TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican lawmakers are preparing to set aside $50,000 so the Kansas Legislature can hire attorneys to represent it on school funding issues.
The addition of the spending to a budget-balancing plan prompted Democratic Rep. Jim Ward of Wichita to suggest Wednesday that GOP leaders are preparing to defy a recent Kansas Supreme Court ruling on education funding.
Olathe Republican and House Appropriations Committee Chairman Ron Ryckman Jr. said legislators need legal advice about how to respond to the order.
The Supreme Court ruled that a GOP-backed school funding law enacted last year unfairly shorts poor school districts financially.
The court ruled in a lawsuit pursued by four school districts, and the attorney general’s office has hired a law firm to help represent the state. The Legislature is not a defendant.
The Liberal Fire Department, in conjunction with the Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office investigated a Tuesday morning fire at 1027 N. Western Ave., apartment D in Liberal photo/Jessica Crawford-Leader & Times online
LIBERAL — A Kansas man died in an apartment fire early Tuesday, according to a media release from Liberal Fire Department.
The man was identified as Tekoa Calloway, 37, Liberal.
Officials with the Kansas State Fire Marshal’s office and Liberal Fire Department determined the cause of the fire as unattended cooking.
Fire crews were called just before 2:30 a.m. after smoke was reported inside of of apartment at 1027 North Western Avenue and someone possibly inside, according to the media release.
Firefighters and Liberal police officers initially encountered moderate to heavy smoke upon entry into the apartment.
They quickly located and removed the man from inside the apartment and also located and extinguished a fire in the kitchen area.
Seward County EMS transported the victim to Southwest Medical Center where he died.
Estimated loss in the fire was $30,000. The American Red Cross is assisting residents of other apartments within the complex.
DETROIT (AP) — Toyota is recalling more than 1.1 million small SUVs in the U.S. because the seat belts might fail in a crash.
The recall covers RAV4 SUVS from the 2006 through 2012 model years, as well as the RAV4 electric vehicle from 2012 through 2014.
Toyota says it’s possible that the belts in both second-row outside seats could come in contact with the metal seat cushion frame in a severe frontal crash. If that happens, the belts could become cut and would not restrain passengers.
The company says it will add plastic covers to the seat cushion frame at no cost to owners. It was unclear when the recall would begin.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Washington state florist who was sued for refusing to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding has testified before a Kansas House committee in support of additional legal protections for people like her.
Barronelle Stutzman told the Federal and State Affairs Committee on Wednesday that she objected to providing the flowers because she believes “marriage is between a man and a woman.”
The committee isn’t considering specific legislation but has debated religious objections measures previously.
Kellie Fiedorek, an attorney with the Alliance Defending Freedom, says the national group that’s focused on religious freedom issues is representing several defendants in similar lawsuits throughout the country.
Thomas Witt of the gay rights group Equality Kansas argued after the briefing that it was a “one-sided attack” because opponents were not invited to speak.
NORTH NEWTON, Kan. (AP) — The head of a south-central Kansas home for the aging and his wife have been charged with abusing three children they adopted from Peru.
Jim and Paige Nachtigal, of North Newton, were charged Wednesday in Harvey County with three counts each of child abuse. They are jailed on $300,000 bond. Harvey County attorney David Yoder says he doesn’t know if the couple has an attorney in the criminal case.
Their 11-year-old son and 11- and 15-year-old daughters were placed in protective custody last week.
Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton says the two younger children were “severely malnourished,” and had broken bones.
Paige Nachtigel-Photo Harvey Co.
North Newton police chief Randy Jordan says the children were punished whenever they had “sinned.” He said their parents considered not doing homework or complimenting their mother’s cooking sins.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas public schools would be required to get parents’ permission before students could participate in sex education courses under a bill a state House committee has approved.
Education Committee Chairman and Wamego Republican Ron Highland said Wednesday that the so-called “opt-in” sex education bill is designed to give parents more control.
The measure was approved Tuesday and requires written consent from a child’s parent or guardian. Most of the state’s 286 local school districts have “opt-out” policies in which a child takes sex education unless a parent objects.
Democratic Rep. Ed Trimmer of Winfield said with opt-in policies, parents who aren’t engaged inadvertently deny their children needed classes.
The panel had hearings and passed the bill last year, but it stalled in the House and was returned to the committee.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas House has approved a plan for eliminating a projected deficit of nearly $200 million in the state’s next budget.
The vote Wednesday was 68-53 on a compromise bill drafted by negotiators for the House and Senate to reconcile differences between the two chambers.
The Senate could vote on the plan as early as Thursday, and its approval would send the measure to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.
The plan makes dozens of changes in the state’s $16.1 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. It contains most of Brownback’s proposals to help close the gap by juggling funds and capturing unanticipated savings.
The measure includes a House proposal for a 2.5 percent pay raise for uniformed corrections officers at state prisons.
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas House is preparing to vote on a plan for eliminating a projected deficit of nearly $200 million in the state’s next budget.
The plan before the chamber Wednesday makes dozens of changes in the state’s $16.1 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1. It contains most of Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s proposals to help close the gap by juggling funds and capturing unanticipated savings.
The final version was drafted by three House and three Senate negotiators appointed to reconcile differences between the two chambers.
The plan includes a House proposal for a 2.5 percent pay raise for uniformed corrections officers at state prisons.
If the House approves the plan as expected, the Senate would vote on it to determine whether it goes to Brownback.
RENO COUNTY– Three people were injured in an accident just after 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday in Reno County.
The Reno County Sheriff’s office reported a vehicle driven by Dameitrik Morris, Emporia, was northbound on old Kansas 61 and he didn’t see the stop sign at 85th Street
The vehicle struck the passenger side of an eastbound Mercury Mountaineer driven by Debra Ontjes, Hutchinson.
The Mercury rolled several times into the northeast ditch and came to rest just before the railroad tracks.
Ontjes was transported by EMS to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center and then flown to a Wichita hospital
Morris and his passenger Tyrone Clark were transported by EMS to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center.
All three were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the Reno County Sheriff’s Office.
Police in Wichita have cancelled the Amber Alert for 2 Wichita girls. They have been found safe.
Police continue to look for 24-year old David Hatcher
He is a black male, 5’9″ tall, 160 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing black jeans, a black hoodie, and black shoes
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An Amber Alert has been issued for two girls that were forcibly taken from a Wichita hotel early Wednesday morning.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says 5-year-old Layla Hatcher and 2-year-old Lilly Hatcher were taken from the Days Inn Hotel at 7321 E. Kellogg in Wichita at approximately 1 a.m by their father, 24-year-old David Hatcher.
They are believed to be in a 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis with an Arkansas temporary tag. The vehicle front end and passenger side damage and tinted windows.
Lilly Hatcher
Layla Hatcher is a black female, 4’3″ tall, 50 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. When last seen, she was wearing only floral print underwear.
Lilly Hatcher is also a black female, 2’5″ tall, 30 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. When last seen, she was wearing only a diaper.
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It is believed that Layla and Lilly are in imminent danger, and the public is being asked to assist in finding them. Call 911 immediately if you have seen the missing children, suspect, or suspect’s vehicle. If you have other information on the missing children, call 911 or the Wichita Police Department at 316-383-4661.
TOPEKA – The House Education Committee passed a bill Monday that would require the Kansas Board of Education to develop state standards for ethnic studies in grades seven through 12.
HB 2207 calls for the state board to establish criteria, materials, and guidelines that local school boards may use within existing history, social studies or civics programs, but it would not mandate that teachers begin including ethnic studies in their curricula, said Rep. John Alcala, D -Topeka, who introduced the bill.
The bill defines ethnic studies as “an interdisciplinary enterprise which acknowledges that race and ethnicity are social and cultural forces in the United States and around the world.” The bill specifically includes “the experiences of African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics, Latinos and Native Americans.”
Alcala said he was pleased with the bill’s passage but wants to leave its implementation to educators.
“I’m comfortable with what they do . . . based off of an educational decision as opposed to just a legislative decision,” Alcala said.
Dr. Ken Weaver, dean of the Teachers College at Emporia State University, said the advantage of implementing standards at a state level is the existence of a common ground for each school board.
“You’re going to get homogeneity. You’re going to have the same standards that will be implemented in the middle and high schools across the state with some degree of fidelity,” Weaver said.
Weaver said he appreciated the fact the bill isn’t written as a mandate.
“It’s just an encouragement, as you review these many different history textbooks with different emphasis, that it is important for the future of Kansas to have our children be steeped in and have some appreciation and background of these different ethnicities that populate our state,” Weaver said.
One of the amendments made to the bill added a clause to state that textbooks and classroom materials selected can’t “promote social justice remedies.”
“Certainly, I have no problem with making sure we appreciate the contributions of people in backgrounds that are diverse that made our country what it is today,” Rep. Jerry Lunn, R – Overland Park, said. “I do get concerned about them picking materials that are overly focused on things such as social justice, which I’m hearing a lot of these days.”
Alcala described the bill as the first step in a process of developing a more robust ethnic studies system in Kansas schools.
“I’d like to come back next year in ‘phase two’ and look at collecting data from some of the large school districts and a couple of smaller school districts to see the kind of impact that it has on attendance and grade scores,” Alcala said. “You have got to start somewhere.”
HUTCHINSON — One of two Kansas teens suspected of several automobile burglaries in the city of Nickerson was back in court Tuesday for the reading of formal charges with a new complaint filed by the state.
Kyle Nisbeth, 19, was already facing 20 felony and misdemeanor counts, including several counts of auto-burglary, burglary of a non-dwelling, several counts of theft, including the theft of two firearms, one a shotgun and the other a rifle.
On Tuesday, the state added 14 more charges against him including four counts of burglary of a dwelling, two counts of burglary with the intent to steal a firearm, conspiracy to commit burglary, making false information, theft by deception, theft and four charges of criminal damage.
The latest crimes allegedly occurred in November, December of last year and January of this year.
Nineteen-year-old Quentin Zumalt, a co-defendant in the earlier case is charged with eight counts of auto burglary and eight counts of misdemeanor theft.
Both men are free on bond. The cases against Nisbeth will all be placed on a future waiver-status docket.
NEW YORK (AP) — Bombardier says it is cutting approximately 7,000 jobs, or about 11 percent of its total workforce.
The company said the 7,000 job cuts will include production and non-production employees, with 2,000 of the positions being contractors. It has 64,000 employees globally and reported in 2015 approximately 1850 of those are in Wichita.
Business segment
Targeted workforce reduction
Aerostructures and Engineering Services
2,500
Business Aircraft
500
Commercial Aircraft
0
Product Development Engineering, Aerospace
800
Transportation
3,200
Total
7,000
At the same time, it says it will hire for other positions in growing areas of its business. Bombardier Inc. plans to hire for its C Series aircraft program and other areas.
Bombardier said Wednesday that the job cuts and hirings will occur in 2016 and 2017.
WINFIELD, Kan. (AP) — A man has been sentenced to 12 ½ years in prison in the shooting death of a Winfield man last year.
KWCH-TV reports that Timothy Boyd was sentenced Tuesday in Cowley County District Court. Boyd was accused of killing Derrick Higgins at a Winfield bar on Jan. 1, 2015.
Boyd pleaded no contest to second-degree murder in December.
