Carlos R. Espinosa-Machado- Photo courtesy Elizabeth City State Univ.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A prize-winning orchestral conductor has pleaded no contest to crimes involving a 15-year-old.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Carlos Espinosa-Machado previously worked in Kansas and Missouri but is currently employed by Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina.
He pleaded Tuesday in Douglas County Court to indecent liberties with a child and furnishing alcohol to a minor, both felonies. Prosecutors said the crimes were committed in Eudora.
He currently is an assistant professor of visual and performing arts and a symphony orchestra director at Elizabeth City State University.
Espinosa-Machado previously an assistant conductor at the University of Kansas, and worked for the Kansas City Medical Arts Symphony, Philharmonia of Greater Kansas City and the Taneycomo Festival Orchestra in Branson, Missouri.
Espinosa-Machado’s sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 22.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — The incumbent mayor of the Unified Government of Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kansas, has advanced to November’s general election in his quest for a second term.
The Kansas City Star reports that Mark Holland will face David Alvey on the Nov. 7 ballot. Holland got 40 percent of the vote in Tuesday’s primary elections, followed by Alvey’s 30 percent. Alvey is a Rockhurst High School dean and a member of the board of public utilities.
In Topeka, Kansas, the Topeka Capital-Journal reports that City Councilwoman Michelle De La Isla will face Spencer Duncan in November for the mayoral race. Both were the top two vote-getters in a five-candidate field.
Wednesday morning crime scene in Topeka-photo courtesy WIBW TV
SHAWNEE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting that sent three people to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.
Just after 1a.m., police were dispatched to a shooting at a home in the 2900 Block of SE Highland CT., in Topeka, according to a media release.
Upon arrival, police found a man, woman and teenage boy with gunshot injuries, according to a media release. Detectives and K-9 responded to process the crime scene. Police have made no arrests.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Topeka Police.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A monthly survey of business leaders suggested a drop in business conditions but still indicated the economy will pick up over the next few months in nine Midwest and Plains states.
A report released Tuesday says the Mid-America Business Conditions Index dropped to 56.1 last month from 62.3 in June. The May figure was 55.5.
Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says it “points to solid growth for both manufacturing and nonmanufacturing for the second half of 2017.”
The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth in that factor. A score below that suggests decline.
The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
BARTON COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating three suspects on drug charges and continue to search for another.
Kelley-photo Barton Co.
Just after 2:30 p.m. Monday, Barton County Sheriff’s detectives obtained a search warrant for a location in the rural Barton County community of Olmitz. Deputies and detectives executed a search warrant at 306 Garfield Street.
Deputies had to force entry into the residence and discovered three persons hiding in various locations. During the course of the search, Sheriff’s Officers located approximately 2 ½ pounds of processed marijuana. Detectives also confiscated more than two ounces of methamphetamine. US currency, scales, packaging material and other paraphernalia were located in the residence.
Arrested at the scene were Josh Frydendall, age 26 of Great Bend; Darren Halzle, age 34 of rural St. John; and Rachel Kelley, age 40 of Olmitz. All three were booked on charges of distribution of methamphetamine, distribution of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. Bond on all three subjects is $100,000.
Police continue to search for Peters-photo Barton County
The Sheriff’s office is looking for a fourth resident who was not there at the time the warrant was executed. Eric Peters, age 37, is wanted for questioning in connection with the drug charges listed above as well as questioning in an aggravated battery case, rape case and criminal possession of a firearm.
The public is encouraged to contact the Sheriff’s Office or call 911 if they have information as to Peter’s whereabouts. A K-9 officer from the Great Bend Police Department assisted the Sheriff’s Office. Further arrests are expected.
TOPEKA – A new report from the Foundation for Government Accountability (FGA), released July 31, focuses on welfare reforms in Kansas and how they have positively impacted low-income residents who previously relied on cash assistance.
Among some of the findings, the incomes of Kansas families who left the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, more than doubled in the first year, and eventually more than tripled. In total, families are now earning $48 million more per year than they had while receiving cash assistance.
“Our staff once again worked closely with FGA to supply data,” said Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Phyllis Gilmore. “We are pleased to see the information shared turned into a meaningful report that demonstrates for Kansas and the rest of the nation that employment is the most effective path out of poverty.”
In February 2016, FGA released a similar study that focused on Kansans who received food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). That study revealed before work requirements, 93 percent of able-bodied adults without dependent children (ABAWDs) on welfare were in poverty. Most were in severe poverty and not working at all. Within one year of leaving welfare, their incomes had more than doubled, an increase of 127 percent on average.
In 2015, Governor Brownback signed into law the Kansas HOPE Act, the most comprehensive welfare reform in the nation that not only added permanency to existing work requirements, but also added additional regulations to strengthen the integrity of the welfare benefits system in Kansas. Additional reforms to incentivize employment were enacted in 2016.
Other findings from this week’s FGA report on TANF (cash assistance):
Kansans who regained their independence saw their incomes increase and surpass their previous earnings and welfare benefits combined.
Kansans found employment in more than 600 industries, ranging from health care to finance to information technology.
Fewer able-bodied adults dependent on welfare allowed Kansas to better focus resources on the truly needy.
“FGA’s past research has shown that the best way to free able-bodied, childless adults from the welfare trap is to get them back to work—the results of this study clearly indicate that the same is true for non-disabled parents. When able-bodied adults regain their independence, whether they have children or not, their incomes skyrocket and they’re able to lift themselves out of government dependence. That’s the power of work,” said Jonathan Ingram, FGA’s Vice President for Research.
Here’s a complete look at the report, Work Requirements are Working for Kansas Families: How welfare reform increases incomes and improves lives. For additional comment from FGA, please contact Whitney Munro at 239-244-8808.
Since January 2011, Kansas TANF clients have reported 43,046 new employments. In April 2017, their average hourly wage was $10.05. There are currently 11,139 Kansans receiving TANF, down from 38,963 in 2011.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas man pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy that tried to obtain about $445,000 in fraudulent federal income tax returns.
Acting U.S. Attorney Tom Larson said in a news release that 24-year-old Orville Frame Jr., of Topeka, pleaded guilty Tuesday in federal court in Missouri. The scheme used false W-2 forms to file fraudulent federal and state income tax returns.
Prosecutors say Frame and a co-defendant, 37-year-old Byron Meeks of Topeka, attempted to obtain about $445,000 but received only $10,945 from one federal refund and $3,389 in a Kansas state tax refund.
Meeks was sentenced in April to five years in federal prison without parole.
Frame faces a sentence of up to 10 years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing date has not been scheduled.
SALINA -Authorities say a woman suffered serious bite wounds after her American Bulldog attacked her Monday morning.
Salina Police Capt. Paul Forrester said that 58-year-old Angela Fassnacht was attempting to take the dog outside at around 11 a.m. when it attacked. Authorities believe it was trying to reach a female dog in heat that was inside the house, located on the 500 block of West Iron in Salina.
A neighbor helped distract the dog by breaking down part of a wooden fence, allowing Fassnacht to enter her home.
Fassnacht was transported by emergency medical services to Salina Regional Health Center with serious wounds on both arms and her back. She has since been transferred to a Wichita hospital.
According to Capt. Forrester, the victim requested that the dog be euthanized.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas says it collected $7.6 million more in taxes than anticipated in July during its first month under an income tax increase approved by legislators.
The Department of Revenue reported Tuesday that the state collected $453.5 million in taxes. That’s 1.7 percent more than the official projection of almost $446 million.
The surplus in July collections came after the state ended its 2017 fiscal year on June 30 with tax collections exceeding expectations by $72 million, or 1.3 percent. Total tax collections for fiscal 2017 surpassed $5.8 billion.
Lawmakers enacted the income tax increase over Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s veto to raise an additional $1.2 billion over two years.
Brownback budget director Shawn Sullivan tweeted that it’s too early to tell whether the tax increase will generate what is expected.
A memorial honors Corporon, his grandson and Terri LaManno who was killed at the Village Shalom retirement home-photo courtesy -Josh Collins/KCTV5
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — The family of two people fatally shot outside the Jewish Community Center in Overland Park has settled a lawsuit with Walmart over one of the guns used in the shooting.
The Kansas City Star reports the settlement’s terms between Walmart and the family of William Corporon and his grandson, Reat Underwood, are confidential.
The two were killed in April 2014 by F. Glenn Miller Jr., who was trying to kill Jews. He also killed Terri LaManno at a nearby care center. None of the victims was Jewish.
The lawsuit contends at least one Walmart employee was present when another man bought the shotgun used to kill Corporon and Underwood at a Walmart in Republic, Missouri. Miller could not buy a gun because he was a felon.
A similar lawsuit filed by LaManno’s family is pending.
Sen. Laura Kelly, a Topeka Democrat, called Monday for an audit of incidents at El Dorado Correctional Facility. “I think that we need some more transparency in the Department of Corrections,” she said. CREDIT FILE PHOTO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
A state senator is pushing for a legislative investigation of recent uprisings and disturbances at a 1,500-inmate prison near Wichita.
Sen. Laura Kelly, a Topeka Democrat, on Monday proposed having legislative auditors look into incidents at the El Dorado Correctional Facility on at least four separate days in May, June and July.
Accounts from the state employees’ union and news reports from the Wichita Eagle, the Kansas City Star and The Associated Press indicate incidents took place that involved inmates refusing to return to their cells or even taking over parts of the state-run facility. The Star found evidence of one inmate having a weapon and prisoners starting a fire during one of the incidents.
“I think that we need some more transparency in the Department of Corrections,” Kelly said. “There have been a number of incidents that have occurred … at our facilities that have gone unreported until others found out — I think particularly the media.”
Todd Fertig, spokesman for the corrections department, said the agency has “never had a lack of transparency.”
Additionally, he indicated agency officials aren’t opposed to an audit.
“We’re doing all that we can to make sure that all of our facilities are run in a safe and secure manner both for the staff and for the offenders that live there,” Fertig said.
Because the panel of lawmakers that makes auditing decisions doesn’t meet often, it is not expected to vote on whether to proceed with the audit until October.
Recent incidents at the El Dorado Correctional Facility have one Kansas legislator callling for an audit. COURTESY KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
The news of disturbances at the El Dorado prison comes amid reports of a staffing shortage. The state employees’ union has expressed concern the shortage makes for unsafe conditions.
Fertig said Monday that “recruitment efforts are ongoing” and the staffing situation has improved from 87 vacant uniformed staff positions on July 5 to 73 such vacancies on July 24. The department also emptied a cell house by moving inmates to other facilities across Kansas, he said, freeing up 14 staff for assignment elsewhere.
“These adjustments, combined with continued recruitment efforts that have produced a group of incoming staff, have greatly relieved some of the staffing shortage felt earlier in the summer,” he said. “The incoming staff are still in training, and their additions will show in staffing numbers in coming weeks.”
The agency also revealed in recent days that El Dorado warden James Heimgartner has accepted a different job within the department.
Meanwhile, legislative auditors on Monday called into question the department’s estimate of costs related to proposed construction at Lansing Correctional Facility.
The auditors concluded — contrary to estimates from the department — that it would be cheaper for the state to issue bonds for the project rather than have a private company build and operate the facility. In the latter scenario, the state would eventually purchase the facility after 20 years of leasing.
The auditors’ conclusions contradict presentations that department officials made to lawmakers during the 2017 session. Auditors said the agency’s estimates “were missing key variables and used inconsistent assumptions that tended to favor a lease-purchase option.”
At issue are plans for a new complex to replace and consolidate two buildings at Lansing that the department says need to be modernized, in part to allow for less staff-intensive prisoner monitoring.
The agency predicts it would be able to reduce staffing from 686 to 392 employees while increasing inmate capacity from about 2,400 to about 2,600.
Kelly described the audit findings as part of a “pattern” at the department that includes the agency withholding information about disturbances at El Dorado.
“They don’t report incidents that happen at their facilities, and when they put the (Lansing) proposal forward they didn’t give us the correct information,” she said, adding that she believes the department wants to lease from a private company. “That really was their push. They wanted us to choose that option or allow them to choose that option.”
The chairman of the legislative audit committee, Abilene Republican Rep. John Barker, said the results of the Lansing audit will be helpful for making decisions. But he rejected any notion that it calls the department’s credibility into question.
“I don’t have any concerns about that,” he said. “Good people always can differ.”
Fertig said his agency appreciates the auditors’ work.
“The real cost of funding the project, and the best means for funding it, won’t be known until the bids are received from potential builders,” he said. “The agency’s stance remains what it always has been, which is that we are open to whichever funding option is the best for the state.”
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.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach is seeking to avoid answering questions under oath about plans to change U.S. election law.
The Kansas Republican filed a notice late Monday saying he is appealing to the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals an order to submit to a deposition by the American Civil Liberties Union.
The ALCU called Kobach’s appeal of the deposition order “bizarre.”
Two federal judges have each twice ruled Kobach misled the court about the contents of documents he took into a November meeting with then-President-elect Donald Trump and a separate draft amendment to the National Voter Registration Act.
The court fined Kobach $1,000 and ordered him to testify on Thursday about the documents.
Kobach is vice chairman of Trump’s Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity.
SHAWNEE COUNTY —Law enforcement authorities are investigating a series of vehicle break-ins and have arrested
Just after 2 a.m. Tuesday, police stopped three suspicious suspects near SW 14th and Boswell in Topeka. The suspects admitted breaking into numerous vehicle near SW 17th and Washburn, according to a media release.
Police found several items taken in the burglaries with the suspects. They booked Shane Lesley Brooks II,18, Topeka, and two juveniles on burglary, theft and improper use of a highway.
Just after 3a.m., police stopped two additional suspicious suspects near SW 17th and Wayne in Topeka. Police arrested and booked the two juveniles on numerous charges of burglary, theft and criminal damage.
Police reported at least ten victims of these crimes and additional property has yet to be claimed.
