HUTCHINSON– One of the two people jailed after the Reno County Drug Unit served a search warrant on a home in the 1600 block of Aurora Road in Hutchinson on Wednesday night was employed by USD 308.

School district Spokesman Ray Hemman released this information about McMurray Friday morning.

“McMurry is a counselor for USD 308 at Faris Elementary School.

He began his employment with USD 308 in August 2013.

Hemman says he is suspended with pay pending the outcome of the investigation.

Student and staff safety is of prime concern in the district. Administrative Regulation GAMA requires employees and volunteers to comply with local, state and federal laws. This policy allows a range of consequences, including termination.” said Hemman.”

The school district also sent a call last night to parents that stated: Faris Elementary School counselor, Terry McMurry, was arrested on suspicion of drug charges on Wednesday evening for alleged activity that occurred off campus. He is suspended with pay pending the outcome of the investigation.

The safety and well-being of students at Faris continues to be our top priority

McMurray, 49, is jailed for possession of cocaine and marijuana, both with intent to distribute, possession of drug proceeds, possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to package and two counts of no drug tax stamp.

Also arrested in the case was 20-year-old Ashley Simone Rogers. She was taken to jail for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Marijuana and cocaine packaged for sale, packaging material, scales, and cash were found in the home.

Officers also found Marijuana in McMurry’s Mustang and crack cocaine was found in his Mercedes convertible.

Three Mercedes automobiles and the Mustang were seized.

Roger’s two-month-old baby was at the residence and was taken into custody by law enforcement.

McMurray is jailed on a bond of $35,500 and the bond for Rogers set at $1,000.

DETROIT (AP) — Fiat Chrysler is recalling nearly 56,000 Jeep Cherokee SUVs worldwide to fix a water leak that can cause an electrical short in the power tailgates.

The recall covers Cherokees from the 2015 and 2016 model years. Water can get into the tailgate control module, increasing the risk of a fire. The company says no fires or injuries have been reported.

Fiat Chrysler says two customer complaints led to the recall.

The Jeeps were manufactured from Feb. 18 to Sept. 10. Dealers will inspect the module and replace damaged parts. They’ll also replace a water shield with a better one. The company is developing a schedule for the recall and will notify owners.

In the meantime, owners are advised to check tailgates and make sure they are kept dry until repairs are made.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police have arrested a person wanted for questioning in a shooting that left two people dead in east Wichita.

KSNW-TV reports that the man was taken into custody Thursday on suspicion of first-degree murder. Police have said they want to talk to him about the killings earlier this month of 55-year-old Betty Ann Holloman and 24-year-old Brenton Oliver. Three other men are charged in the killings, which police say are gang related.

Witnesses told police that the shootings happened after a confrontation between two men at a home and another man who came over to drop off a woman. Police said that the man who dropped off the woman later returned with two people. A fight ensued, and shots were fired toward the home from the street.

WASHINGTON -On Thursday, the House of Representatives passed a tax extenders package, by a bipartisan vote of 318 – 109. This tax package includes legislation introduced by Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (KS-02) to modernize, improve and strengthen 529 college savings plans. Earlier, Congresswoman Jenkins spoke on the House floor in support of the tax package. Below are her remarks as delivered or watch her floor speech here.

 

“As I visit with folks at home in Kansas they often express their frustration with Washington. Uncertainty is the enemy. Whether in tax policy, regulatory policy or health policy, folks simply need to know what the rules will be so they can plan accordingly.

“As a former CPA, who worked in the tax area, and a former State Treasurer, I’ve seen, first-hand, how uncertain tax policies that expire every year negatively impacts our hard-working businesses and families.

“So I am pleased we secured a tax package that will bring much more certainty to families and businesses across the country fighting to create jobs in our still struggling economy. This legislation will help bring us closer to the stable tax policies our economy desperately needs.

“This bill is another step in the right direction towards a confident America built on our principles and values that hard-work should equal success. This legislation will grow our economy, put money in the folk’s pockets and rein in the IRS. With these foundations we can continue to make strides towards a pro-growth agenda that helps businesses succeed, creates more jobs and stimulates the economy.”

For the full text of the tax extenders package, please CLICK HERE.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP)  A 21-year-old man is charged in the shooting death of another man in Kansas City, Kansas.

The Wyandotte County district attorney’s office announced Thursday that Keyaun M. Lee, of Kansas City, Kansas, is charged with second-degree murder in the Dec. 15 shooting death of Deandre Goodson.

Lee is jailed in Wyandotte County on a $500,000 bond. It wasn’t immediately clear if he had an attorney.

Police continue investigating the case.

SALINA – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating an altercation between two women at a home in Salina.

Robin Harrington, 29, is accused of hitting a woman in the head and threatening her with a knife during an argument on Wednesday evening at a home in east Salina, according to Salina Police Captain Mike Sweeney.

A Christmas tree was also knocked over and ornaments damaged before another person stopped the fight, according to police.

The victim was taken to Salina Regional Health Center for treatment of bruises on her face.

Harrington was arrested on requested charges of battery, aggravated assault, and damage to property.

PRATT COUNTY – Law enforcement officials say a space heater is responsible for a fatal residential fire in Southwest Pratt County.

Just after 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, the Cullison Fire Department, Pratt County Emergency Services, and Pratt County Sheriff’s Office were dispatched to a 100223 SW 20th Street after the report of a camper trailer on fire, according

to a media release from the Pratt County Sheriff.

On arrival fire crews found the residence fully engulfed in flames. After the fire was extinguished a body was found in the ruble and is believed to be the 68-year-old man that lived at the residence.

No name is being released pending notification of next of kin.

An autopsy has been ordered.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

WICHITA – Law enforcement authorities in Sedgwick County are investigating a suspect in connection with allegedly taking packages delivered to homes in Wichita.

On Thursday, police asked the public for help to identify the suspect who was seen on surveillance cameras stealing
packages from front porches near the area of 13th North and West Street.

The suspect was arrested Thursday evening, according to police.

An observant Patrol West Officer recognized the car, stopped it and identified the suspected thief who was later booked for felony theft.

HUTCHINSON– Law enforcement authorities in Reno County are investigating two suspects after the Reno County Drug Unit served a search warrant on a home in the 1600 block of Aurora Drive in Hutchinson, according to a media release.

Terry Lamont McMurray, 49, is jailed for possession of cocaine and marijuana, both with intent to distribute, possession of drug proceeds, possession of drug paraphernalia with intent to package and two counts of no drug tax stamp.

Ashley Simone Rogers, 20, was taken to jail for possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

Marijuana and cocaine packaged for sale, packaging material, scales, and cash were found in the home.

Officers also found Marijuana in McMurry’s Mustang and crack cocaine was found in his Mercedes convertible.

Three Mercedes automobiles and the Mustang were seized.

Roger’s two-month-old baby was at the residence and was taken into custody by law enforcement.

McMurray is jailed on a bond of $35,500 and the bond for Rogers set at $1,000.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The chairman of a Kansas House committee that handles legislation on abortion and gay-rights issues is resigning to lead a conservative group seeking to influence social policy.

Republican Rep. Steve Brunk of Wichita submitted a letter of resignation to the secretary of state’s office Thursday. He is stepping down Jan. 4.

Brunk said he will become Kansas executive director for the Colorado-based group CitizenLink. It is affiliated with Focus on the Family, which has been aligned with the Kansas Family Policy Council.

Brunk said he’ll be building an organization that can link churches, pastors and thousands of individuals to influence state policy and local elections. He said he won’t be lobbying lawmakers.

The Wichita Eagle first reported last week that Brunk had been offered the job.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A real estate developer and his business partner are the new owners of the Heartland Park Topeka racing facility.

Chris Payne said Thursday he and Todd Crossley are the new owners of Heartland Park, apparently ending more months of uncertainty about the track’s future.

Payne confirmed he has reached an agreement with CoreFirst Bank & Trust and has already taken possession of the track.

The announcement came only hours after The Topeka Capital-Journal reported (https://bit.ly/1IXfSgb ) that negotiations with another potential owner, Jim Farnum and his group, Heartland USA LLC, had stopped negotiations with CoreFirst.

The race track’s future has been unclear since a proposed deal between the city and former owner Raymond Irwin was rejected by the Topeka City Council in May.

 

MITCHELL COUNTY – A Kansas woman was injured in an accident just before 2:30p.m. on Thursday in Mitchell County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee driven by Constance Susan Schaffer, 58, Beloit, was eastbound on M Road five miles west of Highway 14.

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

Schaffer was transported to the Mitchell County Hospital.

She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A former University of Kansas librarian has given the Lawrence Humane Society nearly $500,000 through her estate.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the gift from the late Ann L. Hyde will be used to help upgrade the Humane Society building or pay for a new facility. The project has an estimated cost of $5 million.

Lawrence Humane Society executive director Kate Meghji says the organization would start a public fundraising campaign once it had gathered 50 percent to 60 percent of the total cost. She estimated that would be sometime before 2017.

So far, slightly more than $1.2 million has been raised or committed for the project.

Hyde was the manuscripts librarian in the Department of Special Collections at KU’s Kenneth Spencer Research Library. She died in June 2014.