By SAM ZEFF

The standing room only crowd that showed up Tuesday evening to tell a Kansas City Council committee what it thought about a new, single terminal at Kansas City International Airport was pretty evenly divided.

Those representing construction companies, trade unions and economic development organizations want the project to push forward as quickly as possible.

Regular residents of the city were dubious of the plan put forth just a few weeks ago by Burns & McDonnell, the global engineering firm based in Kansas City.

That’s despite assurances that Burns & McDonnell will shoulder all of the financial risks. “It accomplishes a new terminal and it does it without any risk at all, of any financial exposure of any kind to the city of Kansas City,” said City Manager Troy Schulte.

Worries that a single terminal won’t be as convenient as the current horseshoe configuration is misguided, according to Burns & McDonnell Vice President Mike Brown. In fact, it will be far more pleasant. “It’s having ample restrooms. It’s having the opportunity to find food. It’s having the opportunity to find all the conveniences that you need in order to have a pleasant and a good flying experience.”

Burns & McDonnell has proposed to not only design the new terminal but along with partners fund the entire billion dollar project privately.

But the citizens in the room weren’t having any of it.

“Anytime I see something rushed and jammed through in the dark of night, very quickly without a lot input and a lot of study, particularly with my city government, it raises massive red flags,” said John Murphy with Citizens for a Responsible Government.

Stacey Webb from the Northland told the city council committee that she just doesn’t trust them. “I agree that we’re rushing things through. I know we’ve been discussing this for a long time, but right now we are in a rush mode.”

Julie Harris from Johnson County did say she’s in favor of the project. Harris said she loved KCI for a long time but now it’s time for a new terminal. “I think it was the TSA coming into the airport, chopping it up, the curbside use of the airport was not as good. Parking became a problem. And then it’s crumbling, which is an embarrassment.”

Another public hearing on the plan is scheduled for Thursday morning at 9:30 at City Hall downtown.

Sam Zeff covers education for kcur.org  and the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @SamZeff.

KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas City man was sentenced Monday to 52 months for a robbery at a Kansas bank, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

Chad English, 43, pleaded guilty to one count of bank robbery. In his plea, he admitted he drove the getaway car during an Aug. 24, 2016, robbery at Central Bank of the Midwest at 4801 Town Center Drive in Leawood.

Co-defendant Terry Lovelady, 58, Kansas City, Mo., went into the bank and gave the clerk a note saying, “Hurry up. Put the $$ in the bag. No funny bizz.” He left the bank with stolen money and a hidden tracking device.

Police followed the tracking device to locate the getaway car where it was stopped at a traffic light at 119th Street and Glenwood. The robbers led police on a chase, running red lights, cutting off other drivers and reaching a speed of 90 mph. The robbers crossed into Missouri before stopping the car and fleeing on foot. Officers tackled English. Lovelady was found hiding in a hospital parking garage.

Lovelady pleaded guilty and he is set for sentencing July 31.

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas man has pleaded no contest to putting his infant stepdaughter in an apartment complex trash compactor.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Marquis Young initially was charged with attempted first-degree murder after the baby was found in July 2016 in the trash bin. The then 9-month-old suffered two skull fractures but has recovered and been placed with relatives.

Young entered the no contest plea Monday after prosecutors filed amended aggravated battery and child abuse charges.

Young’s wife testified at a hearing that she went to spend the night with friends after an argument and left the baby with her husband. He’d been drinking and told investigators he couldn’t remember what happened during the night. Blood on his shirt matched the infant’s DNA.

Sentencing is set for July 14.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators have said “cheers” to allowing cities to designate districts where people can move among bars, restaurants and entertainment venues with libations in hand.

The House approved a bill Tuesday on a 97-22 vote. The Senate passed the measure last week, so it goes next to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback for his possible signature. He has not stated a public position.

The goal is to allow cities to create areas similar to the Power and Light District in Kansas City, Missouri, where patrons can move around a common area with their alcoholic drinks.

Local governments would set up clearly-marked common consumption areas. Each would need a state permit.

Lenexa city leaders sought the bill so vendors could sell liquor at a new public market set to open this summer.

KANSAS CITY-  A Kansas man was sentenced in federal court Tuesday for enticing a child victim, whom he met online, into engaging in illegal sexual activity, according to Tom Larson, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri.

Nathan R. Caylor, 42, of Kansas City, Kansas was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary A. Fenner to 24 years in federal prison without parole.

On Dec. 12, 2016, Caylor pleaded guilty to one count of enticing a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity and one count of receiving child pornography. Caylor admitted that he communicated online for more than a year with a 14-year-old victim, identified in court documents at “Jane Doe,” and traveled to her home to engage in sexual intercourse on at least eight separate occasions.

Caylor initially contacted Jane Doe in May 2013. He used the false name “Justin” and told her he was 17 years old. They exchanged photos of each other electronically and communicated via Skype. Caylor told Jane Doe that he had been diagnosed with cancer when he was 14 years old and that the chemotherapy and radiation he had to undergo for cancer made him look older. In reality, Caylor had never been diagnosed with cancer.

Caylor eventually turned the topic of their communications to graphic conversations of a sexual nature and made arrangements to meet Jane Doe in person. Caylor traveled to her home for the first time in November 2013 when her parents were not home. Between May 2013 and July 2014 Caylor also electronically sent pornographic photos of himself to Jane Doe.

In July 2014 the Blue Springs, Mo., Police Department was notified about Caylor’s contact with Jane Doe. A Blue Springs detective assumed Jane Doe’s identity on Facebook and began communicating with Caylor. Caylor asked if he could visit, and was told that her parents were not home. Caylor told Jane Doe that he would see her that same day. He traveled by bus from Kansas City, Kan., to Independence, Mo., then walked several miles to her home. Caylor was arrested while he was walking to the victim’s home.

Investigators also found images of child pornography on Caylor’s computer, including images of a 3-to-4-year-old victim and a 10-to-12-year-old victim. Caylor also was in possession of images of Jane Doe engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Caylor has prior Kansas state convictions in 1993 for four counts of enticing a child and five counts of lewd and lascivious behavior. According to court documents, Caylor enticed four young children (between 7 and 8 years old) to enter a building so he could commit an unlawful sexual act upon them. He exposed himself to these same four children and as well as to a fifth child.

EL DORADO— People camping in southeast Kansas this holiday weekend are being advised to reserve a spot or arrive early because floodwater levels have closed some campgrounds.

Some areas of Cheney Lake are affected by flooding. Hobie Beach, Heimerman Point, Wichita Point and M & M Point are experiencing high water levels and will not be open for some time, according to a social media report.

The park has contacted or left messages for everyone that had reservations for Memorial weekend and will contact as needed any future reservations that are affected.

The Corps of Engineers has started releasing water but it will not be in time for Memorial Day and if there are future heavy rains, it will fall behind what will be coming in.

El Dorado State Park manager Seth Turner said Monday that areas where campsites are first-come, first-served are already filling in anticipation of Memorial Day weekend.

Turner says that on a good holiday weekend, the park might host up to 70,000 people. He says the park still saw about 40,000 people last year despite bad weather.

Linda Lanterman is the state park director for the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. Lanterman says the parks will be fine despite some unavailable campsites because they’re seeing increased popularity and revenue.

Turner says it could be weeks before the park’s water levels stabilize.

-The AP contributed to this report.

SEDWICK COUNTY – Four fire fighters were hospitalized after fighting a Kansas apartment building fire on Monday.

Just before 8 p.m. fire crews responded to report of a fire at an apartment complex in the 700 Block of North Country Acres near the intersection of Central and Ridge in Wichita, according to Stuart Bevis, acting Fire Marshal with the Wichita Fire Department.

First units on the scene observed significant fire from one apartment and initiated a second alarm.

One entire building, especially the upper floors, was severely damaged, according to Bevis. A number of residents were evacuated.

Eight firefighters suffered minor injuries and four were transported to a hospital for treatment and released.

The cause of the fire was accidental due to unattended cooking. The occupant of the apartment had left after cooking and didn’t turn off the stove, according to Bevis.

The apartment is an older building without sheetrock just paneling on studs, according to Bevis.

The blaze was responsible for over $650,000 dollars in damage to the structure and $100,000 dollars to contents.

The Red Cross is assisting 21 occupants displaced in the building.

 

SALINE COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating the death of an infant and have made an arrest.

Just before 3:30p.m. Monday, first responders were called to a residence in the 900 Block of North Ninth Street in Salina after report of an unresponsive 11-month-old, according to Police Sgt. James Feldman.

EMS transported the child to Salina Regional Medical Center where he died at approximately 4:15 p.m.

On Tuesday, police arrested Michael Ray Hatfield, 42, Salina, on a requested charges of felony murder, aggravated endangerment of a child, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to a press release from Salina Police.

———-
SALINE COUNTY –Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating the death of an infant.

Just before 3:30p.m. Monday, first responders were called to a residence in the 900 Block of North Ninth Street in Salina after report of an unresponsive 11-month-old, according to Police Sgt. James Feldman.

EMS transported the child to Salina Regional Medical Center where he died.

Saline County Attorney Ellen Mitchell is considering possible charges, which may be released later this week, according to Feldman.

No other information was released early Tuesday.

JEWELL COUNTY – Another earthquake hit north-central Kansas Tuesday morning.

The quake just after 11a.m. measured a magnitude 2.8 and was centered approximately 7 miles southeast of Mankato, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

This is the sixth quake in Kansas in May.

A 3.4 magnitude quake hit at 11:54 p.m. Saturday and was centered approximately 8 miles southeast of Mankato,

A pair of small earthquakes were reported in Harper County early Friday, May 19.

A 2.7 magnitude quake hit 10 miles northwest of Conway Springs on May 10.

The agency reported a 3.5 magnitude quake in Harper County on May 5.

The USGS recorded nearly a dozen Kansas earthquakes in April, seven in March and six in February. They measured from 2.5. to 3.3.

There are no reports of damage or injury from Tuesday’s quake, according to the Jewell County Sheriff’s Department.

By JIM MCLEAN

Kansas lawmakers marked the fifth anniversary of Gov. Sam Brownback’s signature income tax cuts becoming law by rejecting a bill that would have largely repealed them.

The bill defeated Monday night by the House was similar to a measure rejected May 10 by the Senate. Both would have raised more than $1 billion over two years to cover a projected budget shortfall of $900 million by increasing income tax rates and repealing a controversial exemption given to more than 330,000 business owners and farmers.

Moderate Republicans supported both bills, but each failed due to lack of support from Democrats who split on whether they would have generated enough to also cover an increase in public school funding needed to comply with a Kansas Supreme Court ruling.

The 53-68 House vote sends members representing the tax committees in both chambers back to the negotiating table as legislators hit the final days of a planned 100-day session.

But Rep. Steven Johnson, a Republican from Assaria who chairs the House Tax Committee, said the vote left him unsure what to try next.

“I know what people say they would like to see run. I do not know what will pass,” Johnson told the Wichita Eagle after the vote.

Rep. Melissa Rooker, a key moderate Republican from Fairway, said legislative factions that control roughly equal numbers of votes are making it hard to reach compromise solutions on the budget and school finance.

“There is no controlling faction,” Rooker said. “There is no group of people who have a voting block large enough to run the show.”

The failure of Democrats to support two tax bills that ostensibly met their demand for a rollback of the Brownback tax cuts has frustrated several moderate Republicans.

After the Senate vote, Rep. Russ Jennings, a moderate Republican from Lakin, said he considered Democrats “unreliable partners.”

Meanwhile, approximately 40 conservative Republicans from both chambers continue to argue that tax increases aren’t needed to balance the budget. Their plan, outlined Monday at a Statehouse news conference, calls for freezing state spending, diverting more money from highway projects and securitizing a portion of the state’s tobacco settlement payments.

Rep. Randy Powell, an Olathe Republican, said his constituents want government to live within its means.

“They’re not wanting bigger government. They want a balanced budget,” Powell said.

Advocates for the children’s education programs funded by tobacco settlement dollars immediately denounced the proposal.

“We’re almost 100 days into the session and rather than address failed tax policy, some lawmakers want to eliminate the state’s entire early childhood infrastructure,” said Annie McKay, president and CEO of the nonprofit advocacy group Kansas Action for Children.

“Selling off the revenue stream that supports the Children’s Initiatives Fund is robbing from the future of Kansas kids — all to continue a devastating tax experiment,” she said.

Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of kcur.org, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks.  

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Dashcam video shows that a University of Missouri-Kansas City student seemed confused when she was stopped for wrong-way driving but let go without a road sobriety test before her car went into the Missouri River.

A medical examiner says the death of 20-year-old Toni Anderson, of Wichita, Kansas, was accidental and involved drug intoxication. A North Kansas City police officer had stopped Anderson on Jan. 15, the last night she was seen. She’d just left her job as a server at a strip club. The officer told her to go park and collect herself. She wasn’t asked to exit her car.

Police Maj. Kevin Freeman says that the officer “acted reasonably.”

Anderson’s body was found two months later. She died from hypothermia and drowning at a park near Parkville, Missouri.

————-

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A medical examiner says the death of a Wichita woman who died when her car went into the Missouri River was accidental and involved drug intoxication.

The Jackson County medical examiner’s office ruled Tuesday that 20-year-old Toni Anderson’s death was accidental. She died from hypothermia and drowning at the Platte Landing Park near Parkville.

Authorities say ethanol, cocaine and amphetamine intoxication contributed to the University of Missouri-Kansas City student’s death.

Anderson was last seen early on Jan. 15 when she was stopped by a police officer in North Kansas City, who

then watched her drive to a nearby convenience store.

It is unclear why she wound up at the park near Parkville. Her body and her car were recovered March 10.

Police say the investigation is now closed.