KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A criminal trial of a priest charged with molesting a child has been delayed until at least summer.

The trial of Rev. Scott Kallal was set to begin April 15 in Wyandotte County District Court. But a hearing last week, the court granted Kallal’s request for more time. A status conference is set of June 7.

Kallal was charged in in 2017 with two felony counts of aggravated indecent liberties with a child. He has pleaded not guilty.

He was suspended from public priestly ministry in 2017 as associate pastor at Holy Spirit Church in Overland Park.

In January, Kallal was on a list of 22 priests the Catholic Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas said have had substantiated allegations of sexual abuse of minors made against them in the past 75 years.

WASHINGTON (AP) — One year out from the start of the 2020 census, Census Bureau officials set out to demonstrate the importance of the head count for all Americans. President Donald Trump offered a different message, saying the count will be “meaningless” if it doesn’t include a citizenship question.In a tweet Monday, Trump blamed “Radical Left Democrats” for opposing the “all important” question on citizenship.

Can you believe that the Radical Left Democrats want to do our new and very important Census Report without the all important Citizenship Question. Report would be meaningless and a waste of the $Billions (ridiculous) that it costs to put together!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 1, 2019

On Tuesday, a Democratic-controlled House panel voted Tuesday to subpoena documents and a witness related to the Trump administration’s decision to add a citizenship question to the 2020 census.

The vote was 23-14, with Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan being the only Republican to join with Democratic lawmakers in the vote.

Democrats say they want specific documents that will determine why Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross decided to add the question. They say the Trump administration has declined to provide those documents despite repeated requests. The vote is the latest example of the ways Democratic lawmakers are using their majority to aggressively investigate the inner workings of President Donald Trump’s administration.

Ross said the decision in March 2018 to add the question was based on a Justice Department request to help it enforce the Voting Rights Act.

The official counting begins on April 1 next year. To mark the date one year out, Census Bureau officials held a briefing Monday to begin raising awareness and project confidence that they’re up to the monumental task.

Census Bureau Director Steven Dillingham declined to answer a question about the president’s tweet, saying “we really want to restrict our comments to talking about the great job we’re doing, where we are and how it’s going to help this nation.”

Dillingham noted that the census for the first time will give people the chance to respond online. People can also respond by telephone and mail. He cited how easy it will be to provide requested information and to assure that the information will be secure and confidential.

“But probably the message we really want to emphasize is how important it is,” Dillingham said. “We now live in an information age where accurate data improves the quality of our lives and supports our thriving economy.”

The decennial census is used to help determine how about $675 billion in federal dollars is distributed each year. State and local governments use it to make decisions about where to locate schools and health clinics and provide social services and improve roads and bridges. The survey results are also used to distribute electoral college votes and congressional district seats.

The citizenship question has been caught up in litigation in federal courts, where lower courts have ruled that the administration’s haste to include the question violated federal law and the Constitution.

Trump tweeted that without a citizenship question, the “Report would be meaningless and a waste of the $Billions (ridiculous) that it costs to put together!”

Against the advice of career officials at the Census Bureau, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross decided last year to add the citizenship question to the survey for the 10-year headcount, saying the Justice Department requested the question to improve enforcement of the federal Voting Rights Act.

The Supreme Court is hearing the Trump administration appeal of a federal judge’s ruling in New York that the decision violated federal law. Since then, a judge in California has said a citizenship question also would violate the Constitution.

A resolution of the citizenship matter is needed soon to allow the government to start printing the census questionnaire.

Michael Platt Jr., an assistant secretary at the Commerce Department, said in a letter obtained by The Associated Press the department believes “the rush to issue a subpoena is premature.” Platt said the department’s staff is working at full capacity on “both its normal business and its multiple Congressional engagements, and I believe your one-day response demand is inconsistent with your constitutional obligation to accommodate the department.”

“We respectfully request adequate time to consider your letter and requests,” Platt wrote Monday.

OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — An 18-year-old who was named as a person of interest in the killing of a suburban Kansas City teen has been charged with shooting at an officer.

Matthew Lee Bibee Jr. was charged Tuesday with attempted capital murder, attempted first degree murder, attempted aggravated robbery, battery against a law enforcement officer and battery. None of the charges appear related to the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Rowan Padgett on Friday in Olathe.

Police say Bibee was wounded Sunday in an exchange of gunfire with officers who were responding to an armed robbery attempt in which shots were fired. Bibee was treated at a hospital before he was taken to jail. No one else was hurt.

Bibee’s bond is set at $1 million. No attorney is listed for him in online court records.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Advocates for legalizing medical marijuana in Kansas are preparing to push their cause again, as the year’s legislative session winds down without much action on several bills related to the issue.

Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly has said she would support a “well-regulated” program, and the idea of introducing medical marijuana in Kansas appeared to gain momentum after voters in neighboring Missouri approved it in November.

This year’s legislative session in Kansas is scheduled to end next week, with a short return in May that will focus on passing the final budget, and so far only one medical marijuana bill has been given a vote, The Wichita Eagle reports . The House last week approved a bill that would provide a legal defense for medical use of CBD oil with up to 5 percent THC, which is the ingredient in the cannabis plant that produces a high.

Lisa Sublett, founder of the advocacy group Bleeding Kansas, said she and other advocates want a legislative committee to study medical marijuana during the summer and make recommendations before the next session begins in January.

“I hope we get an interim committee to in-depth study the issue and give us a chance to answer objections and concerns with actual data and to bring in experts,” she said.

Sublett said the bill approved by the House this session is an incremental step toward full legalization, but it’s largely symbolic because it doesn’t legalize production of CBD oil in Kansas and federal law allows only for interstate sales of CBD derived from hemp — a form of cannabis — with 0.3 percent or less THC.

A bill introduced this session that would allow much broader legalization of production, sales and use of medical marijuana has not received a hearing.

Some doctors oppose the legalization of medical marijuana because they don’t know how safe it is and say cannabis products should have to undergo the Food and Drug Administration approval process. Law enforcement groups also oppose its introduction, saying it would be impossible to keep legal medical marijuana from being diverted for illegal use.

Kansas Sen. Tom Holland, a Democrat from Baldwin City, said pressure might be growing as more nearby states approve legalization.

Missouri’s health department is formulating rules so the first patient applications for medical marijuana can be issued in June and the first dispensary licenses granted by the end of the year. Voters in Oklahoma did the same last June and a petition is circulating in Nebraska to get medical marijuana on the ballot next year. Colorado was one of the first states in the country to legalize medical marijuana.

“Once again Kansas is sticking out,” Holland said. “People are very cognizant of that. … It’s growing from a ‘Gee, that would be nice to have access to,’ to ‘boy they’re demanding it’ and they’re starting to get really frustrated Kansas isn’t keeping up with the rest of the nation.”

SEDGWICK COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a criminal homicide that left a 23-year-old dead.

Just after 8:30p.m. Monday, police responded to a drive by shooting call in the 1200 Block of North Minnesota in Wichita, according to Captain Brent Allred. A citizen called 911 after hearing gunshots in the neighborhood. At the scene, police found the black male victim outside a residence with a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Allred. “The shooting was not a random incident,” he said.

Police have received a description of possible suspect vehicles and have located one of them. They are looking for a second vehicle but have not released additional details, according to Allred.

Police believe one of the individuals involved is a gang member. The victim’s name has not been released while authorities work to contact family.

Anyone with information on the crime is asked to call police.

Topeka – On behalf of thousands of Kansans struggling to secure affordable healthcare, Governor Laura Kelly held a press conference Tuesday morning calling on the Kansas Senate leadership to allow a vote on Medicaid expansion this week.

The time for blocking progress has long since passed. Now is the time for a vote in the Senate on Medicaid expansion. #ksleg pic.twitter.com/vfQGWQzRYP

— Governor Laura Kelly (@GovLauraKelly) April 2, 2019

“By design, the legislation I presented was very similar to a plan that passed the legislature in 2017 with strong bipartisan support. That’s why I’m disappointed with Senate leadership for blocking the debate and the committee process,” Governor Kelly said. “Now with the regular session winding down, “halfway there” isn’t good enough.”

Kansas Senate President Susan Wagle issued her own statement against Medicaid expansion.

@GovLauraKelly is pushing for a socialist, Bernie Sanders-endorsed health care plan. Medicaid needs reform, not expansion. We cannot surrender to the mess of Obamacare in Kansas. #ksleg pic.twitter.com/i0bJb3sOVm

— Susan Wagle (@SenatorWagle) April 2, 2019

 

Almost two weeks ago, a bipartisan coalition in the Kansas House passed Medicaid expansion. Governor Kelly applauded this coalition during Tuesday’s press conference, recognizing their strength and determination in moving Medicaid expansion forward.

“I have always endorsed efforts to carefully study issues before taking action,” Governor Kelly said. “But when it comes to Medicaid expansion, “study” is a code word for “stall.” The House did what’s right for Kansas – I’m calling on the Senate to do the same.”

During Tuesday’s press conference, Governor Kelly outlined the timeline of Medicaid expansion in recent years. In 2011, Governor Sam Brownback asked Kansans to wait until after the 2012 Presidential Election to act on Medicaid. After the 2012 election, Kansas still failed to act. Brownback then insisted Medicaid could not be expanded until the Supreme Court ruled on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The Supreme Court upheld the ACA in 2015. Kansas still did not act. When the Legislature overwhelmingly approved Medicaid expansion in 2017, Brownback vetoed the bill.

In a media release from the governor’s office, she reminded that by not expanding Medicaid, Kansas has forfeited over $3.2 billion of our tax dollars to other states. The economic benefits of expansion have been clearly documented. The governor noted in the press conference that there have been 300 published studies and reports on the positive impact of Medicaid expansion in other states, including:

• A reduced poverty rate;
• A growth in the number of healthcare related jobs, spurring economic growth;
• A healthier, insured population;
• A significantly lower level of uncompensated care for health facilities.

Medicaid expansion passed the Kansas House of Representatives on March 21. The governor released her plan on January 29, 2019. Neither chamber held hearings on the bill or scheduled a floor vote.

SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect after an altercation with a police officer.

Just after 9p.m. Tuesday, police were asked to do a welfare check on a person in the 800 block of State Street in Salina, according to police captain Paul Forrester. While talking with the person via telephone, police were made aware that the person had several outstanding warrants from outside Saline County. They also were made aware of an earlier domestic disturbance involving the subject.

A 35-year-old woman and a 17-year-old boy both from Salina, told an officer that Jonathan Graham, 38, Salina, first got into a verbal argument with the woman  outside the residence, and then shoved her and allegedly kicked a hole in the screen door, Forrester said. They also reported that Graham threw a barbecue grill grate at the boy but missed him, Forrester added.

As the officer talked with the victims about the alleged domestic disturbance, Graham came to the door of the residence and threatened to kill the officer, according to Forrester said. Graham, who had his knuckles taped as boxers do, then began advancing on the officer and the officer tased him.

Police arrested Graham on requested charges of criminal threat, assault of a law enforcement officer, domestic battery, domestic criminal damage to property, assault, interference with a law enforcement officer, and the multiple out-of-county warrants.

FHSU University Relations

A variety of crafts, workshops and fun – the Biosphere Blockparty – will celebrate Earth Day at the Kansas Wetlands Education Center northeast of Great Bend on K-156 Highway on Saturday, April 13.

“Various organizations will be on hand to help us celebrate the third rock from the sun,” said Mandy Kern, program specialist at the center.

Free come and go activities are offered from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. that day.

“Eat a warm cookie fresh from the solar oven,” said Kern. “Say no to single-use plastic bags while you decorate a reusable tote to take grocery shopping. Use pedal power to see the difference in energy usage between incandescent, CFL and LED bulbs, and step into the Fort Hays State University Maker Van to turn two-liter plastic bottles into a rope!”

Families will also receive free native wildflower and milkweed plants as well as a variety of seeds to grow at home, said Kern.

All the events are free, but two of them require registration because of limited space: the two make-and-take rain barrel workshops (9 .m. and again at noon), and the workshop on making folding crafts from recycled books at 10:15 a.m.

To register, call the KWEC at 1-877-243-9268 or go to https://wetlandscenter.fhsu.edu/ for more information.

“We received a $1,000 Greenworks Grant from Project Learning Tree to offer the rain barrel workshop,” said Kern. “Forty families will decorate and construct a rain barrel they can take home.”

During the summer months, she said, it is estimated that nearly 40 percent of household water is used for lawn and garden maintenance. A rain barrel can collect water and help lower water bills, conserve natural resources and decrease the amount of storm water runoff.

A one-inch rainfall can produce more than 700 gallons of runoff from the roof of a typical house, she said. Area schools will also construct barrels for their outdoor classrooms.

“This event will allow people of all ages to learn how to be more sustainable,” said Kern. “Rain barrels can help families become good stewards of the local watershed.”

Another scheduled activity is free outdoor yoga, beginning at 11 a.m. Participants should bring comfy clothes and a mat if they can.

The free come-and-go activities from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. include:

• Great Bend’s Brit Spaugh zoo will have a make-and-take recycled crafts.
• Barton County Women for Kansas will conduct a decorate-and-take, reusable grocery tote activity.
• A Be Well Barton County activity will involve fun with bicycles.
• The Kansas Energy Program will have hand- and bicycle-powered generators on available to show much energy is needed to run different types of lights.
• The Fort Hays State University Maker Van will make rope from plastic bottles.
• Heartland Farm, a ministry of the Dominican Sisters of Peace near Pawnee Rock, will help visitors make solar oven cookies.
• Buffalo Brand Sharp Bros. Seeds, Healy, will have information on native grasses and wildflowers.
• Members of the Hoisington High School Electric Car Club will demonstrate their project.
• A trailer equipped with a model of a stream bank, from the Barton County Conservation District, will enable visitors to manipulate erosion.

WASHINGTON (AP) — As he threatens to shut down the southern border, President Donald Trump is considering bringing on a “border” or “immigration czar” to coordinate immigration policy across various federal agencies, according to four people familiar with the discussions.

Trump is weighing at least two potential candidates for the post: former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, according to the people, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the conversations publicly.

Kobach and Cuccinelli are far-right conservatives with strong views on immigration. Cuccinelli was seen at the White House on Monday.

The planning comes as Trump is threatening anew to close the U.S.-Mexico border as soon as this week if Mexico does not completely halt illegal immigration into the U.S. And it serves as the latest sign that the president plans to continue to hammer his hardline immigration rhetoric and policies as he moves past the special counsel’s Russia investigation and works to rally his base heading into his 2020 re-election campaign.

Aides hope the potential appointment, which they caution is still in the planning stages, would serve as the “face” of the administration on immigration issues and would placate both the president and his supporters, showing he is serious and taking action.

White House press aides, Kobach and Cuccinelli did not immediately respond Monday to requests for comment. Kobach previously served as vice chair of the president’s short-lived election fraud commission, which was disbanded after finding little evidence of widespread abuse.

A Department of Homeland Security official noted that White House czars have been appointed in the past when there has been an “urgent need” for sustained, inter-agency policy coordination. While Homeland Security often plays a leading role when it comes to immigration policy and enforcement, the department is not in charge of officials at the departments of Health and Human Services, State, Defense and Justice, which often play key roles.

Trump has often complained, both publicly and privately, about how he has not been able to do more to stop the tide of illegal immigration, which he has likened to an “invasion” and described as a national security crisis. Arrests along the southern border have skyrocketed in recent months and border agents were on track to make 100,000 arrests or denials of entry in March. More than half of those are families with children.

Still, Trump has been pushing. He has deployed National Guard troops to the border, forced a government shutdown to try to pressure Congress to provide more money for his long-promised border wall, and eventually signed an emergency declaration to circumvent lawmakers. He also moved Saturday to cut direct aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras, where citizens are fleeing north and overwhelming U.S. resources at the southern border.

Those moves have involved a swath of government agencies. The Justice Department manages the immigration courts that decide whether a migrant is deported; Health and Human Services manages the care of migrant children apprehended at the border; agencies within Homeland Security manage the allocation of legal status, immigration enforcement and asylum requests; and the Pentagon and the Army Corps of Engineers manage facets of border wall construction.

But not all are always on the same page.

Earlier this year, for example, Health and Human Services closed down a temporary facility being used to house migrant children in Tornillo, Texas, creating a problem for border agents who ran out of bed space when the number of unaccompanied children crossing the border spiked. Homeland Security is not allowed to hold children in detention facilities for longer than 20 days.

And last year, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions instituted a “zero tolerance” policy at the border without consulting others, causing a spike in the number of migrant children separated from their families.

The separated children were placed in HHS custody, but there was no tracking system in place to link parents with their children until a federal judge ordered one, causing widespread fear and concern about whether families would ever see each other again.

It has yet to be decided whether the czar position would be housed within Homeland Security or within the White House, which would not require Senate confirmation.

A person positioned within the White House could coordinate immigration policy across various agencies, working closely with aides who are deeply involved in the issue, including senior advisers Stephen Miller and Jared Kushner, national security adviser John Bolton and Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen, who supports the idea.

Appointing a person based within Homeland Security could be trickier because the department’s agency heads are all Senate-confirmed positions and, in the case of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and U.S. Customs and Border Protection, are longtime immigration officials with decades of experience dealing with the border.

While immigration officials would welcome an adviser focused specifically on policy across the varying agencies, the names being floated are likely to spark backlash and criticism.

Kobach, an immigration hardliner, ran a failed bid for governor promising to drive immigrants living in the U.S. illegally out of the country. He has recently been working for a nonprofit corporation, WeBuildtheWall Inc., which has been raising private money to build Trump’s wall.

Cuccinelli has advocated for denying citizenship to American-born children of parents living in the U.S. illegally, limiting in-state tuition at public universities only to those who are citizens or legal residents, and allowing workers to file lawsuits when an employer knowingly hires someone living in the country illegally for taking a job from a “law abiding competitor.”

Thomas Homan, the former acting ICE director, has also been mentioned as a potential pick, according to one of the people familiar with the talks.

——————

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration is considering hiring a “border” or “immigration czar” to coordinate the president’s policies across various federal agencies.

That’s according to three people familiar with the discussions who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss them publicly.

Trump is considering two potential candidates: Former Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach and former Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli — both far-right conservatives with strong views on immigration.

It has yet to be decided whether the post would be housed within the Department of Homeland Security or the White House.

White House press aides, Kobach and Cuccinelli did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The discussion comes as Trump is threatening to close the U.S.-Mexico border if Mexico doesn’t halt all illegal immigration.

–

Kate Mays
KU Statehouse Wire Service

TOPEKA — Late last month, the Federal and State Affairs Committee held a hearing over HCR 5004, which would amend Section 1 of the Kansas Constitution to extend the rights of Kansans to include fertilized eggs, thus effectively banning abortion.

The resolution is one of several “personhood” bills introduced across the United States in recent months.

Proponents of the resolution included representatives from several religious and pro-life organizations. Most of their arguments at the March 21 hearing centered around the morality of abortion.

“The truth is, no nation ever survives that kills its babies. So, if we want our nation to survive, we need to stop,” said Rep. Randy Garbner (R-Sabetha), sponsor of HCR 5004.

Opponents of HCR 5004 pointed to other states that have failed to pass the amendment.

“State after state, from North Dakota to Colorado to deep red Mississippi, has rejected personhood initiatives when they appeared on the ballot because they know the consequences are too dire,” said Rachel Sweet, regional director of Public Policy and Organizing for Planned Parenthood Great Plains.

HCR 5004 is not the only bill of its kind currently working its way through state legislatures.

Last month, South Carolina’s legislature introduced the “Personhood Act of South Carolina,” which, like HCR 5004, would alter the state’s constitution to give rights to “preborn human being vests at fertilization.” A similar act was introduced the year before, but was blocked by the Senate.

Georgia’s “Living Infants Fairness and Equality Act,” which would ban abortions once the fetus has a heartbeat, recently passed in the Georgia House and Senate, and is pending approval by Republican Gov. Brian Kemp. The Writers Guild of America wrote a letter in response to the bill that states if it passes, Georgia will not be a preferable place for people in the film and television industry to work.

The ACLU also released a statement regarding the bill, stating that if passed, the organization would take legal action.

“If Gov. Kemp signs this abortion ban bill into law, the ACLU has one message: we will see you in court,” said Andrea Young, executive director of the ACLU of Georgia.

In February, 27 Republican Kansas senators sponsored Senate Resolution 1606, also known as “condemning the Reproductive Health Act of New York.” The aforementioned health act was passed in January and clarifies that abortion is legal in New York if it occurs before the 24th week of pregnancy, is “necessary to protect the patient’s life or health” or if the fetus is not viable.

SCR 1606 called for New York legislatures to “reinstate protections for women and unborn children in their state.”

Current Kansas abortion law requires patients to receive counseling then wait 24 hours to have the procedure. Additionally, abortion is only legal after 20 weeks if the pregnant woman’s life is in danger.

The amendment needs to be passed by the House and Senate with a two-thirds majority to make it on the ballot in November 2020.

Kate Mays is a University of Kansas senior from Lenexa majoring in journalism.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (AP) — A college campus has held a listening session in an effort to calm tensions after a video began circulating online of a black student shouting at someone wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat.

About 50 people attended the session Monday at Missouri Western State University to discuss what happened last Friday. A video of the incident posted by the student newspaper shows the woman saying that the hat is “a symbol of white supremacy.” When a police officer tries to quiet the student, she asks, “Do you know what that hat symbolizes?”The school also talked to the woman and the high school student who wore the hat while helping decorate for a prom his school was holding at Missouri Western. He wasn’t seen on the video.

By JOHN HANNA
Associated Press

TOPEKA — Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly will keep her top business development official after some Republicans in the Kansas Senate broke with the GOP majority and defied the state’s most influential anti-abortion group to confirm his appointment Monday.

I’m pleased the Senate voted to confirm @SecretaryToland. He represents the best and brightest this state has to offer. His energy, expertise and collaborative style will ensure that businesses have the partner they deserve and that the KS economy continues to grow. #ksleg

— Governor Laura Kelly (@GovLauraKelly) April 1, 2019

The vote for Commerce Secretary David Toland was 23-14 . Toland has been acting secretary since Kelly took office in January and would have been forced to step down if the Senate had rejected his appointment.

A little bit ago, the Kansas Senate voted to confirm me as the Secretary of Commerce to serve at the pleasure of @GovLauraKelly. I am honored to have this opportunity to serve the Department and our State.

— Secretary Toland, KDC (@SecretaryToland) April 1, 2019

Toland served last year as the unpaid treasurer for Kelly’s successful campaign for governor, but Republican critics questioned his business development and recruiting credentials. He served for 11 years as executive director of Thrive Allen County, a nonprofit economic development and public health group based in his hometown of Iola, in southeast Kansas.

The anti-abortion group Kansans for Life, a power in Republican politics, announced its opposition to Toland’s appointment last week. Thrive Allen County received grants in 2015 and 2018, totaling less than $20,000, to promote women’s health from a fund named for the late Dr. George Tiller, who performed late-term abortions in Wichita.

“I can’t support him because of that,” said Sen. Rob Olson, a conservative Kansas City-area Republican who previously backed Toland but voted against his confirmation.

Tiller was among a handful of physicians in the U.S. known to terminate pregnancies in their final weeks. His clinic was the site of repeated anti-abortion protests, including the weekslong “Summer of Mercy” in 1991. He was shot to death in 2009 in his church by an anti-abortion zealot who is serving a 25 years-to-life prison sentence.

Eleven of the Senate’s 28 Republicans voted to confirm Toland, along with the chamber’s 11 Democrats and one independent member. Supporters said Toland already has re-energized the state Department of Commerce.

“I think he will put us back on the map,” said Sen. Dinah Sykes, a Kansas City-area Democrat.

Toland has received credit for helping to lure a new grocery store to Iola and helping to persuade voters to build a new community hospital. Business leaders and local chambers of commerce from across the state endorsed his appointment.

“His energy, expertise and collaborative style will ensure that businesses have the partner they deserve and that the Kansas economy continues to grow,” Kelly said in a statement after the vote.

Some opposition to Toland’s confirmation had its roots in the local politics surrounding his work with Thrive Allen County. It intensified when GOP critics began questioning his credentials and Kansans for Life weighed in.

Mary Kay Culp, the anti-abortion group’s executive director, said it will monitor the Department of Commerce closely for signs that it is using its programs and economic incentives to encourage new abortion clinics to open in Kansas.

For my first official act as Secretary, I’m pleased to be hosting Commerce’s first Legislative Open House. As I’ve said before, transparency and communication are the name of the game with me. Pleased to be able to show our lawmakers the exciting things going on at Commerce. pic.twitter.com/cUENeuRDw4

— Secretary Toland, KDC (@SecretaryToland) April 1, 2019

“It doesn’t take much to see how this appointment could go horribly wrong,” said Sen. Mary Pilcher-Cook, another conservative Kansas City-area Republican and strong abortion opponent.

SHAWNEE COUNTY —The Kansas Highway Patrol has identified the victim in Sunday’s fatal crash in Shawnee County.

Just after 7p.m., a 2013 Ford Taurus driven by Glenn D Smith, 85, Topeka, was westbound on U.S. 24 at U.S. 75. The Ford left the roadway to the right and struck a concrete bridge pillar.

Smith was pronounced dead at the scene. He was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.