SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a pair of robberies and have a suspect in custody. Just before 10:30a.m. Friday, police responded to report of a robber at the Dollar General Store, 1001 SW Fairlawn Road in Topeka, according to Lt. Chris Heaven.
Heneck -photo Shawnee Co.
Dollar General Store Employees advised a 5-foot-6, Skinny Build, White Male wearing a blue/white hoodie, with a pink bandana on his face, entered the business and demanded money.
The suspect was armed with a tire iron, took an undisclosed amount of cash and escaped.
While surveilling similar retail business robberies, the Kansas Highway Patrol initiated a traffic stop on a black Ford Taurus which met the description given by witnesses. Troopers and Topeka Police arrested Daniel A. Heneck without incident. Heneck was booked into SNCO DOC with two charges of Aggravated Robbery for the two Dollar General Store Robberies on SW Fairlawn and 2042 NW Topeka Blvd., according to Heaven.
TUSCUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — The trial of a 59-year-old man facing a capital murder charge in the 1984 death of a Missouri teenager has been moved to a different county.
Priest -photo KDOC
Martin Priest’s trial in the death of 15-year-old Tammy Sue Rothganger of Eldon has been moved from Miller to Laclede County. Rothganger disappeared while walking to school in May 1984. A friend reported seeing the girl getting into a car with an unidentified man and Priest, who was her mother’s boyfriend. Her remains were never found.
Priest was charged in 2016 while serving a life sentence in Kansas for a different murder. Officials moved him from a Kansas prison to Missouri in May.
In the early to mid-1980s, authorities in Missouri and Kansas linked Priest to five deaths, but prosecutors gained only one conviction that was upheld.
NORTH KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City-area school district that garnered national attention when a transgender student was crowned homecoming queen in 2015 has installed gender-neutral restrooms at two new elementary schools and in some existing locations.
The individual bathroom stalls at Rising Hill Elementary and Northview Elementary in the North Kansas City School District two new elementary schools are enclosed with floor-to-ceiling walls and lockable doors, the Kansas City Star reported. The restrooms still have an open alcove area with a common trough sink. Both male and female symbols adorn the same sign on the wall outside the bathrooms.
The elementary schools opened Wednesday. The district also used a gender-neutral design in renovated bathrooms at two sixth-grade centers and at North Kansas City High School.
The district first tried the design at its Northland Innovation Center for gifted students in 2016, a year after one of the district’s four high schools, Oak Park High, crowned a transgender student as homecoming queen.
“We had such positive feedback from students, teachers and parents,” said Rochel Daniels, the district’s executive director of organizational development. “Since then we have decided to replicate the concept in any new construction.”
Daniels said the bathroom design was suggested by a district team comprised of parents and students.
“Students said they like these restrooms better because they are more private,” Daniels said.
She also said teachers can better monitor students because they can stand in the common area while the bathrooms are in use.
While the district doesn’t have a policy governing gender-neutral restroom, “we do have a policy about non-discrimination,” Daniels said.
“The restrooms became a point where we can provide for all students. The design was a decision based on privacy, safety and security for all students.”
Melanie Austin, whose first-grade daughter attends Crestview Elementary and takes classes at the Northland Innovation Center, supports the gender-neutral concept.
“You just don’t know what gender a kid might identify as,” Austin said. “This helps everyone to feel comfortable, accepted.”
WICHITA– A Kansas man was sentenced Friday to 130 months in federal prison for distributing child pornography, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.
Miller -photo Butler Co.
Daniel I. Miller, 35, Haysville, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography.
In his plea, he admitted he used a file sharing program on his computer to obtain and share videos depicting children engaged in sex acts. A detective working with the Kansas Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force downloaded child porn from Miller’s computer via the Internet.
TOPEKA — Enrollment in courses eligible for the Kansas Insurance Certificate program at several Kansas higher learning institutions has swelled to approximately 500 students for the 2018 fall semester.
The certificate program gives students at the participating schools the opportunity to gain understanding in core insurance concepts while showing prospective employers a work-ready knowledge obtained by prospective employees, according to Ken Selzer, CPA, Kansas Commissioner of Insurance.
The participating schools in the third-year certificate program are Fort Hays State University, Emporia State University, Pittsburg State University and Washburn University.
The 12 credit-hour certificate program is designed to advance career opportunities for the students in the financial services industry, including the insurance field. Students have the opportunity to enroll in classes offered through the participating institutions. Once the courses are successfully completed, the student will receive the certificate, which can become part of the student’s resume packet when seeking employment following graduation.
“The certificate program allows students to take focus-area courses online or through traditional classroom instruction,” said Commissioner Selzer. “Students can take the courses they are most interested in, even if the courses originate at another school associated with the program. And, for many of the courses, students are eligible for scholarship money.”
The certificate program is a collaboration between the insurance department and the Kansas Insurance Education Foundation, with monetary support from private businesses.
For more information about the certificate program, contact Daniel Rineberg, community outreach specialist, at the Kansas Insurance Department, 785-296-7803, or go online to www.ksinsurancecertificate.org.
The Department of Children and Families says the warrants will be lifted on Aug. 31. People must pay either $500 or two months of support, whichever is the lesser amount.
The agency says more than 1,100 Kansans have warrants for failing to pay child support.
Agency spokeswoman Taylor Forrest says more than 100 non-custodial parents went to DCF offices last year on amnesty day to discuss their cases but some of them didn’t have active bench warrants.
Forrest says the annual amnesty day is designed to help people avoid prosecution for failing to pay child support while also allowing their children to receive the support they deserve.
STEVENS COUNTY — One person died in an accident just before 6a.m. Sunday in Stevens County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1994 Chevy S10 driven by Asuncion Jimenez, 66, Huguton, was eastbound on Road V three miles south of Moscow, Kansas.
The driver failed to stop at the stop sign on Road 20. A southbound 1994 Chevy Tahoe driven by Delia A. Giron, 35, Ulysses, struck the S10 in the driver’s side.
Jimenez was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Paul’s-Robson Funeral Home in Ulysses.
Giron and passengers in the Tahoe Maria Rodriguez, 61;Yaretzi Giron and Gabriela Rodriguez, 17, all of Ulysses were transported to the Stevens County Hospital
Jimenez was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
PRATT – Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism public hunting areas are managed to provide optimum wildlife habitat, but area managers often go above and beyond to benefit hunters. These efforts can be especially evident on Sept. 1, when the migratory dove season opens. At select wildlife areas around the state, managers turn designated fields into dove hunting hot spots by planting sunflowers or wheat.
Northwest Kansas public lands available for dove hunting include wildlife areas at Cedar Bluff, Norton, Webster, and Wilson lakes.
Wildlife areas with dove hunting fields are categorized by region. Be sure to read through the description for each area. Some fields may be reserved for youth or youth/mentors on the first few days of the season, many require non-toxic shot, and some may limit the number of hunters through iWIHA (which limits access through electronic check-in).
Be sure to note if iSportsman Electronic Daily Hunt Permits are required. With an iSportsman account, hunters can check in and out by phone, smartphone or computer. It’s quick and easy. Visit https://kdwpt.isportsman.net/ to learn more.
Fields may be small and require hunters to be respectful of each other, allowing safe distances between parties and taking only safe shots.
When summer growing conditions are good, the managed dove fields can be swarming with doves on September 1. It’s time to stock up on shotgun shells and visit the local gun club for some shooting practice. Then check out the KDWPT website to locate managed dove fields near you and spend an evening or two scouting the fields. Then you’ll be ready on opening day.
The Kansas Department of Transportation plans to begin a chip seal project on a portion of U.S. 40 in Wallace County on Aug. 20.
Crews will be working on a 17-mile stretch from the Colorado border to the east city limits of Sharon Springs. 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 the August, weather permitting. APAC Kansas Shears Division is the primary contractor for the project with a total contract cost of $415,000.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A woman convicted of killing a Wichita high school student has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison.
Presley-Dupree – photo Sedgwick County
Twenty-year-old Terasha Diane Presley-Dupree pleaded guilty in July to voluntary manslaughter and criminal discharge of a firearm in the October 2015 death of 18-year-old Debrylan Bell, who was shot at least six times while he sat in his car outside of Woodgate Apartments.
Witnesses reported Presley-Dupree and Dennis Saquan McGaugh III speeding away from the apartment complex after 20 to 30 rounds were fired into Bell’s car.
Bell was a senior at Wichita North High School.
McGaugh was sentenced in June to nearly six years in prison.
Prosecutors say Bell’s killing was not a random act but the exact motive remains unclear.
FARLINGTON – The future for some of Kansas’ most imperiled aquatic species got brighter Thursday, August 16, with the grand opening of the Kansas Aquatic Biodiversity Center (KABC) at the Farlington Fish Hatchery in southeast Kansas. More than 60 people attended the opening ceremony for the facility, which culminated more than 10 years of planning and work.
The KABC is operated by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT). It is part of a program to propagate imperiled aquatic wildlife for reintroduction into areas where they have had serious population declines due to human activities and other factors. It will also be a holding facility for animals in immediate peril due to a decline in the quality of their habitat. In the next few months, KABC staff will work to propagate common, non-imperiled animals to develop procedures and get the rearing systems up and running. Once the systems are ready, KABC staff will begin propagating a few select species that have been determined by KDWPT to be important to restoring existing populations.
Robin Jennison, KDWPT Secretary, told a crowd at the event the facility could have a quick impact by raising and releasing aquatic animals currently on a threatened or endangered species list. Jennison said the center will play a huge role in the recovery of species in future disaster areas, such as where a chemical spill has impacted miles of a particular stream. As well as a place to take survivors of the disaster, the center could also propagate replacement animals far faster than the species could reproduce naturally. KABC will also participate in research projects pertaining to such aquatic animals.
Dan Mosier, KABC manager, said building the facility required the collaboration of various state and federal agencies. KDWPT, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) contributed to the $853,000 construction cost. KDHE provided more than half, largely with funds collected from mitigation agreements with corporations responsible for past ecological disasters. Such funding will help support the center in the future, too.
“KDHE is proud to partner with the KDWPT on this crucial aquatic biodiversity facility. This facility will allow for critical research and production work with species that are in need of conservation,” said Leo Henning, KDHE director of the division of environment.
Mosier said KABC is currently working on a research project concerning alligator snapping turtles with a Missouri university.
The Farlington Fish Hatchery is located at 101 Hatchery Rd., Farlington, which is below the Crawford State Fishing Lake Dam in Crawford County. The KABC will not be open to the public, but tours may be given by prior arrangement by calling 620-362-4166.
Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
“One big family.” That’s a phrase which has been used to describe the community of Corning. The people of this community seem to be able to come together to work on community improvements and get things done.
Corning is a community in Nemaha County in northeastern Kansas. Roger Haug and his sisters Diane and Janice grew up on a farm near Corning. Roger is a farmer, mail carrier, longtime softball coach, and was recently named a Civic Health Hero by the Kansas Health Foundation. However, he really wanted to share the positive things happening in his hometown of Corning.
Roger’s friend Joe Roanoke wrote about Corning, in part: “I remember when my wife and I were two of the young people in town. Since the 70’s, we’ve watched the circle of life continue as young couples with past ties return to live and raise their families in Corning. Now, my wife and I are some of the oldest in town. The transition has been incredible.”
He pointed to the remarkable improvements which have taken place in the community. “Over the years, the Corning family has come together to install a completely new city water system, build a new city community center complete with a city library and medical clinic, create a beautiful new city park where the high school once stood, construct a new and all-important fire station, install a helipad for emergency Lifestar transport, begin a three-phase ballpark renovation including new concessions, bleachers, field and lights, not to mention a Corning community corn patch with donated land, seed, and labor,” Joe wrote.
Some of these community improvements were built through Kansas Department of Commerce Kan-Step grants, where the state pays for design and supplies while the community provides volunteer labor.
Housing is another positive. “New housing is the norm in this clean and friendly oasis,” Joe wrote. St. Patrick’s Church is also raising funds to build a new gathering center.
Citizens in a rural community tend to pull together in times of crisis. When one local family lost a child who died suddenly, Corning got behind a local biannual blood drive in her honor. The Ava Louise Steinlage blood drives began in 2011 and have collected approximately 1,400 units of whole blood. Staff members at the Community Blood Center commented that they have been amazed at how well such a small community can support such a good cause.
They’ve noticed two other things about the blood drive: One, the community provides an amazing number of treats and food for the participants, and two, people who give blood tend to stick around and visit because the town is so friendly and close-knit.
Much small-town community life revolves around sports. For years, Corning hosted what was considered one of the best slow pitch softball tournaments in Kansas. On summer nights, the citizens still gather around the ballfields for ballgames and conversation.
There is an annual community celebration called Cornstock – which might be spelled Cornstalk, except that it is a take-off on the Woodstock celebration of the 1970s. Today, Cornstock celebrates the community with games and competitions.
“The event is drawing people back to Corning for a weekend where kids can run free in the park without constant supervision of worrying parents,” Joe Roanoke wrote. “The small town atmosphere where the one big Corning family watches out for everyone is so compelling, relaxing and friendly, it is drawing bigger numbers every year.”
It’s a remarkable record for a rural community the size of Corning, population 206 people. Now, that’s rural.
How does such a rural community succeed? “I believe the bottom line is family,” Joe wrote. “Corning is a hardworking farming community with a strong sense of pride and ethics, always bent on doing things the right way. It has a willingness to come together to form one big family to get the job done.”
One big family. We commend Roger Haug, Joe Roanoke, the Steinlage family and all those who are making a difference with family values in Corning. They demonstrate that Corning is a can-do community.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The state is promoting a campaign to reduce the number of stillborn deaths in Kansas.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment announced Wednesday it is partnering with Count the Kicks, a stillbirth prevention public health campaign.
Kansas officials say the state records an average of 232 stillborn deaths each year. The campaign seeks to save 60 babies every year by decreasing Kansas’ stillbirth rate by 26 percent. The effort achieved that reduction in Iowa.
Count the Kicks encourages expectant moms to track their baby’s movements once a day in the third trimester to determine how long it normally takes their child to get to 10 movements. If moms notice a change in the baby’s normal pattern, they are encouraged to call their doctors.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment announced Wednesday it is partnering with Count the Kicks, a stillbirth prevention public health campaign.