RENO COUNTY- A Kansas man was injured in an accident just after 6 p.m. on Wednesday in Reno County.

A 2002 Yamaha V-Star driven by John Evans, 63, Wichita, was northbound on Worthington Road entering the curves at Parallel Road, according to a report from the Reno County Sheriff’s Department.

He was driving approximately 60-65 MPH and misjudged the curve causing him to lay the motorcycle over.

The motorcycle skidded about 17 feet along the pavement before entering the ditch on the east side of Worthington Road.

He was not wearing a helmet at the time of the accident and suffered apparent injuries to his head and left side.

EagleMed flew him to a hospital in Wichita due to possible internal head, neck and back injuries, according to the sheriff’s department.

TULSA, Okla. (AP) — Authorities say at least seven people are injured after severe storms spawned multiple tornado touchdowns in northeastern Oklahoma, damaging homes and businesses.

National Weather Service meteorologist Amy Jankowski says a tornado touched down and lifted up numerous times Wednesday night as it swept through the northern Tulsa and Owasso areas.

Tulsa Fire Department spokesman Stan May says about one square mile of a mostly residential area sustained damage. He says one home was destroyed.

Homes were also damaged in nearby Owasso.

There were no immediate reports of anyone missing.

ATLANTA (AP) — Federal health officials say the mosquitoes that can transmit the Zika virus may live in a broader swath of the U.S. than previously thought — but that doesn’t mean they’ll cause disease here.  See the map.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Wednesday posted new maps of the estimated range of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, and a related cousin, on its website. Instead of just being in the southern part of the country, the new maps say the range may extend into parts of the Midwest and as far north as parts of New York and Connecticut.

Previous maps were about a dozen years old. CDC officials describe the new ones as its best estimate, and include areas where the mosquitoes have been seen recently or previously.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Prisoner Review Board will consider parole for a 58-year-old man serving a life sentence for killing a man in 1993.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Gregory L. Walls was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison for the shooting death of 18-year-old Timothy Orr in 1993 in Topeka. He’s a minimum-custody inmate at Lansing Correctional Facility.

The review board will hear public comments April 22 about the possible parole of any of 28 eligible inmates, including Walls.

The state Department of Corrections says Walls has twice been considered for parole.

LINCOLN COUNTY – A Lincoln County man remains jailed in connection with a March 5, shooting death at a rural residence in Beverly.

Joseph Alan Schultz, 36, is charged with second-degree murder in the death of Kevin Kubik, 33, at the home in the 2500 Block of Deer Drive.

There was an altercation and Kubik died at the scene, according to Lincoln County Sheriff Michael Weigel.

A Preliminary Hearing for Schultz is now scheduled for June 21, according to the Lincoln County Attorney’s Office.

Schultz is being held on a bond of $800,000.

The KBI is helping investigate the case.

SALINE COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating an alleged drug suspect.

Just after 5 a.m. on Wednesday, officers were sent to a parking lot behind an apartment building at 111 E. Iron in Salina on a report of suspicious activity, according to police Captain Mike Sweeney.

As an officer approached a red Mustang, he noticed a chrome handgun underneath the legs of Earnest Skillern, 51, Topeka who was sitting in the driver’s seat.

The officer drew his weapon, and called for backup. When he tried to open the door of the car, Skillern drove off.

The car was found in a driveway in the 100 block of North Columbia a short time later.

A Kansas Highway Patrol K-9 helped locate Skillern not far away hiding underneath another car.

The dog also found a makeup bag on the playground of nearby Oakdale Elementary School with five small baggies containing methamphetamine and digital scales. Police believe Skillern threw the bag there.

A search of the car also found two additional handguns in the glove compartment.

Skillern was booked into the Saline County Jail on requested charges of possession of methamphetamine with intent to distribute, possession of firearms by a felon, driving while suspended, and driving under the influence.

RENO COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Reno County are asking for help to locate a wanted suspect.

Jeremy Brian Frischenmeyer, 34, has a warrant through Reno County District Court for violating his terms of release stemming from felony drug charges.

He has a warrant through Hutchinson Municipal Court and warrants through Saline County and Gray County.

He also has a suspended driver’s license.

Frischenmeyer has recently eluded local law enforcement both on foot and by vehicle, according to a social media report.

He is 6’3” tall and weighs 190 pounds.

Police asked the public to please call 911 or the Hutchinson Police Department Command Center at 620- 694-2816 if you could help them locate him.

HARVEY COUNTY – A Kansas man was injured in an accident just after 12:30 p.m. on Wednesday in Harvey County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1986 Ford Ranger driven by Roy A. Bouray, 54, Haven, was west bound on 72nd Street just east of Woodberry,

The driver lost control on the dirt road, over-corrected and the pickup rolled into the north ditch.

Bouray was transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center.

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

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — One man is dead after a domestic dispute and house fire in Lawrence.

Police said they received a report of a domestic dispute early Wednesday. Sgt. Trent McKinley says during the dispute a man threatened occupants with a handgun.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports  that when officers arrived the other occupants had left the home, but authorities could see one man in the home. Police say a short time later the house was on fire. Fire officials say firefighters took a “defensive fire attack” from outside the home and did not enter because of the reported domestic dispute.

After the fire was extinguished, fire officials said one man was dead inside the home. The cause of death wasn’t released.

McKinley says the victim’s name hasn’t been released.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Federal wildlife officials and three U.S. zoos want a judge to drop a lawsuit against the recent importation of African elephants.

The Wichita Eagle reports that in a motion to dismiss the case, the Wichita, Dallas and Omaha zoos said legal concerns about the permit process are irrelevant because the 17 elephants were flown from Swaziland to the U.S. earlier this month.

Friends of Animals sued in February to stop the proposed importation, alleging that the government violated the law by approving the importation. The animal rights group hasn’t dropped the suit, saying it needs to prevent future importations.

The Connecticut-based nonprofit, as well as other conservationists and animal-rights supporters, opposes the importation of the elephants to zoos in Wichita, Dallas and Omaha because they’re highly intelligent, migratory animals.

Boise, Idaho (AP) — Southwest Idaho authorities say a father and son traveling to their home state of Kansas after a brief stay in Oregon have been taken into custody after police found more than 11 pounds of marijuana in their vehicle.

The Elmore County Sheriff’s Office says 65-year-old Richard Grant and 30-year-old Patrick Grant of Shawnee, Kansas, were arrested Monday and face charges of felony drug trafficking.

Police say a deputy pulled over an eastbound vehicle driven by Richard Grant on Interstate 84 and detected an odor of Marijuana.

The deputy deployed a drug dog that alerted to the presence of narcotics. A search found packaged marijuana worth an estimated $44,000 and nearly $5,000 in cash.

The Grants have preliminary hearings scheduled for April 21.

It’s not clear if they have attorneys.

 

MEDICINE LODGE, Kan. (AP) — Officials say a wildfire that burned hundreds of square miles of rural land in Oklahoma and Kansas this week destroyed at least 41 structures in both states.

Oklahoma Forestry Services spokeswoman Hannah Anderson says authorities in both states determined 16 residential structures and 25 minor structures were destroyed in the blaze.

Officials have yet to determine the cause of the fire, which started last week in Woods County in northwest Oklahoma and spread into Kansas. The fire was mostly contained Wednesday, with crews monitoring for hot spots.

Agricultural officials are estimating the damage. The Oklahoma Forestry Service says about 600 head of cattle died. The Kansas Department of Agriculture says no cattle death estimates are immediately available.
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MEDICINE LODGE, Kan. (AP) — Crews are monitoring a wildfire that is largely contained after it burned hundreds of square miles of sparsely populated land in Kansas and Oklahoma.

The fire started last week in Oklahoma and spread to southern Kansas. The most damage occurred in Kansas’ Barber County, where several homes were destroyed. No serious injuries were reported.

Barber County Attorney Gaten Wood says crews would again watch the fire closely Wednesday because strong winds are in the forecast. The National Weather Service says gusts of up to 25 mph are expected Wednesday morning. The winds are expected to increase to up to 40 mph in the afternoon as dryer air moves into the area.

Oklahoma Forestry Services spokeswoman Hannah Anderson says crews also will continue to patrol and monitor the fire line there.inue to patrol and monitor the fire line there.

MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A Manhattan Foundation is receiving a $6 million donation from a couple’s estate.

The Manhattan Mercury  reports that the gift from the estate of Dorothy and Lincoln Diehl is the first installment in what could add up to more than $11 million for the Greater Manhattan Community Foundation.

A news release says the Diehls established two funds with the foundation. One supports Kansas State University’s Beach Museum of Art and another is a donor-advised fund to support community charitable causes focusing on the arts, youth and basic human needs. The estate gift will be added to the donor-advised fund.

The Diehls moved to Manhattan in 1979 to work at Kansas State after spending several years teaching abroad in a variety of countries including Turkey, Egypt, Iran and Ethiopia.