SALINE COUNTY – Are you ready to see one of the largest babies in Kansas?

With a one-month birthday milestone reached and all things going extremely well, the staff at Rolling Hills Zoo are ready for visitors to see for themselves the new baby giraffe born the end of November, according to a social media report.

The baby giraffe will be able to be viewed by visitors on a limited basis from the giraffe barn’s viewing room.

All guests are asked to keep their voices soft and quiet while in the viewing room and to please not tap or bang on the glass as to not startle the baby or any of the other giraffes in the barn.

Should the baby or Zuri, his mother, become stressed during any of the viewing times, the viewing room will be closed on a temporary basis.

“The calf is doing really well with visitors so far,” commented Brenda Gunder, Rolling Hill Zoo Curator.

“He just goes about his normal routine and pays no attention to the extra visitors coming by to see him.”

RENO COUNTY — A Kansas man arrested after a domestic disturbance in October was in court Wednesday where he entered a plea in two cases.

Octavio Blanton, 20, Hutchinson, is charged with aggravated battery in one case and criminal damage to property in the other.

He entered a plea to both counts. He was sentenced to six months for the criminal damage charge and is to be sentenced in February for the aggravated battery count.

Deputy District Attorney Tom Stanton says they two sides will recommend concurrent sentencing and placing him on Community Corrections.

Blanton and the victim reportedly got into an argument that turned violent.

He allegedly pulled her from a bathtub by her neck and choked her with her feet off the ground, threw her against the toilet and allegedly hit her numerous times and even bit her.

He had been on community corrections for a burglary case in Sedgwick County.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a 19-year-old man has been arrested in a deadly Wichita shooting.

KAKE-TV reports that the suspect was booked into jail Wednesday morning on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of 23-year-old Charles Hawkins.

Police Lt Todd Ojile says Hawkins was killed Friday when he pulled out a gun and attempted to rob the suspect during a drug deal. Ojile says the suspect also was armed and shot Hawkins.

Prosecutors plan to present the case to prosecutors later this week. Hawkins’ death is Wichita’s 33rd homicide of 2016.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — University of Kansas students are being offered buttons through the school’s library system that are meant to make their preferred gender pronouns clear.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that various University of Kansas Libraries employees also are wearing the buttons.

Library leaders say it’s part of the library system’s “You Belong Here” marketing effort targeted at luring undergraduates and ensuring they feel welcome, including transgender students.

Gender-identity buttons have cropped up elsewhere in the interest of inclusion. They were doled out at the start of this semester at Vermont’s Champlain College, home to a new Women and Gender Center. Students and teachers at the University of Vermont also have worn name tags and made business cards with their preferred pronouns.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas lawmaker says the economic development incentive tool that could finance a proposed outdoor activity center at a Lawrence lake will be examined during the upcoming legislative session.

Republican Sen. Julia Lynn of Olathe leads the Senate Commerce Committee, which is expected to conduct hearings on whether STAR bond authority should be allowed to continue.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that she has raised questions about whether the aggressive form of public incentives will be an option for the recreation center project at Clinton Lake or other future development in Kansas. She says the “program needs a lot of work and attention.”

Gov. Sam Brownback and other state officials have backed the STAR bond authority. The special taxing district allows projects to keep large amounts of state and local sales taxes generated at the development.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police say a man whose body was found in a trash bin on Christmas Day died of natural causes.

KAKE-TV Officer Paul Cruz said Wednesday that there were no signs of trauma or suspicious circumstances. The coroner’s office reports that the death was the result of natural causes.

Police say the body was found while people were looking for food in a trash bin outside a bakery in the southwest part of the city. Investigators believe the man died in the trash bin. His name wasn’t immediately released.

RENO COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities in Reno County are investigating suspects involved in a stolen pickup accident.

Just after 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, Reno County Sheriff Deputies were dispatched to 11713 S Victory Road after report of a suspicious vehicle.

The description matched the description of a vehicle reported stolen just after 5:30 a.m. at residence in the 1500 block of West 12th Street in Hutchinson.

Deputies along with a trooper from the Kansas Highway Patrol were able to locate the vehicle driving westbound on Illinois Street from Yoder Road.

The vehicle went north on Halstead as deputies were still trying to get catch up with the vehicle it turned east on Blanchard at a high rate of speed.

The driver lost control on the curve and left the roadway to the right, entering the ditch, and overturning onto its top.

The driver 19-year-old Alex Currie reported no injuries and was taken into custody by the Hutchinson Police Department. 24-year-old Heather O’Gorman reported minor injuries and was transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for treatment, then taken to jail. Both face potential charges of felony theft and burglary.

Neither occupant was wearing their seat-belt at the time of the accident. Airbags did not deploy.

The stolen vehicle is being investigated by the Hutchinson Police Department. The accident is being investigated by the Reno County Sheriff’s Office.

The pickup was reported stolen from a residence in the 1500 block of West 12th, around 5:40 a.m.

Currie who is on Community Corrections for theft and drug charges has a bond set at $9,000 while the bond for O’Gorman is set at $6,000. Unless they make bond, both should appear in court on Thursday morning.

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RENO COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Reno County are investigating a minor injury accident involving a stolen pickup.

The Dodge Ram pickup was reported stolen from a residence in the 1500 block of West 12th Street in Hutchinson just before 6 a.m. on Wednesday.

Authorities spotted the vehicle around Victory Road, according to a Sheriff Randy Henderson.

Deputies were never in a chase with the vehicle but it had been spotted around Victory Road. It went off the road near Blanchard and Airport Road.

Two arrest were made.

Check Hays Post for additional details as they become available.

By DAN MARGOLIES

A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit brought by a Garden City, Kansas, mother who lost custody of her son over her use of cannabis oil in an incident that drew national attention.

In a brief four-page order Tuesday, U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten dismissed the action, finding that Shona Banda had failed to respond to the defendants’ “prima facie valid arguments.”

Banda, who represented herself, had sued the Garden City school district and one of its employees; the Garden City police department and its chief; the state of Kansas and Gov. Sam Brownback; and the Kansas Department for Children and Families and its secretary, Phyllis Gilmore.

Banda filed her lawsuit in March, exactly a year after Garden City police raided her home and seized marijuana, cannabis oil and drug-related equipment after her 11-year-old son spoke up about her use of cannabis at a school anti-drug presentation.

The Kansas Department for Children and Families subsequently took custody of her son, saying the home environment was not safe for him, and the Finney County district attorney filed drug-related criminal charges against Banda. The charges carry a maximum punishment of 30 years in prison.

In Kansas, possession of marijuana is illegal. Banda’s lawsuit alleged that because many states have decriminalized marijuana possession, she had a “fundamental right” to medical cannabis, which she said she used to treat her Crohn’s disease.

She also asked the court the court to restore custody of her son and to award her unspecified damages.

The phone number Banda listed in her lawsuit is no longer a working number and Banda could not be reached for comment.

The criminal case against Banda is pending. In November, the judge overseeing the case granted a defense motion seeking a mental competency evaluation of Banda to determine if she is competent to stand trial.

Banda has been a vocal advocate of medical marijuana and self-published a book about her use of cannabis oil to treat her condition, an inflammatory bowel disease that can cause severe abdominal pain and other symptoms.

Dan Margolies is editor of the Heartland Health Monitor team. You can reach him on Twitter @DanMargolies.

WELLSVILLE, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a 6-year-old boy has died in a northeast Kansas house fire.

Kansas State Fire Marshall’s Office spokesman Kevin Doel says the victim of Tuesday night’s fire in Wellsville has been identified as Brax Morris. Doel says a working smoke detector outside his mother’s bedroom alerted her to the fire. She was able to escape with her 3-year-old daughter.

One sheriff’s deputy suffered a cut hand breaking out a window.

Investigators have determined that the fire started in the living room. The cause is under investigation but no foul play is suspected.

Family and friends have established a gofundme page to assist the family.

SEWARD COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Seward County are investigating a fatal shooting.

Just before 7:30 on Tuesday, emergency responders were called to 1108 Krause Court in Liberal for a victim of a gun shot wound, according to a  media release.

Responding officers found two victims of gun shots at the scene, a 29-year-old man and a 24-year-old man. The 24-year-old was pronounced dead at the scene.
The 29-year-old male was transported to Southwest Medical Center by EMS in serious condition. He was later flown to Wichita for additional treatment.

A citizen provided a tip of a 19-year-old man involved in the shooting.

The 19-year-old was located and taken into custody without incident at a residence in the 100 block of West Curtis in Liberal.

An affidavit will be submitted to the Seward County Attorney seeking formal charges.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is assisting with the investigation.

JACKSON COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities in Jackson County are investigating two suspects for theft and additional charges following a chase and search.

Just after noon on Tuesday December 27th deputies attempted to stop a light colored Dodge pickup bearing what was believed to be a stolen dealer’s tag near 166th and US Hwy 75 in Jackson County, according to a media release.

The vehicle failed to stop and a pursuit ensued. The suspect vehicle left the roadway off of Q. Road south of 134th Road into a field.

The pursuit continued until the vehicle became stuck. The occupants exited the vehicle. The passenger surrendered to authorities and the driver fled into a wooded area.

The Kansas Highway Patrol, Potawatomi Tribal Police and the Hoyt Police Department assisted with the search. A KHP helicopter also assisted in the search. Approximately 1:20 pm a Jackson County deputy captured the suspect driver attempting to flee the area in a creek bed.

The drive identified as Troy D. Hill, 38 Topeka and the passenger Andrea N. Godfrey, 29, Topeka were taken into custody.

Hill was booked into the Jackson County Jail for felony fleeing and eluding, felony interference with law enforcement, driving while revoked and possession of stolen property. Godfrey was held for felony interference with law enforcement and possession of stolen property.

TROY, Kan. (AP) — A man whose 8-year-old granddaughter died in a northeast Kansas crash after he let her drive him home from church is awaiting sentencing.

Dennis Meers, of St. Joseph, is set to be sentenced Feb. 6 after pleading no contest last week to aggravated child endangerment.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says Meers’ granddaughter, Cadence Orcutt, was killed in November 2015 when she lost control of the car. The vehicle plunged down an embankment and overturned in rural Doniphan County. Meers also was injured.

Meers previously was sentenced to two years in the Missouri Department of Corrections for felony driving while his license was revoked. In 1996 and 2001, Meers was convicted in Missouri on charges of being a persistent offender for driving while intoxicated.