SHAWNEE COUNTY – A Kansas sheriff’s deputy is recovering from injuries after being hit by a vehicle after a traffic stop.
Just after 4a.m. on Friday, a Shawnee County Sheriff’s deputy conducted a stop on a 1998 Chevy Malibu for a traffic violation in the 2100 block of SW Huntoon in Topeka, according to a media release.
The driver refused to cooperate with the deputy’s instructions. The Malibu hit the deputy as the suspect drove away from the scene. The deputy returned to the patrol vehicle and chased the Malibu west on SW 10th street, where the driver attempted to turn north on SW Summit Avenue and hit a stop sign.
The deputy stopped the patrol car behind the Malibu, exited the vehicle to attempt to initiate an arrest of the driver.
The driver again refused to cooperate with the deputy’s instructions and backed the Malibu into the deputy’s patrol car and left the scene.
The chase continued until the Malibu came to a stop in the 400 block of SW Franklin Avenue.
Police arrested driver, Socorro L. Ramirez, 31, of Topeka, and the passenger, Ashley N. Ogans, 28, of
Topeka, were arrested and transported to the Law Enforcement Center for questioning.
Ms. Ramirez is being charged with crimes that include:Aggravated Battery on a LEO X 2, Felony Fleeing and Eluding, Reckless Driving, DUI, Possession of Opiates/Stimulants, Possession of Marijuana
Ms. Ogans is being charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of Opiates/Stimulants
The deputy that was struck by the Malibu was transported to a local hospital and released after treatment of minor injuries.
Ramirez has previous convictions for drugs and weapons in Shawnee County.
PRATT – Getting started in hunting, fishing, or just about any outdoor activity, can be intimidating for most people, but especially for women.
Ladies today are faced with societal and familial pressures that often prevent them from pursuing outdoor quests, but the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism has a solution for that: Becoming An Outdoors-Woman (BOW) workshops. BOW workshops – or rather really fun weekend rendezvous where women can take classes of their choosing – provide outdoor skills training in a fun, friendly, and laid-back atmosphere.
Interested women are encouraged to sign up for the next workshop, May 5-7 at Rock Springs 4-H Center in Junction City. With more than 25 different classes to choose from, attendees can craft the perfect outdoor weekend, tailored specifically to their interests.
Cost for the three-day workshop is $250, which includes lodging, meals and class supplies. Three $100 scholarships are available to first-time participants based on financial need.
Early registration will be open to first-time participants through February 10. If spots still remain, past participants may register thereafter. Registration closes April 25. Applicants are encouraged to apply early as spring workshops fill up fast. To register, visit www.ksoutdoors.com and click “Education,” then “Becoming an Outdoor Woman.”
For questions, call or email Jami McCabe at (785) 845-5052 or [email protected].
TOPEKA – The Kansas Department of Revenue has increased the convenience and security of the state’s free online filing system KS WebFile with a new verification system.
KS WebFile – a partnership between the department and the Kansas.gov website– allows Kansans to file their income tax and Homestead claims for free online.
Starting this year, filers will be required to confirm their identity with the filing application directly by providing personal information. In previous years, users had to obtain an access code by calling the department’s electronic services staff or using a prior year’s refund or balance due amount to link to their account.
By eliminating the access codes and the need to contact the department for that information the system will be more convenient for users to file.
FINNEY COUNTY – A Kansas teen was injured in an accident during a pursuit with law enforcement just before 1a.m. on Saturday in Finney County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2016 Toyota Camry driven by Kevin Antonio Garcia, 19, Dodge City, was southbound on Towns Boulevard fleeing Law Enforcement.
The driver missed the curve at the intersections with Old Post Road. The Camry traveled straight into a field and overturned.
Garcia was transported to St. Catherine’s Hospital.
Details on what prompted the chase and possible charges were not available early Saturday.
Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration recently sent what amounts to a wish list to President Donald Trump for inclusion in his planned infrastructure initiative. The list includes $240 million in highway and bridge projects. FILE PHOTO / KPR
By JIM MCLEAN & SAM ZEFF
Kansas Republican Gov. Sam Brownback is hoping the federal government can rescue several critical infrastructure projects that the state can no longer afford.
The Brownback administration recently sent what amounts to a wish list to President Donald Trump for inclusion in his planned infrastructure initiative. It includes the following $240 million in highway and bridge projects delayed or abandoned because of the state’s ongoing budget problems:
$50 million to replace a section of the Lewis and Clark Viaduct that carries Interstate 70 across the Kansas River between Kansas and Missouri.
$91 million to build an I-235 interchange in Wichita.
$45 million to reconstruct nine miles of I-70 in Gove County.
$54 million to reconstruct 10 miles of I-70 in Thomas County.
The list — which Melika Willoughby, Brownback’s communications director, says the Trump administration requested — also includes the second phase of the John Redmond Reservoir dredging project and some streambank stabilization projects.
Several media outlets recently reported that the National Governors Association was helping to compile a list of “priority projects” for an infrastructure package of about $150 billion. According to those reports, the Trump administration will prioritize projects based on their potential to create jobs, improve public safety or enhance national security.
Willoughby says the I-235 project “will bolster the aviation manufacturing industry in Wichita.” And, she says, replacing the aging Lewis and Clark Viaduct is necessary to restore a “crucial corridor” in the Kansas City metropolitan area.
The Trump team also wants projects that are shovel ready, or close to it.
The Kansas road and bridge projects are. They were on this year’s construction schedule until cash-flow problems forced the Kansas Department of Transportation to delay them along with dozens of others.
Bob Totten, executive vice president of the Kansas Contractors Association, says while he welcomes any effort to bring additional federal construction dollars to the state, what Brownback is requesting wouldn’t make up for “all the money he’s taken from the highway program over the last six years.”
Brownback and lawmakers, Totten says, have swept $2.7 billion from KDOT, crippling the agency’s ability to complete T-Works, a 10-year, $8 billion transportation program approved in 2010.
Brownback is proposing to take another $600 million from the agency over the next two budget years to help cover a projected shortfall of nearly $1 billion.
Jim McLean is managing director of kcur.org‘s Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics in Kansas. Sam Zeff Education for the Kansas News Service.
SMITH COUNTY –Three people were injured in an accident just before 5p.m. on Friday in Smith County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Ford Taurus driven by Ray E. Hunter, 39, Kensington, collided with a 2004 Chevy Silverado driven by Thomas R. Boxum, 42, Lebanon, that was crossing U.S. 36 highway on O road
Hunter and passengers in the Ford Cherokee N. Marsh, 25, and Nathan Hunter, 16, both of Kensington, were transported to the Smith County hospital.
Boxum and two passengers in the Silverado were not injured. The occupants of the Silverado were not wearing seat belts, according to the KHP.
BARTON COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Barton County are asking for the help in locating two individuals wanted on warrants.
The Sheriff’s Office is looking for Sarah B. Wagner. Wagner is wanted on warrants in Barton, Rice and Geary counties.
She is described as a white female age 37, 5’4, 140 pounds, brown hair and brown eyes with multiple tattoos. Wagner was last seen in the Great Bend area.
The Sheriff’s office is also looking for Cori J. Galliart. Galliart is wanted on outstanding warrants from Barton, Sedgwick, and Harvey counties. He is described as a white male age 31, six feet in height, 200 pounds, brown hair, and hazel eyes. Galliart’s last known address was in Hoisington.
Cori Galliart
If you have information about these people or any other crime, please call crime stoppers at 620-792-1300 or 888-305-1300.
RENO COUNTY — A Kansas man made a court appearance Friday and his attorney waived the reading of a charges which includes two counts of aggravated battery – DUI which caused great bodily harm and two counts of DUI.
Ryan Cloud, 34, Lyons, is accused of causing an accident on January 8, that injured a Hutchinson woman and a passenger in a third vehicle.
Police say a vehicle driven by Cloud collided with a vehicle driven by 56-year-old Jacqueline Cink of Caldwell, at the intersection of 23rd and Waldron in Hutchinson.
The collision caused Cink’s vehicle to strike a vehicle driven by John Wempe.
Cink and a passenger in the Wempe vehicle were both injured as a result.
Victoria Wempe suffered a broken sternum and broken ribs, according to police.
Cloud is accused of being under the influence of alcohol at the time.
He’s free on bond and his case moves to a waiver-status docket on Feb. 22.
TOPEKA -A Kansas man was sentenced Thursday to 15 years in federal prison for sex trafficking, according to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.
Gerald L. Brown, Jr., 30, Wichita, pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking of a minor and one count of sex trafficking of an adult by force.
In his plea, he admitted that in June 2015 he recruited a 17-year-old girl to engage in sex acts advertised online.
He transported her from Kansas to Oklahoma and Texas to engage in prostitution. In July 2015 he and the girl were stopped for a traffic violation and the girl was taken into state custody.
Brown returned to Kansas, where he recruited an adult female to engage in prostitution. He threatened to strike her and use violent force to coerce her to cooperate in prostitution.
Beall commended the Wichita Police Department and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart for their work on the case.
Thursday night crash into a home-photo courtesy WIBW TV
SHAWNEE COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Shawnee County are investigating a suspect after an injury accident.
Just before 10p.m. on Thursday, first responders were dispatched to report of an injury accident in the 1100 Block of SW Lane in Topeka. The occupants of the vehicle fled the scene but there were signs of a possible head injury, according to a media release.
Police located the driver at a local hospital with minor injuries. The driver struck a decorative light pole, a mail box, nearly 75 feet of fence and a house.
The fire department responded to turn off gas to the residence.
Police gave the driver several traffic citations, according to the media release. Name of the driver was not released by police.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump (all times EST):
President Donald Trump Friday signed an executive action implementing “new vetting measures” that he says are aimed at keeping “radical Islamic terrorists” out of the United States.
Trump says, “We don’t want them here.”
The president says he only wants to admit people to the United States who will support the country. His comments echoed his campaign pledge to implement “extreme vetting” programs, particularly for people coming from countries with ties to terrorism.
The president signed the executive action at the Pentagon, where he met with the joint chiefs of staff and participated in a ceremonial swearing-in for Defense Secretary James Mattis.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Payless ShoeSource announces plans to lay off 165 people, 110 of whom work at locations in Topeka.
Spokeswoman Meghan Spreer tells The Topeka Capital-Journal (https://bit.ly/2k09vyP ) that the positions are in corporate, distribution center and field leadership roles. She says the layoffs make up about 2 percent of the company’s total associate base.
Payless’ headquarters are located in Topeka. GO Topeka and Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce leader Matt Pivarnik says that the community feels “the pain of these cutbacks,” but GO Topeka is ready to assist laid off workers in several ways.
Pivarnik says the competition from the industry can “lead to tough decisions.” Spreer says these types of decisions are necessary for Payless to keep up in an evolving retail environment.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) is joining the U.S. Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW), as well as retaining his membership on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies in the 115th Congress.
Both roles put him in a better position to advocate for family farmers and ranchers and work to eliminate burdensome regulations that threaten the future of rural America.
“I often hear from Kansans that overregulation is the greatest threat to the economy of rural America,” said Sen. Moran. “My seat on the EPW Committee will give me the opportunity to work to roll back burdensome rules from the EPA and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service that harm our farmers and ranchers, raise the cost of energy for families, and hinder economic development in rural communities. I will fight for commonsense solutions to issues facing our state.”
Sen. Moran continued, “I also look forward to continuing my focus on investing in policies that are vital to Kansas farmers and ranchers, such as agriculture research, crop insurance and efforts to increase exports as a member of the Senate Agriculture Appropriations Committee. I will push to make certain our next Secretary of Agriculture understands the unique challenges facing rural communities. Additionally, through the subcommittee’s jurisdiction over the FDA budget, I will work to advance public health innovations, including development of new medicines, medical devices and food safety practices”
Kansas Farm Bureau President Richard Felts (KFB)Kansas Livestock Association President David Clawson (KLA)
“Sen. Moran’s new role on the Environment and Public Works Committee gives Kansans another strong advocate against the threats of overregulation at the EPA that hurt family farmers,” Kansas Farm Bureau President and Montgomery County farmer Richard Felts said. “Sen. Moran has always been a champion for farmers and ranchers, and we appreciate his leadership on behalf of Kansas agriculture.”
“Ranchers in Kansas and across the country will benefit from Sen. Moran’s new role on the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee,” said Kansas Livestock Association President David Clawson of Englewood, Kan. “We appreciate his efforts to scrutinize existing regulations and repeal those that unnecessarily harm Kansas cattlemen and women and look forward to working with him in the future.”
The Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works maintains jurisdiction over a wide-variety of federal policies concerning environment, energy, wildlife, and infrastructure issues, which directly impact the day-to-day functions of our farmers, small businesses, and families in Kansas.
More specifically, the committee oversees the implementation and enforcement of federal air and water quality standards, but it must do so without unduly harming Kansans’ livelihoods as a result. Additionally, burdensome wildlife conservation regulations drastically hinder economic development in rural communities in some cases, and it is the duty of the committee to weigh the costs of such decisions. The committee also plays a critical role in addressing the national infrastructure and public works needs of a competitive American economy so that Kansas farmers and ranchers can transport their produce and livestock efficiently.
Prior to being elected to the U.S. Senate, Sen. Moran served for 14 years on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee including as chairman of the Subcommittee on General Farm Commodities and Risk Management. Sen. Moran continues to fight to make certain farming and ranching families have the opportunity to earn a living and pass on their agricultural heritage to the next generation of producers, all while working to eliminate wasteful spending.
Sen. Moran was appointed chairman of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies for the 115th Congress.
