SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Verizon is buying Yahoo for $4.83 billion, marking the end of an era for a company that once defined the internet.
The sale announced Monday marks the second time in two years that Verizon has snapped up the remains of a fallen internet star as it broadens its digital reach. The nation’s largest wireless carrier paid $4.4 billion for AOL last year.
Verizon won the Yahoo bidding after a five-month auction.
Yahoo Inc. is parting with its email service and websites devoted to news, finance and sports in addition to its advertising tools under pressure from shareholders fed up with a steep downturn in the company’s revenue during the past eight years.
The deal is expected to close in 2017’s first quarter.
SEDGWICK COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Sedgwick County continue to search for a missing Kansas teen.
Wichita Police reported 14-year-old Mariana has been missing since Saturday.
Police went door to door in the area where she was last seen near 2nd and Grove in Wichita throughout the Saturday night and again on Sunday.
Authorities say if you or someone you know thinks it is possible that she was observed being somewhere in the last 24-48 hours, to please call 911 and ask to speak to police.
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — The Latest on a shooting a nightclub in Fort Myers, Florida. (all times local):
7:25 a.m.
A Florida nightclub says a shooting that left two dead and 16 wounded broke out in the parking lot as parents picked up their children from a party for teens.
Club Blu posted on its Facebook page Monday morning that it was trying to give the teens “what we thought was a safe place to have a good time.” The post from the Fort Myers nightclub says armed security had been posted at the event inside and outside.
The club says the shooting happened as the club was closing.
Hospital officials say the victims range in age from 12 to 27. Four people were still being treated Monday morning.
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7 a.m.
Officials say two people have been killed and at least 16 wounded in a shooting outside a nightclub in Florida.
Lee Memorial Health System says in a press release that 16 victims ranging in age from 12 to 27 started arriving at the facility around 1:30 a.m. One of those people died at the hospital.
Four people remained at the hospital early Monday, including two in the intensive care unit. All others were treated and released. One person was treated and released at a different hospital.
Police say the area around Club Blu has been deemed safe, and three people have been taken into custody.
The shooting comes more than a month after a nightclub shooting in Orlando that was the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history.
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5:55 a.m.
Police in Fort Myers say the area around a deadly nightclub shooting has been deemed safe.
But in an e-mail, police Capt. Jim Mulligan says the street will remain closed as authorities investigate.
The shooting at Club Blu killed two people and as many as 17 people were shot early Monday.
Three people have been taken into custody.
The shooting comes more than a month after a nightclub shooting in Orlando that was the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history. The shooting at the Pulse nightclub on June 12 left 49 victims dead and 53 others wounded.
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5:40 a.m.
Authorities say two people have been killed and more than a dozen shot at a nightclub in Fort Myers, Florida.
Capt. Jim Mulligan of the Fort Myers Police Department told WINK-TV as many as 17 people have been shot in the early Monday shooting at Club Blu.
Mulligan told the station three people have been taken into custody and that there are two active crime scenes.
The shooting comes more than a month after a nightclub shooting in Orlando that was the deadliest shooting in modern U.S. history.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A new attorney has been appointed to represent a Kansas woman appealing her conviction for killing two people.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports a Shawnee County judge has appointed Adam D. Stolte, an Olathe attorney, to take over Dana Lynn Chandler’s appeal. Stolte is the sixth appellate attorney to represent Chandler, now 56.
Chandler is appealing a 2012 conviction when she was found guilty of the 2002 deaths of her former husband 47-year-old Mike Sisco, and his fiancee, 53-year-old Karen Harkness. The two were fatally shot in Harkness’ home in southwest Topeka.
She was sentenced in August 2012 to a “Hard 50” sentence for each of two convictions of premeditated first-degree murder.
Ortiz- photo courtesy Mike Yoder Lawrence Journal World
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A 26-year-old Kansas man shot and wounded by police in 2014 was found guilty of charges stemming from when he leveled a loaded shotgun at the officer.
Zachary James Ortiz, Lawrence, was convicted Friday in Douglas County court of aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports the charge stemmed from an incident on June 23, 2014, when Lawrence Police Officer Skyler Richardson responded to a call of shots being fired.
Richardson said when he entered the home Ortiz refused to drop a shotgun he aimed at the officer. Richardson then fired on Ortiz, wounding him. Authorities earlier determined the shooting was justified.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Associated Press has learned that the immigration court backlog has eclipsed half a million pending cases.
The Executive Office for Immigration Review says there are now 500,051 pending immigration cases in the agency’s 59 courts.
The backlog has been steadily rising in recent years as the number of unaccompanied children and people traveling as families have been caught crossing the Mexican border illegally in recent years. Since 2011 more than 200,000 cases have been added to the court’s docket and the backlog likely will keep rising.
More than 51,000 people traveling as families and more than 43,000 unaccompanied children, mostly from Honduras, El Salvador or Guatemala, have been caught crossing the border illegally since the start of the budget year in October.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — A south-central Kansas man has been sentenced to more than six years in prison after being convicted of charges stemming from a fatal collision.
The Hutchinson News reports that 32-year-old Nathan Clark pleaded guilty earlier to involuntary manslaughter in the 2014 Reno County crash that killed 48-year-old Allen Hammeren of Williston, North Dakota.
Reno County District Judge Trish Rose followed a plea agreement in sentencing Clark on Friday to six years and eight months in prison. The judge also ordered Clark to pay about $15,000 in restitution to the victim’s family.
Authorities said the crash occurred on a county road in October 2014 when the vehicle Clark was in struck the ATV Hammeren had been driving. Hammeren, who had been deer hunting, sustained a severe head injury.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A new university study shows that Kansas lost about $110 million annually between 1996 and 2005 in the value of its High Plains aquifer.
The study, conducted by a Yale University team, was led by Eli Fenichel, assistant professor at the Yale School of Forestry and Environment Studies.
The aquifer is a vast underground water resource.
The analysis shows that such things as groundwater extraction and management changes reduced the state’s groundwater wealth by $110 million a year between 1996 and 2005, for a total loss of about $1.1 billion.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports (https://j.mp/2a2psjn ) the study used the Kansas aquifer as an example to look at setting dollar amounts on “natural capital,” or natural resources such as water, fish and forests. The amount was calculated in 2005 dollars.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A 51-year-old man is accused of pulling over a vehicle and acting as if he were a police officer.
The Kansas City star reports Willie O. Zimmerli of Shawnee Mission, Kansas, is charged in Jackson County with false impersonation of a law enforcement officer and driving with a revoked driver’s license.
Documents show Kansas City police were called Wednesday by a motorist reporting being pulled over on an interstate by a man in a sedan with flashing lights. The motorist said the man wasn’t wearing a police uniform but carried a gun and told the motorist to “Slow it down for me, buddy.”
The motorist filmed the license plate number and called police.
Zimmerli told police he didn’t pretend to be a police officer and didn’t have a gun.
PRATT – If you’re looking for an amazing hunting opportunity with low competition and high odds of success, look no further than the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism’s Special Hunts Program. The program offers hunting opportunities with limited access to public and private land, providing the potential for higher quality hunts and greater harvest rates. Because each hunt is open to a limited number of hunters, applications must be made online, and random drawings will determine who is selected. The application period opened July 16, 2016, and the deadline for First Draw Hunts (hunts occurring in September and October) is Aug. 10, 2016. The application deadline for Second Draw Hunts (hunts occurring in November, December, January and February) is Sept. 28, 2016.
There is no fee to participate in a special hunt, and the application process is open to residents and nonresidents. During the online application process, hunters will select hunts by species, date and category, which includes Open Hunt, Youth Hunt, or Mentored Hunt. All applicants are eligible to apply for Open Hunts, regardless of age or hunting experience. Youth Hunts require parties to include at least one youth 18 or younger, accompanied by an adult 21 or older who may not hunt. Mentored Hunts are open to both youth and novice hunters supervised by a mentor 21 or older who may also hunt. There are more than 500 individual hunting opportunities available for the 2016-2017 hunting seasons.
A random computer drawing will be conducted within one week of the application deadline. Successful applicants will be emailed their hunt permit, as well as necessary maps and other pertinent information. Hunters are responsible for purchasing any licenses and permits required by law.
This year’s special hunts provide access to public and private lands that are not open to public hunting. The hunts will occur on wildlife areas, state parks, private land parcels, a national wildlife refuge, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers areas and even city- or county-owned properties. Hunts are divided by species, weapon and hunt type. Most of the hunts are for deer and upland game, but opportunities are also available for waterfowl, doves, turkey and furbearers.
A state Senate race in the Topeka area shows how complicated this election cycle can be for some candidates. Kansas Republicans are running at a time when polls are showing the state’s Republican governor — and the Legislature itself — with pretty low
Photo by Stephen Koranda/Kansas Public Radio There’s a rematch in the Republican primary for the 20th District Kansas Senate seat between Joe Patton, left, and incumbent Vicki Schmidt. Unlike in 2012, this year both are trying to keep their distance from Gov. Sam Brownback’s policies, which according to recent polls are unpopular with a majority of Kansans.
Senator Vicki Schmidt, a moderate Republican from Topeka’s 20th District, is not shy about the fact that she often doesn’t see eye-to-eye with Gov. Sam Brownback.
“My job is to represent the people in my district, and when the people in my district do not think that certain policies are the right way to go, then I’m not going to be with the governor,” Schmidt said.
Issues like taxes, abortion and the budget caused a rift in the Republican Party leading up to the 2012 elections. In the primary, Schmidt was on one side of the gap and conservative Republican House member Joe Patton was on the other.
Schmidt narrowly beat Patton and survived a purge of moderate Republicans fueled by political advocacy groups and the governor.
This year, there’s a rematch. Patton has been out of the Legislature since the last race. Sometimes these days, he doesn’t sound that different from Schmidt.
“When I began to look what was going on over here at the Capitol, they were deficit financing. They’re underfunding education. They’re robbing from the highway fund. They’re robbing from KPERS. It’s a mess,” Patton said.
Crossing ideological lines
Both Patton and Schmidt are trying to appeal to voters who have some concerns about the way things are going in Kansas.
“I know people are concerned about gun control, but I really think the underlying problem is a mental illness that is not being treated accurately,” said Cheryl, a voter in Schmidt’s district who didn’t want to use her last name. “Mentally ill people are definitely needing our help.”
Schmidt said she hasn’t supported cuts to mental health services.
If she’d gone along with Brownback and conservative leaders, though, she would have voted for more trimming.
“If I were ‘more Republican’ and voted the policies that the Republicans have put forward in the last couple years, I would have voted to cut schools, I would have voted for block grant funding, I would have voted for the largest sales tax increase in history, I would have voted for borrowing from KPERS,” Schmidt said.
“Endorsements are less important in this current political environment.”
– Brownback spokesperson Melika Willoughby
Take a step back in time to 2012, and Patton was in the room when Brownback signed into law the massive income tax cuts.
Fast forward to today and Patton is talking up a time he pushed back against Brownback. His website explains how the governor wanted to close the Kansas Neurological Institute in Topeka, a state facility for people with developmental disabilities. Patton offered an amendment on the floor that restored the funding.
“I think it’s important that we do things that are right regardless of the political consequences,” Patton said.
Some groups allied with the governor, like the Kansas Chamber of Commerce, endorsed Patton in 2012 and again this year, but Patton’s making a sales pitch aimed at crossing ideological lines to attract 20th District voters.
“They really don’t concern themselves so much with party labels or factions. They want somebody who can get the job done,” Patton said. “Quite frankly, some of these issues are not liberal, moderate or conservative. You just have to get the government to work, and I can do that.”
Current environment
Move on to other legislative races, and you might see moderate challengers trying to connect conservative incumbents to the governor. Many conservative incumbents, meanwhile, aren’t talking about Brownback.
When asked if the governor would be endorsing any candidates in the GOP primary, Brownback spokesperson Melika Willoughby wouldn’t directly say.
“Endorsements are less important in this current political environment,” Willoughby said.
Willoughby sounds confident that Brownback’s allies will do well, even in an environment where a recent poll shows almost three quarters of Kansans having an unfavorable view of the governor.
“Kansas Republicans have overwhelmingly chosen to elect pro-life, pro-Second Amendment, small-government candidates in the last three election cycles, and they will likely do so again this year,” she said.
Conservative candidates want to be associated with some of those positions, but they’re being careful in this election cycle about their associations with Brownback.
TOPEKA – Elusive Pokemon GO characters have been spotted at many Kansas state parks and nature centers, and there’s no better time to join the chase. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) welcomes Pokemon hunters stalking the virtual critters that have popped up at some of the most picturesque and educational places in Kansas. The game is an exciting new way to get outdoors and enjoy all that natural Kansas has to offer.
“Pokemon GO is both fun and distracting, so we encourage players to use common sense and follow certain safety precautions while on a Pokemon quest,” said Linda Lanterman, State Parks Director.
Some of the basic safety rules include:
Be aware of your surroundings, especially along trails, roads, cliffs, stream banks and lakes. It is important to watch where you place your feet to avoid a fall, poison ivy or a venomous snake.
Stay on trails and don’t drive off roads into unauthorized areas.
Don’t trespass on private property which may be adjacent to park boundaries, and don’t enter someone else’s campsite or recreational vehicle.
Don’t operate a vehicle or boat while distracted by the game. Watch for pedestrians, bicyclists and wildlife along roads, around boat docks and in parking areas.
State park entrance fees still apply. Any vehicle entering a Kansas state park must have either an annual entrance permit or a daily entrance permit. The daily entrance permit is $5 and is available at the entrance gatehouse or kiosk. All state parks are open 24 hours, except for Kaw River State Park, which is open from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. and Prairie Spirit Trail, which is open during daylight hours only. Players can use the self-pay stations if a park office is closed.
KDWPT sports 26 state parks and six nature centers where visitors can enjoy the outdoors and learn about the natural history of Kansas. For information about the state parks and nature centers, visit ksoutdoors.com and click on either State Parks or Education.
DICKINSON COUNTY – One person was injured in an accident just before 7 p.m. on Saturday in Dickinson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a Ford Econoline Van driven by William B Wallett, 45, Senoia, GA, was eastbound on Interstate 70 eight miles east of Abilene.
The van traveled into the median, struck a guardrail and rolled coming to rest into the westbound lanes.
A passenger Cooper B. Lynn Sr., 36, Dixon, CA., was transported to the hospital in Abilene. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
Wallett and another passenger refused transport for treatment.
KDWPT
