WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man who used a stolen identity to take out a $43,000 car loan was sentenced Monday to 45 months in federal prison, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.
Jacob Michael Martin, 32, Wichita, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft.
In his plea, Martin admitted he used another man’s identity when he went to CarMax and applied for a loan to buy a 2012 Jaguar. As a result, Wells Fargo Bank issued a loan of $43,599.47 in the victim’s name. Martin presented a counterfeit Kansas driver’s license with his own picture and the name of the victim. He also gave the lender the victim’s Social Security number.
Martin is one of 13 people charged in an indictment filed in May 2016 alleging the conspirators worked together to steal mail from mailboxes, forge identification documents, obtain fraudulent credit cards and shop with stolen identities.
TOPEKA — Kansas Securities Commissioner Josh Ney has issued a cease and desist order and notice of intent to impose administrative actions against ABM Management, Inc. and Chad Walker Brooks for alleged violations of the Kansas Uniform Securities Act (KUSA). ABM Management, Inc. is a Washington corporation that was also previously formed in Nevada, however both organizations have since expired.
The cease and desist order alleges that Brooks, whose last known residence was in the Republic of Panama, violated the KUSA by operating as an unregistered investment adviser in the state of Kansas since at least 1998. Brooks has also been associated with a company named Investment Management Consulting, Inc. and an investment portfolio business called AMCAP Premier, LP.
The Kansas Securities Commissioner urges any individuals that have had dealings with Chad Walker Brooks or ABM Management, Inc., to contact the Office of the Securities Commissioner at (785) 296-3307 or email [email protected].
The violations listed in the order are allegations at this point in time. Brooks and ABM have the opportunity to request a hearing on the matter within 30 days after service of the order.
WICHITA -In addition to a visit by Texas Senator Ted Cruz , President Donald Trump stepped into a special congressional race in Kansas by recording a call urging prospective voters to cast their ballots for Republican candidate Ron Estes.
The Associated Press obtained a recording of the call Monday as the Estes campaign started using it ahead of Tuesday’s election.
The recording was provided by a person close to the campaign who didn’t want to be identified because the recording was released ahead of an official announcement. The person said it was recorded over the weekend.
Trump said in the call: “Republican Ron Estes needs your vote and needs it badly.”
Estes is in a tougher-than-expected race in the 4th Congressional District of southern Kansas against Democrat James Thompson. They’re seeking to replace Mike Pompeo after Trump named Pompeo CIA director.
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WICHITA— Texas Sen. Ted Cruz appeared in Kansas Monday to campaign for Republican candidate Ron Estes ahead of Tuesday’s special congressional election.
Cruz appeared with the candidate during a Monday afternoon rally at Yingling Aviation.
Estes is the state treasurer and he’s running to replace Mike Pompeo after Pompeo’s appointment as CIA director.
The Democratic candidate is civil rights attorney James Thompson. Flight simulator instructor Chris Rockhold is running as a Libertarian.
Cruz won the state’s presidential caucuses last year. Estes initially backed Florida Sen. Marco Rubio but is a longtime Republican activist.
The 4th Congressional District of south-central Kansas includes Barber, Butler, Chautauqua, Comanche, Cowley, Edwards, Elk, Greenwood, Harper, Harvey, Kingman, Kiowa, Pratt, Sedgwick, Stafford, and Sumner and a portion of Pawnee County. The largest city in the district is Wichita.
LYON COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Lyon County are investigating a stabbing and asking for help to find a suspect.
Just after 5:30 a.m. on March 28, sheriff’s deputies responded to the 200 block of E Hwy 99 in Olpe, Kansas for a report of a stabbing.
Upon arrival, deputies located Rick Hammond, 52, Olpe had been cut after confronting a man in his garage, according to a media release.
Tyler McCarley, 31, is wanted in connection with the attack, according the Lyon County Sheriff’s Department.
McCarley is wanted for aggravated burglary and aggravated battery. He is believed to be from the Hutchison and has ties to Madison, KS and Kiowa and Ford Counties and Oklahoma.
McCarley was last seen driving a black 2002 Chevrolet mid-sized, extended cab pickup with Oklahoma tags.
McCarley should be considered armed and dangerous.
Anyone with any other information on the location of this suspect, please call your local law enforcement agency or the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office at 620-341-3205 or Crime Stoppers at 620-342-2273.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – After four years at the top of the Airline Quality Rating, Virgin America slipped to third in 2016, and the airline it announced a merger with last year – Alaska Airlines – has finished No. 1, with Delta coming in at a close second, according to the 27th annual Airline Quality Rating (AQR), released Monday, April 10 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C.
A joint research project funded as part of faculty research activities at the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott, Arizona, campus, the most recent AQR also showed that industry performance improved in all four core elements tracked by the study: on-time performance, rate of involuntary denied boardings, rate of mishandled bags and the rate of customer complaints.
Nine of the 12 airlines improved in three categories (on-time, baggage handling and customer complaints), and seven of the 12 airlines improved in all four categories. Airlines that performed better in 2016 were Alaska, American, Delta, ExpressJet, Frontier, SkyWest, Southwest, Spirit and United. Those whose scores declined in 2016 were Hawaiian, JetBlue and Virgin America.
“The best-ever overall industry AQR score is largely due to best-ever performance in the rate of involuntary denied boardings and the rate of mishandled bags,” said Dean Headley, associate professor of marketing at the W. Frank Barton School of Business at Wichita State University. “Air travel is great again – that statement can be followed with a period, exclamation point or question mark depending on the individual’s perspective.”
In April 2016, Seattle-based Alaska Air Group publicly announced it would be acquiring Virgin America in 2017 to form the nation’s fifth-largest airline. The 2016 Department of Transportation (DOT) data used in the study listed the airlines as separate entities.
“These results provide a rare insight into the airline merger arena. We have a carrier, Alaska, that wanted to improve performance, began improvement plans before any merger announcement, and is currently taking over the top performer, Virgin America. Going from fifth to first is rare, but a devoted corporate resolve can make that happen,” said study co-researcher Brent Bowen, dean of College of Aviation at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Prescott, Arizona, campus. “Delta, for example, has been recovering from merger complications for several years and has climbed its way back to be a close contender for No. 1. It will be interesting to see if Alaska / Virgin America can avoid the common post-merger decline in performance. If combined they can stay at No. 1, it will be a significant departure from the past.”
An electronic version of the full report, with details on each airline, is available at airlinequalityrating.com. Also at the website is a new feature where passengers can provide information and comments about their personal flying experiences via the 2017 Airline Passenger Survey.
Inside this year’s rating
Below is the 2016 numerical ranking of the nation’s leading 12 airlines, according to the Airline Quality Rating, with the 2015 ranking in parentheses:
1. Alaska (5)
2. Delta (3)
3. Virgin America (1)
4. JetBlue (2)
5. Hawaiian (4)
6. Southwest (6)
7. SkyWest (7)
8. United (8)
9. American (10)
10. ExpressJet (9)
11. Spirit (13)
12. Frontier (11)
NOTE: The 2015 rating included 13 airlines. Envoy is not rated in 2016.
On-time performance
Hawaiian Airlines had the best on-time performance (91.1 percent) for 2016, and Spirit had the worst (74.3 percent).
Nine airlines improved their on-time arrival performance in 2016. Six of the 12 airlines rated had an on-time arrival percentage of better than 80 percent. On-time performance for the industry in 2016 was 81.4 percent, compared to 79.9 percent in 2015.
Involuntary denied boardings
Hawaiian and Delta were the industry leaders in avoiding involuntary denied boarding incidents in 2016 with a rate of 0.05 and 0.10 per 10,000 passengers, respectively. ExpressJet (1.51) had the highest involuntary denied boarding rate per 10,000 passengers.
Seven airlines improved their denied boarding rate in 2016. SkyWest recorded the greatest improvement.
Overall, the industry had 0.62 denied boardings per 10,000 passengers in 2016, compared to 0.76 in 2015. This is the best rate since the AQR started in 1991.
Baggage handling
Virgin America had the best baggage handling rate (1.03 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers) of all airlines, and ExpressJet had the worst baggage handling rate (4.31 mishandled bags per 1,000 passengers).
Nine airlines had improved mishandled baggage rates in 2016. The industry rate decreased from 3.24 per 1,000 passengers in 2015 to 2.70 in 2016. This is the best rate since the AQR started in 1991.
Consumer complaints
Southwest had the lowest consumer complaint rate (0.47 per 100,000 passengers) of all airlines. Spirit had the highest consumer complaint rate (6.74 per 100,000 passengers).
Customer complaints per 100,000 passengers decreased from 1.90 in 2015 to 1.52 in 2016. The majority of complaints (73.5 percent) to the DOT were for flight problems (41.4 percent), baggage (12.0 percent), customer service (10.5 percent), and reservations, ticketing and boarding (9.6 percent).
More about the Airline Quality Rating
As the nation’s longest-running study of airline performance quality, the Airline Quality Rating (airlinequalityrating.com) sets the industry standard, providing consumers and industry watchers with a means to compare performance quality among airlines using objective performance-based data.
No other study in the country is based on performance measures like the AQR. Criteria included in the report are screened to meet two basic elements: They must be readily obtainable from published data sources for each airline, and they must be important to consumers regarding airline quality. The resulting criteria include areas such as baggage handling, customer complaints, denied boardings and on-time arrivals.
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A former federal prison guard was sentenced Monday to three years in federal prison for taking bribes to smuggle tobacco to inmates, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.
Marc Buckner, 47, Kansas City, pleaded guilty to one count of a public official accepting bribes. In his plea, he admitted the crimes occurred while he worked as a guard at Leavenworth Penitentiary. Buckner said he was paid each time he smuggled tobacco into the prison. He hid tobacco and rolling papers in two handmade insoles in his shoes.
Inmates paid Buckner $750 for each can of Bugler brand tobacco and rolling papers he smuggled. He said he smuggled tobacco once or twice a month for years.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — The number of mumps cases at Kansas State University is now up to 15 since February.
The Manhattan Mercury (https://bit.ly/2plAGFS ) reports that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is recommending that people in close contact to others diagnosed with mumps receive a third dose of the vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella. The recommendation is based on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s outbreak control guidance.
The university says that three students were diagnosed in February, forcing the school to consider the situation an “outbreak.”
The CDC says that some of the symptoms for the illness include fever, exhaustion and swollen salivary glands under the ears. Mumps is an airborne virus that can be spread by sneezing and coughing.
Riley County Health Department director Jennifer Green says health agencies continue to identify and contact those who may face increased risk.
Supporters of Medicaid expansion in Kansas say the financial plight of several Kansas hospitals, including St. Francis Health in Topeka, is adding urgency to the issue. They plan another attempt at overriding Gov. Sam Brownback’s veto of the bill. FILE PHOTO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
By JIM MCLEAN & MEG WINGERTER
Advocates of expanding Medicaid eligibility are planning a second attempt to override Gov. Sam Brownback’s veto of an expansion bill when lawmakers return in May to wrap up the 2017 session.
“The issue of expanding KanCare is too important to Kansans not to make another attempt to address this issue before the session ends,” said David Jordan, director of the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas coalition. “We see tremendous energy from supporters to find a solution this session. So, we’re going to exhaust all options possible to try to find a way to move forward.”
KanCare, the state’s privatized Medicaid program, currently covers approximately 425,000 Kansans, mostly children in low-income families, people with disabilities and low-income elderly Kansans who need nursing home care.
The expansion bill would extend coverage to an estimated 180,000 additional Kansans, mainly low-income adults.
The financial plight of several Kansas hospitals is adding urgency to the expansion issue.
SCL Health, the Denver-based Catholic health care organization that operates St. Francis Health in Topeka, has been seeking a buyer for the 378-bed hospital for almost a year. Multiple sources say the state’s rejection of Medicaid expansion is complicating negotiations with potential buyers.
Brian Newsome, spokesman for SCL Health, said he couldn’t comment on the status of those negotiations or the possibility that the hospital would close if a buyer can’t be found.
“Since this exploration began last year, we have been committed to a thoughtful and deliberate process, and that work continues,” he said in an email. “In the meantime, we remain resolutely focused on providing the quality, compassionate care for which St. Francis has become recognized.”
Any new owner would have to contend with a difficult financial situation. St. Francis Health lost money from 2012 to 2015, the most recent year with available tax filings. In 2015, its losses reached $12.5 million.
Expansion would generate an additional $9.9 million for the hospital in 2019, according to the Kansas Hospital Association.
Rep. Adam Lusker, a Democrat from Frontenac, said a hospital in his district also is at risk if the state doesn’t expand KanCare and start drawing down additional federal Medicaid dollars.
“The financial challenges we’re facing are very significant,” he said, confirming that the city of Wellington recently had to back the hospital’s request for a $300,000 line of credit from a local bank.
In addition to staging a series of town-hall meetings in the districts of lawmakers thought to be swing votes, advocates are discussing possible changes to the Medicaid expansion bill in an effort to gain the handful of votes they need. Those could include adding a work requirement and language to ensure that no expansion dollars go to Planned Parenthood.
“We’re going to continue to work on it,” said Tom Bell, president and CEO of the hospital association.
Brownback cited the cost of expansion and the fact that it would extend health care benefits to “able-bodied” adults while thousands of Kansans with disabilities continued to wait for support services as reasons for vetoing the bill.
Jim McLean and Meg Wingerter are reporters for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of kcur.org, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics in Kansas.
Officers on the scene of Sunday’s fatal domestic disturbance -photo courtesy Wichita Police Chief Gordon Ramsay
SEDGWICK COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Sedgwick County are investigating the Sunday murder 0f a woman and have a suspect in custody.
Just after 1:30 p.m. Sunday, police responded to a 911 call from a 9-year-old boy who reported an assault at a home in the 1400 Block of west Rita in Wichita, according to Lt. Todd Ojile during Monday’s online media briefing.
Officers were unable to get anyone to answer the door of the home.
Upon entering the garage, they found the decapitated body of the victim identified as Micki Davis, 63, Wichita, according to Ojile.
Officers found the 35-year-old suspect Rachel Christina Hilyard, hiding in the residence.
Hilyard- photo KDOC
The investigation revealed the victim and her 9-year-old grandson had gone to the home to obtain property that belonged to her son.
The suspect used a knife in the attack. The boy grabbed a cell phone from the victim’s truck and called 911 as he ran from the scene.
BARTON COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Barton County are investigating a wanted suspect after an arrest on various outstanding warrants.
On April 7, deputies in Barton County learned that Eliseo Valasco, Jr. 28, Great Bend, was at a residence in the 5900 block of Eisenhower Avenue, according to a media release.
They executed a search warrant at the home and arrested Velasco without incident. He is being held in the Barton County jail on $75,000 bond for five outstanding warrants.
He also has previous drug distribution convictions in Barton County, according the Kansas Department of Corrections.
Monday’s swearing in ceremony -photo courtesy White House
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on the swearing-in of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court (all times local):
11:16 a.m.
President Donald Trump is praising new Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch during a public White House ceremony. He says Gorsuch will rule “not on his personal preferences but based on a fair and objective reading of the law.” In a Rose Garden ceremony, Trump says in Gorsuch, Americans see “a man who is deeply faithful to the Constitution of the United States.” The president is predicting Gorsuch will go down as “one of the truly great justices” in the court’s history.
The 49-year-old appeals court judge from Colorado was sworn in during the ceremony by Justice Anthony Kennedy, for whom he once served as a law clerk.
The president noted that the successful nomination came during his first 100 days in office.
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9:25 a.m.
Surrounded by family and his future colleagues, Neil Gorsuch has taken the first of two oaths as he prepares to take his place as the 113th justice of the Supreme Court.
The 49-year-old appeals court judge from Colorado is being sworn in Monday after a bruising fight that saw Republicans change the rules for approving Supreme Court picks – over the fierce objection of Democrats.
The first ceremony took place privately in the Justices’ Conference Room, with Chief Justice John Roberts administering the oath required by the Constitution.
That will be followed by a public White House ceremony, where Justice Anthony Kennedy is to administer the oath set by federal law.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Judge Neil Gorsuch is about to take his place as the newest Supreme Court justice.
The 49-year-old appeals court judge from Colorado is to be sworn in after a bruising fight that saw Republicans change rules for approving Supreme Court picks over the fierce objection of Democrats.
First up is a private ceremony at the court, with Chief Justice John Roberts administering the constitutional oath. That’s followed by a public ceremony at the White House, where Justice Anthony Kennedy will swear him in.
Gorsuch will be seated just in time to hear one of the biggest cases of the term — a religious rights dispute over a Missouri law that bars churches from receiving public funds for general aid programs.
Law enforcement on the scene of the fatal accident, photo courtesy KCTV
LENEXA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities in Lenexa are identifying two teenagers killed when the vehicle in which they were riding slammed into a tree shortly after the driver refused to stop for police.
Police say 15-year-old Isaiah Stroble and 13-year-old Angelito Espinosa died in the accident about 5 a.m. Sunday. Both victims were from Kansas City, Kansas.
Seven other people were injured.
Officer Danny Chavez says an officer noticed a vehicle driving without headlights and tried to stop it, but the driver didn’t stop. The officer allowed the vehicle to go, but found the crash site a short time later.
Police say the investigation continues.
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LENEXA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say a 13-year-old and a 15-year-old died and seven other teens were injured when their vehicle slammed into a tree shortly after the driver refused to stop for police.
The Kansas City Star reports the crash happened around 5 a.m. Sunday in Lenexa, Kansas.
Officer Danny Chavez says an officer noticed a vehicle driving without headlights and tried to stop it, but the driver didn’t stop. The officer allowed the vehicle to go, but found the crash site a short time later.
The driver and front passenger both died. Seven others, who all appear to be teens, were taken to hospitals for treatment of their injuries.
Authorities are still working on identifying all of the people who were in the car, so their names were not immediately released.
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LENEXA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities say two teenagers died and seven others were injured when their vehicle slammed into a tree shortly after the driver refused to stop for a police officer.
The Kansas City Star reports the crash happened around 5 a.m. Sunday in Lenexa, Kansas.
Officer Danny Chavez says an officer noticed the vehicle driving without headlights and tried to pull it over, but the driver didn’t stop. The officer allowed the vehicle to go, but found the crash site a short time later.
The driver and front passenger both died. Seven others, who all appear to be teens, were taken to hospitals for treatment of their injuries.
Authorities are still working on identifying all of the people who were in the car, so their names were not immediately released.
