HARPER COUNTY –A Kansas woman was injured in an accident just after 1:30p.m. on Saturday in Harper County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1998 Ford Ranger driven by Faith T. Denwalt, 23, Anthony, was eastbound on Kansas 44 just east of Southeast 60 Road.

The driver swerved to miss a rabbit. She lost control of the pickup and it overturned in the ditch.

Denwalt was transported to the hospital in Anthony. She was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

SUMNER COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Sumner County worked together to locate a suspect who had fled into a wooded area, according to a social media report.

On Friday night, Game Warden K-9 Ruby and Game Warden/K-9 Handler Stout with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism were called to assist the Sumner County Sheriff’s Department and Wellington Police Department with a search for a suspect.

Within 5 minutes of arriving on scene K-9 Ruby tracked the suspect to a dumpster where the suspect was hiding.

Ruby also located the suspect’s clothes he had changed out of inside the dumpster.

Details on what prompted the search and name of the suspect have not been released.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man is accused of recklessly causing the crash-related deaths of two clients of an organization that helps adults with developmental disabilities.

Prosecutors in Sedgwick County charged 56-year-old Bret Blevins on Friday with two counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection with the May 6 wreck. He’s also charged with aggravated battery, leaving an accident scene and driving with a suspended or canceled license.

Authorities say Blevins was driving a borrowed Cadillac sport utility vehicle when he ran through a stop sign and hit a van occupied by three residents and two employees of the Starkey organization.

Two of the residents, 46-year-old Dirk MacMillian and 25-year-old Dusty Atterbery, were killed.

It was not immediately clear Friday if Blevins has an attorney.

By ANDY MARSO

Most Kansas school districts have moved to comply with stricter nutrition standards since the U.S. Department of Agriculture imposed them almost four years ago. But many still lack kitchen equipment necessary to make the healthier school breakfasts and lunches appealing.

The U.S. House and Senate are considering competing versions of a bill to reauthorize the nutrition standards.

As written, the law includes even tougher standards for the 2017-18 school year, with high schools expected to cut sodium in their lunches by an additional 24 percent.

“They really are lofty targets, and the food industry is going to have to do some new product development before we could meet those targets with processed foods or manufactured foods,” said Cheryl Johnson, director of child nutrition for the Kansas State Department of Education.

“But we can start working toward meeting those with some of the scratch cooking.”

Not fully equipped

Scratch cooking is not a reality for many school districts in Kansas and other states, though, as found in a survey by the Pew Charitable Trusts in 2012 — the year the new standards went into effect.

Nationwide, 88 percent of school nutrition officials who responded said their districts needed more knives, refrigerators and other equipment in order to serve their students fresh produce and made-from-scratch meals.

The numbers were slightly better in Kansas, where 72 percent of those who responded said they needed more equipment.

Jessica Donze Black, a child nutrition expert and researcher for Pew, said the organization decided to study the topic after the federal government made $100 million in stimulus grants for school kitchen upgrades available during the recession of the late 2000s.

The nation’s schools sent in $600 million worth of applications. In the absence of equipment for making their own meals from scratch, schools rely on large manufacturers to provide them pre-made.

There’s a limited selection of processed foods within the new standards, Black said, which makes students less likely to eat them. “Where we often see the impact of updated kitchen equipment isn’t so much on technically serving healthy food, but rather the variety of food that they can serve, their ability to serve it in a way that is most appealing to students,” Black said.

“So perhaps if it has the best color and the best temperature and it’s cooked in a relatively short amount of time.” According to the KSDE, the number of Kansas students eating school-made lunch has dipped since the standards were introduced — after years of steady increases.

 

Topeka as a test case

Nicole Jahnke, director of child nutrition services for Topeka USD 501, would like her district to serve more made-from-scratch meals. But it’s a district dotted with older schools, and more than half of them don’t even have their own kitchens. Their food is prepared at a central kitchen, trucked to various locations and placed on electric warming trays for hours.

“The food may start out really yummy and crispy, but after it sits in the hot cart for a couple hours, it’s definitely losing its quality,” Jahnke said.

Desmond Smith, a freshman at Topeka High School, said some of the meals he had at his two Topeka middle schools were served cold or “squishy.” “(In) high school, I don’t even eat lunch,” he said. “I just go home.”

Matthew Genrich is a fourth-grader at Whitson Elementary School. His school has no kitchen, but the principal is optimistic it will soon get the equipment to at least do hot food preparation.

Matthew, who usually brings lunch from home, said that would be a good step. “It would always be really warm since they would make it from here and it wouldn’t be shipped from any school,” he said.

Other Topeka schools already have the equipment and are putting it to use. Patricia Adolphson, kitchen manager at Eisenhower Middle School, raves about her new convection oven and the school’s salad bar.

Adolphson said she considers the lunchroom an extension of the classroom where students can try new foods, like exotic fruits and vegetables and even more mundane things like apple crisp

Although some Kansas schools like Eisenhower have been updated since Pew’s survey, Johnson said about half still lack some critical cooking gear. Both versions of the reauthorization bill in Congress include more money for kitchen upgrades for schools where at least half the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunches.

The American Dairy Association and the NFL’s Fuel Up to Play 60 initiative are teaming to provide new grants open to all schools. Someday that grant money could translate into made-from-scratch meals for Whitson Elementary fourth-grader La’Mya Taylor and her classmates.

“I like school lunch, because if you don’t have any food to bring from home to eat for lunch — because you have to eat it for dinner and stuff like that — they provide school lunch,” La’Mya said, “and they make sure that you eat a meal every day.”

Andy Marso is a reporter for KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team. You can reach him on Twitter @andymarso

SHAWNEE COUNTY -Law enforcement authorities in Shawnee County continue to investigate a shooting and have a suspect in custody.

On Friday, Noah Thompson, 23, Topeka, turned himself in to Police, according to a media release.

Just after 8:30p.m. on Thursday, police responded to a report of shots fire in the 2400 Block of Northeast Seward in Topeka.

They later learned that shooting victim Javier Valdez, 28, Topeka, was being treated at a local hospital for non-life threatening wounds.

Thompson, was identified as a person-of interest in the shooting. Police believed he was driving a white SUV and also involved in a hit-and-run accident

By Miranda Davis

KU Statehouse Wire Service

TOPEKA – For Stephanie Clayton (R-Overland Park), using Twitter was part of her community activism before she was elected to the Kansas House of Representatives.

Now, it’s part of her daily routine. Clayton uses the #ksleg hashtag to track her votes and explain her stance on complex issues.

For Clayton (@SSCJoCoKs), being on Twitter and being engaged with social media has been an overwhelmingly positive experience.

Online harassment is at a minimum, she said, and when it does happen, the followers that like her usually drown out the few who don’t. More often than anything else, it’s other legislative representatives who send her mean tweets, she said.

“You would think since I’m a female politician, it would be like Gamergate, but it’s not,” Clayton said.

Gamergate refers to an online campaign attacking female game developer Zoe Quinn. Clayton started tweeting from local government meetings, and when she was elected to the House in 2013, she felt the need to continue.

She not only tweets about the big and complex votes, but also the smaller ones that may be less interesting to her constituents.

As always, #ksleg Twitter, you have been great! It is so rewarding to have the opportunity to interact with all of you.

— Stephanie Clayton (@SSCJoCoKs) May 2, 2016

  “It’s nice because it keeps me honest, and frankly, it helps me keep track of my vote,” Clayton said. “I think my constituents really like it because whether they think it’s right or wrong, they know what I’m doing.” Clayton said that for her, despite the backlash from other representatives, it is worth it to keep tweeting.

She said that she is unique in the way that she tweets every single vote and most of her actions relating to her job. She said that while more and more politicians are doing it at the national level, it is pretty rare to see it at the state level. “Politicians just don’t do that. It’s very new, and they don’t do it,” Clayton said.

“They don’t know how to handle it.” However, Shawn Sullivan (@SSullivan66610), the state budget director, also uses Twitter to explain the budget to Kansans. “Following a budget presentation or press conference, if I see something that needs clarification or is factually inaccurate, I will often correct it through Twitter,” Sullivan said in a statement. He also said that it’s a way to get information out to news sites. “I also know that the political beat reporters are active on Twitter and will see the information I post on #ksleg,” Sullivan said.

The official Twitter handle for Gov. Sam Brownback (@govsambrownback) has more than 14,000 followers who receive tweets about press releases and the governor’s activities.

“Our goal is to communicate Governor Brownback’s vision to make Kansas the best state in America to raise a family and grow a business, so we utilize multiple platforms to reach every Kansan across each demographic,” deputy communications director Melika Willoughby said in a statement.

“Twitter allows us to instantly announce the Governor’s latest actions, share photos and conversations as he visits with Kansans from across the state, and post stories about the positive impacts of his policies.” It’s unclear whether the governor’s office monitors tweets that mention or reply to Brownback’s tweets.

For every one of Brownback’s tweets, there can be a dozen responses, many of which are negative. For example, the governor’s office tweeted this message: “The Obama administration is undermining the refugee resettlement program by refusing to provide adequate security assurances. #ksleg”

One user replied, “You’re undermining the refugee resettlement program by refusing to participate in it because of the people seeking refuge.” The #ksleg hashtag and social media use by elected officials can turn bad in an instant. The hashtag use usually gets more intense during the hot-button issues, with more and more people engaging when they feel it’s something they need to sounds off on.

Anyone can use the hashtag, which can have a powerful effect. In a 24-hour period from May 4 to May 5, 218 users posted 517 tweets with a total of 1,437,440 impressions on Twitter, reported Keyhole.co, a website that tracks analytics on hashtags.

Edited by Leah Sitz

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Secretary of State Kris Kobach has asked a federal appeals court to stay a judge’s order to add to voting rolls for federal elections thousands of Kansans who did not provide proof of citizenship when registering to vote at motor vehicle offices.

The Kansas Republican argued in a filing Friday to the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals that the process would be administratively burdensome and would involve thousands of hours of work by election officials.

U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson issued the preliminary injunction Tuesday after finding more than 18,000 eligible voters would be disenfranchised in the November federal election under the Kansas law. She put her order on hold until May 31 so the state could appeal.

Kobach is asking for a stay while it appeals the order.

EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — An east-central Kansas woman has been ordered to spend a year behind bars for a 2013 fatal crash that killed a bicyclist.

KVOE-AM of Emporia reports that a Lyon County judge sentenced 41-year-old Jean Getten on a conviction of vehicular homicide. She was acquitted last month of a charge of involuntary manslaughter.

Authorities say a pickup truck driven by Getten, who at the time of the crash was known as Jean McComber, hit and killed 51-year-old bicyclist Ronald Kennedy of Ottawa, Kansas, on a highway west of Emporia.

MARCIA DUNN, AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Last week, Mercury stole the show. Now it’s Mars’ turn.

On Sunday morning, Mars, Earth and the sun will line up perfectly in the sky. This once-every-two-years event is called Mars opposition. That’s because Mars and the sun will be on opposite sides of Earth.

Right now, Mars is about 48 million miles from us. That won’t change much by Sunday. But on May 30, Mars will pass within 47 million miles of Earth, the closest in a decade.

Sky-watchers, gazing to the southeast at nightfall, can enjoy a brighter, seemingly bigger Mars into June. The Hubble Space Telescope, meanwhile, will be zooming in for some pretty pictures.

SALINE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating six reported thefts and asking the public for help.

Between April 8th and May 6th, 2016, six commercial air conditioning units were reported stolen along Broadway Boulevard between South Street and Grand Avenue in Salina, according to Saline County Crime Stoppers.

Due to the weight of the units, there would more than likely be more than one suspect involved.

Total loss and damage is estimated at $17,000.

Any information concerning who committed this crime should be reported to 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.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The remains of a U.S. Navy member killed in the Pearl Harbor attack will be returned to be buried in his hometown in Kansas nearly 75 years after his death.

The Wichita Eagle reports that the remains of Navy Seaman 2nd Class Dale Pearce will be flown by military escort to Tulsa.

Family members, escorted by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and local police, will take the casket to Parsons. It’ll be buried Thursday in Dennis, a town of about 300 people.

According to military records, Pearce’s remains were recovered about a year after the 1941 attack. But advances in DNA technology in recent years have allowed authorities to identify remains of those deceased long ago.

Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency scientists used family DNA and dental comparisons to identify Pearce.

ABILENE -One week after being named the new Abilene Chief of Police, Mike Marshall resigned on Friday.

Marshall, who cited personal reasons for his resignation, issued the following statement via social media.

“Since I shared my good news last week, I need to share my disappointing news today.

I resigned my position as Police Chief with the Abilene Police Department. Albeit I was excited for the position, once I started working, I realized it was not for me. I believe six years of retirement changed me and I was not willing to start over again.”

Marshall, who previously served more than three decades with the Salina Police Department, took over the position on May 17, replacing Mark Heimer, who retired in February after serving nearly six years as Abilene’s Police Chief.

Following Marshall’s announcement, the City of Abilene named Michael Mohn as its next Police Chief. Mohn will assume the duties of the position effective immediately.

Mohn has served as a Lieutenant of the Abilene Police Department since 2007 and has been a police officer with the Abilene Police Department since 1997. He has served as Range Master and Field Training Officer, and has administered Patrol and Operations Command for the Department.
He earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Wichita State University and attended the FBI National Academy, Class #259 at the University of Virginia. He is also a certified law enforcement officer by the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center. He has also received training from the Southern Police Institute, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Association.

“Michael will no doubt step into the role of Police Chief with the dedicated responsibility of ensuring that Abilene continues to have quality law enforcement services provided to its citizens,” said Abilene City Manager David Dillner.

“He has a very good understanding of the community and is fully capable of keeping the Abilene Police Department moving forward in a complex world that constantly changes.”

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A former U.S. Army explosives expert has been charged with illegally possessing grenades after investigators found several explosives at his Kansas home.

Forty-two-year-old John Panchalk of Overland Park, Kansas, was charged Friday with one count of possessing two fragmentation grenades unregistered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

Panchalk was initially charged by Kansas prosecutors with one count of criminal use of explosives. That felony was dropped Friday to give way to the federal charge.

Panchalk, who also is a firearms instructor at a Johnson County shooting range, was arrested late Thursday after authorities searched his home. Authorities say Panchalk caught their attention after explosives were found at a storage facility registered to him in nearby Parkville, Missouri.

Online court records do not show whether Panchalk has an attorney.

————

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A former U.S. Army explosive ordnance disposal expert in suburban Kansas City is accused by federal prosecutors of illegally possessing grenades.

Forty-two-year-old John Panchalk of Overland Park, Kansas, was charged Friday with one count of possessing two fragmentation grenades unregistered to him in the National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record.

Panchalk initially had been charged by Kansas state prosecutors with one count of criminal use of explosives. But that felony was dropped Friday to give way to the federal charge.

Panchalk, who also is a firearms instructor at a Johnson County shooting range, was arrested late Thursday after authorities searched his home.

Online court records do not show whether Panchalk has an attorney.

———–

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Authorities have arrested a former U.S. Army explosive ordinance disposal expert after federal agents searched his suburban Kansas City home and found explosives.

The Kansas City Star reports that the 42-year-old man was booked into the Johnson County Jail late Thursday. No charges were immediately fired against the Overland Park man, who also is a firearms instructor at a Johnson County shooting range.

Authorities haven’t released the type of explosives that were found, but Overland Park police said no one had to be evacuated from the area and there was no danger to the public.

A spokesman for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says the search was the result of a tip obtained during another investigation.