NEW YORK (AP) — Allergan and Pfizer are calling off a record $160 billion merger after the Treasury issued new rules on Tuesday to make “tax inversions” less lucrative.
The aggressive changes to U.S. tax laws announced this week helped to kill the deal. The merger would have moved Pfizer’s address — but not its operations or headquarters — to Ireland where it would pay far less in corporate taxes.
Pfizer Inc., based in New York, has agreed to pay Allergan PLC $150 million for reimbursement of expenses.
TOPEKA- Law enforcement authorities in Shawnee County are investigating a shooting.
Just before 6:15p.m. on Tuesday, emergency personnel were dispatched to 308 SE Lime in Topeka after a reported shooting, according to a media release.
Emergency responders located a woman who had suffered a gunshot wound to her lower leg.
The victim was treated at the scene by emergency personnel and then transported to a local hospital with non-life threatening injuries.
Anyone with knowledge of this incident, or any other crime is asked to call the Topeka Police Department at 785-368-9200, or Crime Stoppers at 234-0007.
KANSAS CITY– A Kansas man was sentenced Monday to 12 years in federal prison for his part in a drug trafficking organization that is alleged to have distributed large amounts of methamphetamine, according to U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom.
Joshua Thomas Alvarez, 26, Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine.
In his plea, he admitted that in July 2012 the FBI identified a major drug trafficking ring operating in Kansas City, Kan. During the investigation, agents made 15 controlled purchases of methamphetamine from members of the organization.
Five search warrants were executed at locations where methamphetamine and firearms were stored. Alvarez was identified as one of the conspirators who purchased methamphetamine from the leader of the organization and resold it.
Co-defendants include:
Vicencio Olea-Monarez, 38, Kansas City, Kan., who is awaiting trial.
Gabriel Agustin Lopez, 30, who is set for sentencing June 27.
Rosalio Chinchilla, 45, Kansas City, Kan., who is set for sentencing June 15.
Jose Luis Silva-Cardona, 26, Kansas City, Mo., who is set for sentencing June 13.
Lee Thomas Faulkner, 41, Topeka, Kan., who is set for sentencing July 5.
Omar Francisco Orduno-Ramirez, 37, who is awaiting trial.
Hector Javier Valdez, 36, who is awaiting trial.
Juan Carlos Alvarez, 28, who is set for sentencing June 15.
Herbert Lee Saysoff, 54, who is awaiting trial.
Grissom commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney David Zabel for their work on the case.
OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Latest on wildfires burning in Oklahoma and Kansas (all times local):
6:50 a.m.
Shifting winds have pushed a large wildfire in northwest Oklahoma away from an iodine-manufacturing plant and the small town of Freedom, but authorities say the blaze is still burning out of control.
Woodward County Emergency Management Director Matt Lehenbauer says the wildfire did not jump the Cimarron River overnight, which would have threatened Freedom, whose 300 residents were encouraged to leave Tuesday afternoon.
But Lehenbauer says Wednesday’s windy forecast will make it difficult for firefighters to control the blaze, which has burned about 40 square miles of rural land. Crews plan to survey the fire by air Wednesday morning to assess its size.
Lehenbauer says the blaze had threatened an iodine plant but firefighters were able to protect the facility by parking their firetrucks around its perimeter. He says the flames jumped over the vehicles and burned all the way around the plant before the winds shifted, diminishing the threat.
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1:50 a.m.
Authorities are responding to wildfires in Oklahoma and Kansas that have led to evacuations, scorched mostly rural land and destroyed an unknown number of structures.
In Oklahoma, the largest fire was in the same area near the border with Kansas where blazes last month scorched hundreds of square miles. Another burned near Luther, in the central part of the state.
Oklahoma Forestry Services said in a statement that structures had been lost in the fire, but a spokeswoman says the agency doesn’t have accurate damage totals yet.
In Kansas, evacuations were underway in at least three communities.
The National Weather Service warns conditions conducive to fire are forecast to occur in both states through Wednesday.
4:30 p.m.
Authorities near the Kansas border in Northwest Oklahoma are encouraging residents of the town of Freedom to evacuate as an uncontrolled wildfire spreads rapidly toward the community of about 300 people.
Woods County Emergency Management Director Steve Foster says sheriff’s deputies are encouraging residents of Freedom to leave.
The fire was about one to two hours southwest of Freedom as of 3:30 p.m. Tuesday and was pushed by winds gusting around 40 miles per hour, according to Woodward County Emergency Management Director Matt Lehenbauer.
Lehenbauer says the fire also was threatening an iodine-manufacturing plant. Officials don’t believe the plant would be a significant explosion risk, but it could produce environmental hazards.
Officials estimate the fire has burned roughly 20 square miles of rural land, and is about 20 miles from the Kansas border.
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4 p.m.
Authorities in northwestern Oklahoma are evacuating roughly 100 square miles in northern Woodward County as a wildfire spreads rapidly toward the small town of Freedom.
Woodward County Emergency Management director Matt Lehenbauer said around 3:30 p.m. Tuesday that the fire was burning uncontrolled about one or two hours away from Freedom, a town of about 300. It was pushed by winds gusting around 40 miles per hour.
Lehenbauer says the fire is threatening homes and an iodine-manufacturing plant. Officials don’t believe the plant would be a significant explosion risk, but it could produce environmental hazards.
Officials estimate the fire has burned roughly 20 miles of rural land. More than a dozen fire departments and Oklahoma Forestry Services were fighting the blaze.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas racetrack owner doubts his property will survive if the property tax bill remains high, saying that the facility faces “hundreds of thousands of dollars” in repairs.
Owner Chris Payne declined an interview with The Topeka Capital-Journal but instead relayed information through his attorney, Wes Carrillo. He says Heartland Park Topeka has deteriorated quickly in the last few years and now has cracked tracks, broken water pipes, perforated roofs and piles of garbage.
Payne estimates that Heartland Park would need to net a profit of $27,000 monthly, or $324,000 yearly. He says that with an annual tax bill of nearly $342,000, he believes the operating cost will surpass the park’s revenue.
Payne appealed the county appraiser’s assessment of the property as worth nearly $9 million in March. He’d like to see the value closer
PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — Construction is expected to begin next month on a new $4.2 million primary care facility in Pittsburg.
Officials from Via Christi Hospital and Joplin’s Mercy Medical Center announced plans Monday for the 13,500-square-foot facility. The Pittsburg Morning Sun reports that it is being built through a joint partnership.
Via Christi Senior Administrator in Pittsburg Randy Cason says the partnership includes a 51 percent share for Via Christi and 49 percent for Mercy.
The facility will be located at the Via Christi Pittsburg campus. Cason says it should initially house four primary care physicians and support staff, with the capacity to eventually house up to nine physicians.
HUTCHINSON — The Kansas State Fair has finalized its Grandstand lineup with Gabriel Iglesias and Justin Moore with special guest Clare Dunn. The Demolition Derby (Monday, Sept. 12) and Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pull (Sunday, Sept. 18) will also return this year for high-action entertainment on the fairgrounds. This year’s Fair will run Sept. 9-18.
Tickets go on sale May 6 at 8 a.m. and can be purchased at the Kansas State Fair Ticket Office by calling 1-800-362-3247 or at www.kansasstatefair.tix.com.
Unless otherwise noted, Grandstand tickets include gate admission when purchased through Aug. 20, 2016.
Fair Fan Club
Want to buy your tickets before everyone else? Those who join the Fair Fan Club have the opportunity to purchase up to two tickets to each concert prior to the public on-sale date. In addition, Fan Club members receive advance notification of upcoming concert announcements. Memberships are on sale now. Dues are $100 per fair and can be purchased online; by phone at 1-800-362-3247 or 620-669-3600; or at the Administration Building on the Fairgrounds. Fair Fan Club members can purchase concert tickets first, starting at 8 a.m. on April 22. For more information on joining the club, visit bit.ly/FAIRFANCLUB.
Gabriel Iglesias, commonly known as Fluffy, learned at a young age to hone his sense of humor in order to deal with obstacles he faced growing up in California, which led to his comedic career. Iglesias’ stand-up comedy consists of a mixture of storytelling, parodies, characters and sound effects that bring his personal experiences to life.
Today, Iglesias is one of America’s most successful stand-up comedians, performing sold-out concerts around the world. Most recently, he had the honor of being one of the few comedians to both headline and sellout Madison Square Garden in New York, The Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, and The Honda Center in Anaheim. Additionally, Iglesias will be launching The Fluffy Breaks Even! concert tour this Fall.
Iglesias has had roles in multiple movies, sitcoms and will be starring in Fuse TV’s Fluffy Breaks Even! premiering in October. Last year was Gabriel Iglesias’ first appearance at the Kansas State Fair, and what an impression he made. Fairgoers laughed so hard they cried. You won’t want to miss out on his comical show this year.
For more information on Gabriel Iglesias, visit www.fluffyguy.com.
Justin Moore with Special Guest Clare Dunn – Sunday, Sept. 11, 7:30 p.m. – Tickets $60/$40/$25*
Justin Moore is a fierce country music trail blazer known for doing things his own way. Moore has dented the country radio charts with three No. 1 Hits “Small Town USA,” “If Heaven Weren’t So Far Away” and “Til My Last Day,” in addition to the Top 10 mission declaration “Backwoods.”
Moore’s unique type of country music, which combines tenderness and decency with rowdiness, has built his career eschewing the path most taken by other country artists. He’s developed a fan base along the way of people just like him.
Beyond the hits, the gold-certified albums and the momentum of a career hitting its stride, Off the Beaten Path is a collection of songs including “This Kind of Town” and “One Dirt Road.” Justin Moore knows who he is, what matters and he’s not going to compromise those things in the name of chasing what everyone else is already doing. Moore is a go-getter, and certainly one to watch.
For more information about Justin Moore, please go to www.justinmooremusic.com.
Clare Dunn
Clare Dunn’s roots run deep in the heart of Dust Bowl country growing up on a farm in southeast Colorado near the Oklahoma panhandle. From a young age, everyday life consisted of working cattle, hauling water, driving combines, tractors and eighteen wheelers. She dreamed of creating her own music while spending hours on the tractors.
Dunn pursued her music dream in college. She relocated to Nashville, Tenn., to attend Belmont University, after a brief college stint in Texas. During this time, she also picked up a guitar for the first time determined to master both acoustic and electric guitars. After graduating from Belmont with honors she signed her first publishing deal as a songwriter. From writing her debut single “Get Out” with co-writer and producer Ben West, to playing guitars on the track and singing background vocals, Dunn’s music is a representation of her impressive talent.
Touring, Dunn has opened for Keith Urban, Florida Georgia Line, Colt Ford, Parmalee, Hank Jr., Jamey Johnson and others as well as played major festivals. Clare Dunn combines her strong work ethic and passion for music to deliver a genuine, must-see performance.
To learn more about Clare Dunn, please visit www.claredunn.com.
Demolition Derby – Monday, Sept. 12, 7:30 p.m. – Tickets $7 for ages 13+, free for children 12 and younger
The Demolition Derby is back once again for action packed fun at the Kansas State Fair. It’s guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat as the cars make their way through the qualifying heat demos, consolation round and the not-to-be-missed finals.
Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pull – Sunday, Sept. 18, 3:00 p.m. – Tickets $12 for ages 13+, $5 for ages 6-12, free for children 5 and younger
To conclude the Kansas State Fair, the Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pull will return to the Fairgrounds for high-action entertainment. You know the drill: it’s a test of machine power with the Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pull, a competition using tractors and large trucks to pull a heavy drag. Finish your Fair experience this year with the Outlaw Truck and Tractor Pull at the Nex-Tech Wireless Grandstand.
* Concert tickets, unless otherwise denoted, include general gate admission when purchased through Aug. 20.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran joined 42 of his Senate colleagues on Tuesday in filing an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court in support of a challenge by a majority of the nation’s governors and state attorneys general to the Obama Administration’s November 2014 executive actions on immigration. The state of Kansas is a co-plaintiff.
The Supreme Court took up this case (United States of America v. State of Texas) after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in November 2015 affirmed a preliminary injunction by a federal district court in Brownsville, Texas, blocking the Obama Administration from moving forward with its executive actions on immigration that are in violation of federal law. Sen. Moran also filed an amicus brief with the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals when this case was being considered at the circuit level. The Supreme Court is set to hear arguments on this case on April 18.
“Given that the Executive has asserted that the acts challenged here are not even subject to judicial review, what is at stake in this matter is nothing less than an effort to supplant Congress’s constitutional power to ‘establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization.’ Such an action stands in stark contravention to federal law and to the constitutional principle of the separation of powers,” the Senators’ amicus brief states. “There is little doubt that the Executive adopted the Deferred Action for Parents of Americans and Lawful Permanent Residents (DAPA) program as part of an explicit effort to circumvent the legislative process.”
SALINE COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a suspect on drug and obstruction charges.
A pursuit that began when the driver of a pickup did not stop for an officer for speeding ended with the driver being arrested after a chase on foot.
Just after 6:30 p.m. on Monday, police noticed a pickup going 40mph in a 30mph zone in the 500 block of N. 9th Street in Salina, according to Police Captain Mike Sweeney.
When an officer tried to make a traffic stop, the pickup continued at and police followed reaching speeds of 75mph at the intersection of Iron and Front Street.
The driver Camron Glover, 20, Salina, got out of the vehicle in the 200 Block of North Penn Street and ran.
After a foot chase, Glover surrendered in an open area in the 1000 Block of East Ash Street.
During a search of the pickup, officers found 2 baggies with residue of methamphetamine, and 1 Ecstasy tablet.
A passenger in the pickup Steven Glover, 45, Salina was an unwilling participant in the chase, according to Sweeney.
Camron Glover was booked into jail on requested charges of felony flee and elude, kidnapping, felony obstruction, possession of meth, possession of drug paraphernalia, and reckless driving.
Pres. Obama during Tuesday’s statement on tax inversion
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is championing new federal steps designed to deter a corporate financial practice known as “tax inversions.”
Inversions happen when a big American company buys a smaller one and changes its paper address to another country. Obama calls it “insidious” and says companies do it to reduce their U.S. tax burden.
Obama commented on Tuesday, one day after the Treasury Department announced a series of steps to make inversions less financially appealing.
Obama says such loopholes make it harder to spend money to keep the economy strong. He also says they hurt the middle class because the lost revenue “has to be made up somewhere.”
He called on the Republican-controlled Congress to close the loophole for good.
RENO COUNTY -One lane on westbound U.S. 50 is open to traffic following Monday’s platform, semi-trailer accident in Reno County, according to the Kansas Department of Transportation.
The vehicle was transporting an excavator and the boom of the equipment struck the bridge carrying Kansas 14 over US-50.
Two concrete girders were damaged underneath the bridge.
Emergency responders were present and KDOT crews cleared the debris and have been assessing the damage. A crane removed the damaged heavy equipment.
No injuries were reported and no significant structural damage occurred.
HUTCHINSON — A Kansas man was arrested for distribution of marijuana and conspiracy to distribute after he was caught with a large amount found inside a car and was formally charged in the case on Monday.
Edmond Cantu, 44, Hutchinson, in Reno County Court was charged with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, conspiracy to distribute marijuana and using a communications device to make a drug transaction.
Reno County authorities were notified by a Drug Enforcement Administration agent that a tan Cadillac Escalade carrying approximately 40 pounds of marijuana was coming to Hutchinson.
It was expected to be delivered to the parking lot of a restaurant, near Kansas 61 and 17th Street.
Law enforcement were waiting and saw the vehicle arrive, then a second one a short time later.
Cantu got into the Cadillac and tried to leave the parking lot, according to testimony.
A traffic stop was made. The marijuana was found hidden in the door and back quarter panels of the vehicle.
The total weight of the marijuana was right at 43 pounds.
Bond in the case is set at $250,000 and moves to a waiver-status docket on April 20.
Photo by Andy Marso/KHI News Service Members of the KanCare Advisory Council met Thursday in Topeka. From left are Larry Martin of Valley Falls, who represents elderly Kansans; Mike Randol, director of the Division of Health Care Finance within the Kansas Department of Health and Environment; and Tim Keck, interim secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services.
High-ranking officials in Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration are sending mixed signals to legislators on the timeline for implementing a major change in the way Kansans with disabilities receive services.
A legislative subcommittee has recommended postponing the change, known as waiver integration, one year to Jan. 1, 2018. Before leaving for a monthlong break, subcommittee members said they believed the administration would agree to that timeline.
But last week, during a KanCare Advisory Council meeting in Topeka, two of the highest-ranking officials from the agencies that will implement the integration said they still plan to do so on Jan. 1, 2017.
“I know there have been some discussions and activities across the street at the Legislature with respect to the waiver integration,” said Mike Randol, director of the Division of Health Care Finance within the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
“We again continue to evaluate all of our options, but at this point, from my perspective, we continue to move toward that 1-1-2017 date.” Tim Keck, interim secretary of the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services, agreed.
“Mike’s right on target with what he said so far,” Keck said. “I think we need to move forward as though it’s going to be 1-1-17.” That was not welcome news for legislators on the subcommittee who recommended the integration plan be postponed.
“That’s the first I’ve heard of it,” said Rep. Willie Dove, who chaired the subcommittee.
“I’m not happy to hear that.” Dove, a Republican from Bonner Springs, said he wanted to hear from the administration personally before he commented more. Two other members of the subcommittee,
Rep. Les Osterman and Rep. Jim Ward, said the chairman of the House Health and Human Services Committee, Rep. Dan Hawkins, had told them that the Brownback administration had agreed on the delayed 2018 implementation timeline.
Hawkins, a Wichita Republican, said Thursday afternoon that he had spoken with Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer that same day and Colyer had told him there were no plans to move forward on 2017 implementation unless the administration cleared it with Hawkins’ committee.
Hawkins said Randol and Keck “could be out of step” with the rest of the administration. “I don’t know what Randol and the others said, but I do know what the lieutenant governor’s office said,” Hawkins said.
The governor’s spokesperson, Eileen Hawley, released the following statement Friday evening: “The administration shares and appreciates the concern Chairman Hawkins and the House Health and Human Services Committee have about implementation of waiver integration,” Hawley said via email.
“It is important to the Legislature and the administration that our most vulnerable citizens be treated with great care and not be harmed with premature implementation.
Dr. Colyer and Chairman Hawkins plan to speak further about waiver integration and KanCare 2.0. While no date for implementation of waiver integration has been set by the administration, internal planning continues as we strive to best serve the people of Kansas.”
Disability groups want more details
The waiver integration plan, which has been delayed once, is a major issue for all disability groups in Kansas.
The waivers provide Medicaid coverage for support services that allow Kansans with disabilities to remain in home and community-based settings rather than institutions.
The services are split into seven groups based on type of disability: developmental, physical, frail elderly, autism, traumatic brain injury, technology assisted and serious emotional disturbance.
The Brownback administration’s plan would compress the services into two groups: one for children and one for adults.
Administration officials say that would allow all Kansans to receive a broader array of services more efficiently, rather than being constrained by labels. But legislators and disability advocates say the plan is short on details and worry it could lead to service reductions.
KanCare Advisory Council members reiterated those concerns Thursday to Keck and Randol. “Why push forward?” asked Allen Schmidt, a former state senator.
Randol said he knew disability advocates had concerns, and that was one reason the administration already postponed the integration once. But he disputed the assertion that the administration had not provided enough details about the plan, citing many meetings with Waiver Integration Stakeholder Engagement, or WISE, groups.
“I think we’ve provided information at this point, and we’ll continue to move forward,” Randol said.
Downsides to delay
Other members of the advisory council, like Beth Simpson and Mark Hinde, said they had been part of some WISE meetings and there were stakeholders within those groups who, like Dove’s subcommittee, said they had not yet seen enough details about how the state plans to parse and deliver services post-integration.
Simpson, vice president of a long-term care pharmacy company, asked if the administration might delay the integration six months to coincide with the change in the fiscal year. Hinde, president and CEO of a group that provides developmental disability services in southeast Kansas, asked if there was a date by which the administration would be unable to stop the integration process, even if it decided that the concerns of the stakeholders were justified.
“There’s still some angst … that we’re not going to be ready for it,” Hinde said. Keck said the administration would continue to listen, but there are downsides to delaying the integration.
He noted that two of the seven waivers — those for physical disability services and developmental disability services — currently have waiting lists. “(Sometimes) somebody gets in the wrong waiver line, and if we integrate them we won’t have a line,” Keck said.
“It’s easier to sort them out. That sounds terrible, but it’s easier to provide services, and that’s really what we’re trying to do.”
Randol and Keck both said they expect to hear from legislators about the integration timeline when the Legislature reconvenes in late April for the veto session.
Osterman said he would be at the front of the line. “Oh yeah, they’re going to hear about it, and I’m going to do everything I can to stop it,” he said.
Ward noted that the health committee still has a bill in play, House Bill 2682, that would prohibit the administration from combining the waivers without legislative approval.
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
NEW YORK (AP) — Allergan and Pfizer are calling off a record $160 billion merger after the Treasury issued new rules on Tuesday to make “tax inversions” less lucrative.
