DODGE CITY – A Kansas man was sentenced Tuesday to more than eight years in prison after being found guilty of drug crimes, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.
Medina-Campos- photo Ford County
Rogelio Medina-Campos, 35, Dodge City, was found guilty in July by a Ford County jury of two counts of distribution of methamphetamine, one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine, one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine, one count of receiving/acquiring proceeds from drug offenses and one count of possession of drug paraphernalia.
Judge Van Z. Hampton sentenced Medina-Campos to 100 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections. The crimes occurred between September and November of 2016.
The case was investigated by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Alcoholic Beverage Control, the Finney County Sheriff’s Office, Dodge City Police Department and the Ford County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant Attorneys General Jason Oxford, Melissa Johnson and the late Steven W. Wilhoft of Schmidt’s office prosecuted the case.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The 26-year-old Missouri woman charged with intentionally driving her children into the Kansas River waived her right to a preliminary hearing and did not enter a plea at a brief court hearing.
Scharron Dingledine-photo Douglas CountyDingledine’s vehicle pulled from the river on August 3 -image courtesy KCTV
Scharron Dingledine, of Columbia, Missouri, on Tuesday waived her right to a preliminary hearing. Her attorney, Carol Cline, said she and her client need more time to prepare before Dingledine’s arraignment, which is scheduled for Dec. 3. No trial date is scheduled.
Dingledine is charged with first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder. Police allege she drove her car into the Kansas River near Lawrence on Aug. 3 in an attempt to kill her children and herself. Her 5-year-old daughter died and a 1-year-old son was critically injured. The boy remains hospitalized in fair condition.
KANSAS CITY – A Kansas man pleaded guilty Wednesday to unlawfully importing endangered leopard cats, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.
The leopard cat is a small wild cat native to Asia. It is considered as an endangered species under federal law.
Lawrence E. Payne, 34, Olathe, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Endangered Species Act. The investigation began when Payne applied to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for a breeding license for Asian leopard cats. When investigators served a search warrant at Payne’s home, they found three Asian leopard cats. Payne admitted importing the animals.
Sentencing will be set for a later date. He faces a penalty of up to a year in jail and a fine up to $50,000. McAllister commended the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley for their work on the case.
The Hays USD 489 school board voted Tuesday night to proceed with the purchase of the Oak Park Medical Complex at 2501 E. 13th St.
The 26,000-square-foot complex will be renovated using a $1.473 million federal grant for use by the Early Childhood Connections program.
The board authorized the purchase for no more than $2 million. HaysMed owns more than half of the interest in the building and has told the district it would discount the price, but an agreement has not been made on how much of a discount that will be, Superintendent John Thissen said Wednesday.
The district would like to pay for the purchase through a lease agreement over 10 years at $250,000 per year.
Thissen said he did not think the project would hamper other projects already budgeted with capital outlay funds or future maintenance projects within the district.
He said the district could use carry over in the capital outlay budget. The district will also be paying off a lease agreement within the next six years for additions to the middle school. This also will free up money that could be directed toward the project.
The ECC would move out of the former Washington Elementary School building on Main Street and the former Munjor school. Munjor would go back to the Catholic dioceses per contract. The board would have to decide what to do with Washington building, Thissen said.
The Washington building has had significant problems with the plumbing and sewer systems. The district spent about $15,000 to patch sewer leaks in the building last year. Students also had to be dismissed early one day because of sewer issues.
Washington is not ADA compliant. It has two floors and no elevator. Children can’t be housed on the second floor per a state statute. The concern is that small children would not be able to evacuate easily down stairs in case of an emergency.
“We have great concerns that facility is just not a healthy facility, and we can do better,” he said.
The district is also in need for more space to accommodate a growing Headstart program. The federal government is going to start requiring all-day classes for Headstart. The district has no more room in the former Washington building. Without this new building, the district would have to cut slots or move classes to the Munjor building, which would mean more parents would have to drive their students to that location.
The Washington building currently houses 122 students, and the Munjor infant and toddler program has 22 children.
ECC includes Parents as Teachers, Headstart, the 4-year-old At-Risk Program and Early Childhood Special Education. These programs serve all students in Hays, even those who go on to private school or who are homeschooled.
The district only learned it received the federal grant two weeks ago, but it is on a time crunch to use the money. Any project using the funds must be completed by June.
Although the district has been meeting in executive sessions for months about the purchase, several board members were concerned about the timing of the purchase and uncertainties that remain.
Board members Greg Schwartz and Lance Bickle voted against the purchase, and Luke Oborny abstained, making the vote 6-2-1.
Bickle said he would have liked to have seen an appraisal on the land before the board approved the purchase. He also was concerned about earmarking $250,000 for 10 years from the capital outlay fund for the purchase.
“I think we have enough buildings already, and we need to take care of those. I think we need to use that money in other areas,” he said in an interview Wednesday.
Because the lease agreement would be more than $100,000, there will be a 30-day window in which voters can file a protest petition. If more than 5 percent of voters sign that petition, the question would go for a district-wide public vote.
However, Thissen noted because of the tight time frame to use the grant dollars, a successful protest petition would mean the district would not be able to complete the project in the time stipulated by the grant and would have to forfeit the money.
USD 489 has had two failed bond issues in the last three years. Thissen said this is a way to address a building need without raising taxes.
“It really will make for better programming for the Early Childhood program,” Thissen said.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee – today questioned Amtrak officials on the future of the Southwest Chief, where they committed to operating this line through FY19.
Amtrak has considered ending passenger rail service in southwest Kansas through Dodge City, Garden City and destinations to the west. The Southwest Chief stops in several Kansas communities including Lawrence, Topeka, Newton, Hutchinson, Dodge City and Garden City.
“I am pleased to hear you say that Amtrak will continue to run – to operate – the line in its current form through Fiscal Year ’19,” said Sen. Moran to Scot Naparstek, Amtrak executive vice president and chief operating officer.
“I think that’s a positive development, something we were unaware of, and we’ll continue to work to see that the legislative efforts that we’ve undertaken are successful,” Moran added.
In August, the Senate passed Sen. Moran’s amendment to maintain Amtrak train services along the established, long-distance passenger rail route of the Southwest Chief.
The Southwest Chief runs daily between Chicago and Los Angeles and connects towns and cities in Kansas, Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and California and provides passenger train and long-distance passenger service, particularly through rural communities.
On the heels of earning his third MIAA Special Teams Athlete of the Week honor for the season, junior kicker/punter Dante Brown received D2Football.com Special Teams Player of the Week honors for all of NCAA Division II on Wednesday (Oct. 3).
Brown accounted for all of Fort Hays State’s points in a 15-0 win over Central Oklahoma in Hays. He set a new single-game school record for field goals with five. He pushed the Tigers out to a 12-0 lead by halftime with four field goals, then added his fifth late in the third quarter for the school record. He made field goals from 21, 39, 30, 25, and 44 yards. Brown also punted the ball six times for an average of 39.8 yards, with a game-long of 63 yards and three punts that started UCO drives inside the 20. Brown is now 12-of-14 on field goal attempts so far this year, with his only misses coming from beyond 40 yards.
COLBY — On Wednesday, the Kansas Highway Patrol honored Master Trooper Dean Goodheart as a memorial highway was dedicated in his name.
This legislative session, Senate Bill 375 was passed through the Kansas Legislature, and signed into law by Governor Jeff Colyer, designating memorial highways for the Kansas Highway Patrol’s 10 fallen troopers, and one Johnson County Sheriff’s Master Deputy.
James William Walker, age 64, died on Tuesday, October 2, 2018 in Ness City, Kansas. He was born on June 18, 1954 in Oberlin, Kansas the son of Irvin and Violet Irene (Lively) Walker.
He drove a crude oil truck for 30 years prior to working for Well Watch as a welder.
He married Carol Roths on November 17, 1979 in Ransom, Kansas. She survives of the home. He is also survived by his two daughters, Amy Moore of Fayetteville, North Carolina and Lisa Schlegel and her husband, David, of Norton; two sons, Troy Walker and his wife, Shellby, of Hoisington and Adam Walker and his wife, Jacklyn, of Ness City; one brother, Frank Walker of Hugoton; five sisters, Lorene Thieme and Lucille Hahn of Wichita, Martha Carlson of Utica, June Fairbank of Garden City, and Rita Lovato of Milton; and six grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his parents.
Funeral service will be on Friday, October 5, 2018, 10:30 a.m. at St. Aloysius Church in Ransom. Friends may call at Fitzgerald Funeral Home in Ness City on Thursday from 1:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. with the family present from 6-8 pm.
Memorial contributions may be given to the James Walker Memorial Fund.
Former Newman University head coach and motivational speaker Mark Potter
Twelve years ago, Potter knew something wasn’t right and he began a downward spiral into a world of darkness. Potter missed eight games and 25 practices due to severe depression. Since that time, he has been on a crusade to educate people about depression and encourage others suffering from mental illness to seek assistance. His passion is to share his story in hopes that people will pursue treatment and find a way to live productively with mental illness.
Campus-wide event and free to the public.
If you have any questions, please email Amee Stapleton, assistant athletic trainer at [email protected].
TOPEKA —President Donald Trump is bringing his MAGA tour to Topeka’s ExpoCenter on Saturday, October 6.
The areas in YELLOW are open to peaceful dissenters and demonstrators, according to Police- click to enlarge
Law enforcement authorities are working diligently with area agencies and in partnership with the Secret Service to make sure this visit is safe for all involved, according to Lt. Andrew Beightel with Topeka Police.
As procedures dictate, police will not be disclosing route information or road closures for security and safety reasons.
Police in Topeka have received questions about where people with contradicting views of President Trump can exercise their 1st amendment right, according to Beightel.
The Public sidewalks are available on either side of SW Topeka Blvd, from 17th to 21st street.
In addition, the grass areas at the Expocentre will be open to the public.
Those who do not demonstrate peacefully could be citied and or arrested for disorderly conduct or unlawful obstruction, according to police.
Those who engage in demonstrations in areas not in yellow on the map will be asked to move to the yellow areas. If they refuse, they could be cited or arrested for the violations.
Saturday’s rally is a month before the November election. The President will stump for gubernatorial candidate Sec. of State Kris Kobach, 2nd district congressional nominee Steve Watkins and other GOP candidates. Tickets for Trump’s MAGA Rally are available here.
