LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Students at a Lawrence high school want to ban the Confederate flag throughout the school district.
Students at Free State High School have started a petition to ban the Confederate flag and plan to present it to the Lawrence school board at an upcoming meeting.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports the move comes after school administrators told a student he could not fly a Confederate flag on the vehicle he parked in the school parking lot.
Abena Peasah, a senior at Free State and one of the students who drafted the petition, says she wants the district to ban the Confederate flag. The petition has more than 200 signatures.
Peasah says she’s working to add the proposal to the Lawrence school board’s agenda. The board’s next meeting is Feb. 8.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Lawrence couple who sought permission to get married in a local cemetery will have to find another venue to proclaim their undying love.
Abbie Stutzer told The Lawrence Journal-World in an email she thought Oak Hill Cemetery would provide a “nice, memorable” venue for a Halloween evening wedding this fall.
The Lawrence Parks and Recreation Department denied the request about a week after she submitted her proposal. Mark Hecker, assistant director of Parks and Recreation, said the cemetery wedding just wasn’t a good idea, particularly if a funeral was also scheduled for that day.
Hecker said getting married on land owned by Parks and Recreation actually doesn’t take a special permit, though reservations are required for certain facilities.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas lawmaker wants to require two hours of suicide-prevention training for teachers as a way to reduce the number of teen suicides.
Republican Sen. Greg Smith is a suburban Kansas City school teacher and former police officer who thinks the free training under his bill could help educators better spot warning signs in troubled students.
During a recent Senate Education Committee hearing on the issue, several Kansas parents whose sons and daughters took their own lives pressed the need for the training. No opponents testified.
Smith’s bill is modeled after the Jason Flatt Act already in effect in 16 states. The act is named after a 16-year-old Tennessee boy who killed himself in 1997.
OTTAWA COUNTY – A Kansas woman was injured in an accident just before 2p.m. on Sunday in Ottawa County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Chevy Classic driven by Judith A Chrisman, 72 Mineapolis, was southbound on Kansas 106 seven miles south of Minneapolis.
The vehicle left the roadway and struck a stock trailer illegally parked on the side of the road.
A private vehicle transported Chrisman to the hospital in Minneapolis.
She was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
PRATT – You don’t have to be a waterfowl hunter, or a hunter at all, to be welcomed at the 2016 Kansas Ducks Unlimited State Convention in Hutchinson, Feb. 19-20. If you have a passion for conserving waterfowl and believe in the magic of a marsh, there’s a seat for you at this fun event. The convention will take place at the Atrium Hotel and Conference Center, 1400 North Lorraine, and rooms can be reserved at a discounted rate by calling (620) 669-9311.
Event activities include a kick-off party Friday evening, followed by a Kansas Conservation Update Saturday morning and an awards ceremony and banquet Saturday night. Optional wine tasting will be available for ladies only on Saturday with prior registration, and vendor merchandise will be on sale throughout the two-day event.
For more information, and to purchase admission tickets, contact Lynne Rozine at (913) 909-0622.
OTTAWA, Kan. (AP) — Jury selection is scheduled to begin in the capital murder trial of a man accused of killing four people in eastern Kansas in 2013.
Kyle Trevor Flack is charged with capital murder in Franklin County in the shooting deaths of Kaylie Smith Bailey and her 18-month-old daughter. He’s also charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of Andrew A. Stout and Steven White.
Stout, White and Kaylie Bailey were found dead at Stout’s farm in Ottawa, about 50 miles southwest of Kansas City. Bailey’s daughter’s body was found a few days later in neighboring Osage County.
Flack has been in custody since shortly after the bodies were discovered.
The Kansas City Star reports that jury selection is scheduled to begin Monday. Authorities say jury selection could take two weeks.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A bill in the Kansas Legislature would allow people to register to vote on Election Day and cast a ballot the same day.
“Same-day registration” is allowed in 10 states and the District of Columbia, but under Kansas law requires voters to be registered at least 21 days before an election.
Rep. Gail Finney, a Wichita Democrat, is sponsoring the same-day voter registration bill, which would allow voters to go to their county election office within 20 days before an election, or to their local polling place on Election Day, and cast a ballot at the same time they register.
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach told The Lawrence Journal-World while he hadn’t seen Finney’s bill, he believes same-day voter registration can lead to people voting more than once.
GEARY COUNTY -Bond has been set at one million dollars each for two Junction City residents, Joseph “DoDa” Craig, 24, and Gabrielle “Gabby” Williams, 19.
They were arrested in connection with the shooting death of 24-year old David Phillips of Manhattan.
Phillips was found dead from gunshot wounds to the head at an 827 West 12th Street, Apartment C location on January 25.
Joseph Craig and Gabrielle Williams both had first appearances in Geary County District Court on Friday.
According to the Geary County Attorney’s Office status hearings and preliminary hearings for both defendants have been scheduled on February 11th in District Court.
According to Junction City police, Joseph Craig was arrested on suspicion of Felony Murder, Aggravated Kidnapping, Aggravated Robbery, Aggravated Intimidation of a Witness and Conspiracy. Gabrielle Williams was arrested on suspicion of Felony Murder, Aggravated Robbery, and Conspiracy. Formal court charges have not yet been filed.
Dwight D. Eisenhower was honored on the Kansas Walk of Honor Oct. 7, 2015. (Photos courtesy KSHS)
Kansas Historical Society
TOPEKA–Four Notable Kansans will join the list of 11 other prominent citizens in the Kansas Walk of Honor this spring. The bronze plaques of Arthur Capper, Fred Harvey, Joseph McCoy, and Karl Menninger will be installed in the spring along the walkways of the Kansas State Capitol.
These four new plaques will join those of Clyde Cessna, Walter Chrysler, Samuel Crumbine, John Steuart Curry, Charles Curtis, Bob Dole, Amelia Earhart, Dwight Eisenhower, Jack Kilby, Gordon Parks, and William Allen White. The walk was established in 2011 and highlights people who contributed on a state and national level and have significant connections to Kansas.
The four honorees were pioneers in their chosen careers.
Arthur Capper
· Arthur Capper (1865-1951) born in Garnett, moved from typesetter to editor at the Topeka Daily Capital. He purchased several newspapers and eventually added a radio station to his properties. Capper served two terms as 20th governor of Kansas, then five terms as U. S. senator. He formed a foundation to benefit children with disabilities that continues today.
Fred Harvey
· Fred Harvey (1835-1901) was a railroad clerk who convinced his employers to test an idea. He established the first fine dining for railway travelers. The Santa Fe Topeka dining room proved so popular that Harvey eventually operated 15 locations. The fast, quality dining experience with the iconic Harvey girls encouraged travelers to explore the Southwest.
Joseph McCoy
· Joseph McCoy (1837-1915) came to Kansas to create a shipping route for the cattle industry. He established one of the first cow towns, Abilene, at a junction of the Union Pacific railroad and the Chisholm Trail. He convinced Texans to drive their herds to his pens to be shipped by rail to markets in the east, eventually shipping more than 3 million head. He referred to himself as “The Real McCoy.”
Karl Menninger
· Karl Menninger (1893-1990) born in Topeka, became fascinated with the new science of psychology while in college. With the philosophy that mental health was as important as physical health, he established a clinic in Topeka that became the largest psychiatric training center in the world. Through his work and books he built an international reputation and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The Kansas Historical Foundation, a 501(c) (3), serves as the caretakers of funds for the Kansas Walk of Honor. People can donate to this fund. The Historical Foundation, which supports the Kansas Historical Society, a state agency, established the walk fund so people can offer donations to cover the cost of plaques.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — An analysis of recent public opinion polling shows that more white Americans now agree with minorities that racism is a national problem and should be confronted.
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation in conjunction with the Northeastern University School of Journalism reviewed several national polls on race relations. The foundation concluded that a majority of Americans across racial groups think more should be done to end racism, and is launching a “Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation Commission” to discuss solutions for ending systemic inequality. See the report here.
According to the review, media coverage and an increase in the use of technology to document incidents of racism, such as in the killings of unarmed black males by police, has helped to make a powerful case for racial bias as a pattern.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican leaders expect two Kansas legislative committees to approve plans next week for closing a projected $190 million deficit in the state’s next budget.
The House Appropriations and Senate Ways and Means committees will be starting from GOP Gov. Sam Brownback’s proposals for juggling funds and capturing unanticipated savings.
Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce said the goal is for the Republican-dominated Legislature to finish work on a budget-balancing plan by the end of February.
GOP leaders said closing the budget shortfall quickly will allow lawmakers to focus on fixing long-term inefficiencies in state government.
Legislators in both parties worry that budget work will be complicated by month-to-month revenue shortfalls. For 2014 and 2015, tax collections fell short of expectations most months; officials learn Monday how the state fared in January.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The email that prompted the firing of an attorney for a Kansas agency that represents residential and small-business utility customers urged board members to allow her to continue talking to lawmakers and reporters.
The Wichita Eagle reports that the Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board released the email Friday after an open records request was filed. Board members cited the email in Monday’s decision to fire Niki Christopher, CURB’s interim consumer counselor.
In the email, she bluntly advised the board to reverse a December decision to strip her office of authority over cases and prohibit her from talking with lawmakers and reporters about utility issues.
CURB board chairwoman Ellen Janoski said she thought the email made unsolicited demands and was “very disrespectful” to the board.
