OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — More sex crime charges have been filed in Kansas against a former charter school teacher.
Carter -photo Johnson County
42-year-old Randall Carter II, of Overland Park, Kansas, was free on bond when he was arrested again Friday.
He had been teaching at Lee A. Tolbert Academy in Kansas City, Missouri, when he was charged in May in Johnson County, Kansas, with multiple sex crimes involving two children. Charter officials said the children weren’t students at the school.
The new charges of rape, aggravated indecent liberties and sodomy involve a third child and date back to 2012.
Bond for Carter is set at $500,000. During a hearing Thursday, a judge denied his request to lower it.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Two teens are facing federal gun charges after firearms and police equipment were stolen from an unmarked police car.
Brown -photo Wyandotte Co.
Leronte Swinton and Carvon Brown, both 19, are charged with illegal possession of stolen firearms.
Federal court documents show the two are suspects in several car break-ins and thefts around Kansas City and in Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties.
Prosecutors say a rifle, handgun and shotgun were taken from a patrol car parked in a south Kansas City on Nov. 10. Two Tasers, two bullet-resistant vests and two hand-held radios were also taken.
Investigators determined two vehicles the suspects were in were involved in several other thefts.
Police arrested Swinton and Brown Monday at a Kansas City home, where other stolen items were found.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov.-elect Laura Kelly has named a Democratic legislative leader’s top aide as her chief of staff.
The incoming Democratic governor announced Will Lawrence’s appointment Thursday and said he has a “sharp understanding of the legislative process.”
Lawrence had been chief of staff to Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley of Topeka since 2016 after serving as Hensley’s staff attorney. He also was in a law firm with former Kansas House Minority Leader Paul Davis.
During the governor’s race, Lawrence filed an unsuccessful legal challenge to independent candidate Greg Orman’s right to appear on the November ballot.
Kelly also has named 23 advisers for her transition team who include former Republican Gov. Mike Hayden. Also among them is former Wichita Mayor Carl Brewer, who lost to Kelly in the Democratic primary.
John “Irvin” Wolf, 91, of Quinter, passed away on December 4, 2018 in Hospice House of Olathe, Kansas. He was born on September 11, 1927, on the family farm just east of Quinter to Ezra Lawrence Wolf and Zora Blanche Jamison Wolf. He grew up with older sister Eula and younger brothers Elvin and Ed where the children were busy with the family’s milking shorthorn cattle and Rhode Island Red chickens.
After graduating from Quinter High School, Irvin attended McPherson College where he played basketball. He graduated from Kansas State University in 1952 with a degree in animal husbandry and returned to Quinter to farm.
While at Kansas State University Irvin met the love of his life Sylvia Kathleen Boettcher and after proposing on Valentine’s Day they were married on May 30, 1953. Irvin and Sylvia welcomed four children, Karen, Tom, Melissa, and Kimberly, fifteen grandchildren, thirty-four great-grandchildren and one precious great-great granddaughter. Irvin and Sylvia greatly enjoyed watching the grandchildren grow and babysitting those that were close. Birthday gatherings and holidays were very special to Irvin.
Irvin was also very involved in the Quinter community. He was baptized in and attended the Quinter Church of the Brethren where he also taught Sunday school. He was on numerous boards including the Co-op Credit Union and U.S.D. 293. He was on the Federal Land Bank Board of Directors and the Federal Land Bank National Advisory Board. Irvin partnered with Merton Ikenberry to build the Quinter Dairy Queen and the Texaco, which is now Alta. One of his proudest accomplishments was spearheading the expansion of the Quinter Public Library into the larger Jay Johnson Public Library.
In addition to farming, Irvin sold crop insurance for fifty years. He and Sylvia provided this essential service to area farmers well into their retirement. He also worked at Northwest Kansas Planning and Development as a grant administrator.
Irvin had many hobbies and interests. In the early 1980s, he and his youngest daughter, Kimberly, were delighted to show Arabian horses. He had an appreciation for Western Art and greatly enjoyed many hours of landscaping and what the grandchildren called “vacuuming” his lawn.
Irvin was preceded in death by his wife, his parents and two siblings, Eula and Elvin.
Irvin is survived by his four children, Karen (Galen) Heinrich of Paola, Tom (Linda) Wolf of Olathe, Melissa (Sam) Atkins of Hill City, and Kimberly (Rod) Renyer of Quinter; grandchildren, Kristy (Shad) Vermeesch, Becky Escobar, Emily Heinrich, Matthew (Dana) Heinrich, Shawn (Kayla) Atkins, Tommy (Kelli) Atkins, David (Christine) Atkins, Casey (Tayler) Atkins, Carter Atkins, Kelli (Kyle) Moles, Amy (Eric) Shackelford, Anthony Lakin, Jessa (Justin) Johnson, Johanna Renyer, Jayma Renyer; thirty-four great-grandchildren; one great-great-granddaughter, and his brother Ed (Marlene) Wolf of Ithaca, New York.
A funeral service celebrating Irvin’s life will be held at 10:30 a.m., Monday, December 10, 2018, at the Church of the Brethren, Quinter, Kansas. Burial will follow in the Baker Township Cemetery, Quinter.
There will be a short viewing and visitation one hour prior to services at the church.
The family suggests that those who desire to memorialize Irvin do so with gifts to the Jay Johnson Public Library. Contributions to the library may be left in care of Schmitt Funeral Home, 901 Main Street, Quinter, KS 67752.
Spring commencement 2019 at Fort Hays State University will see a change in the program: Friday’s commencement ceremony will become a morning affair.
“The Commencement Committee, in conjunction with the Commencement Task Force created by President Mason, made this recommendation based on feedback from students, families, faculty and staff,” said Registrar Craig Karlin.
FHSU President Tisa Mason appointed the task force earlier this year to consider issues of convenience and comfort. The commencement site, Gross Memorial Coliseum, is not air conditioned and temperature can become an issue on a May evening.
“Anyone who attended the Friday ceremony in the past knows the temperature rises to a dangerous level in Gross Memorial Coliseum during the evening event,” said Karlin. “We hope to provide a safe and more enjoyable venue for all in attendance by taking advantage of cooler morning temperatures.”
Both spring 2019 commencement ceremonies, Friday, May 17, and Saturday, May 18, will begin at 9 a.m.
More information, including which colleges attend on which day, is available HERE.
Another change coming next year, said Karlin, is a fall ceremony for all graduates. That graduation ceremony will begin at 1 p.m. Friday, Dec. 13.
“The intent is to provide a more convenient ceremony for the growing number of December graduates,” said Karlin. “This, in turn, will help reduce crowd sizes at the May ceremonies, which have become increasing large as the university has grown.”
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a hit and run accident seeking the public’s assistance with any information.
Intersection where the accident occurred -google map
Just after 10a.m. Thursday, a 41-year old woman was walking southbound on SW Urish Road and entered the crosswalk at SW 29th Street in Topeka, according to Sgt. Todd Stallbaumer.
A westbound vehicle, possibly a mid 2000s Honda 4-door, stuck the woman. The victim described the driver as an older, white male.
EMS transported the victim to The University of Kansas St. Francis Campus with minor injuries.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office at 785-251-2200.
“Take me back, take me way, way, way back …” — Van Morrison, “On Hyndford Street”
January 1949. Republican Frank Carlson is sworn in as Governor for a second, two-year term, a seemingly ordinary event, given the GOP’s general dominance of Kansas politics.
Burdett Loomis, Professor, Political Science, College of Liberal Arts and Science, University of Kansas
Who could have predicted that Republicans and Democrats would alternate in power for the next 70-plus years, with neither party controlling the governorship for more than eight consecutive years? That’s right, the dominant Republican party has not held this office for more than eight straight years since 1949.
Let’s be clear, this does not mean that Kansas has ever been a two-party state. We haven’t voted for a Democratic presidential candidate since the LBJ landslide of 1964 nor a Democratic senator since the FDR landslide of 1932. Still, every eight (sometimes four) years Kansans have consistently, and remarkably, switched their partisan horses, opting for the “outs” over the “ins.”
This alternation in power stands as a noteworthy historical quirk, but it’s far more than that. Kansas voters, while reliably Republican for most offices, have proven fully capable of steering a moderate course when governing the state is at stake. This pattern can tell us a lot about Kansas politics, past and present.
Most notably, Kansans hold their governors accountable, for both their style and substance. So, why?
First, Kansas is a small state in political terms. Of course, it covers a substantial geographic area, but politically the state is like a small town. We tend to think of our governors in personal terms – Kathleen and Sam, for example – and in 2018 the candidates quickly became Laura and Kris.
Second, Kansas voters view policies generated under the capitol dome as the governor’s responsibility, even if legislators drive the process. All governors understand that when they sign a bill into law, the legislation becomes their responsibility, even if they failed to support that version. Governor Sam Brownback’s tax cut reductions didn’t completely reflect his preferences, but he had to embrace the bill presented to him.
Moreover, governors often face attacks for things that go undone, as challengers make them campaign issues. John Carlin forged a winning issue from utility costs, while Joan Finney took advantage of issues left over from Governor Mike Hayden’s actions on property tax classification.
This year’s gubernatorial election powerfully demonstrated Kansans’ willingness — even desire – to give the “outs” a chance to govern. With Kris Kobach largely endorsing the unpopular Brownback tax cuts, Democrat Laura Kelly could campaign as the anti-Brownback/anti-Kobach/anti-far right Republican candidate. Her low-key style, based on fourteen years in the Kansas senate and an emphasis on bipartisan cooperation, provided a distinct alternative to Kobach’s scorched-earth approach.
Nevertheless, partisan alteration in power scarcely guarantees smooth sailing for any new governor. Governor Hayden, who ultimately succeeded in winning major legislative battles, took two years to figure out how best to work with a moderate Republican/Democratic legislature. Governor Finney never figured it out, as lawmakers overrode dozens of her vetoes.
This year’s alternation in power is distinct, however, in that Governor Kelly must contend with the failed results of the Brownback years, not just on tax policies, where considerable progress has occurred since 2016, but in re-building the infrastructure and personnel base of Kansas government.
The past eight years have witnessed the degradation of governance and have increased its partisanship. Governor Kelly and the Republican legislature must find a way to reestablish faith in government. We should fervently root for their success in this critical task, one that past chief executives did not need to address as they came into office.
Burdett Loomis is an emeritus professor of political science at the University of Kansas.
On Thursday, incumbent 111th District State Rep. Eber Phelps, D-Hays, announced he would not contest the results of a razor-thin general election loss last month.
After a recount, Phelps was defeated by Republican Ellis County Commissioner Barb Wasinger by 35 votes.
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Here is Phelps’ statement:
The result of the recent election for the 111th District state representative is another example of the old adage that every vote counts. With a mere 35 votes separating me and my opponent it is clear the adage still holds true.
It is essential that everyone from the candidate to the electorate should feel confident that an election was accurately conducted without question. In the case of the 2018 local house race that has not been the case due to the use of questionable and outdated voting machines.
It seems incongruous for votes cast on paper ballots to have voted convincingly for me; votes on the two machines at the clerk’s office to have voted more than 50 percent% for me; voters at most of the precincts who voted via machine to vote for me; yet in two of the precincts where I had won the paper and early votes, my opponent recorded enough votes on machines that appear not to have been calibrated and which malfunctioned during election day to make up a deficit of nearly 200 votes and finish 35 votes ahead.
Thus, a lengthy effort was implemented to ensure that all votes could be verified. In the days and weeks since the canvassing of votes a number of supporters indicated they were planning to contest the election results because they were not confident that the machine vote count was accurate.
Today, I have called several individuals and asked that they not contest the results, even though many questions still remain. Those questions center on the use of electronic voting machines. The voting machines used in Ellis County are beset by many problems due to length of time in service and the difficulty in verifying a ballot which is why I have always opted and will continue to request a paper ballot. I continue to receive reports that people thought they were voting for me but the machines instead showed a vote for my opponent. It does appear that the machines in Ellis County are outmoded, not allowed to be purchased in Kansas anymore, and have been poorly maintained for many years.
I would’ve preferred to follow the wishes of my supporters and contested the results but the difficulty in obtaining information from the county clerk in a timely manner thwarted that effort. With the start of the session nearing, I felt it more important to have representation in Topeka in place at the start of the session. I will continue the quest for accurate elections with a request to the county to simply do away with the voting machines and go back to the reliable and accountable paper ballot. There is no need to spend thousands of dollars purchasing a new system when we have a reliable way to conduct honest and accurate elections.
To those who participated in my campaign in one way or another and cast a vote in my favor not only this past November but in years past, I offer my sincere thanks and appreciation. Your support has been humbling and I will be forever grateful for your confidence. My interest in state government will remain with me and I will continue to be a voice for Ellis County and western Kansas.
SEDGWICK COUNTY— A Kansas man was sentenced Thursday to the Hard 50 for the stabbing death of a woman whose body was found in a dumpster in Wichita last spring.
Stafford following his arrest in photo Scott County Iowa
According to a media release from the Sedgwick County Attorney, District Judge Faith Maughan sentenced Donnell Stafford, 31 of Wichita, to life with no possibility of parole for 50 years.
Stafford was found guilty on October 22nd of first degree murder and two counts of cruelty to animals. Judge Maughan sentenced Stafford to one year in jail on each cruelty charge and ran the sentences concurrently with the life sentence.
On April 8th, 2018, the body of Leuh Moore was found in a dumpster behind a liquor store in the 1700 block of south Seneca. The cause of death was a stab wound to the neck. Stafford also stabbed two pit bulls that lived with him and the victim in the 1100 block of west Dayton.
Stafford was arrested two days later in Davenport, Iowa when an Iowa state trooper saw a car with a license tag stolen from Wichita, Kansas.
Leo K. “Kent” Swords, 73, of Russell, Kansas, died on Tuesday, December 04, 2018, at the Russell Regional Hospital in Russell, Kansas.
Leo was born on April 01, 1945, in Eureka, Kansas, the son of Leo H. “Henry” and Ellen Jean (Hart) Swords. He grew up in Eureka, Kansas, Great Bend, Kansas, Nebraska and Garden City, Kansas. He graduated from Garden City High School in the class of 1966.
After high school he joined the Air Force and for 20 years he served his country. While in the Air Force he was a jet engine mechanic. He traveled to Thailand, Germany and Arizona and retired from the Air Force as an E6 Tech Sergeant.
He was united in marriage to Kathleen Marie Bratton on November 06, 1982, at Williams A.F.B. in Chandler, Arizona. From this union, Leo and Kathleen were blessed with 4 children, Sean, Shane, Anita and Steven.
Leo worked for 20 years with ABCO Wire and Metal as a Line Worker. He was a member of Trinity United Methodist Church in Russell, Kansas. He was also a member of the Russell V.F.W. Post #6240 and the Russell American Legion Post # 99. He enjoyed fishing, camping, hunting and tinkering. Most of all he enjoyed spending time with his family, and especially enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren.
Surviving family include his son Sean Swords (Susan) of Topeka, Kansas; son Shane Swords of Hays, Kansas; daughter Anita Swords (Timothy Ehrlich) of Bunker Hill, Kansas and son Steven Swords (Chelsey) of Russell, Kansas; sister Charlotte Roth of Pawnee Rock, Kansas; 6 grandchildren Madelyn, Seth, Camden, Logan, Colby & Charles.
He was preceded in death by his parents, wife Kathleen on September 09, 2014, and a brother David J. Swords.
A celebration of Leo’s life will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Monday, December 10, 2018, at the Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary in Russell with Pastor Ezekiel Koech officiating. Burial will follow at the Russell City Cemetery. Military honors will be performed by the Russell V.F.W. Post #6240. Visitation will be from 1 P.M. to 8 P.M. on Sunday, December 09, 2018, at the mortuary.
Memorials can be given to Trinity United Methodist Church and sent in care of the mortuary 610 N. Maple St., Russell, Kansas 67665. Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas, is in charge of the funeral service arrangements.
