WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A $5,000 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest of the person who shot at an off-duty Wichita police officer.
Security camera image of the incident courtesy Wichita Police
The officer was wearing his uniform while working security at the East Warren Theatre movie theater parking lot Wednesday night when the shooting occurred. He was not injured.
Crime Stoppers announced the reward Tuesday.
Police say someone driving a dark Chevy Suburban or Tahoe with its lights turned off parked behind the officer’s parked vehicle and fired four to six shots before driving off.
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A suburban Kansas City mother has been found competent to stand trial on charges that she gave her three children medication to try and kill them before taking it herself.
Roever -Photo Johnson County
Attorneys for 37-year-old Therese Roever requested a mental evaluation for the Olathe woman. A judge reviewed the results before finding Friday that Roever is able to understand the proceedings and help her attorneys defend her in the attempted capital murder case.
Court documents say two of the children would have died if they hadn’t been found and rushed to a hospital. The records also show Roever and her ex-husband have been involved in long-running litigation involving domestic issues, including child custody.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal hit and run accident and have made an arrest.
Police on the scene of the fatal accident-photo courtesy KWCH
Just before 9:30 p.m. Monday, first police responded to report of an injury accident in the 5200 Block of East Kellogg in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.
Investigators determined that an eastbound BMW 3-series struck a 22-year-old man in the roadway. The victim, a known homeless man in that area, died of his injuries, according to Davidson.
The driver of the BMW fled the scene. At 2:30 a.m. Tuesday a 20-year-old man contacted offices at the Wichita Patrol East substation, according to Davidson. Officers determined he was involved in the fatal accident and was booked him on requested charges of felony hit and run and driving with a revoked license, according to Davidson.
Police have not located the BMW with front end damage involved in the crash. Anyone with information on the incident or who sees the car is asked to contact Wichita Police.
GREAT BEND— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a burglary and have made an arrest.
Just after 6p.m. Sunday, police were dispatched to the Great Bend Hotel, 3017 10th Street in Great Bend in reference to a burglary, according to a media release.
Upon arrival a motel security guard advised officers there was possibly a subject inside the building stealing items.
Officers surrounded and searched the building and located a subject hiding in the walls of the hotel.
The subject was placed under arrest and transported to the Barton County Jail. The case has been submitted to the Barton County Attorney’s office for formal filing of criminal charges.
Ten guilty strangers are trapped in a house on an island. One by one they are accused of murder; one by one they start to die. In this superlative mystery/comedy, little toy soldiers on the mantel disappear one by one as those in the house succumb to a diabolical avenger. A nursery rhyme tells how each of the ten “soldiers” met his death until there were none. A mysterious voice accuses each guest of having gotten away with murder and then one drops dead – poisoned. One down and nine to go! For a well-brought-up English lady, Agatha Christie had some pretty dark ideas, gnarly notions which she let run wild in “And Then There Were None.”
Thu., April 26 and Fri., April 27 at 7:30 p.m., Felten-Start Theatre in FHSUMalloy Hall
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A transgender teacher in Kansas has been named “National Educator of the Year” by the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network.
Byers courtesy photo
Wichita North High School music teacher Stephanie Byers came out as a transgender woman in 2014.
Byers said she decided to come out as a transgender woman just five years shy of possible retirement, despite her fears about what it could mean for her and those around her.
“There was an urgency to it, and I could no longer put it off,” Byers said. “But there’s still the fear, because you never know.”
Byers said she didn’t transition to be a pioneer or an advocate, but that she’s become both.
The 55-year-old has in recent years met with school leaders, participated on panels about LGBTQ issues, talked with parents about gender identity, chaperoned a local “Day of Advocacy” and spoken at the state Capitol.
Byers said she’s received “absolutely amazing” support from Wichita district officials and from North High Principal Sherman Padgett.
“People that I have never spoken to in this building came up and wrapped their arms around me to tell me how much they care for me and love me and were proud of me,” Byers said. “It was very, very affirming.”
Padgett said he nominated Byers for the award because she’s “just an all-around great teacher and a great person.”
“It would be great if we could get to the point where we can normalize the LGBTQ community,” said Padgett. “She chose to live her true identity, and when that just becomes normal, that’s when kids will realize they belong here just as much as everyone else.”
MCPHERSON COUNY- One person was injured in an accident just after 1:30p.m. Tuesday in McPherson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a Maule M-5-235C piloted by Shannon Randal Scot, 57, Alma, was attempting to take off eastbound on Smoky Valley Road. The plane hit a sign and the pilot lost control. The plane ended up in the trees on the north side of the road.
Scot was transported to the hospital in Salina.
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MCPHERSON COUNTY—One person was injured in a small plane crash east of Roxbury in McPherson County on Tuesday afternoon, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
The single occupant was transported to the hospital in Salina with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the KHP.
GREAT BEND — The University of Kansas Health System has signed a letter of intent to purchase the operations of Great Bend Regional Hospital and its affiliated clinics, including Central Kansas Family Practice and Heartland Regional, according to a media release.
Great Bend Regional Hospital courtesy photo
When due diligence is complete, and the transaction closes this summer, Great Bend Regional Hospital would become part of The University of Kansas Health System, which includes The University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City, HaysMed in Hays, Pawnee Valley Community Hospital in Larned and The University of Kansas Health System St. Francis Campus in Topeka (in partnership with Ardent Health Services).
The University of Kansas Health System is committed to providing the highest quality care to people of Kansas and the region. We are excited to bring great access to the resources of the state’s academic health system to Great Bend, so patients can stay closer to home to receive the most advanced care possible. This model also preserves local care in the community, ensuring the hospital remains a strong local employer and healthcare provider in Great Bend and the region for years to come.
We understand the vital role hospitals play in local communities, not only as providers of healthcare services but as employers and drivers of economic development. The health system team is committed to working with Great Bend physicians, nurses and staff to achieve even more for this community and the region.
The people who built Great Bend into the valuable community health care resource it is today are key to driving our future growth together. We plan to keep substantially all of the existing Great Bend workforce in place. The health system will work with employees in the coming weeks to discuss the process of transitioning employment and benefits.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Kansas City police are investigating the shooting death of a utility worker at a job site.
Police on the scene of the shooting investigation-image courtesy KCTV
Police say the man was shot Monday morning. He was working at the construction site for a company that contracted with Spire Energy.
The man’s name has not been released. Police say the motive is unknown.
The Kansas City Star reports witnesses said the shooter walked up to a group of workers and briefly spoke to them before pulling out a gun and firing several shots and then walking away.
TOPEKA – Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation recently honored the 2018 winner of the Kansas Missing Children’s Poster Contest, an art competition for Kansas 5th graders that encourages child safety and creates awareness for children who remain missing.
The annual national poster contest is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. The winner of this year’s Kansas poster contest was 11-year-old Emma Johnson of Colby, who attends Sacred Heart Catholic School. Emma’s poster represented the state of Kansas in the national poster contest.
Emma’s parents and her younger brother recently attended a day of events honoring her selection as the 2018 contest winner. Emma and her family met Attorney General Derek Schmidt, KBI Director Kirk Thompson, and learned about KBI investigations through fingerprinting and crime scene simulations.
KBI Director Kirk Thompson presents a certificate and a challenge coin to Emma for winning the 2018 Missing Children’s Day Poster Contest.
The group also visited the Capitol for a ceremony where Governor Jeff Colyer proclaimed May 25, 2018 as Kansas Missing Children’s Day. Both the contest and the observation of Missing Children’s Day are intended to raise awareness of the risks of child abduction and provide valuable information to students to encourage their safety.
Each year in Kansas an average of 4,325 children are reported missing to the KBI’s Missing Persons Clearinghouse, and last year over 465,000 children nationwide were declared missing by law enforcement. The majority of those reports are for runaways, which are known to frequently reoccur. Fortunately, most missing children’s cases are resolved a short time after being reported.
The Governor’s proclamation of Missing Children’s Day calls on “all Kansans to join together in remembering the many children who remain missing, and to not waver in efforts to reunite them with their families. The citizens of the State of Kansas are urged to stand vigilant when a child goes missing and remain committed to reducing the tragic incidents of missing children.”
— KBI
KBI Forensic Scientist Jennifer Hewitt guides Emma and her family in collecting DNA from evidence.
A behind-the-scenes struggle over proposed changes to Kansas’ Medicaid program is coming down to the wire.
Republican Gov. Jeff Colyer has offered concessions. But he appears determined to stick with his proposal to make some non-disabled recipients work, or undergo job training, for their health care coverage.
Kansas Medicaid Director Jon Hamdorf, right, talks with House Minority Leader Jim Ward in the Statehouse. Hamdorf is the administration’s point person on KanCare 2.0, which would add a work requirement for Medicaid recipients. Ward opposes the plan. JIM MCLEAN / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Jon Hamdorf, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment official who oversees the state’s privatized Medicaid program known as KanCare, said the governor believes “very strongly that work is a pathway to independence.”
The Colyer administration is seeking federal approval of a work requirement as part of its KanCare 2.0 proposal. That plan, submitted late last year, would extend a federal waiver that allows the state to contract with three private companies to operate KanCare, a $3 billion program that covers more than 420,000 low-income, elderly and disabled Kansans.
Historically, federal officials have rejected requirements that could deny coverage to people who would otherwise be eligible. The Trump administration wants to reverse that policy.
“We need to stop KanCare 2.0 where it is and there is limited time to do so,” said Sean Gatewood, a former Democratic legislator who now heads the KanCare Advocates Network.
At the outset of the 2018 session, bills were introduced in both the House and Senate to block the administration from implementing KanCare 2.0. Neither has passed, but language prohibiting the administration from moving forward was added to the Senate’s budget bill.
Even if the House agrees with that provision, Gatewood said it may not be enough to stop KanCare 2.0 because Colyer’s line-item veto power would allow him to strike just that language before signing the bill.
If that happens it would probably be after the end of the session, meaning lawmakers wouldn’t have a chance to override the governor’s veto.
House Minority Leader Jim Ward, a Wichita Democrat running for governor, said a majority of lawmakers oppose KanCare 2.0.
“It is appalling,” Ward said, that the voices of those legislators “are being stifled.”
In addition to the work requirement, Colyer’s KanCare 2.0 proposal would impose a lifetime benefit limit on some enrollees.
To show that he’s heard the concerns of lawmakers and stakeholder, Hamdorf said, the governor would be willing to back off his call for benefit caps if allowed to pursue a work requirement.
No deal, Ward said.
“There is no independent data that shows work requirements do anything except reduce the number of people who get health care,” he said.In addition to Colyer’s controversial proposals, opposition to KanCare 2.0 stems from longstanding problems with the existing program. Those problemsinclude application backlogs, payment disputes and reductions in services — particularly those that help keep persons with disabilities in their homes and out of institutions.
Hamdorf, whose efforts to address the program’s administrative problems have earned him high marks from legislators, is currently focused on clearing the application backlog. He’s put Maximus, the company that operates the application clearinghouse, on notice. If it’s not living up to the terms of its contract by June, he said, the state is prepared to assess fines that could total tens of millions of dollars.
“I’ve made a commitment to the people in this program,” he said. “We’re going to turn this around.”
Dr. Roger Marshall, R-Great Bend, is the First District Kansas Congressman.
Friend,
This year, tax day fell on April 17, and is a dreaded day for most Americans. However, it is also the last time Americans will be filing under an outdated and broken tax code.
Next year, folks will be filing their taxes under a simpler system, saving them time and hassle. The IRS will no longer ask if you have health care, because the individual mandate under the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare has been repealed. Next year, families will see a boost in savings, due to the increased child tax credit and doubling of the standard deduction. While tax day is usually one of dread, this year, it is also one of celebration.
I am proud to have delivered on this promise to Kansans, and look forward to the welcome changes Tax Day 2019 will bring.
IN THE HOUSE
National Fallen Educators Memorial
I am delighted that Congress passed legislation last week to recognize the Fallen Educators Memorial in Emporia, KS as a national memorial.
National Fallen Educators Memorial, Emporia
Senator Jerry Moran and I both introduced bills to confer this designation and is now on its way to the President’s desk. This memorial honors teachers, administrators, and staff members who lost their lives working for our nation’s schools and will be the first nationally designated memorial in Kansas.
I thank the folks in Emporia and those in the surrounding community who took the initiative to give our hard-working educators the recognition they deserve.
Farm Bill Progress
On Wednesday, the House Agriculture Committee was able to debate and propose amendments to the initial draft of the 2018 Farm Bill. After six hours of discussion, the Farm Bill passed through the House Committee on Agriculture on a party line vote. Our goal should be to help people get off of welfare and this bill does just that. The 20-hour work or job training requirement on able-bodied recipients age 18-59 gives people the opportunity to attain a career in order to provide for their families.
I introduced my own amendment during the markup session to streamline the Emergency Conservation Program application process for both Farm Service Agency employees and ranchers.
I am very proud of this bill and am excited that is provides certainty. The bill protects crop insurance, expands rural broadband, doubles the conservation funding to EQIP, and strengthens other farm programs. The bill also improves nutrition access and training for many vulnerable populations across Kansas and America.
You can listen to a full interview broadcast discussing the Farm Bill here.
Rural Telecom meeting
Rural Telecom Meeting
Last week, I met with a number of folks representing many small telecommunications companies in my district. It was great to see so many familiar faces and continue important conversations on issues facing the industry. Meetings like these help me to better understand how programs like the Universal Service High Cost Fund through the Federal Communications Commission and the Rural Utilities Service through the U.S. Department of Agriculture are being used to deploy broadband across the Big First. Rural Americans deserve the same access to a fast and affordable internet connection as their urban counterparts, and I appreciate groups like this coming in to share their thoughts and concerns about this important issue with me.
Honor Flight
Leroy Meisenheimer, Kingman, KS
Veterans from Kansas and across America got the opportunity to visit our nation’s capital on Thursday and see the various memorials through the Honor Flight Organization. The Honor Flight Network began in 2005 with a simple but important goal of giving veterans a chance to see the many memorials in Washington DC free of cost. At the end of 2017 flying season, the network escorted over 200,000 veterans to their memorials.
Laina and I met up with some terrific people and a dear friend of mine, Leroy Meisenheimer from Kingman, KS. Leroy is an Army Korean War Veteran and was stationed in Fairbanks, Alaska from 1952 to 1954 working in communications. It was great to listen to Leroy’s story and to talk about his two brothers who served in WWII. I was glad I could meet with so many American heroes all in one place. We owe a continual debt to these brave men and women who sacrificed their lives, so we can have the freedoms we enjoy every day.
Feeding Families Crosses Party Lines
Access to nutritious foods in our communities is essential for everyone to grow and live healthy lives. Today, too many low-income households are struggling to find and afford nutritious foods. These areas are often referred to as “food deserts” and are in both urban and rural areas of our country. I sat down with my colleague on the other side of the aisle, Representative Dwight Evans from Pennsylvania, to discuss this ongoing dilemma facing our communities. There should be no party lines or agendas when it comes to ensuring that families have access to good food on their dinner tables. Federal programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provide millions of low-income families with nutrition assistance including more than 200,000 people in Kansas. When one in eight people identify as food insecure in our country, we must work together and solve this problem in the best way we possibly can. My colleagues and I on the House Agriculture Committee will continue to find new ways to address and solve these issues. Click here to read the full article Rep. Evans and I wrote.
Cyber Security Crucial for Small Business
There is no questioning the positive impact technology has on our workplaces. I’ve seen this first-hand at my hospital in Great Bend. Though, technology has become such a vital tool, it is also susceptible to cyberattacks from outside data hackers. Small businesses are especially at risk of cyberattacks, and are many times not properly equipped to deal with the aftermath of such a breach. In fact, 86% of small businesses feel unprepared for a cyber attack. These businesses are a critical part of the American economy, and that is why I am proud to see Kansas Small Business Development Centers launching online tools available to entrepreneurs to give them training to handle and prevent attacks. My colleagues and I on the House Small Business Committee are aware of these risks to our family-run businesses, and we will continue to work to keep our national security infrastructure safe for the 21st century economy. Click here to read my Kansas City Star article.
Rep. Roger Marshall and his wife Laina volunteering at the DC Central Kitchen.
DC Central Kitchen and Food Bank
For 25 years Laina went the first Monday of every month to volunteer at our local Food Bank in Great Bend, Kansas. Last week we had the opportunity to visit and help the DC Central Kitchen and learn the ways they are combating hunger and poverty in their community. DC Central Kitchen prepares 3 million meals for homeless shelters, schools, and other organizations each year. They also provide culinary training for jobless adults so they can gain a career with their newly learned skill. Many neighborhoods across America are in desperate need for healthy options at their local corner stores. In fact, DC Central Kitchen already delivers fresh produce to 70 corner stores in some of DC’s most impoverished areas.
I believe Food Banks do such a great job of identifying and addressing the needs of their communities. Food Banks help as many people as possible get access to nutritious foods in their neighborhoods and are in a position to see first-hand what works and what doesn’t. That’s why I am so proud that our 2018 Farm Bill QUADRUPLES federal support for Food Banks.
