MORRIS COUNTY- A Kansas man died in an accident on Thursday in Morris County.

A combine driven by Jerry G. Britt of rural White City was eastbound on J Avenue and was attempting to cross the railroad tracks just east of 2400 Road southwest of White City, according to Morris County Sheriff Scott Coover.

A northeast bound Union Pacific train struck the combine

Britt was pronounced dead at the scene by the Morris County coroner.

One train crewmember had a minor head injury.

The accident is under investigation by the Sheriff’s Department and the Union Pacific.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A fired University of Kansas assistant professor is claiming anti-German discrimination and a hostile work environment in a civil rights lawsuit against the school.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Catherine Joritz is asking the court to reinstate her in the suit filed this week in Douglas County District Court.

Issues arose when students in a spring 2014 basic video course complained about her. The suit said that student evaluations that became part of her permanent record made “angry, aggressive, anti-German comments” such as that she was a “Nazi sympathizer.”

The suit said one member of her tenure review committee cited Joritz’s German background as a reason for the negative comments.

University of Kansas spokesman Joe Monaco declined to discuss the case, noting that the litigation is pending.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the Kansas Legislature’s debate on education funding (all times local):

 

4:35 p.m.

A Kansas lawmaker has stirred up the debate over education funding with a brief history lesson about school finance and the state’s founding.

Republican Sen. Greg Smith of Overland Park distributed a computer run showing how state aid to school districts would have been distributed under language on public education originally included in the state constitution in 1859.

Voters adopted the current education article as an amendment in 1966.

The original language distributed the state’s funds “in equitable proportion” to the number residents between 5 to 21 years old.

Using the 1859 method, the Wichita school district would lose $21.4 million in aid and the Kansas City, Kansas, district would lose $33 million.

Meanwhile, the Blue Valley and Shawnee Mission districts in Johnson County would gain a total of $67.5 million.

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3 p.m.

While most Kansas lawmakers are arguing over increasing state aid to public schools, one House member would eventually cut it 20 percent.

Republican Rep. John Rubin of Shawnee said Friday that he’ll propose an amendment to the state constitution to limit aid to public schools to 45 percent of the total spending financed with general tax revenues.

Rubin contends that Kansas spends too much on its schools and diverts money from other critical needs such as prisons and social services.

The current spending percentage tops 50 percent. If Rubin’s amendment were in effect now, education funding would be cut more than $700 million for 2016-17.

Rubin plans to pursue his proposal during a special session next week for addressing a recent state Supreme Court order on education funding.

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2 p.m.

Kansas Democrats are proposing a plan that cuts job-creation spending by $13 million to keep public schools open after July 1. The overall $39 million in re-allocations of funds also includes a freeze on virtual school spending by over $7,000.

Democratic Senator Laura Kelly of Topeka said that only $66,000 had been used from the job-creation program last year and that the idle $13 million proposed for school funding won’t kill job opportunities. Replications were immediately critical.

Legislators concede they would be open to a proposal to prevent wealthier school districts from being disproportionately harmed to gain enough Republican votes.

The Supreme Court ruled last month that the state’s education funding system remains unfair to poor school districts and warned schools could be forced to close soon without further fixes.

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The Kansas Senate Judiciary Committee has settled on the language for a proposed amendment to the state constitution to prevent public schools from being closed as a result of education funding lawsuits.

The committee’s vote Friday means it will introduce the measure when lawmakers convene next week for a special session on education funding issues.

The House Judiciary Committee decided not to introduce the same proposal in its chamber.

The proposed amendment is a response to a state Supreme Court order last month warning that schools could remain closed after June 30 if lawmakers didn’t revise the state’s education funding system.

The proposal would prevent both the courts and legislators from closing schools in response to a school funding lawsuit.

An amendment would have to be approved by voters.

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1:40 p.m.

Two Kansas legislative committees have avoided endorsing specific recommendations for attempting to satisfy a recent state Supreme Court ruling on education funding.

The House and Senate Judiciary committees convened a joint meeting Friday to consider potential responses to the court’s ruling last month that the state’s education funding system remains unfair to poor school districts.

But the committees voted separately to forward the testimony they gathered and a summary of their discussions to both chambers’ budget committees when lawmakers convene a special session next week.

Gov. Sam Brownback called the special session to respond to the court’s order. The justices warned that public schools might not reopen after June 30 if lawmakers don’t make changes by then.

Some lawmakers want to boost education funding by $38 million for 2016-17.

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11:10 a.m.

The Kansas Senate Judiciary Committee’s chairman is suggesting that lawmakers divert $25 million in highway funds to aid to poor school districts as part of a plan to comply with a recent state Supreme Court order.

Republican Sen. Jeff King of Independence proposed Friday that lawmakers increase the state’s aid to public schools by $38 million for 2016-17 to help poor districts.

King said lawmakers could divert $25 million set aside for an upgrade of U.S. 69 in southeast Kansas to school aid. Brownback’s administration previously delayed the upgrade but announced recently it would go forward.

The Supreme Court ruled last month that the state’s education funding system remains unfair to poor school districts and warned schools could remain closed after June 30 without further fixes.

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10:50 a.m.

Kansas legislators are grappling with the question of whether they can protect wealthier districts from losing state aid while increasing it to poor districts to satisfy a recent state Supreme Court ruling.

The House and Senate Judiciary committees had a joint meeting Friday to discuss possible education funding fixes and were debating whether any plan should include a “hold harmless” provision to protect wealthier districts from having a piece of their aid redistributed.

But doing so could require legislators to increase state aid overall by $50 million for 2016-17.

The Supreme Court ruled last month that the state’s education funding system remains unfair to poor school districts. The justices warned that schools would be unable to reopen after June 30 if lawmakers didn’t make further changes by then.

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9:55 a.m.

Top Kansas Democrats are preparing to outline a proposal for increasing aid to poor school districts to satisfy a recent state Supreme Court order.

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley of Topeka and House Minority Leader Tom Burroughs of Kansas City planned to have a Friday news conference at the Statehouse. The ranking Democrats on the Legislature’s standing budget committees also were participating.

The Supreme Court ruled last month that the state’s education funding system remains unfair to poor school districts. The justices warned that schools would be unable to reopen after June 30 if lawmakers didn’t make further changes by then.

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback is pushing a plan to increase education funding by $38 million in 2016-17. School districts in Johnson County are backing a $50 million plan.

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SEDGWICK COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Sedgwick County are investigating a series of pool burglaries.

Police have responded to eight pool burglaries over the last week in the Wichita area, according to a social media report.

Seven of the burglaries occurred at City of Wichita pools, and one occurred at a YMCA pool.

The burglaries are taking place during overnight hours, and money and concessions are being stolen.

Damage is also being done to the pools.

Police asked the public to call 911 if you see any suspicious activity around pool areas, and if you have any additional information on these cases please contact Officer Steve Jerrell by email at [email protected] or at 316-350-3400.

By MEGAN HART

Kansas health centers will receive about $2.2 million in grants and Missouri health centers, including three in Kansas City, will receive about $7.5 million to improve access to oral health care.

The grants are part of $156 million in federal funding announced Thursday by the Health Resources and Services Administration for health centers in 47 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.

The grants will allow the health centers to boost their dental staffs by about 1,600 employees and treat 785,000 more patients. The health centers serve patients regardless of their ability to pay for services.

“Oral health is an important part of our overall physical health and well-being,” Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said in a news release. “The funding we are awarding will reduce barriers to quality dental care for hundreds of thousands of Americans by bringing new oral health providers to health centers across the country.”

 

Kansas grant winners and amounts:

• Center for Health and Wellness/HealthCore, Wichita, $350,000.
• Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, Pittsburg, $525,000.
• Flint Hills Community Health Center, Emporia, $350,000.
• Heartland Medical Clinic, Lawrence, $350,000.
• Prairiestar Health Center, Hutchinson, $350,000.
• Salina Health Education Foundation, Salina, $286,420.

Megan Hart is a reporter for KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team. You can reach her on Twitter @meganhartMC

SALINE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a woman for alleged aggravated battery on a child.

Christine Knipp, 51, Salina is alleged to have caused bruising around the neck of a preschool aged girl she was caring for at her daycare, according to Police Captain Mike Sweeney.

The mother contacted police on June 7, and the girl was taken to Salina Regional Health Center for treatment of the bruising which was consistent with strangulation, according to police.

Knipp was arrested Thursday after police completed their investigation. She was booked into jail on a requested charge of aggravated battery and released after posting bonding.

HARVEY COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal accident on Friday in Newton.

A train hit a man at First Street and Ash in Newton, according to a social media report from police.

The victim was transported to the hospital and died, according to police.

The train continues to block First Street as the investigation continues.

Name of the victim has not been released.

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, on Thursday supported the fiscal year 2017 Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) Appropriations bill, which includes provisions to continue six-day mail delivery service and rural delivery in addition to prohibiting closure or consolidation of rural post offices through the United States Postal Service (USPS). The legislation was debated by the full appropriations committee and will now await consideration by the full U.S. Senate.

“For the hundreds of rural communities in Kansas who depend upon the USPS for communication and commerce, loss of postal service would have dire consequences,” said Sen. Moran. “The economic success of our towns depends on our service, and I’m proud that this bill ensures the continuation of such an important part of our daily lives.”

The FSGG Appropriations bill provides annual funding for the Treasury Department, the Judiciary, the Small Business Administration, the Securities and Exchange Commission and other related agencies. It includes provisions to reduce government red tape, encourage economic growth and put a stop to misuse of taxpayer dollars at the Internal Revenue Service.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A judge has ruled that a 17-year-old can be tried as an adult in a Topeka killing.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the decision to move the case against Christopher Shawn Pattillo to adult court was made Thursday in Shawnee County. Patillo was 16 in April when Brian Miller was fatally shot. Pattillo initially was charged in juvenile court with first-degree murder.

Prosecutors allege Pattillo drove a van from which a gunman fired shots at two people. A second suspect also is jailed in the killing.

Patillo’s mother, Kimberly Hendrix, testified that her son has had a “hard life.” The teen’s father, also named Christopher Shawn Pattillo, is serving a sentence of 22 years and eight months in prison in the 2003 shooting death of a 36-year-old man.

OTTAWA COUNTY- A Kansas man died in an accident just after 7p.m. on Thursday in Ottawa County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1997 Chevy Blazer driven by Jerry L. Penn, 57, Minneapolis, was eastbound on Mulberry Road four miles northwest of Minneapolis.

The vehicle went left of center and the driver overcorrected.

The vehicle entered the south ditch, returned to the roadway and overturned.

Penn was transported to the hospital in Minneapolis where he died.

He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators are considering proposals to curb the power of the courts as they grapple with a recent state Supreme Court ruling on education funding.

The state House and Senate judiciary committees were convening a joint meeting Friday to discuss proposed amendments to the state constitution to block the courts from threatening to close schools in education funding lawsuits. Lawmakers have two versions.

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has called a special legislative session for next week to address the recent ruling that the state’s education funding system remains unfair to poor school districts.

The justices warned that schools might not reopen after June 30 unless lawmakers make additional changes.

If lawmakers approve an amendment by two-thirds majorities in both chambers, it would go to voters in the November election.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A new tribute to fallen soldiers will be honored at a war memorial in Topeka.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that a statue titled “Homage” will be dedicated Saturday morning at the Gage Park War Memorial. The statue depicts a soldier paying respect to a fallen comrade next to a rifle, helmet and boots on the ground.

Sculptor Jim Brothers created the statue. He’s known for the Eisenhower Statue in the U.S. Capitol’s Hall of Statues, the National D-Day Memorial in Virginia, the Korean War Memorial on the National Mall and a statue of Gen. Omar Bradley.

Other events in the area during the dedication include a USO show at the Gage Park Amphitheater and performances by Marshall’s Band, the Fairlawn Road Swing Band, the Topeka Police Department, and Pipe and Drum Corps.