TOPEKA —Veterinary staff at the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center made the difficult decision to euthanize a thirty year old Malayan Sun Bear, Cupcake, Monday morning. “We knew this day would come,” said Zoo Director Brendan Wiley. “She was already beyond her normal life span when she arrived here two years ago but that doesn’t make it emotionally easier.”

Cupcake and Ho Ho came to the Topeka Zoo in November of 2017 when their former zoo had to close their previous exhibit for construction reasons. “We talked about it for a long time,” said Wiley. “They were really old but it seemed like the right and fitting thing to do.”

SEDGWICK COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a group of teens on multiple charges after a chase and crash.

Just after 3p.m. Monday, a police officer observed a Honda Accord traveling southbound on Interstate 135 near Kellogg, according to officer Charley Davidson. The vehicle had been reported stolen from a home burglary on Sunday.

The officer attempted to stop the car and the16-year-old driver refused to stop, accelerated and fled from police. The short chase ended after the vehicle struck a utility pole on the transition onto eastbound Pawnee, according to Davidson. The driver and six juvenile passengers ran from the vehicle. Officers were able to locate the teens in the surrounding neighborhood. They were not injured.

Police arrested the 16-year-old female driver for auto theft, flee and attempt to elude
Police also arrested two 13-year-old boys for auto theft, burglary, theft and aggravated residential burglary.

The boys were runaways and had also been involved in a reported theft at a Subway restaurant on Sunday, according to Davidson.

Three other teenage girls and a boy in the Honda ages 13-16 were released to their parents.

SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are attempting to locate a suspect wanted for aggravated escape from custody.

Jordan R. Russell, 20, is  approximately 5-foot-10, and weighs 210 pounds, according to Lt. Andrew Beightel.

Russell was last seen at the Topeka Law Enforcement Center at 2:10 p.m. He is believed to have taken off his green Department of Corrections jumpsuit and his current clothing is unknown.

According to police, if you know his location,  please do not attempt to apprehend him yourself please call 911 immediately to report his whereabouts.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Weather is disrupting county singer Luke Bryan’s Farm Tour concert again.

A concert scheduled for Oct. 3 at a farm in Louisburg was postponed after heavy rains flooded the field and made it too wet for equipment to be unloaded.

The concert was rescheduled for Wednesday. But with rain and snow forecast for northeast Kansas and northwest Missouri, organizers announced Tuesday that the concert will be moved inside to the Sprint Center in downtown Kansas City, Missouri.

Organizers say all tickets for the Oct. 3 and Oct. 30 event will be honored.

Weather forecasters say a wintry mix of snow and rain is expected throughout the region by Wednesday. A winter weather advisory has been issued for 10 p.m. Tuesday through 4 a.m. Thursday

DODGE CITY — Wright Park Zoo staff and the City of Dodge City are deeply saddened to announce the sudden passing Tuesday of Vern, the Capuchin Monkey.

According to a media release, Vern was found unresponsive by staff early in the morning, and while the Zoo’s contracted veterinarian did everything they could to revive him, he passed away at the vet clinic. The cause of his sudden decline is unknown at this time; however, a necropsy will be done to try and determine the cause.

The money was injured during a suspected break in at the on September 3. Authorities determined his injuries were a result of blunt force trauma in an effort to protect another monkey found outside the city limits. Police conducting the investigation suspect that someone gained access to the enclosure and injured the older monkey as he tried to protect his offspring from being taken, according to a media release from the zoo.

Vern came to the Wright Park Zoo in 1988 with a female, Charro, both 1-year-old at the time of their arrival. The pair had at least four offspring, and their two youngest sons, Jack and Pickett, are part of the current capuchin troop at the Zoo. Capuchin monkeys are native to South America and live mostly in trees, only coming to the ground occasionally for food and water. Their populations are declining in the wild as they face threats of deforestation, habitat loss, and capture for the pet trade.

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DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — A capuchin monkey at a western Kansas zoo is recovering after it was injured while apparently trying to stop an intruder from taking a younger monkey.

Officials at the Wright Park Zoo in Dodge City say the older monkey, named Vern, was hurt and his son, Pickett, was found on the outskirts of Dodge City Sept. 3. The younger monkey was not injured.

Officials initially thought Vern’s injuries were minor but a veterinarian found injuries apparently caused by blunt force trauma. The monkey underwent surgery at Kansas State University Sept. 10 to repair broken bones.

Zoo spokeswoman Abbey Martin said Monday Pickett is doing well and is back on display. Vern remains in quarantine while he recovers.

Dodge City police are investigating the incident. Martin says there are no developments in the investigation.