EL DORADO, Kan. (AP) — Police are investigating a deadly shooting in southern Kansas.

The Wichita Eagle reports that the shooting happened late Monday night in El Dorado.

Police Lt. Maggie Schreiber said in a written statement that the victim was in his mid-50s. He had multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.

Schreiber says two “persons of interest” have been taken into custody and are being interviewed.

The victim’s name is being withheld pending the notification of relatives. She says the crime scene is still being processed.

KANSAS CITY -Kansas City’s Kemper Arena will soon have a new name.

Mosaic Life Care on Tuesday finalized an initial agreement with Foutch Brothers, LLC, to become the Naming Rights Sponsor of the historic Kemper Arena in Downtown Kansas City.

Upon finalization, Kemper Arena will become Mosaic Arena.

It was originally named for R. Crosby Kemper, Sr., a member of the powerful Kemper financial family who donated $3.2 million from his estate for the arena.

“The commitment of Mosaic Life Care is a symbolic first step for our redevelopment of the former Kemper Arena. A partner like Mosaic will be a catalyst to launch our youth sports project in the Stockyards District,” said Steve Foutch, CEO of Foutch Brothers, LLC.

In addition to naming rights, Mosaic will also open an on-site medical clinic in the facility that will be open to the public. Other services will include, but are not limited to, sports medicine consultations, urgent care, and massage therapy. The opening of this clinic signifies a big step forward as Mosaic continues to expand its footprint into the Kansas City Metro area.

“Improving population health within the communities we serve and helping people individually adopt a lifestyle focused on health and wellness is the very core of how Mosaic Life Care is providing a new kind of health care,” said Mark Laney, MD, CEO of Mosaic Life Care. “This partnership allows us not only to expand health-care services in this area slated for tremendous growth and development, but also supports our vision to transform communities.”

Mosaic Life Care, a health system headquartered in St. Joseph, Mo., operates seven primary care clinics in Kansas City’s Northland offering urgent care, outpatient services and specialty care. Mosaic Life Care’s approach to health care is focused on creating healthier communities by looking at health care beyond traditional physical health.

“Anything we can do to promote community wellness and staying active is important to us,” said Dr. Laney. “This new facility goes a long way toward helping Kansas City do just that.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Joe Biden has officiated a gay wedding, a first for the early proponent of same-sex marriage.

Biden presided over the union of Joe Mahshie and Brian Mosteller, both longtime White House aides. The White House says the couple asked Biden to officiate.

Proud to marry Brian and Joe at my house. Couldn’t be happier, two longtime White House staffers, two great guys. pic.twitter.com/0om1PT7bKh

— Vice President Biden (@VP) August 1, 2016

Biden has never officiated a wedding before, so he got a special temporary certification from the District of Columbia to make it legal.

The afternoon ceremony took place Monday at the Naval Observatory, the vice president’s official residence, with immediate family attending.

Biden publicly backed gay marriage in 2012 in the run-up to President Barack Obama’s re-election. The announcement put pressure on Obama to declare his own support shortly after.

KANSAS CITY – The owner of Danny’s Big Easy Cajun restaurant pleaded guilty in federal court Monday to his role in a conspiracy to distribute cocaine, according to Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

Paul Danny Gosserand, 57, of Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty before U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to conspiracy to distribute cocaine. Gosserand is the owner of Danny’s Big Easy Cajun at E. 18th and Vine in Kansas City, Mo.

On May 17, 2011, a confidential informant entered the restaurant at 2:30 p.m. and discussed purchasing cocaine with Jean Stephens, 63, Gosserand’s ex-wife and an employee of the restaurant. Stephens told the confidential informant the cocaine would cost $32,000 per kilogram and said the cocaine was inside her vehicle because it was too heavy for her to carry inside the restaurant. Stephens met the informant in the parking lot by her vehicle and gave him two kilograms of powder cocaine. Afterward, the informant turned over the cocaine to the agents.

At 3:54 p.m. the same day, the confidential informant returned to the restaurant and met with Gosserand to discuss the price of the two kilograms of cocaine. Gosserand said he needed the informant to pay for the cocaine, which had been fronted by Stephens, that night. Gosserand said he would be killed if payment was not made and the informant agreed to pay for the cocaine the next day.

On May 18, 2011, agents contacted Stephens at her residence at approximately 7:50 a.m. Agents searched the residence and found a briefcase with approximately two and a half kilograms of cocaine. They also found $20,480 inside a white trash bag within the briefcase. They recovered a CD case with a digital scale and $600 inside a red cloth coin bag. Agents also recovered five vacuum-wrapped bricks containing 2,465 grams of powder cocaine from inside a backpack found in Stephens’ closet. Agents recovered 10 one-ounce Vienna Philharmonic gold coins (appraised at $15,240.00), which were located on top of red cloth coin bag inside dresser.

Stephens said the cocaine belonged to Gosserand and the cash was from cocaine sales that also belonged to Gosserand. Stephens also admitted the gold coins found in her bedroom were purchased with drug proceeds as she and Gosserand believed it would be a good investment with their money. Stephens told agents that Gosserand was paranoid about keeping large sums of cash and cocaine at his residence so he often gave it to her to keep at her house and to sometimes distribute the cocaine and obtain the proceeds for him. Stephens said she believed Gosserand made more money selling cocaine than from his restaurant.

Stephens told agents that Gosserand has distributed kilogram-quantities of cocaine for the past four years. Prior to that, she said, he distributed ounce-quantities of cocaine.

Stephens pleaded guilty on Nov. 20, 2015, to her role in the conspiracy to distribute cocaine and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 8, 2016.

Under the terms of Monday’s plea agreement, the government and Gosserand jointly recommend a sentence within the range of seven to eight years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence investigation by the United States Probation Office.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the Kansas primary (all times local):

8:30 a.m.

Voters are casting ballots in a hot primary race that could unseat congressman Tim Huelskamp.

His contentious race against Great Bend obstetrician Roger Marshall in the 1st District is the state’s marquee congressional primary Tuesday.

Sixty-two-year-old Randy Hatch, of Alma, voted for Marshall. The retired welder said a key issue is Huelskamp’s being booted from the House Agriculture Committee in late in 2012 amid disputes with GOP leaders over farm and fiscal legislation.

He said that, “From what you hear, Huelskamp doesn’t seem to be on the farmers’ side.”

Twenty-two-year-old Joan Davy, of Alma, voted for Huelskamp and said “a lot of the farmers around here are supporting him.” The 911 dispatcher said she was put off by the negative tone of the campaign and negative radio ads attacking Huelskamp.

7:20 a.m.

Polls have opened in Kansas’ primary election.

Republican voters in western and central Kansas are deciding a hot primary race Tuesday that could unseat congressman Tim Huelskamp.

His contentious race against Great Bend obstetrician Roger Marshall in the 1st District is the state’s marquee congressional primary.

Voters are deciding whether Huelskamp’s willingness to buck party leaders in Washington reflects a much-needed streak of independence or a character flaw that prevents him from being effective.

Meanwhile, moderate Republicans are making the election a referendum on the state’s budget problems and education funding as they try to oust conservative incumbents from the Legislature.

More than two dozen GOP legislators face primary opponents Tuesday. Most are allies of Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.

Polls are to remain open until 7 p.m. local time.

___

5:55 a.m.

Republican voters in western and central Kansas are deciding a hot primary race that could unseat congressman Tim Huelskamp.

They were deciding Tuesday whether Huelskamp’s willingness to buck party leaders in Washington reflects a much-needed streak of independence or a character flaw that prevents him from being effective.

His contentious race against Great Bend obstetrician Roger Marshall in the 1st District is the state’s marquee congressional primary. A central issue is Huelskamp’s being booted from the House Agriculture Committee late in 2012 amid disputes with GOP leaders over farm and fiscal legislation.

U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran and U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder in the 3rd District in the Kansas City area also face challengers in the Republican primary. But they were expected to defeat their relatively unknown opponents easily.

___

5:55 a.m.

Moderate Republicans are making Kansas’ primary election a referendum on the state’s budget problems and education funding as they try to oust conservative incumbents.

More than two dozen GOP legislators face primary opponents Tuesday. Most are allies of Republican Gov. Sam Brownback and continue to support his experiment in cutting state income taxes to stimulate the economy.

They included Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce.

The voting occurs against the backdrop not only of the state’s fiscal woes but ongoing legal and political disputes over funding for public schools.

The state Supreme Court could rule by the end of the year on whether the Legislature is shorting schools on their state aid by hundreds of millions of dollars a year.

Polls are open until 7 p.m. local time.

RENO COUNTY – A Kansas man is in trouble with the law after he allegedly cashed two Dillon’s company checks at one of their stores in Hutchinson.

Derrick Doherty, 37, Hutchinson, was arrested on Sunday for forgery and two counts of theft by deception.

Police say he took the checks from the Dillon’s Offices in the 2700 block of East 4th Street in Hutchinson and he is accused of stealing a donation box from Trinity United Methodist Church at 1602 North Main.

Doherty is charged with theft for that case and was also advised of criminal trespass at the church.

Doherty posted bond and should make a court appearance later this week.

 

By JIM MCLEAN

Kansas doesn’t have a reputation for corruption like Chicago, where political bosses stuffed ballot boxes and sometimes raised the dead to alter the outcome of elections, or like Florida, home of the infamous hanging chad from Bush v. Gore.

But concerns about tampering appear to be on the rise, at least among Kansas Democrats, because of unusual voting patterns in the 2014 elections and persistent reports about the vulnerability of electronic voting machines.

“Apparently, they (voting machines) are not that hard to hack,” said Beth Clarkson, a Wichita State University statistician who believes the machines may have been used to alter results in some large Kansas precincts in 2014.

Clarkson, who is appealing a recent district court ruling denying her access to Sedgwick County voting records, bases her concerns on Kansas voting patterns that resemble those linked to possible fraud in several Republican presidential primary contests across the country in 2012.

Two California researchers uncovered the patterns in the presidential primary states. When Clarkson saw their report, she downloaded their data and re-tested their methods.

“I took a look at the data and I took a look at their analysis and I got the same results they did,” she said.

Convinced their methods were sound, Clarkson applied them to the 2014 U.S. Senate race in Kansas won by Pat Roberts over challenger Greg Orman. The results confirmed the same unusual voting patterns — late surges of partisan votes in large precincts that could have been generated by rigging electronic voting machines.

“Statistics never tell you what the cause is,” Clarkson said, only that there is a relationship between the numbers and certain explanations. But based on her preliminary findings, she said the 2014 voting patterns are “possibly indicative of fraud.”

Clarkson’s findings re-ignited speculation about how Republican Gov. Sam Brownback eked out a win over Paul Davis on that same night. So, as this year’s elections approached, Democrats in particular began urging supporters to use paper ballots when possible.

“It’s much easier to tamper with those electronic machines, and we suspect that there has been some of that going on,” Sen. Laura Kelly, a Topeka Democrat, said at a recent candidate forum. “So, I think if people want their vote to count, they ought to use paper.”

Confidence in machines

Miami County Clerk Janet White said concerns about electronic voting machines are overblown. She has confidence in the aging but well-maintained machines used at the county’s 13 polling places because of the security measures she has put in place.

“None of these machines are hooked to the internet, so they’re really not hackable,” White said, motioning to a group of machines set up for a poll-worker training class.

The machines and the cards used to activate and record the votes cast on them are closely monitored before, during and after each election.

“So, we really have got some safety measures in place,” she said. “Without knocking somebody over the head, I really don’t think you’re going to be able to mess with our elections.”

Renee Pfaltzgraff, of Paola, is among the volunteers that White is training to work the polls. She said she’s not concerned about the security of her vote.

“I’ve used them (the machines) for several years, and the ballots are very simple to navigate through,” Pflaltzgraff said. “You have an opportunity to change an answer if you want to change it. So, I’ve never had any issues with the machines.”

But some Kansas voters do have issues with the machines. When Topeka resident Vern McFalls read about Clarkson’s findings, his thoughts immediately went back to his experiences as a poll worker on the night of the 2014 general election.

“Something definitely went awry that night,” McFalls said, explaining that some of the voting machines at his polling place seemed to be “acting up” hours after the polls closed.

“Maybe I’m wrong, but just my gut feeling tells me something wasn’t right,” he said. “If it were left up to me, I’d never go near another electronic voting machine again. I mean, it’s just too easy (to manipulate them). It’s just too easy.”

Producing a paper trail

Organizations that monitor elections also continue to have issues with the machines, particularly models that don’t generate paper trails. The use of electronic voting machines by states, like Kansas, that don’t require post-election audits also are a concern to organizations like the Verified Voting Foundation and the Common Cause Education Fund, which in a 2012 report listed Kansas among the states least prepared to catch and address voting problems.

Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew refuses to criticize colleagues that continue to use electronic voting systems. But he prefers paper ballots.

“As an election official, I like the security of having that paper-based system,” Shew said. “Regardless of what happens, I have a ballot I can hand a voter, they can vote and if need be I can hand-count it if none of the (scanning) equipment works.”

He said the county’s system makes it easier for him to audit results if necessary.

“There just is a confidence in having that paper ballot, not only for the voter but for the person administering elections and for the poll workers,” Shew said. “It provides us with the ability to audit throughout the whole process.”

Voters who have concerns can request paper ballots even in counties that use electronic systems, Shew said. But supplies of paper ballots are usually limited in those counties. So, those wanting one might want to call ahead to their county election office before showing up at the polls.

Jim McLean is executive editor of KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Two of Kansas’ largest counties are looking for funding to keep their sex education programs going after state officials declined to apply to renew federal grants.

The Kansas City Star  reports that Wyandotte and Johnson counties have used money from Personal Responsibility Education Program grants since 2010 to provide sex education courses in area schools with the goal of preventing teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

Earlier this year, Kansas Department of Health and Environment officials told the two counties that the state wouldn’t apply for the grants this year.

Department spokeswoman Cassie Sparks says it opted not to apply for funds so it could stop operating as a middle-man by passing money along to local departments. Sparks says the local departments will have a transition period to apply for funds.

Wyandotte and Johnson county officials say they weren’t prepared for the transition.

MIAMI (AP) — The Latest on the Zika virus in Florida (all times local):

The CDC has issued a new advisory that says pregnant women should not travel to the so-called Zika “transmission area” in Florida and pregnant women who live there should take steps to prevent mosquito bites and sexual spread of the virus.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the advisory Monday after Florida Gov. Rick Scott said there are 10 new infections of the Zika virus likely transmitted by mosquitoes, bringing the total in the state to 14.

The new cases are clustered in the same square-mile neighborhood in Miami-Dade County identified last week. Florida health officials say they believe active transmissions of Zika are occurring only in that area.

The CDC says men and women who have visited this area since June 15 should wait at least eight weeks before trying to conceive. Because Zika infection has been found to linger in sperm for months, men with Zika symptoms should wait at least six months before trying to have a baby with their partner.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A prison parolee has used his own money to help pay for the cleanup of a vandalized police lodge building in Kansas City, Kansas.

The Kansas City Star reports that someone who lives near the Fraternal Order of Police building called Sunday to report seeing someone spray-painting the building. The spray-painting included an obscene reference to pigs and gang-type symbols.

Police spokesman, Officer Cameron Morgan, said the paint was barely dry Sunday night when people showed up to help with the cleanup. He says the parolee pitched in money for cleaning chemicals.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is reporting that its tax collections fell nearly $13 million short of expectations in July.

The Department of Revenue reported Monday that the state collected $425 million in taxes last month, compared with the state’s official projection of nearly $438 million. The shortfall was 2.9 percent.

Tax collections have fallen short of expectations for 10 of the past 12 months. Kansas has struggled to balance its budget since Republican legislators slashed personal income taxes in 2012 and 2013 to stimulate the economy.

A shortfall in tax collections in June prompted Brownback’s administration to delay $260 million in state aid payments to public schools. It also diverted money for highway projects and funds within the Department of Corrections to avoid a deficit when the 2016 fiscal year ended June 30.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the Kansas primary election 

Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein is seeking a spot on the Kansas ballot in November as an independent candidate.

The Kansas secretary of state’s office said Monday that Stein’s campaign submitted petitions with about 10,000 signatures in hopes of getting her on the ballot.

In Kansas, only recognized political parties can list their candidates’ affiliations on the ballot.

The state recognizes only the Republican, Democratic and Libertarian parties.

To gain recognition, a party must submit petitions with the signatures of almost 17,400 registered voters. To keep it, a candidate for statewide office must capture at least 1 percent of the vote.

Candidates of unrecognized parties must run as independents and file by petition. An independent presidential candidate’s campaign must collect signatures from 5,000 registered voters.

HOYT, Kan. (AP) — Mourners have gathered to remember a northeast Kansas firefighter who died after a fire truck overturned while it was headed to a parade.

Dozens of agencies lined up Monday morning to honor 47-year-old Mike Schultz, of Hoyt, at his funeral.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says the crash happened Wednesday east of the Prairie Band of Potawatomi Nation Reservation. The patrol says Schultz was driving northbound on U.S. 75 when the truck blew a tire near Mayetta.

The truck veered off the highway and crossed the median and the southbound lanes before striking and embankment and overturning.

The patrol says Schultz was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The patrol says a second firefighter was injured.