KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Henry Bloch, who helped found tax preparation giant H&R Block, died Tuesday at age 96, the company announced.
Bloch died of natural causes at St. Luke’s Hospice in Kansas City. He founded H&R Block in 1955 in the city with his brother, Richard, to take advantage of the vacuum left as the Internal Revenue Service stopped providing free income tax returns service. Richard Bloch died in 2004.
Henry Bloch retired as H&R Block’s chief executive officer in 1992 and as chairman of the board of directors in 2000.
“Through his honesty and integrity, Henry embodied the best of American business, entrepreneurship and philanthropy. In so many ways, he was ahead of his time and a model for today’s entrepreneur,” said Jeff Jones, president and chief executive officer of H&R Block Inc. in a written statement. “His vision lives on through our H&R Block associates and the many philanthropic organizations that he supported.”
Bloch, who flew 32 combat missions over Germany as a navigator in World War II, also was a philanthropist and a foundation he started along with his wife, Marion, that supported numerous charitable causes in Kansas City, including the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, the Marion Bloch Neuroscience Institute at Saint Luke’s Hospital and the Bloch School of Management at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Marion Bloch died in 2013.
“This is an enormous loss to the community and to the Nelson-Atkins,” said Richard Green, chair of the museum’s Board of Trustees in a written statement. “Henry Bloch had an unfailing vision and enthusiasm that was borne of genuine gratitude.”
Bloch is survived by four children, 12 grandchildren and 19 great-grandchildren.
RILEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a registered Kansas sex offender on new charges after a Monday arrest.
Curtis Fry -photo KBI Offender Registry
Just after 9p.m. Monday, the Riley County Police Department received two reports of an unknown man exposing himself at separate locations in central Manhattan, according to the Riley County Police Department activity report.
The first incident listed two 22-year-old women as the victims. The second incident was reported at 9:45p.m. listed a 15-year-old girl and 44-year-old woman as the victims.
Police arrested Curtis Fry, 57 of Udall, in the the 1100 block of Moro Street in Manhattan.
He is is being held on a $17,000 bond for two counts of lewd and lascivious; exposing sex organs to another =>16, lewd and lascivious; exposing sex organs to another <16, and possession of opiate, opium, narcotic or certain stimulant, according to the Riley County Police Department arrest report.
Frey was convicted in July 2012 for “criminal attempt internet sexual exploitation of a child,” according to the KBI offender registry.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court’s conservative majority seemed ready Tuesday to uphold the Trump administration’s plan to ask about citizenship on the 2020 census , despite evidence that millions of Hispanics and immigrants could go uncounted.
Image courtesy U.S. Census Bureau
There appeared to be a clear divide between the court’s liberal and conservative justices in arguments in a case that could affect how many seats states have in the House of Representatives and their share of federal dollars over the next 10 years. States with a large number of immigrants tend to vote Democratic.
Three lower courts have so far blocked the plan to ask every U.S. resident about citizenship in the census, finding that the question would discourage many immigrants from being counted. Two of the three judges also ruled that asking if people are citizens would violate the provision of the Constitution that calls for a count of the population, regardless of citizenship status, every 10 years. The last time the question was included on the census form sent to every American household was 1950.
But over 80 minutes in a packed courtroom, the conservative justices did not appear to share the concern of the lower court judges.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh, the court’s newest member and an appointee of President Donald Trump, suggested Congress could change the law if it so concerned that the accuracy of the once-a-decade population count will suffer. “Why doesn’t Congress prohibit the asking of the citizenship question?” Kavanaugh asked near the end of the morning session.
Kavanaugh and the other conservatives were mostly silent when Solicitor General Noel Francisco, the administration’s top Supreme Court lawyer, defended Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’ decision to add the citizenship question. Ross has said the Justice Department wanted the citizenship data, the detailed information it would produce on where eligible voters live, to improve enforcement of the Voting Rights Act.
Lower courts found that Ross’ explanation was a pretext for adding the question, noting that he had consulted early in his tenure with Stephen Bannon, Trump’s former top political adviser and immigration hardliner Kris Kobach, the former Kansas secretary of state.
The liberal justices peppered Francisco with questions about the administration plan, but they would lack the votes to stop it without support from at least one conservative justice.
“This is a solution in search of a problem,” Justice Sonia Sotomayor, the court’s lone Hispanic member, said of Ross’ decision.
Justice Elena Kagan chimed in that “you can’t read this record without sensing that this need was a contrived one.”
Chief Justice John Roberts appeared to have a different view of the information the citizenship question would produce.
“You think it wouldn’t help voting rights enforcement?” Roberts asked New York Solicitor General Barbara Underwood, who was representing states and cities that sued over Ross’ decision.
Underwood said the evidence Ross had before him was “that it would not give better citizenship information.”
And, Underwood said, the record is clear that a census that asks people if they are citizens will be less accurate.
Census Bureau experts have concluded that the census would produce a more accurate picture of the U.S. population without a citizenship question because people might be reluctant to say if they or others in their households are not citizens. Federal law requires people to complete the census accurately and fully.
The Supreme Court is hearing the case on a tight timeframe, even though no federal appeals court has yet to weigh in. A decision is expected by late June, in time to print census forms for the April 2020 population count.
The administration argues that the commerce secretary has wide discretion in designing the census questionnaire and that courts should not be second-guessing his action. States, cities and rights groups that sued over the issue don’t even have the right to go into federal court, the administration says. It also says the citizenship question is plainly constitutional because it has been asked on many past censuses and continues to be used on smaller, annual population surveys.
Justice Neil Gorsuch, also a Trump appointee, also noted that many other countries include citizenship questions on their censuses.
Douglas Letter, a lawyer representing the House of Representatives, said the census is critically important to the House, which apportions its seats among the states based on the results. “Anything that undermines the accuracy of the actual enumeration is immediately a problem,” Letter said, quoting from the provision of the Constitution that mandates a decennial census.
Letter also thanked the court on behalf of Speaker Nancy Pelosi for allowing the House to participate in the arguments.
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — A 70-year-old driver told investigators that his brakes failed before his car careened onto a suburban Kansas City sidewalk where it struck and killed a 14-year-old girl and narrowly missed three other children.
First responders on the scene of the fatal crash-photo courtesy KCTV
Police in Overland Park, Kansas, released the report Monday about the April 12 crash that killed Alexandra Rumple as she was walking home from a nearby middle school. The report says the driver had a valid license without any restriction and showed no evidence of impairment. Toxicology results are pending.
Police say the car also hit a traffic light, knocking it off its base, struck a speed limit sign and destroyed about 80 feet of a wood fence. The driver told police he tried to stop, but his brakes weren’t working.
TOPEKA – During an incident with a Sumatran tiger on Saturday, a zookeeper at the Topeka Zoo and Conservation Center sustained injuries and continues her recovery at a local Topeka hospital.
Kristyn Hayden-Ortega-photo courtesy Topeka zoo
On Tuesday, the zoo identified the injured zookeeper as 40-year-old Kristyn Hayden-Ortega. She began working with the Topeka Zoo in July 2001.
According to a media release from the zoo, Kristyn is a passionate and dedicated individual in this field. She has taught and mentored many other zookeepers, educators, interns, and volunteers into becoming ambassadors for animals of all species. She has a great sense of humor and is a great problem solver.
She began her employment at the zoo in the zoo’s education department where she helped implement a state wide Safari Edventure Day program. She also made several trips to Paraguay to work with maned wolves and train zoo keepers in South America. After transferring to the zoo’s Animal Care Department in 2009, she developed a passion for working with a number of different animals including African painted dogs and Sumatran tigers. She is the zoo’s Institutional Representative to and sits on the steering committee of the African Painted Dog Species Survival Plan Steering Committee. She recently presented at a conference in Texas on training techniques to enhance reproduction in Sumatran tigers. She has traveled to Thailand to work with Asian elephants. She was involved with the original release of black-footed ferrets into the Kansas landscape. She is the current president of the Topeka Chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers.
Kristyn is a highly valued member of the Topeka Zoo team. It is still uncertain when she will leave the hospital but a full recovery is expected.
Kristyn’s family would like to thank everyone who has sent prayers and well-wishes. At the same time,Kristyn’s family has experienced a traumatic event and needs time to process that. They have asked for privacy and hope the media and public can respect that.
TOPEKA – In an effort to assist domestic violence survivors, Governor Laura Kelly signed Senate Bill 78 Monday providing protection for Kansans who must unexpectedly leave a rental arrangement.
“Kansans dealing with abusive domestic situations don’t always have time to plan their next move,” Kelly said. “When they need to leave a dangerous situation quickly, this legislation ensures landlords can’t discriminate, can’t evict, and can’t charge unreasonable fees for breaking a lease.”
Senate Bill 78 creates certain rights or benefits under an insurance policy on residential real estate and protections related to housing for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, or stalking. Under the law, landlords cannot deny housing or evict someone for being a victim, if they otherwise qualify. Victims who must leave the property immediately will not be liable for future rent if certain conditions are met. This legislation will become effective upon its publication in the Kansas Statute Book.
“We must do all we can to encourage women and men to leave abusive relationships,” Kelly said. “These are our friends and neighbors and they need our support.”
Governor Kelly also signed:
Senate Bill 15
Amends public health provisions relating to behavioral sciences regulatory board professional licensure, naturopathic doctor scope of practice and adult care home licensure and receivership. This legislation takes effect upon publication in the Kansas Register.
Senate Bill 70
Amends law concerning temporary permits to serve liquor for consumption on premises; amends law concerning common consumption areas; amends law related to the issuance of licenses by the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, Department of Revenue; creates law related to delivery of alcoholic liquors within the state and required reporting of such deliveries; amends the Liquor Control Act to allow for producers of certain fermentative products to sell wine made at a farm winery; and designates the official Kansas red and white wine grapes. This legislation takes effect upon publication in the Kansas Register.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man has been sentenced to more than six years in state prison for abusing his 2-month-old son.
Harper photo Sedgwick Co.
Prosecutors dropped an attempted murder charge against Thomas Avery Harper in exchange for his guilty plea to aggravated battery and child abuse.
Sedgwick County authorities say Harper was sentenced Friday to six years and four months in prison.
Harper was arrested in October after police responded to a child abuse call at Wesley Medical Center.
The child’s 20-year-old mother told police the child had several injuries when she returned home after leaving the baby in his father’s care.
Prosecutors said Harper tried to kill the baby by putting both hands around his neck and squeezing. They also alleged he caused the child bodily harm and “cruelly beat” him.
Gov. Kelly signs an executive order Tuesday to create the Kansas Complete Count Committee.
OFFICE OF GOV.
TOPEKA – This morning, through Executive Order 19-07, Governor Laura Kelly launched an initiative to make every Kansan count. She established the Kansas Complete Count Committee (CCC) to ensure that every Kansan is represented in the 2020 Census.
A CCC is a volunteer committee established by tribal, state and local governments and community leaders or organizations to increase awareness and motivate residents to respond to the 2020 Census.
“As Governor, I’m committed to ensuring the data we collect is as accurate as possible,” Kelly said. “The data collected in the Census informs how the federal government distributes funds to our state – through 55 different federal programs. And it’s these funds that help to pay for roads, schools, hospitals, emergency services and much more.”
Getting an accurate count in the Census is paramount. Census population totals determine the number of seats each state has in the United States House of Representatives. State totals are also used to redraw legislative and school districts.
For every person not counted in the Census, Kansas stands to lose $1,539 in federal funds per year for 10 years.
“The Census matters because it impacts everything from school lunches to libraries to wastewater systems,” Secretary of Commerce David Toland said. “It’s vital to Kansas businesses and communities that we have a full and accurate count in 2020, and Commerce is honored to work hand in hand with the Committee and local partners to make sure that happens.”
Brian McClendon of Lawrence and Joyce Warshaw of Dodge City will serve as co-chairs of the Kansas Complete Count Committee. McClendon is a professor at the University of Kansas and the former Vice President of Google and Uber. Warshaw serves on the Board of Directors for the Kansas League of Municipalities and is a Dodge City Commissioner.
CCCs already are operating in Sedgwick, Johnson, and Wyandotte counties, with others being formed across Kansas. Additional members of the Kansas CCC will be announced at a later date.
“Next year, on April 1, I encourage Kansans to respond to the Census, and be sure to count everyone living in your household,” Kelly said. “That includes children and newborn babies. Everyone needs to be counted.”
The 20th Annual C.A.R.S. Club Motoring Festival at McPherson College is set for May 4. Photo of a previous year’s festivities courtesy McPherson College
McPHERSON – The 20th annual C.A.R.S. Club Motoring Festival at McPherson College is celebrating this year with a diverse field of unique vehicles and special guests.
The event is scheduled for 8 a.m.-3 p.m. May 4.
The student-run car show attracts rare vehicles from across the country. Last year more than 400 cars entered the show. This year’s event will again feature unique vehicles and special guests including Donald Osborne.
Prior to the car show, Osborne is scheduled to be the guest speaker at a dinner event May 3 that kicks off the car show weekend.
Osborne is a regular contributor on Jay Leno’s Garage on CNBS, and What’s My Car Worth for MotorTrend TV. He lends his considerable knowledge of car valuation to organizations such as the Historic Vehicle Association and RM Sotheby’s. Additionally, Osborne studied opera at Hartt College of Music in Hartford Connecticut, and is a talented singer.
Car enthusiasts are encouraged to participate in a cruise-in also on May 3 beginning at 6 p.m. on Main Street in McPherson. This event serves as a sneak peek at what will be on the show field and an opportunity for any car or motorcycle owner to display their rides in an informal show in downtown McPherson. There is no entry fee required for this fun event.
The Motoring Festival gets into high gear on May 4. Cars will be let onto the field at 8 a.m. and a day full of activities is planned including demonstrations, tours of the Automotive Restoration facility, a Model T build, McPherson College and McPherson High School Jazz Bands performances, and food trucks, up until 3 p.m. when awards will be announced.
A complimentary trolley will also be available for rides from campus to Main Street on Saturday.
This year’s show will feature an entry from Barn Find Hunter, Tom Cotter. Cotter digs through barns and garages in search of buried automotive treasures. He is the author of several popular Barn Find books and is a regular video contributor to Hagerty’s online media. He recently collaborated on a 1962 Ford Country Sedan station wagon with two McPherson College alumni, which will be part of this year’s show.
Other feature cars include a 1952 Ferrari 212, a 1914 Peugeot Indianapolis race car, and a 1970 Plymouth Hemi ‘Cuda. The Motoring Festival brings a diverse field of vehicles together that includes cars, motorcycles, bicycles, tractors and even military vehicles. From the concours-quality vehicles to the unique and unusual to the student area that features works in progress, there is something for everybody.
FINNEY COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities and officials with USD 457 are investigating an alleged school threat.
Just after 6:30 p.m. Monday, police received a report of a possible threat on social media towards Horace Good Middle School, 1412 N Main in Garden City, according to a media release. The threat was to occur on Tuesday.
There will be an increased police presence at the school. The Garden City Police Department and the Garden City School District encourage parents and guardians to monitor their child’s’ social media accounts and to have your child report any suspicious information.
On April 18, police identified a 14-year-old who made a social media threat that depicted the general use of firearms to harm students at the school.
The Garden City Police Department is requesting assistance from the community. If you witnessed this week’s incident, or have information related to this incident, you should call the Garden City Police Department
HAMILTON COUNTY — A Kansas man is recovering from injuries in a weekend crash in southwest Kansas.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Izusu I-280 driven by Samuel Zapata, 20, Syracuse, was northbound on Barton Street south of U.S. 50 just after 5:30p.m. Saturday.
The pickup traveled around train crossing grades. The driver’s side of the pickup collided with an eastbound Burlington Santa Fe Train
The pickup rotated counter-clockwise an undetermined amount of times and the driver was ejected from the vehicle.
Zapata was transported to a hospital in Wichita. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ attorney general on Monday asked the state Supreme Court to settle an unprecedented dispute between Gov. Laura Kelly and a top lawmaker over whether Kelly can name a new lower-court judge after withdrawing her first pick.
Kelly had nominated Jeffry Jack March 15-photo office of Kansas Governor
The Democratic governor announced last week that she is moving ahead with submitting a new state Court of Appeals nominee to the GOP-dominated Senate for confirmation despite the objections of Senate President Susan Wagle, a conservative Wichita Republican. Wagle said Monday that Kelly is showing “blatant disrespect” for the law governing appointments to the state’s second-highest court.
Kelly was forced last month to withdraw the nomination of her first choice, Labette County District Judge Jeffry Jack, over political posts on his Twitter feed in 2017. Some included foul language or acronyms and one described President Donald Trump as “Fruit Loops.”
Wagle contends that by withdrawing Jack’s appointment, Kelly missed the legal deadline for nominating an appeals judge and the choice now falls to Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss. The governor contends she met the deadline and gets to try again.
Attorney General Derek Schmidt, also a Republican, filed a petition Monday with the Supreme Court arguing that the law is “silent on this question.”
“It provides no legal authority for either the governor or the chief justice to fill a vacancy in this situation,” Schmidt wrote.
Jack’s failed nomination was a major embarrassment for the new governor and raised questions about her vetting process. No governor has missed making an appointment to the Court of Appeals since the state created it in 1978.
Schmidt asked the Supreme Court to expedite a decision. Legislators return May 1 from an annual spring break but are scheduled to wrap up their work for the year on May 17.
Veteran appeals court Judge Patrick McAnany retired the day Kelly took office in January. The 2013 appointments law says if the governor fails to make a nomination within 60 days, the choice falls to the Supreme Court’s chief justice.
Kelly announced Jack’s nomination on the March 15 deadline and withdrew it four days later. Wagle accused the governor Monday of trying to “bypass” the law.
“We should not escalate this conflict further but instead seek resolution on the legal question of who holds power to make the next nomination,” Wagle said before Schmidt filed his petition.
The law says that if the Senate rejects a nominee, the governor names another, without addressing what happens if a nominee withdraws without a vote. Kelly and her staff have argued that Jack represents a failed nomination.
“We need to get somebody on the Court of Appeals,” Kelly told reporters Monday. “We just need to get that language clarified, but in the meantime, I think it’s important that we go ahead with the process.”
SHAWNEE COUNTY — Authorities are investigating the cause of a fire Monday at a home in Shawnee County.
Crews on the scene of Monday’s fire -photo courtesy WIBW TV
Just after 3a.m., fire crews responded to a reported structure fire located at 325 SE Pinecrest Drive in Topeka, according to Fire Chief Michael Martin. Upon arrival, firecrews found a one story wood frame residence with heavy smoke and flames visible.
Firefighters began an offensive fire attack and began a search of the structure. The occupants escaped without injury. One occupant rescued a pet dog which sustained minor burns and was transported to an animal clinic for treatment; one cat remains missing.
The origin of the fire was within the living room, according to Martin. Estimated structural dollar loss – $12,000 and estimated content dollar loss is $6,000. The residence had no working smoke alarms.
