Wright State University has decided not to host the first general election presidential debate, citing mounting costs and security concerns, according to media release.

 

The decision to withdraw from the debate is a reflection of our commitment to safety and operating within a fiscally responsible budget.

— David R. Hopkins (@PresidentDHOP) July 19, 2016

 

The debate, scheduled for Sept. 26 was to be held at the Wright State Nutter Center. It will now instead be held at Hofstra University in New York, which is the alternate site.

“This is a very difficult decision,” Wright State President David R. Hopkins said July 19. “But there has been a growing crescendo of concern about what it would take to guarantee the safety and security of the campus and the community. The expense would be daunting.”

Unlike private universities that have hosted debates in the past, Wright State cannot restrict public access to its campus, which adds to security challenges.

“We were fully aware of the challenges and were prepared to meet them when we decided to host the debate, but things have changed,” said Hopkins. “The current national environment has made security even more critical.”\

The Wright State Board of Trustees fully supports Hopkins’ decision, said board Chair Michael Bridges.

“It’s the responsible thing to do,” said Bridges. “While the community has been overwhelmingly supportive of Wright State hosting the debate, the safety and security of the campus and community is of paramount importance.”

Hosting the debate was expected to cost Wright State between $3 million and $5 million and as much as $8 million. Hopkins said the costs of additional necessary security would add to the financial burden on the university.

“This decision has weighed heavily on my heart. I really wanted this experience for our students,” Hopkins said. “But the safety and the financial health of our university must take precedence.”

Hopkins expects many debate-related activities at Wright State to go on as planned, possibly including a debate festival, an issues forum and debate watch parties.

Hopkins thanked students, faculty, staff, alumni, and members of the community, especially the host committee, who have been preparing to host the debate.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the shooting of a police officer in Kansas City, Kansas (all times local):

6:20 p.m.

The shooting of a Kansas City, Kansas, police captain drew swift condemnation as mourners gathered outside the main entrance of the hospital where the officer died.

Local Baptist preacher Jimmie Banks, who is a friend of the city’s mayor, sat dejected on a bench Tuesday with his head lowered after attending a news conference announcing Capt. Robert Melton’s death.

The minister says it was painful to sit in the room and see the grief-stricken faces during the announcement.

Across town at the shooting scene, Susan Goble sobbed inconsolably after placing a small wreath at the spot where Melton was shot.

She says officers who watched her lay the wreath were grieving just like everybody else.

_____

5:20 p.m.

A spokesman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says the agency has about 20 agents on the scene of a fatal shooting of a Kansas City, Kansas, officer.

Spokesman John Ham said the ATF will provide help with ballistics if required, but are currently assisting with the investigation.

Ham also called it a “large crime scene.”

Authorities say 46-year-old Capt. Robert Melton was shot multiple times in his vehicle on Tuesday afternoon when he pulled up to a person who matched the description of a suspect. A suspect in Melton’s shooting was taken into custody.

Asked whether there’s evidence that the officers on the scene were ambushed, Ham said he didn’t know, adding, “The investigation needs to play out before that can be determined.”

___

5:15 p.m.

Authorities say a person who is believed to have pulled the trigger in the fatal shooting of a Kansas City, Kansas, police captain is in custody.

Police spokesman Tom Tomasic also said Tuesday that authorities think they have all suspects in custody in the officer’s shooting, as well as from an earlier report of shots fired.

Tomasic says a suspect was taken into custody around 2:04 p.m. about a block away from where 46-year-old Capt. Robert Melton was shot in his patrol car.

Tomasic says Melton did not respond to the scene of an earlier report of shots fired, but was looking for suspects in an area about 20 blocks away when he pulled up to a person who matched a suspect’s description. He says the man opened fire before Melton could get out of his vehicle.

Tomasic says he has been told a fourth person that police thought was a suspect might not have been involved.

___

4:25 p.m.

Kansas City, Kansas, Police Chief Terry Zeigler says the officer who was shot and killed came after officers responded to a drive-by shooting.

Zeigler says the suspected vehicle fled at about 2 p.m. Tuesday and led police on a chase.

That chase ended when Capt. Robert Melton arrived and the suspects jumped out of the car and opened fire, hitting Melton multiple times. Melton was declared dead at a hospital.

The chief noted at a news conference that the community is still recovering from the shooting death of Kansas City police detective Brad Lancaster, who was gunned down near Kansas Speedway in May.

____

4:10 p.m.

A surgeon in the Kansas City, Kansas, area says that the officer who was shot multiple times by suspects in an earlier shooting has died.

University of Kansas trauma surgeon James Howard says the officer, Capt. Robert Melton, arrived just before 2:30 p.m. and that resuscitation efforts did not work.

The officer was shot Tuesday afternoon in his car as he approached people matching the description of suspects in an earlier shooting.

___

3:45 p.m.

Police in Kansas City, Kansas, say a ranking officer was in his patrol car when he was shot multiple times by suspects in an earlier shooting.

Spokesman Tom Tomasic says officers responded around 1:30 p.m. Tuesday to a report of an armed disturbance involving shots fired at a person from people in a car.

He says three or four suspects jumped out of the car after police arrived at the scene. One person was taken into custody there, and a second was apprehended later.

About a half-hour after the initial report, an officer saw people matching the suspects’ description 20 blocks from the original scene and approached them in his patrol car.

Tomasic says the officer was shot multiple times and his wounds are considered life-threatening, but he couldn’t say where on the body the officer was shot.

————

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — An officer with Kansas City, Kansas, Police Department is in critical condition after being shot while investigating a report of person being shot at by several people in a vehicle.

Police say three or four people were inside the vehicle but jumped out and ran when officers arrived at the scene at 1:37 p.m. Tuesday. An officer took a suspect into custody at 1:39 p.m. A different officer was shot at 1:57 p.m. when he tried to make contact with another suspect.

 

We have an officer shot at 22nd & Haskell. Start prayers, unknown condition.

— Terry Zeigler (@KCKPDChief) July 19, 2016

Police spokesman Cameron Morgan says the search continues for additional suspects.

Tuesday’s shooting was the second of a Kansas City, Kansas, police officer since early May, when a police detective was shot and killed near Kansas Speedway.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The police chief in Kansas City, Kansas, says one of his officers has been shot and is asking the community for prayers.

Police Chief Terry Zeigler tweeted that the officer was shot Tuesday afternoon. He says the officer’s condition is unknown, but he tweeted “start prayers.”

We have an officer shot at 22nd & Haskell. Start prayers, unknown condition.

— Terry Zeigler (@KCKPDChief) July 19, 2016

The Kansas City Star reports that police radio traffic indicated that multiple suspects ran from the scene.

No other information was immediately available.

Tuesday’s shooting was the second of a Kansas City, Kansas, police officer since early May, when a police detective was shot and killed near Kansas Speedway.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A second man has been convicted in the shooting death of a Kansas bride as she headed to her reception in her wedding gown.

The Topeka Capital-Journal  reports that jurors found 39-year-old Thomas Earl Brown Jr. guilty Monday of premeditated first-degree murder in the death of 42-year-old Tiffany Davenport-Ray of Topeka.

Prosecutors say shots were fired in May 2014 at Davenport-Ray and her husband, Melvin Ray, from a sport utility vehicle in which Brown and two others were riding.

Prosecutors say Melvin Ray returned fire, but wasn’t wounded.

Defense attorney Kevin Shepherd said Brown wasn’t present.

Sentencing is set for Sept. 30. Co-defendant Awnterio Dwan Lowery was sentenced previously to life in prison, while the third SUV occupant was shot to death about three weeks after Davenport-Ray’s killing.

Brown also has Voluntary Manslaughter conviction from 1997, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas has endorsed Donald Trump in a short speech at the Republican National Convention.

The Hutchinson News reports that that Roberts denounced presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton in a five-minute speech Monday on the opening day of the convention in Cleveland. He also lavished praise on vice presidential pick Mike Pence, although he had fewer words to say about Trump himself.

Hello @KansasGOP #RNCinCLE pic.twitter.com/SCHYB9PU72

— Pat Roberts (@PatRoberts) July 18, 2016

Roberts says Americans don’t have patience for “things just as they are.” Roberts said Clinton and the Democrats have taxed and regulated Americans, and destroyed the health care system and harmed the economy.

Roberts had backed Sen. Marco Rubio during the primaries. Roberts later said he would support the nominee.

ROXANA HEGEMAN, Associated Press

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The American Civil Liberties Union is challenging a two-tiered election system that require Kansas election officials to throw out thousands of votes cast in state and local races by people who registered at motor vehicle offices or used a federal form without providing documentary proof of their U.S. citizenship.

The class-action lawsuit filed Tuesday in Shawnee County District Court comes a week after a state board approved the temporary measure. The board’s decision was made a day before advance voting began for the Aug. 2 primary.

The rule was sought by Secretary of State Kris Kobach and will be in effect through the Nov. 8 general election.

A federal judge in May ordered the state to allow people who registered at motor vehicle offices to vote in federal elections.

BARTON COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Barton County are investigating an injury accident and have arrested the driver, according to a media release.

The Barton County Sheriff’s Department reported that just after 11p.m. on Monday, a 1998 Ford Explorer driven by David Castanon-Calderon, 20, Great Bend, was southbound in the 100 Block of Northwest 20 Avenue and failed to negotiate a curve in the roadway.

The vehicle left the roadway and the driver overcorrected.

The SUV went into a skid and overturned.

Castanon-Calderon sustained minor scrapes and bruises.

A passenger in the vehicle Robert Amador Jr., 25, Great Bend, sustained more serious injuries.

He was transported to Great Bend Regional Hospital and was later flown to a Wichita area hospital with life-threatening injuries, according to the sheriff’s department.

Investigation indicates speed and alcohol were contributing factors to the accident.

Castanon-Calderon was arrested and booked on charges of DUI. Other charges may be pending, according to the sheriff.

By DAN MARGOLIES

Tippin’s Gourmet Pies LLC has voluntarily recalled several lots of its key lime pies because they may contain flour with peanut residue, the Food and Drug Administration said.

Tippin’s said it conducted the recall of the popular product after its supplier, the Kellogg Company, recalled graham cracker crumbs used in the pies’ crusts because they may contain peanut residue.

No illnesses or allergic reactions to the pies have been reported, but Tippin’s said it was taking the action “out of an abundance of caution.”

The FDA said the pies were sold to distributors in Kansas, Missouri, Texas, Oklahoma, Arizona and Illinois.

Tippin’s, which is based in Kansas City, Kansas, said customers who bought the pies should return them to the stores where they bought them for a refund or throw them out.

Tippin’s officials could not immediately be reached for comment

The affected lot numbers are 04-26-16, 04-27-16, 05-03-16, 05-04-16, 05-17-16 and 05-31-16.

Dan Margolies, editor of the Heartland Health Monitor team. You can reach him on Twitter @DanMargolies.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The former Kansas transportation secretary will be a regional director for a John Deere construction equipment dealer.

The Wichita Eagle reports that Mike King has joined Murphy Tractor & Equipment Co.

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s office announced King’s departure last month. King had worked in the construction industry for more than three decades and was owner of a McPherson company when Brownback named him transportation secretary in March 2012.

During his tenure, King ran a department with about 2,500 employees and an annual budget of well over $1 billion. But also during his tenure, the state has repeatedly diverted highway funds to other parts of state government to balance its budget.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A  Kansas man has been sentenced to life in prison for killing the mother of his child.

The Wyandotte County prosecutor’s office says 27-year-old Lee Williams, Kansas City, Kansas, won’t be eligible for parole for 25 years under the sentence imposed Monday for first-degree murder.

Jurors convicted him in May of shooting 20-year-old Ty’Shai Carvin to death in 2013 in front of the couple’s 2-year-old son. He also was convicted of being a felon in possession of a handgun because he had a previous robbery conviction.

After the shooting, Williams boarded a bus and was arrested Detroit while trying to enter Canada using a fake identification.

Williams also had his 44 month probation revoked for a previous drug conviction.

GEARY COUNTY -A Kansas man was sentenced to 16 years in prison on Monday in Geary County District Court.

Michael White, 20, Junction City, had been charged with being the ringleader in two different series of robberies including one by Milford Lake and another in Junction City.

What they were basically doing was ripping off other small time drug participants, according to Steve Opat, Geary County Attorney.

“The problem was that those robbed didn’t have any drugs. So what they ended up doing was taking their personal property, and their money.”

White was convicted of two counts of Aggravated Robbery and one count of Criminal Threat. Opat said both robberies were at gunpoint.

Two other defendants have been convicted of Conspiracy to Commit Aggravated Robbery.

SALINE COUNTY – A Kansas girl died in an accident just after 5:30p.m. on Monday in Saline County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Dodge Nitro driven by Joslyn A. Geiber, 24, Salina, was northbound on Burma Road and stopped at a stop sign at K140.

Vehicle1 failed to yield right of way entered the roadway and struck a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer driven by Christopher J. Garcia, 33, Salina, that was west bound on Kansas 140.

A 9-year-old passenger Carmen Asebedo, 9, Salina was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected. She was transported to Salina Regional Medical Center where she died.

According to the KHP, she was the only passenger that was not properly restrained.

Garcia and other passengers in the Trailblazer Melissa D. Martin, 28, Alex Z. Garcia, 9. Christian Garcia, 7, Angelina Asebedo, 11, and Damian C. Garcia, 4, all of Salina, were transported to Salina Regional Medical Center.

Geiber was not injured.

SALINE COUNTY – The Kansas Highway Patrol is investigating a two-vehicle accident just after 5:30p.m. on Monday in Saline County.

A Dodge Nitro ran a stop sign and hit a Chevrolet Trailblazer at Kansas 140 and Burma Road west of Salina, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Several children, passengers in the Chevy, were taken to Salina Regional Health Center for treatment.

Check Hays Post for additional details as they become available.

WICHITA– A former tribal casino employee was sentenced Monday to five years on federal probation for embezzlement, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.

Donald M. Collins, 32, Wetmore, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of embezzlement and theft from an Indian tribal organization. In his plea, he admitted the crime took place while he worked as a Players Club Representative for the Sac and Fox Casino, which is owned by the Sac and Fox Nation of Kansas and Nebraska.

Collins made counterfeit player cards and placed unearned free play on player cards belonging to his friends. Collins and others played the cards. The value of the counterfeit cards, along with winnings generated by the cards, caused a total loss to the casino of $30,766.

Beall commended the Kansas State Gaming Agency and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alan Metzger for their work on the case.

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — Confederate currency, bone dice and a memoir from a nurse who also was a Union spy are among a 3,000-piece Civil War collection that the University of St. Mary in Leavenworth is adding to its library.

The Bobby D. Lawrence collection was a gift from the Lawrence family of Leavenworth. The collection includes several memoirs, along with more than 2,000 books about the Civil War that will go into the library’s circulation and available for checkout from students and the public.

Librarians and curators say the collection has two significant areas of focus: women in the war and regional materials from Kansas and Missouri.