BARTON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an alleged attempted kidnapping.

Just after 9:30p.m. Saturday, police were dispatched to the 2700 block of 19^th Street in Great Bend in reference to an attempted kidnapping that occurred in the area, according to a media release.

Officers made contact with 23-year-old MaKenna Lewis.  She told police she was walking from her residence, in the southeast part of Great Bend, to a relative’s residence in the 2700 block of 19th. While walking, she observed a newer red pickup drive by her several different times and loud Hispanic music being played in the truck.

Lewis said that when she was in the area of 16th & Adams, an unknown male subject got out of the red pickup and grabbed her from behind. Lewis stated that the man was speaking in Spanish while trying to drag her to the pickup. She was able to break free from the man’s grip and ran to the relative’s residence and called police to report the incident.

Officers from the Great Bend Police Department checked the area, but were unable to locate the suspect vehicle at the time.

Anyone who might have any information is requested to contact the Great Bend Police Department (620) 793-4120 or Crime Stoppers (620) 792-1300 or (888) 305-1300.

WASHINGTON — Attorney General Jeff Session announced President Donald Trump’s decision to phase out a  program that shields from deportation young immigrants brought to the country illegally

 

Congress, get ready to do your job – DACA!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 5, 2017

 

The President is calling for Congress to find a legislative solution to protect the immigrants, who are often called “Dreamers.”

Trump suggested in an earlier tweet Tuesday that it would be up to Congress to ultimately decide the fate of those covered by President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA program. DACA has provided nearly 800,000 young immigrants a reprieve from deportation and the ability to work legally in the U.S.

The Attorney General’s statement:

Good morning. I am here today to announce that the program known as DACA that was effectuated under the Obama Administration is being rescinded.

The DACA program was implemented in 2012 and essentially provided a legal status for recipients for a renewable two-year term, work authorization and other benefits, including participation in the social security program, to 800,000 mostly-adult illegal aliens.

This policy was implemented unilaterally to great controversy and legal concern after Congress rejected legislative proposals to extend similar benefits on numerous occasions to this same group of illegal aliens.

In other words, the executive branch, through DACA, deliberately sought to achieve what the legislative branch specifically refused to authorize on multiple occasions. Such an open-ended circumvention of immigration laws was an unconstitutional exercise of authority by the Executive Branch.

The effect of this unilateral executive amnesty, among other things, contributed to a surge of unaccompanied minors on the southern border that yielded terrible humanitarian consequences. It also denied jobs to hundreds of thousands of Americans by allowing those same jobs to go to illegal aliens.

We inherited from our Founders—and have advanced—an unsurpassed legal heritage, which is the foundation of our freedom, safety, and prosperity.

As the Attorney General, it is my duty to ensure that the laws of the United States are enforced and that the Constitutional order is upheld.

No greater good can be done for the overall health and well-being of our Republic, than preserving and strengthening the impartial rule of law. Societies where the rule of law is treasured are societies that tend to flourish and succeed.

Societies where the rule of law is subject to political whims and personal biases tend to become societies afflicted by corruption, poverty, and human suffering.

To have a lawful system of immigration that serves the national interest, we cannot admit everyone who would like to come here. That is an open border policy and the American people have rightly rejected it.

Therefore, the nation must set and enforce a limit on how many immigrants we admit each year and that means all can not be accepted.

This does not mean they are bad people or that our nation disrespects or demeans them in any way. It means we are properly enforcing our laws as Congress has passed them.

It is with these principles and duties in mind, and in light of imminent litigation, that we reviewed the Obama Administration’s DACA policy.

Our collective wisdom is that the policy is vulnerable to the same legal and constitutional challenges that the courts recognized with respect to the DAPA program, which was enjoined on a nationwide basis in a decision affirmed by the Fifth Circuit.

The Fifth Circuit specifically concluded that DACA had not been implemented in a fashion that allowed sufficient discretion, and that DAPA was “foreclosed by Congress’s careful plan.”

In other words, it was inconsistent with the Constitution’s separation of powers. That decision was affirmed by the Supreme Court by an equally divided vote.

If we were to keep the Obama Administration’s executive amnesty policy, the likeliest outcome is that it would be enjoined just as was DAPA. The Department of Justice has advised the President and the Department of Homeland Security that DHS should begin an orderly, lawful wind down, including the cancellation of the memo that authorized this program.

Acting Secretary Duke has chosen, appropriately, to initiate a wind down process. This will enable DHS to conduct an orderly change and fulfill the desire of this administration to create a time period for Congress to act—should it so choose. We firmly believe this is the responsible path.

Simply put, if we are to further our goal of strengthening the constitutional order and the rule of law in America, the Department of Justice cannot defend this type of overreach.

George Washington University Law School Professor Jonathan Turley in testimony before the House Judiciary Committeewas clear about the enormous constitutional infirmities raised by these policies.

He said: “In ordering this blanket exception, President Obama was nullifying part of a law that he simply disagreed with.….If a president can claim sweeping discretion to suspend key federal laws, the entire legislative process becomes little more than a pretense…The circumvention of the legislative process not only undermines the authority of this branch but destabilizes the tripartite system as a whole.”

Ending the previous Administration’s disrespect for the legislative process is an important first step. All immigration policies should serve the interests of the people of the United States—lawful immigrant and native born alike.

Congress should carefully and thoughtfully pursue the types of reforms that are right for the American people. Our nation is comprised of good and decent people who want their government’s leaders to fulfill their promises and advance an immigration policy that serves the national interest.

We are a people of compassion and we are a people of law. But there is nothing compassionate about the failure to enforce immigration laws.

Enforcing the law saves lives, protects communities and taxpayers, and prevents human suffering. Failure to enforce the laws in the past has put our nation at risk of crime, violence and even terrorism.

The compassionate thing is to end the lawlessness, enforce our laws, and, if Congress chooses to make changes to those laws, to do so through the process set forth by our Founders in a way that advances the interest of the nation.

That is what the President has promised to do and has delivered to the American people.

Under President Trump’s leadership, this administration has made great progress in the last few months toward establishing a lawful and constitutional immigration system. This makes us safer and more secure.

It will further economically the lives of millions who are struggling. And it will enable our country to more effectively teach new immigrants about our system of government and assimilate them to the cultural understandings that support it.

The substantial progress in reducing illegal immigration at our border seen in recent months is almost entirely the product of the leadership of President Trump and his inspired federal immigration officers. But the problem is not solved. And without more action, we could see illegality rise again rather than be eliminated.

As a candidate, and now in office, President Trump has offered specific ideas and legislative solutions that will protect American workers, increase wages and salaries, defend our national security, ensure the public safety, and increase the general well-being of the American people.

He has worked closely with many members of Congress, including in the introduction of the RAISE Act, which would produce enormous benefits for our country. This is how our democratic process works.

There are many powerful interest groups in this country and every one of them has a constitutional right to advocate their views and represent whomever they choose.

But the Department of Justice does not represent any narrow interest or any subset of the American people. We represent all of the American people and protect the integrity of our Constitution. That is our charge.

We at Department of Justice are proud and honored to work to advance this vision for America and to do our best each day to ensure the safety and security of the American people.

GEARY COUNTY — A Kansas man is being held on a $100,000 bond after a weekend shooting.

Just before 10:30 p.m. Friday, police responded a home in the 500 Block of West 3^rd in Junction City after a report of a man who had shot a weapon in the home, according to a media release.

The man, 21-year-old Michael Smelley, Jr., Junction City, shot the firearm from the house and hit a home across the street, according to police.

After a family member was able to disarm the man as officers made their way up to the residence the man was taken into custody after a brief struggle.

Police reported no injuries.

In addition to aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer, police said Shannon Michael Smelley Jr., 21, of Junction City, was arrested in connection with domestic damage to property, domestic aggravated assault, criminal threat, battery on a law enforcement officer, shooting at an occupied dwelling, and felony interference of a law enforcement officer.

Smelley is being held at the Geary County Jail.

HOUSTON —Search and rescue teams that deployed to Texas on Wednesday, Aug. 30, were demobilized Sunday and are returning to Kansas.  The teams were deployed to assist local authorities with search and rescue operations in support of Hurricane Harvey.

The deployments were coordinated by the Office of the State Fire Marshal, which is the administrative agency for the Kansas Search and Rescue Response System and is responsible for directing the regional teams and the Kansas Division of Emergency Management through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a multistate agreement that facilitates emergency assistance between states during major disasters.

Personnel who deployed include:

• Northeast Region Kansas Task Force 2 — Manhattan Fire Department (four); Mission Township Fire Department (five)
• Kansas City Metro Region Kansas Task Force 3 – Shawnee Fire Department (five)
• Southeast Region Kansas Task Force 4 — Chanute Fire Department (two)
• South Central Region Kansas Task Force 5 — Sedgwick County Fire Department (four); Derby Fire Department (four); Winfield Fire Department (three)
• North Central Region Kansas Task Force 8 — Salina Fire Department (five); Saline County Sheriff’s Office (two)
• Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism – 14
• Office of the State Fire Marshal – one
• Hutchinson Fire Department – one
• South Hutchinson Police – one
• Neodesha Fire Department – one
• Parsons Fire Department – one
• Pittsburg Fire Department – one

In addition, the 184th Air Wing in Wichita has activated 10 Airmen to provide visual information via satellites for leaders on the ground to get a bigger picture of the situation.

SHAWNEE COUNTY — A Kansas man was injured in an accident just after 7p.m. Monday in Shawnee County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by Loretta D. Weeks, 51, Tecumseh was eastbound on U.S. 24 at Goodyear Road. The motorcycle left the roadway to the right and overturned.

Weeks was transported to the hospital in Topeka. He was not wearing a helmet, according to the KHP.

JACKSON COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect weekend home-invasion.

Just after 11p.m. Saturday deputies received a 911 call of a home invasion in the 12000 block of 174^th Road north west of the City of Mayetta in Jackson County, according to a media release.

Law enforcement officers from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and the Prairie Band Potawatomi Tribal Police arrived on the scene and arrested Daniel M. Ramirez, 32, Mayetta, inside the residence who allegedly kicked in the home’s front door.

Ramirez is being held on a $15,000 bond in the Jackson County Jail on aggravated burglary and drug charges. The occupants of the residence were at home at the time of the incident, but were unharmed.

KANSAS CITY— (AP) — Hundreds of protesters called for higher pay and better treatment during Labor Day rallies.

The Kansas City Star reports that more than 300 protesters turned out in Kansas City Monday for a “Fight for $15” rally. Many of the protesters were scheduled to work but were striking for the holiday, waving American flags and carrying placards.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that several people protested outside a downtown McDonald’s prior to St. Louis’ annual Labor Day parade.

St. Louis enacted a $10 minimum wage in May. Kansas City voters approved a measure last month raising the city’s minimum wage to $10 an hour. Both efforts were voided effective Aug. 28 by a new state law prohibiting local minimum wages above the state’s $7.70.

JEFFERSON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating an injury accident in Jefferson County.

Early Sunday, Kansas Game Wardens responded to an injury boat accident at Perry Reservoir where two boats collided resulting in three injured people being transported to a local hospital for treatment, according to a social media report.

Evidence indicates that alcohol may be a contributing factor. The KDWP&T did not release names or additional details.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Thousands of pelicans have been spotted in a wildlife area in central Kansas.

About 9,000 pelicans were spotted Tuesday at the Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area near Great Bend.

The birds are white with wingspans as large as 9-feet wide. Though they waddle clumsily on land, they’re graceful in the water and the air.

Robert Penner is the avian programs manager at the Nature Conservancy of Kansas. He says the pelicans begin returning to the state from their northern breeding grounds in July and August. Their numbers will increase as fall approaches.

Max Thompson is a retired Southwestern College biology professor and ornithologist. He says the birds tend to nest further north and that there’s no documentation of pelican nesting in the state.

GEARY COUNTY —The cause of a pig barn fire that resulted in the death of several hundred feeder pigs Saturday night is undetermined, but it was likely an electrical malfunction, according to Geary County Rural Fire Chief Garry Berges. The fire occurred on property owned by Phillip Goodyear at 10467 Humboldt Creek Road.

Authorities including Assistant Geary County Rural Fire Chief Curt Janke and a representative from the State Fire Marshal’s Office conducted an investigation into the cause and origin of the fire on Sunday afternoon. The number of feeder pigs that died has been reduced from approximately 700 down to 518.

The $200,000 barn was destroyed, and 518 pigs valued at $30,000 died in the blaze.

Berges said the pigs were owned by F & R Swine. “They’ve got an agreement with Mr. Goodyear to help take care of them as part of their operation.”

Berges said Goodyear will work with the Kansas Department of Health & Environment to dispose of the remains of the pigs. Berges also confirmed Goodyear had some insurance on the building.

 

———-

GEARY COUNTY — The Kansas Fire Marshal’s office is help to determine the cause of a fire Saturday in rural Geary County.

Just after 10p.m., eight Geary County rural fire units along with two support vehicles responded to the fire in a hog barn at 10467 Humboldt Creek Road on property owned by Phillip Goodyear.

“Later we learned that there were approximately 700 feeder pigs that were inside that ended up perishing due to the fire,” According to Garry Berges, Geary County Rural Fire Chief.

Water support from Fort Riley Fire, Riley County Fire and Grandview Plaza Fire was requested and received.

There were 20 Geary County firefighters and 12 firefighters from the mutual aid partners working at the scene. Berges noted that the fire was brought under control at approximately 30 minutes after midnight, with most of the firefighters released a bit after midnight, but three personnel and two trucks remained overnight until about 9:30 a.m. Sunday monitoring site.

SCOTTBLUFF, Neb. (AP) — An airline providing government-subsidized service to three Nebraska and two Kansas cities plans to end the flights later this month.

PenAir notified the U.S. Transportation Department last week that service to Kearney, North Platte and Scottsbluff in Nebraska and to Dodge City and Liberal in Kansas will cease after Sunday. The information was first reported by an airline industry news site, ch-aviation.com .

The Anchorage, Alaska-based carrier announced last month that it was filing a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization plan and planning to close its Denver hub.

The company says it had intended to continue service until replacement carriers were chosen and in place, but it says a massive exodus of its pilots forced it to end the two states’ service far sooner.

By JIM MCLEAN & ALEX SMITH

The Affordable Care Act marketplace will be a mixed bag for Kansas consumers seeking health insurance for 2018.

Some will pay more for coverage, some less. And some will purchase new plans for which there is no price-point comparison.

In Missouri, insurers are proposing some hefty rate hikes.

The Kansas Insurance Department said the “range of average rate revisions” for individual and small-group plans on and off the ACA marketplace will be from 8.8 percent lower to 29 percent higher. That means that some consumers could see premium increases of more than 29 percent, but it’s impossible to say how many, said Julie Holmes, the department’s director of health and life insurance.

“It’s going to depend on who buys from which company,” Holmes said. “There are just so many variables.”

If there are substantial price spikes, many consumer who purchase Obamacare coverage may not be adversely affected. That is because the federal subsidies they receive to keep coverage affordable will also go up.

“So, they will be insulated,” Holmes said.

More than 80 percent of the Kansans who purchase coverage on the Obamacare marketplace qualify for some level of subsidy, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

More consumer choice in Kansas

While the exit of some insurers from the ACA marketplace is limiting competition and choice in many states, most Kansans seeking coverage will be able to choose from 38 plans offered by three insurers.

“A lot of states are not in that favorable a position,” Holmes said.

Minnesota-based Medica will offer plans throughout the state in 2018, while Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas will offer plans in all counties except Johnson and Wyandotte. Centene, a St. Louis-based company that specializes in Medicaid managed care, will offer plans in those two counties, following Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City’s decision in May to exit the Obamacare marketplace.

In several states — including the neighboring states of Nebraska, Oklahoma and Iowa — only one insurer is offering Obamacare plans, according to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the federal agency that oversees the marketplace. In Missouri, consumers in the Kansas City and St. Louis metropolitan areas have choices, but only one insurer is offering plans in most counties in the state.

Higher increases in Missouri

Rate proposals released Friday by the Missouri Department of Insurance are on average 36 percent to 42 percent higher than rates for similar 2017 plans.

“I’m not that surprised it’s that high, given the volatility that’s been going on with the Affordable Care Act,” said Timothy McBride, health economist at Washington University in St. Louis. “We’ve also seen some dropouts of some plans, which reduces the competition, which tends to increase the prices.”

Both Cigna and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, the two companies returning to sell on the marketplace, listed the uncertainty about cost-sharing payments that help consumers cover the cost of insurance as justifications for their proposed rates.

Earlier this year 25 western Missouri counties had been left “bare” when Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City decided to exit the marketplace. In June, Centene Corp. stepped in to fill that void and offer plans in those counties.

This is the first year for Missouri consumers to have access to marketplace rate information before open enrollment and to provide feedback on proposed rates.

Unlike some states, Missouri’s Department of Insurance does not have the authority to deny an insurer’s request for a rate increase.

McBride said public input and rate review still could influence insurance rates.

“We’re new at this game, so we don’t know how well it’s going to work,” McBride said. “But it has helped in other states.”

Insurers may adjust rates before open enrollment, which begins Nov. 1 and continues through Dec. 15.

Obamacare politics persist

Kansas Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer, a Republican preparing to step into the governor’s office when the U.S. Senate confirms Gov. Sam Brownback’s nomination to a State Department post, used the numbers released by the insurance department to intensify his criticism of Obamacare.

“The 29 percent increases for health insurance are another rung on the Obamacare ladder of failure, just months after this broken system forced a major insurer to leave the Kansas City market,” said Colyer, who also is running for the GOP gubernatorial nomination in 2018.

“I urge Congress to keep their promise to repeal Obamacare and allow us to work with our stakeholders to create Kansas solutions for Kansas families,” Colyer said.

Colyer’s statement is based on false assumptions, said Sheldon Weisgrau, director of the Health Reform Resource Project, an initiative funded by several regional health foundations that support the ACA.

“The lieutenant governor’s implication that the ACA marketplace plans will increase in price by 29 percent is false,” Weisgrau said, noting that the insurance department said that rate revisions would vary widely.

Rather than continue to “spread misinformation about the ACA,” Weisgrau said Colyer should encourage Congress to fix problems that are destabilizing the Obamacare marketplace.

“He (Colyer) should also insist that the Trump administration join these efforts and stop working to undermine the marketplace,” Weisgrau said, referring to the president’s repeated threats to halt payments to insurance companies intended to help them cover the cost of lowering out-of-pocket costs for consumers.

Uncertainty about the administration’s commitment to maintaining those cost-sharing payments has destabilized the marketplace and prompted companies to either withdraw or raise rates, Holmes said.

“It definitely has contributed to instability,” Holmes said. “The carriers are holding their breath waiting to see if the administration is going to authorize those payments.”

A U.S. Senate committee is set to begin hearings this week on a potential bipartisan plan to stabilize the Obamacare marketplace.

Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks. Alex Smith is a health reporter for KCUR. You can reach him on Twitter @AlexSmithKCUR.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is expected to announce that he will end protections for young immigrants who were brought into the country illegally as children. But that will come after a six-month delay.

People familiar with the plans said the delay in the formal dismantling of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program would be intended to give Congress time to decide whether it wants to address the status of the affected young immigrants.

But it was not immediately clear how the six-month delay would work in practice and what would happen to people who currently have work permits under the program, or whose permits expire during the six-month stretch.