UPDATE: The suspect in the firearm discharge in Aggieville has been identified and located, according to Riley County Police. The investigation into possible charges continues. Police did not release name of the suspect.
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MANHATTAN – Law enforcement authorities are investigating a shooting and asking the public to help identify a person of interest.
Photo courtesy Riley County Police
Just after 1a.m. Sunday police reported a shooting occurred in Aggieville. Officers filed a report for criminal discharge of a firearm and disorderly conduct in at a business 1100 block of Moro Street in Manhattan
The Riley County Police Department released a video of the incident along with a photo and want help to identify the man they say is a person of interest in their investigation. There were no injuries.
Any witnesses or persons who can identify the man is asked to call the Riley County Police Department at (785) 537-2112 or Crime Stoppers at (785) 539-7777. Using the Crime Stoppers service allows you to remain anonymous and could qualify for you for a reward of up to $1,000.00.
First responders at the scene of the fatal accident-photo courtesy Natalie Davis KCTV
KANSAS CITY (AP) – Authorities say one person has been killed and two others seriously injured in a head-on crash with a church van in Kansas City.
Police say the wreck happened Sunday morning when the driver of a Kia crossed into oncoming traffic and struck the van. The Kansas City Star reports that the Kia’s driver was pronounced dead at the scene, but the person’s name wasn’t immediately released.
Police say the driver of the van and one passenger suffered serious injuries. Two other van passengers were treated for minor injuries.
It wasn’t immediately clear why the Kia veered into the opposite lane.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas legislative committee is planning to consider the potential problems caused by diverting hundreds of millions of dollars to public schools from other parts of the budget.
The special joint committee is scheduled to meet Monday and Tuesday to continue gathering information. Lawmakers have started work on a response to a Kansas Supreme Court order in October to boost spending on public schools.
Legislators aren’t so much interested in slashing spending in other parts of the budget to provide more money for schools as spelling out the potential harm. Many also don’t want to increase taxes next year.
Lawmakers earlier this year phased in a $293 million increase education funding over two years to make it $4.3 billion annually. The court said that still wasn’t constitutionally adequate.
NEW YORK (AP) — Health leaders say they are alarmed about reports that officials at the nation’s top public health agency are being told not to use certain words in official budget documents, including “fetus,” ”transgender” and “science-based.”
The health community was reacting to a story in The Washington Post , which said the prohibition arose at a meeting of senior budget officials at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
An anonymous source told the newspaper the seven words and phrases are not to be used in documents being prepared for the next presidential budget proposal.
A CDC official confirmed Saturday there was a recent meeting in which officials were given feedback to reconsider language in budget documents. But another federal official called it a mischaracterization to say certain words have been banned.
DETROIT (AP) – A Missouri kayaker who’s trying to paddle around all five Great Lakes has stopped her journey because of the rigors of wintry weather.
Traci Lynn Martin says she paddled 3,582 miles (5,764 kilometers) since March and completed lakes Superior, Huron and Michigan. In a Facebook video posted Saturday , the nurse says she’s been covered with ice as temperatures consistently stay below freezing.
Martin says “it’s not safe” and “it’s going to get worse.” Her Facebook post said she was in Ontario, Canada.
Martin, who is from the Kansas City, Missouri, area, began her trip in Michigan on March 9. She says she wants to try again in 2019.
She thanked many people for supporting her on what she called an “adventure of a lifetime.”
JACKSON COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities are investigating an accident that sent a man and his dog for treatment.
Just before 6p.m. Saturday, sheriff’s deputies received a report of a pedestrian that was struck by a vehicle at approximately just east of Holton on K16 Highway, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.
Sean Coop, 22, of Holton was riding a skateboard westbound in the center of the westbound lane of the highway with his Dalmatian dog.
A 2007 Chevy Impala driven by Dana Scheele, 58, of Holton was headed westbound on K-16 Hwy, came over the hill and struck the man and the dog.
Coop was transported by Jackson County EMS with non-life-threatening injuries to a Topeka hospital.
The dog was treated and transported to a local veterinarian. The Holton Police Department also assisted with the incident. The sheriff department did not released details on possible citations for the driver.
MINNETONKA, Minn. – Each year, the United Health Foundation publishes a comprehensive heath ranking of all fifty states. This is the 28th edition of America’s Health Rankings, making it the longest-running report of its kind.
This year, Kansas’ overall ranking is 25, which is up two spots from 2016.
Kansas – 25
Strengths:
Low prevalence of frequent physical distress
Low prevalence of low birthweight
Low drug death rate
Challenges:
Lower number of dentists
High incidence of pertussis
Low per capita public health funding
Highlights:
In the past year, obesity decreased 9% from 34.2% to 31.2% of adults
In the past five years, drug deaths increased 23% from 9.6 to 11.8 deaths per 100,000 population
In the past year, infant mortality decreased 5% from 6.4 to 6.1 deaths per 1,000 live births
In the past four years, cardiovascular deaths increased 5% from 242.4 to 253.5 deaths per 100,000 population
In the past 10 years, air pollution decreased 29% from 10.3 to 7.3 micrograms of fine particles per cubic meter
Ranking:
Kansas is 25th this year; it was 27th in 2016
The state ranks 31st for senior health and 25th for the health of women and children
For additional reference of where the states stand compared to others in the Midwest, Missouri ranks 40, Nebraska ranks 13 and Iowa ranks 15.
For the America’s Health Rankings annual full annual report, including information on the nation’s overall health, visit: https://americashealthrankings.org/.
CAllegations of sexual misconduct may have doomed Republican Roy Moore in the Alabama Senate race. But there were other factors that also could come into play in Kansas congressional elections next year, including U.S. Rep. Kevin Yoder’s re-election bid. FILE PHOTO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
At first glance, the Alabama Senate race doesn’t appear to offer many clues about what the 2018 election has in store.
There isn’t likely to be another campaign in which a marginal candidate attempts to hold serve for a sharply divided party while fighting unprecedented allegations of sexual misconduct under a national spotlight.
“To be sure, Roy Moore was a flawed and controversial candidate,” said Patrick Miller, a University of Kansas political scientist. “He put a race into play that never should have been in play.”
Even so, Miller said, other things factored into Democrat Doug Jones’ improbable win — factors that also could come into play in some upcoming congressional races in Kansas.
They include Democrats — particularly black voters — turning out in numbers not typically seen in non-presidential elections, Miller said.
“For much of the year it looked like black voters were less engaged than they had been normally,” Miller said, attributing it to a possible “post-Obama effect.”
“But in Virginia and now Alabama, we’ve seen them close the engagement gap,” he said.
In addition, Miller said growing discontent with President Donald Trump helped Jones make inroads with college-educated white voters in the suburbs around Alabama’s major cities. Jones scored his biggest gains among college-educated white women but also bested Hillary Clinton’s totals among educated white men.
If the trends seen in Alabama and a handful of recent special elections continue into next year, it could spell trouble for some Republican members of Congress, Miller said. Particularly those who represent districts that Clinton either won in the 2016 presidential race or lost by fewer than 10 points.
“The number one Republican that imperils in Kansas is Kevin Yoder since he holds a high-education, suburban Clinton district,” Miller said.
Yoder is seeking a fifth term in the 3rd District, which includes all or parts of three metro Kansas City counties: Johnson, Wyandotte and Miami.
In a statement Wednesday, Niermann, a high school history teacher from Prairie Village, said recent election results could be seen as “a canary in the coal mine for ultraconservatives like Yoder.”
“We’re making the case that a career educator from the middle class can appeal to both parties here in Kansas,” Niermann said, echoing one of Jones’ themes.
Six Democrats, including Tom Niermann, are competing for the chance to challenge Yoder in the 3rd District. CREDIT FILE PHOTO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Despite facing what appear to be growing headwinds, Yoder in a recent interview expressed confidence that 3rd District voters would continue to support him.
“I’ve been a voice of reason, trying to reach across the aisle (and) work with Democrats and Republicans to solve problems,” he said.
He highlighted one such effort Wednesday, issuing a news release about his efforts to preserve a tax deduction for teachers in the final version of the Republican tax cut bill.
The House bill that Yoder voted for in November eliminated the deduction, which helps teachers who spend their own money on school supplies. The Senate version not only maintained the deduction, it raised it from $250 to $500.
Yoder is now urging members of a conference committee to adopt the Senate provision.
“I’ve listened to many teachers and advocates who recognize the educator expense deduction as one small way to show teachers our appreciation for their hard work,” he said. “This important deduction should remain in our tax code.”
In addition to Niermann, candidates for the Democratic nomination in the 3rd District include Leawood attorney Andrea Ramsey, Reggie Marselus, Chris Haulmark and 2016 nominee Jay Sidie, who lost to Yoder by 11 points.
Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. You can reach him on Twitter @jmcleanks.
KANSAS CITY (AP) – A Kansas City woman has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for her role in a New Year’s Day 2016 shooting that killed a man and left a woman wounded.
The Kansas City Star reports that 20-year-old Destynie Wright was sentenced by a Jackson County judge on Friday.
Wright had been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, tampering with evidence and two counts of armed criminal action after participating in the shooting in south Kansas City that killed Sederick Jones.
Wright’s co-defendant in the case, Ramon Boyd, has yet to stand trial.
Police say used blood evidence to link Wright to the shooting and found text messages to Boyd about Jones saying “come get him now!!!!!”
