LOS ANGELES (AP) — Actress Carrie Fisher, who found enduring fame as Princess Leia in the original “Star Wars,” has died. She was 60.

pic.twitter.com/PqSKgkk1DC

— Carrie Fisher (@carrieffisher) November 24, 2016

Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd, released a statement through her spokesman saying Fisher died Tuesday just before 9 a.m PST. Lourd said her mother was “loved by the word and she will be missed profoundly.”

Fisher had been hospitalized since Friday when she suffered a medical emergency on board a flight to Los Angeles.

She made her feature film debut opposite Warren Beatty in the 1975 hit “Shampoo” and was also an accomplished author who detailed her experiences with addiction and mental illness in several best-selling books. Besides her daughter, Fisher is survived by her brother, Todd Fisher, and her mother, actress Debbie Reynolds.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have identified two people found shot to death in an SUV on Interstate 70 in Kansas City, Kansas.

Police announced Tuesday that the victims were 59-year-old Socorro Olivas and 54-year-old Javier Ambriz, both of Kansas City, Kansas. Police responded to a car wreck along the highway early Saturday found them dead in the SUV from apparent gunshot wounds.

Police say their SUV struck a bridge before stopping in the middle of the highway and that a passenger car then struck the SUV. The driver of the car was taken to a hospital with injuries that weren’t life threatening.

Police say they believe the victims in the SUV were shot by occupants of a third vehicle that left the scene. Police say they haven’t received any credible leads.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A group of Wichita State University students bought scores of winter clothing sale items and distributed them to the homeless.

The Wichita Eagle reports the students wiped out area Old Navy Stores that were offering micro fleece hats, gloves and scarves for $1. WSU junior Dane Laughlin said he got the idea after seeing an ad for the sale. He posted his plan on a Facebook group of Wichita State Greeks, set up an online account where Greek members could pledge money toward the drive. He soon had enough money to buy 300 $1 items.

We had a great time giving the gift of warmth today! So much was raised, we weren’t even able to hand it all out in one day! pic.twitter.com/lONUehAZdv

— Wichita State IFC (@wichitastateifc) December 25, 2016

The Old Navy stores gave Laughlin an extra 10 percent off and loaded him up with leftover coats.

He and other students handed out the gear on Christmas Eve, with leftovers they’ll distribute later.

SHAWNEE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities in Shawnee County are investigating a fatal Monday night shooting in an alley just west of downtown Topeka.

Police say officers found the victim identified as Matthew Lamont Gladney, 28, Topeka, late Monday while responding to a report that two people were exchanging gunfire.

Gladney was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

STAFFORD COUNTY – A Kansas teen died in an accident just before 8:30p.m. on Monday in Stafford County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1999 Saturn 2-door passenger vehicle driven by Alexandra M. Wheeler, 18, Haysville, was eastbound on NE 140th Street 12 miles north of St. John.

The vehicle struck a dead deer in the roadway.
The driver lost control of the vehicle. It entered the ditch and rolled several times.

Wheeler was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Minnis Chapel.

Passenger in the Saturn Riley, Allure N. Riley, 17, Larned and Christopher D, Reed, 30, Wichita, were transported to the Great Bend Regional Medical Center.

Riley was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

GRAY COUNTY -The Initial survey by the National Weather Service in Dodge City indicated a fourth tornado developed in Kansas on Christmas Day.

The small tornado was on the ground for nearly six miles around 9:45.a.m. It was reported between Ensign in Gray County and Dodge City. The tornado had an estimated peak wind of approximately 70 miles per hour, according to the National Weather Service.

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DODGE CITY, Kan. (AP) — Three tornadoes were reported in Kansas on Christmas Day, causing some damage but no injuries.

The Dodge City office of the National Weather Service says the first tornado was reported six miles southeast of Bucklin Sunday morning, destroying a cattle building.

KAKE reports that 20 minutes later, a horse shed was damaged three miles south of Greensburg.

Another weak tornado touched down later in a farm field southwest of Rush Center in Rush County. No damage was reported from that tornado.

 

Christmas morning thunderstorms across southwest Kansas! Some storms may become severe later this morning #kswx pic.twitter.com/7Y2ywxG69h

— NWS Dodge City (@NWSDodgeCity) December 25, 2016

Strong winds attached to thunderstorms caused damage to roofs, a grain bin and trees.

No injuries are reported from the storms.

KANSAS CITY –Two defendants have been sentenced in federal court for their roles in a tax refund conspiracy, according to Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

Theresa R. Gee, 45, of Kansas City and Nathaniel J. Justice, 54, of Las Vegas, Nev., but formerly of Kansas City, have been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner. Gee was sentenced today to 20 months in federal prison without parole. Justice was sentenced on Dec. 15, 2016, to three years and four months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Gee and Justice to pay $93,951 in restitution, for which they are jointly and severally liable.

Gee and Justice have each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the government. Gee and Justice admitted that they participated in a conspiracy from March 29, 2011, to Feb. 10, 2013, to submit false claims for federal income tax refunds.

The tax refund scheme involved the creation of false and fraudulent Form W-2s. The false W-2 forms reported fictitious employer information, fictitious income, fictitious income tax withholdings, fictitious dependents and other false information. Gee and Justice provided false W-2 forms to others (“filers”) who would then use the false W-2s to fraudulently file for federal and state income tax returns. Sometimes they would escort the filer inside H&R Block and assist the filer in the preparation of the fraudulent tax forms.

Gee and Justice recruited filers into the conspiracy through family relationships, friendships and other personal contacts. Conspirators promised each filer a portion or percentage of the illegally obtained refund. Gee and Justice also paid a fee – typically $500 – to those who referred a filer who was willing to participate in the scheme.

At the completion of the tax preparation process Gee and Justice retained the filer’s Emerald Card. (The Emerald Card would access an ATM account upon which the return would automatically be downloaded.) Gee and Justice withdrew the refunds, gave a portion of each refund to the filer and kept a substantial portion for themselves.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The number of passengers at Kansas City International Airport continues climbing.

Airport officials say passenger traffic at the airport increased 6.6 percent in November from a year earlier. It was the 31st consecutive month traffic grew at the airport.

And travel increased 5.4 percent through the first 11 months of 2016.

The Kansas City Aviation Department’s monthly report says 926,293 passengers used the airport last month. For the year through November, 10.14 million passengers used the airport.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police are investigating after a body was found in a dumpster on Christmas Day.

Police Sgt. Wendell Nicholson says the cause of death is not clear but investigators are treating the case as suspicious.

Nicholson says people going through the dumpster found the body Sunday afternoon outside a bakery in southwest Wichita.

HARVEY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Harvey County are investigating suspects in connection with stolen property.

The Sheriff’s department described the arrest on social media, “Was the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature was stirring not even a mouse except in Harvey County where armed druggie burglars were caught with a trailer full of stolen property.”

Names of the suspects and additional details were not available on Christmas Day.

LINCOLN COUNTY -A line of thunderstorms brought numerous reports of high winds sweeping across Kansas, and one report of wind damage in southeast Lincoln County on Christmas Day, according to the National Weather Service.

Wind gusts of 50 to 60 miles-per-hour were reported between noon and 1:30 Sunday afternoon in central Kansas.

Just after 1:20 p.m., thunderstorm winds blew a roof off of a barn about a mile east of Beverly.

A 60 mph wind gust was reported at the Ellsworth airport and a 58 mph wind gust was reported at the Salina Regional Airport.

The National Weather Service in Wichita did issue a Severe Thunderstorm warning for less than an hour during the noon hour for portions of Lincoln, Ellsworth, Saline, and Rice Counties.

The National Weather Service Office in Dodge City did take a public report of a brief weak tornado in a farm field a few miles southwest of Rush Center around 11 a.m. on Christmas Day.

A KS Christmas to remember. Rare Dec tornado (Rush county), first time severe storms occurred on Christmas. #kswx pic.twitter.com/1xxIkX2YCf

— NWS Wichita (@NWSWichita) December 26, 2016

Temperatures approached 70 degrees before the storms moved across the area.

Salina recorded a high Sunday of 68 degrees which was one degree short of tying the record high of 69 degrees set in 1922. Wichita set a new record high of 67 degrees, breaking the old record of 65 degrees from 1960.

RENO COUNTY – A missing child with down syndrome was found safe Christmas Eve by officers with the Reno County Sheriff’s Office and other area law enforcement.

Just after 5 p.m. Saturday, deputies were dispatched to 2218 Ranger Road, Southwest of Yoder after report of a missing child, according to a media release.

Just after 4 p.m., Joshua Bontrager, 6, had walked away from a family members residence during a Christmas celebration.

Searchers worked from around 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the foggy fields and county roads before boy was found.

He had walked about two miles but missed the turn onto Greenfield Road which would have taken him home.

He walked right into a house at 12711 S Sand Creek, surprising the resident.

The resident, Terry Hephner put Bontrager in his truck and started driving the area. He ran into a neighbor, Nelson Schrag, who was aiding in the search.

The child was checked out by Haven EMS and was released to his parents.

Approximately 10 officers from Reno Co were aided by Haven Police, So Hutchinson Police, the Kansas Highway Patrol, the Hutchinson Correctional Facility with their Dogs, Haven EMS, Fire Dist Two, Newton police, Hutchinson Police, and the Harvey County Sheriffs Office who used a drone to aid in the search along with approximately 50 neighbors from the area.

Sheriff Randy Henderson noted they were very fortunate that the weather wasn’t as cold as Saturday December 17 or the outcome could have been a lot different.

MCCOOK, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say one of two inmates who went missing from the Work Ethic Camp in McCook has been caught. The camp is approximately 2 hours northwest of Hays.

The Department of Correctional Services said in a news release Sunday that 20-year-old Andrew Russell is in custody in South Dakota. No other details were provided. Russell had been convicted of two drug offenses in Dawes County.

The second inmate, 35-year-old Charles Canady, remains at large. He was convicted of crimes in four counties.

The two men were discovered missing when a head count was conducted at 10:50 p.m. Wednesday. Security video shows the two walking away from the camp around 5:30 p.m.

The department describes the camp as a minimum-security facility for inmates evaluated as being able to work in the community with intermittent supervision.