Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson-photo Kansas Dpt. of Education
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Education Commissioner Randy Watson says the state needs to double the percentage of students who earn college degrees or training certificates in order to compete in the changing economy.
Commissioner Randy Watson says a national report found that 72 percent of the jobs in Kansas by 2020 will require some level of post-secondary education.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports data from the National Student Clearinghouse found only about 65 percent of Kansas high school graduates in 2010 enrolled in college the following year. Six years after graduation, fewer than 40 percent had earned any kind of degree or training certificate.
Watson spoke this past week to a joint meeting of Kansas Senate and House education committees, which will help write a new school funding formula this year.
LINN COUNTY – A Kansas deputy was injured in an accident after a crash during a police pursuit just after 12p.m. on Saturday in Linn County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Mitsubishi Galant driven by Kevin S. Gedrose, 28, Garnet, was fleeing from police east bound on 2400th Road three miles northwest of Parker.
The driver ran the stop sign at Devlin Road and hit a 2014 Ford Explorer driven by Linn County Deputy Tanner Shane Ogden, 38, Pleasanton, that was northbound on Develin Road.
Ogden was transported to Overland Park Regional Medical Center.
Gedrose refused transport for treatment.
Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
Details on what prompted the chase and possible charges were not available.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — A Hutchinson man pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter in a collision that killed an 80-year-old man.
Twenty-five-year-old Everette Hardy entered the plea Friday in the May 2016 death of John Johnson, also of Hutchinson.
Johnson died in a Wichita hospital 23 days after the accident.
A Kansas Highway Patrol trooper testified during a Jan. 23 preliminary hearing that Hardy accelerated seconds before reaching the intersection to try and beat oncoming traffic and slammed into Johnson’s pickup at about 45 mph.
TOPEKA — State Fire Marshal Doug Jorgensen and his staff remind all Kansans this Sunday, March 12, is the day to “Change Your Clocks, Change Your Batteries.” By routinely changing the batteries in smoke detectors at the same time they adjust their clocks for daylight savings time, Kansans can safeguard the lives of their loved ones.
“Your risk of dying in a fire is greatly reduced when your home is equipped with working smoke alarms,” said Jorgensen. “Having smoke alarms with dead batteries is no different than having no smoke alarms at all. Those with smoke alarms with alkaline batteries need to change out those batteries at least once a year.”
This is also a good time to check the manufacture date of smoke alarms. All smoke alarms manufactured more than 10 years ago should be replaced as sensors in smoke alarms diminish over time. To check the manufacture date, remove the smoke alarm from the wall or ceiling and look for the printed manufacture date on the back.
For those replacing smoke alarms, the State Fire Marshal recommends alarms with sealed, 10-year lithium batteries or, better, having all smoke alarms hard-wired and interconnected so when one sounds, they all sound.
Those without working smoke alarms can contact their local fire departments to ask about getting free units installed. The Office of the State Fire Marshal’s Get Alarmed Kansas program, plus the American Red Cross, offer free smoke alarms to fire departments across the state to install in the homes of any resident who needs one. The Get Alarmed Kansas program even offers free alarms for those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing.
Reports submitted to the Kansas Fire Incident Reporting System highlight an ongoing issue with smoke alarms in home fires. Even in residences with smoke alarms present they often do not work. In 2015, only 18% of reported home fires had a working smoke alarm. A working smoke alarm significantly increases your chances of surviving a deadly home fire.
To protect your home, follow these smoke alarm safety tips:
* Install smoke alarms in every bedroom, outside each sleeping area and on every level of your home, including in the basement.
* Smoke alarms with non-replaceable (long-life) batteries are designed to remain effective for up to 10 years. If the alarm chirps, warning that the battery is low, replace the entire smoke alarm right away.
* For smoke alarms with any other type of battery, replace batteries at least once a year.
If that alarm chirps, replace only the battery. Date each unit when they are installed and replace them after ten years – or sooner if they don’t successfully pass the test by sounding the alarm when the Test button is pressed.
In addition to changing smoke alarm batteries, it is also a good idea to practice a family escape plan:
* Plan and practice two escape routes out of every room in your house.
* Designate an outside meeting place.
* In case of fire, call 9-1-1 once you are safely outside your home.
* Once outside, stay outside and don’t return for anything – not even a pet.
RILEY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Riley County are investigating a report of skimmers at multiple gas station in Manhattan.
The device is placed over credit and debit card readers to illegally obtain information.
Police reported on social media they were unsure if there are other, undiscovered skimmers. They urged residents to consider paying inside instead of at the pump this weekend.
They also reminded citizens to check your accounts regularly for fraudulent activity.
Since 2015, skimmers have been reported on bank ATMs in Wichita, Salina and in Finney County.
Officials pulled Anderson’s car from the river on Friday-photo courtesy KCTV
PARKVILLE, Mo. (AP) — Kansas City police say a car pulled from the Missouri River belonged to a missing Wichita woman and a female body was inside the car.
Capt. Stacey Graves couldn’t confirm the body discovered Friday evening was that of 20-year-old Toni Anderson, who’s been missing since Jan. 15.
But Graves said the car found in the river near Parkville was Anderson’s. She said a medical examiner will positively identify the body and determine a cause of death.
Police say Anderson, a student at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, was last seen after she left her job early Jan. 15.
Anderson -courtesy photo
A police officer pulled her over for a traffic violation then watched Anderson drive to a nearby QuikTrip to get gas for her car. She was alone at the time.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita, Kansas, man has been convicted of murder and child abuse in the 2015 death of her then-girlfriend’s 17-month-old daughter.
KAKE-TV reports that a Sedgwick County jury found 22-year-old Michael Ross guilty of second-degree intentional murder and the alternative first-degree murder charge. The prosecutor’s office says in a statement that a judge now is required to sentence Ross on the first-degree murder conviction because it’s the most severe.
Grace Harris died at a hospital in November 2015. A coroner determined she died of blunt-force trauma to her head and neck.
Police said hospital staff found bruises and bite marks on the girl’s body, swelling and bleeding of her brain and a fractured leg.
Ross has previously told police that the child sustained the injuries in a fall.
Ron Barrett-Gonzalez, an aerospace engineering professor at the University of Kansas, displays a model of a rocket he brought to show legislators an example of incendiary material he works with in his lab. ANDY MARSO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
By ANDY MARSO
Kansas public colleges will have to allow firearms on their campuses starting in July. But they’re still battling with the gun lobby over how people should be allowed to carry their guns.
In preparation for the law mandating concealed carry on campuses, the colleges have proposed some restrictions. For example, people carrying a semi-automatic weapon on campuses would not be allowed to keep a round in the chamber.
But the National Rifle Association wants the Legislature to pass House Bill 2220, which would wipe out any restrictions colleges enact when it comes to owning, possessing, storing, carrying or transporting concealed guns.
Representatives of the NRA and the Kansas State Rifle Association were the only ones to testify for the bill at a hearing Thursday.
They said some of the colleges’ proposed regulations are overly restrictive and people need to be able to carry weapons unfettered in order to protect themselves on campuses.
Students, faculty members and Kansas Board of Regents Chairwoman Zoe Newton testified against the bill, saying colleges should be able to make rules to reduce the risk of accidental shootings.
Rep. Vic Miller, a Democrat from Topeka, said he thought both sides were being overly dramatic.
“The idea that because you can carry on campus you now have this grand protection you didn’t have before is highly exaggerated,” Miller said. “The flip side is, no I don’t believe that because you’re now allowed to carry that any significant percentage of students are going to.”
Miller said that because concealed carry on campuses will only be allowed for people who are 21 and over, it won’t apply to the majority of students. Other states that have allowed concealed carry on campuses have seen few problems or benefits, he said.
Rep. Stephanie Clayton, a Republican from Overland Park, said she thought the bill was retaliation against the colleges for pushing legislation to repeal concealed carryon campuses.
But Rep. Blake Carpenter, a Republican from Derby who introduced HB 2220, said that wasn’t the case.
The repeal effort stalled last month with an 11-11 vote of the House Federal and State Affairs Committee.
Rep. John Barker, a Republican from Abilene who chairs the committee, said he has no timeline for a vote on HB 2220.
Under the law that goes into effect in July, colleges and the University of Kansas Medical Center will be able to ban guns only in buildings where all public entrances are secured with metal detectors and armed guards. The medical center has said that would be too expensive.
During Thursday’s hearing, Ron Barrett-Gonzalez, an aerospace engineering professor at the University of Kansas, said a lab where he works contains incendiary materials. The lab already is outfitted with metal detectors, but he agreed that hiring guards would be cost-prohibitive.
Andy Marso is a reporter for the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of kcur.org, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics in Kansas. You can reach him on Twitter @andymarso.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas appellate court says a man convicted of assault and weapons charges deserves a new trial because his trial judge fell asleep during testimony.
The Kansas City Star reports the Kansas Court of Appeals on Friday threw out Daquantrius Johnson’s 2014 convictions.
According to the ruling, a juror noticed that Sedgwick County District Judge Ben Burgess had fallen asleep and asked a bailiff whether Johnson could get a fair trial. The bailiff passed that comment on to Burgess, who later told jurors they alone would decide the case and that no attorneys indicated his nodding off affected his decisions.
Burgess asked Johnson’s attorney if he wanted to request a mistrial. That lawyer declined.
A message Friday with Burgess by The Associated Press wasn’t immediately returned.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita State University has agreed to pay a $98,578 fine for mishandling hazardous wastes.
The university said Friday in a news release that its agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency stems from violations found during an inspection in 2014. The problems were corrected that same year.
Those violations included failure to conduct a hazardous waste determination, operation of a hazardous waste facility without a permit and failure to meet disposal and used oil storage requirements.
As part of the agreement, Wichita State has also agreed to do environmental projects for the university and Wichita public schools.
The projects include the purchases of hazardous material computer inventory systems for the university and the local school district.
JACKSON COUNTY -Law enforcement authorities in northeast Kansas are investigating to suspects on drug charges.
Just after 11am Thursday, Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputies conducted a traffic stop on a 2002 Mitsubishi Diamante near 4th and Arizona in Holton, according to a media release.
The driver Garrett Michael Collins, 31, and passenger Brandon Michael Scrimsher, 38, both of Topeka were taken into custody on drug charges.
Items including drug paraphernalia and substances believed to be methamphetamine were seized during the investigation.
Collins was booked into the Jackson County Jail on the following charges: possession of methamphetamine, with intent to distribute, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of marijuana and driving while suspended. Bond on Collins was set at
Scrimsher-photo Jackson Co.
$25,000.00 cash only.
Scrimsher was booked into the Jackson County Jail on the following charges: possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia. Bond on Scrimsher was set at $ 2,500.00.
Scrimsher has a previous conviction for giving a worthless check in Shawnee County.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has ruled in favor of two men who were charged with aggravated battery but said they were acting in self-defense in stabbing or shooting others.
The high court’s ruling Friday rejected a tougher rule for determining when someone can avoid prosecution under the state’s 2006 “Stand Your Ground” law.
The Kansas Court of Appeals had ruled in each case that when someone seeks to avoid prosecution on self-defense grounds, a trial-court judge must view evidence in the light most favorable for the prosecution in deciding whether a case goes to trial.
The Supreme Court said the judge must weigh evidence impartially.
Marlon T. Hardy was charged after a 2013 shooting in Wichita. Dustin Alex Evans also was charged in 2013 after a stabbing in Overland Park.
RILEY COUNTY- A Kansas woman was injured in an accident just after 10a.m. on Thursday in Riley County.
Police in Manhattan reported a Cadillac passenger vehicle driven by Kelley Goss, 54, White City, was traveling on Fort Riley Blvd. and Miller Parkway.
She lost control of the car. It veered off the road and struck an occupied residence, according to police.
There were no injuries to those inside the home.
Goss was transported to the hospital in Manhattan. No citations were issued at the scene of the accident, according to police.
The homeowner thanked police and other first responders who “went above and beyond” to help his kids calm down and feel secure following the crash. He said he was incredibly grateful for amazing people who made a horrible situation much easier to deal with.”
