SALINE COUNTY – Two people were injured in an accident just after noon on Tuesday in Saline County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2011 Dodge Ram pickup driven by David Andrew Sims, 45, Abilene, was eastbound on Interstate 70 two miles west of Solomon Road.
The pickup left the roadway and struck a sign, the guardrail and came to rest on the south side of the road.
Sims and a passenger Cindy Lou Sims, 32, Abilene, were transported to the hospital in Salina.
They were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP. A 10-year-old in the pickup was wearing a seat belt and not injured.
MANHATTAN – A former Kansas State University student facing multiple sex charges entered pleas on Tuesday in Riley County District Court.
Jared Gihring, 22, pleaded not guilty to two counts of rape and a third charge of aggravated criminal sodomy, according to the Riley County District Attorney.
The victim of an alleged rape on April 26, 2014 alleged Gihring had nonconsensual sexual intercourse with her while she was “unconscious or physically powerless,” according to court documents.
The victim of the second rape and criminal sodomy charge, which allegedly occurred on October 6, 2015, says she was unable to give consent to sexual intercourse due to being intoxicated, according to court documents.
Both women allege Kansas State University refused to investigate the alleged rapes because the incidents occurred off-campus.
They have filed Title IX lawsuits against the university. They are no longer enrolled as students at K-State.
A motions hearing is scheduled for Gihring on March 17 at 9 a.m.
Jackson County, MO (AP) — A pilot injured when a small plane crash landed after taking off from a suburban Kansas City airport has been identified as a 79-year-old man.
Lee’s Summit police identified the man Tuesday in a news release as Charles Gosselin of Kansas City. The release says the single-engine light aircraft crash landed in a parking lot of a Lee’s Summit park early Saturday. Gosselin had reported trouble with the aircraft shortly after takeoff.
Gosselin was taken to a hospital with injuries that were serious but not life-threatening. He remained hospitalized Tuesday. Gosselin was the only one person on board, and no other injuries were reported.
AURORA, Colo. (AP) — The Latest on the search for a 6-year-old boy in suburban Denver
12:40 p.m.
Authorities believe they may have found the body of a 6-year-old boy who apparently wandered away from his suburban Denver home on New Year’s Eve.
The body of a child was found Tuesday in an icy pond by divers assisting in the search for David Puckett in Aurora. Police Chief Nick Metz said the body hasn’t been identified yet, but he told David’s family about the discovery because of their suspicions.
Metz said bloodhounds looking for the boy didn’t get good results but a scent picked up by a specialized dog led to the pond not far from David’s home.
The FBI, volunteers and Denver-area law enforcement agencies also have been helping search for the boy. Police say he has wandered off before.
—————
The Aurora Police Department and The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children is asking for the public’s help to bring home 6-year-old David Puckett.
An AMBER Alert was issued for David in Colorado. The child went missing from Aurora, Colorado on Dec. 31, 2016. He was last seen wearing a tan jacket, black shirt, green camo pants and black boots with an orange stripe.
If you have any information, please call 911 immediately or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST.
SALINE COUNTY – A Kansas teen is recovering from injuries in an accident early Friday in Saline County.
A 2000 Ford Ranger pickup driven by Kody Berry, 19, Bridgeport, was traveling in the 6800 block of Assaria Road just before 2 a.m. on Friday, according to Saline County Undersheriff Roger Soldan.
The driver lost control of the vehicle. It rolled and Berry was ejected.
A medical helicopter transported Berry to Salina Regional Health Center for treatment of possible abdominal injuries, and several cuts, according to Soldan.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court is heading into a year in which it could shape policy with major rulings on school funding and abortion.
The court heard arguments in September on whether Kansas is spending enough money on public schools to provide a suitable education for every child. It could rule any time.
In that case, four school districts sued the state in 2010. They argue that the $4.1 billion a year Kansas spends on schools is roughly $800 million short of what’s required.
The court could reshape abortion policy with a decision in a lawsuit filed by two doctors challenging a ban enacted in 2015 on a common second-trimester procedure.
The court also could decide capital punishment cases, and Chief Justice Lawton Nuss will push legislators to increase court employees’ pay.
1st Infantry Division Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard, Fort Riley- courtesy photo
More than three dozen organizations have accepted invitations to take part in the inaugural parade after President-elect Donald Trump is sworn in Jan. 20, the Presidential Inaugural Committee announced. More than 8,000 participants will represent the various groups. A list of the organizations:
— 1st Cavalry Division Horse Cavalry Detachment, Fort Hood, Texas
— 1st Infantry Division Commanding General’s Mounted Color Guard, Fort Riley, Kansas
— Boone County Elite 4-H Equestrian Drill Team, Burlington, Kentucky
— Palmetto Ridge High School Band, Naples, Florida
— Russellville High School Band, Russellville, Arkansas
— Talladega College Band, Talladega, Alabama
— Texas State University Strutters, San Marcos, Texas
— The Citadel Regimental Band & Pipes and Summerall Guards, Charleston, South Carolina
— The Freedom Riders, Kersey, Colorado
— Tupelo High School Band, Tupelo, Mississippi
— University of Tennessee Marching Band, Knoxville, Tennessee
— VMI Corps of Cadets, Lexington, Virginia
— West Monroe High School Marching Band, West Monroe, Louisiana
Several national groups have also accepted invitations to march in the parade, the committee announced. They are American Veterans; Boy Scouts of America; U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Field Operations; Disabled American Veterans; Paralyzed American Veterans; Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors; U.S. Border Patrol Pipes & Drums; Wounded Warrior Project; Kids Overseas.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — As trials near for two brothers accused of conspiring to fix lottery games in Kansas, and 4 other states, new details are emerging about an additional rigged Colorado game and software on Indiana and Iowa lottery computers that a prosecutor says could have allowed additional games to be fixed had the conspiracy not been uncovered.
Trial for former lottery computer technology official Eddie Tipton is in February. His brother Tommy Tipton, of Texas, goes to trial in January.
They’re charged with ongoing criminal conduct along with Eddie Tipton’s friend Robert Rhodes, who reached a plea deal and will testify against the Tiptons.
Prosecutors allege Eddie Tipton hid a false number generating program on lottery computers that helped him predict numbers netting more than $2 million in winnings.
Attorneys for the Tiptons say the state can’t prove the charges.
PAWNEE, Okla. (AP) — Three earthquakes have struck in the area of northern Oklahoma that was rattled last year by the largest earthquake in state history.
The U.S. Geological Survey says back-to-back earthquakes hit Monday morning near Pawnee, about 75 miles northeast of Oklahoma City. The USGS says the quakes had magnitudes of 3.2 and 3.3 and there are no reports of injuries or damage.
A third earthquake, with a preliminary magnitude of 3.7, hit the same area Monday afternoon.
In September, a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck Pawnee and caused widespread property damage. Scientists have linked Oklahoma’s recent spate of earthquakes to oil and gas production, and state regulators have issued new regulations on the practice of injecting wastewater into underground disposal wells.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Big questions about taxes and spending will shape the Kansas Legislature’s work after its annual session opens Jan. 9.
But the biggest question might be how much GOP moderates work with conservatives and how often they seek deals with Democrats.
Lawmakers and Gov. Sam Brownback must close a projected shortfall of more than $345 million in the current budget and estimated gaps in funding for existing programs that total almost $1.1 billion through June 2019.
It’s not clear whether the Republican-controlled Legislature will increase taxes or pressure Brownback to rethink income tax cuts he championed in 2012 and 2013.
And with a Kansas Supreme Court ruling on education funding expected soon, lawmakers will face pressure to provide more money for public schools.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Officials say Central Americans attempting to enter the United States illegally along the country’s border with Mexico helped drive a 15 percent increase in immigration arrests.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security figures released Friday show the jump came entirely from U.S. Border Patrol apprehensions, which surged 23 percent to nearly 416,000 in the 12-month period that ended Sept. 30.
Border Patrol arrests are still lower than the 2014 tally and far below those seen in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Homeland Security says the number of Central Americans recently apprehended on the Mexico border once again surpassed the number of Mexicans who were stopped.
Many are families and unaccompanied children, a shift from earlier years when border crossers were largely adult men.
Authorities believe they may have found the body of a 6-year-old boy who apparently wandered away from his suburban Denver home on New Year’s Eve.
