TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Sam Brownback has appointed a county prosecutor to a judgeship on a district court in eastern Kansas.
Brownback announced Thursday that the new judge is Terri Johnson of Fort Scott. She is the Bourbon County attorney and also serves as the county’s lawyer in civil-court matters.
Brownback said her mix of legal experience makes her well-prepared to be a judge. Both he and the new judge are Republicans.
She’s filling a position on the bench in the 6th Judicial District of Bourbon, Linn and Miami counties that will become vacant when Chief Judge Richard Smith of Mound City retires next month.
Smith recently sat with the Kansas Supreme Court as it reviewed a case involving Attorney General Derek Schmidt’s attempt to defend the state’s ban on gay marriage.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Free throws have been a struggle at times this season for Missouri. But when the pressure suddenly increased Thursday night, the Tigers converted.
“The bad news is we let them come back,” coach Kim Anderson said after his team held on to defeat Elon 78-73. “The good news is we handled it at the end.”
Missouri made all eight of its free throw attempts in the final minute after Elon used an 11-0 run to trail just 70-69 after a 3-pointer by Luke Eddy with 55.9 seconds remaining.
After the teams traded points, the Tigers’ Keith Shamburger converted two free throws for a 74-71 lead with 26.6 ticks left. Elon’s Tanner Samson then missed a 3-point attempt, and Montaque Gill-Caesar and Shamburger each hit two more free throws for Missouri to squelch the threat.
Johnathan Williams III and Shamburger each finished with 16 points for the Tigers (5-4), who made 24 of 30 free throw attempts after averaging 64.2 percent from the line this season.
Eddy scored a career-high 27 points off the bench and Kevin Blake added 14 for Elon (5-4), which had a two-game winning streak against Southeastern Conference opponents snapped.
“I really am happy with the way our team responded after halftime,” Phoenix coach Matt Matheny said. “It wasn’t like we were gangbusters, but we played on our toes.”
Elon entered the matchup having won its previous three games overall, averaging 114 points in wins against non-NCAA schools on Dec. 2 and Dec. 7. But the Phoenix struggled offensively against Missouri, shooting 24 of 67 from the field.
The Tigers, on the other hand, converted 13 of 22 shots in the opening half, including 6 of 9 from 3-point range, to take a 46-27 advantage at the break. Nine players scored for the team, which led at halftime for just the third time this season, including once against Division II opponent Chaminade.
“Every win gives us confidence to be honest with you,” Shamburger said. “It doesn’t matter who it is. As long as we get a win and add it to our record, a win is a win. We just want to beat whoever we can.”
Williams III made just 3 of 10 field goal attempts, but has now led Missouri in scoring and rebounding for three consecutive games since experiencing soreness in his right knee during the Maui Invitational. He has averaged 16.7 points in that span and added eight rebounds Thursday.
Eddy, a sophomore from Charleston, West Virginia, entered the night averaging 11.9 points and has just two career starts for Elon. He finished 8 of 15 from the field and converted all eight of his free throw attempts.
“I thought Luke was sensational,” Matheny said. “I have a lot of confidence in him. We’ve been in a lot of close games this year, and we love to put the ball in his hands.”
The matchup represented the first meeting between the two schools, who scheduled the game before coach Frank Haith left Missouri for Tulsa during the offseason. Haith graduated from Elon in 1988 and served on its staff as an assistant from 1985-89.
TIP-INS
Elon: The Phoenix allowed Missouri to shoot 23 of 51 overall, and its defense will be tested again as it continues its four-game road trip.
Missouri: After the Tigers lost 82-63 at Oklahoma on Dec. 5, Thursday’s escape adds additional concern ahead of hosting Xavier on Saturday. Missouri also allowed 19 offensive rebounds, compared to nine of its own.
ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER FRESHMAN
D’Angelo Allen, one of four freshmen receiving playing time for Missouri, scored a career-high 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and added seven rebounds.
The economic recovery has not been equal among the races, a Pew Research Center study shows.
The study released Friday found that the wealth gap between white households and minorities has widened.
The wealth of white households was 13 times greater than that of black households in 2013, versus eight times the wealth in 2010. And the wealth of white households was more than 10 times that of Hispanic households, up from nine times the wealth in 2010.
Pew researchers — analyzing data from the Federal Reserve’s Survey of Consumer Finances— found that the gap between whites and blacks has reached its highest point since 1989. The wealth ratio for whites-to-Hispanics is at a level not seen since 2001.
What’s already been quite a week for Mizzou junior DE Shane Ray (Kansas City, Mo.) just got even better as he was this evening named a 1st-Team All-American by the Walter Camp Football Foundation. The honor means that Ray becomes the 34th 1st-Team All-American in Mizzou Football history, and the eighth to play under Head Coach Gary Pinkel.
It marks the second-straight year that a Tiger defensive end has earned 1st-Team All-American acclaim, following Michael Sam in 2013. Ray is the first Tiger since DE Justin Smith (2000) to win All-American status in his junior season.
The good news continued a bountiful week of awards for Ray, who earlier was named the 2014 SEC Defensive Player of the Year by both the Associated Press and league coaches, in addition to earning 1st-Team All-SEC honors by both as well.
The awards are no surprise to anyone who has seen Ray wreak havoc on opposing offenses in 2014. He continued the building tradition of Mizzou’s outstanding defensive line play (#DLineZOU) of 2013 standouts Michael Sam and Kony Ealy, who were both first-team All-SEC picks a year ago. Ray, a first-year starter in 2014, set a school record with 14.0 quarterback sacks (topping the previous mark of 11.5), and he also totaled 21.0 tackles for loss, while ranking fifth on the team with his 61 tackles on the year. Ray leads the SEC and ranks 3rd nationally in sacks, while he ranks 2nd in the league, and 6th nationally in tackles for loss.
Ray becomes the eighth 1st-Team All-American at Mizzou under Gary Pinkel, joining previous honorees Martin Rucker, TE (2007), Jeremy Maclin, All-Purpose (2007, 2008), Chase Coffman, TE (2008), Danario Alexander, WR (2009), Grant Ressel, PK (2009), Michael Egnew, TE (2010) and Michael Sam, DE (2013).
The Tigers are off from practice until this Saturday, when they begin on-field preparations for the 2015 Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl against Minnesota, set for Jan. 1st in Orlando, Fla.
For the second time in his distinguished career, Kansas State senior Tyler Lockett has been named a Walter Camp All-American, the Walter Camp Foundation announced Thursday evening during the ESPN College Football Awards Show.
With the honor, Lockett has earned All-America accolades from various organizations every year of his collegiate career, becoming the first player in Kansas State history to accomplish the feat. It is the second time Lockett has been named a Walter Camp All-American as he was the first-team kick returner as a true freshman in 2011.
Lockett earned second-team honors as both a wide receiver and kick returner from the Walter Camp Foundation, which is celebrating its 125th season compiling an All-America team in 2014. He is the third player ever to be named a Walter Camp All-American at two positions in the same year.
One of the most dynamic players in the nation, Lockett has averaged 170.6 all-purpose yards per game to rank fourth nationally and lead the Big 12 by nearly 20 yards per game. He leads the conference and ranks fourth nationally with 112.6 receiving yards per game, which is buoyed by a current streak of four-straight 100-yard contests. His 93 receptions and 1,351 yards this season are second in school history to another Walter Camp All-American, current Green Bay Packer receiver Jordy Nelson (2007).
Known mainly for his kickoff-return abilities entering the 2014 campaign, Lockett has been stellar during his first year as a full-time punt returner by leading the nation with a 19.0-yard average and two touchdowns. He tallied his first career punt-return touchdown against UTEP, a 58-yarder, while he returned a punt 43 yards for a score at West Virginia.
By being named to the Walter Camp All-America team, Lockett has been invited to the organization’s national awards banquet on Saturday, January 17, 2015, at the Yale University Commons in New Haven, Connecticut. In addition, the Foundation will recognize three individuals – broadcasting legend Verne Lundquist (Distinguished American), former Notre Dame and Pittsburgh Steeler standout running back Jerome Bettis (Man of the Year) and former Air Force All-American and Dallas Cowboy Chad Hennings (Alumnus of the Year) – with major awards.
No. 11 K-State will take on No. 14 UCLA in the 2015 Valero Alamo Bowl on Friday, January 2, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. The game, which kicks off at 5:45 p.m., will be televised nationally by ESPN.
Tyler Lockett’s Career All-America Honors
2011: Walter Camp (First Team KR); Sports Illustrated (Second Team KR)
2012: Sports Illustrated (Honorable Mention KR)
2013: Football Writers Association of America (Second Team WR); Sports Illustrated (Honorable Mention All-Purpose)
University of Nebraska Head Football Coach Mike Riley announced on Thursday the hiring of four assistant football coaches that will help lead the Husker football program into the future. All four assistant coaches worked for Riley at Oregon State, and all have proven track records as great coaches, teachers, mentors and outstanding recruiters.
The full-time coaches announced on Thursday include defensive assistants Mark Banker and Trent Bray, offensive assistant Mike Cavanaugh, and one of the nation’s most respected special teams experts in Bruce Read. No coordinator designations, other than special teams, have been made to this point.
The staff members Coach Riley added on Thursday have a combined 97 years of coaching experience and a combined 45 years working with Riley, including time at Oregon State and the San Diego Chargers.
“I am excited to have the first pieces in place regarding our staffing,” Riley said. “I’m very excited about the coaches that are on board right now. I’ve worked with them and trust them and know the kind of work they do. They are excited to represent the University of Nebraska and our football program, and we are fortunate to have them on staff.”
Mark Banker has worked with Riley for 18 seasons, including 14 seasons together at Oregon State, where Banker served as defensive coordinator. Banker worked strictly as defensive coordinator since 2012, but also spent time coaching the Beaver linebackers and safeties during his time on Riley’s staff.
Under Banker’s direction, the Beaver defense was regularly among the top units in the Pac-12 Conference. More than 70 of Banker’s defenders have earned all-conference honors during his tenure in Corvallis.
The Oregon State defense has ranked near the top of the Pac-12 in total defense several times under Banker, most recently ranking third in 2012. Banker’s 2007 Beaver defense led the nation in rushing defense and ranked eighth nationally in total defense.
Trent Bray has spent the past three seasons tutoring linebackers at Oregon State. In his first season on the Beaver staff in 2012, Oregon State ranked second in the Pac-12 in scoring defense and third in total defense, rushing defense and pass defense. Bray also coached linebackers at Arizona State from 2009 to 2011.
Bray was a standout linebacker for the Beavers from 2002 to 2005. In his career he totaled 337 tackles to rank among the top 10 tacklers in Oregon State history. He earned Pac-10 all-conference honors as both a junior and senior.
Mike Cavanaugh has spent the past 10 seasons on Riley’s staff, coaching the Beaver offensive line. Cavanaugh also spent time in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers, and has several collegiate coaching stops, including six years as the offensive line coach at Hawaii.
The play of Cavanaugh’s offensive lines has helped the Beavers to record-setting offensive numbers. Quarterback Sean Mannion set single-season and career Pac-12 records for passing yards, while also paving the way for several all-conference runners. Beaver running backs Yvenson Bernard and Jacquizz Rodgers each produced three 1,000-yard rushing seasons behind Cavanaugh-coached lines. Cavanaugh’s offensive lines were also regularly among the league’s best at protecting the passer, and 23 of his players earned all-conference honors in the past decade.
Bruce Read has focused on special teams throughout his 29 years in coaching. Most recently, Read has been on Riley’s Oregon State staff since 2009, Read’s third stint at Oregon State. He also coached the Beaver special teams in 1997 and 1998, and from 2004 to 2006. The OSU special teams have achieved numerous school records under Read’s direction, including James Rodgers becoming the school’s career all-purpose yardage leader in 2011, partially fueled by 2,385 career return yards.
Read was also on Riley’s San Diego Chargers staff and was an NFL special teams assistant with the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys.
Quoting Nebraska’s New Assistant Coaches
Mark Banker
“I’m very excited to join the University of Nebraska family, and be a part of a football program with such an extensive tradition of excellence on the football field and in the classroom. Specifically as a defensive coach, it is an honor to be a part of the Blackshirts and I look forward to helping continue that tradition.”
Trent Bray
“It is an honor to be here at Nebraska in a program with such great history and legacy. I am very excited to get started. I have great faith in and loyalty to Coach Riley and the opportunity to continue to work with him at a place like Nebraska is an unbelievable opportunity.”
Mike Cavanaugh
“I am more than excited to be with Coach Riley at the University of Nebraska. The tradition of excellence here is amazing. I am really honored to be able to work with the offensive line at a program with such a history of success in that area.”
Bruce Read
“This is a great opportunity to be a part of a program with such outstanding tradition and success like the University of Nebraska. I am really excited to be here and it is an honor to be able to continue to work with Coach Riley. I have been with him a lot of years and he provides a great environment for coaches and student-athletes. It is fun to go to work for him every day of the year.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans have muscled a $1.1 trillion bill financing government agencies through the House after President Barack Obama phoned Democratic lawmakers and urged them to back the measure.
The House approved the measure late Thursday by 219-206.
The compromise bill keeps agencies funded through next September.
Many conservatives opposed it because it did not block Obama’s recent executive actions on immigration. A large majority of House Democrats opposed it because of provisions easing some restrictions on banks and allowing higher political contributions by big donors.
Obama backed the bill and called wavering Democratic lawmakers to persuade them to help it pass.
The bill must now be approved by the Democratic-run Senate.
Funding for federal agencies was expiring at midnight. Lawmakers were ready to pass short-term legislation keeping government doors open.
WICHITA — A Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services decision last week to limit admissions to Osawatomie State Hospital has had an immediate effect on the state’s mental health system.
Marilyn Cook, executive director at COMCARE, the community mental health center in Wichita, said the state’s decision to suspend admission of voluntary patients and more closely screen involuntary admissions at the Osawatomie facility recently prevented the center from transferring several patients thought to be a danger to themselves or others.
“Last Friday, we screened three people who were determined to need involuntary treatment,” Cook said. “We had two more on Saturday, and two more on Sunday for a total of seven over the weekend.”
All seven, she said, were denied admission to the state hospital. They were instead placed in “medical (hospital) beds somewhere in this community.” COMCARE, Cook said, was told the seven would-be patients were denied admission to Osawatomie because they were “already in a safe place,” a reference Cook understood to mean emergency rooms in the city.
After court appearances Wednesday, all seven patients were admitted to Osawatomie State Hospital.
While in Wichita, some of the patients — it’s unclear how many — were hospitalized at Via Christi Health System.
“We were able to meet their needs, although not without considerable effort on the part of physicians we work with,” said Roz Hutchinson, a spokesperson for Via Christi.
Carol Manning, executive director at the Wichita-based Mental Health Association of South Central Kansas, said the delayed Osawatomie admissions underscore persistent gaps in the state’s network of mental health programs.
“Seven in one weekend? That’s a lot,” she said. “What we’re seeing here, I think, is that demand for higher-acuity services is outpacing the resources that are available both locally and at the state level.”
On Wednesday, 61 of the 226 patients at Osawatomie State Hospital were from Sedgwick County, according to a KDADS report.
The numbers cited by Cook match those provided by KDADS Secretary Kari Bruffett, who said Tuesday that 11 “involuntary” patients were admitted to Osawatomie State Hospital over the weekend and seven from COMCARE were denied admission.
KDADS last week announced an immediate suspension of voluntary admissions to Osawatomie after federal surveyors threatened to block a significant portion of its Medicare payments.
The agency also said involuntary admissions would be “aggressively triaged” and that would-be patients were not to be sent to Osawatomie unless their transfer had been pre-approved by an “admissions officer” or an on-duty physician.
The new policy is designed to reduce the number of patients at Osawatomie, which in recent months has often exceeded its licensed capacity.
Bruffett said state officials know the policy creates “challenges” for community mental health centers. But she said conversations in recent days with several center directors have led her to believe that they “understand and appreciate the need for the policy.”
Cook understands the reasons for the policy but predicts that it will have ripple effects throughout eastern Kansas, the hospital’s catchment area.
“It’s looking like people who have a need for involuntary admission to the state hospital may have delays getting that level of care,” she said. “That care is going to have to come from somewhere. I’m not sure where.”
Sandy Horton, executive director at the Kansas Sheriffs’ Association, said he expected to policy to lead to more people ending up in jail.
“I don’t like saying it, but when the resources that we’re talking about here aren’t available in the community, we see more people getting arrested for minor violations and being taken to jail,” Horton said. “It’s probably not the best place for them to be, but it may be the only place.”
He added: “I’ll be surprised if this doesn’t have an adverse effect on law enforcement.”
Prompted in part by the Osawatomie census issues, federal surveyors inspected the hospital in October and cited it for several deficiencies. Among other things, the surveyors uncovered several instances of poor care. One resulted in a diabetic patient having to have a toe amputated. Another led to a patient whose blood clots weren’t properly treated being transferred to another hospital’s intensive care unit.
A survey report obtained from the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services also documented an instance where a pharmacist discontinued a patient’s heart medication without consulting the patient’s doctor.
State officials said last week that after a second inspection, federal officials had approved a plan for improving conditions at the Osawatomie hospital.
KDADS continues to work with CMS on a “plan of correction” related to census issues at the 206-bed hospital. The agency has 90 days to implement the plan.
Dave Ranney is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Jurors have convicted a man of snatching an 8-year-old girl from a Topeka apartment, raping her, killing her and stashing her body in a dryer.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Shawnee County jurors found 31-year-old Billy Frank Davis Jr. guilty Thursday afternoon of 10 counts, including capital murder, in the March 2012 death of Ahliyah Nachelle Irvin. Her parents wept as the verdict was read.
Jurors will return Friday to hear more evidence before deciding whether to recommend whether Davis should receive the death penalty or life without parole.
Prosecutors said Davis killed the child to hide that he had sexually assaulted her. But the defense said Davis didn’t have the mental wherewithal to form the intent to kill the girl because he been drinking and using cocaine.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Sam Brownback has appointed a county prosecutor to a judgeship on a district court in eastern Kansas.
