HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — A pumpkin weighing in at 1,034 pounds has squashed the Kansas State Fair record.

The Wichita Eagle reports that Garden City’s Donovan Mader grew the monster in his abandoned horse pen. The pumpkin was 57.8 pounds heavier than the one that set the state record in 2007.

Long lines of gawkers have been viewing the pumpkin at the Kansas State Fair’s Pride of Kansas building. It’s Mader’s first ever entry in the giant pumpkin division, which has been previously dominated by pumpkin growing experts from Wichita and Liberal.

Mader went online looking for seeds. The classic truck restorer bought four or five at $25 each.

He says he got some help from an unusually wet summer in western Kansas. But Mader stresses there’s “a lot of luck involved.”

Great Bend Post

GREAT BEND -When the storm swept through Great Bend last Thursday night, USD 428 discovered they had some unplanned repairs to make.

USD 428 Superintendent Brad Reed and Assistant Superintendent of Finances Khris Thexton went around the district to survey the damage and found Lincoln Elementary School with the majority of its gymnasium roof torn off. The gym had nearly a half-inch of water covering the floor, but luckily the damage was contained to the gym.
Thexton mentioned at Monday night’s school board meeting that the district was fortunate to have D.V. Douglas Roofing come repair the roof so quickly.

“We called them the night it happened,” said Thexton. “They are from Garden City. He told me we’ll be there Saturday and get it watertight. They rolled in about 9 on Saturday morning and had everything finished by 7 p.m. I know that’s their job but they really made a difference.”

Many reports stated gusts of wind getting as high as 70-80 miles per hour Thursday night, but Thexton said the roof at Lincoln was rated at a 90-mile per hour uplift wind rating.

“The storm damage could have been worse,” said Thexton. “You think of Great Bend as a pretty good size town but everybody knows each other and so many stepped up, wanted to help and that was very nice to have,” he said.

Insurance adjustors are expected to inspect the roof this week and the district will have a moisture test on the gym to make sure there are no lingering water damages. Lincoln did not have school Friday because of the damages but resumed classes on Monday.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A man has been charged in the death of his 1-year-old daughter in Wichita.

The Wichita Eagle reports 29-year-old Michael C. Williams was charged Monday with one count of first-degree murder and one count of abuse of a child.

According to Wichita police, Williams called 911 last Wednesday to report that his daughter was not breathing. Authorities say the child was found with scratches, bruises and trauma to her face.

Police say the victim’s mother said the child had no injuries when she left her with Williams to go to work at around 2 p.m.

Williams is being held on $250,000 bond and his preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 29. It was not immediately clear if Williams has an attorney.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas will not follow recommendations from a task force on sexual assault that it change how freshmen are recruited and housed at fraternities and sororities.

The university announced Monday it has, or soon will, implement 22 of 27 suggestions from the Chancellor’s Task Force on Sexual Assault.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports the two most controversial recommendations suggested all Kansas freshmen live in residence halls, and that fraternities and sororities shouldn’t begin recruiting until the spring semester.

The university said it doesn’t have enough housing for all incoming freshmen. And it said fraternities and sororities have discussed delaying recruitment but have chosen not to change their traditions.

The task force was created in 2014 and met throughout the academic year to form the recommendations.

WYANDOTTE COUNTY- Five people were injured in an accident just after 6 p.m. on Monday in Wyandotte County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Chevy Cobalt driven by Joy F. Amon, 61, Basehor, was making a left turn from northbound U.S. 73 to westbound Parallel Pkwy.

The driver ignored the traffic signal, entered the intersection.

A southbound 2003 GMC Envoy driven by Michael Patrick Chacon, 39, Basehor, struck the passenger side of the Cobalt.

Both vehicles went off of the roadway to the southwest and the Envoy overturned.

Amon was transported to Overland Park Regional Medical Center.

Chacon and passengers in the Envoy Lisa Marie Sustaita, 37, Michael P. Chacon, 19, both of Basehor were transported to Truman Medical Center.

A child in the Envoy Xavier M. Chacon, 9, also of Basehor was transported to Children’s Mercy.

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

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Wichita Board of Park Commissioners has voted to delay any action regarding the Confederate flag that was removed from John S. Stevens Pavilion at Veterans Memorial Park.

The board voted Monday to delay action for another 60 days. The commission wants to postpone a decision on the flag until there is a design for a new memorial at Veterans Memorial Park focusing on the Civil War.

The Wichita Eagle reports the flag, which has flown with several other flags in the plaza since 1976, was removed July 2 by order of Mayor Jeff Longwell.

Longwell had said he and the city council received several emails and calls about the flag after nine black churchgoers were killed in South Carolina. The suspect in the shooting, Dylann Roof, has been seen in photographs with the flag.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas growers are planting next year’s winter wheat crop while harvesting their corn and other fall crops.

The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Monday that 5 percent of the 2016 wheat crop has been seeded. That is typical for this point in the season.

The agency also is reporting that about 11 percent of the corn in Kansas has now been cut. That is slightly behind the 17 percent at this time a year ago or the 25 percent average.

About 2 percent of the sorghum in the state has been cut, which is normal for this time of the year.

Fourth cutting of alfalfa in Kansas is 65 percent finished, ahead of both last year and the average for this point in the season.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita State University is working to implement a new degree program aiming to give students more freedom in their course of study.

On Wednesday, the university will seek final approval for the “Master in Innovation Design” program from the Kansas Board of Regents. The program is intended to focus on design-thinking skills, with only four required courses, giving students the ability to craft their own curriculum.

According to a proposal, the university plans to offer the new program each year to 20 students with background in arts, science and technology.

Faculty adviser Jeremy Patterson tells The Wichita Eagle that this program and others like it could help modernize higher education.

He says it will allow students to design their own programs and take more courses they actually need.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas law enforcement officers plan to increase patrols this week to encourage drivers to be aware of child car safety.

The emphasis is part of National Child Passenger Safety Week. Parents can expect to see officers at elementary and middle schools through Friday. Anyone not obeying Kansas laws pertaining to child safety will be issued a citation.

The emphasis is on making sure children are properly buckled into cars and are using the correct car seat, booster seat or seat belt.

Kansas Safe Kids says 28 Kansas children died in vehicle accidents in 2013. Half of them were not wearing seat belts and eight were thrown from the vehicles.

CLEVELAND, Miss. (AP) — The latest on a shooting at Delta State University that left a professor dead .

The professor killed in his office at a university in Mississippi has been identified as Ethan Schmidt, who worked in the history department.

According to Schmidt’s bio on the Delta State web site, the Marion County native  earned his B.A. and M.A. at Emporia State University and his Ph.D., at the University of Kansas.

Murray Roark, deputy coroner in Bolivar County, says Schmidt was killed in his office Monday morning at Delta State University.

Authorities say they are searching for a car believed to be driven by a person of interest in the slaying.

Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman Johnny Poulos says investigators believe Shannon Lamb is driving a 2011 black Dodge Avenger with a Mississippi license plate and the number STF 015. The license plate also has the word “Stone” as a designation for Stone County.

Lamb has been called a “person of interest” in the shooting of history professor Schmidt at Delta State University on Monday morning. Police also say they have information suggesting he may have been involved in another slaying in south Mississippi.

The 3,500-student university is in Cleveland, in Mississippi’s Delta region near the Arkansas-Mississippi state line.

HUTCHINSON – A Kansas man was arrested on four charges early Sunday where he was found inside a Hutchinson home uninvited.

A Hutchinson woman reported to police that she found a man inside her home just before 7 a.m.

She ran to her bedroom where her husband was still asleep.

Police say the suspect identified as Wayne A Sprague, 25, Beloit, followed her, allegedly forced her onto the bed and began choking her.

The victim’s husband work up and then began struggling with Sprague.

When police arrived, they first took Sprague to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center to be checked out, and then to the Reno County Correctional Facility on charges of aggravated battery, aggravated burglary, possession of methamphetamine and misdemeanor battery.

In court on Monday, he told Judge Joe McCarville that he didn’t intend to rob anyone. He thought someone was chasing him and was going to kill him, so he went into the home to hide.

He appeared via-video from the jail and was sporting a black eye from the incident. His bond was set at $60,500 and the judge lowered it to $60,000. He’s expected back in court next Monday for the reading of any charges the state may file.

HUTCHINSON- Authorities are investigating the death of an inmate at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility.

According to a media release from the Kansas Department of Corrections, just before 2 p.m. on Friday, an emergency was called at the Hutchinson Correctional Facility-Central Unit Medical Clinic due to an altercation between two inmates.

After the altercation, one of the inmates was taken to the Administrative Segregation unit.

After the inmate arrived at the unit he became combative with the correctional officers. During this incident the inmate collapsed and became unresponsive.

Facility staff provided immediate medical assistance while awaiting transport to the Hutchinson Regional Hospital. The inmate was taken to the hospital by Reno County EMS where he was later pronounced dead.

The second inmate was treated for injuries he received in the original altercation and was later taken to the Hutchinson Regional Hospital by EMS for further treatment.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation was notified of the inmate’s death in accordance with state law and is conducting an investigation.

The names of the inmates are not being released at this time.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita State University says it will add four more police officers as it continues to work on multiple fronts to ensure a safe campus.

University Police Chief Sara Morris said in a news release Monday the university recognizes that several recent incidents have raised concerns about campus safety. She says the crime rate is low, but no crime is acceptable.

The four new officers will be in addition to the 28 already employed, and will be hired under an expedited search process.

The university began deploying officers on foot last week to hear directly from students about their concerns and offer advice on how to increase their safety.

On Monday Wichita State is also hosting a campus safety town hall, one of three safety events scheduled this week.