LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A 23- year-old former volunteer volleyball coach at the University of Kansas is charged with several burglaries and thefts of items such as underwear and swimming suits.

Skyler Yee was charged Wednesday with 15 total counts, including four felony counts of burglary.

Douglas County District Court records show the break-ins occurred four times between December 2017 and January of this year at two addresses in Lawrence.

Yee was released on bond after a court appearance Wednesday. He was ordered to have no contact with the Kansas volleyball team and members of a Lawrence youth volleyball club.

Yee has served as a volunteer assistant volleyball coach for several years. He resigned in mid-January.

Defense attorney Casey Meek said Thursday Yee maintains his innocence.

GREAT BEND – A curious student-body assembled in a sea of purple at Eisenhower Elementary School on Thursday, unknowing the tremendous surprise one of their classmates was about to receive. Opening remarks by Eisenhower Principal, Laurie Harwood, were quickly eclipsed by a troupe of adults wearing mouse ears and performing silly antics to excite the audience. Students would soon realize that “Team Owen” was about to be granted the wish of a lifetime.

“Today is a momentous occasion as Owen will be surprised with the news that his one-true wish will be coming true. We hope that his wish experience will bring him and his family a much-needed break from the realities associated with his condition. We are also extremely grateful for the support of Great Bend Schools and the Eisenhower Elementary community. Today is a true testament to the caring nature of the state of Kansas and we couldn’t be more excited for Owen,” said LuAnn Bott, President & CEO of Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas.

Lori Likes, representing Fee Insurance Group out of Hutchinson, was one of the wish grantors on-site to help deliver the good news.

“It was an absolute joy meeting our Wish Kid, Owen and his family,” said Likes. I fell in love immediately with his little freckled face and his big smile. It was an eye opening experience watching Owen and his family interact. They were all so on point as to Owen’s needs. I learned a lot that day about Owen, it was easy to see what gives him joy in life. Since that initial meeting, I have been able to stay up to date with Owen as one of his many followers on social media. We were all completely overjoyed with tear-filled eyes when Make-A-Wish was able to make Owen’s wish come true.”

“Owen and his family are very deserving of this dream-come-true trip to Disney World,” said Khris Thexton, USD 428 superintendent. “We are humbled by Owen’s strength, determination and joy. Including the Eisenhower family in this big announcement gave our family at USD 428 the chance to cheer-on the Klug family; we couldn’t be more excited for them!”

Laurie Harwood, Eisenhower Elementary School principal, worked behind the scenes with Make-A-Wish and the family to ensure the day would be a success. Students, staff and faculty were asked to wear purple because it is the designated color for Epilepsy Awareness as well as the color of the “Team Owen” shirts that have been produced locally.

About Owen:
Owen is an 11-year-old 5th grader at Eisenhower Elementary in Great Bend. He lives in Odin with his dad Gavin, mom Kiley, little brothers Dexter and Blake, and dog Brutus. Owen enjoys anything that involves biking, swinging, spinning, music, and jumping. He loves people, especially his teachers, bus driver, caretakers, friends, and family. He is a sweet, laid back boy who spreads happiness and inspiration wherever he goes.

Owen had his first seizure at 6 months of age after an uncomplicated birth. The next few years were full of testing, several different medication trials, procedures, surgeries, and a lot of questions. Owen, at his worst, had over 250 seizures a day. Because of the severe intractable epilepsy he was enduring, Owen lost a number of developmental skills such as sitting independently, clapping, and walking in a walker. Owen was finally clinically diagnosed with Dravet Syndrome when he was 6 years old.

Dravet Syndrome is characterized by severe, chronic, intractable epilepsy, oftentimes paired with global developmental delay, sensory impairment, orthopedic conditions, and many other issues.

Owen takes his daily struggles in stride. He loves life, and his smile lights up the lives of everyone who knows him. He is so tough, so resilient, and so deserving of a granted wish!

About MAKE-A-WISH
Make-A-Wish® Missouri & Kansas creates life-changing wishes for children with critical illnesses. We are on a quest to bring every eligible child’s wish to life, because a wish is an integral part of a child’s treatment journey.

Research shows children who have wishes granted can build the physical and emotional strength they need to fight a critical illness. Headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, Make-A-Wish is the world’s leading children’s wish-granting organization, serving children in every community in the United States and in 50 countries worldwide. The local chapter is headquartered in Ballwin, Missouri and serves every community in Missouri and Kansas.

Since 1983, Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas has granted more than 8,350 wishes to local children with critical illnesses. For more information about Make-A-Wish Missouri & Kansas and how you can transform lives, one wish at a time, please visit our website (mokan.wish.org) and connect with us on Facebook (makeawishMOKAN), Twitter (@makeawishMOKAN), Instagram (@makeawishMOKAN) and YouTube
(MakeAWishMOKAN).

SEDGWICK COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and asking the public for help with more information.

Just after 8:30p.m. Wednesday, police were dispatched to a shooting call at the Genesis Health Club parking lot in the 3700 Block of East 13th Street North, according to officer Paul Cruz.

A citizen discovered an injured victim and provided aid until EMS arrived. EMS pronounced the victim dead just before 9p.m., according to Cruz.

Investigators determined the victim identified as 22-year-old Lorenzo Wade of Wichita died from a gunshot wound.

Police are working to determine exactly where the shooting occurred, according to Cruz. Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

By MATTHEW DALY
Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Democrats including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York are calling for a Green New Deal intended to transform the U.S. economy to combat climate change and create thousands of jobs in renewable energy.

The freshman lawmaker is teaming up with veteran Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts on the plan, which aims to eliminate the U.S. carbon footprint by 2030.

At least five Democratic presidential hopefuls in the Senate — Kamala Harris of California, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Bernie Sanders of Vermont — co-sponsored the resolution.

Markey predicted more Democrats would sign on and said even some Republicans may back the plan.

“This is now a voting issue across the country,” he said. “The green generation has risen up and they are saying they want this issue solved” as one of the top two or three issues in the 2020 election, Markey said.

As outlined Thursday, the nonbinding resolution sets a goal to meet “100 percent of the power demand in the United States through clean, renewable and zero-emission energy sources,” including dramatic increases in wind and solar power.

While setting lofty goals, the plan does not explicitly call for eliminating the use of fossil fuels such as oil and natural gas, a nod to pragmatism that may disappoint some of Ocasio-Cortez’s strongest supporters.

Even so, the Green New Deal goes far beyond the Clean Power Plan proposed by former President Barack Obama. President Donald Trump has scrapped Obama’s plan, which imposed emissions limits on coal-fired power plants, as a job-killer.

The Democrats are likely to meet resistance to their proposal in Congress, especially in the Republican-controlled Senate. Trump, who has expressed doubts about climate change, also is likely to oppose it.

The announcement of the Green New Deal came as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi tapped eight Democrats to serve on a special committee to address climate change. Ocasio-Cortez was not among those named to the panel, which is chaired by Rep. Kathy Castor, D-Fla. Ocasio- Cortez said Pelosi invited her to join the panel but she declined, saying she wants to focus on the Green New Deal and other committee assignments.

Pelosi said Thursday she hadn’t seen the Green New Deal proposal but welcomes “the enthusiasm” of its backers.

“I welcome the Green New Deal and any other proposals” to address climate change, Pelosi said. She said she also wants to hear from the new climate committee, which she said will “spearhead Democrats’ work” on climate issues.

The resolution being introduced Thursday marks the first time Ocasio-Cortez and other lawmakers have attached legislative language to the Green New Deal, a concept that until now has been largely undefined other than as a call for urgent action to head off catastrophic climate change and create jobs.

Ocasio-Cortez said in a statement that the plan will create “unprecedented levels of prosperity and wealth for all while ensuring economic and environmental justice and security.” She calls for a “World War II-scale mobilization” that includes high-quality education and health care, clean air and water and safe, affordable housing.

Answering critics who call the plan unrealistic, Ocasio-Cortez says that when President John F. Kennedy wanted to go to the moon by the end of the 1960s, “people said it was impossible.” She also cites Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society and the interstate highway system begun under Dwight D. Eisenhower as examples of American know-how and capability.

While focusing on renewable energy, Ocasio-Cortez said the plan would include existing nuclear power plants but block new nuclear plants. Nuclear power does not emit greenhouse gases, which contribute to global warming.

The resolution does not include a price tag, but some Republicans predict it would cost in the trillions of dollars. They denounced the plan at House hearings on climate change on Wednesday.

“If anyone thinks that decarbonizing America is going to save the planet, they’re delusional,” said Rep David McKinley, R-W.Va.

The Green New Deal would be paid for “the same way we paid for the original New Deal, World War II, the bank bailouts, tax cuts for the rich and decades of war — with public money appropriated by Congress,” Ocasio-Cortez said.

Government can take an equity stake in Green New Deal projects “so the public gets a return on its investment,” she said.

A coalition of labor, economic justice, racial justice, indigenous, environmental and community organizations announced support Thursday for the Green New Deal.

“Now that this resolution is released, we’re taking the fight to districts across the country to build the political and public support for the Green New Deal, and get thousands of organizations signed on to back the resolution,” said Stephen O’Hanlon, spokesman for the Sunrise Movement, which has pushed for the Green New Deal and staged protests at the Capitol, including a sit-in at Pelosi’s office.

KDOT

The Kansas Department of Transportation will host a public meeting regarding an upcoming multi-phase reconstruction project on a portion of I-70 in Gove County. The meeting will take place on Friday, Feb. 22 from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the KDOT sub-area located at 4677 U.S. 40, Grainfield.

The project area covers a 9-mile area starting one mile west of the K-23 spur near Grainfield and ending four miles east of K-211. KDOT will be replacing the pavement on the eastbound lanes in 2019 and westbound lanes in 2020. Project work will also include pavement replacement at the east and westbound rest areas near Grainfield, construction of new right-of-way fencing, lighting installation at exits 95 and 99, and reconstruction of the box structure carrying county road 62 under I-70 into two new span bridges. Gove Road 62 is expected to be closed for several months during the bridge reconstruction. Temporary closures will also occur at exits 95 and 99 as well as the K-23 and K-211 bridges over I-70.

KDOT engineers will be available to outline the construction phasing, provide details on the official state detour and answer questions regarding access to county roads. Construction is expected to begin in March 2019.

The meeting location is ADA accessible. Persons in need of a sign language interpreter, an assistive listening device, large print or Braille material, or other accommodations to participate in this meeting should notify Lisa Mussman at (785) 877-3315 or [email protected].

NATOMA — The Natoma FFA is bringing the Peterson Farm Brothers to Natoma for National FFA Week.

The public is invited to attend a live performance on Feb. 20 from Kansas’s very own YouTube celebrities and agriculture advocates.

Doors to the Natoma gymnasium will be open to begin seating at 2:15 p.m. and the event will begin at 3 p.m. The Natoma FFA will also be conducting a canned food drive for the event to benefit the Natoma Food Bank.

“We ask that those willing bring at least one non-perishable food item to the event,” Natoma FFA Adviser Jeremy Long said in a press release. “Special thanks goes to the America’s Farmers Grow Communities Monsanto Fund and grantee Sheri Beisner.”