SUMNER COUNTY- Another earthquake shook Kansas just after 4p.m. Wednesday. The quake measured a magnitude 3.7 and was centered approximately 7 miles north of Caldwell, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Wednesday’s quake follows a series of quakes last Friday and Saturday in Sumner County. They measured 2.8 to 3.4, according to the USGS.
There are no reports of damage or injury from Wednesday’s quake, according to the Sumner County Sheriff’s Department.
KDOR
TOPEKA—Revenue Secretary Sam Williams announced he has appointed David Harper to replace Director of Vehicles Lisa Kaspar after she retires in September.
Director Harper currently serves as director of property valuation in the Department of Revenue, and will retain that job in addition to his new role as director of vehicles. Combining leadership roles will promote cross-team collaboration and reduce duplication of efforts, Secretary Williams said.
“We are reforming this agency to make it more accessible to Kansans and encourage efficiency in all areas,” Secretary Williams said. “I’m deeply thankful for the terrific job that Lisa has done to grow customer satisfaction within the Division of Vehicles and I know David is going to continue building on that with the broad range of management skills he has brought to our agency.”
Before joining the Department in 2007, Harper worked for 25 years in the appraisal and property tax administration field. He has a proven track record with strategic planning that helps ensure both Kansas law and department policy are followed. He also has a long history of developing positive working relationships with staff, taxpayers, stakeholders, and government officials.
“Anyone who is familiar with the Division of Vehicles knows that Lisa has made incredible improvements in communication and customer service,” Director Harper said. “I look forward to carrying forward that effort to make our services accessible and user-friendly.”
Director Kaspar has served as Director of Vehicles for four years, culminating a 35-year career at the department that spanned multiple roles and leadership positions. She is known across the state as a leader whose style is friendly and cooperative. When she took over the Division of Vehicles, she implemented twice yearly stakeholder meetings that brought together industry officials who have ties with the division in any way, such as law enforcement, transportation leaders, organ donation representatives, and the banking industry, among many others. The meetings facilitated communication into and out of the Division of Vehicles, making a significant impact on the processes of the division and collaboration with partners.
“One of the parts of my work at Revenue that I’m most proud of is the way we made dramatic improvements to customer service and the rate at which we answer phone calls,” Director Kaspar said. “We reorganized, and implemented teamwork with an emphasis on consistency and it’s made a big difference in our service to Kansans.”
Director Harper plans to continue the bi-annual stakeholder meetings. He will take over as director of vehicles on September 9.
WICHITA – Law enforcement authorities are investigating an armed robbery and need help identifying a suspect.
Just after 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, officers were dispatched to an armed robbery with shots fired at the Gordman’s in the 7000 block of west Central in Wichita.
Witnesses and employees told police an unknown suspect approached two employees working in the customer service area.
The suspect produced a black handgun, pointed it at the female clerk, demanded money and fired a shot. It did not hit her.
The suspect then pointed the handgun at the male clerk and demanded money. The suspect then fired a second shot grazing the shoulder of the male employee.
The suspect then fled the store on foot with cash and several rounds were fired in the parking lot.
Another suspect left the store with clothing, according to officer Charley Davidson. Police are working to determine if the two were working together.
On Wednesday, police released security camera pictures of the suspect. He is described a light-skinned black male, in his early 20s, 6-foot tall and was wearing a black hooded sweatshirt, tan shorts, white cap and was carrying a red backpack. The second suspect is a black male who wore a yellow shirt, black shorts and had long hair pulled back in a pony-tail with a red streak.
Anyone with additional information on the case is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 267-2111 or WPD Detectives at 267-2111.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Sixteen empty cars on a Union Pacific freight train derailed near downtown Topeka near the Kansas River.
Union Pacific spokesman Jeff DeGraff says no injuries were reported after the derailment Wednesday morning.
He says the cars derailed on a curve and landed on their side just south of a railroad bridge that crosses the river.
The derailed cars were near the middle of the 80 railroad cars being pulled by the train. Another locomotive was called to move the cars that stayed upright.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the derailed cars were moved off the track about two hours after the derailment.
DeGraff says the derailment caused minimal damage to the track.
JUNCTION CITY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) identified Wednesday identied the Fort Riley man killed in a confrontation with police Tuesday outside the Walmart Neighborhood Market in Junction City, as 23-year-old Peter James Robbins.
According to a KBI media release. the preliminary information indicates that officers from the Junction City Police Department were dispatched to conduct a welfare check at a residence on the west side of Junction City at approximately 12:45 a.m. Soon after arriving at the residence, another call came in reporting an armed disturbance only a few blocks away at the Walmart Neighborhood Market, 1723 McFarland Roadd., Junction City.
Officers from both the Junction City Police Department and the Geary County Sheriff’s Office responded to the Walmart parking lot. Once they arrived, they located a male subject armed with two handguns on the sidewalk north of the parking lot. The male subject was given commands to drop his weapons. The confrontation escalated further and four law enforcement officers from two agencies fired at the subject.
Robbins was pronounced dead at the scene.
No law enforcement officers were injured during this incident.
By CELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN
Fourteen schools in seven school districts across Kansas will work this year on revamping the way they serve children, with the goal of becoming statewide models for overhauling primary and secondary education.
The education department is branding the effort to re-envision schools as Kansas’ version of “a moon shot,” referring to the U.S. race to put a man on the moon in the 1960s.
The participants announced Tuesday range in size from the Kansas City area’s 29,000-student Olathe school district — the state’s second-largest — to the 340-student rural Stockton district in northwest Kansas.
In each district, one elementary school and one secondary school will join the effort. The schools will collaborate with the state education department, which is promoting a vision that focuses more on the individual goals of students and less on standardized testing.
Among other things, this vision involves having schools work with secondary students to develop individualized plans of study that help them explore their career aspirations — such as through internships and career classes — and identify appropriate steps, which might include pursuing college for some and technical education or other training for others.
Little information was available as to the concrete changes schools will carry out. Teachers and administrators will have leeway in shaping their efforts locally but will be expected to build and launch their schools’ redesign plans within a year.
Randy Watson, education commissioner, outlined the project during the Kansas State Board of Education meeting in Topeka. Asked how the schools would achieve successful overhauls on a short timeline — academics have spent decades researching how to improve schools — Watson said Kansas is rethinking the system as a whole.
“We’re about — in 12 months — to invert the system and be totally focused on the child,” he said. “This has got to be about teacher voice and student voice. And then it has to be not about, ‘What English credits do I need?’ it’s ‘What do I need to be successful at what I want to become?’”
The schools will not receive extra dollars to achieve their goals but will have support from the education department and outside education and youth groups.
The student bodies at the participating schools vary demographically and include some with significant proportions of children from low-income or minority backgrounds. Kansas, like the country as a whole, is trying to address low academic achievement among students in racial minority groups or from low-income families.
The moon-shot initiative did not attract applications from the state’s largest urban, high-poverty districts: Wichita, Kansas City and Topeka.
The seven participating districts and their schools are:
Each district will have one of the seven astronauts from the Mercury spaceflight program as its symbol for the effort.
Asked about the optics of the department’s decision to represent its new program with seven white, male astronauts at a time when schools are trying to close achievement gaps for minority children, present students with more role models of color and encourage girls to pursue science and math careers, Watson said the astronaut metaphor is apt because the Mercury 7 stepped up to a historic challenge.
“What’s important is, just like those seven people didn’t know what they were getting into and Kennedy issued a challenge, the nation responded,” he said. “And that’s what we hope Kansas will do.”
Watson, former superintendent of McPherson schools, emphasized the department and Kansas State Board of Education’s goal of improving outcomes for all students.
“When we say ‘every child,’” he said, “that’s Hispanic, female, male, urban, suburban. It’s everyone.”
Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer also spoke at the launch, congratulating education officials on the initiative.
“Kansas wants to lead the world in the success of each student,” Colyer said, referencing the education department’s stated mission. “I want to say thank you for what all of you do to help lead us in that direction.”
Colyer announced shortly afterward that he will run for governor.
Celia Llopis-Jepsen is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics. You can reach her on Twitter @Celia_LJ.
SALINE COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect in connection with a pair of arson fires.
Just after 2:30 a.m. on July 22, someone started a fire in the backyard of a residence in the 800 block of Sheridan in Salina, according Police Capt. Paul Forrester. He said that an accelerant was used to create a 35-foot-long fire path to the back door of the rental property.
A neighbor called in the fire. The property was unoccupied at the time and there were no reported injuries.
At around 4:30 a.m. July 23, another fire was started at a home in 800 block of Sherman Street. The residence was also empty and there were no reported injuries. Authorities said they found an accelerant at the second residence.
On August 8, one of the arson victims called authorities after allegedly receiving several harassing text messages. Several of the messages were threatening in nature, according to Forrester.
During the investigation, police executed a search warrant that lead to the arrest of 34-year-old Joshua Edward Allen of Salina.
He is being held for requested charges of criminal in possession of a firearm, stalking, criminal threat and harassment by telephone. Capt. Forrester said he is still a person of interest in the arson investigation.
Authorities searched Allen’s residence on July 23. They found a 12-gauge shotgun and a .22 caliber rifle.
Capt. Forrester said that police later confirmed that Allen had been convicted of aggravated battery in Geary County back in 2009 and he could not legally be in possession of the firearms.
The damage to the from the fires is expected to exceed $10,000.
TONGANOXIE, Kan. (AP) — Linn County authorities have dismissed a criminal case against a Tonganoxie school superintendent who was charged with not reporting sex abuse cases.
Chris Kleidosty was scheduled to appear Monday in Linn County District Court but County Attorney James Brun recently dismissed the charges.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports Kleidosty was charged in February with failing to report two sex abuse cases in the Prairie View school district, where he previously was superintendent. He was placed on administrative leave with pay at Tonganoxie after the arrest.
The charges were dismissed without prejudice, meaning they could be refiled.
A teacher and an administrator at Prairie View High School were arrested for alleged sexual relations with two students.
Kleidosty has contended that he always cooperated with authorities investigating the case.
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Gatehouse Media announced in a news release Wednesday it has agreed to acquire Morris Publishing Group.
Morris’ portfolio includes the Topeka Capital-Journal.
Gatehouse, which announced the purchase of the Harris Enterprises chain of Kansas newspapers in 2016, also will acquire 10 other daily newspapers and several non-dailies in Georgia, Florida, Texas, Kansas, Arkansas and Alaska.
Gatehouse’s parent, New Media Investment Group, announced the Morris acquisition price as $120 million and expected the transaction to close in the early fourth quarter.
The largest publication included in the deal is the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville, which has a 44,750 daily circulation and a 68,591 Sunday circulation.
Click HERE for more from the Topeka Capital-Journal.
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A former civilian hospital employee was convicted Tuesday on federal charges of attacking a woman who he set on fire and attacked with a straight razor, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.
A jury found Clifford Currie, 55, Leavenworth, Kan., guilty on one count of assault with intent to commit murder.
During trial, prosecutors presented evidence that on Sept. 7, 2016, Currie threw gasoline or some other inflammable liquid on his supervisor, Katie Ann Blanchard, lit her on fire and assaulted her with a straight edge razor and scissors. A co-worker came to the Blanchard’s aid when she heard screams and saw Blanchard on fire from the chest up. Currie was subdued by hospital employees and then arrested
Sentencing is set for Oct. 31. He faces a penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The FBI and the U.S. Army Military Police investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Flannigan and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James Ward are prosecuting.
NEWTON, Kan. (AP) — Police in Newton say 19-year-old Keith Lane Hawkins, suspected in the slayings of his girlfriend and her 4-year-old daughter, has been arrested in Texas. He is being held in the Williamson County jail as a fugitive from justice, for unauthorized use of a vehicle and evading arrest, according to booking records.
Authorities say 24-year-old Alyssa Runyon and daughter Zaylynn Paz were found dead shortly after 11 a.m. Tuesday by Runyon’s ex-boyfriend in bedrooms in the victims’ duplex. Police said the girl had been fatally stabbed and that her mother strangled.
Police said the suspect was arrested shortly before 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in Taylor, Texas, where he allegedly was found driving Runyon’s vehicle when he arrived at a relative’s home.
There was no immediate word about any charges.
Police Chief Eric Murphy said the suspect has been previously arrested and has been known to law enforcers in and around 19,000-resident Newton.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation is assisting.
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HARVEY COUNTY -Police in Newton identified the victims of Tuesday’s homicide as 24-year-old Alyssa Runyon and her daughter, 4-year-old Zaylynn Paz. Their bodies were found in bedrooms of a duplex in Roanoke Court, near the 2200 block of Roanoke Lane, after a call to 911 by Ms. Runyon’s ex-boyfriend at about 11 am today.
Police arrested the suspect, 19-year -old Keith Lane Hawkins. He was taken into custody in Taylor, Texas, at about 5:25 pm. The suspect was driving the victim’s vehicle when he arrived at a family member’s residence.
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HARVEY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a reported double murder in Newton.
Just after 11a.m., police responded to a home at Roanoke Court. First responders found a 24-year-old woman and her 4-year-old daughter, according to Newton Police Chief Eric Murphy.
The child had been stabbed to death, according to Murphy. “This is a targeted incident,” he said. “The public is not in danger.”
A suspect has been identified but is not yet in custody. The Harvey County Sheriff’s Department, Kansas Highway Patrol and KBI are participating in the investigation, according to Murphy.
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HARVEY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a reported double murder in Newton.
Police reported on social media they had requested a search warrant to investigate the incident at Roanoke Court Apartments.
A suspect has been identified but is not yet in custody.
Law enforcement are working to locate the the suspect and but they do not believe there is any danger to the public.
More information will be released as it becomes available.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Authorities say a man charged with killing a Clinton, Missouri, police officer during a traffic stop has been arrested.
Missouri State Highway Patrol dispatchers say 39-year-old Ian McCarthy of Clinton was taken into custody Tuesday night in Henry County. Additional information about McCarthy’s arrest was not immediately available.
Ian McCarthy, the suspect in the shooting death of a Clinton Police Officer is in custody. More information to follow. pic.twitter.com/v8jrSYGprJ
— MSHP Troop A (@MSHPTrooperA) August 9, 2017
Prosecutors on Monday charged McCarthy with first-degree murder in the death of Officer Gary Michael, who was shot during a traffic stop Sunday night.
Michael’s brother, Chris, says his family was aware that the officer could be hurt but didn’t believe it would happen in Clinton, a town of just 9,000 people about 75 miles (120.7 kilometers) southeast of Kansas City.
Gary Michael had been on the force less than a year and was the first officer killed in the line of duty in Clinton.
CLINTON, Mo. (AP) — The Latest on the fatal shooting of a western Missouri police officer during a traffic stop (all times local):
Radio dispatch audio offers insight into the chaos that followed the fatal shooting of Clinton, Missouri, police Officer Gary Michael.
The Kansas City Star on Monday obtained an audio recording of police dispatches in the moments surrounding the shooting.
Michael had stopped a 2008 Dodge Nitro for a registration violation Sunday night. Ten seconds later came word that shots were fired and an officer was struck.
An officer requested an ambulance “immediately.” An emergency worker advised that the officer had been shot twice in the chest and was in cardiac arrest.
Update: Henry CO PA has issued an arrest warrant for Ian McCarthy for Murder 1st Degree & Armed Criminal Action.
— MSHP Troop A (@MSHPTrooperA) August 7, 2017
The suspect, 39-year-old Ian McCarthy, remains on the loose but has been charged with first-degree murder. Authorities were searching for McCarthy in the Clinton area, about 75 miles southeast of Kansas City.
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11:45 a.m.
The suspect in the shooting death of a western Missouri police officer has been charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action.
The charges were filed Monday in Henry County against 39-year-old Ian McCarthy of Clinton, in the shooting death of Clinton police officer Gary Michael.
Authorities were searching for McCarthy Monday in the Clinton area, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) southeast of Kansas City.
Michael was shot after he stopped a car in Clinton on Sunday night.
Missouri State Highway Patrol spokesman Bill Lowe says the driver of the car jumped out and fired at Michael. The officer was able to return fire but it was unclear if the suspect was hit.
8:00 a.m.
Authorities searched a home but came up empty-handed in the hunt for a person of interest in the fatal shooting of a western Missouri police officer.
Missouri State Highway Patrol Sgt. Bill Lowe says 39-year-old Ian McCarthy of Clinton is wanted for questioning in the death of 37-year-old Clinton police officer Gary Michael during a traffic stop late Sunday.
Alert: Person of Interest in the fatal shooting of a Clinton Police Officer:
Ian McCarthy, 39, of Clinton. Any info call 911. pic.twitter.com/SIS2RwuHBK— MSHP Troop A (@MSHPTrooperA) August 7, 2017
Lowe said Monday that the car Michael stopped is registered to McCarthy.
He says the driver jumped out of the car and fired at the officer, who was able to return fire. The suspect drove about three blocks before crashing his car and fleeing on foot. Lowe says Michael was “heroic right to the end.”
Michael was a lifelong resident of Clinton and leaves behind a wife and stepsons.
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CLINTON, Mo. (AP) — The Missouri State Highway Patrol says authorities are looking for a man who shot and killed a western Missouri police officer during a traffic stop.
Missouri Highway Patrol Sgt. Bill Lowe told KSHB-TV that Clinton Officer Gary Michael died late Sunday after stopping a driver near Clinton, about 75 miles (120 kilometers) southeast of Kansas City.
Lowe says the driver of a Dodge Nitro believed to be 39-year-old Ian McCarthy got out of the vehicle during the traffic stop and started shooting.
He says the 37-year-old Michael returned fire but that the suspect got back into the car and drove off before crashing two blocks away.
Tactical teams have cordoned off the area around the crash and are searching for the suspect Monday.
No further details have been released.
FINNEY COUNTY- Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on reported sex trafficking.
On August 4, information was received through internet activity of possible prostitution occurring in Garden City, according to a media release from police.
The investigation revealed the alleged prostitution activity was run by Joe Wimbley, 34, Wichita.
Further investigation revealed the 31-year-old female victim was being forced to provide services for money for Wimbley and if not she was threatened with bodily harm.
Information was obtained that Wimbley had physically harmed the victim in the past. The victim did have signs of possible physical abuse.
Family Crisis was contacted to assist in the investigation. Wimbley was arrested and could face the possible charges of Human Trafficking. The victim was released to family.
