TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Grocery and convenience stores in Kansas are stocking their shelves with stronger beer.
Beginning April 1, Kansas law allows grocery, convenience stores to sell beer with up to a 6 percent alcohol content.
Starting Monday, they can sell beer with up to 6 percent alcohol by volume. Previously, groceries and convenience stores could stock beer with only up to 3.2 percent alcohol content — considerably lower than even leading light beer brands. In exchange, liquor stores will be able to sell more non-alcoholic products, such as shot glasses, mixers, lottery tickets and tobacco products.
Lawmakers have debated the issue for years. Some said they were concerned large grocery chains would put independent liquor stores out of business.
Oklahoma and Colorado have made similar charges. The beer revolution leaves just two states — Utah and Minnesota — where only 3.2 percent beer may be sold in grocery and convenience stores.
While it will be a cold start to the day, with temperatures around freezing, the week ahead will feature near normal temperatures. Highs by the end of the week are expected to climb into the mid 60s. There will be a few chances for showers, mainly Wednesday into Thursday. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 57. South southwest wind 10 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
Tonight: A slight chance of showers after 2 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 37. South wind 8 to 13 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tuesday: A slight chance of showers before 8 a.m. Mostly sunny, with a high near 59. West southwest wind 7 to 9 mph becoming northwest in the morning. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tuesday Night: A chance of showers after 2 a.m. Increasing clouds, with a low around 42. West northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Wednesday: Showers likely, mainly between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. Cloudy, with a high near 59. East southeast wind 6 to 13 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Wednesday Night: Showers likely, mainly after 2 a.m. Cloudy, with a low around 44. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Thursday: Showers likely, mainly before 8 a.m. Cloudy, with a high near 56. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Thursday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41.
Friday: Partly sunny, with a high near 64.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 48.
Saturday: Partly sunny, with a high near 72.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 55.
Sunday: A chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 70. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
JOHNSON COUNTY—Law enforcement authorities suburban Kansas City, Kansas, are investigating a shooting that left a 17-year-old boy dead
Bibee -photo Johnson Co.Police at the scene of the shooting investigation -photo courtesy KCTV
Just before 5 p.m. Friday, police found the teen unresponsive and suffering from a gunshot wound, according to a media release.. The officers performed CPR, but the teen identified as Rowan Padgett was pronounced dead at the scene, according to the release.
On Sunday, police reported they had located a person of interest 18-year-old Matthew Bibee, Jr. He is being held on requested charges of first-degree murder, according to online jail reports.
NODAWAY COUNTY —One person was injured in an accident just before 3p.m. Sunday in Nodaway County.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1997 Buick Skylark driven by Jimmy A. Lake, 50, Maryville, was southbound on U.S. 71 four miles west of Barnard. The driver lost control of the vehicle. It traveled off the left side of the road over an embankment and struck a concrete culver.
EMS transported Lake to Mosaic Life Care in serious condition. He was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the MSHP.
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – Two Kansas men were charged Thursday with a pair of bank robberies in which shots were fired and the robbers wore Black Panther and Venom masks, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.
Shiferaw -photo Wyandotte Co.Breakfield -photo Johnson Co.
Michael Shiferaw, 20, Olathe, Kan., and Kenya Breakfield, 21, Olathe, Kan., were charged with two counts of bank robbery. They were charged with an Oct. 31, 2018, robbery at Wells Fargo Bank in Leawood, Kan., and a March 27, 2019, robbery at Commerce Bank in Roeland Park, Kan.
Wells Fargo robbery
According to documents filed in federal court in Kansas City, Kan., two robbers entered the Wells Fargo Bank at 2000 West 103rd in Leawood carrying guns and wearing masks that looked like the comic book and movie character Venom. Both robbers were carrying guns and threatened bank employees. Before leaving with cash, one of the robbers fired a round from his handgun into the ceiling.
Commerce Bank Robbery
At Commerce Bank, a single robber entered the building wearing a Black Panther mask. During the robbery, he fired a total of four shots while giving orders to bank employees. When he left the bank, he got into a small, black, four-door car.
Investigation
On March 27, agents set up surveillance at a house in the 1700 block of Lindenwood in Olathe where they spotted the defendants. Agents followed the defendants as they drove to Shiferaw’s residence in the 12000 block of Meadow Lane in Olathe. Later that day, Olathe Police responded to a report of a domestic disturbance at the house. The defendants were arrested with a black backpack full of currency and a handgun.
It is alleged that Breakfield took part in the first robbery and drove the getaway car in the second robbery. The defendants purchased the masks at a Spencers gift store.
If convicted, the defendants face up to 25 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on each count. Investigators included the FBI, Leawood Police Department, the Olathe Police Department, the Kansas City Police Department and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Flannigan is prosecuting.
MONROE COUNTY—One person died in an accident just before 11a.m. Sunday in Monroe County.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2016 Polaris Razor UTV driven by Jacob T. Parrish, 21, Monroe City, was westbound on County Road 390 one mile west of Monroe City.
The driver attempted to turn around in the road. The driver was ejected as vehicle went into a skid and overturned. The UTV landed on top of the driver. Parish was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Garner Funeral Home.
A passenger Robert E. Crabtree, 22, Monroe City, was treated at the scene. They were not wearing helmets, according to the MSHP.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A woman who was raped 38 years ago as she jogged on the University of Kansas campus has returned to the state seven times to testify against her attacker’s release on parole, and she vows to continue her efforts as long as she can.
Sherman Galloway -photo KDOC
Jean Rhea was 25 when she was attacked in October 1981 by a man who held a knife to her throat and raped and repeatedly sodomized her on the Lawrence campus. She testified against her rapist, Sherman Galloway, who was sentenced to 30 years to life in prison with a possibility of parole after 15 years. Galloway was later convicted of a second rape and again sentenced to 30 years to life with a possibility of parole after 15 years. But the judge ruled that Galloway would still be eligible for parole after 15 years on the first conviction.
Galloway is considered for parole every few years, and Rhea, who has lived in California for more than 30 years, has shown up every time to testify that he should stay in prison.
“For me, personally, it’s important that I have a voice,” Rhea said this month, after speaking to the Kansas Prisoner Review Board for the seventh time. “If I didn’t participate, I feel like I’d feel more like collateral damage.”
Rhea said participating in Galloway’s parole reviews furthers her decision to participate in Galloway’s prosecution.
“But is this exactly what I signed on for in October 1981?” she said. “No.”
In Rhea’s case, Galloway was convicted of rape and aggravated sodomy. In the second rape of a Kansas graduate student he was convicted in 1984 of rape, aggravated sodomy, kidnapping and aggravated battery.
At the time sentences for those crimes were given ranges. Currently, for the same convictions, Kansas sentencing guidelines set a number of months in prison based on the severity level of the crime and the defendant’s criminal history. The Douglas County District Attorney’s Office said most modern sentences don’t include parole hearing dates, only release dates.
Rhea returned to Kansas in 1996, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2012 and this year, said Joe Phillips, administrator of the Kansas Department of Corrections’ Prisoner Review Board. Rhea said her relatives also wrote letters when Galloway asked for clemency in 2017.
Parole consideration happens automatically, Phillips said. Each time, the three-member parole board gathers oral and written public comments, holds a hearing with the inmate, then makes a decision.
Galloway’s parole hearing is scheduled for April. If he is paroled, he could be out of prison May 1.
Both of Galloway’s rape convictions are considered for his parole proceedings, though Rhea said the other victim has chosen not to participate in person.
Rhea said she has never seen any Galloway supporters at the sessions she has attended. Former and current prosecutors, and the two now-retired university police officers who worked on the case have testified against Galloway’s release.
Retired prosecutor Shelly Diehl worked on Galloway’s case in the early 2000s when he filed a motion for DNA testing, which failed to exonerate him. She has spoken several times against paroling Galloway.
“I believe in the prosecution, and I believe that this is a person who should never see the light of day — his crimes were that savage,” Diehl said.
Rhea, who suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and alcoholism after the attack, says she made it through her dark times and is now a licensed clinical mental health professional. She said the repeated parole proceedings have become less re-traumatizing.
“No one should ever be considered for parole who is a sexual predator that does not have the ability to express regret or remorse, and has never taken accountability for his crimes,” she said.
SHAWNEE COUNTY–Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Kansas felon on new charges after a traffic stop.
Stanford-from a previous arrest in Sedgwick Co.
Just after 2 p.m. Saturday, Patrol Officers conducted a suspicious person stop in the 1500Block of SW Lincoln Street in Topeka, according to Lt. Robert Simmons.
The subject, later identified as Kanealies Lamont Stanford 41, lied to Officers about his identity. Stanford was found to be in possession of a firearm, heroin, drug paraphernalia and a homemade explosive device.
Once his true identity was determined, he was also found to have 2 city warrants for his arrest. Stanford is also a convicted felon and is prohibited from being in possession of a firearm.
Stanford was transported to the Shawnee County Department of Corrections and booked on charges of Criminal Possession of a Firearm by a Felon, Possession of Heroin, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Interference with a Law Enforcement Officer and Criminal Use of Explosives.
This is the 31st case in 2019 with a charge involving a felon in possession of a firearm reported by the Topeka Police Department.
Stanford has three previous drug convictions, according to the Kansas Department of Corrections.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The following is a listing of general highway maintenance and construction work the Missouri Department of Transportation has planned in the Northwest Missouri region for the week of April 1 – 7.
Continued flooding may cause schedule changes in some of the planned work. There may also be moving operations throughout the regions such as pothole patching, striping, signal work, etc., in addition to the work mentioned below:
Andrew County
Route O – CLOSED at the Platte River Bridge for a bridge replacement project. The bridge will be closed until the end of September, weather permitting.
Interstate 29 – Bridge maintenance at the Nodaway River Bridge, April 1 – 4
Business Route 71 – Resurfacing project from Main Street in Savannah to just south of Interstate 29, April 4 – 5. The contractor will begin at the northern end of the project and work south in approximately two-mile sections. One lane, each direction will remain open at all times. This project will continue, Monday through Friday, through mid-May. A 14-foot width restriction will be in place around the lane closures.
Atchison County
Route B – CLOSED for pothole patching from I-29 to U.S. Route 275, April 1 – 5
Buchanan County
U.S. Route 36 – Joint repair between Route C/Z and Route 31 south, April 1 – 5. One lane each direction of U.S. Route 36 will remain open throughout the work. A 14-foot width restriction is in place.
U.S. Route 59 – Pothole patching from Route 752 to U.S. Route 45, April 1 – 5
Route 752 – Joint repair over I-229, April 1 – 5. One lane at a time will be closed throughout the work. A 17-foot width restriction is in place.
Route H – Bridge inspection a the Platte River Bridge, April 1 – 5
Caldwell County
Route 13 – Bridge maintenance at the Shoal Creek Bridge, April 1 – 5
Carroll County
U.S. Route 65 – Bridge maintenance at the Wakenda Creek Bridge, April 1 – 5
U.S. Route 65 – Bridge maintenance at the Missouri River Overflow Bridge, April 1 – 5
Chariton County
U.S. Route 24 – Bridge maintenance at the Long Creek Bridge and Chariton River Bridge near Keytesville. The bridges will be narrowed to one lane with a 15-foot width restriction through May 31.
Route D – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from Tonka Lane to Route DD, April 1 – 2, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily
Route D – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from Route DD to County Side Avenue, April 3, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Route J – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from U.S. Route 24 to Jordan Road, April 4, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Daviess County
Route 6 – Bridge maintenance at the Grand River Bridge, April 1 – 4
Route Z – Bridge inspection at the Grand River Bridge, April 1 – 5
DeKalb County
U.S. Route 169 – CLOSED at the Third Fork Platte River Bridge for a bridge replacement project. The contractor plans to have work completed by July, weather permitting. Motorists should follow detour signs along Routes 48 and M to navigate around the closure. For more information visit the project’s web page.
Gentry County
U.S. Route 136 – Pothole patching from the Harrison County line to Route C, April 2 – 3
U.S. Route 136 – Pothole patching from Route C to Route F, April 4 – 5
Grundy County
Route C – Bridge inspection at the Weldon Fork Creek, April 1 – 5
Harrison County
U.S. Route 136 – Pothole patching, April 1
I-35 – Pothole patching from U.S. Route 136 to Route C, April 4 – 5. A 14-foot width restriction is in place.
Holt County
Route A – Pothole patching from U.S. Route 71 (Nodaway County) to Route 113, April 1
Route A – Bridge maintenance at the Nodaway River Bridge, April 1 – 4
Linn County
U.S. Route 36 – Pavement repair from the Mussel Fork Bridge (Macon County) to Route 129, April 1 – 4
U.S. Route 36 – Pothole patching from the Macon County line to Route 139, April 1 – 5
Nodaway County
Route A – Pothole patching from U.S. Route 71 to Route 113 (Holt County), April 1
U.S. Route 136 – Bridge maintenance at the Mozingo Creek Bridge, April 1 – 2. This includes a 10-foot width restriction. A temporary traffic signal will be in place to direct motorisists through the work zone.
Route MM – Driveway entrance repairs from U.S. Route 136 to 270th Street, April 2
Route 46 – Pothole patching from the city limits of Maryville to Route 113, April 3
Route NN – Bridge maintenance at the Platte River Bridge, April 3 – 5. This includes a 9-foot width restriction. A temporary traffic signal will be in place to direct motorists through the work zone.
Route A – Driveway entrance repair just east of Route ZZ, April 4 – 5
Sullivan County
Route 139 – CLOSED at the Newtown Branch Bridge for a bridge replacement project. The contractor plans to have work completed mid-April, weather permitting. For more information, click here.
Route PP – CLOSEDUNTIL FURTHER NOTICE at the East Medicine Creek Bridge after a regularly scheduled inspection revealed critical deterioration to the structure. The bridge is currently scheduled for replacement in fiscal year 2020. For more information, click here.
Route D – Drainage work from Maryland Road north 2.5 miles north of Maryland Road, April 1 – 5
Worth County
Route YY – CLOSEDUNTIL FURTHER NOTICE at the Middle Fork of the Grand River after a regularly scheduled inspection revealed critical deterioration to the structure. The bridge is currently scheduled for replacement in fiscal year 2021. For more information, click here.
Route 246 – Pothole patching, April 1 – 2
Route F – Drainage work two miles south of the Iowa state line, April 3 – 5
