BROWN COUNTY -A Kansas man was sentenced this week for the serious beating of a two-year-old child.
Frank Lee Rodriguez, 25, Hiawatha, was found guilty after a bench trial in January.
On Monday a Brown County judge ordered Rodriguez to serve 52 months for aggravated battery, and an additional 34 months for felony abuse of a child, for a total sentence of more than seven years, according to the county attorney’s office.
Rodriguez originally denied hitting the child. He ultimately told Hiawatha police he got upset when the girl was not eating. He said he slammed her onto the floor and punched her in the head.
The child sustained severe head injuries in the beating on August 26, 2016.
A large crowd attended a busy Lawrence city commission meeting on Tuesday
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Lawrence will officially be a welcoming city for immigrants but the city commission stopped short of using the term sanctuary city.
The commission on Tuesday approved a proclamation that Lawrence is an inclusive community that values immigrants.
The proclamation also says the safety of all people should be protected.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports commissioners said the term “sanctuary city” wasn’t used because of executive orders from President Donald Trump and potential state
legislation that could threaten millions of dollars of federal and state funding if Lawrence declared itself a sanctuary city.
Commissioners also approved five other recommendations, including authorizing staff to write letters of opposition to the pending state legislation, discussing the city’s position with interested agencies and co-sponsoring a presentation on immigration law with the University of Kansas.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on wildfires burning in Kansas.
4:15 p.m.
A massive grass fire raging in two Kansas counties has set a state record for the biggest involving a single blaze.
Kansas Division of Emergency Management spokeswoman Katie Horner says an estimated 861 square miles of land have been blackened in Comanche and Clark counties as of Wednesday. The 625 square miles charred in Clark County is about 85 percent of that county’s land.
Horner says the previous record came last year, with the Anderson Creek fire consuming 488 square miles of land in Barber and Comanche counties.
Horner says that since Saturday, large grassfires have been reported in 23 Kansas counties, consuming more than 1,000 square miles.
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TOPEKA -More than 659,000 acres in the state have burned so far during the course of multiple wildfires that have plagued Kansas since March 4, causing one death and destroying numerous homes and other buildings.
Clark and Comanche Counties have been the hardest hit, with estimated 351,000 acres and 151,000 acres affected, respectively, according to The Kansas Division of Emergency Management news release. Complete damage estimates may take several weeks.
In addition to property destruction, the fires have killed an unknown number of livestock in several counties. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment Bureau of Waste Management is providing guidance to livestock owners for the disposal of dead animals. For information, go to the KDHE website (kdheks.gov/waste/p_techguides.html) or call Ken Powell (785) 296-1121.
The Kansas Division of Emergency Management urges anyone wishing to contribute to ongoing disaster relief efforts to donate cash to disaster relief organizations rather than donating goods. KDEM recommends Kansans donating to reputable disaster relief organizations of their choice or local organizations within the affected communities.
The State Emergency Operations Center in Topeka will remain staffed 24/7 until further notice. State agencies supporting the emergency response operations include the Kansas Division of Emergency Management; Kansas National Guard; Kansas Department of Agriculture; Kansas Department of Health and Environment; Kansas Department of Transportation; Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism; Kansas Forest Service; Kansas Highway Patrol; State Fire Marshal; and Department for Children and Families. The American Red Cross and Volunteer Organizations Active in Disasters are also providing support to fire victims and first responders.
Currently, there are still active fires in Clark, Comanche, Ellis, Ellsworth, Lincoln, Reno, Rooks, and Russell Counties. Regional coordinators and emergency operations support teams have been dispatched by the Kansas Division of Emergency Management to Clark, Comanche, Reno and Rooks Counties. Local fire departments and mutual aid are assisting with fire suppression across the state.
The Kansas National Guard has deployed four UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters with collapsible 660-gallon water buckets to Reno County assisting with fire suppression. Two Army Reserve Chinook helicopters from Gardner are in Clark County for fire suppression. Two Black Hawks were assigned to Clark County, but have been diverted to Comanche County to assist with fire suppression there.
Sprinklers saved this Kansas home. photos Kansas National Guard
Federal Fire Management Assistance Grants have been approved for fires in Clark, Comanche, Ford complex, Highland Area (Reno, Rice and McPherson); Ness, Rooks, and the Wilson Lake complex of Russell, Ellsworth and Lincoln. Additional requests may be made as the current emergencies continue.
FMAG grants are available to states, local and tribal governments, for the mitigation, management, and control of fires on publicly or privately owned forests or grasslands, which threaten such destruction as would constitute a major disaster. The program provides a 75 percent federal cost share.
The National Forestry Service deployed a support service incident management team from South Dakota to support the local incident management team in Reno County.
The Federal Air Administration closed the airspace to all nonemergency air traffic, including drones, in a 10-mile radius encompassing most of Hutchinson and the area north of the city. Airspace closures have also been instituted for areas in Clark, Comanche and Rooks Counties. The closures were established to allow Kansas National Guard Black Hawk helicopters to safely conduct water drop operations in support of ground firefighting efforts.
The Kansas Division of Emergency Management deployed their Communications on Wheels vehicles to Reno and Clark Counties to assist with communication with area residents. KDEM’s Geospatial Information System vehicle was sent to Reno County to provide mapping support for the local incident commander in Hutchinson. KDEM is also providing GIS support to Clark County.
Three shelters remain open: one in Ashland for first responders, one in Hutchinson, and one on stand-by in Coldwater.
There were multiple road closures and openings due to the fires. Current information is available from the Kansas Department of Transportation by calling 5-1-1 or visiting the Kandrive website at kandrive.org.
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HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on wildfires burning in Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado (all times local):
New estimates indicate Kansas wildfires have burned more than 1,000 square miles, up from 625 square miles.
The Kansas Division of Emergency Management said late Tuesday that the heaviest damage is in Clark County, where 548 square miles have burned. That fire started in Oklahoma before moving into the Kansas ranching community.
Another 235 square miles have burned in neighboring Comanche County, Kansas.
The state says six other counties are battling blazes. Among them, estimates of the burned land range from a single square mile to about 90.
Kansas National Guard Black Hawk helicopters have been assisting with the firefight. They dropped about 138,000 gallons on fires near Hutchinson in Reno County, where 10,000 to 12,000 people voluntarily evacuated their homes.
The Kansas Division of Emergency Management continues to coordinate the state’s response to the multiple wildfires that have cropped up across the state due to dry and windy conditions.
According to a media release form the Kansas Adjutant General, the counties of Clark, Comanche, Ellsworth, Hodgeman, Lincoln, Reno, Rooks and Russell continue to battle active fires. Additional damage assessments will be completed when crews can enter restricted areas.
The Federal Air Administration has closed the airspace to all nonemergency air traffic, including drones, in a 10-mile radius encompassing most of Hutchinson and the area north of the city. The airspace was closed to allow Kansas National Guard Black Hawk helicopters to safely conduct water drop operations in support of ground firefighting efforts.
The four Kansas Army National Guard Black Hawks that assisted with firefighting operations today dropped 230 buckets which is approximately 138,000 gallons of water in Reno County.
Fires in Clark County have scorched more than 351,000 acres of land. On Wednesday, March 8 two U.S. Army Reserve Chinook helicopters from Gardner will partner with two Kansas Army National Guard Black Hawk helicopters out of Salina and two Forest Service fixed-wing aircraft in firefighting operations in Clark County. Chinooks are larger than Black Hawk helicopters and can drop approximately 2,000 gallons of water per run.
Officials estimate approximately 656,420 acres have burned across the state. Estimated totals by county are: Wilson Lake Complex 28,600 acres; Reno County 7,200 acres; Clark County 351,000 acres; Ford Complex 700 acres; Rooks County 5,000 acres; Ness County 3,000 acres; Lane County 57,000 acres; Lincoln 49,920 acres, Ellis County 3,000 acres, and Comanche County 151,000 acres.
The Kansas Division of Emergency Management has deployed their Communications on Wheels vehicles to Reno and Clark Counties to assist with communication with area residents. Reno County has also requested the Geospatial Information System vehicle to provide mapping support for the local incident commander in Hutchinson.
The Kansas Division of Emergency Management is urging anyone wishing to contribute to disaster relief efforts ongoing in Kansas to donate cash to disaster relief organizations rather than donating goods. KDEM recommends Kansans consider donating to reputable disaster relief organizations of their choice or local organizations within the affected communities.
FEMA has approved Federal Fire Management Assistance Grants for fires in Clark, Comanche, Ellsworth, Ford, Lincoln, Ness, Rooks, and Russell Counties. Additional requests may be made as the current emergencies continue.
FMAG grants are available to states, local and tribal governments, for the mitigation, management, and control of fires on publicly or privately owned forests or grasslands, which threaten such destruction as would constitute a major disaster. The program provides a 75 percent federal cost share and the state pays the remaining 25 percent for actual costs.
KDEM has received additional firefighting resources from other states through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact and from the National Forestry Service.
The American Red Cross opened shelters for displaced residents in Coldwater and Dodge City. Current plans call for those shelters to shut down today. The shelter at the Kansas State Fairgrounds, 2000 N Poplar Street, in Hutchinson will remain open until further notice. An additional shelter has been opened at the Ashland High School, 311 J.E. Humphreys Street. The shelter can house up to 75 residents.
A shelter also was opened in Jetmore at the 4-H Building on the Hodgeman County Fairgrounds.
There were multiple road closures and openings due to the fires. Current information is available from the Kansas Department of Transportation by calling 5-1-1 or visiting the Kandrive website at kandrive.org.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita car dealer will pay restitution after the engine in a car he sold failed 25 miles from the dealership.
The Sedgwick County District Attorney’s office said in a news release Wednesday that Jones & Co. Auto Group entered a consent judgment with his office.
Spokesman Dan Dillon says the auto dealer will pay about $6,300 in restitution to the customer, civil penalties, expenses and court costs.
The office says the vehicle fell below legal standards and selling it was “unconscionable acts and practices” involving car sales.
In Kansas, automobile suppliers are prohibited from selling cars “as is,” and must disclose specific defects to consumers.
Under the consent judgment filed March 1, Jones & Co. Auto Group agreed to refrain from the deceptive or unconscionable practices.
TOPEKA –The Kansas Lottery is looking to implement lottery ticket vending machines at lottery retail locations such as grocery and convenience stores.
Proponents of the machines testified at the hearing of HB2313 in the Kansas House’s State and Federal Affairs committee meeting Tuesday morning, explaining that the machines could bring an estimated $8 to $10 million to the state’s General Fund.
Representing the Kansas Lottery, Deputy Executive Director Sherriene Jones-Sontag said that retailers would greatly benefit from these machines.
“They want a better way to track inventory, help reduce labor costs and also to help reduce customer wait times,” Jones-Sontag said.
According to the Kansas Lottery, the electronic dispensers are also projected to increase lottery sales by $25 to 30 million annually, and increase retailer commissions by $1.3 to 1.5 annually.
Of the states with lottery systems, 38 out of 44 already have electronic dispensers, including Missouri, Oklahoma and Colorado. Retailers who have locations in other states report a 30 to 50 percent increase in lottery sales and 50 percent cut in lottery labor costs.
Hy-Vee’s Director of State Government Relations Dick Stoffer testified in favor of the bill, explaining the success the machines have had in other states.
“The electronic dispensers would give our customers another purchase point alternative,” Stoffer said in written testimony.
Representatives on the committee had concerns with the accessibility minors would have to the machines. Rep. Eric Smith (R- Burlington) said that minors participating in the lottery is illegal, and said should be treated accordingly.
“If this was a beer machine, would we be more concerned about it?” Smith said.
Jones-Sontag explained the machines would be required to be in a line-of-sight of the clerk, and would come with a fob that clerks can use to shut the machine down if a minor is seen trying to purchase lottery tickets. Although there is no data, she said that minors are not interested in purchasing lottery tickets.
No opponents testified against the bill. Further discussion on the bill has not been scheduled.
Mallory Houser is a University of Kansas junior journalism major from Dallas.
BARTON COUNTY- A Former Great Bend High School coach made a court appearance Tuesday on one count of sexual exploitation of a child.
Todd Eric Kaiser, 54, Great Bend, waived reading of the charge against him. A preliminary hearing is set for April 6 at 8:30 a.m.
In June, the Barton County Sheriff’s Office received a report of sexual exploitation of a child. Deputies conducted an investigation that included electronic media and arrested Kaiser.
He posted a $50,000.00 bond. Barton County Attorney Amy Mellor will prosecute the case.
Kaiser was employed by USD 428 as Eisenhower Elementary School’s Physical Education instructor. He also served as the head coach for the Great Bend High School cross country and track and field teams.
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE) encourages farmers and ranchers who have lost livestock in the ongoing wildfires to contact the agency as soon as possible for assistance with disposing of dead livestock.
KDHE’s Bureau of Waste Management can help farmers and ranchers determine the safest and most effective means of livestock disposal. The agency works with the Kansas Department of Agriculture to help farmers and ranchers with disposal, including selecting and permitting locations for those who wish to bury dead livestock on-site.
Farmers and ranchers who have lost livestock in the fires should contact Ken Powell, Compliance and Enforcement, Waste Reduction and Assistance Section Chief for the Bureau of Waste Management, at (785) 296-1121 or [email protected].
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Classes resumed at Wallace Hall on the Wichita State University campus after a mercury spill closed it on Monday.
KWCH reports the air was tested Wednesday morning and crews determined it was safe to reopen the hall, which houses part of the university’s engineering school.
The spill was reported Monday after a scientific instrument broke.
The lab was closed immediately and the spill was confined to that room. The school closed the building and classes were canceled until the spill was cleaned up.
FRISCO, Colo. (AP) — An autopsy is planned for a Kansas teenager who died after a serious accident at Breckenridge Ski Resort.
The Summit Daily reports 15-year-old Tess Smith, a sophomore at Wichita Northwest High School, was skiing for the first time and was not wearing a helmet when she broke her leg Friday.
The Wichita Eagle reported that the girl was alert and speaking with ski patrollers after the crash, but her condition soon deteriorated and she lost consciousness.
She was taken to a local hospital and then moved to a children’s hospital in Aurora, where she was deemed brain dead. Her family kept her on life support so her organs could be donated.
SHAWNEE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect captured after a high-speed chase.
Just after 8:30p.m. on Tuesday, officers spotted a pickup truck that had been reported stolen in Shawnee County. They also recognized the driver as a suspect wanted on multiple felony warrants, according to a media release.
When officers attempted to pull the driver over, he fled. Officers chased the vehicle several miles through Topeka.
A tire deflation device was used to slow the vehicle. Numerous law enforcement agencies were involved in the pursuit and eventually stopped the vehicle at the intersection of SW 21st and Medford.
Officers arrested Tommy Lee Kleiner, 38, Topeka. He was the subject of an attempt to locate bulletin issued on Tuesday. Kleiner was transported to a local hospital with chest pains. No officers were injured.
Kleiner is a suspect in multiple car theft investigations, according to police.
He has an extensive past criminal conviction history including aggravated battery, criminal threat, making false writing, and more.
Gavin Wright, Curtis Allen and Patrick Stein are charged with domestic terrorism
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A federal judge has delayed until summer the trial against three men accused of plotting to bomb an apartment complex and mosque used by Somali immigrants in western Kansas.
U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren on Tuesday scheduled the trial for June 13. It had previously been set to start April 25.
Prosecutors allege Patrick Stein, Gavin Wright and Curtis Allen plotted to detonate truck bombs at an apartment complex where 120 Somali immigrants live in the meatpacking town of Garden City.
They have pleaded not guilty to conspiring to use a weapon of mass destruction.
The delay was requested by Wright and Allen so as to give defense attorneys and experts more time to digest the government’s evidence. Stein has opposed a delay and complained about the pace of disclosures.
KANSAS CITY -Residents in northeast Kansas and western Missouri are cleaning up from Monday night storms that included numerous tornadoes.
The weather service says winds of 80 to 85 mph hit the Johnson County Executive Airport on Monday evening. The airport in Olathe, Kansas, opened Tuesday to limited air operations but it is still closed to the public.
Johnson County spokeswoman Sharon Watson says in nearby Leawood, about 46 homes sustained some damage, with a handful having major damage.
The National Weather Service says the tornado that hit Oak Grove, Missouri, was an EF3 with an estimated peak wind of 152 mph.
The tornado damaged 483 homes and 10 to 12 commercial buildings, making Oak Grove the hardest-hit of several communities in Missouri raked by storms Monday night and early Tuesday.
The weather service says a tornado that caused damage in and around another Missouri community, Smithville, was an EF2 with peak winds of 132 mph. The twister’s path was 18.7 miles long and 1,000 yards wide. It developed 3 miles north of Smithville and ended 3 miles northeast of Lathrop.
EF1 tornadoes, which have wind speeds of 86 mph to 110 mph, were reported in Lee’s Summit, Macks Creek and Wentzville, Missouri.
