KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A man suspected of robbing a Kansas City, Kan., bank has been taken into custody after trying to get away by riding a city bus.
The Kansas City Star reported the robbery at Security Bank happened around 9:15 a.m. Thursday, when a man who did not display a weapon passed a note to a teller demanding money.
Police say he left with an undisclosed amount of money and was seen running from the area and boarding a bus. Police officers got on the bus and arrested him a few minutes later.
Officers at the scene say the suspect was carrying a “large amount of cash.”
WICHITA — John A. See hopes his gift of $1 million to Wichita State University not only will recognize exceptional projects, but also will spur private investors and others to back them.
“I can help bring attention to the projects that deserve it,” See said, “but I hope this gift will attract additional investors and supporters to these projects once they are brought into awareness.”
John A. See, left, with James Rhatigan, WSU consultant, and Linda Constable, See’s attorney, has made a $1 million commitment to Wichita State to encourage and reward outstanding projects.
See has given $1 million to establish the John A. See Research Award, a prize for WSU faculty and students who are conducting outstanding research or producing other significant work, the WSU Foundation announced. Awards would be made as warranted and could vary widely in amount.
Though not an alumnus of Wichita State, See has been a generous supporter, saying he recognizes the importance of higher education and believes in WSU’s commitment to growth and pioneering work. In 2011, he created the John A. See Engineering Scholarship, providing nine scholarships a year to juniors and seniors. In 2007, he created the John A. See Endowed Health and Emergency Fund, which helps students with emergency medical expenses not covered by insurance.
James Rhatigan, WSU Foundation consultant who is a neighbor and friend of See’s, said See approached him at a neighborhood get-together last September to say he was interested in making a new gift to Wichita State.
“I asked Mr. See if he had an amount in mind,” Rhatigan said. “He said, ‘I think I could do $1 million.’ I said, ‘You have my attention.’”
See, who was director of flight test and prototype development at Boeing until his retirement in 1985, told Rhatigan he was interested in supporting research and other work
aimed at improving the quality of life for many. Rhatigan knew that a number of faculty members at WSU were engaged in that kind of work.
Initially, Rhatigan submitted three research projects to See to illustrate the kind of exciting work that could be supported with his investment. While impressed by those projects, See eventually chose to create a fund to inspire and reward a variety of projects, which would be selected by the university.
“Although it’s expected that most awards would go to faculty doing advanced scholarly work, Mr. See wants any idea to be eligible for consideration, including that done by students,” Rhatigan said.
WSU President John Bardo called See’s gift exciting and influential.
“This is the kind of award that helps create a campus culture that very strongly endorses research with significant impact,” Bardo said. “We are trying to encourage our faculty to step out and do something really big, something that creates value beyond the campus. This award really speaks to that.”
Although he was born in Nevada, See grew up in New York. He was married for 60 years to Jane See, and has a daughter and a grandson. His son, John See Jr., died in 2012.
TOPEKA — Chief Justice Lawton R. Nuss will give his State of the Kansas Judiciary address at 12:30 p.m. Jan. 22 from the Kansas Judicial Center in Topeka, the Kansas Supreme Court announced Thursday in a press release.
He will give the address to an invited audience that will include Kansas legislators, judicial branch employees and key constituent groups.
Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss
The address is believed to be the first in Kansas’ 153-year history to be delivered from the courtroom of the Supreme Court. Nuss decided to speak from the courtroom in part to make it available via webcast to address the public’s heightened interest in an $8.25 million shortfall in the judicial branch base budget in fiscal year 2015, which begins July 1. Ninety-six percent of the judicial branch’s budget is for salaries and wages. If the shortfall isn’t solved, court employees will be sent home without pay — closing courts and impacting Kansans statewide.
Kansas law requires Nuss, as chief justice of the Supreme Court, to provide a written report at the beginning of the legislative session to the governor and to the judiciary committees of both houses of the Legislature. The written report will be delivered in addition to his State of the Kansas Judiciary address.
The public can access a live webcast of the State of the Judiciary address by following the Watch Supreme Court Live! link in the right-hand column of the Kansas Judicial Branch website at www.kscourts.org. The address will be recorded for viewing afterward by anyone unable to attend in person or watch it live online.
WAMEGO — The 25th annual Kansas Sampler Festival will be May 3 and 4 at Wamego Dutch Mill and Prairie Village.
The festival is a showcase of what there is to see, do, hear, taste, buy and learn in Kansas. Approximately 150 communities from across the stater will take part in the event, which features artists cultural heritage demonstrations and entertainment.
The festival moves to a different community every two years and will be in Wamego in 2014 and 2015.
WICHITA (AP) — Kansas Honor Flight is planning six more flights for veterans this year.
The Hutchinson-based nonprofit group flies veterans for free to visit memorials in Washington D.C.
The first two flights are scheduled for April 16 to 18 and April 30 to May 2.
Mike VanCampen, president of Kansas Honor Flight, says dates for the other four flights haven’t been scheduled. He says when the group flew veterans to Washington D.C. last July, the temperature was 108, so the group doesn’t plan any trips in July and August this year.
The Wichita Eagle reported most of the veterans on the first two flights are expected to be from World War II but later flights are expected to include mostly Korean War veterans.
TOPEKA (AP) — The Kansas Lottery says a $1 million ticket has been sold in south-central Kansas.
Lottery officials announced Tuesday that the winning Holiday Millionaire Raffle ticket number is 120298. Besides the $1 million prize, there were 25 winners of $5,000, 25 winners of $1,000, and 2,500 winners of $100 in Tuesday’s raffle drawing.
Kansas Lottery Interim Director Sherriene Jones-Sontag says raffle players should check their tickets immediately. Winners have 365 days from the date of the drawing to come forward.
Lottery prizes of $1,000 or more must be claimed at Lottery headquarters in Topeka, either in person or by mail. Players can take their $100 winning tickets to any Kansas Lottery retail location to claim their prize.
TOPEKA – Kansas ended 2013 with budget revenues on target Tuesday, beating the fiscal year to date estimates by $4.3 million.
December revenue receipts were $3.3 million, or almost 1 percent, more than expected.
“We are finishing the first half of the fiscal year meeting budget revenue expectations,” said Revenue Secretary Nick Jordan in a news release.
Corporate income revenue receipts were up $4.4 million for December, or almost 7 percent, in part because of about $10 million more in estimated payments made in this month compared to December 2012 which indicates that corporations had larger profits compared to the prior year.
December’s revenue receipts do not include the holiday shopping period. That will be reflected in January’s revenue receipts.
NEW YORK (AP) — Target is getting hit with another lump of coal this holiday season.
The nation’s second largest discount retailer says than an unidentified number of gift cards sold over the holidays were not properly activated. The Minneapolis chain says the number of cards affected was less than 0.1 percent of the total sold and that it will honor the affected cards.
Customers they can bring faulty cards to any Target service desk or call (800) 544-2943 for help.
The snafu comes less than two weeks after Target was hit with a massive data security breach that affected as many as 40 million debit and credit card holders.
TOPEKA (AP) — Two married gay couples have filed a lawsuit to overturn a Kansas policy that prevents them from filing joint state income tax returns.
The lawsuit in Shawnee County District Court contends that the Department of Revenue’s policy is discriminatory and violates the couple’s rights to equal protection. The lawsuit, which was filed Monday, also questions whether the department had the authority to set the policy through a notice in October giving guidance for same-sex couples.
The department was reviewing the filing Tuesday and did not immediately comment.
The couples are Michael Nelson and Charles Dedmon of Alma and Roberta and Julia Woodrick of Lawrence. Both couples were married in California.
The Kansas Constitution says the state cannot recognize same-sex marriages, but the lawsuit notes that the federal government does.
TOPEKA – Although winter has set in across Kansas, door-to-door paving scams are continuing to be seen throughout the state, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said today.
In the past three months, the AG’s Consumer Protection Division has received complaints regarding door-to-door driveway paving scams from Cloud, Douglas, Jefferson, Marshall, Mitchell, Nemaha, Neosho, Osage, Ottawa, Republic, Saline, Shawnee and Stevens counties.
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt
Typically, the scam involves the pavers claiming they have leftover asphalt from a recent job, and offering consumers a “good deal” to pave their driveways. Often, they do not disclose all of the charges, do not inform the consumers of their three-day right to cancel, perform substandard work – or do not complete the job at all.
Schmidt reminded consumers that when hiring contractors or construction workers, it is best to deal with reputable, local companies.
Schmidt asked that any Kansans who may have done business with a deceptive or fraudulent paving operation contact his Consumer Protection Division by calling (800) 432-2310 or by filing a complaint online at www.InYourCornerKansas.org.
LAWRENCE (AP) — The Lawrence school board has formally accepted land that will be the site of a new technical education center for the district’s high school students.
The board on Monday voted to accept 11 acres donated by HiPer Real Estate Holdings.
Superintendent Rick Doll said the vote was the culmination of years of work to expand the district’s job-training and career preparation efforts.
The Lawrence Journal-World reported the $5.7 million project is being funded with money from a $92.5 million bond issue district voters approved in April.
Construction is expected to begin early next year, with the center scheduled to open for the 2015-2016 school year.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri utility regulators have again pushed back their report on a Kansas City restaurant explosion that killed a waitress.
The Kansas City Star reported Missouri Public Service Commission staff had promised to publish the results in early December. But the commission posted on its website Monday that the report is now likely to be filed on or before Feb. 6 — nearly a year after the blast at JJ’s restaurant on the Country Club Plaza.
Authorities have said the Feb. 19 explosion was caused when a natural gas supply line was breached by a crew from Heartland Midwest, an Olathe-based cable company subcontractor. Forty-six-year-old Megan Cramer was killed and more than a dozen people were injured.
WICHITA (AP) — The Kansas African American Museum in Wichita is planning a series of events on the Saturday before the Jan. 20 observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The Wichita Eagle reported memorial events honoring the slain civil rights leader have been held in Wichita for more than 30 years, drawing more than 700 people annually.
Activities scheduled for Jan. 18 include a pancake breakfast, a community-wide parade and a celebration that will include a gospel concert.
Museum executive director Mark McCormick says the program was designed to make the holiday more of an American holiday than an African-American holiday. He says the museum is trying to be “more purposeful and intentional about being inclusive.”
