NEWTON, Kan. — Harvey County authorities have released the names of the three victims and the man suspected of killing them in Thursday morning’s homicide.
The suspect, who was fatally shot by a Newton PD officer, is identified as 33-year-old David Montano of Newton.
The three victims in the case are identified as Michael Lemons, Nelton Dean Lemons and Jason Stubby. The three were found in a home in the 2100 block of North Spencer Road just northeast of Newton around 12:30 this morning. Harvey County Attorney David Yoder said during an afternoon press conference that multiple law enforcement agencies arrived at the scene and found Montano outside the residence. He fled on foot, and when confronted, pointed a weapon at officers who shot him. He died at the scene.
Authorities then went inside to find the three victims plus several eyewitnesses. Yoder says that law enforcement believe this was a targeted attack and not a random act of violence.
Three women who survived the attack have been questioned by law enforcement and the KBI continues its investigation. As per protocol, the officer who delivered the gunshot that killed Montano has been placed on administrative leave.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — After more than a year of preparation, the Siemens nacelle plant in Hutchinson is ready to roll out its latest wind turbine. The SWT 2.3 120 is the latest gear drive nacelle to come from the German company, and the first Siemens turbine to be developed outside of Denmark.
Doug Fulton of Siemens in Hutchinson says the new turbine is designed to open markets outside the Midwest and Plains states. The target area for the new nacelle is in the southeastern parts of the United States and other areas with low to medium wind speeds.
The new nacelle has meant for some moving around of things in the Hutchinson plant to accommodate the new nacelle that is larger and heavier than the current 2.3 108 turbine. Fulton says the new turbine has to be able to withstand the extra weight of a 393-foot rotor span, which is nearly 40 feet longer than the current 2.3 108. The new product is expected to roll out for the first time later this month.
Fulton says, to date, the Hutchinson plant has produced 3,550 nacelles and is expected to hit the 5,000 milestone by the middle of next year. Currently, 365 full-time employees work at the facility. Siemens is also nearing completion of a new storage lot just west of the plant that will expand its storage capacity. The $4 million project is expected to be completed by the end of the month.
RICE COUNTY — Investigators are on the scene of an explosion at the ONEOK plant, 777 Ave. Y. in rural Rice County.
The blast, just after 9:40p.m., was felt up to 55 miles away in Hutchinson and destroyed a brick building, according to Gregg Klein with Rice County Emergency Management.
He said the fire was under control in about 30 minutes and there were no injuries.
Debris from the blast was spread on nearby roads and across a wide area, according to Klein.
The blacktop road off Kansas Highway 4 leading into the facility remained closed Wednesday morning.
Location of the OneOk plant near Bushton in Rice County- google map
ONEOK gathers, processes, stores and transport natural gas and natural gas liquids across the U.S, according to the company website.
———-
RICE COUNTY — Investigators are on the scene of an explosion at the ONEOK plant, 777 Ave. Y, in rural Rice County.
The blast was felt across a wide area of central Kansas. There were no injuries, according to Rice County Communications.
ONEOK gathers, processes, stores and transport natural gas and natural gas liquids across the U.S, according to the company website.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Hutchinson City Council approved the purchase of a house that is in the runway protection zone of the Hutchinson Airport.
The house, which belongs to Lyle Foss, was purchased for $210,000 during Tuesday’s agenda session. The house is one of 11 structures and 20 parcels of land that are in the RPZ.
In the early 1990s, the FAA established dimensional requirements for Runway Protection Zones (RPZ) for all airports. FAA provided written guidance on what can and cannot be allowed in the RPZ. The city has established a fund to purchase homes that lie within the zone.
The city will have some opportunity to recover the purchase price of the home, but have not decided what avenues to take. Some options would be to salvage the home for its materials or perhaps sell and move the home to another location.
Monday’s hearing on a bill that would expand eligibility for Medicaid drew a crowd. The House Health and Human Services Committee voted to table the bill, essentially killing it for this session. MEG WINGERTER / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
A bill to expand KanCare most likely is dead after a House committee voted Monday to table it until April.
The House Health and Human Services Committee was expected to vote on a bill that would expand eligibility for Kansas’ privatized Medicaid program known as KanCare. Instead, the members narrowly approved a motion by Rep. John Barker, an Abilene Republican, to sideline it until the veto session, a move that most likely kills the bill.
Monday is the legislative deadline for most bills to pass out of their committee or stay alive by passing through an exempt committee. But it doesn’t appear that Medicaid expansion supporters have any viable options for keeping the bill alive.
“It’s dead,” said Rep. Dan Hawkins, the Wichita Republican who chairs the committee.
Barker said the committee needed more time to assess the state’s financial situation before voting to expand Medicaid. He said the Kansas Supreme Court could order the state to find more funding for schools in the next few months, for example.
“I try not to make a decision until I have all the facts,” he said.
Rep. Susan Concannon, a Beloit Republican, said the move to table deceived new legislators, who may not have understood they were killing the bill.
“I’m just speechless because it was such an underhanded move,” she said.
Kansas limits eligibility for Medicaid to children, pregnant women, people with severe disabilities and parents earning less than a third of the federal poverty line, or about $9,200 annually for a four-person family.
If Kansas expanded eligibility, as 31 other states have done, a four-person family could have up to $33,465 in income and a single adult up to $16,642 to be eligible for Medicaid.
The committee spent much of its meeting debating the merits of expanding Medicaid. Advocates pushed expansion as a way to allow low-income working people to pay for insurance and to shore up the finances of rural hospitals.
Rep. Susan Concannon, a Beloit Republican, left, speaks during Monday’s committee meeting on a Medicaid expansion bill. At right is Rep. Dan Hawkins, a Wichita Republican. CREDIT MEG WINGERTER / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
“To me, the big question we have to ask ourselves is this good for the people,” said Rep. Cindy Holscher, an Olathe Democrat. “I think we have to see it is.”
Opponents said expanding Medicaid would be costly and do little to improve patients’ health. Rep. Abraham Rafie, an Overland Park Republican, said not enough of the Medicaid expansion money would directly benefit rural hospitals and safety net clinics.
“I think there’s many things we can do to improve access to care in our state,” he said.
Advocates said they weren’t giving up pushing for Medicaid expansion, but they acknowledged their chances were slimmer. Mike Oxford, executive director of the Topeka Independent Living Resource Center, said after the hearing that he doubts lawmakers will want to take up the bill later in the session.
“I think we’ve got a steep climb,” he said.
Even if an expansion bill clears the procedural hurdles and overcomes the skepticism of many lawmakers, Gov. Sam Brownback has repeatedly said he is opposed to such a proposal. He recently it would be foolish for the state to move forward given plans by President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Meg Wingerter is a reporter for kcur.org Kansas News Service, a collaboration of KCUR, Kansas Public Radio and KMUW covering health, education and politics in Kansas. You can reach her on Twitter @MegWingerter.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Two people were injured Sunday at the intersection of 30th and Buhler Road after a two-vehicle accident.
The driver of a Pontiac Grand Prix, 36-year-old Joseph Thayer of Hutchinson, and his passenger, 40-year-old David Heim of rural Buhler, were both taken to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center for treatment
The Dodge truck was driven by 57-year-old Ronald Ediger of rural Hutchinson.
He told deputies that he was traveling north on Buhler Road when he struck the east bound Pontiac that failed to stop at the stop sign.
The Pontiac was spun around and came to rest in the middle of Buhler Road. The impact caused the truck to enter the northeast ditch and roll one time. Ediger was wearing his seat belt and reported no injuries.
Thayer and Heim were not wearing seat belts and the airbags deployed.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Just after 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Hutchinson Fire crews responded to the 500 block of East Sherman for a structure fire.
First arriving units reported heavy fire involvement of the exterior of the structure. Fire had spread to the interior of this house and to the neighbor’s structure. The first arriving crew initiated fire attack procedures. The fire was extinguished in 30 minutes, however, crews remained on scene for two hours performing salvage and overhaul procedures.
The house was occupied at the time of the fire. Occupants were able to exit the structure before fire units arrived on scene.
Damage to the home is estimated at $60,000.
The cause of the fire appears to be from a discarded cigarette.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the Kansas Legislature’s debate over raising income taxes to help balance the budget (all times local):
10:55 a.m.
The Kansas Legislature has approved a big increase in personal income taxes to help balance the state budget in a move that defies Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.
Senate approved a bill Friday that would generate more than $1 billion over two years. The vote was 22-18.
Senators acted the day after the House approved the measure, so the bill goes to Brownback. He has strongly criticized the bill and said he would not sign it, but he has so far stopped short of saying specifically that he would veto it.
The bill would abandon core tax-cutting policies Brownback championed in 2012 and 2013 to help close projected budget shortfalls totaling nearly $1.1 billion through June 2019.
Supporters did not have the two-thirds majorities necessary to override a possible veto.
_____
7:35 a.m.
Majority Leader Jim Denning says the Kansas Senate is moving quickly on a bill to increase income taxes to help balance the state budget because members want to move on to other issues.
Denning said he believes supporters of the House-passed bill can keep amendments off of the measure during a debate Friday so that they can send it to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback. The bill would raise more than $1 billion over two years starting in July by abandoning core tax policies championed by Brownback.
The House passed the bill Thursday but it did not have a veto-proof, two-thirds majority.
Denning said senators can’t go forward with work on issue such as school funding until they’ve decided how to close projected budget gaps totaling $1.1 billion through June 2019.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators who see a big income tax increase as the best way to balance the state budget hope their bipartisan plan clears the Legislature.
The GOP-controlled state Senate planned to debate a bill Friday that would raise more than $1 billion over two years by rolling back key policies championed by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.
The Republican-controlled House passed the bill Thursday.
Brownback has strongly criticized the measure but has stopped short of saying outright that he would veto it. Supporters in the House fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.
Kansas has struggled to balance its budget since GOP lawmakers slashed income taxes in 2012 and 2013 at Brownback’s urging.
The bill would raise rates and end an exemption for farmers and business owners.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Some major changes to the often talked about bridge on 43rd at the old K-61 highway that spans the Union Pacific Railroad.
Reno County Public Works announced this morning that after an inspection, weight limits to the wooden structure are being lowered dramatically. The new limits are 3 tons for single axle vehicle, 6 tons for a tandem truck and 12 tons for larger vehicles. The new limits means school buses and emergency vehicle can not use the bridge.
Public Works has made contact with the Buhler School District about the new limits along with Emergency Management. The bridge has often been discussed by County Commissioners but only preventive maintenance has been done to the structure in efforts allow buses to use it. USD 313 Superintendent Mike Berblinger says the change will affect 15 bus routes that use the bridge each day causing some delays from 5-7 minutes. A mass “robo call” went out to USD 313 patrons telling them of the changes Thursday afternoon.
Talk of replacing the span has come up in the past, but its close proximity to K-61 and tight restrictions by the railroad underneath has made it financially impossible for the county to consider.
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Hutchinson has a new Fire Chief. City Manager John Deardoff announced today that, after an extensive search process, Steven Beer has been selected to become the next Hutchinson Fire Chief. Steven will begin duties as the Hutchinson Fire Chief in early April.
Beer currently serves as the Assistant Fire Chief of Operations for the Fond du Lac Fire/Rescue Department in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. Steven has served in a variety of roles with Fond du Lac Fire Department, including Paramedic, Paramedic/Lieutenant, Captain, Battalion Chief before being promoted to the Assistant Fire Chief of Operations in 2010. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Homeland Security Administration as well as certification as a Chief Fire Officer through the Center for Public Safety Excellence. He is currently working on a Master’s in Leadership.
Deardoff believes Beer’s educational accomplishments, leadership abilities and fire and rescue experience make him a perfect fit for the city. “I’m very excited about becoming Hutchinson’s next Fire Chief. I look forward to working with the department members, command staff, city officials, and the community. Hutchinson has a long history of serving the community with a great sense of duty, pride and honor. We will continue to work together to provide the most effective and efficient service to our citizens while providing the highest degree of safety. In addition, we will continue to provide a fire safe community for those who live, work, and travel through our great community,” Beer said.
Beer replaces former Fire Chief Kim Forbes, who retired in November of 2016 after 40 years of service with the department
morning’s homicide. 
