WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police say foul play is not suspected in the death of a man whose body was found in a Wichita park.

The Wichita Eagle reports that police were called to McAdams Park around 5:30 p.m. Thursday after someone reported finding the body.

The man was in his late 60s. Witnesses say he was homeless and was camping out in the park in an area across the street from the tennis courts.

The temperature in Wichita was around 45 degrees Thursday evening.

WESTMORELAND, Kan. (AP) — A northeast Kansas man has been sentenced to life in prison for the 2014 death of his uncle.

Christopher Arand was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without a chance for parole for at least 25 years.

He pleaded guilty in October to premeditated first-degree murder in the November 2014 death of his uncle, 70-year-old Larry Arand, who was found dead in his Belvue home.

Authorities say Larry Arand died after he was struck in the back of the head several times and suffocated.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas student government has taken steps to impeach three top leaders after concerns were raised about their handling of racial issues.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the Student Senate introduced a bill of impeachment Wednesday night against Student Body President Jessie Pringle, Student Body Vice President Zach George and Chief of Staff Adam Moon. The process could take weeks.

The three leaders said Wednesday that they wanted to remain in the Student Senate. On Monday, they issued a joint statement outlining 11 proposals for increasing diversity within student government.

A student government committee is pushing for their departure, based in part on what members see as an inadequate response to diversity demands to the university from a campus protest group called Rock Chalk Invisible Hawk.

MANHATTAN – A Kansas man was convicted of first-degree attempted murder on Thursday in Riley County.

Samuel Dartez, 30, Manhattan, was arrested on November 13, 2014, after the Riley County Police Department received a 911 call in reference to a stabbing at the Manhattan Public Library.

Officers responded and found a 27-year-old woman, the mother of his children, with multiple puncture wounds to her neck and face.

She was transported by EMS to a local hospital for treatment.

The same day, Dartez was stopped by authorities in Morris County and arrested following a standoff with law enforcement.

Sentencing for Dartez is scheduled for January 5.

KINGMAN COUNTY – A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 2p.m. on Thursday in Kingman County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported Ford Edge driven by Cooke, Dustin Phillip Cooke, 36, Kingman, was northbound on SE 70 Avenue seven miles west of Norwich.

The vehicle hit a deer. The driver lost control of the vehicle and it overturned in the west ditch.

Cooke was transported to Kingman hospital. He was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Muslim group wants Kansas political and religious leaders to repudiate views expressed by Sedgwick County Commissioner Karl Peterjohn at a county commission meeting.

The Kansas chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations on Thursday condemned the Republican commissioner’s remarks a day earlier saying he was providing “a public warning for citizens.” Peterjohn put on a slide show at the session of people named “Mohammed,” or some derivation of that name, who committed crimes.

Commissioners also passed on a 4-1 vote two resolutions offering condolences to Russia and France for the recent attacks, while condemning U.S. leaders for not calling them “Islamic terrorism.”

CAIR spokesman Moussa Elbayoumy says people are concerned about a crescendo of calls from mostly Republican politicians racing to see who is more bigoted than the other.

SALINA – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a shooting in Salina.

Police reported no one was hurt after a shot from a small caliber gun was fired into a Salina home in the 500 Block of Washington Street just after 6p.m. on Wednesday.

The occupants of the home told police a white car left the area immediately after the gunshot was fired.

Damage to the window is listed at $700.

RENO COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Reno County are investigating a series of rural residential burglaries.

The Reno County Sheriff’s office reported on social media, that individuals are approaching homeowners and making unique requests.

The individuals are not recognized as being from the area.

Officials believe the suspects are knocking on doors to see if there are people home before breaking in.

Deputies encouraged residents to watch for someone suspicious around their property, be aware and if necessary, call 911 immediately for help.

By MIKE SHERRY

A Kansas City Council committee on Wednesday approved three anti-smoking measures that critics said wrongly include electronic cigarettes and premium cigars.

Taken together, the three ordinances raise the legal age for purchasing tobacco products and e-cigarettes from 18 to 21 and add e-cigarettes, also known as vapes, to the city’s ban on indoor smoking, including in so-called vape shops that sell them.

Supporters expect the full council to follow the committee’s lead when it meets Thursday afternoon, given that nine of the 13 council members are co-sponsors of the three ordinances.

The council vote could be the first of a one-two punch, since elected officials in Wyandotte County are scheduled to consider raising the legal age of sale of tobacco products to 21 when they meet Thursday evening.

“I feel for the folks on both sides of this,” Kansas City Councilwoman Heather Hall said, explaining that her support for the measures come from her experiences as a staff member with the American Cancer Society.

Proponents argue that keeping cigarettes out of the hands of youngsters for as long as possible pays health dividends far down the road. They cite research showing that nearly 90 percent of smokers picked up the habit by age 20 and that the still-developing brain of young adults is particularly vulnerable to tobacco addiction.

Lumping vapes with cigarettes

Vapes are even finding their way into classrooms, according to testimony Wednesday, since unwitting teachers can easily mistake them for pens. Students can take a drag when the teacher is not looking.

But Doug Cox, owner of a midtown vape shop, told committee members that it was ignorant to lump in e-cigarettes with traditional cigarettes, especially when it comes to clean indoor air ordinances. Vapes merely emit water vapor, he said.

“Uneducated votes are going to doom our country,” Cox said after the committee meeting.

He said the indoor smoking ban would prohibit customers from sampling vapes in his store.

Like Cox, Candi McCann argued that vapes are a great smoking cessation tool, providing a less harmful way to deliver nicotine. McCann is a regional manager for Vapor World, which has four stores in the area.

Including vapes in the ordinances, she said, infringes on the right of adults to engage in a legal activity and of business owners to control what goes on in their establishments.

Including cigars

Curt Diebel, owner of Diebel’s Sportsmens Gallery on the Country Club Plaza, unsuccessfully urged the committee to exempt high-end cigars from the prohibition on selling tobacco products to people under the age of 21.

More often than not, he said, his customers are coming in to mark a special occasion – including celebrating that they can buy a cigar on their 18th birthday.

Cigars and cigarettes are not comparable items, Diebel said, arguing that they use different types of tobacco.

“It is just a different product,” he said. “It is not the same.”

But Dr. Bridget McCandless, CEO of the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City, told the committee that while they might be different from cigarettes, cigars carry an exceptionally high risk for oropharyngeal cancer.

She also disagreed with the contention that vapes are smoking-cessation devices, arguing that evidence suggests e-cigarettes are gateways to cigarettes for youngsters.

McCandless appeared before the committee as a leader of the Tobacco 21 | KC initiative, launched last month to make 21 the legal age of sale of tobacco products in municipalities around the region. The initiative is part of Healthy KC, a broader community-health effort spearheaded in part by the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce.

Gathering momentum

Leaders of Tobacco 21 have been active in coordinating what could be back-to-back favorable votes in Kansas City and Wyandotte County on Thursday. A legislative committee in Wyandotte County has already approved the ordinance.

The indoor smoking ban in Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, already includes e-cigarettes.

The proposed Tobacco 21 ordinances in Kansas City, Missouri and Wyandotte County both include fines for violations. The Kansas City ordinance says violators could face a fine of up to $1,000 and imprisonment for as long as six months.

Kansas City’s Tobacco 21 initiative is part of a nationwide effort pushed by the Ohio-based Preventing Tobacco Addiction Foundation. Its founder and president is Dr. Rob Crane, a family physician and professor at Ohio State University.

The foundation says more than 100 municipalities nationwide have increased the legal age of sale of tobacco products to 21, including New York. Hawaii has a statewide enactment.

The majority of communities that have taken action are in Massachusetts and New Jersey.

Having two large municipalities enact the ordinance nearly simultaneously would be a first for Tobacco 21, Crane said in an interview. It would be significant in helping the movement gain a greater foothold in the Midwest, he said.

The Kansas City-area initiative is also notable for the leadership of the business community, Crane said.

Actions to curb smoking are more likely to be effective on the local level, he said, arguing that the tobacco lobby has widespread influence in state legislatures around the country.

“You have to go to your neighbors. You have to go to the city council person who lives down the street from you, who are in the PTA with you,” Crane said. “They listen and they understand.”

Mike Sherry is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A mental health center in Great Bend has denied allegations it was aware that its former executive director was a serial sexual predator who had inappropriate contact for almost 30 years with clients and staff.

The Center for Counseling and Consultation filed late Wednesday its response to the federal lawsuit brought against it in September by two women.

The women allege the board allowed its ex-executive director Dwight Young to resign last year following an investigation into sexual harassment complaints brought by several women. The lawsuit contends the board then retaliated against the complainants.

In addition to broadly denying the claims, the center argued it cannot be held liable for acts of its managerial employees that were contrary to its own good-faith efforts to comply with federal law prohibiting employment discrimination.

SALINA -The Salina Regional Health Center board of trustees has authorized a $1 million contribution to the field house project planned for downtown Salina, according to a media release.

Board members approved the measure after discussing merits of the project’s ability to promote health and wellness in the community and provide affordable options for team recreation. The project also promises to make a positive impact on the local economy.

The 2015 Saline County Health Needs Assessment identified childhood obesity as a leading health issue facing the community. The assessment was conducted by representatives of Salina Regional Health Center, Saline County Health Department, Central Kansas Foundation, Salina Surgical Hospital, Salina Area United Way, North Central Kansas Flint Hills Area Agency on Aging and USD 305 Salina Public Schools. Developing healthy lifestyles among youth, such as physical activity and recreation, can improve many health issues faced by society today including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental health and more.

“At Salina Regional Health Center, we are committed to improving the health of our community. The field house will provide more recreational activities for our youth and help teach them the value of healthy lifestyles,” said Micheal Terry, President and Chief Executive Officer of Salina Regional Health Center.

HUTCHINSON– A Kansas man, well known to law enforcement, was ordered to prison in two cases after being bound over for trial in a third case on Wednesday.

Jesse Villa, 34, Hutchinson, was bound over on a charge of aggravated assault for allegedly pulling a knife on John Dilorenzo during an altercation on Aug. 27.

Because he was bound over in that case, Judge Joe McCarville found that as a contributing factor in the state’s motion to revoke his corrections in the other two cases.

In one cases, he was convicted of aggravated battery for hitting a man, causing injury during an incident on Jan. 8, 2014.

He was also convicted for violation of the offender registration act from May of 2014.

Judge McCarville ordered the five-year, three-month sentence be executed.

Villa will be arraigned in an aggravated assault case on Dec. 7.