Gina Meier-Hummel started her job December 1 as secretary of the Kansas Department for Children and Families. photo by STEPHEN KORANDA / KPR
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas legislative task force on child welfare is scheduled to meet for the first time since a new top administrator took over the state agency it is examining.
The Child Welfare Task Force is scheduled to have a daylong meeting Tuesday at the Statehouse and to discuss a preliminary report for lawmakers on its findings.
Its members include Gina Meier-Hummel of Lawrence. She was director of a children’s shelter until she was named last month as secretary of the Department for Children and Families.
Meier-Hummel has replaced former Secretary Phyllis Gilmore, who retired Dec. 1.
Among other things, the task force has been examining problems with the state’s foster care system for abused and neglected children.
Some legislators had been calling on Gilmore to resign when she retired.
RENO COUNTY — Two people were injured in an accident just before 9:30 p.m. Sunday in Reno County.
The Reno County Sheriff’s Department reported a Mazda passenger vehicle driven by Justin Greiner, 25, Hutchinson, was northbound on Yoder Road.
The vehicle missed the first curve at Parallel Road. It traveled off the road and rolled an undetermined number of times. Greiner was not wearing a seat belt and was ejected from the vehicle, according to the sheriff’s department.
An emergency medical helicopter transported Greiner to a Wichita hospital. A passenger in the vehicle Amanda Spencer, 29, Caldwell, was wearing a seat belt and was transported by ambulance to a Wichita hospital. The accident remains under investigation.
RENO COUNTY — Fire investigators say a 4-year-old is responsible for starting a house fire in Hutchinson.
Just before 11a.m. Sunday, the fire crews to a home in the1400 Block of East 5th Avenue in Hutchinson for a structure fire, according to a media release.
On arrival, first in crews located a pile of clothes on fire that had started in a closet. Fire crews quickly contained the fire to the area of origin. All members inside the residence escaped without injury. Investigators have determined the cause of the fire to be a child playing with a lighter.
Battalion Chief William Lang reminded adults to teach children to never play with matches or lighters. Make it a habit of placing these items up and away from young children.
In addition, take time to teach your children how to respond to the sound of a smoke alarm. Teach them to get low and get out when they hear the alarm. A child who is coached properly ahead of time will have a better chance to be safe. New statistics show that once a smoke alarms sounds, you have 3 minutes to get out safely.
Hutchinson Fire Department was assisted by the Hutchinson Police Department, Kansas Gas, and Westar Energy.
JACKSON COUNTY— Law enforcement authorities are investigating a suspect on felony charges.
Just after 10:30 p.m. Friday, a Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy stopped Jordan Lee Thornton, 30, Oskaloosa, for a traffic violation near 126th Road and US Hwy 75 near Hoyt, according to Sheriff Tim Morse.
The deputy soon discovered the 2012 Toyota Prius had been stolen from a Topeka car dealership.
The deputy arrested Thornton for felony possession of stolen property, interference with law enforcement, possession of methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia and driving while suspended. Thornton remains in custody in the Jackson County Jail.
RUSH COUNTY — A Kansas man died in an accident in Rush County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2002 Toyota Tacoma driven by Darin Alan Stiles, 51, Hays, was westbound on K4 one half mile east of La Crosse.
The truck hit the gravel shoulder on the north side of the road. The driver overcorrected. The vehicle entered the south ditch, overturned in the field and the driver was ejected.
Stiles was not wearing a seat belt. He pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Brocks North Hill Chapel. Exact time of crash is unknown at this time, according to the KHP.
NEW YORK (AP) — This year’s flu season is off to a quick start and so far it seems to be dominated by a nasty bug.
Health officials say the flu vaccine seems well matched to the viruses making people sick, but it’s too early to tell how bad this season will be. The main flu bug this season tends to cause more deaths and hospitalizations and vaccines tend not to work as well against this type.
Flu began picking up last month. By the end of last week, seven states reported widespread flu activity: Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Virginia.
Most flu seasons don’t really get going until around Christmas. That’s how last year’s flu season played out.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the latest data Friday.
Paul Davis, the former Democratic leader in the Kansas House, is running for the 2nd District Congressional seat in Kansas. In the 2014 governor’s race, Davis carried the district by six points over Gov. Sam Brownback. FILE PHOTO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Political forecasters attempting to gauge the chances for a power shift in Congress are watching several key 2018 races across the country, including two in Kansas.
In the 3rd District, several Democrats are competing for the right to challenge four-term Republican Kevin Yoder, and in the 2nd District, a former Democratic candidate for governor hopes to claim an open seat.
Democrats challenging Yoder have the advantage of running in a district that Hillary Clinton carried over President Donald Trump in the 2016 election, albeit by a single percentage point.
Paul Davis, the former Democratic leader in the Kansas House, has what might prove to be a bigger advantage in the 2nd District, which covers roughly the eastern third of the state. He carried it by six points in his unsuccessful 2014 bid to unseat Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.
That strong showing and the fact that at the end of the first reporting period Davis had raised more campaign cash than his Republican rivals combined suggests that he is capable of winning the seat, said University of Kansas political scientist Patrick Miller.
“Clearly Paul Davis showed that he could appeal to some of those right-leaning voters in 2014,” Miller said. “His challenge is to replicate that and really get back that center-to-right support that can carry him over.”
Davis, a partner in a Lawrence law firm, is hopeful but cautious.
“Obviously I wouldn’t be in the race if I didn’t believe we had a good opportunity to win,” Davis said. “I also know that I’m a Democrat in Kansas and things are never easy.”
If Davis can get by Kelly Standley, a small-business owner from St. Paul, in the primary, he plans to court independent and moderate Republican voters by pledging to cross the aisle to forge compromise solutions on health care, taxes, the environment and a host of other key issues.
“You know, we’ve got plenty of people on both sides of the aisle in Washington that are just sitting on the end of the political spectrum, just providing more and more noise,” Davis said. “What we need right now are people who are going to be Kansans and Americans first and not Democrats and Republicans.”
GOP field lacks big names
State Sen. Steve Fitzgerald of Leavenworth announced his bid for the GOP nomination in the 2nd District in July. CREDIT FILE PHOTO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
When Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins decided not to run for a sixth term, she expected that several high-profile Republicans would jump into the race to succeed her.
That didn’t happen.
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach opted to run for governor instead. Attorney General Derek Schmidt considered a run but decided instead to seek re-election.
To ensure that the GOP fielded its best candidate, state Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, from Leavenworth, was willing to defer to any number of higher-profile Republicans. But when none stepped forward he jumped into the 2nd District race, saying it was essential for Republicans to hang on to the seat to help thwart an attempt by Democrats to gain control of the U.S. House.
“Bernie and Hillary’s Democrats are desperate to retake Congress and resume their death march to socialism,” Fitzgerald said at his July campaign launch. “We cannot let that happen.”
Fitzgerald said if elected he would help President Donald Trump further his agenda for tax cuts, tougher border security and the rollback of Obama-era environmental regulations.
“The puddles in your backyard are no longer ‘waters of the United States’ to be regulated by the federal government,” he said, before also praising Trump’s decision to withdraw from what he called “the international climate scam.”
Republican state Sen. Caryn Tyson of Parker highlighted her support for President Donald Trump’s agenda when she joined the 2nd District race in August. CREDIT FILE PHOTO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
Five now in GOP field
Similarly, state Sen. Caryn Tyson, from Parker, highlighted her support for the Trump agenda when she joined the race in August.
“We need to embrace the president’s call to repeal and replace Obamacare, secure our borders and pass comprehensive tax reform to cut taxes,” Tyson said in her campaign announcement.
In a recent interview, Tyson, who manages a Linn County ranch with her husband, described herself as a “reasonable conservative,” which she defined as someone willing to engage in debate and compromise to get things done.
As she campaigns, Tyson said she has not detected any buyer’s remorse from 2nd District voters who supported Trump.
“A majority of people, I think, tend to take the attitude that they wish he wouldn’t tweet so much,” she said. “But they agree with the agenda that he campaigned on.”
State Rep. Kevin Jones, a former Green Beret from Wellsville, and Basehor City Councilman Vernon Fields and Topekan Matt Bevens round out the GOP field.
Former Kansas Commerce Secretary Antonio Soave recently withdrew from the race amid reports that Brownback fired him for, among other things, awarding state contracts to friends and business associates.
Race seen as competitive
Davis’ 2014 performance and his early fundraising prowess have put the 2nd District race on various watch lists. The seat is one of several that prognosticators believe Democrats could flip if there is a substantial midterm backlash against Trump.
Recently, Sabato’s Crystal Ball, a website run by University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato, adjusted its prediction on the Kansas 2nd District race, moving it from the “likely Republican” column to “Republican leaning.”
It’s a slight change, but one that signals that campaign watchers expect the race to be competitive, said KU’s Miller.
“I don’t think that either side has a clear leg up,” Miller said. “The strengths of Paul Davis versus the Republican tilt of the district — we don’t really know how that will come out.”
Investigators on scene of Friday’s accident-photo courtesy KCTV
KANSAS CITY (AP) – Police in Kansas City, Missouri, say an 8-year-old boy has died after being hit by a garbage truck outside his grandparents” home.
Television station WDAF reports that Dra’Viontay Baker was playing in a small wagon with a 9-year-old friend when the truck hit him Friday afternoon.
Police say Dra’Viontay was rushed to Children’s Mercy Hospital, where he died. Officials said the boy was a third-grader at Truman Elementary. His friend was not injured.
Police say the driver was not impaired and stayed on the scene until officers and medics arrived. The driver told police he was unable to stop in time to avoid hitting the boy.
MONTGOMER COUNTY — Two people died in an accident just after 11a.m. Saturday in Montgomery County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1998 Dodge Avenger driven by Terry Lee Reeder II, 29, Marysville, WA., was westbound in U.S. 166 three miles east of U.S. 75.
The vehicle crossed the center line to the south edge line of the eastbound lanes and struck a 2008 Buick Lucerne driven by Alvin D. Gaston, 85, Coffeyville, head-on.
Reeder and a passenger in the Dodge Kaity Pierce, 25, Stanwood, WA., were pronounced dead at the scene.
Three children in the Dodge Athena M. Reeder, 6; Elysian K. Reeder, 7; and Terry Reeder III, 9, all of Coffeyville were transported to Coffeyville Regional Medical Center.
Gaston was transported to Jane Phillips Medical Center in Bartlesville. All were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
Law enforcement authorities on the scene of Saturday morning shooting-photo courtesy KAKE
SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting and have a suspect in custody.
Just before 1 a.m. Saturday, police responded to the report of a shooting at Pawnee and Cardington in Wichita, according to officer Charley Davidson.
Upon arrival officers located a 31-year-old man in the street who had two gunshot wounds to his leg.
The victim directed officers to a residence in the 2200 block of south Parkridge.
When officers arrived at the house they observed a 21-year-old man exit the home armed with a handgun. Officers took the suspect into custody without incident. When officers entered the residence, they located a 44-year-old man with multiple gunshot wounds, and a 38-year-old woman who was uninjured. The 31-year-old man was taken to an area hospital for medical treatment.
The 44-year-old man was pronounced dead.
Officers booked the 21-year-old suspect into jail for first degree murder, aggravated battery firearm, and possession of a firearm by a felon.
