By MATT HODAPP

The Supreme Court heard arguments on Wednesday about a controversial Texas law that imposes strict requirements on health clinics that provide abortions. The law requires doctors to have admitting privileges at local hospitals and meet ambulatory surgical standards.

The case is hugely consequential for abortion providers in Kansas and Missouri because both states have similarly restrictive laws.

Jackie Casteel, an abortion-patient advocate, and Bonyen Lee-Gilmore, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri, traveled to Washington, D.C., as part of a contingent of abortion rights activists that gathered in front of the Supreme Court today. A group of anti-abortion demonstrators was there too.

“If these laws are upheld we will see abortion providers vanish,” Lee-Gilmore told KCUR in a telephone interview. “If they are stricken then I think that we will definitely see doors start to re-open and we will be able to better argue in our state courts the undue burden that it puts on women and the unconstitutional standards that it sets in our state.”

Casteel had an abortion in 2003 at Planned Parenthood’s Columbia, Missouri, health center. That clinic was forced to stop providing abortion services after the University of Missouri Health Care system, bowing to pressure from the Missouri legislature, voted to remove admitting privileges for the clinic’s physician.

Casteel says she would have found it exceedingly difficult to access abortion services if current laws were on Missouri’s books when she had her abortion. Missouri now has only one abortion provider, in St. Louis.

“It would have made my journey a lot harder and made the cost great and could have even led me to have to self-induce,” she says.

With the vacancy created by Justice Antonin Scalia’s recent death, Justice Anthony Kennedy is expected to provide the Supreme Court’s crucial swing vote in the case. The court is expected to hand down its decision in June.

Matt Hodapp produces Statehouse Blend for  KCUR a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team.

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz stopped at a suburban Kansas City restaurant for some barbecue before heading to a rally at Johnson County Community College.

The Texas senator ordered a smoked brisket sandwich at Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que in Olathe, Kansas, on Wednesday and sampled some of the restaurant’s ribs and burnt ends.

Cruz shook hands with supporters and said he was looking forward to trying Kansas City-area barbecue because his home state of Texas takes its barbecue seriously. He told a television reporter the best way to eat ribs is with your fingers, because “if you’re eating barbecue and you’re not getting it all over, you’re not doing it right.”

Cathy Schmidt, a 62-year-old Olathe real estate agent, reassured Cruz that he still can win his party’s nomination.

———-

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders and Republican hopefuls Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio are planning to come to Kansas this week ahead of the state’s presidential caucuses.

Cruz’s campaign scheduled a Wednesday evening rally for the Texas senator at Johnson County Community College in Overland Park.

Sanders state director Shelby Iseler said the Vermont senator plans to have a rally Thursday evening in Lawrence at the 4H Building on the Douglas County Fairgrounds.

Rubio’s campaign said the Florida senator will have a Friday afternoon event at Jabara Airport in Wichita.

Both parties having their Kansas caucuses Saturday.

Rubio and Cruz are battling businessman Donald Trump for the state’s national convention delegates.

Some Democrats are predicting a close race between Sanders and former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An attorney for the Quapaw tribe has agreed in federal court documents that the tribe’s gambling lawsuit against Kansas should be dismissed.

The tribe, which operates Downstream Casino Resort in Oklahoma, sued Kansas in January, asking that a judge order the state to negotiate an agreement with the tribe within 60 days that would allow it to offer gaming in Kansas.

The lawsuit could still pave the way for the tribe to ask the secretary of the Department of the Interior to issue guidelines for casino gaming on the Kansas side of Downstream’s property. Currently, the Kansas side of the resort’s property is used for parking lots.

A spokesman for Kansas Attorney General’s office says it will continue to oppose gaming on the land.

A Downstream spokesman declined to comment to The Joplin Globe

SALINA – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating two cases where women were scammed out of money.

In the first instance, a woman in her 30’s lost more than $7,000 while trying to secure a $5000 loan via the internet, according to Salina Police Captain Chris Trocheck.

Between February 23rd, and 26th, the woman had applied for a loan from a website she said was a five minute loan site.

Before she contacted police, the woman had sent $6,118 to cover fees and other charges to four different addresses.

On Monday, after contacting police, the woman received another call asking her to send another $1,000 and she did. Her total loss is $7,118.

On Tuesday afternoon a Salina woman in her 70s told police she received a phone call from a man claiming to be her son.

The caller said he had been involved in a crash with a rental car and she needed to send money.

A short time later the woman said she received another call from a man claiming to be her son’s lawyer. The man said she needed to buy I-tune gift cards or her son would go to jail.

The woman purchased four cards totaling $1,800 and scratched the back of the cards and sent information off of the cards in the mail to New York City.

She then was called again and told to send another $1,800. She called police after her son who lives in Las Vegas called to she how she was doing and learned he had not been involved in an accident.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Senate committee is considering a bill that would require municipalities to give the state more of the money they receive from traffic tickets.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the measure would require cities to cough up any traffic ticket proceeds that exceed 10 percent of their annual revenues.

The bill before the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday also would require municipal courts to hand over 70 percent of all revenue they collect from traffic violations on highways.

All of the money from the municipalities would go into the state’s general fund. If a city refused to follow the new law, its municipal court would be temporarily shut down.

A long list of opponents of the bill waited to testify Wednesday, while no one spoke in favor.

ATCHISON COUNTY- Charges have been dropped against a Kansas woman who had been accused of having a sexual relationship with a 17-year-old Atchison student in 2012 while she was employed as a teacher with the school district.

Shelley Aversman, 35, Rushville, was due in court Wednesday morning for a preliminary hearing on a charge of unlawful sexual relations with a student

The student recanted his statement and said the relationship did not happen when he was in high school but rather when he was in college, according to the Atchison County Prosecutor’s Office

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors say a Shawnee County sheriff’s detective may have falsified information in charging affidavits.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the Shawnee County district attorney’s office sent a notice to defense attorneys. The notice says the detective stated she had spoken with people with whom she hadn’t actually talked and that the information was used in a charging affidavit. It wasn’t immediately clear which case was tied to the allegation of misconduct.

Prosecutors are required to notify defense lawyers about witnesses, including law enforcement officers, whose credibility may be in question because of misconduct.

Sheriff Herman Jones said only that “an individual” has been placed on paid administrative leave, and his office is investigating. A Kansas Bureau of Investigation spokesman says the agency is looking into a matter in Jones’ office.

By JIM MCLEAN

Kansas tax revenue has come up short once again. The Department of Revenue announced Tuesday that total state revenues for February were $56.7 million under projections lowered just four months ago to adjust for worrisome economic trends.

Individual income tax receipts were $27 million short of projections. Sales tax revenue was $12.3 million short.

Revenue Secretary Nick Jordan said a downturn in the oil and gas industry was dragging down the economies of several Midwestern states including Kansas. Democratic legislative leaders said the income tax cuts Gov. Sam Brownback pushed through the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2012 remain at the root of the state’s revenue and budget problems.

As he has in response to previous shortfalls, Brownback insisted his tax cuts were not to blame.

“This is an economic problem, not a tax policy problem,” he said in a statement issued minutes after the revenue numbers were announced.

“These numbers reflect a declining national and regional economy.”

Brownback said he will oppose any effort to adjust the tax cuts despite calls from some influential Republicans to restore taxes on the pass-through incomes of more than 300,000 business owners.

The governor said he would instead focus on “managing spending.” To that end, he ordered an immediate 3 percent cut in the budgets of the state’s Board of Regents universities, requiring them to reduce their approved budgets by $17 million with only four months remaining in the fiscal year.

In an opinion piece published recently by several Kansas newspapers and broadcast Tuesday on Kansas Public Radio, former Kansas Budget Director Duane Goossen said even though Brownback sold the tax cuts as a way to stimulate the state economy, his real goal may have been “squeezing down” state government.

“If you truly bought into the argument that giant tax cuts would lead to prosperity without hurting schools and highways, you’ve been had,” Goossen wrote.

“Meanwhile, those wanting Kansas to spend less regardless of the consequences have met success.”

Goossen, a former Republican legislator, served as budget director for 12 years under governors of both political parties, starting with Republican Gov. Bill Graves.

The lower-than-expected revenue numbers will present an immediate challenge to lawmakers returning Wednesday to the Statehouse after a brief mid-session break.

Prior to the break lawmakers approved a series of spending reductions and one-time fund transfers to erase a projected $200 million shortfall in the fiscal year 2017 budget, which takes effect July 1.

But those measures won’t be enough to cover the February revenue shortfalls or any that may occur in subsequent months this fiscal year.

The preliminary budget plan also doesn’t include any of the additional money that likely will be needed to satisfy the recent decision by the Kansas Supreme Court declaring the state’s existing school funding formula unconstitutional.

Jim McLean is executive editor of KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team.

MANHATTAN – First responders were called to Manhattan High School West Campus on Wednesday morning due to a gas odor in E-Hall of the school.

Just after 9 a.m. the school building was temporarily in a “shelter in place” mode, and students were not allowed to pass to their next classes, according to a media release from the school.

 

Call to Manhattan High West Campus was a report of carbon monoxide. No CO found and no patients at this time. @usd383 @RileyCountyPD

— Manhattan Fire (@ManhattanFD) March 2, 2016

 

School health officials and Emergency Medical Service staff checked ten students and staff who complained of symptoms.

There were pilot lights out on the several of the gas ovens in the school kitchen, which could have been the culprit, according to the school district.

Just after 10 a.m., all students were given permission to pass to their fourth period class.

The entire building was monitored by both the Manhattan Fire Department and Kansas Gas Service, and the affected area was ventilated.

At no time did any of the detection equipment utilized by either Manhattan Fire Department or Kansas Gas Service indicate any abnormal readings.

LYON COUNTY- A Kansas woman was injured in an accident just after 7a.m. on Wednesday in Lyon County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2002 Pontiac Grand Am driven by Anna Michelle Metcalfe, 37, Hartford, was north bound on Kansas 130 just north of Hartford.

The driver lost control of the vehicle and it rolled into south ditch.

Metcalfe was transported to Newman Regional Medical Center.

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

NEWTON – Law enforcement authorities in Harvey County are investigating a suspect after a Tuesday evening altercation.

Just after 6:30 p.m. Newton Police Officers responded to the 1000 block of North Boyd Avenue on a report of an emotionally disturbed man armed with a knife, according to a report on social media.

When officers tried to contact the man, he ran out of the back of the apartment and was confronted by an officer.

The man refused to follow instructions and took an aggressive stance toward the officer, according to police.

Believing he was still armed with a knife, the officer deployed a less lethal gun, which fires little rubber balls similar to those shown in the photo. It sounds like a lethal firearm but police wanted to assure those who witnessed the incident, it was not.

The man may have suffered bruising but had no permanent injuries, according to police.

Officers also used a taser to safely take the man into custody.

The man, whose name has not been released, was transported to Newton Medical Center for a physical and mental assessment.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 24-year-old man has been charged in four bank robberies and a jewelry store robbery in Wichita.

Terence L. Thomas is charged with four counts of bank robbery, one count of robbing a commercial business, one count of brandishing a firearm during a robbery and one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction.

If convicted, Thomas faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for the counts of bank robbery and robbing a commercial business. For the charge of brandishing a firearm during a robbery, he faces no less than seven years.

He also faces up to $1,750,000 in fines.

By James Hoyt

KU Statehouse Wire Service

TOPEKA – Approximately 30 people gathered in front of Wescoe Hall at the University of Kansas Monday afternoon to protest the scheduling of Saturday’s basketball game. They also established a Facebook page to protest.

Protestors want a change in game time. The KU vs. Iowa State matchup is set for 3 p.m. Saturday, the same time the Kansas Democratic presidential caucuses are scheduled to begin. The Republican caucus vote is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., which demonstrators also found inconvenient.

Protest organizer Daniel Walker, a University senior from Overland Park, said the game’s schedule will adversely affect KU athletic department employees and others who wish to participate in the Democratic and Republican caucuses.

“KU is a public institution that has a moral obligation to making sure that its students and its faculty can attend things like these important events,” Walker said.

ESPN is in charge of scheduling and said it could not change the game’s time.

“Working with the Big 12 Conference, we set the time for ESPN’s national telecast of Iowa State at Kansas, per the normal scheduling process. Due to other live national game commitments on ESPN Saturday, we are unable to move the telecast time,” an ESPN spokesperson said.

Assistant Athletic Director Jim Marchiony said in a statement Monday that he recommends that students vote.

“We support every Kansan’s right to be involved in the political process and regret the conflict with the game time. We will encourage any KU student who has responsibilities at Saturday’s game, and who wants to go to the caucus, to go to the caucus,” Marchiony said.

Curtis Hall, Douglas County Democratic Party chair, expressed concern that fans who would otherwise go to the caucuses might choose to go to the game instead. He also noted that game time traffic could pose an issue for caucus-goers.

Kansas basketball coach Bill Self doesn’t plan on voting in the caucuses. He said neither the game nor the caucuses would be affected negatively by the scheduling conflict.

– Edited by Leah Sitz