HARPER COUNTY — A fifth earthquake this month shook Kansas just before 1 a on Sunday.
The quake measured a magnitude 2.6 according to the U.S. Geological Survey and was centered approximately 12 miles west of Harper.
On February 22, a 3.3 quake was centered approximately four miles northeast of Anthony in Harper County.
On February 16, a 2.7 magnitude quake was reported approximately 16 miles east of Anthony.
On February 13, a 3.3 quake hit just north of the Oklahoma State line in Sumner County. On February 12, a 3.1 magnitude quake shook 16 miles northwest of Harper.
There were no reports of damage or injuries from the Sunday morning quake, according to the Harper County authorities.
PRATT – If you’re a Kansas boat owner or are thinking of buying a boat, you should know that property taxes on recreational boats have gone down as much as 75 percent since 2013. Before that, Kansas boat owners paid property taxes based on an assessed value that was 30 percent of the boat’s market worth. So if you owned a $30,000 boat, the assessed value was $9,000, and depending on the mill levee in the county you lived in, you could have paid more than $1,000 in annual property taxes.
Boats must be registered with the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) to operate on public waters, and that registration fee is just $32.50 for three years. Since counties use KDWPT’s registration lists to assess property taxes, many Kansans opted to register their boats in neighboring states where the property taxes were much less. In fact, according to the Oklahoma Department of Conservation, more than 5,000 Kansas boats were registered there in 2013.
Reducing the tax rate on Kansas boats required an amendment to the state’s constitution, and the Kansas legislature put that question on the ballot in November 2012. Voters approved the amendment and a new law took effect in 2013, reducing the assessment rate in phases – 11.5 percent in 2014 to 5 percent in 2015 where it remains.
The result has been a significant reduction in property taxes on boats. Take that $30,000 boat for example. If you own that boat in Pratt County, where the mill levee is 120, you’ll pay just $180 annually.
To get the word out, KDWPT began a campaign titled: “Own It Here, Use It Here, Register It Here.” The idea is to encourage Kansas boat owners to voluntarily register their boats locally, but KDWPT law enforcement officers will also step up enforcement of the law, which requires boats to be registered in the state of principal use. Boat registration fees fund boater education programs, construction and enhancement of boat access facilities, as well as other recreational boating programs. And Kansas counties depend on property taxes to fund county services.
Remember: Own It Here, Use It Here, Register It Here.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. – One person has died as a result of an early morning fire in Hutchinson.
The victim has been identified as 44-year-old Jason Conrad from Tucson, Arizona. He was the only occupant in the apartment at the time of the fire. Cause of the fire is still under investigation
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HUTCHINSON, Kan. – One person died in Saturday morning fire in Hutchinson.
Just after 2:30 a.m. Saturday Hutchinson Fire crews responded to the 1000 block of North Poplar for a report of a shed fire, according to a media release.
Initial arriving units found smoke and fire venting from a window on a small apartment. While entering the structure, crews found a victim. This victim was removed from the structure and pronounced dead by Reno County EMS.
The fire was controlled in 20 minutes.
Crews remained on scene for 3 hours and about 50 minutes performing overhaul and investigation operations.
The fire is still under investigation and no name has been released on the victim.
Wesley Smith and Mindy Butterfield-photo Cherokee Co.
BAXTER SPRINGS, Kan. (AP) — A Joplin, Missouri, man is jailed without bond as a suspect in the shooting death of a man at the victim’s home in southeast Kansas.
The Cherokee County, Kansas, Sheriff’s Department said in a statement Saturday that the body of 22-year-old Tyler Ryan Myers outside of his home Friday night in Baxter Springs.
Investigators arrested 20-year-old Wesley Smith at the scene on suspicion of voluntary manslaughter. The sheriff’s department says formal charges are expected within days.
Mindy Butterfield, 20, also from Joplin, was arrested on suspicion of marijuana distribution and is free on bond.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Tensions have emerged at a meeting of the nation’s governors over a Republican proposal for a major overhaul to Medicaid.
GOP governors intend to present Congress with a plan that they say would give states more flexibility to administer health coverage for poorer residents while protecting states from absorbing the costs of repealing the Affordable Care Act.
Democratic governors accuse their Republican counterparts of being dishonest about the effects of their plan. Washington’s Democratic governor, Jay Inslee, says Republicans “want to spend less money on people’s health care so they can do tax cuts for the rich.”
Major changes to former president Barack Obama’s signature health care law appear inevitable with Republicans controlling the White House and both houses of Congress. But Inslee says there’s still a chance that Democrats can win over GOP lawmakers who’ve been facing angry constituents at town hall meetings.
The angry rhetoric about health care reform has brought a dose of political reality to the nonpartisan National Governors’ Association’s winter meeting. Governors usually spend time praising each other and participating in panels on noncontroversial topics, such as early childhood education.
On Monday, the governors will meet with President Donald Trump and congressional leaders.
SALINA- Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a suspect in connection with a Thursday afternoon shooting in Saline.
Police arrested Brooklyn Edward McKnight, 19, in connection with a shooting that took place in the Executive Plaza parking lot Thursday.
McKnight faces attempted first-degree murder charges, kidnapping and aggravated robbery.
According to authorities, 22-year-old Tyler Reinbold was shot once in the stomach and once in the calf.
Reinbold was sent to the hospital in critical condition but was stabilized. At first, authorities say Reinbold was uncooperative. Police were able to make the arrest after further questioning.
Witnesses reported a blonde female fleeing the scene and authorities say the investigation is still open.
PRATT – A Kansas man was sentenced Friday to 8 ½ years in prison for the attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said.
Bradley Grant Verstraete, 46, was sentenced to 102 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections by District Judge Francis E. Meisenheimer in Pratt County District Court. Verstraete was convicted by a Pratt County jury in September 2016 of attempted murder in the second degree of Pratt Police Officer Kenneth Wright. Verstraete was also convicted of aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer concerning Pratt Police Sergeant James Ferbert. The crimes were committed in January 2015.
The case spurred Attorney General Schmidt to seek a legislative change making all crimes committed against a law enforcement officer subject to an enhanced sentence, because such enhancement was not available for the charge of attempted second-degree murder. That legislation, House Bill 2049, known as the Law Enforcement Protection Act, is pending in the Kansas Legislature.
Deputy Attorney General Victor Braden and Assistant Attorney General Steve Wilhoft from Schmidt’s office prosecuted the case against Verstraete. The case was investigated by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation.
RENO COUNTY– For the second time a Reno County judge is ordering the state offer a defendant the same offer they made prior to his 2007 conviction of attempted manufacture of methamphetamine and attempted 2nd degree murder.
In his civil filing, Paul Stotts, 28 argued he had ineffective counsel prior to his trial. He says his attorney
David Holmes failed to inform him of a plea offer from the state. He argues that if he had known about the offer which would have reduced his time in prison to around 13 and a half years, he would have taken it.
The Kansas Court of Appeals ruled that he failed to demonstrate a reasonable probability that he would have accepted the plea offer at the time it was offered.
Reno County Judge Trish Rose says she believes he would have excepted the offer.
The state is already indicating they will probably appeal the decision.
Judge Rose gave the state 10-days to have a written plea offer for the defendant and then gave the defense 10-days to respond, But Assistant District Attorney John Settle says most likely they’ll appeal.
Stotts is serving a near 25-year sentence after being convicted of attempted 2nd degree murder for crashing his vehicle into another, badly injuring the other driver during a high-speed chase through Reno County in March of 2007.
The state says it was intentional, while Stotts maintains it was an accident. He was also found guilty of having items consistent with a meth lab inside his vehicle, two counts of aggravated battery, and several counts of flee and elude.
TOPEKA–May 20 will be a day of some note for the small Kansas town of Codell in Rooks County. It was on that date exactly 100 year ago that an F3 tornado passed just east of the town.
What makes this particularly memorable is that the year before, May 20, 1916, an F2 tornado passed to the west of the town. What makes it even more memorable is that Codell was later hit by an F4 tornado that destroyed the school, a church and hotel and several homes. The date: May 20, 1918.
While the odds of such an occurrence are extremely small – Codell has been tornado-free since then –it highlights the capricious nature of tornadoes and severe storms and the need to be prepared for them, particularly during what is known as the Severe Storm Season of April through June.
To remind Kansans to be prepared for severe weather, Gov. Sam Brownback signed a proclamation Feb. 17 designating March 6-10 as Severe Weather Awareness Week in Kansas. During the week, the Kansas Division of Emergency Management will place special emphasis on reminding Kansans to be mindful of severe weather alerts and to make sure they are prepared.
Kansans are also urged to take part in the statewide tornado safety drill Tuesday, March 7 10 a.m. (CST). If severe weather is imminent on March 7, the backup date for the tornado drill will be Thursday, March 9 at 10 a.m. (CST).
“Check your home emergency kit to make sure it has everything you need,” said Angee Morgan, deputy director of KDEM. “Replace outdated items. Make sure flashlights and battery-operated radios are working and test the backup batteries. If you don’t have an emergency kit, now is a good time to start putting one together.”
Morgan said there are many good checklists available online to use as guidelines for putting a kit together.
“You can go to KSReady.gov, FEMA and many other sites,” said Morgan. “Go to the store and buy the basics – water, high-energy snacks, first aid supplies – and add an item or two to your shopping list every time you go to the store.”
Morgan said the week is also a good time to sit down with your family and review your home emergency plan.
“Then practice it,’ said Morgan. “Have a drill so everyone knows what to do if the warning sirens sound and where you’ll meet if you are separated during a storm.”
To help Kansans practice their plan, there will be a statewide tornado drill on Tue., March 7. If severe weather is threatening on that date, the drill will be postponed.
KDEM also wants reminds Kansans that a storm does not have to include a tornado to be dangerous.
“Severe thunderstorms may include high straight-line winds that can knock down trees and power lines and even buildings,” said Morgan. “The possibility of large hail is another factor to consider, as is the prospect of lightning and floods.
“When the weather looks threatening, we have tendency to go stand on the porch and see if we can spot a tornado,” said Morgan. “That’s not the wisest thing to do. When severe weather is forecast, stay inside and monitor your TV, radio or social media for weather alerts. Don’t tune it out; stay tuned.”
Gov. Sam Brownback announced Tuesday night that he would veto a tax bill, setting off 24 hours of legislative action that ended when the Kansas Senate failed to override his veto on a 24-16 vote. ANDY MARSO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
The five-year fight over Gov. Sam Brownback’s efforts to remake Kansas income tax code came to a head this week, and 16 senators voted to let it continue.
With the governor’s signature fiscal accomplishment hanging by a thread, the Kansas Senate fell three votes short in an effort to override a Brownback veto hours after the House did so.
The legislation Brownback vetoed, House Bill 2178, seeks to end persistent budget shortfalls by undoing many of the income tax cuts he signed in 2012. The tax bill passed 22-18 last week in the Senate, but it needed five more votes to reach the veto override threshold and only gained two.
Senate President Susan Wagle and Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, both Republicans who opposed the tax bill, said they preferred to hold out for another budget solution.
“This isn’t the last train out of the station,” Denning said before he voted to sustain the governor’s veto.
The Legislature faces a deficit of more than $300 million in the current fiscal year that ends June 30. Many legislators have said they won’t entertain Brownback’s proposed one-time fix for that — liquidating a long-term investment fund — until they get a tax bill that addresses projected future deficits. That includes a gap of about $550 million next fiscal year.
Brownback’s 2012 bill exempted more than 300,000 business owners from paying any income tax on “non-wage” revenue. It also sliced individual income tax rates and eliminated one bracket.
At the time, Senate Republican leaders said Brownback told them it was just a negotiating point and they felt duped by his administration when the more conservative House unexpectedly passed it.
Rep. Tom Sawyer, a Democrat from Wichita, noted that history Wednesday.
“The plan that passed (in 2012) was not what anybody really wanted,” Sawyer said. “We’ve been talking about correcting that for years.”
The 2012 plan was more drastic than what Brownback wanted then, but he chose to sign it anyway and has been steadfast in his defense of it.
Whirlwind 24 Hours
The Senate action came at the end of a whirlwind 24 hours in which Brownback vetoed HB 2178 and the House voted to override his veto.
Brownback announced his decision to veto the bill Tuesday night at the Kansas Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner, sandwiching it between speeches by U.S. Reps. Kevin Yoder and Lynn Jenkins and business leaders.
“I won’t sign it; I will veto this bill,” Brownback said, as those sitting near the front of the crowd of hundreds at the dinner stood and cheered. “This is bad policy.”
The Chamber opposes the bill, as do the National Federation of Independent Businesses and the fiscal conservatism advocacy group Americans for Prosperity.
Brownback said the tax cuts are spurring growth, as evidenced by increased filings of new businesses.
But that has not closed structural budget deficits that have led to cuts in social services and higher education, as well as repeated sweeps of one-time money from a highway construction fund.
The bill Brownback vetoed would have closed most of the gap starting next year by adding business owners back to the tax rolls, restoring the third income tax bracket and raising rates, although they would remain below pre-2012 levels.
Show Of Force
Hours after Brownback vetoed the bill, House members who supported the bill scraped together enough votes to overrule him.
It was a show of force by moderate Republicans who made gains in November by vowing to end the annual budget crises — even if it meant raising income tax rates and working with Democrats.
But it wasn’t easy.
Rep. Clay Aurand, a Republican from Belleville, cast the deciding vote Wednesday morning in the House to override Gov. Sam Brownback’s veto of a tax bill. CREDIT ANDY MARSO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Representatives sat one vote short for several minutes, listening to colleagues explain their votes. Then Rep. Clay Aurand, a Republican farmer from Belleville, switched to “aye” and the chamber erupted in cheers until House Speaker Pro Tem Scott Schwab gaveled it to silence.
Aurand said there was “a lot wrong” with the bill and he had hoped for a better alternative. But he said he saw no other opportunities to pass a bill that would narrow the budget deficit and create a more equitable tax code.
“I’m a supply-sider,” Aurand said. “But the most important thing about supply-side (economics) is getting the tax rate right. It’s not about raising or lowering taxes, it’s about getting it right. And in no case is zero the right amount for a certain segment when others are paying.”
After Aurand flipped, Rep. Blaine Finch also changed his vote, making the final tally 85-40, with 45 Republicans and 40 Democrats voting to override the veto.
What’s Next?
After the Senate’s vote to sustain the veto, the path ahead for a budget is murky.
Brownback said he will work with House and Senate Republican leaders who voted against overriding the veto to tweak his budget plan into something more palatable for lawmakers.
But Denning called the governor’s plan “insulting” and said he didn’t even want to waste time on it.
The governor’s plan includes big increases in tobacco and alcohol taxes. It also suggests cashing in an annuity from a legal judgment against cigarette manufacturers in exchange for a lump sum.
Trading the annuity for quick cash wouldn’t provide a long-term budget fix, and Rep. Steven Johnson, a Republican from Assaria, said it would be a particularly bad idea in the long-term.
Johnson, who was praised Wednesday on the House floor for his work on HB 2178 as chairman of the House Taxation Committee, said he didn’t see the votes for that or for cuts to public education.
In short, he didn’t see the votes for any budget fix at the moment.
“Think of the path forward,” Johnson said. “What do we do next? How do we get this session wrapped up in a good way for Kansans?”
Andy Marso is a reporter for kcur.org‘s Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics in Kansas. You can reach him on Twitter @andymarso.
TOPEKA – Kansas drivers can now track their driver’s license production status online and receive automatic updates when changes are made to their driving record.
The two features are available on both the Kansas Department of Revenue’s website in the vehicles’ section ksrevenue.org/vehicle.html under driver’s license and on the Division of Vehicles’ free mobile app KSVehiclesConnect.
For security purposes, Kansas does not produce driver’s license in its offices. Instead, customers are given a 60-day temporary license print out and the driver’s license is produced offsite and mailed to the customer’s residence usually within three weeks. This allows Kansas to include security features on the cards that would not be available if they were produced onsite.
With the Driver’s License Mailing Status check, customers can enter their driver’s license number, first and last names and date of birth to see where the license or ID card is in production status. The status will tell customers if the card has been sent for processing, received and is waiting to be printed, has been mailed or has been delivered.
The second feature will allow customers to received automatic text or email alerts anytime there is a change to their driving record. This includes a status change such as to suspended, revoked or restricted and if new communication is posted such as a letter. This will help customers stay informed about their driver’s license status without the need to visit an office or call to talk to a specialist.
Customers can sign up through the division’s Driver’s License Status Check feature. After entering their full name, driver’s license number and date of birth, customers will be able to view their license status, driving record and view copies of notices and at the bottom of the screen enter their email address or mobile phone number to receive updates.
WICHITA, KAN. – A jury on Thursday found a Kansas man guilty on federal human trafficking charges, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.
Daederick Lacy, 25, Wichita, was convicted on one count of sex trafficking of a minor, one count of sex trafficking of an adult by force, fraud or coercion and one count of interstate transportation of a minor in furtherance of prostitution.
During trial prosecutors, presented evidence that three female victims – two minors and an adult – worked as prostitutes under Lacy’s direction. Lacy advertised victims on an adult Web site, rented rooms at motels for sex, transported victims to meetings with men who paid for sex, and drove a minor victim from Kansas to Texas to serve as a prostitute.
Sentencing is set for May 11. He faces a penalty of not less than 10 years on the first and third counts, and not less than 15 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the second count.
