TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Shawnee County jury has convicted a man of second-degree murder in the July shooting death of another man.
Foster -photo Shawnee Co.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that 33-year-old Tony Lee Foster was convicted Friday of second-degree murder and a weapons count in the July 9 fatal shooting of 36-year-old David Payne, of Topeka.
Officers responding to report of a shooting at a home in the northern part of the city found Payne with a gunshot wound to his torso. He was rushed to a hospital, where he later died.
Foster will be sentenced at a later date.
He has six previous convictions for drugs, burglary and assault, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Commerce is excited to announce 2019 Small Business Procurement Day.
A celebratory event will be held on Tuesday, May 7, 2019 from 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Topeka.
This free event will provide an opportunity for small businesses to connect with federal agency buyers and contracting officers to determine contracting and procurement opportunities. There will also be a one-on-one Agency-Vendor Engagement Session and training session to learn about resources that will be helpful to the growth and development of small businesses in the procurement market space, including Contracting 101 and FedBid/GSA Purchasing.
Lieutenant Colonel Robert Bartruff, Commander of the 923rd Contracting Battalion (CBN)/Mission and Installation Contracting Command (MICC) will lead the morning welcome. Secretary of Commerce David Toland will join him in providing welcoming remarks.
“Small businesses are the heart and soul of the Kansas economy,” Secretary Toland said. “The Department of Commerce is thrilled to be able to help this state’s small business community grow. Entrepreneurship is alive and well in Kansas, and we’re proud to help foster that spirit across the state.”
Organizations planning to attend the event include Ft. Riley Contracting Command, Whiteman Air Force Base 509th Contracting Squadron, Kansas Army and Air National Guard, McConnell Air Force Base, the Kansas Department of Commerce, MICC Office of Small Business Programs, City of Topeka, U.S. Department of Agriculture, GSA Department of Small Business and the Small Business Administration. Agency participation from Federal, State and local entities is currently still available.
If your organization would like to be included, please contact Kristi Dunn at [email protected] for further information.
The Lead Agency for this event has been the 923rd CBN/MICC-Fort Riley office headquartered at Fort Riley, KS. Other partners and co-sponsors include the Kansas Procurement Technical Assistance Center (KS PTAC), Greater Topeka Partnership, GO Topeka-Entrepreneur Minority Business Development (EMBD), the Kansas Department of Commerce, Office of Minority and Women Business Development and Wichita State University. This is a regional event that is open to all small businesses and contracting organizations.
All categories of small business are invited to attend. To register for Procurement Day, visit this link.
NEW YORK (AP) — Hembert Figueroa just wanted a taco.
So he was surprised to learn the dollar bills in his pocket were no good at Dos Toros Taqueria in Manhattan, one of a small but growing number of establishments across the U.S. where customers can only pay by card or smartphone.
Cash-free stores are generating a backlash among some activists and liberal-leaning policymakers who say the practice discriminates against people like Figueroa, who either lack bank accounts or rely on cash for many transactions.
Figueroa, an ironworker, had to stand to the side, holding his taco, until a sympathetic cashier helped him find another customer willing to pay for his meal with a card in exchange for cash.
“I had money and I couldn’t pay,” he said.
The issue got some high-profile attention this week when retail giant Amazon bowed to pressure from activists and agreed to accept cash at more than 30 cashless stores, including its Amazon Go convenience stores, which have no cashiers, and its book shops. Amazon declined to say when the change would happen.
There is no federal law that requires stores to accept cash, so lawmakers are working on the issue at the state and city level.
Earlier this year, Philadelphia became the first city to ban cashless stores, despite efforts by Amazon to dissuade it. New Jersey passed a statewide ban soon after, and a similar ban is working its way through the New York City Council. Before this year there was only one jurisdiction that required businesses to accept cash: Massachusetts, which passed a law nearly 40 years ago.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas legislator is suggesting that the state treasurer should drop his bid for the U.S. Senate because he “needs to be at home, helping to raise his young children.”
State Treasurer Jake LaTurner responded Friday that state Sen. Gene Suellentrop’s comments were “cowardly.”
Jake LaTurner was sworn in April 2017 as the 40th Kansas State Treasurer-Photo office of Kansas Governor
LaTurner is a Republican running for the seat held by four-term GOP U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, who is not seeking re-election in 2020. LaTurner is the only candidate to have filed so far, but at least seven other Republicans are considering the race.
The 31-year-old LaTurner has four young children.
Suellentrop is a 67-year-old Wichita Republican and made his comments about LaTurner in a tweet responding to a news report about the race.
LaTurner replied that Suellentrop should “be a man” and talk to him personally.
Ray Alvarez remembers the summer he couldn’t make ends meet driving children to school.
“I did qualify for food stamps,” the Olathe school bus driver said. “And yes, I accepted them. My income was so low.”
Alvarez has driven buses off and on for a decade. The financial crisis back then upended his livelihood as a mortgage broker, he says.
He and other drivers urged a panel of state senators recently to consider letting them apply for unemployment during the 70 or so days each year when schools are closed for the summer. The bill stalled in committee.
When Kansas school districts contract with private companies for janitors, food service workers, bus monitors and more, those employees can seek unemployment benefits if they can’t find work during the offseason.
Bus drivers can’t. That’s because of a decades-old carve-out in state law that state officials couldn’t explain. The Kansas Department of Labor checked on 10 nearby states and found eight let privately employed school bus drivers apply for unemployment. Two don’t.
Advocates of dropping the state’s carve-out argue it isn’t fair — nor helpful at a time when bus drivers are in short supply here and nationally, and jobless rates remain exceptionally low.
Mimi Horn has driven for the Lawrence school district for five years and says new employees — who earn less and are less likely to snag a coveted summer school route — struggle especially.
Even during the school year, many drivers can count on only a few hours of work each day, making it hard to cover rent, utilities or other bills.
“Two hours in the morning, two hours in the afternoon.” Drivers, Horn said, “have to not pay something in order to pay the other. Rob Peter to pay Paul.”
Could unemployment benefits help?
Starting pay for Lawrence bus drivers is $15 an hour. Pay at Horn’s level of experience is closer to $16. Raises top out after 13 years at $18.
‘I’ve seen some of them, in the summertimes they go to the food banks. They have to rely on food stamps.’
A Teamsters union representative said the company that Lawrence Public Schools contracts with, First Student, has repeatedly raised pay to entice more applicants.
The question is whether letting drivers apply for unemployment during the summer might help companies hire and retain them in Kansas. (The proposed change wouldn’t affect drivers employed directly by public school districts, who still wouldn’t qualify for reasons related to a federal law.)
Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, a Wichita Democrat, urged her fellow senators to think again if they imagine retirees who don’t want a full-time gig will do the driving.
“More and more individuals who are bus drivers transporting our most precious cargo to and from schools — that is their main livelihood,” she said at a legislative hearing. “I’ve seen some of them, in the summertimes, they go to the food banks. They have to rely on food stamps.”
First Student, which lobbied for the bill, says turnover is higher among its drivers in Kansas than in states where its drivers can seek summertime unemployment benefits.
The company brought more than 20 drivers from Minnesota to pick up routes in Wichita that lacked drivers at the start of this school year in August. It raised starting pay to $16 in September.
That helped, a spokeswoman for the company said by email, but “we do believe the bill would further help.” Right now, drivers who quit when school ends often mention the need for summer work.
The unemployment change faces opposition from the Kansas Chamber, the state’s influential business lobby. Taxes paid by businesses fuel the state unemployment fund.
“How do we ensure parity and fairness with the rest of the business community?” Lobbyist Kristi Brown asked senators at a hearing. “When you’re asking a certain group that you anticipate will be a seasonal position to be able to withdraw from that fund, I think there needs to be an expectation for the company that employs them to be paying in appropriately.”
Brown warned against drawing from a once ailing fund that the state fought to make healthy.
Lawmakers sympathetic to the drivers’ plight argued the state would take that into account.
Companies contribute more or less into the state’s unemployment system based on factors such as the size of their payrolls and how often their employees end up on the benefits.
And when a person seeks benefits, the Kansas Department of Labor considers how they became unemployed, how long they worked, whether they’re actively looking for work or turning down jobs, and other details, before paying out.
What about paying drivers year-round?
A representative for First Student told senators the company spends $3,000 to train each new employee, and more just to find them. For every 10 applicants, only two get hired. Hurdles include earning a specialized license and passing a background check for criminal and traffic violations.
Some senators wondered whether the company should explore other options, such as keeping more drivers on its summer payroll to save on recruiting and training.
‘Have you done the cost analysis, if you just simply paid them for 72 days?’
“Have you done the cost analysis,” Topeka Republican Eric Rucker asked, “if you just simply paid them for 72 days?”
First Student says letting employees apply for unemployment would be cheaper, even given that the company would need to pay higher taxes into the state’s unemployment fund.
Moreover, First Student, said if it compensated drivers year-round, that would show up in the price it charges districts.
Celia Llopis-Jepsen is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. You can reach her on Twitter @Celia_LJ.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Water Authority (KWA) will meet Thursday, April 18 at the Abilene Civic Center, 201 NW 2nd Street in Abilene, Kansas. The meeting will begin at 10 a.m.
For additional meeting information visit the Kansas Water Office (KWO) website, www.kwo.ks.gov or call (785) 296-3185 or (888) 526-9283 (KAN-WATER).
If accommodations are needed for persons with disabilities, please notify the KWO at least five working days prior to the meeting.
As the state’s water office, KWO conducts water planning, policy coordination and water marketing as well as facilitates public input throughout the state.
The agency prepares the KANSAS WATER PLAN, a plan for water resources development, management and conservation.
KANSAS CITY—A Kansas man has been charged with seven counts of distributing crack cocaine, two counts of unlawful possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking and one count of distributing 28 grams or more of crack cocaine.
Simpson photo Wyandotte Co.
Lionel Simpson, 21, Kansas City, Kansas, allegedly committed the crimes in February, March and April 2019 in Wyandotte County, according to the United States Attorney. Upon conviction, the charges carry the following penalties:
Distributing crack cocaine (counts 1-5, 7 and 8): Up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million.
Possession of firearms in furtherance of drug trafficking (counts 6 and 10): Not less than five years consecutive to any other sentence imposed and a fine up to $250,000.
Distributing 28 grams or more of crack cocaine (count 9): Not less than five years and up to life imprisonment and a fine up to $5 million.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sheri Catani is prosecuting.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kansas finally abandoned a Prohibition-era rule that restricted certain stores to only sell beer with up to 3.2% alcohol content, but the stronger beer that’s now allowed doesn’t contain much more alcohol.
Kansas this month ended its law dating back to the 1930s, allowing groceries and convenience stores to stock beer with up to 6% alcohol by volume. Beer drinkers are unlikely to notice a big difference because the outdated law measured alcohol by weight but alcohol is now measured by volume.
Chantel Fletchall, who handles brand registration for the Kansas Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, said that a 3.2% beer measured by weight contains as much alcohol as a 4% beer measured by volume.
Popular light beers, such as Miller, Coors and Bud Light, are between 4.1% and 4.2% alcohol by volume. For a 12-ounce can of light beer that wouldn’t have been permitted under the old law, it might contain just seven to 14 more drops of alcohol than the 3.2 variety.
Regular beers from the same brands have 5% alcohol by volume, which is roughly three-quarters of a teaspoon more alcohol per 12-ounce can than the 3.2% varieties.
But the change still helps brewers, according to Michael Uhrich, chief economist for the national industry group Beer Institute.
“When you operate a beer business across several states, it’s always easier if you can produce the same products for sale in every state,” he said. “Raising the limit to 6% alcohol by volume won’t mean that every beer will be available in grocery stores, but popular brands will be there, and the brands that will be available will no longer have to be brewed exclusively for Kansas.”
The law change that went into effect this month also allows liquor stores to sell more non-alcoholic products, such as shot glasses, mixers, lottery tickets and tobacco products.
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A barred owl caught a lucky break when a snorkeler banded with wildlife officials to rescue the bird from a fishing line tangled in trees above the James River.
Bill Hulsebus was visiting the Springfield Conservation Nature Center last week when he came across the injured owl. Hulsebus tells the Springfield News-Leader that firefighters attempted to release the owl’s wing from the line, but their equipment couldn’t reach.
He says conservation officials had fastened a tree trimmer to a long pole when a snorkeler nearby realized he could help. The man waded into the cold river and used the pole to cut the line, freeing the owl.
Volunteers took the owl to a rehabilitation center, where it was given a feather transplant to repair its damaged wing.
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have arrested a suspect.
Brandon Craig -photo Sedgwick Co.
Just after 8:30 a.m. Friday, police responded to a shooting call at a home in the 800 block of south Emporia in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.
Upon arrival, officers located 21-year-old Justin Lane of Grain Valley, Missouri, deceased with a single gunshot wound to the head. Lane was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation revealed Lane and 22-year-old Brandon Craig of Independence, Missouri, were visiting a friend who lived at the home.
During the visit, a disturbance occurred between Craig and Lane. Craig fired one shot from a handgun striking Lane in the head, according to Davidson. Police arrested Craig on a requested charge of first-degree murder.
Investigators will present the case to the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s Office.
KANSAS CITY (AP) — A University of Missouri-Kansas City student is facing charges after he sprayed a substance toward conservative political commentator Michael Knowles during an anti-transgender speech.
Police arrest protester image courtesy UMKC News
Knowles was giving a speech titled “Men are Not Women” on the Missouri-Kansas City campus Thursday when protesters disrupted the event. Authorities said that during the disruption, student Gerard Dabu used a water gun to spray a substance at Knowles, who was not injured. Police tackled and subdued Dabu with a stun gun near the stage.
Chancellor Mauli Agrawal said in a letter to the campus Friday that police reacted that way because they didn’t know if the substance was dangerous. Tests later determined it was lavender oil and other non-toxic household liquids.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indianapolis-based company has issued a recall for melon products sold in 16 states after being linked to a salmonella outbreak.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday that the recall includes cut watermelon, honeydew and cantaloupe produced by Caito Foods LLC. The fruit has been sold under various brands or labels at Kroger, Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Target and Whole Foods.
The affected states are Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Health officials advise consumers to check packaging to determine if the melon was distributed by Caito Foods, and, if so, not to eat it. They advise stores to pull the products from shelves.
Authorities say 93 people have been sickened, 23 of whom were hospitalized. No deaths have been reported.
Salmonella Carrau is described as rare. Symptoms include diarrhea, fever and abdominal cramps.
It’s easy to complain about air travel, but the latest Airline Quality Rating study shows, overall, it’s getting better for passengers.
Passengers wait in line at KCI photo courtesy Kansas City International Airport
The 29th annual Airline Quality Rating produced by researchers at Wichita State University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University tracks key airline metrics such as on-time arrivals and departures, baggage handling and customer complaints.
Overall, the report found that airlines performed better in 2018 in three of the four factors tracked, but slipped in the most important category: on-time performance.
The report also shows that airlines bumped passengers less frequently than in any year since the study started. That’s likely due to the backlash from the highly publicized bumping of a man who had to be physically dragged off a United Airlines flight in 2017.
“If the public says something, the airlines just might do something,” said Dean Headley, emeritus professor at Wichita State and co-author of the study. “Which they did in this case, and that made a big difference in this year’s numbers.”
With almost 25,000 flights a day in the United States, Headley said it’s amazing that airlines have an on-time rate of 80%, don’t lose many bags and involuntarily bumped virtually no one in 2018.
It’s a much better performance now than it was a little more than 10 years ago.
As for individual airline performance, Delta came out on top. It accomplished that by having the fewest number of involuntary removals, finishing second for on-time arrivals and third in both baggage service and customer satisfaction.
The complete rankings are:
Delta Airlines
JetBlue
Southwest Airlines
Alaska Airlines
Hawaiian Airlines
United Airlines
Spirit Airlines
American Airlines
Frontier Airlines
Brian Grimmett reports on the environment, energy and natural resources for the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @briangrimmett.
