WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Texas man whose identity was stolen decades ago by a convicted child sex offender can’t keep a job, pay his bills or support his children.
But a case unfolding in Kansas is offering Marcus Calvillo hope of finally clearing his name, after federal prosecutors charged a Kansas inmate with assuming Calvillo’s entire persona.
Calvillo had tried for years to reclaim his name when he read an Associated Press story about an ID theft case involving a Houston teacher. He contacted the prosecutor involved, who calls Calvillo’s situation “especially horrible.”
The man using Calvillo’s identity had his first legal run-in as a teenager. His fingerprints, and subsequent convictions, became linked to Calvillo’s name.
Prosecutors say with a lot of time and effort Calvillo may get his record set straight.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) — Four people are dead, including a suspected gunman, following a shooting spree in downtown Colorado Springs.
Lt. Catherine Buckley says officers were responding to a report of shots being fired Saturday morning when they spotted a suspect matching the description of the person they were trying to find. Buckley says the suspect opened fire, and police fired back.
Buckley says the crime scene covers several major downtown streets. Those streets have been shut down while investigators try to figure out what happened. No details were available on the other victims or how they died.
Buckley says the investigation of the police shooting has been turned over to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office.
El Paso County sheriff’s spokeswoman Jacqueline Kirby says there are at least three crime scenes.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas City-area woman who was a victim of “revenge porn” is working to persuade Kansas and Missouri legislators to make the practice illegal.
Alecia Clemmons says that after someone posted naked pictures of her taken by a former husband several years ago, she had to move, change her job and endure a torrent of abusive emails and messages.
Clemmons then discovered neither state prohibits sharing such pictures if they were taken during an intimate relationship, even if the victim has not given consent. It is illegal in both states to photograph people without their knowledge and use the pictures for blackmail.
The Kansas City Star reports that Clemmons testified earlier this year on proposed bills in both states but neither measure made it out of committee.
NEWTON – Law enforcement authorities in Harvey County are investigating a possible serial burglar.
Police reported on social media a suspect has been entering homes while the residents are sleeping.
The current series has eight known offenses, but a review of prowler calls over the last few months has shown an additional 16 calls which police believe were attempted aggravated burglaries.
There may be more attempts that police say they are unaware of.
They say that the burglar of burglars typically ring the doorbell or knock at the front door to see if someone is home, then proceeds to check the door, or attempt to open the back door.
In each case, the burglar has found an open back door or open garage door. This individual only targets purses and backpacks, which are typically found the next morning outside of the residence with cash removed.
Police suggest the need to make sure homes and vehicles are secure. None of these break-ins indicate forced entry and if residents can deny the presence of an easy target, they may prevent people from being victimized.
Police also say if a person is a victim of a similar offense, they need to report it, saying this will allow them to analyze the patterns and behavioral evidence, so they can put forth a plan to apprehend the culprit.
They also suggest that residents should look out for one another. If person sees a neighbor who has left a garage door up, or a car unlocked, notify them. If a burglary is committed in your neighborhood, there is a higher chance your home will be victimized in the successive months.
If you see something suspicious, call 911.
PRATT–Two days, November 7-8, 2015, should be marked on every young hunter’s calendar. The youth pheasant and quail season allows all youth 16 and younger to hunt, under the supervision of an adult 18 or older, for pheasants and quail statewide. The daily bag limits during the youth season are 2 rooster pheasants per day and 4 quail per day. All state and federal lands normally open to public hunting are open, and all Walk-in Hunting Access lands are open. Hunting pressure is generally light, ensuring high-quality and productive hunting opportunities for youth.
The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism established youth hunting seasons through Pass It On, the department’s hunter recruitment program. Special youth seasons are set for spring turkey, deer, waterfowl, pheasants and quail. The youth seasons open before regular season openers, giving young hunters first crack. Setting youth seasons separate from regular seasons allows mentors to work with young hunters without giving up their traditional hunts.
Resident youth 15 and younger do not need a hunting license, and while Hunter Education certification is not required when hunting under adult supervision, it is highly recommended. Sixteen-year-old residents and all nonresidents must have hunting licenses. The adult mentor may not hunt; however the youth season can provide a great opportunity to scout potential hunting areas and get dogs primed before the regular opener.
With improved pheasant and quail populations predicted this fall, the youth season will provide a fantastic opportunity to introduce a youngster to the hunting tradition. For many veteran hunters, that experience is more rewarding than the hunt itself.
There’s been a bipartisan outcry over the rising cost of prescription drugs – for instance, presidential candidates from both parties have identified high drug prices as a major concern. But there’s been far less discussion surrounding government oversight of how those medications are marketed to consumers and doctors.
Photo by Kaiser Family Foundation This month’s Kaiser Health Tracking Poll finds that the affordability of prescription drugs continues to be at the top of the public’s priority list for the president and Congress, with “making sure that high-cost drugs are affordable to those who need them” and “government action to lower prescription drug prices” picked as top priorities by majorities across political parties.
According to a poll released Wednesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation, almost 90 percent of people surveyed think the Food and Drug Administration should review prescription drug ads before they air – something it currently doesn’t do – to make sure they’re clear and accurate. (KHN is an editorially independent program of the foundation.) Those findings held true across political affiliations.
Respondents were split on the amount of government regulation.
About 43 percent said there should be more government regulation to make sure drug commercials are accurate and not misleading, while 45 percent said the government does enough. Seven percent said the government did too much. Political identification mattered in this question, with Democrats more often saying they wanted greater oversight, and Republicans generally wanting less.
About half of the poll’s respondents think prescription drug advertisements are mostly good, compared with 39 percent who don’t. But at the same time, a majority – just under 60 percent – said they think pharmaceutical companies spend too much money advertising to patients. Slightly more than 60 percent said drug companies also spend too much on advertising to doctors.
Though respondents reported seeing these advertisements, this awareness didn’t always translate into a prescription. Eight in 10 said they’ve seen ads for prescription drugs, while 28 percent then discussed with a doctor a drug they had seen advertised. About 12 percent of those polled said the doctor then prescribed that specific medication; 11 percent were advised to take an over-the-counter drug instead, and 14 percent got a different prescription altogether.
These findings are consistent with a 2008 Kaiser poll. While 50 percent of poll respondents said advertisements do a good job conveying what condition specific drugs are meant to treat, 65 percent said they don’t make clear how much the medication will cost.
Meanwhile, the poll found that people still want federal action when it comes to drug costs and access: 77 percent of respondents said that it should be a top priority to make expensive medications for chronic illnesses available to those who need them.
About 63 percent thought the government should work to lower prescription drug costs. In other findings, though most people oppose the so-called Cadillac tax – which taxes more generous employer-sponsored coverage and is meant to help pay for the health law – only 30 percent think repealing the tax should be a priority.
Meanwhile, attitudes regarding the health law as a whole are evenly distributed: 42 percent said they approve of it, while 42 percent expressed disapproval. The poll was conducted from Oct. 14 to Oct. 20, surveying a nationally representative sample of 1,203 people. It had a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
TOPEKA – Daylight Savings Time begins November 1, and as communities prepare to “fall back” one hour, the Office of the Kansas State Fire Marshal urges residents to practice fire safety by testing their smoke alarms and changing the batteries. Alkaline batteries should be replaced at least once a year, and a good rule of thumb is to change the batteries when you change your clocks.
Kansas Fire Marshal Doug Jorgensen stresses the importance of replacing outdated smoke alarms with newer models featuring 10-year sealed lithium batteries.
“Ensuring you have working smoke alarms in your home is the single most important step you can take to increase your family’s safety from a home fire,” explains Doug Jorgensen, State Fire Marshal. “Purchasing and installing smoke detectors with batteries that don’t need to be changed annually is one of the most affordable ways to protect your family.”
According to the National Fire Protection Association, almost two-thirds of home fire deaths resulted from fires in properties without working smoke alarms. A working smoke alarm significantly increases your chances of surviving a deadly home fire.
To protect your home, follow these smoke alarm safety tips:
· Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of your home, including in the basement.
· If the alarm chirps, warning that the battery is low, replace the entire smoke alarm right away.
· For smoke alarms without the long-life lithium batteries, be sure to replace batteries at least once a year. If that alarm chirps, replace only the battery. Date each unit when they are installed and replace them after ten years – or sooner if they do not successfully pass the test by sounding the alarm when the test button is pressed.
In addition to changing smoke alarm batteries, it is also a good idea to practice a family escape plan:
· Plan and practice two escape routes out of every room in your house.
· Designate an outside meeting place.
· In case of fire, call 9-1-1 once you are safely outside your home.
· Once outside, stay outside and don’t return for anything – not even a pet.
YATES CENTER- A Kansas woman died in an accident just after 5p.m. on Friday in Woodson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2009 Pontiac Torrent driven by Dana Horning, 52, Park City, was eastbound on U.S. 54 two miles west of Yates Center.
The Pontiac was attempting to pass another vehicle and struck a 2009 Chevy Silverado head on.
Horning was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Frontier Forensics.
The driver of the Chevy Luis Tejeda-Fuentes, 24, Wichita, was not injured.
Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the collision, according to the KHP.
TOPEKA – LaVern Fields is the Kansas Department of Revenue’s new director for the Alcoholic Beverage Control Division, according to a media release from the department.
Fields comes to the division with extensive experience in law enforcement with the Olathe Police Department, Kansas Highway Patrol and most recently as the manager of safety and security for the Olathe Public School District. He also worked for a decade with UPS Inc.
“We are very excited to have LaVern join our senior management team because he will hit the ground running. We were impressed with his depth of experience in both the private and public sectors” said Revenue Secretary Nick Jordan.
“Coming from a background in law enforcement and student safety I am looking forward to working with our community partners to reduce underage drinking through education, outreach and enforcement,” Fields said.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency says it may ban a common pesticide used on citrus fruits, almonds and other crops.
A proposal announced Friday would prohibit use of chlorpyrifos, a widely used insecticide sprayed on a variety of crops including oranges, apples, cherries, grapes, broccoli and asparagus.
The pesticide, in use since 1965, has sickened dozens of farmworkers in recent years. Traces have been found in waterways, threatening fish, and regulators say overuse could make targeted insects immune to the pesticide.
U.S. farms use more than 6 million pounds of the chemical each year — about 25 percent of it in California.
The EPA said it will take comments on the proposal for at least two months, with a final rule expected in December 2016.
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Hormel Foods Sales LLC is recalling 153 cases of peanut butter made at its Little Rock, Arkansas, factory because of the potential for metal shavings in the jars.
The company issued a statement Thursday saying 153 cases of reduced fat creamy Skippy brand peanut butter may contain small pieces of metal discovered during an in-line magnet check. The products were inadvertently shipped to Publix, Target and Wal-Mart distribution centers.
The recall is for 16.3 ounce jars with a “Best if Used By” date of DEC1416LR1 and a UPC code of 37600-10500.
Customers can return the jars to the store where they were purchased or call 866-475-4779. Hormel said it hasn’t received any reports of injuries.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita State University officials are planning a public meeting to discuss chapel renovations that have raised concerns.
The event comes after reports that the Grace Memorial Chapel at the university had been stripped of pews and other Christian trappings at the request of Muslim students.
The Wichita Eagle reports however, that the request to remove pews and other furnishings from the chapel originated with Christian students and a former campus minister who wanted a more flexible space for worship.
The meeting Friday will feature a presentation and a question-and-answer session with a panel selected by the Student Government Association and the Chapel Use Committee at the public university.
Eric Sexton, vice president for student affairs, says the town hall will be a “healthy and safe” educational discussion.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Texas man whose identity was stolen decades ago by a convicted child sex offender can’t keep a job, pay his bills or support his children.
