SEDGWICK COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities in Sedgwick County are investigating a suspect in connection with a fatal shooting.

Just after 8 p.m. on Saturday, officers were dispatched to report of a shooting in the 1900 Block of West Rita in Wichita, according to a media release.

Officers found a 32-year-old man with a gunshot wound to his upper body. He was transported to a local hospital where he died.

A 24-year-old suspect was arrested and booked into jail on requested charges of 2nd degree murder.

No names were released late Sunday.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Latest on the disappearance of a suburban Kansas City woman (all times local):

Authorities say a man has been taken into custody on charges that he burned the vehicle of a suburban Kansas City woman who hasn’t been seen since Thursday.

Kansas City Police spokeswoman Sgt. Kari Thompson says 27-year-old Kylr Yust was taken into custody around 8:30 Sunday morning in Edwards, Missouri. Thompson says Yust was arrested on charges of “knowingly burning” Jessica Runions’ vehicle, which was found abandoned by a road in southern Kansas City Saturday.

Police say the search for Runions is considered a suspicious missing persons case.

KSHB-TV reports Yust is being held on a $50,000 cash only bond. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney who could comment on his behalf.

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Law enforcement officials are searching for a 21-year-old suburban Kansas City woman who hasn’t been seen since Thursday.

Kansas City police say they found Jessica Runion’s car burned and abandoned by a road in southern Kansas City Saturday.

A search of the area near where the car was found resumed Sunday.

Spokeswoman Capt. Stacey Graves says police consider Runions’ disappearance a suspicious missing persons case.

A relative told KSHB-TV that Runion, of Raymore, was last seen Thursday night at a party with her boyfriend. Her mother called police Friday evening.

RENO COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Reno County are investigating a suspect for assault after a weekend domestic dispute and standoff.

Just after 4:35pm on Saturday, Deputies of the Reno Co Sheriffs Office were dispatched to 221 W. Main in Pretty Prairie on the report of a disturbance involving an armed subject, according to a media release.

Upon arrival, deputies met Rachel Dietz, 40, of the residence.

Dietz had a bump to the back of her head and cuts to her face that she received while fighting over a gun with Eric Peirce, 30 of the same address.

An argument had ensued earlier in the day and Dietz left the house.

When she returned Peirce pointed a rifle at her, according to deputies.

Sometime during the scuffle over the rifle, Dietz was hit over the back of the head with a 9 mm handgun.

There was a brief time that Peirce wouldn’t allow Dietz to leave the house.

Since Peirce was believed to be still armed the residence was surrounded and neighboring homes were evacuated.

As Sheriffs Deputies and 4 Troopers from the Kansas Highway Patrol established a perimeter, Reno County Sergeant Matt Tatro was able to finally make contact with the Peirce through text messaging and convinced him to come out and give up.

Peirce was taken into custody at 6:15pm and charged with (2) counts Aggravated Assault, (1) count Aggravated Battery, Unlawful Restraint and Violation of a Court Order from a previous case.

BUTLER COUNTY – A Kansas woman was injured in an accident just after 5p.m. on Sunday in Butler County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1989 GMC truck driven by William A. Splitter, 57 Liberal, MO., was eastbound on US 54 on top of the overpass of the US 400 Junction.

The truck lost a tire from the trailer’s left rear axle.

The tire traveled eastbound and a lug nut struck westbound 2013 Ford C-Max driven by Joan Hopkins, 65, Wichita.

The C-Max traveled a mile down the road before becoming disabled and pulling to the shoulder.

The tire continued to travel eastbound on the overpass where it struck a westbound 2004 Ford F-250 driven by J Dallas Tyler, 59, Wichita, in the driver side front bumper.

The F250 became disabled, traveled left of center sideswiping an eastbound 1999 Dodge Ram 1500 driven by Timothy A Splitter, 23, Liberal, Missouri.

A passenger in the F250 Karen J. Tyler, 57, Wichita, was transported to St. Francis Medical Center. No others were injured. All were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

SHAWNEE COUNTY -Law enforcement authorities in Shawnee County are investigating two suspects in connection with a

murder.

On May 9, the body of Curt Cochran, 64, was found in a warehouse in the 200 Block of SW Jackson in Topeka, according to a media release.

After numerous tips from the public, police identified, interviewed and arrested two suspects.

On Friday, Michael TL Hall, 35, and Calvin S. Phillips, Jr., 23, both of Topeka were booked  into the Shawnee County Jail in connection with the homicide. They face charges of Aggravated Robbery, Felony Murder and Criminal Possession of a Firearm by a Felon.

Cochran was a teacher at Northern Hills in Topeka from 1975 to 1991 and was principal from 1991 to 2000. It is now called Seaman Middle School.

Workers found Cochran’s body Monday in the back room of the warehouse. He was part owner of 3 Men with Truck & Trailer moving company.

 

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City police say one person was critically injured and five others were wounded after a shooting at the city’s Westport entertainment district.

Police spokeswoman Capt. Stacey Graves says officers saw a man shooting into a crowd early Sunday.

The gunman fled and then drove his vehicle toward responding officers, causing one officer to fire at the vehicle.

The driver eventually crashed his car and police arrested two people.

Police say no one was struck by police gunfire.

An investigation is continuing. No information on a possible motive for the shooting has been released.

WASHINGTON COUNTY – A Kansas teen was injured in an accident just before 11:30 on Sunday in Washington County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Chevy Avalanche driven by Emily Weiche, 16, Greenleaf, was northbound on Wagon Train Road two miles west of Barnes.

The vehicle drove off in the west ditch, hit a tree and rolled 2 or 3 times into the east ditch.

Weiche was transported to the Washington County Hospital.

She was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

HUTCHINSON— The Kansas Court of Appeals upheld the conviction for a former Kansas bonding agent found guilty on all but three counts against him and sentenced to just over 21 years in prison.

The court found no error against Dwight Jurgens, 68, Hutchinson, who was found guilty of two counts of aggravated human trafficking, two counts of attempting to commit aggravated human trafficking and two alternate counts of rape.

The human trafficking and aggravated counts are charged due to his authority of controlling persons because of his work in a bonding business. He worked for TNT bonding at the time of the crimes.

He was convicted for bonding female prisoners from the Reno County Jail and then threatening to send them back to jail if they didn’t have sex with him.

In at least one case, according to court testimony, one of the victims was given drugs by Jurgens and then passed out, only to discover him on top of her.

STAFFORD COUNTY – A Kansas teen was injured in an accident just before 10 a.m. on Sunday in Stafford County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1994 Chevy Passenger vehicle driven by Kayla K. Claussen, 18, St. John, traveling on northwest 110th Street four miles south of Radium.

The driver swerved to miss a deer. The vehicle entered the ditch and rolled.

Claussen was transported to the hospital in Larned.
She was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

JOHNSON COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Johnson County are investigating a fatal accident involving a Kansas sheriff’s deputy.

Just before 1:30a.m. on Sunday, Johnson County Sheriff’s Master Deputy Brandon Collins initiated a traffic stop on northbound U.S. 69 near 143rd Street, according to a media release.

A few minutes after the traffic stop, another vehicle rear-ended the deputy’s car.

Deputy Collins died in the crash.

Overland Park police are in charge of the investigation.

By Mary Agnes Carey

Federal officials continue to make operational adjustments in the health law marketplaces and meet with some insurers to encourage them to offer more plans in areas of the country that are forecast to be low on competition following the withdrawal of some major insurers for 2017, according to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell.

In addition, HHS is focusing on outreach efforts to get those still uninsured — especially younger and healthier individuals — to enroll when the marketplaces open on Nov. 1, she told reporters during a briefing at HHS.  Potential enrollees under 34 are “driven by deadlines” and often enroll closer to the end of the open enrollment period, Burwell said.

Three of the nation’s largest health insurers — Aetna, UnitedHealthcare and Humana — have announced they will sell individual plans in many fewer markets in 2017. So, too, will several Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in various states. That’s on top of the 16 nonprofit co-ops that have closed since January 2015.

The announcements, however, apply generally only to the individual market. The much larger market of employment-based insurance is not part of the health law exchanges.

While some consumers will face fewer choices and higher prices for coverage, 85 percent of exchange enrollees received tax credits to help offset the rise in premiums, Burwell said.

She said she continues to talk with insurers and state insurance commissioners to encourage greater participation in the marketplaces.

HHS also recently proposed a series of adjustments to reflect insurers’ concerns, such as how to better account for individuals who aren’t enrolled in a health plan for an entire year, starting in 2017. Other steps include better use of prescription drug data and how to spread the risk of high-cost enrollees in 2018.

Burwell also mentioned HHS is seeking to increase enrollment by working with the Internal Revenue Service to contact people who paid a penalty for not having coverage and providing information about how to enroll on the exchanges. HHS and other federal agencies have also worked to reduce “data matching” errors that may have prevented eligible people from signing up for coverage.

Meanwhile, Burwell urged lawmakers returning to Capitol Hill next week to move quickly on a bipartisan basis to pass new funding to fight the ongoing Zika outbreak. “This is an emergency … this is a national issue,” Burwell said.

Earlier this week, the director of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Tom Frieden, warned that federal funds to fight the Zika virus were nearly exhausted.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas judge facing a disciplinary hearing related to a sexual-harassment case against him has submitted his resignation and wants the hearing canceled as moot.

The Wichita Eagle reports Sedgwick County Judge Timothy Henderson sent a resignation letter Tuesday to Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss and Gov. Sam Brownback. Henderson gave Sunday — Sept. 11 — as his official resignation date.

Henderson lost his re-election bid last month.

The high court last year suspended Henderson for 90 days after finding he committed “wide-ranging” misconduct. The court said that included subjecting multiple female attorneys and staff members to repeated inappropriate, offensive comments.

Henderson is scheduled to appear before the court for a new disciplinary hearing Monday over questions whether he tried to cover up the inappropriate conduct.

SALINA, Kan. (AP) — One of five men convicted in the fatal shooting of a 17-year-old Salina girl will spend at least 25 years in prison.

The Salina Journal reports 19-year-old Andrew Woodring was sentenced Friday to life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years.

Woodring was 17 in May 2015 when Allie Saum was shot as she rode in a pickup truck. He was prosecuted as an adult and pleaded no contest to felony murder.

Prosecutors say Woodring drove the shooter, Macio D. Palacio Jr., to and from the site where Saum was shot.

Woodring and the other men were seeking revenge against two men Woodring had fought with earlier. Saum was shot because she was riding in a pickup similar to one the men were seeking.