WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Voting rights groups are appealing a judge’s order which they say threatens to disenfranchise tens of thousands of voters in three states in the upcoming November elections.

A notice of appeal filed Friday to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia seeks a quick review of the actions of a U.S. elections official who added proof-of-citizenship requirements on a federal mail-in voter registration form.

The groups seek to set aside the executive director of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission’s “unauthorized and unilateral” modification requiring citizenship documentation for residents of Kansas, Alabama and Georgia.

Their filing contends the action — taken without public notice — violates federal law. It says that evidence of those violations is so overwhelming that the Justice Department agreed it should be immediately overturned.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 79-year-old Kansas man is dead after his riding lawnmower rolled into a creek near his Wichita home and trapped him underneath.

The Wichita Eagle reports police responded to the 911 call around 3 p.m. Thursday after the man’s wife found him. Police spokeswoman Nikki Woodrow says he was pronounced dead at the scene.

It wasn’t clear how long the man had been trapped.

It was the second fatal Wichita lawnmower mishap in as many days.

On Wednesday, a 63-year man who owns a lawn care business was trapped under a mower he was repairing at his home. The motor was still running when he was found.

He also was pronounced dead at the scene

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas tax revenue receipts have come up $34.5 million short for June, pushing the fiscal year-ending shortfall to $76.2 million.

The state Department of Revenue said on Friday receipts for corporate income taxes missed estimates by $20.3 million, or 25 percent. The department says those taxes were not part of the 2012 income tax reductions championed by Gov. Sam Brownback.

The revenue gap is forcing the state to make adjustments previously outlined by budget director Shawn Sullivan to balance the fiscal year 2016 budget.

The state is withholding $75 million from the June payment to schools and will distribute that on July 7. Also, a total of $23.6 million will come from the Department of Transportation, Department of Corrections and unspent funds from the Kansas State Department of Education.

LANSING, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Department of Corrections says the maximum-security unit at the state’s largest prison is on lockdown after “altercations” involving inmates and staff.

Corrections spokesman Adam Pfannenstiel said in an email Friday the maximum-security unit at the Lansing Correctional Facility is on lockdown after four “separate incidents” early Thursday. He described the incidents as “altercations initiated by inmates against staff.”

He says there were no serious injuries, and the incidents appear unrelated.

During the lockdown, which will be reevaluated Tuesday, inmates will remain in their cells and won’t move throughout the facility. Visitation for the maximum-security unit is also canceled during the lockdown.

The Leavenworth Times reports the lockdown comes as Sam Cline became the prison’s new warden last week, replacing former Warden Rex Pryor, who retired.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas secretary of state’s office has asked a judge to throw out the federal lawsuit filed by a former employee who claims she was fired for not attending Bible study sessions at the office.

Assistant Secretary of State Eric Rucker argued in a filing Thursday that Courtney Canfield cannot prove discrimination and any remaining claims are barred by sovereign immunity.

The state contends Canfield was terminated from her clerk’s job because of disruptive workplace behavior, poor attendance and excessive personal phone use — not because of “religious animus.”

Kansas contends that that the only evidence of religious discrimination is a statement Rucker allegedly made to another woman that Canfield was fired because she did not go to church. Rucker argues he was not the decision maker in her firing.

By JIM MCLEAN

The Kansas Hospital Association is urging federal officials to stop Gov. Sam Brownback from implementing $56.4 million in Medicaid cuts set to take effect Friday.

Brownback ordered the cuts in May to cover shortfalls in the fiscal year 2017 budget approved by the Legislature. The hospital association is asking the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to immediately intervene to stop the cuts, which include a 4 percent reduction in provider payments.

“Kansas is attempting to fund its self-inflicted budget deficit in substantial part on the backs of Medicaid patients and hospitals and other health care providers,” wrote Tom Bell, KHA president and chief executive, in a June 29 letter to Andy Slavitt, the acting administrator of CMS.

Under normal circumstances, the state would be permitted to implement the cuts before submitting a Medicaid plan amendment to CMS for approval. But Bell argues federal officials need to act quickly to prevent cuts that he and others say could limit Medicaid beneficiaries’ access to care.

“CMS should become directly involved at this point by insisting that the state promptly submit required amendments in a form that can permit immediate action by CMS,” Bell wrote.

In the letter, Bell said the state’s budget problems aren’t enough to justify the cuts, which also would trigger a loss of $72.3 million in federal matching funds.

“The state of Kansas advances no justification for the payment reduction beyond its budget shortfall,” he wrote.

“CMS cannot approve a state plan amendment solely driving by budgetary concerns.” Kansas officials have directed the three managed care organizations that oversee the day-to-day operations of KanCare, the state’s privatized Medicaid program, to implement the cuts.

Angela de Rocha, a spokesperson for the state’s Medicaid agencies, declined comment on the KHA letter except to say that state officials weren’t aware of “any instances in which CMS has blocked a state plan to reduce Medicaid provider rates.”

Mike Randol, director of the Division of Health Care Finance in the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said in an interview Thursday that the agency was on track to implement the cuts on schedule.

“We’re on our timeline to implement the reduction on July 1,” Randol said. “We are on target internally to have our state plan amendments changed to reflect the reduction, and those will be submitted to CMS on the appropriate timeline.”

Normally, Kansas officials would have until Sept. 30 to submit the plan amendments for CMS approval.

CMS officials didn’t immediately respond when asked whether the agency would alter that schedule in response to the KHA request.

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

TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) reminds outdoor enthusiasts that no alcohol is allowed at posted state fishing lakes (SFL) and wildlife areas (WA). The no alcohol list includes beer, wine, liquor and spirits. Osage SFL was recently added to those regulations, so no alcohol will be allowed at that lake, according to a media release.

Other state fishing lakes and wildlife areas in northeast Kansas where alcohol is not allowed include:

Atchison SFL, Benedictine WA, Brown SFL and WA, Buck Creek WA, Burr Oak WA, Dalbey WA, Douglas SFL and WA, Elwood WA, Jeffery Energy Center WA Area 2, Kansas River WA, K-18 River Access, La Cygne Lake and WA, Leavenworth SFL, Lyon SFL and WA, Middle Creek Lake Area, Miami SFL, Pillsbury Crossing WA, Pottawatomie SFL’s 1 and 2, Rising Sun (Perry-Lecompton) River Access, Shawnee SFL and WA, and Osawatomie Dam and Parking Area.

Fireworks are not allowed at state fishing lakes and wildlife areas. In addition, no swimming is allowed at Melvern WA Quarry Pond and Pillsbury Crossing WA.

A complete list of all department state laws and regulations can be found at KSOutdoors.com, then click on Laws, Regulations & Enforcement on the left side of the page.

SALINA- Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating four reports of business burglaries and damage to property at three USD 305 school construction sites, according to a media release.

Between June 20 and 28, a lock was cut on a trailer at Sunset Elementary School, 1510 W Republic, and a Stihl concrete saw was taken.

A window on a construction trailer was broken at Salina Central High School, 650 E Crawford. Two Dell laptops and a computer monitor were taken.

A second, unsecured, construction trailer was entered and two iPads, an external hard drive and an HP laptop were taken.

A window was shattered and two doors were damaged on a construction trailer at Grace E. Stewart Elementary School, 2123 Roach, however, entry was not made.

Total loss and damage is estimated at $3,500.

If you have any information concerning who committed the crimes, call Crime Stoppers at 785-825-TIPS, text SATIPS to CRIMES (274637), or visit www.pd.salina.org and follow the

Crime Stoppers link to submit a web tip. You may receive a cash reward of up to $1,000 and you are not required to give your name.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. –  A Kansas  man was sentenced in federal court today for his role in a large-scale conspiracy that distributed more than 15 kilograms of methamphetamine in St. Joseph, Mo., and across a four-state region, according to Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

Anselmo Salazar, also known as “Crazy Eyes,” 49, of Kansas City, Kan., was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Greg Kays to 25 years in federal prison without parole.

On Dec. 2, 2015, Salazar was found guilty of participating in a conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine from Jan. 1, 2009, to Nov. 12, 2013. Salazar was also found guilty of participating in a money-laundering conspiracy that involved financial transactions of the proceeds of illegal drug-trafficking.

In 2010, the Buchanan County Drug Strike Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration initiated an investigation into a drug-trafficking organization distributing methamphetamine in northwest Missouri, northeast Kansas, southern Iowa and Nebraska.

Salazar is among 24 defendants charged in a Nov. 15, 2013, federal indictment. Salazar, along with co-defendants Carlos Alberto Yanez, 33, of Lee’s Summit, Mo., and Marvin Carl Rogers, 54, of Gladstone, Mo. were the primary sources of supply for methamphetamine for the entire organization. Yanez has been sentenced to four years and seven months in federal prison without parole. Rogers has been sentenced to 16 years and 10 months in federal prison without parole.

Yanez and Salazar obtained methamphetamine in up to pound quantities and then delivered the methamphetamine to co-defendant Shannon Martinez (also known as “Big Homie”), 38, of St. Joseph, and another man charged in a separate case. Martinez, in turn, sold the methamphetamine to others to distribute. Martinez has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison without parole.

On Oct. 11, 2011, Salazar was arrested after a traffic stop in Platte County, Mo. Salazar, who was was driving Yanez’s vehicle, was in possession of 42 one-pound bundles of marijuana, 25 grams of cocaine and 80 grams of methamphetamine. Salazar was on his way to deliver the methamphetamine to St. Joseph for Yanez, and to pick up cash payment for the delivered methamphetamine.

Salazar was ordered to forfeit to the government a money judgment of $680,800, which was received in exchange for the unlawful distribution of methamphetamine, based on a conservative purchase price of $1,850 an ounce (for 50 percent pure methamphetamine) and the distribution of 23 pounds of methamphetamine by Salazar and others.

JOHN HANNA, AP Political Writer

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A handful of small, rural Kansas school districts face spikes in local property taxes or spending cuts because they’re losing state aid under a new education funding law.

But a few other rural districts could see tax levies decrease significantly.

Dozens of districts of all sizes will see modest decreases because the state will give them additional aid for the 2016-17 school year.

The new law that took effect Friday focuses on smoothing out the taxes imposed by school districts. It’s part of an education funding system designed to prevent an over-reliance on local levies so that educational offerings across the state don’t vary too widely.

Districts that are losing some of the aid they’d been promised must increase taxes to make it up.

NEWTON- One person died after he ran from Newton Police, however the officers had no contact with the man until an ambulance was called.

Just before 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday a police vehicle occupied by two officers made a traffic stop in an alley on the east side of Newton, according to a social media report.

A man and woman ran from the scene. One officer remained at the scene with the vehicle and other occupants involved. The second officer was able to pursue the woman. She was taken into custody.

While eluding officers, the unknown man went to the home of an acquaintance in the 800 block of Blaine and was let into the residence.

The resident of observed the subject was in medical distress and called 911. The subject subsequently died at the residence, due to the medical issue.

Police say that there has been false reports circulating about an officer involved shooting and or tasing of this individual. They say officers had no contact with this person prior to locating him at the residence, where he was found unresponsive.

Name of the subject has not been released.

 

TOPEKA, Kan. –The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) samples publicly accessible bodies of water for blue-green algae when the agency receives reports of potential algae blooms in Kansas lakes. Based on sampling results, KDHE reports on potentially harmful conditions.

Lakes under a Warning are not closed. Marinas, lakeside businesses and park camping facilities are open for business. If swim beaches are closed, it will be specifically noted. Drinking water and showers at parks are safe and not affected by algae blooms. Boating and fishing are safe on lakes under a Warning, but contact with the water should be avoided. It is safe to eat fish caught during a harmful blue-green algae outbreak, as long as the fish is rinsed with clean water; only the fillet portion is consumed and all other parts are discarded. Hands should also be washed with clean water after handling fish taken from an affected lake. Zoned lakes may have portions fully open for all recreation even if other portions are under a Warning.

Kansans should be aware that blooms are unpredictable. They can develop rapidly and may float around the lake, requiring visitors to exercise their best judgment. If there is scum, a paint-like surface or the water is bright green, avoid contact and keep pets away. These are indications that a harmful bloom may be present. Pet owners should be aware that animals that swim in or drink water affected by a harmful algal bloom or eat dried algae along the shore may become seriously ill or die.

Public Health Warning: High levels of toxic blue-green algae have been detected. A Public Health Warning indicates that activities like boating and fishing may be safe; however, direct contact with water (i.e., wading, skiing and swimming) is strongly discouraged for people, pets and livestock.

Kansas public waters currently under a Warning status:

CENTRAL PARK LAKE, Shawnee County
LAKE AFTON, Sedgwick County
MARION RESERVOIR, Marion County (Not Marion County Lake)
MILFORD RESERVOIR, (All Zones; A, B and C) Clay, Dickinson and Geary Counties

When a Warning is issued, KDHE recommends the following precautions be taken:

Lake water is not good to drink for pets or livestock
Lake water, regardless of blue-green algae status, should never be consumed by humans
Water contact should be avoided
Fish can be eaten as long as they are rinsed with clean water, consume only the fillet portion, and discard all other parts
Do not allow pets to eat dried algae
If lake water contacts skin, wash with clean water as soon as possible
Avoid areas of visible algae accumulation

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — State and municipal employees are now able to conceal and carry on the job.

The measure is one of many newly passed laws that take effect July 1. Other measures include a shortening of the time someone can receive welfare and a ban on use of tanning beds by people under 18.

Under the concealed weapon law, public employees won’t need gun safety training to carry on the job.

Supporters say this will allow public employees to protect themselves on the job. Opponents say it violates the personal property rights of homeowners and creates potential safety risks.

Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell says it remains to be seen how many city employees will even take advantage of the right to carry.