SHAWNEE COUNTY – A child was hospitalized in critical condition after an a near drowning at motel pool on Saturday.
Police were dispatched to 605 Southwest Fairlawn in Topeka for report of a juvenile girl pulled from a swimming pool, unresponsive, according to a media release.
Patrons of the pool began to perform life saving measures until emergency medical crews arrived. She was transported to a local hospital.
The incident remains under investigation, according to police.
OFFICE OF SEN. MORAN
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) – Chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans’ Affairs and Related Agencies – convened a hearing May 4 to receive testimony from federal government and non-government witnesses regarding telemedicine and ways to increase access to healthcare, improve health outcomes, and lower costs at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) through telemedicine programs.
“Telehealth creates a bridge between our rural and urban centers – providers at an urban site can now diagnose and provide a care plan for veterans hundreds of miles away,” Sen. Moran said. “Telehealth can offer a veteran the means and flexibility to access care through the VA, especially when they struggle to physically visit a VA hospital. I look forward to seeing how VA telehealth improves the lives of veterans.”
At the hearing, Sen. Moran discussed access to TeleBenefits in Parsons, Kan. The Community Based Outpatient Clinic in Parsons is the first site to offer TeleBenefits in Kansas where a veteran can connect virtually with a claim analyst and even submit supporting documents to their benefits claim.
As VA Outreach Coordinator Tara Cisneros told the Parsons Sun, “Anything we can do to reach our rural veterans, that’s what I’m aiming for. I just want them to know this service is here.”
Click here to watch the hearing.
BILL BARROW, Associated Press
STEVE PEOPLES, Associated Press
ATLANTA (AP) — It’s “Trumpcare” now, and Republicans have to answer for it.
House Republicans finally pushed through a bill to gut Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act. President Donald Trump hailed the replacement as “a great plan” that has “really brought the Republican Party together.”
Democrats are giddy about what could be severe political consequences for the GOP.
Republicans now own a measure that would curtail, and in some cases take away completely, benefits Americans have embraced after seven years. Chief among them: a guarantee of paying the same amount for coverage regardless of health history.
Democrats need to flip 24 seats between now and the 2018 elections to take control of the House. Of the 217 Republicans who backed the bill, 14 come from districts carried by Democrat Hillary Clinton last fall.
PARSIPPANY, N.J. (AP) — A New Jersey-based food company is recalling Aunt Jemima frozen pancakes, waffles and French toast because they might be contaminated with Listeria.
Pinnacle Foods Inc. said Friday the safety of its customers is its top priority and no illnesses have been reported. It says it initiated the recall when testing indicated the presence of Listeria monocytogenes in the plant environment.
Listeria monocytogenes can cause fatal infections in young children, frail or elderly people and people with weakened immune systems. Healthy people can suffer fevers and diarrhea. Pregnant women can suffer miscarriages and stillbirths.
Pinnacle Foods says it’s working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on the recall, which applies only to frozen products with “Best By” dates, not dry mixes or syrups.
Distributors and retailers are being notified so they can remove products from U.S. and Mexican store shelves.
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — A developer says a former Kansas missile silo converted into a luxury condo is sold out, though he’s not saying who has bought the spaces in hopes of having peace of mind during a possible disaster.
Larry Hall tells KAKE-TV that units inside the so-called survival bunker about 40 miles (65 kilometers) north of Salina come with appliances and furniture.
The complex features a security system, classroom, swimming pool, rock-climbing wall, shooting range, gyms with saunas, and an arcade. Hall says there’s also a self-renewing water supply, grocery store and a medical wing with a pharmacy.
Hall says the units have fetched millions of dollars, drawing interest from Hollywood and professional athletes.
That condo complex is sold out, though Hall says he’s building a similar one in nearby Tescott.
WICHITA- A registered sex offender from Wichita was sentenced Thursday to 195 months in federal prison for distributing child pornography, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.
Jeremy Michael Schmidt, formerly known as Jeremy Michael Davis, 41, Wichita, pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography. In 2013, Schmidt was convicted in Florida on a possession of child pornography charge and registered as a sex offender under the name Jeremy Michael Davis. He later changed his name to Jeremy Michael Schmidt.
Schmidt came to the attention of investigators in Wichita when they received four separate Cyber Tipline Reports from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Investigators identified emails in which Schmidt provided links to child pornography.
KDCF
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF) is excited to announce a new foster care campaign, designed to recruit potential foster families, provide support to current foster families and increase the public’s awareness about the need for temporary, stable homes for children coming into care in Kansas.
The campaign was announced may 3, at a news conference and informational fair at the Kansas State Capitol, Topeka. Governor Sam Brownback, DCF Secretary Phyllis Gilmore, foster parents and a young adult formerly in foster care addressed attendees. Governor Brownback also signed a proclamation designating May as Foster Care Month.
“We need more foster parents,” Governor Brownback said. “We’ve got great foster parents, but we need more of them. We have a lot of foster children—children who need homes. We need your home to open up and receive them. We need that, and they need that.”
The campaign will launch in three phases this year. The first phase, which will fully launch May 15, includes a website designed to centralize the foster care process, and make it easier for families to being their foster care journey.
The website, www.fosterkskids.org, will feature a live-chat function, where individuals can get their questions answered by a foster care professional, in real time. The next phase of the website, scheduled to launch between June and August, will host a foster parent blog, where current foster families can share their experience with fostering, and connect with interested audiences.
“Every year, we observe national Foster Care Month in May, to call attention to the need for foster families,” Secretary Gilmore said. “There is always a need to become an important person in the life of a child.”
The foster care campaign will also feature a new commercial, set to begin airing in mid-May.
Currently, there are nearly 7,000 children in foster care in Kansas. Jennifer Johnson and her husband, Alan, have fostered Kansas children for six years. They understand the growing need to provide children coming into care a stable, temporary environment. Johnson shared her experience fostering children, and offered what she’s learned along with way.
“I think that’s the most important part when people asked me, “Why are you a foster parent?” Well, because of the kids, of course, and the lessons I’ve learned, fostering on and being successful even in the middle of a disruption. So, while Alan and I became foster parents to change the lives of kids, you know what, those kids changed our lives,” Johnson said.
To learn more about how you can become a foster parent, visit www.fosterkskids.org.
By STEPHEN KORANDA
Attorneys for two convicted murderers argued this week that the Kansas Supreme Court should overturn their death sentences.
Jonathan and Reginald Carr were sentenced to death for the 2000 murders of four people in Wichita.
Sarah Ellen Johnson, an attorney representing Jonathan Carr, called the original proceedings 15 years ago “filled” with errors to the point where it wasn’t a fair trial.
“Did the accumulation of errors have any effect on the jurors’ verdict? I don’t see how it couldn’t have,” she said.
Attorney Debra Wilson argued that one of the errors blocked Reginald Carr from offering a complete defense.
“How reliable is a sentence of death from a jury that wasn’t given access to the information?” Wilson asked.
Attorneys for both brothers pointed to the fact that they were tried and sentenced together as one of the problems. However, David Lowden, arguing for the state of Kansas, said the issues in question would not have affected the outcome.
“Any error … pales in comparison to the strength of the evidence,” Lowden said.
Sedgwick County District Attorney Marc Bennett said some of the alleged problems at the trial were not actually errors at the time. He said legal precedent has changed.
This is the latest step in a long legal battle. The state Supreme Court previously overturned the death sentences, but they were later reinstated by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Bennett said the long time frame is to make sure the process is careful and accurate.
“It is a slow process by design. I don’t think that there is a fast track to the death chamber,” Bennett said.
The case also became a campaign issue in last year’s judicial retention elections.
Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio, and kcur.org, partners in the Kansas News Service.
SHAWNEE COUNTY – A Kansas High Patrol trooper was injured in an accident just before 5:30 Friday in Shawnee County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2016 Dodge Charger driven by Natasha McCurdy, 22, Lebo, was southbound on U.S. 75 just south of Topeka Boulevard.
The driver lost control of the vehicle. It left the road to the right and overturned.
McCurdy was transported to St. Francis Hospital.
She was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
SUMNER COUNTY – A Kansas man avoided injury when an airplane stalled just after 6:30p.m. Friday in Sumner County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Europa-Classic piloted by Danny C. Lacoss, 66, Mulvane, was attempting to land when the air speed got too low.
The fixed wing, single engine aircraft stalled on final approach, entered an uncontrollable descent, and struck the ground.
Lacoss was the only person on the aircraft. He was not injured.
No additional details were released late Friday.
KDA
MANHATTAN — The Kansas Department of Agriculture is seeking individuals to participate in Petfood Forum China in Shanghai, China, from August 21-27, 2017. This conference will allow the representatives to explore export opportunities, conduct market research, and begin to establish a network of contacts to help Kansas small businesses in the pet food and pet care market.
The pet food sector contributes approximately $2.53 billion annually to the Kansas economy, and supports more than 1,900 jobs in Kansas. “The pet food industry is a growing sector in the Kansas agriculture industry,” said Kansas Secretary of Agriculture Jackie McClaskey. “There is great potential for small businesses in Kansas to achieve growth through strategic efforts to explore the pet food export market.”
Petfood Forum China is a one-day premier networking and educational conference for global pet food manufacturing industry professionals held in conjunction with Pet Fair Asia, one of the largest pet product trade shows in the world. Participants will meet with the industry’s leading suppliers of pet products. KDA plans to take a group of five representatives of Kansas companies within the pet food industry.
Attendance at Petfood Forum China is supported by a State Trade Expansion Program (STEP) grant, funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, which helps Kansas non-exporters get started and existing exporters to export more. Since the grant’s inception in 2012, more than 30 Kansas small businesses have participated and achieved $9.2 million in actual export sales.
Companies in the pet food industry which meet the Small Business Administration’s definition of a small or medium-sized business are invited to apply to participate. Interested individuals should complete the application forms available on the KDA website at agriculture.ks.gov/International. Applications are due by June 2, 2017. For more information, contact KDA agribusiness development director Lynne Hinrichsen at [email protected] or (785) 564-6757.
SALINE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a suspect for DUI and other charges after a domestic dispute.
Just before 4p.m. Thursday, deputies were called to the 100 block of Mill in New Cambria after report of a domestic disturbance, according to the Saline County Sheriff’s Department.
A man identified as Kevin Sheffield, 50, allegedly threw a beer bottle at a woman and then attempted to run over her with a vehicle.
He fled the scene but a Saline County Sheriff’s Deputy caught up with him near Salina.
Sheffield was arrested and faces charges of transporting an open container, possession of marijuana, driving under the influence, aggravated assault and domestic battery charges, according to the sheriff’s department.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Four men charged in a triple homicide in Topeka will have a joint preliminary hearing.
KSNT reports a Shawnee County judge on Friday agreed to allow one preliminary hearing to determine if one or all of the suspects will be tried.
The four are charged with first-degree murder and various other counts in the March deaths of 29-year-old Luke Davis, 38-year-old Nicole Fisher and 19-year-old Matthew Leavitt.
Thirty-four-year-old Joseph Krahn is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in all three deaths. Nineteen-year-old Shane Mays is charged with two counts of first-degree murder in Fisher’s and Leavitt’s deaths. And 33-year-old Brian Flowers and 30-year old Joseph Lowry are each charged with one count of first-degree murder in Leavitt’s death.
The preliminary hearing is scheduled July 11-13.
