PRATT COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Pratt County are investigating a hit and run accident.

Just before 7 a.m. on Wednesday, a Pratt County Sheriff’s Deputy came upon a woman walking northbound on Kansas 61 eleven miles north of Pratt, according to a media release.

Miranda Taylor, 20, Stafford, had a scratch on her left shoulder and left thigh.

She said she had just been clipped by a northbound semi. The only description she could give was a white semi pulling a white trailer.

The victim did not want emergency services called. A friend of the victim gave her a ride from the scene.
Evidence at the scene indicates Taylor was walking with her back to the traffic before sunrise.

The Pratt County Sheriff’s Office investigated the incident as a hit and run.

Anyone with any information on this accident please call the Pratt County Sheriff’s Office at 620-672-4133

By BRYAN THOMPSON
KHI News Service

LARNED–The troubled Larned State Hospital has a new superintendent.

Veteran state attorney Bill Rein has been named to head the facility, which provides inpatient treatment for people from the western two-thirds of Kansas suffering from severe or persistent mental illness.

Rein is the former chief counsel for the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, which oversees the state’s mental health hospitals in Larned and Osawatomie. More recently, Rein was the agency’s commissioner of behavioral health services, overseeing hospital operations and administration of the state’s behavioral health programs.

Rein drafted the state’s comprehensive mental health reform legislation in 1985 and 1990 while working for the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services, which became part of the Department for Children and Families in 2012. He supervised attorneys representing the state hospitals from 1984 to 1987.

Tim Keck, interim KDADS secretary, said the state would be hard-pressed to find anyone more qualified than Rein to take charge at Larned.

“No one in Kansas knows more about our state’s mental health system’s history and institutions,” Keck said. “Bill is the right person at the right time for the challenges facing Larned State Hospital.”

Those challenges include ongoing difficulties hiring and retaining adequate staff. Rein said one of his goals is to improve relations with employees who do most of the patient care at the state hospital.

“Making sure staff are really listened to, and they’re respected, and they’re valued, and all those kinds of things that would go into any job that we have,” he said. “We’re also trying to make very sure that people do understand how much we value their work, and how much we value the overtime, and that sort of thing that many of them are putting into the job.”

Two Larned State Hospital employees testified at a legislative hearing in April that mandatory overtime and limited time off between shifts are taking a toll on employees and their families.

Kyle Nuckolls and Lynette Lewis said employees are overworked and exhausted, and because of that more likely to make mistakes on the job.

A 2015 report from the Legislative Division of Post Audit found that Larned’s sexual predator program was near capacity. The report estimated the program’s costs would more than double by 2025 and that Larned would struggle to find enough staff for the program, mostly due to a lack of available labor in the rural area around it.

In April, the state moved some mental health inmates from Larned State Hospital units to another facility on the same campus run by the Kansas Department of Corrections because of concerns about understaffing.

Rein vowed to do all he can to improve conditions at the mental health hospital.

“I will use that experience to work with the staff of LSH, the Larned community and every other community and type of service that touches the lives of persons with behavioral health needs in central and western Kansas,” he said.

Rein thanked lawmakers and Gov. Sam Brownback for allocating additional funding for salaries to help attract applicants for key positions. He said the biggest obstacle is the inability to provide workers adequate time off.

“They just want to be able to spend more time with their families, want to be able to get to events in the community and those kinds of things that are equally if not more important than salary,” he said.

It’s becoming harder to recruit mental health professionals, Rein said.

“But the real challenge is in the rural areas, where 100 years ago society built their state hospitals. Now it’s a little harder to attract people to go to those kinds of rural areas,” he said.

Angela de Rocha, a KDADS spokeswoman, said 32 percent of the full-time state jobs at Larned State Hospital are open. That’s down from 37 percent last April. However, she pointed out that state employees are only part of the workforce at Larned. Contractors fill many of the positions on an as-needed basis.

De Rocha said that means the overall job vacancy rate at the state hospital is significantly lower than 32 percent, although she could not give a precise figure because the numbers change with patient needs.

Rein succeeds Chris Mattingly, who was named interim superintendent in April 2016 to focus on long-standing staffing and other difficulties at the hospital.

Bryan Thompson is a reporter for KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team.

ELLSWORTH COUNTY – A Kansas teen was injured in an accident just before 10a.m. on Wednesday in Ellsworth County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2002 Chevy SUV driven by Dylan Grant Lemieux,16, Holyrood, was northbound on 6th three miles southwest of Blackwell.

The SUV left the roadway to the right, crossed the centerline, left the roadway to the left and rolled.

Lemieux was transported to the hospital in Ellsworth.

He was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

In its annual report of “The Worst Cities to Live In,” 247wallst.com placed Kansas City, Mo., on the list.

The study examined factors including median home value, poverty rates, crime and education levels.

Kansas City placed 31st on the list. No Kansas communities ranked in the worst 50.

Click HERE for the complete listing.

SALINE COUNTY -Kansas health officials continue working to determine what is causing elevated lead levels among over 30 children in Saline County.

According to a release from the city of Salina, County Health Department Director Jason Tiller told commissioners during Tuesday’s meeting, “we don’t know where the lead is coming from right now but every possible source of lead contamination is being examined.”

Tiller said that on June 22 and June 23, another 384 adults and children were tested for lead. Of those, forty-two individuals did not identify any risk factors to proceed with further blood screenings.

Blood screenings were also completed during that time that involved 147 children and 153 adults. An additional 42 individuals will be called back to complete the blood screening.

Results will come from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment in about 10 to 14 business days.

In March, the Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City contacted KDHE about elevated blood lead levels in Saline County.

On May 20, KDHE’s Bureau of Epidemiology and Public Health Informatics provided an update. During a 15-month period (January 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016), 32 Saline County residents were found to have elevated blood lead levels. Of these, 27 lived with the Salina City limits.

Tiller said Kansas recommends that all children be screened for blood lead levels at age 12 and 24 months. As part of Kan Be Healthy Screenings, children on Medicaid are required to be screened at age 12 and 24 months.

For children, cases with results of 10 ug/dL or higher are referred to the health department for case management; adults are referred with levels of 25 ug/dL or higher.

County Commission Chairman Monte Shadwick said many citizens have asked him where the lead is coming from. Tiller replied, “industry, possibly water.” He said they hope to get the answers from information compiled by KDHE interviews with affected families.

TOPEKA –  Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt on Tuesday asked the Kansas Supreme Court to reconsider its opinions in a group of DUI cases in light of the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision in Birchfield, according to a media release.

The attorney general’s requests come after the recent U.S Supreme Court decision on three DUI-related cases, known together as Birchfield v. North Dakota, which addressed the constitutionality of criminally punishing post-arrest refusals to submit to testing to determine blood alcohol levels. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld that the Fourth Amendment permits warrantless breath tests incident to arrests for drunken driving. Additionally, the Court found that there was no legal right to refuse a breath test incident to arrest and upheld a conviction for refusal to comply with the requested breath test. As a result of this decision, previous conclusions made by the Kansas Supreme Court in State v. Ryce, State v. Nece, State v. Wilson, and State v. Wycoff require reconsideration.

“The Kansas cases reached a different result that appears inconsistent with the U.S. Supreme Court’s holding,” Schmidt said. “Although the issues presented are not identical, the bottom line is the same: The U.S. Supreme Court says the U.S. Constitution allows the state to criminally punish a driver’s refusal of a breath test after a DUI arrest, and the Kansas Supreme Court has said it does not. We think the Kansas court’s conclusion must yield to that of the U.S. Supreme Court, and we have requested clarity on the matter.”

In February, the Kansas Supreme Court overturned a state statute making it a crime for a person suspected of DUI to refuse to submit to a test to determine blood-alcohol levels. The state court held that the statute as currently written violates constitutional rights. Shortly after, Schmidt filed motions asking the Kansas Supreme Court to delay formally issuing the mandate on its decisions on the four Kansas cases, State v. Ryce, State v. Nece, State v. Wilson and State v. Wycoff, pending the outcome of the Birchfield case. Motions were later filed asking the Court to reconsider its decisions striking down the refusal statute, which effectively stayed the mandate in the cases. The Kansas Supreme Court has taken no action on the pending motions.

In March, Schmidt joined 17 other attorneys general in filing a friend-of-the-court brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in the Birchfield case urging the Court to decide the case in a way that upholds the constitutionality of Kansas’ statutes.

A copy of Tuesday’s filings is available here.

SALINA, Kan. (AP) — A judge has found sufficient evidence for two people to stand trial in the killing of a Nebraska man in a Salina motel parking lot.

The Salina Journal reports that 21-year-old DiAntre Lemmie and 24-year-old Amber Craig were bound over for trial Tuesday. They are charged in the fatal April shooting of 32-year-old Adonis Loudermilk, of Lincoln, Nebraska.

Among the preliminary hearing witnesses was James Faircloth, who tattooed Lemmie at the motel. Faircloth said he heard Craig tell Lemmie that Loudermilk had a “wad” of cash, and that Lemmie vowed to “get that.” Later, Lemmie left the room, and Faircloth said he heard Lemmie say, “I know you got it,” followed by gunshots.

Fairchild testified Craig then said that she didn’t think Lemmie would “take it that far.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will hear an appeal from Visa and MasterCard seeking to throw out a lawsuit accusing the credit card companies of illegally fixing ATM prices.

The justices on Tuesday agreed to review an appeals court ruling that said the antitrust case against the companies and three major banks could go forward.

A group of consumers and independent ATM operators argue that payment processors illegally coordinated with Bank of America Corp., JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Wells Fargo & Co. to adopt anticompetitive fees.

A federal judge dismissed the case in 2013, but a federal appeals court revived the claims last year.

The lawsuit claims the companies impose contract terms that prevent independent ATM operators from charging lower fees when consumers use debit cards that access cheaper processing networks.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City man was sentenced in federal court Tuesday for throwing Molotov cocktails at the local congressional office of U.S. Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II, according to Tammy Dickinson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

Eric G. King, 29, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to 10 years in federal prison without parole.

On March 3, 2016, King pleaded guilty to using explosive materials to commit arson.

On Sept. 11, 2014, at 2:52 a.m., a window was broken and two Molotov cocktails were thrown at Cleaver’s congressional office located at 101 W. 31st Street, Kansas City, Mo. The office was unoccupied at the time of the incident. A hammer used to break the window was recovered from the scene, as well as two broken Molotov cocktails. There was no fire damage to the building.

Video footage shows King, wearing a large backpack, walking to the congressional office. King retrieved two Molotov cocktails from his backpack, then walked around the parking lot for a few minutes in an apparent effort to hide from cars that were passing by. The video footage shows King throwing a hammer through the west window then lighting the two Molotov cocktails. The first Molotov cocktail bounced off the side of the building. King threw the second Molotov cocktail through the window then sprinted away from the office.

Detectives with the Kansas City, Mo., Police Department were investigating King in connection with a series of anti-government related incidents of vandalism in the immediate vicinity of the congressional office. The incidents occurred over the Labor Day weekend in 2014 and involved the spray painting of anti-government/anarchy graffiti. One of the incidents was at a Bank of America, from which investigators obtained video surveillance footage that showed King spray painting the bank.

Investigators reviewed social media and Facebook posts by King and noted one post from Sept. 3, 2014, that read, “KC Fight Back celebrated its first labor day with a lovely variety of action, action and more action against a series of government and Financial properties.” Other posts included King posting “KC Fight Back Insurrectionist Collective is alive,” and “these cops aren’t going to kill themselves, get to the streets.” On Aug. 10, 2014, King posted “I want to leave kc better than I found or an ashes.” A social media post by King on the day before the congressional office was attacked read, “KC Fight Back has been in serious in its Insurrection activity, and that is the thing that is giving me the most pride in my life.”

King was arrested as he was leaving his apartment on Sept. 16, 2014. When officers opened the backpack King was carrying at the time, they found a can of red spray paint, Kingsford Charcoal Lighter fluid, and a clear plastic soda bottle (containing a clear liquid) with a tube sock placed over it.

Officers searched King’s apartment and found a hand-written letter entitled “Operation House Committee.” The letter, in part, was a list that contained the following: “(1) Paint thinner/alcohol, (2) face cover/hand cover/all tattoos covered, (3) Three bottles glass, (4) paper towels, old rags/lighter, (5) drive/driver, must be someone trust with.” The letter then mentioned the steps to light the devices, then said to “use hammer/sledgehammer to break door,” “light bottles, throw them, light curtains,” and repeat these steps on “government buildings, all things police, certain law firms, corporations…” The first part of the backside of the letter read, “The arsons committed on Sept 11, 2014 were committed solely by the KC FIGHT BACK Insurrectionist Collective.”

The Molotov cocktails recovered from the congressional office were analyzed by the ATF crime lab in order to identify any DNA that might be present and a profile was developed from one of the bottles and one of the wicks. A sample of King’s DNA was obtained via a search warrant; King’s DNA matched the DNA found on both the wick and bottle.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Wichita community has raised nearly $11,000 to send the parents of an Olympic boxer to Rio de Janeiro to watch their son compete in August.

 

Me an moms ❤️ pic.twitter.com/7utOnx4lKy

— Nico Hernandez (@NicoTheBoxer) May 28, 2016

  The Wichita Eagle reports that the community has raised $10,900 for Nico Hernandez’s parents, Lewis and Chello Hernandez. The original goal to help with the couple’s travel expenses was $8,000.

So excited!!! 😬 just want to thank everyone for all your support. We did it we earned enough money for my parents to go to Rio with me 😬🙏🏼 — Nico Hernandez (@NicoTheBoxer) June 29, 2016

The community raised $4,500 from by selling T-shirts and signed mini boxing gloves, $2,250 from a GoFundMe page, $2,900 in private donations and $1,250 from an auction by the North High Alumni Association.

Nico Hernandez is currently training in Texas with father, who has been his boxing trainer since he began the sport at age 9. Nico Hernandez will fight in the light flyweight division and will travel to Rio on July 19.

TOKYO (AP) — Toyota is recalling 1.43 million vehicles for defective air bags and another 2.87 million vehicles for faulty fuel-emissions controls.

Toyota Motor Corp. said Wednesday it has not received any reports of injuries or fatalities related to either recall. Some 932,000 vehicles are involved in both issues.

The first recall for defective air bags affects Prius hybrids, Prius plug-ins and Lexus CT200h vehicles produced between October 2008 and April 2012 — 743,000 vehicles in Japan, 495,000 in North America, 141,000 in Europe, 9,000 in China and 46,000 in other regions.

The second affects various Prius models, the Auris, Corolla, Zelas, Lucas and Lexus HS250h and CT200h produced from April 2006 through August 2015 — 1.55 million vehicles in Japan, 713,000 in Europe, 35,000 in China and 568,000 elsewhere.

ISTANBUL (AP) — The Latest on the explosions at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport (all times local):

 

1:25 p.m.

Airport Security is increased around the world following Tuesday’s deadly suicide bombing attack in Istanbul’s Ataturk airport.

The Istanbul Governor’s Office says 41 people have been killed in the attack blamed on the Islamic State group.

A statement on the governor’s website says 37 of the victims have been identified, including 10 foreign nationals and three people with dual citizenship. More than 230 people were wounded in the attack, but 109 have been discharged from hospitals.

A Turkish official who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol says the death toll does not include three suicide bombers who died.

The Palestinian ambassador to Turkey says a Palestinian woman was among the dead. Separately, the Turkish official said five Saudis, two Iraqis, one Tunisian, an Uzbek, a Chinese, an Iranian, a Ukrainian and a Jordanian national were killed.

___

12:45 p.m.

Denmark’s Prime Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen is “crying with the Turkish people who once again are witnesses to a cowardly terrorist attack.”

Nordic and Baltic governments condemned Wednesday the attack at Istanbul’s main airport that killed 36 people and wounded scores of others.

Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg tweeted her “thoughts are with those who lost their lives, the wounded and their loved ones.”

Latvian Foreign Minister Edgars Rinkevics conveyed “his deepest sympathies” while Finland Prime Minister Juha Sipila sent his condolences to his Turkish counterpart, Binali Yildirim.

The region’s foreign ministries said there were no reports of Nordic or Baltic victims.

___

12:35 p.m.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered his condolences to Turkey which was hit by suicide attacks on Tuesday, killing dozens at Istanbul’s airport.

Following a statement in Moscow Putin is expected to offer his condolences in the telephone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday, their first conversation in seven months after Russia froze its ties with Turkey in response to Turkey shooting down its military jet.

Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that the attacks at the Ataturk airport are “just another reminder of the importance of joint efforts to fight our common threat — terrorism.”

___

12:25 p.m.

Greece’s Foreign Ministry has expressed “rage and revulsion” over the attacks at Istanbul airport, condemning the suicide bomb attacks that claimed the lives of at least 36 people.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement Wednesday that a Greek consular team had gone to the airport immediately after the blasts to provide assistance to Greek citizens to ensure they were transported safely to hotels in the city, and the Greek Consulate in Istanbul was working to help repatriate citizens. The ministry said there were no indications that any Greeks were among the casualties of the attacks.

Istanbul has a resident Greek community and is also a popular destination for visiting Greek tourists.

___

11:40 a.m.

Turkish officials say an Iranian and a Ukrainian are among victims of Istanbul airport attack.

Tuesday’s attack at the city’s main Ataturk Airport killed 36 people and wounded scores of others. Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the Islamic State group was behind the attack. He said three suicide bombers attacked the airport with automatic weapon fire before blowing themselves up.

___

11:05 a.m.

France’s foreign minister has condemned the attack on Istanbul’s airport as “odious and cowardly.”

Offering condolences, Jean-Marc Ayrault assured that France “is at Turkey’s side in the fight against terrorism.”

As usual in such circumstances, France opened a crisis cell to maintain close contact with Turkish authorities, and provides any needed instructions to the French community there.

Ayrault counseled prudence to French people in Turkey, a prime destination for French tourists.

___

10:55 a.m.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, whose plane landed in Istanbul minutes after the attacks on Istanbul’s airport, has expressed his condolences to the victims.

Rama said in a message on Twitter that he felt “deep pity for the lost innocent lives in that barbarous act of those who have neither God or hope nor a place among the people.”

Rama, Finance Minister Arben Ahmetaj and a delegation on Wednesday are on an official visit to Turkey. Rama said all of the planned meetings would go ahead.

___

10:25 a.m.

Turkish officials say Istanbul’s busy Ataturk International Airport has reopened, hours after three suicide bombers killed 36 and wounded 147.

Turkey’s Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters that air traffic returned to normal and “Our airport has been opened to flights and departures from 02:20 (local time) on,” in a press statement at the airport early Wednesday morning.

Turkish Airline’s website says “flight operations have been restarted” and instructs passengers to monitor actual flight information.

___

9:45 a.m.

Germany’s top security official is condemning the attack on Istanbul’s airport as “cowardly and brutal.”

Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere said his thoughts were with the victims and their families, and vowed that “we will continue our fight against terrorism together with our allies with full force.”

De Maiziere said in a statement Wednesday he was “deeply shocked by the cowardly and brutal attack on Istanbul’s airport.”

He says “terrorism has once again shown its ugly face and innocent people have lost their lives.”

___

9:30 a.m.

NATO’s chief has strongly condemned the “horrific attacks” at Istanbul’s airport, and said Turkey’s 27 allies in the U.S-led political and military organization stand with it.

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s secretary-general, said in a statement: “My thoughts are with the families of the victims, those injured and the people of Turkey.

“There can be no justification for terrorism,” Stoltenberg said. “NATO Allies stand in solidarity with Turkey, united in our determination to fight terrorism in all its forms.”

___

8:00 a.m.

Officials on Wednesday morning began assessing the damage caused at Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport by three suicide bombers who killed dozens and wounded more than 140.

Workers were brought in to remove debris left by the blast, while in the daylight the damage to the terminal became clearer with even ceiling panels hit.

The airport was partially reopened, with the information board inside the airport showing that about one third of scheduled flights have been canceled, with a host of others delayed.

___

5 a.m.

A stoppage of flights to and from the United States and Istanbul Ataturk Airport lasted several hours but has been lifted, said a U.S. official who spoke on background to discuss sensitive security issues. The official said the stoppage was lifted in the middle of the evening.

The official says 10 passenger flights were in the air, flying from Turkey to the U.S., at the time of the stoppage and they have all landed. However, cargo planes and corporate jets in the U.S. would have been most affected by the stoppage. The official says the decision on lifting the stoppage was made in coordination with the Transportation Security Administration.

___

Associated Press writer Will Lester in Washington.

___

4 a.m.

According to the private Dogan news agency, a plane carrying Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama was landing at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport when the attack occurred. He was arriving on an official visit. The prime minister and his entourage were safely taken to an official residence. The group was to travel later on Wednesday to Turkey’s capital, Ankara.

___

3:50 a.m.

Saudi Arabia’s Embassy in Turkey says at least seven Saudis were injured in the Istanbul airport attack and all are in stable condition.

The embassy statement was carried on Saudi Arabia’s state-owned al-Ekhbaria news channel early Wednesday.

Muslim-majority Turkey is a popular tourist destination for Arabs from the Gulf, particularly during the summer. Tuesday’s attack also comes a week before the Eid holiday, which marks the end of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.

___

3:25 a.m.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has condemned the “terrorist attack” at Istanbu’s Ataturkl airport and is calling for the perpetrators to be identified and brought to justice.

U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said the secretary-general “stands firmly by Turkey as it confronts this threat and stresses the need to intensify regional and international efforts to combat terrorism and violent extremism.”

Mogens Lykketoft, president of the 193-member U.N. General Assembly, expressed anger and grief at the attack.

“Once again we experience the senseless killing of innocent and peaceful civilians,” he said. “The international community must — through much closer cooperation — redouble efforts to contain and fight radical and violent extremism.”

___

3:10 a.m.

Turkey’s prime minister says 36 people and three suicide bombers have died in the attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says that so far all indications point to the Islamic State group being behind the attack. He says the attackers arrived at the airport in a taxi and blew themselves up after opening fire.

Asked whether a fourth attacker might have escaped, he says authorities have no such assessment but are considering every possibility.

He says the victims include some foreigners and that many of the dozens wounded have minor injuries but others are more badly hurt.

He says the attacks come as Turkey is having success in fighting terrorism and trying to normalize ties with neighbors like Russia and Israel.

__

2:45 a.m.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest says the United States condemns in the strongest terms possible the attacks at the Istanbul Ataturk Airport that killed at least 31 people and left dozens more wounded.

Earnest says the Istanbul airport, like the Brussels airport that was attacked earlier this year, is a symbol of international connections and the ties that bind nations together.

He says the U.S. sends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of those killed and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured.

Earnest says the United States remains steadfast in its support for Turkey, a NATO ally and partner, “along with all of our friends and allies around the world, as we continue to confront the threat of terrorism.”

___

2:35 a.m.

Turkey’s Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag says at least 31 people have been killed and some 147 wounded in the attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk airport.

Another senior government official says the death toll could climb much higher.

The senior official at first said close to 50 people had already died, but later said that the figure was expected to rise to close to 50.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol, also said all initial indications suggest the Islamic State group was behind the attack.

___

1:40 a.m.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has released a statement condemning the attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, which took place during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. He says the attack “shows that terrorism strikes with no regard to faith and values.”

He has called on the international community to take a firm stand against terrorism and vowed to keep up Turkey’s struggle against terror groups.

Erdogan says “Turkey has the power, determination and capacity to continue the fight against terrorism until the end.”

___

1:20 a.m.

A senior Turkish government official has told The Associated Press all initial indications suggest the Islamic State group is behind the attack at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport.

The official also as many as four militants may have been involved in the attack Tuesday at the airport’s international terminal.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol.

___

This item has been corrected to remove retracted reference to nearly 50 people killed.

___

12:55 a.m.

German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has condemned the attacks on Ataturk airport in Istanbul that have killed at least 28 people.

He says on the sidelines of an ecumenical Iftar dinner in Berlin that he’s shocked by the news.

He says the background of the attacks is still unclear, “but everything suggests that terrorists have once again hit the Turkish metropolis.

“We grieve for the victims and with the relatives. We stand by Turkey.”

___

12:50 a.m.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says officials are still trying to figure out who attacked the Ataturk airport in Istanbul and what exactly happened.

Kerry was speaking at the Festival of Ideas in Aspen, Colorado.

He says “This is daily fare and that’s why I say the first challenge we need to face is countering non-state, violent actors.”

___

12:40 a.m.

Hundreds of passengers are flooding out of Istanbul’s Ataturk airport after an attack that killed at least 28 people.

Twelve-year-old Hevin Zini had just arrived from Dusseldorf with her family and was in tears from the shock.

She tells The Associated Press that there was blood on the ground and everything was blown up to bits.

South African Judy Favish, who spent two days in Istanbul as a layover on her way home from Dublin, had just checked in when she heard an explosion followed by gunfire and a loud bang.

She says she hid under the counter for some time.

Favish says passengers were ushered to a cafeteria at the basement level where they were kept for more than an hour before being allowed outside.

___

12:15 a.m.

Turkey’s NTV television is quoting Istanbul’s governor as saying 28 people were killed in the attack at the city’s airport and some 60 people wounded.

Governor Vasip Sahin also told the channel that three suicide bombers carried out the attack Tuesday.

Officials had previously said one or two attackers had blown themselves up at the entrance to the international terminal at the airport after police fired at them.

___

12:10 a.m.

Hundreds of passengers are spilling out of Istanbul’s Ataturk airport with their suitcases in hand or stacked onto trolleys after two explosions killed at least 10 people.

Others are sitting on the grass, their bodies lit by the flashing lights of ambulances and police cars, which are the only kind of vehicles allowed to reach the airport.

Two South African tourists, Paul and Susie Roos from Cape Town, were at the airport and due to fly home at the time of the explosions Tuesday. They were shaken by what they witnessed.

Paul said: “We came up from the arrivals to the departures, up the escalator when we heard these shots going off.”

He added: “There was this guy going roaming around, he was dressed in black and he had a hand gun.”

___

11:40 p.m.

European Union leaders holding an unprecedented summit about Britain’s departure from the bloc are condemning a deadly attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk airport.

Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted from a closed-door meeting Tuesday in Brussels, “Despicable terror attack. Stand together with people of Turkey.”

Dalia Grybauskaite, president of Lithuania, wrote “Our thoughts are with the victims of the attacks at Istanbul airport. We condemn those atrocious acts of violence.”

The 28 EU leaders are meeting for an exceptional summit at which Prime Minister David Cameron announced his country has voted to leave the EU. They are also discussing migration via Turkey to the EU.

Two explosions rocked Istanbul’s Ataturk airport Tuesday, killing at least 10 people.

___

11 p.m.

A Turkish official says two attackers have blown themselves up at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport after police fire at them.

Turkish media quoted Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag as saying 10 people were killed in the attack on Tuesday.

Turkey’s state-run news agency quoted Bekir Bozdag as saying: “According to the information I was given, a terrorist at the international terminal entrance first opened fire with a Kalashnikov and then blew himself up. We have around 10 martyrs (dead) and around 20 wounded.”

The official said the attackers detonated the explosives at the entrance of the international terminal before entering the x-ray security check.

Turkish airports have security checks at both at the entrance of terminal buildings and then later before entry to departure gates.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol.

___

10:25 p.m.

A Turkish official says two explosions have rocked Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, wounding multiple people.

The official said Tuesday it was unclear whether the explosions were caused by a suicide attack.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol.

Turkish media reported the sound of gunfire at the scene.

Turkey has suffered several bombings in recent months linked to Kurdish or Islamic State group militants.

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — Republican U.S. Rep. Tim Huelskamp and primary challenger Roger Marshall are sparring over who’s most likely to win a spot on House committee that helps shape federal farm policy.

The Wichita Eagle reports that the issue came up Monday night when they debated in Hutchinson. Huelskamp bucked House GOP leaders on key votes and was stripped of seats on the Agriculture and Budget committees late in 2012.

Marshall, a physician from Great Bend, positioned himself as a “peacemaker” and promised to secure a spot on the Agriculture Committee.

Huelskamp blamed former House Speaker John Boehner for Kansas not having a spot on the committee. Now a member of the influential House Steering Committee that coordinates committee assignments, Huelskamp said he anticipates returning to the Agriculture Committee if re-elected.