SUMNER COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities investigated a bomb threat at Sumner Regional Medical Center in Wellington on Wednesday evening.

Officials implemented the hospital emergency plan, according to a social media report. That included the evacuation of patients.

Just after 11p.m., police completed the investigation and cleared the scene and the hospital returned to normal operation.

TOPEKA – Just after 5p.m. Wednesday, Topeka Police responded to the downtown Ramada Inn after management conducted a welfare check on State Representative Patsy Terrell of Hutchinson, according to a media release. She was pronounced dead inside her hotel room.

A preliminary investigation revealed no indication of foul play.

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A legislative spokeswoman says Kansas Rep. Patsy Terrell of Hutchinson was found dead in her hotel room near the Capitol. She was 55.

Heather Scanlon, spokeswoman for House Minority Leader Jim Ward’s office, says officials became concerned after Terrell didn’t arrive for the House’s afternoon session on Wednesday. She says the hotel was contacted after several House members failed to reach her.

Scanlon says the hotel then notified Ward’s office of Terrell’s death. The cause is not yet known.

Terrell, a Democrat, won her House seat in November, defeating veteran state Rep. Jan Pauls, also from Hutchinson. Pauls was a conservative Republican who’d switched parties after serving in the Legislature as a Democrat.

Scanlon says Terrell was “an unrelenting advocate for the people of District 102 and Hutchinson.”

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man who fled the state three years ago before sentencing on a child rape charge has been captured in Mexico.

The U.S. Marshal’s Service said Wednesday 31-year-old Jeffrey Dane Swindler is jailed in Texas awaiting extradition to Kansas.

Swindler fled in May 2014, a month after he was convicted for a second time in the 2008 rape of an 11-year-old child in Sumner County.

Marshals and Mexican authorities determined Swindler was living in Monterrey, Mexico, where he was taken into custody without incident and sent to Texas to await extradition. It was not immediately clear when Swindler was arrested.

Swindler was first convicted in 2010 and was sentenced to life in prison. The Kansas Supreme Court overturned that conviction but he was convicted again in 2014.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the Kansas Legislature’s decision to increase income taxes to fix the state budget and provide extra money for public schools. (all times local):

Republican Gov. Sam Brownback says the income tax increases legislators enacted over his veto will be bad for the long-term health of the state’s economy.

The governor said during a news conference Wednesday that he believes the increases will slow job growth and discourage companies from moving to Kansas.

Legislators repudiated past income tax cuts championed by Brownback in passing a measure that is expected to raise $1.2 billion over two years. It increases income tax rates and ends an exemption for more than 330,000 farmers and business owners.

Brownback said the debate became too much about him.

The governor refused to take questions after making his statement.

Kansas faces projected budget shortfalls totaling $889 million, and the state Supreme Court ruled in March that its education funding is inadequate.

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9:22 a.m.

Kansas legislators have repudiated the tax-cutting experiment that brought Republican Gov. Sam Brownback national attention.

The state House voted Tuesday night to overturn Brownback’s veto of a plan that reverses many of the income tax reductions he championed. The legislation aims to fix the state budget and provide additional funds for public schools.

Kansas faces projected budget shortfalls totaling $889 million through June 2019. The state Supreme Court ruled in March that education funding is inadequate.

The plan is expected to raise $1.2 billion over two years by increasing income tax rates and ending an exemption for 330,000-plus farmers and business owners.

Supporters had four votes more in the House than the two-thirds majority necessary to override a veto. The Senate earlier voted for an override, with exactly a two-thirds majority.

PAWNEE COUNTY – A Kansas man died in an accident just after 7a.m. Wednesday in Pawnee County.

The Kanas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Mercury passenger vehicle driven by Jacob A. Rives, 16, Burdett, was westbound on Kansas 156 two miles west of Rozel.

The vehicle crossed the center line a struck an eastbound 2017 Kenworth semi driven by Shane M. Edenfield, 48, Sheldon, Iowa.

The impact caused the semi to cross the centerline and run head-on into a 2014 Ford pickup driven by Michael E. Heim, 38, Pratt, that was westbound behind the Mercury.

Heim was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Beckwith Funeral Home.

Edenfield was transported to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita.
Rives was transported to the hospital in Larned. All three were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.

RENO COUNTY  — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect a domestic disturbance where she reportedly set fire to clothing and other household items.

Just after 9p.m. Monday, police arrested Melissa Bell, 34, Hutchinson, on suspicion of arson, possession of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal damage to property.

The victim reported clothes that belonged to her and her son were taken out of a closet and set on fire. This happened after the two got into an argument.

After a first appearance in court, bond in the case was reduced to $5,000.

Bell is due back in court next week to see if the state has filed formal charges.

She has prior criminal convictions for criminal threat and criminal use of a weapon, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

NEWTON – Amtrak will run an inspection train on the BNSF Railway from Oklahoma City to Kansas City on Friday with a stop in Newton just before 1 p.m.

Railroad officials say this is the next step in the possible return of passenger rail service between Kansas and Texas, which they believe could have tremendous benefits for Newton.

Invited guests on the train will include state transportation officials from Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas, along with local leaders.

Residents are asked to come to the Newton station in the 400 Block of Main Street to meet this special train.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A communications professor at Wichita State University says she’s resigning because a law allowing concealed weapons on campus is “in opposition to the values of higher education.”

Deborah Ballard-Reisch submitted a letter to university President John Bardo on Monday saying she plans to retire July 1, the day the law goes into effect.

The Kansas 2013 law allowing people to bring guns into public buildings had given colleges until this summer to comply. As of 2015, Kansas no longer requires anyone carrying a concealed handgun to obtain a permit.

Republican state Rep. John Whitmer of Wichita says more than 100 colleges have accepted concealed-carry without incident.

Ballard-Reisch, who was robbed at gunpoint in 2014, says she and other gun violence victims have told administrators they feel scared with more guns on campus.

TOPEKA— Governor Sam Brownback signed legislation Wednesday that requires Kansas abortion providers give women information about their doctors’ histories and provide it in print in a specific type style on white paper.

The Senate approved the measure on a 25-15 vote after the House approved it in mid May.

The bill requires that abortion providers give women information about the physician at least 24 hours beforehand. The information would include the doctor’s credentials, malpractice insurance, hospital privileges and disciplinary record. It requires the information to be printed in 12-point Times New Roman type.

Bill supporters say women need the information to make informed decisions.

Critics said the bill is meant to discourage women from having abortions.

SALINE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a murder in Saline County and have made an arrest related to the discovery of a body near the Smoky Hill River Bridge on Tuesday.

The body was discovered by passersby one mile east of Salina, near the Smoky Hill River Bridge in Saline County.
The victim has been identified as 29-year-old Brandon Shelby of Salina.

Preliminary information suggests that Shelby suffered blunt force trauma to the head and other severe injuries. An autopsy will take place today to determine an official cause of death.

Agents and local law enforcement worked through the night and made an arrest at approximately 3 a.m. Wednesday.

Deputies arrested Charles Rodgers, 30, of Salina, an acquaintance of Shelby, booked him into the Saline County Jail for first degree murder and kidnapping. The alleged crimes are suspected to have occurred in both the city of Salina and in Saline

County.

Saline County Sheriff Soldan said that 40-year-old James E. Pavey was also arrested and faces first-degree murder charges. Both Rodgers and Pavey had outstanding warrants.

Rodgers has previous convictions for theft and forgery according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.

SHAWNEE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a reported kidnapping and asking the public for help to locate a victim.

Just after 7a.m. Wednesday, the Topeka Police Department was made aware of the abduction, according to a media release.

Police are searching for Viviana Vazquez, 33, Topeka, who was taken against her will Wednesday by Pedro Enriquez, 38, Topeka.

Both persons are known to one another.

They were last seen leaving the 1300 BLK SW Garfield Wednesday morning in a silver Chrysler PT Cruiser displaying Kansas license plate 057 JJU.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Topeka Police.

SEWARD COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal accident.

Just before 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, emergency responders were dispatched to the 500 block of Missouri Avenue in Liberal after a report a man had been run over by a car, according to a media release from police.

Responding officers found a man under a car on the side of the street. They were unable to detect any signs of life.

The Liberal Fire Department used equipment to lift the car so the man could be removed. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim was identified as a 62-year-old resident of Liberal.

Investigators determined the man was working underneath the car when it rolled over him.

An autopsy will be performed in the coming days to determine the cause of death. The man’s name is being withheld pending notification of his family.