WYANDOTTE COUNTY — The Kansas Highway Patrol is investigating a Saturday fatal hit and run accident and have identified the victim.

Just after midnight September 28, Angela M. Riley, 35, Topeka was walking on Interstate 35 at 7th Street in the #4 lane when she was struck by an unknown vehicle.  She was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities are still asking the public for information in the case.

By BRIAN GRIMMETT
Kansas News Service

When it comes to electric scooters, it seems that people either love them, or want to see them all thrown into a river — literally.

On Monday, Dusty Lehman of Wichita posted a video to Facebook showing he discovered seven scooters in the Arkansas River. In the same Facebook post, Lehman wrote that he found at least 14 scooters on that particular bike ride.

Dockless electric scooters landed in Wichita in June. The resulting vandalism, based on what’s happened in other cities, appears entirely predictable. Driven partly by resentment of motorized devices that complicate road traffic or clog sidewalks, they’ve been targeted in almost any city where they’re deployed.

Last year, officials pulled more than 60 scooters out of Lake Merritt near Oakland, California, in one month. And earlier this year, rescue divers doing training in the Willamette River near Portland, Oregon, pulled out 57.

“We advise those people not to park scooters in the river,” Sgt. Brandon White from the Multnomah County Sheriff’s office told the Oregonian.

The phenomenon is so widespread it’s spawned websites and Instagram accounts dedicated entirely to documenting scooter abuse.

Wichita city officials have said scooter companies bear the responsibility of retrieving scooters from the river.

Left in the water, the electronics and batteries in a scooter can leak toxic chemicals into the river.

But scooter companies typically can salvage their gizmos even after they’ve been dunked.

Between the app used to unlock and use the scooters and the onboard instruments such as GPS, the scooters collect quite a bit of data. It’s pretty easy for companies to see where the scooters are at all times, including if they end up in large bodies of water.

VeoRide and Spin, the two companies with scooters in Wichita, would not comment on how many scooters they’ve lost in the Arkansas River.

“We think that the systems that both of them have in place and both of the reactiveness of the groups themselves,” said Wichita Transit Director Mike Tann.

“It will be a problem that will be short-lived from the standpoint of getting people held accountable for it.”

Wichita city officials said they collect data on the whereabouts and traffic patterns of the scooters under a trial program that lets the companies operate for a year. Tann said he’s now interested in getting information about how many get destroyed.

The companies say they’re working to keep their scooters out of the river.

“We … work closely with the community and local authorities to prevent these acts from happening in the first place,” Spin officials said in an email.

Part of the solution may be geo-fencing — programming that shuts down the scooters when they reach boundaries governed by satellite navigation. The companies also shift where scooters are staged each night based on usage patterns and if they discover areas where damage is more likely to happen.

But Tann, Wichita’s transit director, said this weekend’s discovery is the first time he’s heard about large-scale scooter vandalism in Wichita. He suspects it won’t be a frequent problem.

“Obviously,” he said, “there was somebody trying to make a statement.”

Brian Grimmett reports on the environment, energy and natural resources the Kansas News Service. You can follow him on Twitter @briangrimmett or email him at [email protected]. 

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Only 18% of Kansas economic development funds were spent as intended in the last fiscal year, in part because there is little oversight of how money for a state economic development fund is spent, according to state auditors.

In a report released Wednesday, auditors said that during fiscal year 2018, nearly half of all spending — $20.1 million — from the Economic Development Initiatives Fund didn’t go toward programs that met requirements for receiving the funds.

In response to the audit, some lawmakers called for an overhaul of regulations and oversight of the fund.

“Of course, I was appalled by what I saw … This is just a perfect example of why we need to be looking at these things,” said Sen. Julia Lynn, an Olathe Republican who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee.

The fund, which was created in 1986, is replenished every year by lottery and gaming revenue.

It has often been used to supplement state spending, rather than directly for economic development. The Legislature is supposed to direct money into three accounts that focus on innovative products, research and development or community infrastructure.

Instead, during the last fiscal year, $20.1 million of the $42.3 million in the fund went to the state’s general fund, with the rest going to state agencies. Only 18 percent, or $7.8 million, went to eight programs that met requirements for the funds, such as an agriculture marketing program, the Governor’s Council of Economic Advisors, several research and development programs administered by the Kansas Board of Regents and a housing trust fund that helps residents rent or buy homes.

Auditors said Kansas doesn’t track the performance of fund recipients or evaluate whether the fund is effective. And the auditors found state officials it approached ““were unaware of what (state law) says about these accounts.”

Rep. Tom Burroughs, a Kansas City Democrat, said the audit showed lawmakers need to fund agency programs properly.

“We’re the ones that have failed on not following our own statutes,” Burroughs said.

Department of Commerce Secretary David Toland said the current law requiring that all EDIF funding is obsolete and doesn’t match current economic development needs. In a letter in response to the audit, he asked the lawmakers to eliminate the current language.

The auditors said lawmakers should consider creating an oversight body for the fund and to consider whether state law should continue to require EDIF dollars go into the three accounts.

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SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities and USD 260 officials are investigating a student in connection with a weapon at school.

A Derby High School student was taken into custody Thursday morning by Derby Police Department for possession of a weapon on school property, according to USD 260.

A tip was given to administration about a student possibly in possession of drugs. This student was immediately brought in, questioned, and searched.

An unloaded handgun was found during the search of his backpack and was secured by the School Resource Officer (SRO) and building administration without incident.

No threat was made towards students or staff at any time. Because no threat was made and the student was immediately secured, a lockdown was not necessitated.

The school district reminded the public, “we take all threats seriously. As always, if you hear something or see something, please let law enforcement or administration know immediately. We appreciate this tip being reported. Individuals can also submit a tip through See Something Say Something by calling (316) 267-2111 to anonymously report any potential school violence 24 hours per day, 365 days per year.”

By RANDALL CHASE
AP Business Writer

DOVER, Del. — Gannett Co. is facing a shareholder challenge to its $1.4 billion acquisition by publishing rival GateHouse Media.

A complaint filed Wednesday in federal court in Delaware says documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission contain misleading and incomplete information about the deal.

The lawsuit says shareholders need complete information regarding Gannett’s financial projections to determine the fairness of the buyout by GateHouse owner New Media. The lawsuit asks the court to block a planned Nov. 14 shareholder vote until more information is provided.

The merger proposal calls for Gannett shareholders to receive $12.06 in cash and New Media stock for each share of Gannett.

New Media plans to borrow $1.8 billion to complete the acquisition.

Gatehouse owns Kansas newspapers in Hays, Hutchinson, Salina, Topeka, Garden City, Dodge City, McPherson, Newton and El Dorado, among others.

A Gannett spokeswoman did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.