First responders at the location of Monday’s incident-photo courtesy KWCH
SEDGWICK COUNTY – A child transported to a Wichita hospital in critical condition Monday after being found in a hot car is improving, according to police during Tuesday’s online media briefing.
Sgt. Jesse Hancock reports that the girl and her siblings apparently had been playing hide and seek Monday before her father found her. It wasn’t immediately known how long she had been in the car.
The National Weather Service says the temperature in Wichita was 88 degrees just before the girl’s parents called 911 at 5:20 p.m. San Jose State University certified consulting meteorologist Jan Null says the inside air temperature of the car could have been in excess of 135 degrees.
Hancock declined to release the girl’s age. He says the investigation into what happened isn’t criminal.
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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police say a child has been rushed to a hospital in critical condition after being found in a hot car in Wichita.
Sgt. Jesse Hancock reports that the girl and her siblings apparently had been playing hide and seek Monday before her father found her. It wasn’t immediately known how long she had been in the car.
The National Weather Service says the temperature in Wichita was 88 degrees just before the girl’s parents called 911 at 5:20 p.m. San Jose State University certified consulting meteorologist Jan Null says the inside air temperature of the car could have been in excess of 135 degrees.
Hancock declined to release the girl’s age. He says the investigation into what happened isn’t criminal.
Pfizer at 1776 Centennial Drive in McPherson- google map
MCPHERSON COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating the reported bomb threat incident that prompted the evacuation Monday at Pfizer, 1776 Centennial, in McPherson.
The sheriff’s department in a social media request, wants anyone with information on the incident and would like to remain anonymous, please call McPherson County Crime Stoppers at
620-241-1122 or 1-800-241-8118 or text MPCS and your tip to 274637.
McPherson County Crime Stoppers PAYS REWARDS for tips that result in the arrest of suspects or the recovery of stolen property.
No additional details were released. No injuries were reported.
On Day 108 of the Kansas Legislature’s session, lawmakers got down to business. They passed a school funding bill that adds nearly $300 million over two years for public education, then they approved a $1.2 billion tax plan.
But minutes after the Senate’s 26-14 tax plan vote, Gov. Sam Brownback said he would veto the package, which would put more than 300,00 small businesses and farmers back on the tax rolls, add a third income tax bracket and restore a number of tax deductions and credits.
In short, it dismantles Brownback’s signature accomplishment: his 2012 tax cuts.
In his veto message early Tuesday, the governor said the bill “will substantially damage job creation and leave our citizens poorer in the future.”
Neither the Senate or House vote, 69-52, provides a veto-proof majority. House members need 15 additional votes for a veto override, while the Senate needs one. The Legislature approved a tax plan in February that Brownback vetoed, and the Senate fell short in a veto override attempt. Rep. Melissa Rooker, a moderate Republican from Fairway, said she wants Brownback to respect legislators’ hard work. More importantly, she said, at this late date the Legislature must wrap up. “So it’s time. It’s time, and I sincerely hope he puts his signature on the bill,” she said. Sen. Barbara Bollier, a Republican from Mission Hills, said if the package is vetoed, she is looking at one person to change her vote. “I think her name is going to be (Senate President) Susan Wagle, in my opinion,” Bollier said. “It better be.” During debate of the tax plan, Democrats and moderate Republicans said the financial hole Brownback created with his tax cuts is just too deep. “We have got to stop digging a hole. We went too far in 2012,” said Rep. Tom Sawyer, a Wichita Democrat. Democrats and moderate Republican pushed for a phased-in child care tax credit that will cost the state an estimated $9 million a year. While income tax rates will go up across the board, Sawyer said a family of four making $60,000 a year actually would save about $100 a year with the child tax credit.
This is bad for KS and bad for the many Kansans who would have more of their hard-earned money taken from them. #ksleg. (4)
Conservative Republicans were unhappy with the plan and their leadership. Some said GOP leaders caved to Democrats.
“I feel like we’re rolling over and giving up,” said Rep. Jack Thimesch of Cunningham.
Lawmakers still need to pass a budget, and leaders hope to wrap up what was planned to be a 100-day session by Friday.
Sam Zeffcovers education for KCUR.org and the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter@SamZeff. Kansas News Service stories and photos may be republished at no cost with proper attribution and a link back to
GEARY COUNTY – A Kansas man was sentenced Monday to 23 years in prison for the stabbing death of a woman in her Junction City home.
In March, Daniel Edwards, 34, pleaded guilty to one count each of second degree murder and aggravated robbery of 52-year-old Sharon Moody at her residence in Junction City in 2015.
Edwards also admitted in court records to taking a 2011 Mazda CX 7 automobile, keys, and other personal items including credit cards from Moody.
Police found and arrested Moody the night of the crime in Topeka.
Members of the Kansas House look at the voting board after debate of a school funding bill Monday. The House and Senate approved a plan to add about $300 million over two years for Kansas schools. SAM ZEFF / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
BY STEPHEN KORANDA
A school finance plan that will add nearly $300 million over two years gained approval Monday night in the Kansas Legislature and now moves to Gov. Sam Brownback for consideration.
Lawmakers faced a June 30 deadline to increase school funding after a March ruling from the Kansas Supreme Court that said current funding is inadequate. During debate, some lawmakers raised concerns that the $300 million plan will not satisfy the court and could make a special session likely.
With those issues in mind, Republican Sen. Dinah Sykes said she reluctantly voted yes so districts can start preparing for the next school year.
“Not knowing is more harmful and our school boards need to set their budgets,” said Sykes, a Lenexa Republican. “I believe we will see this again and hopefully we will address these concerns and craft a better bill, but I am in support.”
Republican Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning said the funding numbers had been carefully calculated and he believes the plan will gain approval from the court.
Related story: To Craft School Funding Bill, Kansas Senate Relies On Math From 41 Districts
The school funding plan passed the House on a 67-55 vote. The Senate later approved it 23-17.
The bill includes a provision expanding a private school tax credit program to include individuals. Currently only corporations can provide scholarship money to at-risk students and then claim a 70 percent tax credit.
The tax credit program was a flash point for several lawmakers.
“We need to send this back and get that tax credit out,” said Rep. Steven Crum, a Democrat from Haysville.
Earlier Monday the House rejected a different version of the bill that combined school funding with tax increases. That “mega bill” failed 32-91.
Republicans split on that earlier vote, with some conservatives saying they opposed raising taxes. Other House members said the two big issues shouldn’t be tied together.
Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for KPR a partner in the Kansas News Service. kcur.org reporter Sam Zeff contributed to this story.
2:30 p.m.
The Kansas House has rejected a bill that would have raised income taxes and increased spending on public schools.
The vote Monday was 91-32 against a bill that would have raised more than $1 billion over two years with higher taxes. The measure also would have phased in a $293 million increase in aid to public schools over two years.
Republican leaders tied tax and school funding measures together in a single bill to make it easier to pass a tax increase. But Democrats and many Republicans objected to the tactic.
Legislative researchers also projected that the bill might not quite close projected budget shortfalls totaling $889 million through June 2019.
The spending increase was a response to a Kansas Supreme Court ruling in March that education funding is inadequate.
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1 p.m.
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback isn’t saying whether he would sign or veto a bill that would raise income taxes and increase spending on public schools.
Brownback told reporters Monday that he wants to maintain pro-growth tax policies even as Kansas raises new revenues to fix its budget and provide extra money to schools. But he wouldn’t say what he would do if a bill backed by Republican leaders reaches his desk.
The plan would increase raise more than $1 billion in new revenue over two years by increasing income taxes. The measure also phases in a $293 million education funding increase over two years.
Kansas faces projected budget shortfalls totaling $889 million through June 2019 and the state Supreme Court ruled in March that education funding is inadequate.
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ByCELIA LLOPIS-JEPSEN
The Kansas House is expected Monday morning to debate a mega bill that ties sweeping tax reforms and higher funding for public schools into a single yes-or-no vote.
The latest attempt at sealing elusive deals on income tax and school finance emerged Sunday afternoon following three days of stop-and-go negotiations between the Legislature’s two chambers, which each have passed their own versions of a K-12 bill.
Now lawmakers will vote simultaneously on whether to increase state aid for schools by about $280 million — and scuttle Gov. Sam Brownback’s signature tax policies.
Any school finance or tax deal, or combination thereof, will need two-thirds majorities in the House and Senate should Brownback choose to block it. The governor vetoed an attempt in February to roll back his tax cuts, and an override attempt fell short in the Senate.
After agreeing Sunday to fold tax reforms into the school finance bill, Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning said that the proposal, which came from House leadership, aims to make the package less susceptible to Brownback’s opposition.
“We’re hoping that this will give him another reason not to veto,” Denning said.
Not everyone is convinced. Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley panned the proposal.
He predicted the Kansas Supreme Court would find it unconstitutional because it doesn’t increase K-12 aid sufficiently.
“The second thing this bill does not do,” he added, “it doesn’t raise enough revenue in order to not only fund our school finance plan, but to fund a sustainable budget into the foreseeable future.”
The income tax portions of the bill would raise tax revenue more than $1 billion over the next two fiscal years. Kansas is facing a projected deficit of $900 million for that same period.
The provisions would end a mechanism designed to push income taxes toward zero and delete an exemption for owners of more than 300,000 businesses that has been the focus of political backlash in recent years.
In tax year 2018, married taxpayers filing jointly would pay 3 percent if earning up to $30,000, 5.25 percent for those up to $100,000 and 5.6 percent for earners above that.
By comparison, under current law the lowest tier would be 2.6 percent in 2018, and married earners filing jointly at more than $30,000 would pay 4.6 percent.
In addition to pursuing tax reform, the Legislature is writing a new school finance formula this year and is under pressure to increase aid. In March the Kansas Supreme Court found state aid to be inadequate and set a June 30 deadline for fixing that.
Denning said tying taxes and school funding into a single bill could help the state’s case in this ongoing litigation because the combined legislation dedicates income tax receipts for funding schools.
“The Supreme Court said they wanted a very consistent revenue stream,” he said. “That’s about as consistent as we could deliver them.”
Separately, the bill would expand a school choice program that funds scholarships for children from low-income families to attend private schools instead of their local public option.
The private school program works by giving corporations tax credits worth 70 percent of their donations to such scholarships. Under this bill, individuals also would be able to donate and receive tax credits.
Kansas legislative sessions normally last 90 days, but in anticipation of this year’s contentious policy and spending decisions, lawmakers scheduled 100 days. Sunday marked the Legislature’s 107th day.
Celia Llopis-Jepsen is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of kcur.org, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics. You can reach her on Twitter @Celia_LJ.
Brownback during a Monday ceremony in Topeka- courtesy image
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Gov. Sam Brownback says he can’t recall making definitive statements in talks with Kansas legislators about his plans for a bill designed to keep concealed guns out of public health facilities.
Lawmakers passed the measure last week and delivered it Monday to the governor. He has until June 15 to act on it.
Kansas law now says that starting in July, state hospitals, other public hospitals, mental health centers, other health facilities and universities must allow concealed guns into buildings without extra security such as guards or metal detectors. The bill gives public health facilities a permanent exemption.
Gun-rights advocates wanted a narrower bill and several Republican legislators predicted a Brownback veto. The governor told reporters that it’s possible he made statements that could be interpreted either way.
SHAWNEE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a pair of knife attacks and have a suspect in custody.
Just after 11p.m. Sunday, police responded to an attack in the 900 Block of SW 10th Street in Topeka, according to a media release.
An investigation revealed Carlos Landin was involved in an altercation and cut another man. The injuries were non-life threatening. Landin was arrested on requested charges of aggravated battery.
Just before 1:30 Monday, police were dispatched to the 3800 Block of South Topeka Boulevard after report of stabbing. Officers found a man in the parking lot with a non-life threatening stab wound. The victim directed officers to the room where the stabbing occurred. Two women were questioned. No arrests have been made.
TOPEKA–Kansas and seven other states have been selected by the National Governors Association (NGA) as leaders in the fight against the growing issue of opioid abuse nationwide. The pilot group will focus on reducing opioid use among people involved with the criminal justice system.
The Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC), in partnership with Lt. Gov. Dr. Jeff Colyer and the Kansas Department on Aging and Disabilities (KDADS), was awarded a grant to participate in the NGA Center for Best Practices Learning Lab, an eight-month project devoted to developing strategies for the entire nation to apply to the opioid-use crisis.
Dr. Colyer, a practicing physician and Hays native, is committed to reducing the abuse of prescription medications in Kansas. Drug poisoning deaths due to opioids in Kansas increased by 28 percent from 2013 to 2015, making it the leading cause of specific drug poisoning deaths in the state, according to the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
“The important work being done by KDOC and KDADS is crucial to balancing the availability of physician-prescribed medications and controlling the misuse of prescription drugs, said Dr. Colyer. “With the number of deaths continuing to rise at an alarming rate, this problem must be addressed.”
Criminal offenders being a group of particular concern in the fight against opioid use, KDOC applied to participate in the learning lab entitled Expanding Access to Opioid Use Disorder Treatment for Justice-Involved Populations.
“The fact that we were one of just eight states chosen to participate shows that we have been doing innovative work in this area and are seen as a leader,” KDOC Sec. Joe Norwood said.
At least 15 percent of the more than 6,000 offenders leaving Kansas prisons every year have a history of opioid misuse and/or a diagnosis of opioid use disorder. Substance misuse on a larger scale plagues the Kansas prison/parole population.
A team including staff from KDOC, KDADS and Dr. Colyer’s office is representing the state June 5 and 6 at a conference in Boston at which the eight states have come together to discuss their contributions to the study. The gathering in Boston will be followed by numerous conference calls, webinars and sharing of data. In January 2018 the states will report to NGA on results and future plans.
RENO COUNTY — A Kansas man remains jailed in the Reno County Correctional Facility on a bond of $207,000 for two counts of rape, kidnapping, arson, battery-domestic violence, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia and criminal damage.
Just after 3p.m. Sunday, police arrested 20-year-old Victor Hugo Pedraza. However, the incident could have started Friday.
Police were contacted and asked to check on the victim who is a foreign student from Japan attending Hutchinson Community College. Apparently the two had been staying with each and had ongoing issues.
When police made contact, they learned that the victim had been tied to a bed, beaten and forced into sex twice after telling him no.
Pedraza also burned her passport and other papers that would allow her to go back to her native country. He’s also accused rubbing feces on her face according to testimony in court Monday. He is scheduled for another court appearance June 12.
Police on the scene of Wednesday night’s shooting -photo courtesy WIBW TV
SHAWNEE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities continue to investigate a shooting and are asking the public for information.
Just after 10p.m. Wednesday Police officers responded to Stormont Vail hospital in reference a shooting victim that had just arrived by private vehicle, according to a media release.
Officers made contact with a 16-year old victim who was in critical condition, suffering from a life-threatening gunshot injury.
Officers were able to locate a crime scene in the 700 blk of SW 16th Street in Topeka.
Detectives and Crime Scene investigators responded and investigated the scene. Facts indicate this to be an accident incident and the 16 year old died of his injuries.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Topeka Police Department at 785-368-9400 or Crime Stoppers at 785-234-0007.
SEDGWICK COUNTY-Law enforcement continue to investigate a suspect in connection with Friday’s fatal fire and state-wide Amber Alert.
Just before 12:30 p.m. Friday fire crews were dispatched to a fire at a home in the 300 Block of North Ash in Wichita, according to Lt. Jason Stephens during Monday’s online police briefing.
Fire crews found the body of a victim in the basement of the resident who appears to be woman in her 30s, according to Stephens. The investigation indicated the victim had been bludgeoned and a fire intentionally set in the residence.
The suspect Dane A. Wright, 29, fled the residence and had three children ages 11, 5 and 2 with him.
Due to the nature of the crime, Wichita Police contacted the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to assist. The KBI issued the Amber Alert. The children were located in an area motel.
Police did not release the name of the victim since she has not been properly identified.
FINNEY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Finney County are investigating a suspect on alleged drunk driving charges.
Just after 7p.m. Saturday, Officers of the Garden City Police Department were called to the area of Spruce and Hwy 50 Bypass for a reported injury accident, according to a media release.
A 2009 Jeep Wrangler driven by Kolby Edwards, 33, Garden City, was southbound on the Highway 50 Bypass at a high rate of speed, according to police.
Edwards allegedly ran the red light at Spruce and hit a 2013 Dodge Charger driven by Ryna Juache, 17, on the driver side.
Garden City Fire/Rescue responded and extricated Jauche from the vehicle using the Jaws of Life.
She and a passenger Tiffany Guerro, 21, Garden City, were transported to St. Catherine Hospital.
Edwards was injured and had exited his jeep before officers arrived.
Evidence was present that indicated Edwards was driving under the influence of alcohol.
He was arrested and could face the possible charges of DUI, Failure to Obey Traffic Control Device, and Seatbelt Violation.
