WICHITA – Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged theft of fine china.
On Saturday, police officers in Wichita stopped a male suspect near 55th Street South and Seneca who was in possession of these dishes, according to a social media report from police.
They were possibly taken in a theft or burglary, according to police.
If you have any information that could help police please contact Burglary Investigations at 316-268-4141.
GEARY COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities in Geary County are investigating 3 suspects on alleged murder charges.
Sheriff’s deputies responded to Shandy Lane near the community of Milford on Monday night after a report of persons being kidnapped and robbed at gunpoint.
During the incident, one of the victims was shot in the head with a semi-automatic handgun. That victim required minor medical treatment, according to Sheriff Tony Wolf.
A lengthy investigation ensued, a search warrant was executed at a residence on Johnson Drive in Junction City that resulted in the seizure of marijuana, numerous guns, and suspected stolen property.
On Tuesday evening, Erick Wiseman, Michael White, and Ronald Haywood Jr. all of Junction City were arrested on suspicion of Attempted First Degree Murder, Aggravated Robbery and Aggravated Kidnapping.
They are being held without bond at the Geary County Detention Center pending a first appearance in Geary County District Court.
WASHINGTON – Today Congressman Tim Huelskamp (KS-01) voted to ditch the EPA’s Waters of the United States (WOTUS) rule. Huelskamp was a cosponsor of S.J. Res. 22 in the House. His colleagues voted 253 to 156 on the disapproval resolution; it will now be sent to the president’s desk.
For years, Congressman Huelskamp has been fighting this radical new regulation, an unprecedented effort by the Obama Administration to expand its regulation and control over all waters in our nation, well beyond the limits established in law by Congress. The legislative and judicial branches continue to whittle away at the flawed rule. In 2015, Huelskamp took action to stop implementation and funding of the rule. In November, a federal court issued a stay on nationwide enforcement.
“As a fifth-generation farmer, I personally understand the threat WOTUS poses to our rural way of life. As at least one Court has decreed, WOTUS is illegal, because it seeks to regulate every road ditch, farm pond, prairie pothole, swimming pool, water tank, and rain puddle in Kansas and elsewhere—despite the clear law otherwise. With passage of our resolution, my colleagues have joined with me on the side of rural Americans to protect us from the EPA’s unprecedented water grab. While President Obama has already threated to veto our common sense effort, I hope both chambers will stand strong and override his veto.”
SALINA -A federal grand jury returned an indictment Tuesday charging a woman for crimes related to the 2015 homicide of a Salina teenager, according to a media release from the U.S. Attorney’s office.
The indictment charges 21-year-old Azucena Garcia-Ferniza, a citizen of Mexico, with one count of possession of a firearm while unlawfully in the United States, one count of accessory to a crime after the fact, and one count of having knowledge of a felony that she did not report to law enforcement. The crimes are alleged to have occurred May 7, 2015, in the hours following the shooting death of 17-year-old Allie Saum.
If convicted, Garcia-Ferniza faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the firearm charge, and a maximum penalty of three years and a fine up to $250,000 on the misprision charge. On the charge of knowingly giving aid to a person who committed a crime, she faces a maximum sentence of half of the sentence for the person who committed the crime.
The firearm, a .45 caliber Glock 30 handgun, is believed to be the murder weapon used in the Saum shooting. According to an arrest affidavit from the Salina Police Department, Garcia-Ferniza tried to hide the firearm allegedly used in the murder to prevent law enforcement from finding it. She had placed the firearm in her pants while law enforcement officers were obtaining a search warrant for her residence. The officers located and took possession of the firearm from her. She was then arrested and subsequently charged in state court with interference with a law enforcement officer, concealing evidence, and two counts of aggravated endangerment a child. Later that day, she freely and voluntarily admitted to having the firearm in her possession and attempting to conceal it from law enforcement officers.
Garcia-Ferniza is one of six suspects charged in the murder of Saum, who was shot on the evening of May 6, 2015, in what prosecutors have called a case of mistaken identity. Police say the shooting was the result of a fight that occurred earlier that same day. The suspects were part of a group of people that were out seeking revenge for the fight. One of the suspects mistakenly identified the male driver of a pickup, later identified as Saum’s boyfriend, as someone that had been involved in the fight. Shots were fired into the pickup in the 800 block of Russell and Saum, who was in the passenger’s side of the truck, was struck in the head. She succumbed to her injuries shortly after midnight on May 7, 2015.
Garcia-Ferniza was taken into federal custody in late August and later turned over to Saline County authorities. According to the Saline County Sheriff’s Office, she has been an inmate of the Saline County Jail since October 29.
The federal case against Garcia-Ferniza was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson is prosecuting the case.
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -The latest developments following the release of 10 U.S. Navy sailors detained by Iran after entering its territorial waters (All times local).
Iranian state television has shown dramatic images of the moment when Revolution Guard forces captured 10 U.S. sailors in the Persian Gulf.
The video and stills were published on its website Wednesday night, hours after the nine American men and one woman were released by Iran.
The images show the U.S. sailors with their hands on their heads, while others show Iranians inspecting the machine guns onboard and going through papers.
The American sailors were held in an Iranian base on Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf after being detained nearby on Tuesday. The U.S. military has said that mechanical trouble with one of the boats caused them to drift into Iranian territorial waters near the island, where they were picked up by Iran.
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7 p.m.
A senior U.S. defense official says the 10 American sailors briefly held by Iran are heading to a U.S. military facility in Qatar and likely have already arrived there.
The official says the sailors also will be debriefed by naval officials and will get medical checkups, though there’s no sign any were harmed.
The official spoke to The Associated Press on Wednesday on condition of anonymity as the information had yet to be made public.
The nine men and one woman were held in an Iranian base on Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf after being detained nearby on Tuesday. The U.S. military has said that mechanical trouble with one of the boats caused them to drift into Iranian territorial waters near the island, where they were picked up by Iran.
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5:35 p.m.
The White House says new lines of communication with Iran established during nuclear negotiations were key to getting 10 U.S. Navy sailors released quickly.
White House chief of staff Denis McDonough says he’s hesitant to draw big lessons from the incident about the state of U.S.-Iran relations.
But he says open lines established recently are “extraordinarily important” in resolving situations such as the one in the crowded Persian Gulf. He says U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s relationship with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif played a key role in this case.
Kerry and Zarif grew acquainted through the recent nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers. But President Barack Obama and Kerry have said the nuclear deal was separate from other issues between the U.S. and Iran.
McDonough told a Christian Science Monitor breakfast Wednesday the White House is very pleased to have the sailors “back with us.” He says that’s “where they should have always been.”
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4:30 p.m.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry has thanked Iran for ending what could have been a crisis involving the Islamic Republic holding 10 U.S. sailors, who have now been freed.
Kerry said in a statement on Wednesday: “That this issue was resolved peacefully and efficiently is a testament to the critical role diplomacy plays in keeping our country safe, secure and strong.”
Kerry has a close relationship with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif after the recent nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers.
The nine American men and one woman were held in an Iranian base on Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf after being detained nearby on Tuesday. The U.S. military has said that mechanical trouble with one of the boats caused them to drift into Iranian territorial waters near the island, where they were picked up by Iran.
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4:15 p.m.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden says that America did not apologize to Iran over U.S. sailors allegedly entering Iranian territorial waters.
Biden made the comments Wednesday in an interview with “CBS This Morning.”
The vice president said: “There’s nothing to apologize for. When you have a problem with the boat you apologize the boat had a problem? No, and there was no looking for any apology. This was just standard nautical practice.”
Biden said that the Iranians realized the U.S. sailors “were there in distress and said they would release them and released them like ordinary nations would do.”
The nine American men and one woman were held in an Iranian base on Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf after being detained nearby on Tuesday. The U.S. military has said that mechanical trouble with one of the boats caused them to drift into Iranian territorial waters near the island, where they were picked up by Iran.
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3:10 p.m.
U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter has welcomed the release of 10 U.S. Navy sailors held overnight by Iran.
In a statement Wednesday, Carter said he wanted to thank U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry for his “diplomatic engagement” on the issue. Kerry has a close relationship with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif after the recent nuclear deal between the Islamic Republic and world powers.
Carter also said: “Around the world, the U.S. Navy routinely provides assistance to foreign sailors in distress, and we appreciate the timely way in which this situation was resolved.”
The nine men and one woman were held on Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf after being detained nearby on Tuesday. The U.S. military has said that mechanical trouble with one of the boats caused them to drift into Iranian territorial waters near the island, where they were picked up by Iran.
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2:30 p.m.
The U.S. military says that 10 sailors briefly held by Iran are back in American care and “there are no indications that the sailors were harmed.”
The U.S. Navy issued a statement Wednesday after Iranian state media announced the sailors had been freed.
It said the sailors departed the Iranian base on Farsi Island at 0843 GMT on the same boats that brought them there. It said the Navy would conduct an investigation into the incident.
The nine men and one woman were held on Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf after being detained nearby on Tuesday. The U.S. military has said that mechanical trouble with one of the boats caused them to drift into Iranian territorial waters near the island, where they were picked up by Iran.
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2 p.m.
Iranian state television is reporting that all 10 U.S. sailors detained by Iran after entering its territorial waters have been released.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said the sailors were released Wednesday after it was determined that their entry was not intentional.
The nine men and one woman were being held at an Iranian base on Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf after being detained nearby on Tuesday.
The U.S. Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet had no immediate comment or confirmation of the release.
By MEGAN HART
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas won’t require customers who need outpatient mental health services to get prior authorization from now on, but the insurer can recoup payments from providers if their treatment is significantly different from that of their peers.
Mary Beth Chambers, spokeswoman for Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, said the change brings the insurer’s mental health policies in line with its policies for other types of medical care and with mental health parity laws. Eliminating prior authorization also will reduce paperwork for providers, she said.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas contracts with New Directions Behavioral Health to administer its mental health and substance abuse benefits, and New Directions will analyze “practice patterns” to determine how mental health providers generally treat a given diagnosis, Chambers said. If they find outliers, they then will ask for documentation to show the treatment was medically necessary, she said.
“Maybe the documentation they’ll provide shows there’s medical necessity … and maybe it won’t,” she said.
Chambers said she wasn’t sure how much variation would be significant enough for a practice to be considered an outlier, but the emphasis will be on educating providers in the early stages. Eventually, however, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas could recoup payments from providers if care isn’t determined to be medically necessary, she said.
“We want to make sure people are receiving all of the services that are medically necessary while holding down costs,” she said. “If we overpay … that just adds to the cost of health care and the future costs of our members.”
Vishal Adma, president of the Kansas Psychiatric Society, said its members are in favor of ending prior authorizations, which will allow them to begin treating patients sooner. Reviewing outlier practices also could help ensure that patients get quality care, he said, though they aren’t in favor of insurers recouping payments for services that already were provided.
“Prior authorization is a labor-intensive process,” he said. “It makes sense for them to focus on the outliers.”
Sky Westerlund, executive director of the Kansas chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, said the principle behind reviewing coverage to determine if it is medically necessary is fine, but it could prevent people from getting needed care.
“The problem that occurs in mental health is it’s (medical necessity) basically used as a tool to deny services and deny payment,” she said.
Insurers have varying criteria to determine if a mental health service is necessary. For the Blue Cross and Blue Shield affiliates, outpatient treatment is approved when the patient has a diagnosed mood or behavior disturbance that is likely to improve with treatment and “demonstrates motivation for treatment.” More specific criteria are used to determine whether a patient should have sessions as infrequently as once per month or as often as multiple times per week.
Part of the concern is that New Directions will compare people with the same diagnosis but won’t take into account differences in the extent of their needs, Westerlund said. One person with depression might feel better in four sessions, while another might need as much as a year to recover, she said.
“It’s not like a broken arm, it takes four weeks to heal,” she said. “It’s individualized.”
Westerlund also raised privacy concerns related to documentation that New Directions had told providers it would require. A letter to providers dated Nov. 30 said documentation should include objective and subjective descriptions of the patient’s “presentation” in each face-to-face interaction; the patient’s specific diagnosis; any changes to treatment goals; start and stop times; and any follow-up appointments scheduled.
“They just don’t need to know deep information, sensitive information, for authorization or payment purposes,” she said.
Chambers said insurers always have been able to collect that information and aren’t seeking therapy notes. Presentation information in a mental health context could include whether a person was intoxicated, appeared to be tired or well-rested, was crying or was calm, she said.
Megan Hart is a reporter for KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team. You can reach her on Twitter @meganhartMC
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A sterling silver spoon that belonged to one of the Kansas Territory’s earliest settlers will now be kept at the state’s history museum.
Allin and Donna Phister and their son, Thorton, all of Leawood, presented the spoon Tuesday to the Kansas Museum of History.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the spoon belonged to one of their ancestors, Christina McCoy. She was the wife of Baptist missionary Isaac McCoy, who history experts say was an important early settler in Kansas.
The McCoys lived in Kansas in the mid-1800s. Isaac McCoy was the first person to survey land that would eventually become the state of Kansas and he also worked with the Indian population.
Museum officials say they hope the donation will help spark education about the couple’s contributions to the state.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The latest on Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s plan to close the state’s projected budget deficit (all times local):
4 a.m.
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is preparing to release the details of his plan for balancing the next state budget.
Brownback budget director Shawn Sullivan was outlining the governor’s proposals Wednesday morning during a joint meeting of the House Appropriations and Senate Ways and Means committees.
The state has a projected deficit of $190 million in its $15.8 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
The Republican governor didn’t mention the shortfall in his State of the State address Tuesday evening and faced criticism from Democrats for the omission. But top Republicans in the GOP-dominated Legislature said they’ve known a budget-balancing plan was coming.
SEWARD COUNTY –The Kansas State Fire Marshal is investigating the cause of an explosion and fire that critically injured three people on Tuesday in Seward County.
Just after 2:30pm Seward County Fire Rescue and Seward County EMS were dispatched to Groendyke Transport in the 2100 block of Highway 83, just South of Liberal for reports of explosion with victims, according to a media release.
Units arrived on scene to find a metal construction type commercial building with heavy smoke and fire showing. Units from Liberal City Fire Department, Turpin Fire Department, and Tyrone Fire Department assisted.
Units pulled back due to concerns of a larger explosion. Units then re-engaged the fire using foam.
Seward County Fire Chief Andrew Barkley says a propane or natural gas tanker inside a large metal building exploded and caught fire for still-undetermined reasons.
There were a total of four patients, including three transported to Southwest Medical Center with Critical Injuries and then flown to Wichita. One patient was treated for minor burns at the scene.
Highway 83 and Kansas Avenue were closed for a period of time and an evacuation order was issued for the surrounding area for approximately 2 hours.
GEARY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Geary County are investigating over 2 dozen individuals after an arrest on Friday.
The arrests, according to police in Grandview Plaza, involved 27 people at a loud party on Cannon View Lane Friday.
The individuals were arrested on different charges ranging from misdemeanor Possession of Marijuana to Criminal Use of a Weapon, Hosting Minors Consuming Alcohol, and Unlawful Noise.
Twenty-one of those arrested were listed as Fort Riley residents, two from Grandview Plaza, and four from Junction City.
A check with authorities revealed when police responded to the scene there was an alleged lack of cooperation from those attending the party, and marijuana was in plain view on a table.
All of those in the general location of the marijuana were arrested. A small number of people at the party who were not in that immediate vicinity were not arrested.
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) Tuesday released the following statement in response to the President’s State of the Union Address:
“Instead of taking this opportunity to show Americans that he will to use his final year in office to work with Congress, improve our economy and act to keep our nation safe, President Obama gave yet another campaign speech.
“The president failed to acknowledge national security threats while also reiterating his threat to unilaterally close Guantanamo Bay and transfer the remaining terrorists to the mainland – including Ft. Leavenworth.
“His intention to transfer terrorists to the mainland is just another of the Obama Administration’s misguided strategic national security decisions. Closing Guantanamo will never endear radical Islamic fundamentalists to America. It will simply move these detainees and their security risks north, to one of the communities in our states.
“I regret President Obama’s ‘go it alone’ agenda. Kansans have very real fears about this threat to the security of their communities.
“President Obama should listen to the Congress and the American people who have made it very clear that they do not want terrorists transferred to the U.S. mainland. However, as we heard tonight, the President has again turned a deaf ear.
“The president claims his strategy against ISIS is working but simply needs more time. In reality, the poison of ISIS has already spread through the Middle East, Europe and in homegrown terror on our own shores. Iran has tested two ballistic missiles and the fired of rockets near our Naval ships in the Persian Gulf – a bold display of aggression despite the nuclear deal negotiated that was supposed to broaden cooperation with Iran. We need a detailed strategy to defeat these very real threats, yet President Obama continues circumvent Congress with nonbinding executive actions.
“I remain committed as ever to ensuring our nation is safe and will continue to use all legislative tools at my disposal to stop the president from moving a single detainee to the U.S.”
Senator Roberts, along with Sens. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) and Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) sat in unified opposition to the President’s plan to potential sites in South Carolina, Kansas, and Colorado as potential replacements for Guantanamo.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Planned Parenthood lobbyist says Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s move to deny Medicaid funds to the group will cost it $61,000 a year.
The Republican governor announced Tuesday evening that he’s directed the state health department’s secretary to prevent Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri from receiving any Medicaid funds.
Medicaid provides health coverage for the needy and disabled and reimburses health care providers for their care.
Planned Parenthood lobbyist Elise Higgins called Brownback’s announcement an attempt to divert attention from his policy failures. She said women will be hurt by what she called the governor’s scapegoating.
Brownback announced the move in his annual State of the State address and said the state must continue to protect innocent life. He’s signed numerous anti-abortion measures since taking office in 2011.
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JOHN HANNA, AP Political Writer
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Sam Brownback has announced that Kansas will prevent Planned Parenthood from receiving any funds through its Medicaid program.
In his annual State of the State address Tuesday evening, the Republican governor also encouraged the GOP-dominated Legislature to enshrine his directive into law.
Brownback used his speech to outline a broad legislative agenda on issues such as taxes, health care and education. He announced his action against Planned Parenthood near the end.
The governor is a strong abortion opponent. He signed a law in 2011 to prevent Planned Parenthood from receiving federal family planning dollars through the state health department.
The governor said Tuesday that he directed the health department’s secretary to see that no taxpayer money goes to Planned Parenthood through Medicaid, which provides health coverage for the needy.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A new report shows U.S. farmers are planting fewer acres into winter wheat as key growing states like Kansas cut back amid low crop prices.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service on Tuesday estimated the nation’s seeded area for this year’s crop at 36.6 million acres. That is down 7 percent from a year ago.
The decline is being driven in part by fewer wheat acres planted in Kansas, the nation’s top producing state. Winter wheat acres in Kansas are down 8 percent to 8.5 million acres.
Growers in other major winter wheat growing areas also cut acreages.
Texas planted just 5.3 million acres, down 12 percent. Oklahoma seeded 4.9 million acres for an 8 percent drop in acres.
Colorado and Montana are both down with 2.25 million wheat acres each.
