SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with a Thursday morning business fire.

Just before 4a.m., fire crews were dispatched to the fire at the Idle Hand Tattoo Parlor in the 900 Block of West Douglas, according to Lt. Jose Ocadiz of the Wichita Fire Department.

Upon arrival, fire crews found heavy fire in the rear of the building. Fire attack teams were deployed to prevent the fire from spreading to the second floor. The Wichita fire investigation unit and officials from the Kansas State Fire Marshal determined the fire was intentionally set, according to Ocadiz.

Police were notified of a suspect fleeing the area at the time of the fire, according to officer Charley Davidson. With the help of witnesses, police located 36-year-old Cassie Grover at a nearby convenience store and arrested without incident. She is being held on requested charges of burglary, theft and aggravated arson, according to Davidson.  Grover is a former employee at the business, according to Davidson.

The majority of the fire damage was in the Tattoo Parlor, according to Ocadiz. The estimated damage loss is approximately $80,000 to the structure and $150,000 to contents.

SALINA — Former Topeka Capital-Journal Business Editor Morgan Chilson Rothenberger has joined Saint Francis Ministries as director of communications, tasked with leading the internationally renowned social service organization’s strategic approach to internal and external communications.

“Morgan is an award-winning journalist with a strong belief in public service journalism,” said Tom Blythe, COO of Saint Francis Ministries. “She has a knack for breaking complex issues into relatable, compelling stories that impact lives and communities. We’re extremely excited to have her join our team. She’ll be a tremendous voice for Saint Francis, helping us spread the word about our mission and the life-changing services we provide for children and families in the U.S. and across the globe.”

A career journalist and freelance writer, Rothenberger spent a total of eight years with the Topeka Capital-Journal, coordinating business and healthcare coverage that earned more than 20 Kansas Press Association and KC Press Club awards for excellence. Her editorial and management skills earned her positions as business editor of the paper, and most recently, a part in managing the newsroom.

A graduate of Kansas State University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication, Rothenberger has also worked as a freelance writer/reporter for national and regional publications, including the New York Times, Kansas City Business Journal and Kansas magazines. She has edited and designed books, including non-fiction medical books.

“My love of journalism runs deep, but my connection to family services runs even deeper, having grown up with a parent who spent her career as a Kansas foster care social worker,” Rothenberger said. “My mother taught me that protecting children and keeping families together is hard – and sometimes heartbreaking – work. But I know that when communities, schools, law enforcement, legislators and organizations like Saint Francis work together to find solutions, amazing, positive outcomes are possible. I’m eager to be part of the Saint Francis team in building stronger families and communities, and sharing those stories with others.”

ATCHISON COUNTY, Kan. (AP) — The latest on flooding in the Midwest:

Another levee has breached as high water levels make their way down the flooding Missouri River.

Buchanan County, Missouri, Emergency Director Management Bill Brinton says an agriculture levee breached around 11 a.m. Thursday just across the river from Atchison, Kansas, where the river is expected to crest at record levels.

Photos of flooding near @CityofAtchison this morning including the levee break. pic.twitter.com/5zZSZud8DJ

— KHP Air Support Unit (@KHPAircraft) March 21, 2019

The Missouri towns of Winthrop and Lewis and Clark Village are at risk of taking on water as the size of the breach grows. But Brinton says most of the 200 people who live in the area already left.

Levee break near @CityofAtchison on the east side of the river. pic.twitter.com/ertI0vx16d

— KHP Air Support Unit (@KHPAircraft) March 21, 2019

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the levee is one of about 20 that have breached in Missouri, Iowa and Nebraska. Crests in St. Joseph, Missouri, are expected to be the third-highest on record, although only about half a dozen homes in the city aren’t protected by a federal levee.

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TOPEKA — Late Thursday morning, the Kansas House passed Medicaid expansion in 69-54 vote. The measure now moves to the State Senate for final approval.

The following statement is from Governor Laura Kelly.

“Today a bipartisan coalition in the Kansas House put politics aside and came together to pass Medicaid expansion. I’m proud of their work – and the work of so many advocates and citizens who worked tirelessly to make their voices heard on this issue.
“Medicaid expansion is one of the most critical issues impacting our state’s future. It will allow up to 150,000 more Kansans access to affordable healthcare, support local hospitals and clinics, and impact our economy for the better.
“Over 70 percent of Kansans support Medicaid expansion. I encourage the Kansas Senate to join me, this bipartisan coalition, business leaders and the overwhelming majority of Kansans in support of Medicaid expansion. The time for blocking progress has long since passed. Now is the time to expand Medicaid.”

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By JIM MCLEAN

A coalition of Democrats and moderate Republicans powered past objections from conservative leaders in the Kansas House Wednesday to approve Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s Medicaid expansion proposal.

Albeit a slightly revised version.

“We’ve discussed this for five years, we absolutely cannot let this chance slip through our fingers,” said Rep. Kathy Wolfe Moore, a Kansas City Democrat.

In summary, the bill would:

•           Expand KanCare, the state’s privatized Medicaid program, to cover Kansans earning less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level — $17,236 for an individual or $35,535 for a family of four. The Kansas Health Institute estimates that 90,000 of the 130,000 Kansans expected to enroll would be non-disabled adults who are not currently eligible for KanCare. The remaining 40,000 would be children.

•           Require the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to refer all non-disabled adults who are unemployed or working fewer than 20 hours a week to a job training program.

Parents caring for young children would be exempt. The Commonwealth Fund estimated in a 2017 report that only 11 percent of Kansans likely to enroll in expansion coverage are unemployed. Some Republicans favor a “work requirement.” But Gov. Kelly says she won’t agree to one because it would be a “nightmare” to administer.

•           Establish a working group to identify additional revenue sources to offset the state’s share of expansion costs. The Affordable Care Act requires the federal government to fund no less than 90 percent of expansion costs. Expansion opponents fear budget pressures will eventually force a reduction in that funding. Should that happen, an amendment added to the bill during Wednesday’s debate would require state officials to repeal expansion.

Cost an issue

The governor’s budget office estimates that the state’s share of expansion costs in the first full year would be approximately $34 million.

A recent estimate by the Kansas Health Institute put the cost at $41.7 million. The lion’s share of that would come from “privilege fees” paid by the managed care organizations that administer KanCare and projected savings generated from using federal dollars to cover services and programs now funded by the state.

Neither the state nor the KHI estimate include a projection of how much economic activity triggered by an infusion of nearly $1 billion in additional federal Medicaid funding would increase state revenues. New research done by economists at Kansas State University indicates the spike in revenue would be nearly enough to cover the state’s share of expansion costs.

An amendment added to the bill at the urging of Rep. Troy Waymaster, the Republican chair of the House Appropriations Committee, would also help defray expansion costs by requiring beneficiaries to pay $25 a month for their coverage. Family premiums would be capped at $100 a month. Waymaster estimated the payments would generate between $26 million and $45 million a year.

What’s next

Assuming the expansion bill clears a final vote in the House, it would go to the Senate. Expansion advocates say they believe they have to votes to also pass it there, but the margin may be narrower.

However, both Senate President Susan Wagle and Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning are opposed to it.

Denning, an Overland Park Republican, has said in a recent interview he’d “be willing to have (a) conversation with the governor” about terms of expanding Medicaid.

Multiple polls showing that sizeable majorities of Kansas voters favor expansion should motivate Denning, Wagle and others to seek a compromise, Kelly said.

“This is something,” Kelly said, “they don’t want to be talking about next year in an election year.”

Jim McLean is the senior correspondent for the Kansas News Service. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks. 

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BRANSON, Mo. (AP) — The company that owns a duck boat that sank on a Missouri lake last year, killing 17 people , won’t operate the vessels this year and will instead open a replacement attraction in the tourist town of Branson.

Ripley Entertainment Suzanne Smagala-Potts announced plans for the new attraction, called Branson Top Op, on Thursday. She declined to comment on whether the boats would ever float again on Table Rock Lack, saying only that the company is focused on 2019 and hasn’t “looked in the future of what we may or may not do.”

The entertainment venue will include indoor laser tag and an interactive outdoor maze. It’s expected to open for Memorial Day weekend.

The company faces several lawsuits alleging that it launched the doomed boat despite warnings of severe weather.