KANSAS CITY (AP) — An 18-year-old Kansas City man has been charged in the shooting death of a 25-year-old woman police describe as an innocent bystander hit by a stray bullet Friday night during a fight at a popular monthly arts festival on the edge of downtown.
Deon’te Copkney / photo Jackson Co.
Deon’te Copkney was arrested Saturday and charged with second-degree murder. Officers said they saw Copkney drop a handgun as he was running from the scene and that it was later determined to be the gun used in the shooting that killed Erin Langhofer, of Overland Park, Kansas, as the First Friday event was underway.
Police were called just after 10 p.m. about a fight and say officers arriving on the scene saw people gathered, then heard gunshots. As the crowd cleared, a woman later identified as Langhofer was found with a gunshot wound. She was near a food truck when she was hit, police said. She died at a hospital.
Police spokesman Capt. Tim Hernandez told the Kansas City Star that officers heard numerous shots.
“At this point, they began to take cover, and they tried to identify where the shots were coming from,” Hernandez said. “Of course, when you have thousands of people and you have shots being fired like this, people just started scattering in every direction.”
Police said three people seen running from the area were detained for questioning. Copkney was arrested Saturday and is also charged with unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action. He remained jailed Saturday. Online court records did not indicate whether Copkney has an attorney to speak for him.
Friends and family gathered at Langhofer’s family home on Saturday. Langhofer was the daughter of a pastor at the United Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, the largest Methodist congregation in the U.S. She had been attending the First Friday event with her boyfriend when she was killed, said senior pastor Adam Hamilton.
Langhofer graduated in 2016 from the University of Kansas with a degree in social work, and had worked at a domestic violence center, her friends said.
“She was a gift,” said Scott Kormann, a neighbor who knew Langhofer since her birth. “She wanted you to be a better person.”
Kormann’s daughter, 26-year-old Liz Kormann, was preparing to ask Langhofer to be her maid of honor at her upcoming wedding.
“The world lost a good one,” Liz Kormann’s fiancé, Danny Dolan, said. “We’re lucky to have had her as long as we did.”
GEARY COUNTY — Just before 1p.m. Sunday, authorities learned of a boat with two occupants who appeared to be in distress on Milford Lake at the mouth of Madison Creek, according to a media release.
Photo courtesy Geary Co. Sheriff
The Sheriff’s Department had a marine unit already on the water and responded to the location. They reported that upon arrival Deputies located Armando Matute Jr., Fort RIley, and his 14-year old son floating in the water. Deputies pulled both out of the water and transported them to Milford State Park where they met with Kansas Wildlife and Parks officials
Armando Matute Jr. said they were going along in their boat when they heard a loud pop and their boat started taking on water. He believed they struck something in the water.
The Sheriff’s Department said they were grateful both the father and son were using safe boating practices and were wearing their life jackets or the incident could have had a tragic ending.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The South Dakota chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union says it’s concerned about a report that the U.S. military is using high-altitude balloons to conduct surveillance tests in six Midwestern states.
Google image
Up to 25 balloons are being launched from South Dakota, and will drift through parts of Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Missouri and Illinois. The Guardian examined filings with the Federal Communications Commission, which say the balloons are meant to provide persistent surveillance to locate drug trafficking and homeland security threats.
According to KELO, the ACLU says this kind of constant surveillance violates the privacy of citizens, creating what’s a pervasive checkpoint over cities. The ACLU says the military needs to be clear about information it’s collecting.
A spokesman with the U.S. military didn’t immediately respond to an email from The Associated Press.
TOPEKA – At an official signing ceremony, Governor Laura Kelly proclaimed August “Breastfeeding Awareness Month” in Kansas. This proclamation recognizes the importance of breastfeeding for the health and wellbeing of Kansans.
“We are extremely pleased with Governor Kelly’s proclamation which highlights the importance of breastfeeding support for families in Kansas. This proclamation supports their decision and provides a foundation to build support for the policy and practice changes needed to build a landscape of breastfeeding support in our state.” said Brenda Bandy, Executive Director of the Kansas Breastfeeding Coalition (KBC).
“Kansas recognizes breastfeeding as a public health responsibility and priority,” said KDHE Secretary Lee Norman, MD. “Strides in improved breastfeeding rates have been possible through strong statewide partnerships and community collaboration. We will continue to promote and support breastfeeding as a way protect and improve the health of mothers and infants.”
More than 90 percent of families in Kansas choose to breastfeed. Yet despite its importance, only 31 percent of Kansas’ infants are exclusively breastfed during the critical first six months of life. Increased investment in breastfeeding could results in saving an estimated 22 women’s lives each year due to breast cancer, heart disease, diabetes and hypertension. Investing in breastfeeding could save the lives of seven children, due mostly to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). And finally, investing in breastfeeding would save Kansas more than $27 million in medical costs each year. [1]
The proclamation stresses the role of every Kansan to make breastfeeding easier in our state.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating two suspect for alleged drug distribution.
Samantha Jo Case is being held in Butler CountyForgie photo Sedgwick Co.
According to the United State’s Attorney’s office, Samantha Jo Case, 27, Wichita, Kan., and Robert Lee Forgie, 28, Wichita, Kan., each are charged with one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Police arrested them in Sedgwick County on July 23, according to the daily booking report.
If convicted, they face a penalty of not less than five years and not more than 40 years on the drug charge and not less than five years on the gun charge.
Judge Franklin Theis, Third Judicial District, Topeka, Kansas, ruled on July 3rd in favor of a petitioner who protested an injection well in Franklin County, Kansas.
Injection wells in Kansas are of two types – saltwater disposal wells and flooding wells. Both inject fluids, frequently with high saline concentrations and chemicals, into underground geologic formations.
The ruling involved a flooding well, a hole drilled, in this case, into the earth to 658 vertical feet. The purpose is to extract the hydrocarbons (oil or gas) remaining in a production zone in an oil lease.
The petitioner argued that the Kansas Corporation Commission had dismissed him without an evidentiary hearing, which when sufficient evidence of risk is offered, is afforded by Kansas law. The well, located in the Cox lease in northeast Franklin County, is surrounded by a watershed which flows to the Marais des Cygnes river below Ottawa, Kansas.
The petitioner, Scott Yeargain, a member of the Sierra Club, was nominated by Elaine Giessel to the governor’s 50-year Water Planning Commission.
The problem with the Utah Oil’s application Yeargain argued, is that the KCC had not completed a thorough survey of old abandoned wells in the environs of the proposed injection well.
There were 8 original protesters in this docket, all of whom were dismissed by the KCC. They filed petitions for reconsideration and were dismissed again.
On July 27th, 2018, Yeargain filed a civil suit in the 3rd Judicial District, Shawnee County, the home county of the Kansas Corporation Commission. On July 3, 2019 Judge Franklin Theis entered a Memorandum Opinion and Entry of Judgment. Yeargain stated that the KCC erroneously dismissed him prior to an evidentiary hearing notwithstanding that he had offered prima facie evidence that permitting the Cox #9 well in the Cox lease in extreme northeast Franklin county would present an unacceptable risk due to known abandoned wells in the environs of the Cox lease. The tributaries of the Marais des Cygnes river drain the Cox lease.
A Kansas Source Water assessment report for Franklin County Rural Water District #6 by Burns and McDonnell Engineers and Consultants had indicated in March of 2004 that this public water supply is at high risk for volatile organic compounds. These compounds are the productions of oil and gas exploration, extraction, and refining. The intake pipe for Franklin County Rural Water Six is downstream from where the tributary which drains the Cox lease runs into the Marais des Cygnes river.
Only Yeargain’s case is mandated back to the KCC for a hearing because only he filed for judicial review. The court costs which Yeargain paid will now have to be paid by the commission. Yeargain, along with many other protesters, have three other civil suits waiting judgment in the 3rd Judicial District, all of which involve injection wells and the risk they pose for fresh and usable water in the Marais des Cygnes watershed.
Yeargain, along with two protesters, are Sierra Club members.
Republican U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts says he will not run for re-election in 2020, opening the door to a parade of candidates announcing a run or considering jumping into the race to replace him. Multiple Republicans are eyeing the seat, and it could be the first time Democrats have a competitive U.S. Senate primary since the 1990s.
Here’s the rundown of who’s seeking the seat in Washington:
REPUBLICANS
Kris Kobach
CREDIT STEPHEN KORANDA / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Kris Kobach
Residence: Near Lecompton
Nationally, Kobach is known as a hardliner against illegal immigration. But in Kansas, he’s coming off a 2018 loss for the governor’s office. When he was secretary of state from 2011 to 2019, he pushed for strict voter registration changes, arguing they would help prevent voter fraud. Critics said the rules made it too difficult for eligible voters to register and the requirements were blocked by a federal court. Kobach is a long-time ally of President Donald Trump, and he says he’ll push Trump’s policies and fight what he calls the establishment in Washington. He’s currently working with a private organization attempting to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.
Jake LaTurner
CREDIT STEPHEN KORANDA / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Jake LaTurner
Residence: Topeka
LaTurner was a state senator from southeast Kansas before then-Gov. Sam Brownback picked him in 2017 to become treasurer. He’s since won a full term in the office and touts conservative credentials. LaTurner was the first high-profile candidate for formally jump into the U.S. Senate race, giving him an early start on fundraising. He says he’d push for term limits and for building a wall on the southern border.
Dave Lindstrom
CREDIT DAVE LINDSTROM FOR SENATE FACEBOOK PAGE
Dave Lindstrom
Residence: Overland Park
Lindstrom is a former Kansas City Chief turned businessman who’s chairman of the board for the Kansas Turnpike Authority. After his NFL career, Lindstrom owned four Burger King restaurants in the Kansas City area and worked in real estate. Like other Republicans in the race, Lindstrom isvoicing his support for Trump and says he’ll bring free-market ideas and a conservative perspective to the Senate.
Susan Wagle
CREDIT STEPHEN KORANDA / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Susan Wagle
Residence: Wichita
Wagle is the first woman to become president of the Kansas Senate (2013-current). A conservative who has been a vocal critic of Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, Wagle and Kelly have clashed on issues like Medicaid expansion and tax policy. Wagle touts her years of work in support of abortion restrictions approved by Kansas lawmakers. She’ll continue serving as Senate president while campaigning for the U.S. Senate. Wagle is a cancer survivor, and counts health care issues among her top priorities, saying government health care isn’t the answer to challenges in the industry.
Filed paperwork to run or explore the race:
Gabriel Mark Robles, from Topeka
DEMOCRATS
Nancy Boyda
CREDIT NANCY BOYDA FOR SENATE FACEBOOK PAGE
Nancy Boyda
Residence: Baldwin City
Boyda spent one term as a U.S. representative for the 2nd District, ending in 2009. Though she ended up in Washington after defeating an incumbent Republican, she lost the 2008 election to Republican Lynn Jenkins. Boyda is a farmer who says she’ll focus on working across the aisleto break gridlock.
Barry Grissom
Barry Grissom
CREDIT BARRY GRISSOM’S CAMPAIGN
Residence: Leawood
In 2010, President Barack Obama picked Grissom to serve as U.S. attorney for Kansas. Grissom highlights his experience, as well as prosecutions of people who plotted to bomb the Wichita airport and Fort Riley. As an attorney, Grissom says he has fought against racism and unfair wages. He’s also campaigned for loosening laws on marijuana, saying it’s not a good use of taxpayer resources.
Other Democrats who have filed paperwork to run or explore the race:
Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for KPR and the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. Follow him on Twitter @kprkoranda or email skoranda (at) ku (dot) edu.
The restoration on the Saint Joseph Catholic Church Steeple in Liebenthal is nearing completion.
By CRISTINA JANNEY Hays Post
Andy Littrel, project foreman, with one of four copper crosses that he reconstructed by hand for the Saint Joseph steeple.
LIEBENTHAL — The new copper glinted in the summer, prairie sun as four handcrafted copper crosses were placed Thursday on the base of the Saint Joseph Catholic Church steeple in Liebenthal.
The cross installation was one of the final projects on a two-month restoration by Roofmasters Roofing and Sheet Metal of the church’s steeple, which reaches 167 feet at the tip of its spire.
“They are all very excited about it and proud that we have managed to do this … to accomplish this … to take the bull by the horns and to get the job done to last and stay pretty true to the original construction,” Judy Hoffman, Saint Joseph church secretary said of the parishioners.
Saint Joseph was established by Volga Germans in 1876, and the current church building was was dedicated on May 28, 1905. Although the steeple has had repairs many times over the years, it has not had a major renovation for 55 years.
The steeple was damaged over time by Kansas wind, rain and hail. In March 2018, the steeple sustained significant storm damage, and the parish immediately began fundraising for a major overhaul. The church estimates the cost of the project will be about $100,000, and only a fraction of the repair cost will be covered by insurance.
The church has raised about $50,000 toward the repairs, and the rest will come from its emergency fund. The church continues to raise funds for the project. Some donations have come from passersby who have admired the work being done on the historic church this summer, many in small amounts of $50 or $100.
But Hoffman said every dollar has been important to the small congregation of only 50 families. The church has had a Mass said for the donors and they continue to keep them in prayers, she said.
New copper has been installed on the exterior of the steeple, the wood gables were replaced, and extensive work was done to the framework of the steeple. The project required three pallets of 20 ounce copper sheeting.
The old copper that was removed from the steeple was recycled.
Four new copper crosses were installed at the base of the Saint Joseph Catholic Church steeple on Thursday.
Andy Littrel, project foreman, said the steeple, with its new cooper, can be seen from up to 6 miles away.
Hoffman said Roofmasters has done excellent work on the project.
“You can see it from a distance,” she said of the steeple. “If you are approaching from an angle where the sun is bouncing off of it, my gosh, it is just so stunning. It just makes you proud that you were able to do that … to dare to do that.”
Littrel handmade the new copper crosses for the steeple. Each cross is almost 5 feet tall.
“Well what I did was take one of the old crosses back to my shop and copied it piece by piece,” he said.
The old crosses had received a lot of hail damage and had big dents in them. Each cross took a full day of work to complete.
Workers from Roofmasters have spent two months making repairs to the steeple at Saint Joseph Catholic Church in Liebenthal. The steeple is 167 feet at the top of it spire.
The new crosses are being secured with copper braces, so they will not move so much in the Kansas wind.
One of the old crosses is being displayed in the entryway of the church. The church has considered auctioning one or two of the remaining old crosses to raise money for the repairs. Church officials have also considered dismantling one of the crosses and selling the pieces also as a fundraiser.
Littrel will make a lid for an existing hatch for the steeple, and the crew will be adding lightening protection, and then project will be complete. Littrel said he hopes the church will get another 50 years out of the renovation.
“It is stronger now. All of these gable ends are rebuilt. They are stronger than they ever were to begin with,” he said. “The copper is heavier than the original steeple was. The design is a little bit different, but it’s solid. It should be able to take a lot of wind and a lot of punishment. It should be able to last for a long time.”
The church hopes to have a celebration to honor the completion of the steeple project. No date has yet been set, but it likely be scheduled for this fall.
“It is inspiring when you top the hill and you can see Liebenthal by the church steeple,” Hoffman said. “That’s our landmark, as far as I’m concerned. And I know a lot of people when they see that, they know they are almost home.”
Anyone wishing to donate to the steeple project can do so directly through the church’s website. Go to rushcountycatholicchurches.com and click on the St. Joseph Parish Giving icon. Donors can also send checks to 202 Main St., Lienbenthal, KS 67553.
Arial photos courtesy of Joshua Hunter/Roofmasters
RAWLINS COUNTY – Six people were injured in an accident just after 8:30p.m. Saturday in Rawlins County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Chevy Blazer driven by lean G. Hemel, 17, Atwood, was southbound on County Rd 24 seven miles northeast of Atwood.
The driver lost control on the sand on the roadway. The SUV entered the east ditch and rolled.
Hemel and passengers Omar D. Sanchez, 15; Will C. Rudenell-Stokvis, 13; Jose G. Paz-Barraza, 16; Alex Paz-Barraza, 17, all of Atwood, were transported to Rawlins County Medical Center.
Lastat Chessmore, 16, Atwood, was transported to Swedish Medical Center in Denver. All were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP
Mark Tallman. Photo courtesy Kansas Association of School Boards
By MARK TALLMAN Kansas Association of School Boards
Differences in academic success among Kansas student groups are receiving attention this year.
In the Gannon school finance lawsuit, the Kansas Supreme Court ruled Kansas school finance was not constitutionally adequate because too many students were not meeting state standards, and those students were disproportionately poor, non-white or disabled. The court approved a multi-year funding plan passed by the Legislature to address those students, shifting the focus to how schools are using those funds to improve results.
The State Board of Education’s “Kansas Can” goals are centered on getting more students to complete high school and go on to earn a postsecondary credential to meet the state’s economic needs and earn a higher standard of living. Many students are at-risk of failing to meet those goals.
Finally, the Kansas Legislature has commissioned its Post Audit Division to study how Kansas provides extra funding to school districts to help students at risk of poor academic performance or dropping out of school, which could result in changes in the $415 million program. This follows a study of special education funding last year, and a future audit will look at bilingual education funding.
This series looks at the major issues in the “achievement gap” between different groups of students, how current programs are working to address those differences, and issues under study.
Part 1 – Impact of student and family income on student success
Lower income students are more likely to struggle on educational measures like test scores and graduation rates than higher income students.
On Kansas state assessments, over 70 percent of all students score at the what the State Board of Education has defined as “basic” ability to understand and use the mathematics and English Language Arts skills and knowledge needed for college and career readiness. However, less than 60 percent of free/reduced lunch eligible students are at that level, compared to over 80 percent of higher income students.
Likewise, about one-third of all students scored at the “effective” level, which is considered “on track” for postsecondary success, in mathematics and 37 percent in English. But only 19 percent of free and reduced lunch eligible students scored at that level in math and 23 percent in English, compared to 45 and 50 percent for non-low-income students.
The four-year graduation rate for all students is 88 percent but only 80 percent for free/reduced meals eligible students graduate “on time”, compared to 95 percent of higher-income students.
These differences are not unique to Kansas, or to public schools. On the 2017 National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP), which tests a sample of students at fourth and eighth grade on reading and math skills in all states, Kansas had a 22.6 percent gap between free and reduced meal eligible students and not eligible students at the Basic level, compared to 23.6 percent for all states and 24.7 percent for Kansas overall peer states (most similar to Kansas in student and population characteristics). Kansas had a 28.4 percent gap at the Proficient level, compared to 27.7 in all states and 27.9 percent for states.
The five non-public school systems that participate in Kansas State Assessments (Lutheran schools and the Catholic dioceses of Dodge City, Kansas City, Salina, and Wichita) have gaps between free and reduced meal eligible and non-eligible students of 10 to 20 percent at the Basic level and 20 to 30 or higher at the Effective level.
Reasons for the income-achievement gap
A number of reasons have been advanced for these differences (here is a chapter from a report presented by the ASCD, formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Design). The conclusions are that students from low income or impoverished families experience more stress that negatively affects their development, begin school with fewer resources and therefore start behind their more advantaged peers, and have less home support and more disruption throughout their years in school.
Specifically, lower income students are more likely to lack adequate food and health care. They are more likely to live in single-parent (or grandparent) households, with one or more parents absent or incarcerated. They are more likely to be homeless. They are more likely to experience “trauma” or “Adverse Childhood Experiences” that affect their development. While there are many exceptions, they are more likely to start school with smaller vocabularies, less socialization and basic skills.
Lower income parents are more likely to have unstable employment and housing, which leads to more frequent moving from home to home, school to school. They have less reliable transportation and parents may be working multiple jobs at hours that make it more difficult to monitor student attendance and progress, and be involved in school activities.
Finally, these families are less able to afford enrichments such as home computer and internet access, travel and vacations, sports, clubs and other activities. In other words, more of these families simply lack the resources to support their students at the same level as higher income families.
Because income is now so closely linked to education level, lower income families are likely to have parents who did less well in school and have less postsecondary education themselves. Therefore, their students may receive less guidance, understanding or even support for educational attainment as a priority. In fact, school leaders say some parents may actually discourage students from further education, concerned they may “lose” their children if they pursue education that leads to employment away from home.
The result is a difficult cycle to break. Students from lower income families are less likely to complete high school and college; as a result, they are more likely to have lower income as adults and their children with face the same challenges.
Of course, this does not mean all lower income students are failing; nearly 60 percent of these students score at least at basic on state tests and 80 percent graduate on time; and nearly one in five higher income students are below basic and five percent do not graduate from high school, at least within four years. The data is clear, however, that lower income students are much more likely to be behind on academic standards, fail to complete high school and be unprepared for postsecondary education.
Mark Tallman is the associate executive director for advocacy and communications for the Kansas Association of School Boards.
