DOUGLAS COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting.
Just after 10:30 a.m. Friday, police were dispatched to a residence in the 600 Block of North Michigan Street in Lawrence after report of a shooting involving a 1-year-old girl, according to a media release.
Despite life saving measures attempted by first responders, the child was pronounced dead at the scene.
Based on witness statements and evidence at the scene, this incident is being investigated as an accidental shooting. Once the investigation is completed, the reports will be forwarded to the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office for review.
Police are not looking for any other persons involved in the incident.
Law enforcement authorities on the scene of a home in Hutchinson
RENO COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have made an arrest.
Just after 6:30 a.m. Friday, police were dispatched to a residence located at 1701 East 30th Avenue in Hutchinson on the report of a shooting, according Police Captain Troy Hoover.
Officers found a man dead of an apparent gunshot wounds. A suspect is in custody.
Police are working to notify family and will then release names of the individuals involved, according to Hoover.
Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the Hutchinson Police Department at 694-2816.
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RENO COUNTY —Police are investigating report of a suspicious death at a home on East 30th Street in Hutchinson.
Hutchinson Police Capt. Troy Hoover confirmed is was a shooting investigation.
Check Salina Post for additional details as they become available.
WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas woman pleaded guilty Friday to robbing three local businesses, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.
Christina A. Messerschmidt, 26, Wichita, Kan., appeared in federal court in Wichita to enter her plea. She admitted to the following robberies:
June 14, 2017: Kwik Shop at 2809 E. Douglas in Wichita. She threatened store employees with a knife and took money from the register.
June 13, 2017: Patricia’s, 6143 W. Kellogg in Wichita. She threatened to strangle an employee and took money from the register.
Dec. 16, 2016: Intrust Bank at 1544 S. Webb. She gave a teller a note saying, “Give me $1,000 or I will shoot you.” She was arrested after a standoff with police at an apartment near the bank.
Sentencing is set for Nov. 13. Both parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of seven years in federal prison.
Millions of victims of a data hack that targeted a Kansas state agency in possession of Social Security numbers were not informed of the breach directly, according to information obtained through an open records request.
The Kansas Department of Commerce says it only had valid email addresses for about 2.5 million of the more than 6 million job seeker accounts that were exposed when Kansasworks.com was hacked earlier this year. FILE PHOTO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
The Kansas Department of Commerce says it only had valid email addresses for about 2.5 million of the more than 6 million job seeker accounts that were exposed. It sent notices to those addresses and further spread word of the hack through news releases and other public messages.
“We are confident our agency fulfilled all legal requirements of Kansas and the other member states on how to ensure those affected were lawfully and properly contacted,” spokesman Kevin Doel said.
Information technology staff discovered the hack in March. It affected job seekers across 10 states, including nearly 600,000 in Kansas. More than 5.5 million of the accounts contained Social Security numbers.
A unit within the Kansas Department of Commerce called America’s Job Link Alliance-Technical Support had been managing the data for the Kansasworks.com website, which connects job seekers with opportunities, and for similar sites in the other states. The other websites are for Arkansas, Arizona, Delaware, Idaho, Maine, Oklahoma, Vermont, Alabama and Illinois.
The hack came just months after Kansas legislative auditors released the conclusions of a three-year check into IT security at 20 state agencies, excluding the Department of Commerce. The auditors flagged concerns at most of the agencies, including IT weaknesses that posed a risk for data breaches.
Kansas offered victims of the AJLA-TS attack credit monitoring through Equifax, which itself recently became the victim of a hack.
Cost to taxpayers
It remains unclear what the data breach will cost Kansas taxpayers in total.
Records indicate the state contracted with a law firm for $175,000 and an IT firm for $60,000 to help deal with the aftermath.
But the Department of Commerce redacted pricing information from its contract with Epiq, the company it hired to email victims, operate a call center for them and supply Equifax services. The arrangement is ongoing. The Commerce Department said Thursday it had paid about $800,000 to Epiq as of the end of last month.
In an email, Epiq instructed the Commerce Department to redact the pricing information from its contract.
The Kansas News Service obtained records related to the hack through open records requests. The Commerce Department took eight weeks to provide records fulfilling parts of one request and five weeks to provide any records related to the second request. It took 13 weeks from the original Kansas News Service request for the Epiq contract for the agency to cite any provisions of statute for redacting pricing.
Mike Kautsch, a University of Kansas law professor and former dean of the KU School of Journalism, said Kansas’ open records act requires public agencies to provide documents within three business days or give a “detailed explanation” for the delay and specify the earliest date the records will be available, which the agency didn’t do. The statute also requires agencies to cite specific legal provisions for any redactions within three days of a request for that information.
“In my opinion, they’re already in violation of the law,” he said. “The burden is really on them to comply.”
Legislative meeting
On Friday, officials from the Commerce Department and AJLA-TS will update Kansas lawmakers on security steps taken since the hack. The conversation with a joint panel of senators and representatives will be partly or wholly closed to the public.
Doel of the Commerce Department said Thursday the agency is confident in the measures it has taken to prevent future breaches.
“Although no system is invulnerable,” Doel said, “yes, areas of potential risk were determined during the assessment process and those areas have been properly remediated.”
Derby Republican Rep. Blake Carpenter chairs the legislative panel, which has been examining IT security at the Commerce Department and other Kansas agencies.
“I want to make sure that the information of Kansas citizens is protected,” Carpenter said. “Especially if the government has that information and people are trusting us.”
Rep. Brandon Whipple, a Wichita Democrat, said the panel needs to go beyond pointing fingers and work on ensuring sensitive information is adequately guarded.
“The conversation has to be about what went wrong and shifting right into how we make sure this never happens again,” he said.
Whipple said the goal is to pinpoint and address why some agencies have better security than others.
“We need to figure out — how do we make all of them good at this?” he said.
Sen. Dinah Sykes, a Lenexa Republican, said the state needs a proactive approach to protecting its data.
“It seems like it’s been an afterthought in Kansas,” she said.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A spokeswoman says former Republican presidential candidate and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole is hospitalized for low blood pressure.
Dole spokeswoman Marion Watkins said in an email Friday that the 94-year-old former Kansas senator has been hospitalized since Sept. 13 at the Walter Reed Military Medical Center outside Washington, D.C.
She says he was admitted after a routine checkup. She say his low blood pressure is being treated with medication.
Thank you all for your prayers and well wishes. I hope to be home sipping a cosmo in a few days. https://t.co/V9ezzlPbE8
Dole’s wife, former North Carolina Sen. Elizabeth Dole, tweeted a request for prayers. He then tweeted that he hopes to be home in a few days, “sipping a cosmo.”
Dole was a U.S. senator for 35 years before leaving in 1996 for his campaign against President Bill Clinton. Congress recently voted to award him a Congressional Gold Medal.
RILEY COUNTY — A teen reported missing this week has been found safe, according to Riley County Police.
Cal0b Haymond, 15, Ogden reportedly went missing from Salina on September 17 at approximately 4:30 p.m.
According to police, his family took him to Salina on Friday, September 15, and dropped off at a friend’s house to spend the weekend.
UPDATE: Calob has been located and is safe. Thank you for your help finding this teen! pic.twitter.com/12aL0LX0dh
Calob and his friend were reportedly out walking when his friend’s parents came and picked up Calob’s friend and left Calob. His last known location was in the area of Walmart in south Salina.
Police did not release details on where he was located.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors have dropped two first-degree murder charges against a Kansas man accused in a 2015 drive-by shooting.
The Kansas City Star reports that the charges against 25-year-old Christopher Lewis were dismissed Thursday. He was tried last year, but jurors deadlocked over whether to convict him of killing 23-year-old Deron Rucker and 24-year-old Antonio Rucker. Both victims were from Kansas City, Kansas.
A Wyandotte District Attorney’s Office spokesman says charges could be filed again if an ongoing investigation yields additional information that will support a conviction.
photo courtesy -The Peace and Social Justice Center of South Central Kansas
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Young Kansas immigrants continue to express their distress following President Donald Trump’s decision to rescind DACA, the immigration program protecting those who were brought to the United States illegally as children.
A group gathered at the Wichita Area Builders Association, 730 North Main, Thursday evening prior to Kansas congressman Ron Estes appearance. The Peace and Social Justice Center of South Central Kansas organized the gathering.
According to a social media report they have attempted to meet with Estes to support the Dream Act and set up a meeting. According to the organization, Estes office is not returning calls to meet.
Image of vehicle similar to one that may be involved in Thursday’s hit and run accident-photo Hutchinson Police
Hutchinson Police reported late Thursday they did locate the vehicle believed involved in the hit-and-run accident. They have not located the driver.
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RENO COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a hit and run accident.
Just after 1a.m. Thursday, the Reno County Sheriff’s Department reported they learned that a man was unconscious on the side of the roadway in the 1200 Block of E 4th Avenue in Hutchinson, according to a social media report.
A vehicle hit the man who was riding a bicycle and then left the scene. It is believed that the suspect was driving a blue or possible teal green 2002 to 2006 Nissan Altima.
The Altima should have considerable damage to the right front corner, according to the sheriff’s department.
Anyone with information should contact the Hutchinson Police Department
The accident was reported by an anonymous person. If the identity of this person is known please contact the traffic bureau at 620-694-2854 or the Police Department main number at 620- 694-2816
Authorities did not release name of the victim or any additional details.
DOUGLAS COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and questioning suspects following a multi-county chase.
Just after 9p.m. Wednesday, police responded to multiple reports of shots being fired near 101 North Michigan Street in Lawrence, according to a media release. Callers reported vehicles and people were fleeing the scene.
Officers found a 32-year-old man with gunshot wounds. He was transported to a hospital in Topeka with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police.
One officer heading to the scene saw vehicle near 6th and Kentucky that matched the caller’s description of the fleeing vehicle.
The officer went to investigate and the car fled north over the Kansas River Bridge. The multi-agency chase traveled before ending in Leavenworth County near the 187th Street and Dempsey Road intersection when the vehicle encountered Leavenworth County deputies.
Police detained three people at the scene and transported them to the Training Center for questioning. Police have not reported any arrests.
TOPEKA – Kansas will receive more than $500,000 in federal grants to help fight the opioid crisis, the U.S. Justice Department announced Friday.
The city of Wichita will receive $398,972 from the Adult Drug Court and Veterans Treatment Courts grant program. The grant is aimed at supporting drug courts that hold offenders accountable and reduce victimization by intervening early in the process to prevent crimes. It also supports programs to assist offenders who are veterans.
The Kansas State Board of Pharmacy will receive $178,680 to support the state’s prescription drug monitoring program. The pharmacy board oversees K-TRACS, a system for monitoring prescriptions for controlled substances.
The grants are part of nearly $59 million the Justice Department announced Friday it will spend to strengthen drug court programs and address the opioid epidemic nationwide.
In 2016, nearly 60,000 Americans lost their lives to drug overdoses, an increase from the 52,000 overdose deaths the year before. The majority of these deaths can be attributed to opioids, including illicit fentanyl and its analogues.
“Today, we are facing the deadliest drug crisis in American history,” said Attorney General Jeff Sessions. “These trends are shocking and the numbers tell us a lot – but they aren’t just numbers. They represent moms and dads, brothers and sisters, neighbors and friends.”
EUDORA, Kan. (AP) — A judge has ordered a Eudora home daycare worker to stand trial for murder in the death of a 9-month-old baby.
After a preliminary hearing Thursday, Douglas County District Court Judge Sally Pokorny ruled 43-year-old Carrody Buchhorn should be tried in death of Oliver Ortiz.
The child died in September 2016 at the Sunshine Kids Group Daycare Home.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports medical examiner Erik Mitchell ruled Oliver’s death a homicide caused by blunt force trauma to the head and torso.
Mitchell testified Thursday that he couldn’t create a scenario to explain the boy’s death as an accident.
The trial was scheduled to begin Feb. 12.
The license for the daycare was put on emergency suspension after the toddler died and the state later ordered the business closed.
TOPEKA – Over 500 local government officials – including elected and appointed staff – traveled to Wichita this past weekend to attend the League of Kansas Municipalities (LKM) annual conference. The 2017 conference focused on the theme of resiliency in cities. Over the course of three days, the officials spent time focused on the challenges of governing on many levels – managing fiscal challenges, addressing aging infrastructure, improving citizen engagement, maintaining quality personnel, discussing public policy and the opioid crisis, and strategizing solutions for blight and nuisance issues.
On Monday, September 18, the Convention of Voting Delegates for the League of Kansas Municipalities selected new officers and directors for the Governing Body. The delegates elected Wichita Mayor Jeff Longwell as President and Pittsburg City Manager Daron Hall as Vice President.
“I am honored to serve as the President of League of Kansas Municipalities,” said Longwell. “As the voice of Kansas’ cities, the League plays a key role in local government. We advocate for, and provide guidance to, hundreds of cities across the state and I am excited to lead the effort.”
Mayor Jeff Longwell addresses the Convention Delegates at the League of Kansas Municipalities Annual Conference on September 18, 2017 in Wichita. Erik Sartorius, League Executive Director (left) and Past-President Kim Thomas, Mayor of Stockton (right), look on. (Photo courtesy LKM)
Longwell was elected Mayor of Wichita in 2015 after serving on the city council since 2007. He is a long-time resident of Wichita and grew up in a west side neighborhood and attended West High School and Wichita State University. Longwell served on the Maize School Board for 12 years, prior to his city council service. Mayor Longwell has advocated for numerous local government initiatives including government accountability, accessibility and transparency, economic development and job creation, strategic regional partnerships, improving the quality of life in Kansas cities, public transit and developing strong infrastructure.
Daron Hall, City Manager of Pittsburg, was selected as the Vice President of the Governing Body. Hall has served as City Manager for Pittsburg for 5 ½ years and has served in public administration for 26 years. He has an undergraduate degree from Washburn University and a Masters of Public Administration from Texas A & M University.
“I look forward to working with the League to improve the communities in the state,” said Hall. “Our work helps to improve the quality of life in Kansas cities and make it as good as it can be.”
Convention Delegates also selected three existing Governing Body members to continue their director positions for an additional, three-year term: Kendal Francis, City Manager, Coffeyville; Jerry Lovett-Sperling, City Clerk, Lindsborg; and James Toews, Mayor, Inman. Jason Jones, Councilmember from Hesston was appointed to a three-year term.
The League is proud to welcome these city officials to the 2017-2018 Governing Body.
Established by municipal officials in 1910, the League of Kansas Municipalities is a voluntary, nonpartisan organization of over 500 Kansas cities. The League works for its member cities through advocacy, legal advice, education and other services. Follow the League of Kansas Municipalities on Facebook or Twitter.
DOUGLAS COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting.
