By SAM ZEFF

One of the school funding lawsuits that has been hanging over the head of Kansas has been dismissed.

The lawsuit is called Petrella and was filed in federal court by a group of Shawnee Mission School District (SMSD) parents.

They argued that the district, one of the wealthiest in Kansas, should be able to raise and spend as much local tax money as it wants.

Kansas law caps how much local money a district can spend.

“We have successfully defended Kansas law against this challenge in federal court,” Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said in a statement.

The lawsuit was filed in 2010 and argued that the free speech and equal protection rights of the Shawnee Mission students are being violated by the cap.

The parents appealed twice to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver and failed to convince the Supreme Court to hear the case.

But the lawyer for the Petrella parents say they voluntarily dismissed the suit and might re-file the complaint depending on what the state Supreme Court rules in the much larger Gannon case.

“We voluntarily dismissed the case a few weeks ago and can re-file later once the dust settles on the Kansas financing scheme — if the distribution of funding remains unfair to the SMSD,” says attorney Tristan Duncan.

The Kansas Supreme Court has set oral arguments on whether the state is adequately funding public education for Sept. 21 at 9 a.m.

Sam Zeff   covers education for KCUR, which is a partner in a statewide collaboration covering elections in Kansas. Follow Sam on Twitter @SamZeff.

SALINE COUNTY -Rural Firefighters were on the scene of a large oil storage tank fire at 327 North Holmes Road in Saline County Thursday night.

Lightning from storms moving through north central Kansas may have caused the blaze.

Saline Rural Fire District #5 and the Salina Fire Department were called just after 8:30 p.m. on a report of the 5,000 gallon oil tank on fire, according to Saline County Undersheriff Roger Soldan.

Firefighters arriving at the scene found a large fire, which was brought under control by 9:26 p.m.

DETROIT (AP) — Toyota Motor Corp. is recalling 337,000 vehicles for a third time.

The recall involves the Toyota RAV4 SUV from the 2006-2011 model years and the Lexus HS250h sedan from the 2010 model year.

Toyota first recalled the vehicles in 2012 because of a wobbly rear suspension. The company recalled them again in 2013 because the nuts it used to adjust the rear wheel alignment weren’t tightened properly.

This time, Toyota found that rust can form on the suspension arm threads if the nuts for the rear wheel alignment weren’t tightened correctly. If that happens, the suspension arm could separate from the vehicle and cause the driver to lose control.

Toyota will contact owners and replace both rear suspension arm assemblies for free.

HUTCHINSON, – A Kansas man remains free on a $50,000 bond was in court on Thursday facing a single charge of aggravated indecent liberties with a child.

Ricky S. Gossman, 42, is alleged to have engaged in sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl between June 12, and July 25.

Hutchinson Police Juvenile Detective Scott Carlson says that they were notified that Grossman may have been having sex with minor girls and so they started doing interviews that led to the arrest.

Gossman had been placed on community corrections in May for indecent solicitation of a child for an incident in March of of 2015.

The charge in the new case is a level three person felony with a maximum sentence of approximately 20-years, however he could receive double the sentence under the persistent sex offender statute.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police have arrested the boyfriend of a 42-year-old woman who was found dead inside a west Wichita home.

Police say the woman’s body was found Thursday after her relatives in Texas asked police to check on her.

Her boyfriend was found at the home and taken into custody. No one else was in the home.

No names were released, and police have not said how she died.

Wichita has had 15 homicides so far this year.

 

HELENA, Okla. (AP) — The US Geological Survey reports a 4.0 magnitude earthquake in northwestern Oklahoma.

The USGS says the quake was recorded at 12:27 a.m. 12 miles northeast of Helena, about 85 miles northwest of Oklahoma City.

There have been no reports of injury or damage.

The USGS says the earthquake was widely felt in central Oklahoma and as far north as Junction City, Kansas.

The number of magnitude 3.0 or greater earthquakes has skyrocketed in Oklahoma, from a few dozen in 2012 to more than 900 last year. Scientists have linked the increase to the underground disposal of wastewater from oil and gas production and state regulators have asked producers to reduce wastewater disposal volumes.

SHAWNEE COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities in Shawnee County are investigating a drive by shooting.

Just after 10p.m. on Thursday, police were dispatched to St. Francis Hospital in Topeka for report of a 17-year-old with a gunshot wound, according to a media release.

The investigation indicated the teen was walking near SE 25th and SE Burr when a dark, 4-door passenger vehicle drove by and a subject shot him.

Police also identified a crime scene in the 2500 Block of SE Colonial.

The victim is expected to make a full recovery.

PLATTSMOUTH, Neb. (AP) — Authorities say a man and woman from Florida have been arrested in Nebraska after a police chase that began in Kansas.

The Nebraska State Patrol says the two were captured Thursday afternoon near Plattsmouth in Cass County after fleeing on foot from their sport utility vehicle. Officers had used stop strips to flatten the SUV’s tires.

The Kansas Highway Patrol had notified its Nebraska counterpart earlier that the SUV was headed into Nebraska on U.S. Highway 75. Nebraska troopers chased the vehicle into Nemaha County but stopped just south of Auburn. Patrol aircraft followed the SUV until it was stopped.

Online court records don’t show whether either person in the SUV has been formally charged. Nebraska authorities say the driver 30-year-old Donnell Johnson is from Sunrise, Florida, and his passenger Brijeth Garcia is from Orlando.

RENO COUNTY – Two people were injured in an accident just after 11:30p.m. on Thursday in Reno County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Dodge Charger driven by Morgan L. McGuire, 20, Newton was eastbound on U.S. 50 three miles northwest of Partridge.

The vehicle left the roadway to the right.

The driver overcorrected crossing the roadway and the vehicle entered the left ditch, came upon a field drive, went airborne and overturned 6 times.

McGuire and a passenger Wilson, James D. Wilson, 27, Newton, were transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center.

They were both properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

GRAY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in southwest Kansas are investigating a robbery suspect.

Officers from the Kansas Highway Patrol, sheriff’s deputies from Finney and Gray County conducted a high risk felony vehicle stop on a robbery suspect on U.S. Highway 50 between Ingalls and Cimarron, according to a social media report.

The suspect was taken into custody without injury and was turned over to the Finney County Sheriff’s Office.

No additional details were available.

SEDGWICK COUNTY -Law enforcement authorities in Sedgwick County are investing an attempted robbery and asking for the public’s help.

On Saturday August 6, there was an attempt robbery of Easy Home Furniture Rental in the 4600 block of E. 13th Street in Wichita, according to a social media report.

If you have any information on the suspect in the photo, please call Crime Stoppers at 267-2111 or WPD detectives at 268-4407.

SALINE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a suspect for doing a substantial amount of damage at Salina Regional Medical Center.

Randy Neace, 36, was being treated at about 3 p.m. in the hospital’s Emergency Room when he became angry and uncooperative with hospital staff, according to Salina Police Captain Mike Sweeney.

Neace allegedly damaged an IntelliVue monitor screen, a mounting bracket, a wall and sheet rock.

He is also accused of charging a nurse in a threatening manner.

Sweeney said officers who were already present at the hospital were able to detain Neace and place him under arrest.

He was booked into the Saline County Jail on requested charges of assault and felony damage to property.

Dollar amount of the damage has not been determined.

ALICIA A. CALDWELL, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration isn’t going to reclassify marijuana and remove it from the list of the most dangerous drugs.

The Drug Enforcement Administration says in a lengthy notice in the Federal Registry that it consulted with the Health and Human Services Department and concluded that marijuana will remain in the class of drugs that have “no accepted medical use in the United States.”

The agency is opening the door to further medical research of the drug by expanding the number of agencies that can legally grow marijuana for research purposes. Currently only researchers at the University of Mississippi have the government’s permission to grow pot.

The DEA says it reviewed the classification for marijuana after requests from the former governors of Rhode Island and Washington state.