the benefits it brings to our patients in Hays and Western Kansas.”
ENT Specialists who will be seeing patients include Douglas E. Barnes, MD, FACS, Michael D. Franklin, MD, FACS, Matthew D. Glynn, MD, Tyler C. Grindal, MD, Scot D. Hirschi, MD Robert V. Lane, MD and Jason A. Meyers, MD. A full time advanced practice provider is also being recruited.
Services covered will include: allergy and sinus disorders; dizziness and balance disorders; ear disease and hearing loss; ear tubes; head and neck cancers; snoring and sleep apnea; swallowing and voice disorders; tonsils and adenoid surgery and thyroid and parathyroid diseases.
For more information or to make an appointment call 785-650-2880 or go to www.haysmed.com/ent/
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kris Kobach has picked Wichita businessman and former Republican rival Wink Hartman as his running mate in his campaign for Kansas governor.
Wink Hartman, left, is now Kris Kobach’s running mate photo by NADYA FAULX / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
The secretary of state announced Hartman’s selection Wednesday as he kicked off a four-city bus tour in Topeka. Kobach said as lieutenant governor, Hartman would function like a corporate chief operating officer and audit state agencies.
Hartman owns a family of oil industry companies. Kobach is a Topeka native and Hartman’s pick balances Kobach’s ticket geographically.
It’s also likely to help Kobach in financing his campaign.
Hartman and three companies tied to him loaned his campaign for the GOP nomination nearly $1.7 million before Hartman dropped out of the race last month. The two said there’s been no decision on how much Hartman will contribute to the ticket.
The United States Air Force Academy Band from Colorado Springs will perform “A Celebration of Excellence” at Fort Hays State University at 7 p.m.Saturday, April 14, at the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center in Sheridan Hall on FHSU’s campus.
The band, under the command of Lt. Col. L. Price, represents the Air Force Academy and its mission to educate, train and inspire men and women to become officers in the United States Air Force.
The concert, free and open to the public, represents the excellence of the men and women in uniform and highlights musical diversity. Tickets will be available on Monday, March 26, at the Hays Welcome Center and the Hays Daily News.
The concert band is one of nine performing ensembles within the academy band and is comprised of 45 professional active-duty airman musicians.
“For over 60 years, the Academy Band has used the power of music to honor our nation’s heroes, inspire Air Force personnel and the nation they serve, produce innovative musical programs and products and communicate Air Force excellence to millions around the world,” said a news release from the academy.
“From patriotic favorites and traditional marches to spectacular concert works and Broadway classics, this versatile ensemble presents a unique variety of musical styles that is sure to entertain audiences of all ages.”
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