DICKINSON COUNTY —Chapman High School went into lock down and a K-9 search was done at the school on Friday, but by early afternoon the situation had ended. Everyone was safe.

Kevin Diercks, Chapman Police Chief, reported that his department got a call from administrators regarding a social media post that was a concern. A concerned student had brought it to their attention. “In this social media video was a short video of three individuals playing with a firearm. Two were Chapman High School students. That is all that the video included, no threats, no speaking, no voices, no threats were made against the school or anybody in particular.”

Diercks said one of the students had recently expressed an interest in the Columbine shootings, which led to a heightened concern that required authorities to take the situation seriously. “All individuals involved were located, detained and questioned. The video was not made in the City of Chapman, it was made in another community.”

Diercks confirmed the Dickinson County Sheriff’s Office interviewed and investigated a couple of locations throughout the county but no threats were found. The Kansas Highway Patrol also helped in the investigation and no threats were found. Diercks added it did not appear any threats were made. “But the situation had to be taken seriously in this day and age. It appears everybody was safe, the school did go into lock down per their policy.”

The lock down went into effect about mid-morning and had ended by 1:15 p.m.

Two of the three individuals ( boys )  questioned in this case were students at Chapman High School. Diercks said at this time there are no charges. The individuals were detained, interviewed and released.

DICKINSON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities and officials with USD 473 are  investigating a social media concern.

Chapman High School reported on the school web site that those involved with the concern are in custody and students are safe.

A K-9 search has taken place along with a lockdown to insure our students safety.

We do not feel that there is any reason for concern for the safety of our students and staff. We are taking every precaution to ensure that all Chapman High School students are safe and secure.

No additional details were released Friday afternoon.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas lawmakers have rejected an effort to repeal a law that allows people to carry concealed firearms in most facilities at public colleges and universities in the state.

The Kansas House voted 53-69 against Democratic Rep. Barbara Ballard’s repeal amendment Thursday.

The House did vote to require students, faculty and staff carrying a concealed firearm on campus to receive gun safety training. Lawmakers also voted to allow 18-year-olds to carry concealed weapons. The previous age limit was 21.

Ballard says the law is making it difficult for higher education institutions in the state to attract new students to their campuses.

Opponents to the appeal argue that people have the constitutional right to bear arms for self-protection.

WABAUNSEE COUNTY– The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) and the Wabaunsee County Sheriff’s Office are investigating a shooting death that occurred Thursday night in Alma, Kan.

Just after 11:30p.m. Thursday, the Wabaunsee County Sheriff’s Office received a 911 call reporting a domestic incident at 117 W. 11^th St. in Alma.

The responding sheriff’s deputy discovered a man who appeared to be suffering from gunshot wounds. Also responding to the scene were the Alma City Marshal and the Kansas Highway Patrol.

EMS transported the injured man to the Wamego Community Hospital, where he died. He has since been identified as 36-year-old Chad Thomas-Buckbee. Thomas-Buckbee lived at the residence in Alma.

The Wabaunsee County Sheriff’s Office requested KBI assistance in the case Friday morning

Preliminary information indicates that subjects at the residence were involved in a confrontation that became violent. There is no indication of any threat to the public as a result of this incident. An autopsy will be conducted.

This investigation is ongoing. No further information will be released at this time.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans on Friday released a partisan and bitterly disputed memo that they say shows surveillance abuses in the early stages of the FBI’s investigation into the Trump campaign and Russia.

Read the full text of the MEMO HERE

The memo, prepared by Republicans on the House intelligence committee, says there was “a troubling breakdown of legal processes” in the Russia investigation.

President Donald Trump, who advocated for the memo’s release over the fierce objections of the Justice Department and the FBI, told reporters the document shows “a lot of people should be ashamed of themselves.”

“I think it’s terrible,” Trump said. “You want to know the truth. I think it’s a disgrace. What’s going on in this country, I think it’s a disgrace.”

The memo, which the FBI has said is inaccurate and missing critical context, asserts that current and former FBI and Justice Department leaders signed off on a surveillance warrant to monitor communications of a former Trump campaign associate.

The document also asserts that opposition research, conducted by a British spy and funded in part by the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign, formed a critical basis for the allegations contained in the warrant application.

They say that research should not have been a basis for the warrant because it contains unproven allegations.

The release of the memo is likely to further divide Trump and his FBI and Justice Department leaders, and the president lashed out anew on Friday morning on Twitter. He has supported the memo release in apparent hopes that it could help undermine the probe being led by special counsel Robert Mueller, which he has called a “witch hunt.”

“The top Leadership and Investigators of the FBI and the Justice Department have politicized the sacred investigative process in favor of Democrats and against Republicans – something which would have been unthinkable just a short time ago. Rank & File are great people!” Trump tweeted.

The tweet came as U.S. news coverage was dominated by reports that the FBI and the Justice Department had objected strenuously to the memo’s release. Earlier this week, the FBI declared it had “grave concerns” about its accuracy.

Trump’s tweet and his approval of the memo release set up a clash with the man he picked to lead the FBI, Christopher Wray, after firing James Comey as agency director. It also seemed at odds with House Speaker Paul Ryan who said a day earlier “this memo is not an indictment of the FBI or the Department of Justice.”

Democrats say the memo cherry-picks intelligence in an effort to smear law enforcement investigating whether Trump associates collaborated with Russia to sway the 2016 presidential election.

“This is designed to impugn the credibility of the FBI, to undermine the investigation, to give the president additional fodder to attack the investigation. And it’s a tremendous disservice to the American people,” Rep. Adam Schiff, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said on CBS “This Morning.”

The document was written by GOP lawmakers as part of an effort to reveal what Republicans say are surveillance abuses by the FBI and the Justice Department early in Russia investigation, before special counsel Robert Mueller was appointed to take it over.

White House officials say Trump intends to clear the way for publication of the memo. One White House official said Congress would probably be informed of Trump’s decision Friday, adding that the president was “OK” with its release. A second White House official said Trump was likely to declassify the congressional memo but the precise method for making it public was still being figured out. The officials were not authorized to be quoted about private deliberations and spoke on condition of anonymity.

The House intelligence panel voted along party lines Monday to put the memo out, giving Trump five days to reject the release under committee rules. But Trump also has the power to declassify the document himself and either release it or hand it to Congress to release. One of the White House officials said the memo would be in “Congress’ hands” after Trump declassified it and there were unlikely to be any redactions to the document.

Senior FBI officials, including Wray, have also made direct appeals to the White House, warning that it could set a dangerous precedent.

Democrats on the intelligence panel made a last-ditch effort Wednesday evening to stop the release, saying the memo had been “secretly altered” by the Republicans who wrote it. In a letter to the House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, Schiff wrote that committee Democrats had discovered changes that were made after the vote Monday.

“The White House has therefore been reviewing a document since Monday night that the committee never approved for public release,” Schiff said in the letter.

Schiff asked Nunes for another vote on the memo, but Republicans didn’t appear to waver. Nunes spokesman Jack Langer said the committee vote was “procedurally sound.”

“To suggest otherwise is a bizarre distraction from the abuses detailed in the memo, which the public will hopefully soon be able to read for themselves,” Langer said.

This all comes as special counsel Mueller is investigating whether the Trump campaign improperly coordinated with Russia and whether Trump sought to obstruct the inquiry by, among other actions, firing Comey. Republicans have intensified their pressure on the Justice Department as Mueller’s probe has moved closer to Trump’s inner circle.

Trump has been telling confidants in recent days that he believes the document will validate his concerns that the FBI and Justice Department conspired against him, according to one outside adviser familiar with those conversations but not authorized to speak publicly about private discussions.

The president also has told allies that he believes the memo bolsters his claim that accusations of collusion between his campaign and Russian officials are false and part of a conspiracy to discredit his election.

House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer are pressing House Speaker Paul Ryan to stop the release.

Comey weighed in on Twitter as well: “All should appreciate the FBI speaking up. I wish more of our leaders would. But take heart: American history shows that, in the long run, weasels and liars never hold the field, so long as good people stand up. Not a lot of schools or streets named for Joe McCarthy.”

Topeka – Governor Jeff Colyer today announced a number of personnel changes for the senior staff of cabinet and subcabinet agencies. Colyer also announced several changes to his governor’s office staff, according to a media release.

Larry Campbell, Olathe Representative for District 26, will join the Budget Office as Chief Budget Officer. The position will allow the governor’s office to increase its focus on performance-based budgeting. Campbell’s position as K-12 budget chair will be an asset to the Colyer Administration as they work with the legislature to find a workable solution to the education funding issue that will take center stage this session.

 

Shawn Sullivan, who had served as Budget Director, has been named Chief Operating Officer, where he will handle complex issues that touch multiple agencies, such as Medicaid eligibility.

 

Phil Whitmer is leaving the Office of Information Technology and Donna Shelite will step in as as Interim Chief Information Technology Officer.

 

Other changes include:

 

KDHE

• Jeff Anderson will serve as Acting Secretary after the departure of Susan Mosier*
• Jon Hamdorf will serve as Medicaid Director. He had served as interim Medicaid Director since the departure of Michael Randol.
• Greg Lakin has been named Chief Medical Officer.*
• John Mitchell, Director of Environment, is leaving the agency
• Leo Henning will serve as the Interim Director of Environment

 

DCF

• Acting Secretary Gina Meier-Hummel has replaced former Secretary Phyllis Gilmore*
• Kathe Decker will replace former Chief of Staff, Jeff Kahrs
• Susan Gile is now serving as Deputy Secretary for Family Services
• David Kurt is now serving as East Regional Director
• Patricia Long will serve as Prevention and Protection Services Director

 

Commerce

• Interim Secretary Nick Jordan will depart the agency
• Bob North will serve as Interim Secretary
• Stan Alrech, Executive Director of Workforce and Innovation is leaving the agency
• Diane DeBacker is now Executive Director for Business and Education Innovation*

 

*Previously announced

 

Governor’s Office Staffing Changes

 

In addition to the above changes, Governor Colyer’s office also outlined changes to the structure and makeup of his senior staff.

 

Karla Werth joins the Governor’s office as Director of Constituent Services. Karla previous served in that role for the Graves Administration.

 

Kendall Marr, who joined Colyer’s office as communications director in September, will now serve as chief communications officer. In the new role, Marr will take on increased responsibilities in coordinating and managing state agency communications staff.

 

Andrew Wiens will serve as Chief Policy Officer. He replaced Brandon Smith.

 

David Soffer also will join the governor’s office as special assistant to the governor. Peter Barstad will join as policy analyst. Mary Sabatini has been brought on as assistant to the chief of staff.

 

 

Governor’s Office Senior Staff

• Jon Hummell- Chief of Staff
• Brant Laue- Chief Counsel
• Andrew Wiens- Chief Policy Officer
• Tim Shallenburger- Legislative Affairs Director
• Kendall Marr- Chief Communications Officer
• Kara Fulmer- Press Secretary
• Clay Barker- Special Assistant to the Governor
• Karla Werth- Director of Constituent Services