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Dog lost after mountain crash that killed Kan. woman found safe

CHAFREE COUNTY, Colo. (AP) — A dog that survived almost three weeks in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains after being thrown from a vehicle in a fatal crash has been reunited with its family.

Bentley -Image courtesy Jennifer Orr

The year-old canine — a golden-doodle named Bentley — was lost when the vehicle it was traveling in slid off the edge of a mountain road west of Pueblo and plunged 600 feet down an incline on Aug. 7.

The crash killed Jennifer Orr of Wichita, Kansas and seriously injured her 21-year-old daughter, Samantha.

Samantha Orr returned to the crash scene after being released from the hospital.

Orr and others spotted Bentley early Saturday and captured on video the moment when they were able to lure the animal in with food and a toy.

The dog was malnourished and dehydrated but otherwise fine.

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CHAFFEE COUNTY, CO — A Kansas woman died in an accident Tuesday in Chaffee County Colorado.

Google map

Sheriff John Spezze said a 2014 Jeep Wrangler driven by Jennifer Orr, 43, Wichita, was traveling on Iron Chest Road from CR 295 when it fell 600 feet down the mountain.

The jeep was at an elevation of over 11,000 feet at the time of the accident, according to Speezze.

Orr was pronounced dead at the scene.  A helicopter transported  Orr’s daughter who was passenger in the vehicle to a hospital in Pueblo.

Hot, windy Monday

Today Sunny, with a high near 99. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 17 to 24 mph.

TonightMostly clear, with a low around 72. South wind 11 to 15 mph.

Tuesday Mostly sunny, with a high near 84. West southwest wind 9 to 15 mph becoming north in the afternoon.

Tuesday Night A 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 60. North northeast wind 8 to 14 mph.

Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 81. North northeast wind around 8 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
Wednesday NightA 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1am. Partly cloudy, with a low around 64.

ThursdayMostly sunny, with a high near 91.

Dianne C. Matreci

Dianne C. Matreci, 69, Hays, Kansas died Friday, August 24, 2018, at Via Christi Village Care Center in Hays, Kansas.

Services are pending at Clines-Keithley Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd Street, Hays, Kansas 67601.

Convicted Kansas meth dealer granted probation

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas woman who was facing nearly 13 years in prison for dealing methamphetamine was given probation by a judge who said she had made significant progress in dealing with her drug addiction.

McHaley-photo KDOC

Sarah McHaley, 36, Hutchinson, was sentenced Friday to three years’ of probation by District Judge Trish Rose. McHaley would face 12 years, 10 months in prison if she violates her parole.

McHaley pleaded guilty to possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school.

She was arrested in a drug raid in May 2017. A co-defendant, Kerry Potter, who earlier was sentenced to nearly six years in prison.

Supporters noted McHaley has completed drug treatment, is a public speaker for Oxford House and has been employed for a year.

She has previous convictions for battery of a campus police officer, theft, interference with law enforcement and drugs, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

UPDATE: 1 dead, 3 injured after pickup flips over I-70 guardrail, rolls

RUSSELL COUNTY — One person died in an accident just before 3p.m. Sunday in Russell County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 GMC pickup driven by Steven C. Greenwood, 21, Burneyville, OK., was  eastbound on Interstate 70 just east of the Gorham exit.

The pickup entered the south ditch and collided with and flipped over the guard rail and rolled.

Greenwood was transported to Hays Medical Center where he died of his injuries.

Three passengers Jesse D. Dominguez, 23 and Joseph A. Boatner, 22, both of Marietta, OK., and Tyler A. Bates, 22, Ardmore, OK., were also transported to Hays Medical Center.

Greenwood and Boatner were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.

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RUSSELL COUNTY — One person was injured in an accident just before 3p.m. Sunday in Russell County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 GMC pickup driven by Steven C. Greenwood, 21, Burneyville, OK., was  eastbound on Interstate 70 just east of the Gorham exit.

The pickup entered the south ditch and collided with and flipped over the guard rail and rolled.

Greenwood was transported to Hays Medical Center. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

Koch family’s new private school to open in Kansas

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A new Wichita private school financed by members of the Koch family is preparing to open its doors to preschool and elementary-age children this fall.

Wonder, a private pre-K-through-12th-grade school on the Wichita State University campus, will open Sept. 4 with 39 students.

The school will initially open in a vacant building on the east side of the Wichita State Campus near the police station and credit union -Campus map courtesy Wichita State University

The school is funded by Chase and Annie Koch, the son and daughter-in-law of Koch Industries chief Charles Koch.

Plans call for phasing in the middle- and high-school programs over time. Founders have signed a preliminary lease for a larger site on the university’s Innovation Campus.

Wonder incorporates facets of the “Maker movement” and other education innovations, such as project-based lessons that don’t use traditional courses, subjects, grades or classrooms.

“Education can and should be something different,” said Zach Lahn, Wonder’s co-founder.

Students will spend half of their day in the school’s design studio, which is a converted garage with a stage that opens onto an outdoor play area.

The first level, called Wonder One, is a Montessori-model preschool for 3- to 6-year-olds. An accordion glass wall separates the preschool from Wonder Two, a studio for 7- to 11-year-olds with standing desks and flexible seating.

Each student will get a MacBook Air laptop and the school will use iPads for augmented reality activities, Lahn said.

Tuition is $10,000 a year for elementary-age children and $6,500 a year for preschool students.

“We did not ask any family we met with if they could pay tuition,” Lahn said. “We talked to them about what the school was, told them what the tuition was. But we’ve had numerous families ask us if we could do some sort of financial aid arrangement, and we’ve worked that out.”

The school won’t seek accreditation through the Kansas Department of Education, so it won’t be required to follow state regulations, administer state tests or hire licensed teachers. Without accreditation, students’ credits also wouldn’t transfer automatically to other schools or universities.

But many colleges accept transcripts from students at non-accredited schools.

Lahn said Wonder plans to seek accreditation through the International Association of Learner-Driven Schools. He said he’s confident it’ll appeal to many colleges and potential employers.

UPDATE: 3 dead including suspect in mass shooting at Florida mall

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A gunman opened fire Sunday at an online video game tournament that was being livestreamed from a Florida mall, killing two people and then fatally shooting himself in an attack that sent several others to hospitals, authorities said.

Police on the scene of the shooting photo courtesy WJXT

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said authorities believe 24-year-old David Katz of Baltimore carried out the attack using at least one handgun at the Jacksonville Landing, a collection of restaurants and shops along the St. Johns River. He said the man died from a self-inflicted gunshot and that authorities were still making final confirmation of his identity with the FBI assisting them in Baltimore.

Nine other people were wounded by gunfire and all were in stable condition Sunday evening, Williams said. He added that two others were injured in the chaos as people sought to flee the gunfire.

Katz was in Jacksonville for the “Madden NFL 19” video game tournament. The games maker, EA Sports, lists a David Katz as a 2017 championship winner.

Thee competition was held in a gaming bar that shares space with a pizzeria. Viewers could watch the games online and see the players.

Investigators were looking into online video that appeared to capture the scene right before the shooting began, Williams said. A red dot that appears to be a laser pointer is visible on the chest of a player seconds before the first of a dozen gunshots rings out.

Marquis Williams, 28, and his girlfriend, Taylor Poindexter, 26, both from Chicago, were ordering pizza at the bar when they heard the gunfire. Williams said people trampled each other in the panic while trying to get away.

“Initially we thought it was a balloon popping, but there weren’t any balloons in the room. Then we heard repeat shots and we took off running,” said Williams, who participated in the tournament earlier.

Jason Lake, the founder and CEO of compLexity, a company that owns professional e-sports teams, said on Twitter that one of his players, 19-year-old Drini Gjoka, was shot in the thumb.

Gjoka tweeted: “The tourney just got shot up. Im leavinng and never coming back.” Then: “I am literally so lucky. The bullet hit my thumb. Worst day of my life.”

The sheriff’s office used Twitter and Facebook immediately after the shooting to warn people to stay far away and to ask anyone who was hiding to call 911. Police also barricaded a three-block radius around the mall. Officers and Coast Guard boats patrolled the nearby river. Many ambulances could be seen in the area, but the mall area appeared empty of all but law enforcement. Police also took up positions on a bridge overlooking the river.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said President Donald Trump had been briefed on the attack and the White House was monitoring the situation.

The Jacksonville Landing, in the heart of the city’s downtown, also hosts concerts and other entertainment. It was the site of a Trump rally in 2015, early in his campaign for the White House.

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5 p.m.

A source close to the investigation says a mass shooting during a video game tournament at a Jacksonville, Florida, riverfront mall has left four people dead.

The source says the person who opened fire died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The source spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to release information on the shooting. It wasn’t immediately clear if the source was including the suspect in the death toll.

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said at a news conference Sunday afternoon that the suspect, a white male whose identity authorities are still seeking to confirm, had died. He did not elaborate, but said the shooting site had since been secured.

Several other people were taken to hospitals.

Sounds of the shooting were captured as the gaming tournament was being livestreamed.

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4:45 p.m.

Florida authorities say they’ve finished clearing the scene of a fatal mass shooting at a riverfront mall in Jacksonville and there are no additional suspects.

Speaking to reporters Sunday afternoon, Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams says a suspect is dead at the scene and they are still working to identify the male.

The sheriff’s office says the shooting, which erupted during a video game tournament, has left multiple dead and sent others to the hospital. Williams did not give any details on the number of people killed or wounded.

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida authorities are reporting multiple people dead and “many transported” to hospitals after a mass shooting at a riverfront mall in Jacksonville that was hosting a video game tournament.

The Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office is reporting that one suspect is dead at the scene after the shooting at Jacksonville Landing, but it was unknown if there were other suspects involved.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office used Twitter and Facebook to warn people to stay far away from the Jacksonville Landing.

The department says to “stay far away from the area. The area is not safe at this time. STAY AWAY.”

“We are finding many people hiding in locked areas at The Landing. We ask you to stay calm, stay where you are hiding. SWAT is doing a methodical search inside The Landing. We will get to you. Please don’t come running out,” the sheriff’s office said via Twitter.

The sheriff’s office didn’t provide any other information, but also warned news media to stay away from the area, which contains restaurants and shops along the St. Johns River.

The GLHF Game Bar at the Landing was hosting a Madden 19 video game tournament at the time of the shooting.

Kansas man hospitalized after falling out of pickup

RENO COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an injury accident that sent one man to the hospital.

Just after 2:15a.m. Sunday, Reno County deputies were dispatched to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for the report of an injury accident that occurred in the county, according to the Reno County Sheriff’s Department.

Dekel Pope, 20, Hutchinson, told deputies he was westbound in the 800 Block of E 69th in a 1965 Ford Pickup when his passenger Daeron Torres, 19, Hutchinson, fell out of the vehicle.

Pope transported Torres to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center by private vehicle. Torres was later transported to Wesley Medical Center for his injuries.

The sheriff’s department released no additional details.

KC church employee admits fire, racist graffiti covered up burglary

KANSAS CITY – A former church maintenance worker pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to arson after setting a fire at Concord Cultural Center  in Kansas City and spray-painting racist graffiti on the front of the adjoining church, Concord Fortress of Hope, in an effort to cover up his burglary, according to the United State’s Attorney.

Nelson -photo Mo. Dept. of Corrections

Nathaniel D. Nelson, 49, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to the charge contained in a Nov. 16, 2017, federal indictment.

Nelson was a member of the church who was employed as a maintenance worker at the church and cultural center, located at 11040 W. Longview Parkway, Kansas City.

Racist graffiti found in October 2017 at Kansas City church-photo KCTV

Firefighters were called by a church employee and responded to the cultural center on Sunday morning, Oct. 29, 2017. A fire had occurred in an office inside the building but a sprinkler had activated and extinguished the fire prior to the arrival of firefighters. Investigators concluded that an office chair and other ordinary combustible material had been intentionally ignited using an open flame.

According to the church’s insurance company, the fire, fire suppression efforts, and other damage resulted in payouts to date in excess of $330,000. Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Nelson must pay restitution, which will be determined by the court at the sentencing hearing.

Investigators also discovered racist graffiti spray-painted on the front of the church. A racial slur, the letters “KKK” and a symbol similar to a swastika were visible from the main entrance into the parking lot as members of the congregation arrived at the church for Sunday morning services.

Nelson admitted he set the fire to conceal his breaking into the church offices and vending machines. Nelson also admitted he spray-painted the outside to further conceal his identity.

The digital video recorder for the video surveillance system that monitored the foyer area and the cultural center’s interior and exterior cameras was unplugged and no longer recording when examined by investigators. Investigators determined that the DVR system lost power sometime after 1 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017, and had been intentionally unplugged.

A review of the DVR system revealed that Nelson was in the foyer area shortly before the DVR system was deactivated. A second DVR, which was still powered on, recorded the video surveillance footage for the interior and exterior cameras located inside and outside of the church, which were separate from the cameras located in the cultural center and foyer. The second DVR captured video footage of Nelson spray painting the front of the church. Nelson admitted he deactivated one DVR to hide his actions and identity. He did not know that video was being recorded on a separate system inside the church, which captured him spray-painting the outside of the building.

Under federal statutes, Nelson is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 17, 2019.

Get your 2018 Hunting Regulations Summary, Hunting Atlas

KDWPT

PRATT – Two Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) publications hunters anxiously wait for each summer are now available: The 2018 Kansas Hunting and Furharvesting Regulations Summary, and the 2018 Kansas Hunting Atlas. Both publications are available online at www.ksoutdoors.comand are being shipped to hundreds of license vendors and KDWPT offices around the state beginning this week. Hunters can also request mailed copies by calling (620) 672-5911.

New this year, the hunting atlas includes both fall and spring Walk-in Hunting Access areas (in previous years, these were two separate publications), so hunters are encouraged to hold on to their atlas through the 2019 spring turkey season.

The hunting summary includes regulations such as methods of take, season dates, bag and possession limits, as well as a list of public wildlife areas. One section features color photographs and range maps for popular game species. And there is also contact information for game wardens listed by the counties they patrol.

The hunting atlas includes maps showing all WIHA areas – private land leased by KDWPT and opened to public hunting – and state and federal public wildlife areas. More than 1 million acres of WIHA lands are mapped in the atlas, so opportunities abound. And soon, Garmin GPS and Google Earth files will be available for download, making finding a place to hunt even easier.

All WIHA properties are marked with signs showing the lease dates, which start either Sept. 1, Nov. 1, or April 1, and end either Jan. 31, March 31, or May 31. All Kansas hunting rules and regulations still apply on these properties, and accessing a WIHA area prior to or after the lease dates shown is prohibited.

To download electronic versions of either the 2018 Kansas Hunting and Furharvesting Regulations Summary or the 2018 Kansas Hunting Atlas, visit ksoutdoors.com. Whether you decide to keep them on your phone, laptop, or hardcopies in the truck, no hunter Kansas should be without them.

Fossil data, images from Sternberg Museum now available online

FHSU University Relations

After two years of work, the Sternberg Museum of Natural History has launched for the first time a database showcasing pictures and information about the fossils that are housed at the museum.

“Museum paleontology specimen data are now available to educators, students, researchers and the general public around the world,” said Dr. Laura Wilson, curator of paleontology at the Sternberg Museum and an associate professor of geosciences at Fort Hays State University.

Funding came from a National Science Foundation grant awarded to Wilson.

“Making specimen data easily and openly accessible is a huge push in the museum community,” said Wilson. She said data accessibility is one of the main goals of the National Science Foundation.

Christina Byrd, paleontology collections manager at the Sternberg Museum, and students from FHSU worked with Whirl-i-Gig, “a software developer who designed the database CollectiveAccess, to customize the database to fit our data and needs,” said Wilson.

Sternberg Museum’s database is known as a relational database, meaning each specimen’s data is stored in tables, and those tables are linked together by common information. This is helpful when researching because with one search you can pull more relevant information. Wilson said, “Overall, a relational database is more easily searchable and makes data more accessible.”

A STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) workshop in June allowed educators from different parts of the state to interact with the database as well as create activities for the classroom. Students involved in these lessons will have the opportunity to “build big datasets, analyze actual data to test ideas, collect their own data, ask questions, and explore images of Kansas fossils” said Wilson.

The database can be found at https://sternbergca.fhsu.edu/ and is available to the public.

USGS: Another small earthquake shakes portions of Kansas

SUMNER COUNTY —A small earthquake shook Kansas Sunday morning.

Locations of Sunday’s quake image courtesy Kansas Geological Survey

The quake at 1:09a .m. measured a magnitude 2.8 and was centered two miles south of south Haven, according to the Kansas Geological Survey.

There are no reports of damage or injury.  The USGS reported three quakes in Kansas last week including a 3.7 magnitude quake east of Plainville and another a 2.6 quake in Reno County on Thursday.

Portion of Toulon Avenue closed Monday for construction

HAYS – Ellis County Public Works crews will be conducting an asphalt overlay on a portion of Toulon Avenue on Monday, Aug. 27.

According to Public Works, crews will begin working at the north ramp of the intersection of Toulon Avenue and Interstate 70 and continue north for a half-mile ending at the intersection of Toulon Avenue and Air Base Road.

This stretch of Toulon Avenue will be closed to through traffic on Monday and expected to reopen when construction is complete. Work is expected to take one day to complete.

Motorists in the affected area should use alternate routes of travel until the project is complete.

The work was originally scheduled for Aug. 20 but was delayed because of the weather.

Direct any questions to the Ellis County Public Works Department at (785)-628-9455.

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