TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is reporting that its tax collections in August fell $10 million short of expectations.

It was the fourth consecutive month that the state has failed to hit its revenue projections. Tax collections also have been lower than anticipated 10 of the past 12 months.

The state Department of Revenue reported Thursday that the state collected about $427 million in taxes last month, when a fiscal forecast made in April predicted that the state would take in more than $437 million.

The shortfall is 2.3 percent.

Since the state’s fiscal year began on July 1, it has collected $23 million less in taxes than anticipated, $852 million instead of the predicted $875 million. The gap is 2.6 percent.

Continued revenue shortfalls are complicating the state’s budget picture.

SALINE COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating three suspects on drug charges.

On Tuesday, a search warrant was executed by the I-135/I-70 Drug Task Force at a home in the 1900 block of Larson Street, according to Salina Police Captain Mike Sweeney.

The search warrant was issued as the result of a controlled drug buy in which a confirmed informant purchased marijuana from 37-year-old John Windell.

Sweeney said 29.6 grams of marijuana, 13.9 grams of crack cocaine, four ecstacy, scales, residue, and numerous marijuana and crack pipes were found inside the home.

Windell, 48-year-old Matthew Carlson and 37-year-old Mandy Rogers, were arrested.

Windell and Carlson both face charges of distribution of marijuana within 1000 feet of a school. Carlson also faces charges of possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine, possession of ecstacy and felony possession of drug paraphernalia.

Windell also faces charges of unlawful use of a telecommuncations device, receiving drug proceeds, and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Rogers faces charges of possession of marijuana, possession of cocaine, possession of

ecstacy, and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to Sweeney.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas saw 23.5 percent of its registered voters cast ballots in its Aug. 2 primary election.

Final election results presented Thursday showed that 411,552 voters cast ballots out of nearly 1.75 million registered.

The turnout was slightly below the 24 percent predicted by Secretary of State Kris Kobach but higher than the 23.2 percent in 2012, the last presidential election year.

Turnout exceeded 50 percent in 14 of the state’s 105 counties. The top figures were 64.8 percent in Wallace County and 60.3 percent in Greeley County.

Five counties saw a turnout of less than 15 percent. The lowest was 12.7 percent in Franklin County.

Secretary of State Kris Kobach says only 73 of the 17,600 Kansas voters at the center of legal fights over the state’s proof of citizenship requirements actually cast ballots in the August primary.

Voting rights advocates have won temporary court rulings in federal and state courts affirming the right to vote for people who registered at motor vehicle offices but never submitted citizenship papers as required by a 2013 state law championed by Kobach.

Election officials in populous counties previously reported only a few such voters.

Kobach said the low number suggests that many affected voters have moved to new addresses without registering again.

By ALEX SMITH

Medical information for hundreds of patients has been stolen from an area hospital.

Children’s Mercy Hospital, based in Kansas City, released a statement Wednesday reporting that information for 238 patients was stolen from the locked trunk of an employee’s care.

“We are very sensitive to these families’ concerns and have apologized to them,” the statement read.

The hospital said that the information does not include patients’ addresses, social security numbers or financial information.

Children’s Mercy has notified the families affected and is offering identity protection services to them.

The hospital provided no further information.

Alex Smith is a reporter in partnership with the Heartland Health Monitor team. You can reach him on Twitter @AlexSmithKCUR.

SALINE COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities in Central Kansas are investigating a suspect follow a high-speed chase on Wednesday across 3 counties.

Just before noon, the chase began in the 1500 block of N. Hedville Road when a concerned citizen contacted authorities after seeing a suspicious vehicle at the Singh Travel Plaza, 2124 N. Hedville Road, according to Saline County Sheriff’s Captain Brent Melander

Prior to the arrival of Saline County deputies, the vehicle left the travel plaza and traveled north on Hedville Road, before backing into a driveway on an abandoned property.

Deputies were able to make contact with the driver of a 1995 Honda Accord, Michael Thomas 24, of Loveland, Co., and an 18-year-old female passenger of Fort Collins, Co.

Melander said Thomas told deputies that he had no driver’s license or identification.

As the deputy was returning to his vehicle with what information he had, the vehicle sped off on Hedville Road and onto Interstate 70.

The vehicle, with an expired Colorado temporary tag, then exited south onto Interstate 135 at a high rate of speed, swerved into the median to avoid stop sticks and into the northbound lanes, where it continued the wrong way on the shoulder of the road. The vehicle then exited the onto Water Well Road on the northbound on-ramp and continued eastbound.

The chase went east on Water Well Road and south onto Ohio to K-4 Highway into Gypsum and then onto Gypsum Valley Road into Roxbury and east into Marion County, where Saline County called off the pursuit.

Marion County deputies then picked up the chase and were able to successfully spike the vehicle’s tires, which started a small fire, according to Melander.

The vehicle stopped moments later and the two occupants were finally taken into custody and returned to Saline County.

Thomas told authorities he was trying to get Oklahoma to see his mother before facing prison time in Colorado, where he has two outstanding felony arrest warrants from Fort Collins.

He was booked into the Saline County Jail on numerous requested charges including felony flee and elude, interference with obstructing felony warrants, criminal trespassing, reckless driving, possession of a stimulant, possession of a hallucinogenic drug, possession of drug paraphernalia, vehicle registrations violations, improperly crossing over a divided highway and driving while suspended.

The female passenger was not booked into jail and was released.

FINNEY COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities in Finney County are investigating an alleged case of stalking.

Just before 9:30p.m. on Wednesday, officers of the Garden City Police Department were sent to the 2300 Block of North 7th Street for a reported prowler call, according to a media release.

When officers arrived on scene they located the suspect, Oscar Moreno-Medina, 24, Albuquerque New Mexico, coming out from behind bushes at a residence.

The investigation revealed the suspect first saw the victim in June of 2016 at the Schulman Crossing shopping center while she was shopping at a store and followed her home when she left.

The suspect was able to identify the victim’s name by looking in her mail. The suspect then attempted to contact the victim via Social Media. In August of 2016 the suspect left gifts at the victim’s residence.

Further investigation revealed witnesses seeing the suspect in the area around the female victim’s residence on occasion.

Information was also obtained that the suspect did remove the screens to the windows in the victim’s home so he would have better visibility through the windows of the residence.

The victim does not know the suspect and had never had contact with him prior to this incident, according to police.

Moreno-Medina was arrested and is being held in the Finney County Jail and could face Stalking Charges.

HUTCHINSON – Law enforcement authorities in Reno County are investigating a stabbing and have made an arrest.

Just after 4 p.m. on Wednesday Police were dispatched to a residence at 321 Logan Street for a disturbance, according to a media release.

When officers arrived, they found Francisco Gracia Jr. in the front yard bleeding profusely from a knife wound.

Reno County EMS transported him to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center in critical condition, according to police.

The victim and other witnesses were able to provide the identity of a suspect.

Just after 6 p.m. 40-year-old Venancio Vigil was arrested at 316 East Ave F in Hutchinson.

He was arrested for aggravated battery and aggravated burglary and is being held on a bond of $35,000 and should make a first court appearance on Thursday.

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HUTCHINSON – Law enforcement authorities in Reno County are investigating a stabbing and looking for a suspect who fled from a residence in the 300 Block of Logan Street, according to Reno County 911.

The suspect was driving a blue pickup truck.

One victim was transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center. The condition of the victim and additional details on the suspect were not available late Wednesday.

Check Hays Post for more information as it becomes available.

SHAWNEE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Shawnee County are investigating a shooting.

Just after 4 p.m. on Wednesday, police in Topeka responded to report of a shooting in the 2100 Block of Southeast 12th Street, according to a media release.

Justin Lee McCoy, 27, Topeka, was shot during a dispute with another individual. McCoy was transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

Police are looking for a person of interest. No additional details were released early Thursday.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has partnered with federal agencies to try and ensure the security of the state’s voter database, as the FBI investigates security breaches in other states.

Kansas director of elections Bryan Caskey says he participated in a conference call last week with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and election officials from other states “about threats that had been collected at the national level concerning election systems.”

The Wichita Eagle reports that security breaches occurred earlier this summer in Arizona as well as in Illinois, when a hacker was able to see information on data about 200,000 registered voters.

According to Caskey, Kansas uses the same software vendor as Arizona for its voter database, but it has at least one significant layer of security above what Arizona has.

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Federal labor authorities say a concrete company owned by members of a polygamous group is putting underage laborers to work for long hours in hazardous conditions with little pay on job sites around the country.

U.S. Department of Labor lawyers say in a case filed Tuesday that Utah-based Phaze Concrete put at least two boys ages 12 and 14 to work on job sites during school hours.

Investigators said they believe the company has pulled more teens from the group’s home base along the Utah-Arizona border during the last decade. Prosecutors say Phaze used child labor on jobs for companies like Scheels All Sports in Kansas, Wal-Mart in Missouri and Hobby Lobby in Nebraska.

Those companies did not immediately return messages seeking comment. A lawyer for Phaze, Blake Hamilton, said Wednesday the company hasn’t yet been served with the lawsuit and he couldn’t comment on the allegations.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has narrowed a lawsuit filed by a former employee of Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s office who claims she was fired for refusing to attend a bible study.

But Topeka attorney Gary Laughlin said Wednesday that U.S. District Judge Sam Crow’s order allows Courtney Canfield to pursue her most important religious discrimination claim.

Crow’s order Tuesday dismissed three of the lawsuit’s four claims.

Canfield worked in the secretary of state’s office for 9½ months in 2013 and alleges in the lawsuit that Assistant Secretary of State Eric Rucker ousted because she “just doesn’t go to church.”

Kobach has called the lawsuit baseless. His office has said Canfield was terminated over job performance issues. Kobach did not immediately a telephone message seeking comment Wednesday.

By The Associated Press

East Carolina is out of the Big 12’s expansion derby.

School officials said Wednesday they have been told by the league that it’s no longer considering the Pirates for membership. School spokesman Tom McClellan says Commissioner Bob Bowlsby notified Chancellor Cecil Staton of the league’s decision Tuesday by phone.

Athletic director Jeff Compher says it’s “obviously not the decision we were hoping for,” but expressed satisfaction that “we were able to tell our story to not only the Big 12, but the entire nation.”

East Carolina is beginning its third season in the American Athletic Conference after winning two Conference USA championships in football in the 2000s.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Sam Brownback is making a point of soliciting opinions and ideas from educators, parents and others on school funding.

Brownback had a news conference Wednesday to call for ideas and announce that he’s urging groups and individuals to email their comments or proposals. He also sent a letter to more than 50 school districts and organizations.

Brownback is asking people to submit their comments by Nov. 30.

 

The time for education reform is now. I invite educators to join me in building a new funding system. #ksleg #ksed pic.twitter.com/N1Ac2YPJSN

— Sam Brownback (@govsambrownback) August 31, 2016

 

The Republican governor and the GOP-controlled Legislature expect to write a new school funding formula next year.

A group of Kansas school administrators has been working for months on a plan and unveiled its outlines Wednesday during a forum.

The proposal would strip local school districts of their taxing powers and set a single statewide property tax for schools.

 

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A group of Kansas school administrators has outlined a school funding plan that is a radical departure from past policy.

The plan outlined Wednesday would do away with a system of allowing districts to raise extra money beyond what the state provides. Instead the state would have a single property tax that, along with state aid, would cover districts’ operating costs.

It was drafted by about 30 administrators and presented during a Kansas Association of School Boards forum. Kansas lawmakers in 2015 junked a per-pupil funding formula in favor of stable block grants for districts.

Under the proposed funding system, local districts would no longer set their own property tax levies for schools. The plan also would return the state to a per-pupil funding system.

The Republican governor was joined at his event by Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson and State Board of Education Chairman Jim McNiece.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – Gov. Sam Brownback is preparing to outline his plans for soliciting opinions from Kansas educators about how to rewrite the state’s school funding laws.

Brownback was having a Wednesday afternoon news conference as dozens of local education officials gathered in Topeka for a forum on school funding sponsored by the Kansas Association of School Boards.

The GOP-dominated Legislature’s leaders anticipate writing a new school funding formula next year.

The Kansas Supreme Court plans to hear arguments from attorneys Sept. 21 on whether the state’s $4 billion-plus in annual aid to public schools is adequate. The court is considering a lawsuit filed by four districts in 2010.