WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the special counsel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election (all times local):
12:30 p.m.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein says that Russian intelligence agents stole information on 500,000 U.S. voters after hacking a state U.S. election board. The allegation was part of new charges Rosenstein announced against 12 Russian intelligence officers for hacking offenses during the 2016 presidential election.
The charges are part of the ongoing special counsel probe into potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia.
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12:20 p.m.
The Justice Department has announced charges against 12 Russian intelligence officers for hacking offenses during the 2016 presidential election.
The indictments were announced Friday by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein as part of the ongoing special counsel probe into potential coordination between the Trump campaign and Russia.
The Russians are accused of hacking into the computer networks of the Democratic National Committee and the presidential campaign of Hillary Clinton.
Before Friday, 20 people and three companies had been charged in the Mueller investigation. That includes four former Trump campaign and White House aides and 13 Russians accused of participating in a hidden but powerful social media campaign to sway American public opinion in the 2016 election.
DOUGLAS COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a possible attempted abduction.
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On Thursday, police were notified of the possible attempted abduction that took place on the Prairie Park Nature Trail around 6:45 a.m. Thursday morning, according to a media release from Lawrence Police.
A 40-year-old woman reported that she was jogging on the path when a male suspect attempted to grab her from behind.
The woman was able to fight to get away from the suspect and flee the area.
The suspect is described as a white male, wearing light colored pants and white shoes with black stripes, possibly Adidas brand shoes. The male was possibly associated with a blue tent in the park that was near a picnic table in the center of the park.
Additional actions taken by the suspect indicate the crime was sexually motivated. Officers responding to the location of the incident Thursday afternoon were unable to locate any people in the area.
Anyone who may have been in the area of Mary’s Lake, or the Prairie Park Nature Trail on Thursday morning who may have seen any individuals on the path are asked contact Lawrence Police.
The deadline to register to vote in Kansas in the Aug. 7 primary is Tuesday, July 17.
Maskus
There are 18 voter registration locations throughout Ellis County. Those include the city offices in Hays, Ellis and Victoria, the Hays and Ellis Public Libraries and the County Clerk’s Office in Hays. A complete list of those locations can be found on the Ellis County website.
Earlier this year a judge ruled the Kansas law requiring people to provide proof of United State citizenship to register to vote was unconstitutional, so you do not have to provide that documentation.
“The ruling is that we cannot ask for proof of citizenship,” said Ellis County Election Officer Donna Maskus, “so no more will anyone be required to show proof of citizenship.”
The ruling gave official voter status to several thousand Kansans who had their status suspended. Maskus said that affected some Ellis County residents.
When registering, people only have to fill out the registration card and declare they are a citizen of the U.S. and they will be 18 on or before Election Day, according to Maskus.
Even though residents do not have to provide ID when registering to vote, they will still need to have an ID when they head to the polls.
“You still have to show your ID before you vote,” Maskus said.
That would include a driver’s license, a government ID, a concealed handgun license, military ID or student ID, according Maskus.
The Ellis County Elections website also has a link to preview the ballot, a list of candidates and a list of polling sites.
For more information you can also contact the Ellis County Elections office at 785-628-9410 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.Mondays through Fridays.
Just before 2 a.m., fire crews responded to the fire located at 2949 SW Burlingame Road in Topeka, according to Fire Captain Michael G. Martin.
Upon arrival, fire crews reported smoke and flames visible from the single story wood framed house. Fire crews quickly extinguished the fire; one fire victim was located within the residence.
Estimated structural dollar loss is $40,000 structure, $10,000 content loss.
The home had working smoke alarms at the time of the fire.
TOPEKA – Five million dollars in tax credits are still available to investors in innovative emerging businesses in Kansas through the Kansas Angel Tax Credit (KAITC) program. The program offers Kansas income tax credits to qualified individuals who provide seed-capital financing for emerging Kansas businesses engaged in development, implementation, and commercialization of innovative technologies, products and services.
The KAITC Program is administered by the Kansas Department of Commerce and designed to bring together accredited angel investors with qualified Kansas companies seeking seed and early-stage investment. The Kansas Angel Investor Tax Credit act was established to facilitate the availability of equity investment in businesses in the early stages of commercial development and to assist in the creation and expansion of Kansas businesses, which are job- and wealth-creating enterprises.
How does it work?
The KAITC program grants tax credits against the Kansas income tax liability of investors investing in these startup ventures. With the primary goal of encouraging individuals to provide seed-capital financing for emerging, Kansas businesses engaged in the development, implementation, and commercialization of innovative technologies, products and services.
Applications for certification will be accepted only for Kansas businesses in the seed and early-stage rounds of financing.
Companies must meet the following criteria to be certified as a Qualified Kansas Business:
The business has a reasonable chance of success and potential to create measurable employment within Kansas.
In the most recent tax year of the business, annual gross revenue was less than $5,000,000.
Businesses that are not Bioscience businesses must have been in operation for less than five years; bioscience businesses must have been in operation for less than 10 years.
The business has an innovative and proprietary technology, product, or service.
The existing owners of the business have made a substantial financial and time commitment to the business.
The securities to be issued and purchased are qualified securities.
The company agrees to adequate reporting of business information to the Kansas Department of Commerce.
The ability of investors in the business to receive tax credits for cash investments in qualified securities of the business is beneficial because funding otherwise available for the business is not available on commercially reasonable terms.
Each applicant must sign a Qualified Company Agreement with the Kansas Department of Commerce.
Who are Angel Investors?
Angel investors are either individuals or groups looking to make an investment in new or existing businesses. The incentive on such investments is that they may yield a higher return than other methods of investing.
Most angel investors are entrepreneurs who have had their own business succeed in part due to such investments.
Only accredited angel investors can qualify for the Kansas Angel Investor Tax Credit by investing in Kansas Department of Commerce certified Kansas businesses.
The tax credit is 50% of the investor’s cash investment into a qualified Kansas Business
The tax credit may be used in its entirety in the taxable year in which the cash investment was made
The Tax Credits are transferable
If the amount of the credit exceeds the investors’ liability in any one taxable year the remaining portion of credit may be carried forward until the total amount of credit is used
Investors can receive tax credits up to $50,000 in tax credits per company they invest in, not to exceed $250,000 in one year
If investing through a permitted entity, all the equity owners of the permitted entity must be accredited investors.
Certification of companies must meet mandates established by Kansas statute to allow accredited Angel Investors to receive the Kansas Angel Investor Tax Credit.
Applications for companies seeking investment are accepted through August 31, 2018. For complete information on the Kansas Angels Initiative, visit https://kansasangels.com.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A Manhattan man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing his ex-girlfriend’s baby.
Gibson -Photo Kansas Offender Registry
Andrew Gibson, 28, must serve 25 years of his sentence for first-degree murder in the May 2016 death of 3-month-old Serenity Reich before becoming eligible for parole. He also was sentenced Thursday to three years for child abuse.
Gibson previously dated Serenity’s mother, Ariel Reich-Wille. While she was out of town, Gibson volunteered to watch her two children, including Serenity, at his apartment.
While being interrogated, Gibson told investigators he pushed the infant’s face into a mattress top. A medical examiner determined Serenity died from asphyxiation. The medical examiner also found bruises on the baby’s scalp and upper back, as well as multiple rib fractures that had started to heal.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE), in conjunction with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT), has issued public health warnings for Carbondale West Lake, Clarion Woods Park Lake, Webster Lake, Atchison County Park Lake, Melvern Outlet Pond, Melvern Outlet Swim Pond, Topeka’s Central Park Lake (Pond), Lake Afton, Rooks County State Fishing Lake and Salina’s Jerry Ivey Pond for the upcoming weekend and week.
If a lake is under a public health warning for blue-green algae, activities such as boating and fishing may be safe. However, direct contact with water (i.e., wading, skiing and swimming) is strongly discouraged for people, pets and livestock. The lakes currently under a public health advisory:
Warning: Carbondale West Lake, Osage County
Warning: Clarion Woods Park Lake, Shawnee County
Warning and Beach Closed: Webster Lake, Rooks County
Warning: Atchison County Park Lake, Atchison County
Warning: Melvern Outlet Pond, Osage County
Warning: Melvern Outlet Swim Pond, Osage County
Warning: Central Park Lake (Pond), Shawnee County
Warning: Lake Afton, Sedgwick County
Warning: Rooks County State Fishing Lake, Rooks County
Warning: Jerry Ivey Pond, Saline County
The U.S. Army Corp of Engineers has stated swimming is not allowed at the Melvern Outlet Swim Pond Beach and all wading and contact with algae is highly discouraged. Melvern Lake Visitors can utilize Coeur d’Alene Swim Beach which sets on the main body of the lake, located west of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Project Office. The present algae bloom is isolated to the Outlet Pond and Outlet Swim Pond, Melvern Lake is not affected.
Lakes under a warning are not closed. Marinas, lakeside businesses and park camping facilities are open for business. If swim beaches are closed, it will be specifically noted. Drinking water and showers at parks are safe and not affected by algae blooms. Boating and fishing are safe on lakes under a warning, but contact with the water should be avoided. Hands should also be washed with clean water after handling fish taken from an affected lake. Zoned lakes may have portions fully open for all recreation even if other portions are under a warning.
Kansans should be aware that blooms are unpredictable. They can develop rapidly and may float around the lake, requiring visitors to exercise their best judgment. If there is scum, a paint-like surface or the water is bright green, avoid contact and keep pets away. These are indications that a harmful bloom may be present. Pet owners should be aware that animals that swim in or drink water affected by a harmful algal bloom or eat dried algae along the shore may become seriously ill or die.
When a warning is issued, KDHE recommends the following precautions be taken:
Lake water is not safe to drink for pets or livestock.
Lake water, regardless of blue-green algae status, should never be consumed by humans.
Water contact should be avoided.
Fish may be eaten if they are rinsed with clean water and only the fillet portion is consumed, while all other parts are discarded.
Do not allow pets to eat dried algae.
If lake water contacts skin, wash with clean water as soon as possible.
Avoid areas of visible algae accumulation.
KDHE samples publicly-accessible bodies of water for blue-green algae when the agency receives reports of potential algae blooms in Kansas lakes. Based on sampling results, KDHE reports on potentially harmful conditions.
For information on blue-green algae and reporting potential harmful algal blooms, please visit https://www.kdheks.gov/algae-illness/index.htm. Human and animal illnesses potentially related to harmful algal blooms can also be reported through this website or by calling the KDHE Epidemiology Hotline at 1-877-427-7317.
The Hays Eagles Senior American Legion swept a doubleheader against Lexington Nebraska Thursday at Larks Park.
In the first game the Eagles scored nine runs in the first inning on their way to a 16-1 win in four innings.
Dawson Harman finished 3-for-3 with three RBI’s and three runs scored. Trey Riggs allowed just one hit over three innings and struck out four in the win.
In game two Hays jumped out to an early 10-5 lead and held off a late rally for the 10-8 win.
Cody Petersen homered and drove in two in the bottom of the first as they Eagles took a 4-0 lead. Petersen drove in three in the game.
Palmer Hutchison and Brady Kreutzer each drove in two runs in both games of the doubleheader.
Hays moves to 30-4-1. They are scheduled to take on the Hays Monarchs Sunday at TMP Field.
Passing an office building one Sunday, a girl saw a sign that said, “Press bell for security guard.”
She did so, and after several minutes she heard the guard clomping down the stairs. She watched him shut down the alarm system, put three different keys in three different locks, and finally open the door.
“Well,” the security guard said to the girl, “what do you want?”
She looked at him curiously. “I just wondered why you couldn’t ring it yourself.”
David NorlinTwo stories in the June 30 Salina Journal feature Kansas Republican office-holders in “Good Samaritan” mode, namely Governor (Dr.) Jeff Colyer and First District Congressman (Dr.) Roger Marshall.
The Colyer story recounts the Governor having his driver stop his car as it went by an accident scene on a campaign trip. There Colyer made sure a heat-exhausted truck-trailer driver had a bottle of water, then took him to the trooper’s car to sit in air-conditioning.
Says his paid spokeswoman, apparently the source of this stand-alone story, “This is just what he does,” also citing his running to the aid of an injured wrestler at a tournament.
The second story details Congressman Marshall’s account of his visit to 360 mostly Central American boys separated from their parents at an ‘immaculate’ detention center or ‘camp’ near the border. Citing his own mission work in Central America, Haiti, and Kenya, Marshall said the camp’s ‘loving and caring’ workers who also ‘look at it as a mission project,’ are “bringing teddy bears from home and getting them food.”
To further comfort the children, Marshall played soccer with them.
Thus calling to mind the January 31st story of the Congressman administering CPR to one of three garbage truckers hit by him and more than half the other Republican Senators and Representatives in a chartered train enroute to a West Virginia retreat.
Good for them! Compassion is a scarce commodity these days. When our public officials demonstrate it, shouldn’t we be the first to thank and congratulate them? Of course.
When anyone faces such need up close and personal, Hippocratic oath or not, the urgency of the moment and our best human instincts (usually) come into play. For that impulse, we can all be grateful.
But we should beware the Missionary Mentality. The automatic label of “Good Guy.” The feeling that by taking some saving action, we have done our best—and our duty–to our fellow humans. This applies to all of us, but especially Elected Officials and People in Charge.
It cannot go unnoticed that these stories appear in an election year. That their origins are with the officials themselves, or their surrogates. And that they might just seem deliberately calibrated as free campaign advertising.
Far more importantly, that their seemingly benevolent actions are in stark contrast with the harm inflicted by their public policies. Policies that, potentially or actually, directly harm the very people they are ‘helping.’
Imagine Colyer’s truck-trailer driver has a disabled daughter needing ongoing care, care denied by the KanCare company putting off or denying payment to the facility or physician offering her services—for their own personal enrichment.
A Kan’t Care system created by whom? Governor Colyer. A system the Guv wants to change to limit help to 36 months, and not allow help for anyone the Guv’s worker bees say won’t work for their benefits.
If our 150,000 Kansas neighbors not insured against financial disaster (because the Guv staunchly opposes expanding Medicaid) were sitting in the heat by the side of the road, would a water bottle and air-conditioned trooper car provide sufficient relief?
Will a soccer game with a U.S. Congressman and Teddy Bears from their captors get these kids back to their parents and out of prison (where they are held without their consent)?
Don’t be ridiculous.
The onus is on us, friends. When you read these Teddy Bear stories (and there’ll be more), it’s your responsibility to see the larger picture—and to Vote Accordingly!
David Norlin is Chairman of the Salina Planning Commission, former President of Salina Access TV, and a former College Director of Broadcasting and English Department Chair. He has twice run for Kansas State Office.
Beginning Friday, July 13, 2018, the intersection of 19th and Allen Street in Hays will be opened and the intersection of 17th and Allen will be closed. Allen Street will be closed from north of 16th Street to south of 19th Street. The intersection of 18th and Allen remains closed.
This work is part of the Allen Street Reconstruction Project.
Signs will be in place to direct the traveling public. Motorists should use caution in these areas.
The city of Hays regrets any inconvenience this may cause to the public. If there are any questions, please call the Office of Project Management at 785-628-7350 or the contractor, Paul-Wertenberger Construction at 785-625-8220.
The Kansas Department of Transportation expects to begin a resurfacing project on a portion of U.S. 281 in Russell County the week of July 16.
Crews will be working on a 15-mile stretch from the north Russell city limit to the K-18 junction. Traffic will be reduced to one lane and directed through the work zone via flaggers and a pilot car during daylight hours. Minor delays not exceeding 15 minutes should be anticipated.
KDOT expects work to be completed by the end of August, weather permitting. Venture Corporation is the primary contractor with a total contract cost of $1 million.
WASHINGTON COUNTY — A Kansas teen died and another remains hospitalized in critical condition after a fatal crash just after 1p.m. Wednesday in Washington County.
A 2003 Jeep Liberty driven by Nathalia Gonzalez-Sanchez, 16, Linn, was northbound on Kansas 9 just south of 9th Road, according to Washington County Sheriff Justin Cordry.
The vehicle left the road and the driver lost control when she overcorrected. The Jeep crossed the highway, traveled into a ditch and rolled.
The driver and a passenger Maddison Mills, 17, Washington, were ejected from the Jeep.
EMS transported both to the Washington County Hospital and then they were flown to KU Medical Center where Gonzalez-Sanchez died.
They were not wearing seat belts, according to the sheriff’s department.
