TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas officials are preparing to issue a new fiscal forecast and it could leave the state with a projected deficit in its current budget again.

University officials, legislative researchers and officials in Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration were meeting Friday to draft revised projections for tax collections through June 2017.

The new forecast was coming the same day the Kansas Supreme Court was hearing arguments about whether a school funding law enacted earlier this year complies with the state constitution and whether the state immediately owes school districts another $54 million.

Since the current fiscal year began in July, tax collections have been short of expectations by about $78 million, or 4.1 percent.

The state boosted sales and cigarette taxes in July to close an earlier budget shortfall.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Wyandotte County District Attorney Jerry Gorman will not file charges against two deputy U.S. marshals who shot and killed a man in Kansas City, Kansas.

The Kansas City Star reports the two deputy marshals shot Patrick Pippin, of Shawnee, July 16 after he led police on a chase along Interstate 35.

Gorman said his investigation indicated the officers were justified in using deadly force.

Deputies went to a home as part of an investigation into several armed robberies. When they attempted to stop a Jeep that that drove away from the home, the driver drove off. It eventually crashed.

The marshals reported that Pippin appeared to have a gun when he started running toward one marshal.

The two marshals shot him. Pippin died of four gunshots.

COLUMBUS, Kan. (AP) — Cherokee County commissioners have signed an agreement with a Missouri company that will pay legal bills the county amassed while fighting a proposed casino for nearby Crawford County.

The Joplin Globe reports the commissioners and Penfield’s Business Centers signed an agreement on Oct. 26. The company will pay the county’s legal fees, which total close to $150,000. The agreement says the county has two years to repay the money if the state-owned casino is shifted to Cherokee County.

If no casino is built, the county does not have to reimburse the money.

The funds to cover legal fees will come from company managing partner Gary Hall, who owns land that would have been purchased if Cherokee County won the contract.

Cherokee County has filed a lawsuit, saying state regulators arbitrarily awarded the casino contract to Crawford County.

MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Health officials say nearly half of U.S. moms gain too much weight during pregnancy.

Experts say putting on too many extra pounds during pregnancy can harm the mom, and may cause a range of problems for the child.

The study found only about a third of women gain the recommended amount of weight, and about a fifth gained too little. Overweight and obese women most commonly exceeded the guidelines.

Gaining too little weight increases the risk that the baby will be born very small. Too much weight can lead to obesity and other health problems for the mom and baby, and to dangerous complications during labor and delivery.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the study Thursday.

DOUGLAS COUNTY- Three people were injured in an accident just before 3p.m. on Thursday in Douglas County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 BMW driven by Robert C. Zabel, 69, Overland Park, was northbound on Kansas 10 just north of U.S. 40 during heavy rain.

The vehicle hydroplaned, crossed the centerline and struck a 2013 Dodge Avenger head on in the southbound lane.

The Dodge then rotated and struck a 2012 Toyota Prius driven by Myrna MCornett-Devito, 65, Lawrence.

Zabel was transported to Stormont Vail.

A passenger in the BMW Allen Wehmeyer, 71, Kansas City, and the driver of the Dodge April Dawn Ponton, 28, Topeka, were transported to Overland Park Regional Medical Center.

Cornett-Devito was not injured.

All were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A new report says Medicaid and other services will cost Kansas about $47 million more than expected during the next two budget years.

The new estimates Thursday complicate the budget picture for Republican Gov. Sam Brownback and the GOP-dominated Legislature. The report was issued by legislative researchers and Brownback’s budget staff.

State officials and university economists were expected Friday to issue more pessimistic projections for state tax collections through June 2017 that are likely to leave a projected deficit in the state’s current budget.

The report covers cash assistance, foster care and Medicaid’s health coverage for the poor and disabled, which cost the state $1.1 billion annually.

The new estimates are $16.6 million higher for the current budget and $30.8 million higher for the fiscal year beginning in July 2017.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A dinosaur fossil found in South Dakota’s Hell Creek Formation has led to the discovery of a new giant raptor.

The Lawrence Journal World reports that a research team that includes University of Kansas paleontologists named the estimated 17-foot-long feathered creature a Dakotaraptor.

According to a news release from the university, the raptor hails from the Cretaceous period and would have been lightly built and probably as agile as the vicious Velociraptor.

The fossil was discovered on Monday. It’s being researched and curated in Florida by a research team led by Robert DePalma of the Palm Beach Museum of Natural History.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Newman University in Wichita has received a $1 million grant for the university’s science and health science programs.

The Wichita Eagle reports the gift is from the Dwane L. and Velma Lunt Wallace Charitable Foundation.

Newman President Noreen Carrocci says the donation will go toward helping students in the science, nursing and allied health fields.

Dwane Wallace led the Cessna Aircraft Co. from 1934 through 1975. The Wallaces established their foundation in 1989 to support programs and organizations in Wichita.

Newman, a Catholic University founded in 1933, has an enrollment of about 2,700 students.

WASHINGTON – A four-count indictment was unsealed today in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Ohio charging four men with conspiring to travel to Yemen to provide thousands of dollars to Anwar Al-Alwaki in an effort to support violent jihad against U.S. military personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the world. One of the men used to live in Kansas.

The indictment was announced in a media release by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Steven M. Dettelbach of the Northern District of Ohio, U.S. Attorney Barry R. Grissom of the District of Kansas and Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony of the FBI’s Cleveland Division.

Yahya Farooq Mohammad, 37; Ibrahim Zubair Mohammad, 36; Asif Ahmed Salim, 35; and Sultane Room Salim, 40, were each indicted on one count of conspiracy to provide and conceal material support and resources to terrorists, one count of providing material support and resources to terrorists and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. Farooq Mohammad and Ibrahim Mohammad both face an additional count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

“According to the allegations in the indictment, Farooq Mohammad, Ibrahim Mohammad, Asif Salim and Sultane Salim conspired to provide and did provide material support to Anwar Al-Awlaki in response to his calls to support violent jihad,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “The National Security Division’s highest priority is counterterrorism and we will continue to pursue justice against those who seek to provide material support to terrorists.”

“The charges in this case outline a plan to send thousands of dollars to a known terrorist, a plan which came to fruition shortly before one of the most notorious attempted attacks in recent memory – an attack claimed by that same terrorist,” said U.S. Attorney Dettelbach. “This indictment is a testament to the perseverance of those who stand watch over our nation and is a clear message to those who support terrorism – we will not forget and you will face justice.”

“In today’s world, Kansas is not far removed from the battlefields of the war on terror,” said U.S. Attorney Grissom. “We will do everything in our power to prevent funding and material support from finding its way from the heart of America to terrorists in foreign lands.”

“These individuals conspired and then acted on their radical beliefs by providing support to a known terrorist organization,” said Special Agent in Charge Anthony. “The identification of their conspiracy and the subsequent investigation demonstrate how members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force continue to work with our international law enforcement partners to mitigate terrorist’s threats in order to protect our citizens.”

Farooq Mohammad was an Indian citizen who was an engineering student at Ohio State University between 2002 and 2004. In or around March 2008, he married a U.S. citizen. His brother, Ibrahim Mohammad, was also an Indian citizen who studied engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign from 2001 through 2005. In or around 2006, he moved to Toledo, Ohio, and married a U.S. citizen. He became a lawful permanent resident of the United States in or around 2007.

Asif Salim was a U.S. citizen who studied at Ohio State University between 2000 and 2005. He became a resident of Overland Park, Kansas, in 2007. His brother, Sultane Salim, is also a U.S. citizen who resided in the Chicago-area from 2006 through 2012, until he moved to the Columbus-area.

According to the indictment, from January 2005 through January 2012, the four defendants conspired to provide money, equipment and other assistance to Anwar Al-Awlaki. Al-Awlaki, a key leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was designated a global terrorist in 2010. The indictment also alleges that the defendants’ support was to be used in furtherance of violent jihad against the U.S. and U.S. military in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the world.

The defendants made various financial transactions in 2008 and 2009, and communicated about raising funds for a trip to the Middle East. Allegations in the indictment charge that Farooq Mohammad and Ibrahim Mohammad obtained money by opening credit cards and withdrawing money with no intention of repaying the amounts obtained from the financial institutions.

The indictment further alleges that on July 22, 2009, Farooq Mohammad travelled with two other people to Yemen to meet Awlaki. They were unable to meet with Awlaki, so instead travelled to Sana’a, Yemen, to meet with one of his associates. Farooq Mohammad and his two fellow travelers gave the associate approximately $22,000 to be given to Awlaki.

An indictment is only a charge is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted, the defendants’ sentence will be determined by the court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, and the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

The case is being investigated by the FBI. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Shepherd and Christos Georgalis of the Northern District of Ohio, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Smith of the District of Kansas and Trial Attorney Gregory Gonzalez of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), Tim Scott (R-S.C.), and Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) today hosted a press conference responding to the White House’s refusal to rule out executive action to close Guantanamo Bay and transfer prisoners to the United States.

The White House announced in August that it would survey facilities at Fort Leavenworth, KS, the Naval Brig in Charleston, SC, and two prisons in Colorado as potential sites to transfer the remaining detainees at Guantanamo Bay.

By DAVE RANNEY

A key legislator has expressed support  for a proposal that would allow behavioral health treatment facilities to hold people in crisis situations for up to 72 hours in an effort to keep them out of jail and out of a state hospital.

“We have to get serious about there being alternatives to locking people up when the driving force behind their involvement with the criminal justice system is mental illness and/or substance abuse,” said Rep. John Rubin, a Republican from Shawnee and chairman of the Joint Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight, which met at the Statehouse.

Rubin said he expects the proposal, which is still in draft form, to be debated during next year’s legislative session.

“The concept is a good one, and I think it will have broad support,” he said. “But the devil is in the details, and it’s those details that are going to have to be worked out.”

The proposal would give Kansas communities the option to open secure receiving centers that would be allowed to hold people who appear to be seriously mentally ill and in crisis for up to 72 hours.

The admissions would be involuntary, and patients would not be allowed to leave early unless they are assessed as unlikely to harm themselves or others.

Under current law, involuntary patients cannot be held for more than 24 hours — 48 hours on a weekend — without first being taken to court and having a judge decide whether they pose a danger to themselves or others.

These patients often end up in jail or in a state hospital because they are uncooperative and have nowhere else to go.

“Taking someone to jail has been the solution for law enforcement for years,” said Tom Keary, a crisis intervention officer with the Overland Park Police Department. “But it’s not a solution, because that person isn’t going to be effectively treated while he’s in jail. He’s going to recidivate, and we’re going to be dealing with him again.

“We’ve got to get away from that. We’ve got to take a problem-solving approach.”

‘No wrong door’
Julie Solomon, chief strategic management officer at Wyandot Mental Health Center in Kansas City, Kan., said many of these people could avoid jail and hospitalization if police had the option of taking them to a receiving center with a crisis stabilization program.

More than half of these patients, she said, could be stabilized and safely released within 72 hours.

The proposal, Solomon said, would give police a “no-wrong-door option that they don’t have now.”

Although some mental health advocates have panned the proposal, arguing that it would lead to individuals losing their civil liberties due to mental illness, those who spoke at Tuesday’s committee meeting support the measure.

“I absolutely believe that this will help us stem the tide of folks who find themselves in crisis situations, ending up incarcerated or being taken to one of the state hospitals,” said Wyandotte County District Court Judge Kathleen Lynch. Lynch, Solomon and Keary are part of an informal coalition of law enforcement, district court and mental health officials from Wyandotte, Johnson, Douglas and Shawnee counties that crafted the proposal during the last 18 months.

As yet, it’s unclear how the proposed receiving centers would be funded, how they would be licensed and whether they would be available in the state’s rural areas.

KCK pilot project suggested

Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, a Republican from Leavenworth, said he’s in favor of directing the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services to launch a pilot project “in and around the Kansas City metropolitan area, make it work and expand it into the rest of the state.”

The current approach, he said, “is stupid. It’s infantile; it offends my sense of how the system should run.” Fitzgerald dismissed concerns that allowing a treatment facility to hold someone who’s experiencing a mental health crisis would infringe upon their civil liberties.

“If you’re insane, do you have civil liberties? No, you don’t,” he said. “If you’re insane and you can’t make rational choices, then you don’t have civil liberties. You are judged to be incompetent by a court, and a guardian is put in charge of your affairs. “So the real question for me in all this is: How can we be sure you’re insane?” Fitzgerald said.

 

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

U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio

A four-count indictment was unsealed today in the U.S. District Court of the Northern District of Ohio charging four men with conspiring to travel to Yemen to provide thousands of dollars to Anwar Al-Awlaki in an effort to support violent jihad against U.S. military personnel in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the world.

The indictment was announced by Assistant Attorney General for National Security John P. Carlin, U.S. Attorney Steven M. Dettelbach of the Northern District of Ohio, U.S. Attorney Barry R. Grissom of the District of Kansas and Special Agent in Charge Stephen D. Anthony of the FBI’s Cleveland Division.

Yahya Farooq Mohammad, 37; Ibrahim Zubair Mohammad, 36; Asif Ahmed Salim, 35; and Sultane Room Salim, 40, were each indicted on one count of conspiracy to provide and conceal material support and resources to terrorists, one count of providing material support and resources to terrorists and one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice. Farooq Mohammad and Ibrahim Mohammad both face an additional count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud.

“According to the allegations in the indictment, Farooq Mohammad, Ibrahim Mohammad, Asif Salim and Sultane Salim conspired to provide and did provide material support to Anwar Al-Awlaki in response to his calls to support violent jihad,” said Assistant Attorney General Carlin. “The National Security Division’s highest priority is counterterrorism and we will continue to pursue justice against those who seek to provide material support to terrorists.”

“The charges in this case outline a plan to send thousands of dollars to a known terrorist, a plan which came to fruition shortly before one of the most notorious attempted attacks in recent memory – an attack supported by that same terrorist,” said U.S. Attorney Dettelbach. “This indictment is a testament to the perseverance of those who stand watch over our nation and is a clear message to those who support terrorism – we will not forget and you will face justice.”

“In today’s world, Kansas is not far removed from the battlefields of the war on terror,” said U.S. Attorney Grissom. “We will do everything in our power to prevent funding and material support from finding its way from the heart of America to terrorists in foreign lands.”

“These individuals conspired and then acted on their radical beliefs by providing support to a known terrorist organization,” said Special Agent in Charge Anthony. “The identification of their conspiracy and the subsequent investigation demonstrate how members of the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force continue to work with our international law enforcement partners to mitigate terrorist’s threats in order to protect our citizens.”

Farooq Mohammad was an Indian citizen who was an engineering student at Ohio State University between 2002 and 2004. In or around March 2008, he married a U.S. citizen. His brother, Ibrahim Mohammad, was also an Indian citizen who studied engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign from 2001 through 2005. In or around 2006, he moved to Toledo, Ohio, and married a U.S. citizen. He became a lawful permanent resident of the United States in or around 2007.

Asif Salim was a U.S. citizen who studied at Ohio State University between 2000 and 2005. He became a resident of Overland Park, Kansas, in 2007. His brother, Sultane Salim, is also a U.S. citizen who resided in the Chicago-area from 2006 through 2012, until he moved to the Columbus area.

According to the indictment, from January 2005 through January 2012, the four defendants conspired to provide money, equipment and other assistance to Anwar Al-Awlaki. Al-Awlaki, a key leader of Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, was designated a global terrorist in 2010. The indictment also alleges that the defendants’ support was to be used in furtherance of violent jihad against the U.S. and U.S. military in Iraq, Afghanistan and throughout the world.

The defendants made various financial transactions in 2008 and 2009, and communicated about raising funds for a trip to the Middle East. Allegations in the indictment charge that Farooq Mohammad and Ibrahim Mohammad obtained money by opening credit cards and withdrawing money with no intention of repaying the amounts obtained from the financial institutions.

The indictment further alleges that on July 22, 2009, Farooq Mohammad travelled with two other people to Yemen to meet Awlaki. They were unable to meet with Awlaki, so instead travelled to Sana’a, Yemen, to meet with one of his associates. Farooq Mohammad and his two fellow travelers gave the associate approximately $22,000 to be given to Awlaki.
An indictment is only a charge is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

If convicted, the defendants’ sentence will be determined by the court after reviewing factors unique to this case, including the defendant’s prior criminal record, if any, and the defendant’s role in the offense and the characteristics of the violation. In all cases, the sentence will not exceed the statutory maximum and in most cases it will be less than the maximum.

The case is being investigated by the FBI. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew W. Shepherd and Christos Georgalis of the Northern District of Ohio, Assistant U.S. Attorney David Smith of the District of Kansas and Trial Attorney Gregory Gonzalez of the National Security Division’s Counterterrorism Section.

PRATT – The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) will auction off surplus buffalo at the Maxwell Wildlife Refuge on Wednesday, November 18, 2015 beginning at 11 a.m., according to a department media release.

Corrals are located 6 miles north and 1.75 miles west of Canton in McPherson County. Those interested in bidding are encouraged to arrive early to receive a bidder number. The auction is open to the public, and lunch and concessions will be served.

This year, a total of 56 buffalo will be auctioned, including five cows, seven yearling heifers, 10 yearling bulls, eight two-year-old bulls, 13 heifer calves, nine bull calves, and two cow/calf pairs.

Cash and personal checks if accompanied by a notarized authorization letter from the issuing bank will be accepted.

KDWPT reserves the right to reject any or all bids. Buyers must pick up the bison the day of the sale or make arrangements with the refuge manager prior to the sale. Animals become the buyer’s responsibility upon settlement on sale day. Load-out assistance is available until dusk the day of the sale. Stock racks and trailers should be covered or lined because bison transport best in dark conditions.

The sale will be outside and will take place rain or shine, so attendees are encouraged to dress accordingly. For more information, contact Maxwell Wildlife Refuge manager Cliff Peterson at (620) 628-4592, or wildlife and parks office in Wichita at (316) 683-8069.