MCPHERSON COUNTY — One person was injured in an accident at Showalter Fireworks in Inman on Monday.

Just after 10a.m. Reno County EMS responded to the facility on Plum Avenue just north of the Reno-McPherson county line to the report of employee that was burned.

The accident apparently happened when black powder that was being burned off flashed suddenly, causing burns to the employee’s arm and leg.

The victim, 39-year-old Jason Ukele of Salina, was airlifted to the burn unit at St. Francis Hospital in Wichita. Authorities released no additional details.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police have identified two people who died of carbon monoxide poisoning last week.

Police say 44-year-old Richard Reese and 41-year-old Dionne Jackson were found dead at a home Thursday.

Officer Charley Davidson said they were using a generator because the home had no electricity.

Davidson said woman who found the victims was a friend of Reese, and he was visiting Jackson, who lived in the home.

By BEN KUEBRICH

A malicious virus first infected some local government computers in Finney County, Kansas, in late June. Officials there say that malware did not reach any election systems. But Vice President Mike Pence suggested otherwise last week at the National Cybersecurity Summit.

The malware crept in and then spread through Finney County computers over email attachments. Officials shut down their county network and contacted the Kansas Secretary of State’s office. That triggered the summoning of the federal Department of Homeland Security for an investigation that ultimately revealed no attempt to foul up voting.

Finney County officials said the malware didn’t appear to specifically target the county or its election systems. Those voting operations work on a deliberately separate network.

“Voter information has never been stored on our network; that information is stored by the State,” Sara McClure, spokeswoman wrote in an email. “We set up a free-standing network, entirely unattached to ours, in order for our Clerk’s Office to access voter information.”

Pence characterized it differently at the summit.

“Finney County, Kansas, reached out to DHS for help after a malware attack forced them to shut down not just their election network,” said Pence, “but the entire county’s network. “

We inherited a cyber-crisis. The previous administration all but neglected cyber-security, even though the digital threats were growing more numerous and more dangerous by the day. #DHSCyberSummit pic.twitter.com/N0XEe8cXou

— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) July 31, 2018

But county, state and Homeland Security officials said the election system wasn’t infected. And it didn’t shut down.

Officials said that while individual computers were infected and the county network was shut down, networks weren’t infected and information wasn’t leaked.

“State and County information and networks had not been impacted and there is no evidence that the issue had spread,” a DHS official wrote in an email. “To date there are no indications that any citizen’s personal information was impacted.”

The country has stepped up election security nationwide, said Joseph Hall, the chief technologist at the nonprofit Center for Democracy and Technology.

“Election officials are doing their best to put up as many barriers as they can in front of all sorts of attackers,” Hall said.

He said Finney County has up-to-date voting machines that leave a paper trail, which makes them a poor target for an attack.

But other governmental systems remain vulnerable. The malware temporarily shut down the Finney County Health Department and crippled other county services.

A Ransomware attack on Atlanta earlier this year shut down city and county departments and caused millions of dollars of damages.

Ben Kuebrich reports for the Kansas News Service. Follow him on @Ben_Kuebrich. 

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Court documents say the federal government plans to sue a Kansas oncologist who is accused of submitting claims for cancer treatments that weren’t medically necessary.

Federal prosecutors filed a notice last month announcing their plans to file a complaint within 90 days against Mark Fesen and to intervene in a whistle-blower lawsuit. A former clinical oncology pharmacist at the Hutchinson Clinic filed the whistleblower suit in 2014.

The suit says the pharmacist became aware of problems with Fesen’s treatment of patients while reviewing “denials” by insurance providers, including Medicare and Medicaid. Outside auditors found widespread problems, including issues with misdiagnosing and inappropriately treating patient.

Fesen, the Hutchinson Clinic, and Fesen’s current employer, Central Care Cancer Center in Newton, didn’t respond to requests for comment.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Authorities are investigating a deadly shooting in Kansas City, Kansas.

Police said in a news release that 27-year-old Vincent Trulson, of Kansas City, Kansas, was shot Sunday night in the city’s Armourdale community. Trulson was rushed to a hospital, where he died. Police have released no suspect information. Authorities are asking the public for help.

This little girl was in a car tonight with her mother and another woman; officers comforted her after both women were shot tonight near 43rd and Bellefontaine. Her mother has life threatening injuries. Someone saw something #474-TIPS pic.twitter.com/xBo2H7UiPw

— Kansas City Police (@kcpolice) August 3, 2018

The homicide was one of several violent crimes over the weekend in the metro area. In Kansas City, Missouri, two women were killed and eight other people injured in five separate incidents Saturday night and early Sunday.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is endorsing controversial Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach in that state’s GOP gubernatorial primary.

Kris Kobach, a strong and early supporter of mine, is running for Governor of the Great State of Kansas. He is a fantastic guy who loves his State and our Country – he will be a GREAT Governor and has my full & total Endorsement! Strong on Crime, Border & Military. VOTE TUESDAY!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 6, 2018

In a Monday morning tweet ahead of the Tuesday contest, Trump says Kobach has his “full & total Endorsement!”

Kobach advised the Trump campaign and has continued to advise the White House on immigration and homeland security issues.

After the election, Kobach publicly backed Trump’s unsupported claim that “millions” of people voted illegally and cost him the popular vote.

Two White House officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly, said last month that Trump was inclined to endorse Kobach.

The officials said aides had encouraged him to hold off, warning his hawkish immigration views may make him the weaker candidate in this fall’s general election.

DOUGLAS COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities continue investigating Friday’s fatal water rescue incident on the Kansas River in Lawrence.

On Saturday, officers arrested 26-year-old Scharron Renea Dingledine of Columbia, Missouri on one count of First Degree Murder and one count of Attempted First-Degree Murder, according to Captain Trent McKinley.

The charges stem from the death of Dingledine’s five-year-old daughter and critical injuries to her one-year old son, who remained hospitalized.

On Sunday, the 5-year-old’s father identified her as Amiyah Bradley.  Clinton Bradley also established a fund-raising page to assist with funeral expenses.

On Saturday morning, members of the Douglas County Search and Recovery Dive Team recovered the body of the 5-year-old. She was the third passenger in the vehicle that entered the river Friday, according to Officer Drew Fennely.

First responders rescued Dingledine and the 1-year-old shortly after Friday’s crash into the river. They were transported to a local hospital. Authorities have not reported an update on the child’s condition.

Dingledine is currently being held at the Douglas County Jail without bond, according to according to Captain Trent McKinley.