KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police are investing a shooting in Kansas City’s historic Jazz District that left one man dead and another man seriously injured.
Police in Kansas City, Missouri, sat the shootings happened just before 2 a.m. Sunday in the city’s historic 18th and Vine district.
The Kansas City Star reports that when officers arrived several witnesses pointed them toward a dead man in a vehicle. A short time later, the second victim arrived at a hospital with gunshot wounds.
Police believe both men were shot in the Jazz District. The victims’ names were not immediately released.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A software company owner in northeastern Kansas has decided to open an exhibit to showcase his car collection to the public.
CivicPlus owner Ward Morgan and his wife, Brenda, have spent the past 18 months purchasing some of the vehicles that will be featured in the Midwest Dream Car Collection museum in Manhattan. Morgan plans to open the exhibit this spring.
“We’ve got about 60 cars,” Morgan said. “They’re somewhere between automotive icons and dream cars.”
Some of the vehicles include a 2014 Lamborghini Aventador, a 1961 Morgan Plus 4 Drophead Coupe and a 2019 Chevrolet Corvette.
Morgan purchased a 54,000-square-foot space property to house the cars last year. The space will also have a self-service bar, a mechanic shop and event rooms. Visitors will be able to put money on a prepaid card to purchase beer and wine while relaxing in the recreation room, Morgan said.
Morgan hopes to tell the history of each car in his exhibit, he said.
“The proceeds are all going to the museum for preservation and display of the cars,” Morgan said. “To share automotive history and also the history of automotives with people, that’s our mission.”
Wanted sexual assault suspect, Tre M. Carrasco was observed getting into the below silver pickup at 10:08 a.m. Sunday at a Colby gas station. The pickup was observed leaving the truck stop heading south toward Interstate 70.
The photograph is of Tre Carrasco at the gas station and he was wearing a hoodie that says “HUSTLE” on the front of it.
Carrasco is to be considered armed and dangerous. If anyone has information on the whereabouts of Tre Carrasco please contact the Hays Police Department at (785) 625-1011. Carrasco is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
At 5:42 a.m. Sunday, the Hays Police Department received a report that a female had been sexually assaulted in the 400 block of west 7th Street in Hays, according to a media release.
The suspect has been identified as 23-year-old Tre Miekale Carrasco. He is described as a light skinned black male who is 5-foot-8 tall, weighs 173 pounds, has brown eyes, and black curly hair that is in a short afro. Carrasco may have facial hair and be wearing a red shirt.
Carrasco should be considered armed and dangerous.
Carrasco reportedly stole a 2011 four-door navy blue Chevy Malibu with tinted windows from the scene which has since been located.
Carrasco has three previous convictions that include aggravated sexual battery and aggravated battery, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
If anyone has information on the whereabouts of Tre Carrasco, contact the Hays Police Department at (785) 625-1011.
Fort Hays State University Science Café presents “Bats: Rock Stars of the Night” Monday, February 4 at 7:00 p.m. in The Venue at Thirsty’s, 2704 Vine St., Hays.
Join us for a batty evening to learn about these mysterious creatures of the night! Come learn some of the crazy, cool things bats do and how they are ecologically and economically important. Free and open to the public.
Presenter: Dr. Amanda M. Adams, Department of Biological Sciences, FHSU
Sponsored by Science and Mathematics Education Institute
KANSAS CITY– Two Kansas City brothers and a Sugar Creek, Missouri woman have been sentenced in federal court for their roles in a conspiracy to commit a series of armed robberies by luring their victims with online advertisements and ambushing them.
Dylan J. Houston, 22, his brother, Andrew J. Houston, 29, and Nicole Waguespack, also known as Nicole Covey, 36, were sentenced in separate appearances before U.S. District Judge Greg Kays on Thursday, Jan. 31, 2019.
Dylan Houston was sentenced to 12 years in federal prison without parole. Andrew Houston was sentenced to seven years and eight months in federal prison without parole. Waguespack was sentenced to four years and nine months in federal prison without parole. They are among 10 defendants who have been sentenced in this case. Two defendants have pleaded guilty and await sentencing.
Co-conspirators posted ads on several websites in order to entice customers to meet in person at area hotels, residences and apartments in Kansas City, Mo. When the customers arrived, co-conspirators were lying in wait, armed with firearms and weapons that appeared to be firearms. They ambushed and robbed the customers at gunpoint. They often committed more than one robbery in a night.
According to court documents, the proceeds of the robberies was divided up and usually used to pay for narcotics or to pay for a room where the co-conspirators could use narcotics. When confronting the victim, the co-conspirators used verbal threats, pointed real and fake guns at them, physically hit them, and intimidated them. Records obtained from social media services and hotels corroborate statements by participants that only a small percentage of the victims called the police to report their robbery.
Dylan Houston pleaded guilty on July 12, 2018, to his role in the armed robbery conspiracy as well as to three counts of armed robbery. According to court documents, Dylan Houston was one of the enforcers in this violent robbery scheme. Once a victim was led into a room, he surprised the victim and used firearms and threats of physical violence to intimidate him and take electronics and cash. Dylan Houston admitted that he participated in three armed robberies, including one robbery in which the victim, after being forced into his truck at gunpoint, later jumped out of the moving vehicle while driving at highway speeds, in fear for his life. In another robbery, Dylan Houston stole a firearm from a victim that was later used in subsequent robberies.
Andrew Houston pleaded guilty on July 11, 2018, to his role in the armed robbery conspiracy, as well as to three counts of armed robbery. Andrew Houston served as a look-out for multiple robberies, notifying co-defendants about the arrival of victims and watching for law enforcement response. He also shared in the proceeds from the robberies.
Waguespack pleaded guilty on May 3, 2017, to her role in the armed robbery conspiracy as well as to five counts of armed robbery. Waguespack created dozens of online ads designed to lure men to robberies. When victims arrived, she met the victims at the door. As part of the plan, she then excused herself to the restroom while the other co-conspirators surprised and robbed the victims with threats of violence and firearms.
Last week, the Appropriations committee held numerous informational hearings from varying agencies and departments of the Kansas state government.
On Thursday, the interim secretary, David Toland, briefed the committee on the status and direction of the Department of Commerce.
He mainly focused on his personal direction for the department, then discussed both rural and urban development initiatives. He discussed the top successes for the department and the developmental tools used to generate those successes. The tools that he mentioned were: Promoting Employment Across Kansas (PEAK); High Performance Incentive Program (HPIP); Rural Opportunity Zones; and several others.
He did indicate that while many of these tools the department has at its disposal are generally used for urban development, he wants his department to identify development opportunities for the rural parts of our state using some of these tools. He said that coming from a rural area, he understands and empathizes with the demands of keeping jobs, people, and businesses in rural areas. He also discussed the direction of the governor by creating an office of Rural Prosperity and the House in creating a committee where the major focus is for rural revitalization.
Our State of Indebtedness
Last week the Appropriations committee also held a hearing with the Kansas Development Finance Authority on the outstanding debt for the state. It was compelling to see the increase in bonding from 2005 to 2018. Most of the bonding that has been done by the state has grown over the past several years. The increases have been primarily driven by the financing programs of: KPERS, State Capitol Restoration Project, cost share for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility, transportation, and our higher education institutions. The KPERS unfunded liability is not factored in the KPERS bonds, instead those funds are factored in for the state’s overall debt picture, as is the Pooled Money Investment Board loan. It was made apparent that we need to address our debt before adding new spending.
What is the “Windfall?”
There has been movement in the Senate, which passed a bill out of the “special” tax committee, addressing what has commonly been called the “windfall.”
The windfall derives from the recent changes in federal tax law where Kansas taxpayers must take the standard deduction on their state income tax return if they take the standard deduction on the federal return.
Some contend that this may eliminate the opportunity for Kansans with itemized deductions below the federal standard deduction, to itemize on their state return. By amending the tax code, or decoupling from the federal tax law, would allow taxpayers to itemize, or take the standard deduction, on the state’s returns. This is expected to be voted on in the Senate this week.
Contact Information
As always, if you have any concerns, feel free to contact me (785) 296-7672, follow on twitter at #waymaster4house, visit www.troywaymaster.com or email me at [email protected]. Also, if you happen to visit the statehouse, please let my office know.
It is a distinct honor to serve as your representative for the 109th Kansas House District and the state of Kansas. Please do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, concerns, and questions. I always appreciate hearing from the residents of the 109th House District and others from the state of Kansas, as well.
Troy Waymaster (R-Bunker Hill) is the 109th Dist. state representative and chairman of the House Appropriations committee. The 109th District includes Osborne, Russell, and Smith counties and portions of Barton, Jewell, Lincoln and Rush counties.
Twenty students and faculty from Fort Hays State University’s Peter Werth College of Science, Technology, and Mathematics attended the annual Kansas Idea Network of Biomedical Research Excellence symposium Jan. 19-20 in Overland Park.
The research symposium features talks, poster sessions, and opportunities for growing collaborative work.
While there, FHSU presented 15 posters showcasing research.
Of the 173 posters at the symposium, 11 posters are given awards, and five honorable mention. Two FHSU students received honorable mentions for their work.
Jacob Lutgen, Basehor senior majoring in pre-medical biology, presented his research from Dr. James Balthazor’s, assistant professor of chemistry, lab titled: “RNA Interference of XBox Binding Protein 1 in Acyrthosiphon pisum.”
Skyler Markham, Maple Hill senior majoring in chemistry, presented his research from Dr. Bruce Atwater’s, assistant professor of chemistry, lab: “Synthesis of Unsymmetrical 2,2’-bipyridine Derivatives Via a Phosphorus Extrusion.”
Tenants and landlords of farmland, make plans to attend a workshop on farmland leasing presented by Mykel Taylor, K-State Extension Ag Economist on Tuesday, Feb. 12, beginning with registration at 1 p.m.
The program starts at 1:30 p.m. and concludes at 3 p.m. at the Ag Research Center in Hays.
Topics of discussion will be differences and similarities of various leasing arrangements, active management of landowner-tenant relationships through effective communication, recognition of incentives and the principles of calculating an equitable lease.
There is no cost to attend but RSVP is requested by Monday, Feb. 11, by calling the Cottonwood Extension Office 785-628-9430.
Adult zebra mussels with a quarter for size reference.
KDWPT
EMPORIA – The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) reports good news about preventing the spread of aquatic nuisance species. According to Chris Steffen, KDWPT aquatic nuisance species coordinator, no zebra mussel larvae were detected in a 2018 sampling of 110 uninfested lakes in Kansas. Lakes are sampled annually and include city, county, state and federal lakes.
Aquatic nuisance species (ANS) are animals and plants not native to Kansas that can threaten lake and river ecology, harm native or desirable species and interfere with our economy. They often hitchhike in or on boats, flotation devices, and other gear used in the water. Adult zebra mussels can attach to boats or other equipment and their free-floating, microscopic larvae (called veligers) may be present in water from an infested lake or stream. Densities as high as 1,000 veligers per gallon have been recorded in some Kansas waters.
“These results are encouraging, and I hope this success means that lake users in Kansas are more aware of how to prevent the movement of zebra mussels by cleaning, draining, and drying their boats and equipment before recreating at another lake,” said Steffen. “I am particularly excited because remembering to clean, drain and dry prevent the spread of not only zebra mussels, but also other harmful aquatic species that threaten our waters now and in the future. We urge everyone who uses our lakes and rivers to keep up the good work.”
A zebra mussel-encrusted vehicle found submerged in Milford Reservoir.
Zebra mussels are known to occur in 30 lakes in Kansas. They are just one of the non-native aquatic species that threaten our waters and native wildlife. After using any body of water, people must remember to follow regulations and precautions that will prevent their spread:
Clean, drain and dry boats and equipment between uses
Use wild-caught bait only in the lake or pool where it was caught
Do not move live fish from waters infested with zebra mussels or other aquatic nuisance species
Drain livewells and bilges and remove drain plugs from all vessels prior to transport from any Kansas water on a public highway.
For more information about aquatic nuisance species in Kansas, report a possible ANS, or see a list of ANS-designated waters, visit ProtectKSWaters.org.
ABOUT ZEBRA MUSSELS
Zebra mussels are dime-sized mollusks with striped, sharp-edged, two-part shells. They can produce huge populations in a short time and do not require a host fish to reproduce. A large female zebra mussel can produce 1 million eggs, and then fertilized eggs develop into microscopic veligers that are invisible to the naked eye. Veligers drift in the water for at least two weeks before they settle out as young mussels which quickly grow to adult size and reproduce within a few months.
After settling, zebra mussels develop byssal threads that attach their shells to submerged hard surfaces such as rocks, piers, and flooded timber. They also attach to pipes, water intake structures, boat hulls, propellers, and submerged parts of outboard motors. As populations increase, they can clog intake pipes and prevent water treatment and electrical generating plants from drawing water.
In 2012, two Kansas communities, Council Grove and Osage City, experienced temporary water shortages from zebra mussel infestations before water intake structures could be cleaned up. Removing large numbers of zebra mussels to ensure adequate water flow can be labor-intensive and costly.
Zebra mussels are native to the Black and Caspian seas of western Asia and eastern Europe and were spread around the world in the ballast water of cargo ships. They were discovered in Lake St. Clair and the Detroit River in 1988 and quickly spread throughout the Great Lakes and other rivers including the Mississippi, Illinois, Ohio, Tennessee, Arkansas and Hudson.
They were first discovered in Kansas in 2003 at El Dorado Reservoir. Despite public education efforts to alert boaters about the dangers of zebra mussels and how to prevent spreading them, the species continues to show up in new lakes every year. Moving water in boats and bait buckets has been identified as a likely vector.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is “absolutely not leaving” the Cabinet even as top Republicans make a pitch for him to run for the Senate in Kansas.
Pompeo served four terms in the House and was Trump’s CIA director before moving to the State Department.
The decision by longtime Republican Sen. Pat Roberts to retire has prompted an effort by other GOP senators to recruit Pompeo for 2020. He’s said that push has included a call from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.
Trump tells CBS’ “Face the Nation” that McConnell may have spoken to Pompeo but “I asked him the question the other day. He says he’s absolutely not leaving. I don’t think he’d do that. And he doesn’t want to be lame duck.”
Dr. David Snow, director of entrepreneurship at Fort Hays State University, was recently elected as the vice president of development for the Small Business Institute, headquartered in Clinton, Miss.
The mission of SBI is to be the premier provider of professional development for those engaged in experiential student team consulting and related entrepreneurship education research and activities. SBI is the link between business, education and community.
SBI has been in operation for over 40 years and is continuing to see growth in membership.
Snow will serve a three year term. He will be formally installed during the annual conference in February.
“I am honored to serve on the board of the SBI,” said Snow. “This organization does tremendous work in entrepreneurship education and assisting small businesses with student consulting. It is my pleasure to contribute to the continuation of their mission.”
A Hays City Commission Retreat is scheduled for February 9-10, 2019 at the Courtyard by Marriott in Salina, Kansas.
The session will begin at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, February 9 and will end by 5:00 p.m. If needed, the meeting will resume at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday, February 10 and end by noon.
So many news stories these days are centered on the difficulty families across the country are having making ends meet. From home foreclosures to longer than usual lines waiting for public assistance, it is easy to see that the effects of economic problems are everywhere you turn. The good news is K-State Research and Extension has many publications that can guide people through some hard times.
At one of my recent educational programs I shared the activity titled, “Does Your Money Have Wings?” This worksheet has around 25 items that money could be spent on. Things like eating out, cell phone charges, snacks and soda, or magazine subscriptions are among the choices. After the participants mark the ones they use they determine how much money is spent each year for each item. Many times I will hear a gasp from a participant. Then I know that the activity is working; raising their awareness about how money is being spent. My goal is to help participants see the amount of money that is spent on “extras” each year. I like to ask them about what needs they have in their life that they could use the money spent on “extras” for.
Feel free to call me or drop by either the Hays or Great Bend Extension offices to pick up your copy of the worksheet. Some of the budgeting materials are available in Spanish as well. Other publications which are also helpful in the area of money management include a series titled, “Making Ends Meet.” If you have children ages 3 – 14 the publication “Helping Children Learn to Manage Money” is well done. All of the publications I have listed are available free of charge. Get your year off to a great start by getting your spending under control.
Donna Krug is the Family and Consumer Science Agent and District Director with K-State Research and Extension – Cottonwood District. Contact her at (620)793-1910 or [email protected]
