SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – Freshman Drury University wrestler Donovan Benetti has been shot in the abdomen in a hunting accident.
University athletics spokesman Ed Beach says Benetti was flown to a Columbia hospital after he was wounded Saturday morning in Phelps County. Drury wrestling said in a Facebook post that Benetti has undergone one surgery and will likely need another. But the post says the Nixa High School graduate has a “really good prognosis” and is “extremely positive and strong.”
Three other hunters were killed earlier this month in separate accidental shootings during the opening weekend of Missouri’s firearms deer hunting season. They’ve been identified as 52-year-old Randy Reising, of Arnold, 70-year-old Charles Bark, of Marengo, Illinois, and 24-year-old Justin Atchison, who was an assistant football and baseball coach at Willard High School.
INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) – Authorities say a Missouri man who was free on bond while awaiting trial in a deadly September 2017 shooting has been charged with killing a key witness in the case.
Dumas -photo Independence Police
Twenty-seven-year-old Michael Dumas, of Pleasant Hill, was charged Sunday with first-degree murder, first-degree assault and two counts of armed criminal action in the shooting that killed Sarah Simms and left another person with minor injuries.
The charge was filed hours after Simms was slain in an Independence home. She was a key witness against Dumas in the fatal shooting of Phillip Anderson, whose body was found in a convenience store parking lot. Dumas was charged with second-degree murder in that case and released on bond in November 2017.
His attorney in the 2017 case didn’t immediately return a phone message.
A cool start to the work week will be replaced by warming temperatures by mid-week. Much of the week will remain dry, with the next chance of rain arriving on Friday. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:
Today: Mostly sunny, with a high near 42. South southwest wind 6 to 13 mph becoming north northwest in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 19. North northwest wind 5 to 10 mph becoming light after midnight.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 42. Light and variable wind becoming southwest 5 to 8 mph in the morning.
Tuesday Night: Clear, with a low around 30. Southwest wind 5 to 7 mph.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 53. Southwest wind around 6 mph.
Wednesday Night: Clear, with a low around 33.
Thanksgiving Day: Sunny, with a high near 55.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 41.
Friday: A chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 51. Chance of precipitation is 50%.
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 35.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 53.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 33.
Sunday: A chance of rain. Partly sunny, with a high near 39. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
PHELPS COUNTY — Four people died in an accident just after 9a.m. Sunday in Phelps County.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1994 Chevy Cavalier driven by Alonzo C. Moore, 22, Rolla, was southbound on Highway O four miles south of Rolla.
The vehicle traveled into the path of and collided with a northbound 2015 Nissan Titan driven by Andrew E. Knehans, 41, Rolla.
Moore and passengers in the Chevy Logan K. Barton, 27, Zachary J. Barton, 26, both of Salem and Andrew T. Theiss, 25, Rolla, were pronounced dead at the scene.
Knehans and passengers on the Nissan Lainie E. Knehans, 41, Rolla, and two children were transported to Phelps County Regional Medical Center.
The occupants of the Chevy were not wearing seat belts, according to the MSHP.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Police say a second victim of a triple shooting last month in Kansas City has died from his injuries.
Police have confirmed the death of 21-year-old James Speers. Police say Speers died Nov. 8, more than two weeks after he was shot along with two others in the Sterling Acres neighborhood.
The Oct. 23 shooting also killed 21-year-old Miranda Carr of Grandview. Another woman was also injured.
Police are asking the public for any information on the shooting.
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – A Kansas man whose DNA was found on a handgun was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.
Jason Trevillion -photo Wyandotte Co.
Jason M. Trevillion, 33, Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. The investigation began when members of the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department’s Violent Crime Task force heard shots fired in the area of 8th and Parallel Avenue. Police attempted stop a Dodge Caravan but the vehicle fled. When police blocked the car from the front and behind, the van rammed both police cars. Trevillion was one of the defendants who eventually got out of the van.
In the van, police found a .40 caliber pistol with a 50-round drum magazine, two .223 caliber pistols, a 9 mm pistol, and a .45 caliber pistol, as well as spent shell casings and live rounds. Trevillion’s DNA was found on the 9 mm pistol. He had a 2015 conviction in Wyandotte County for aggravated assault.
Co-defendant Ernest A. Jones was sentenced to 12 months and a day. Co-defendant Taurez L. Adams is set for sentencing Nov. 13.
WICHITA – Whitney Morgan, an English language arts and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teacher at Wyandotte High School, Kansas City, Kansas, Unified School District 500, was named the 2019 Kansas Teacher of the Year on Saturday, Nov. 17, during a special ceremony in Wichita.
Whitney Morgan -photo courtesy Kan. Dept. of Education
Kansas Commissioner of Education Dr. Randy Watson made the announcement at a gathering of 400 people during the Kansas Teacher of the Year Banquet at the Marriott Hotel, 9100 E. Corporate Hills Drive, in Wichita.
“It is my honor to present the 2019 Kansas Teacher of the Year designation to Whitney,” Watson said. “She is truly a remarkable teacher and very deserving of this honor. Whitney uses collaborative learning to engage students from all backgrounds and abilities. She has demonstrated strong leadership skills at Wyandotte High School and is working closely with her colleagues on school climate. Whitney is a great example of the quality teachers we have in Kansas. I want to wish Whitney and the members of the 2019 Kansas Teacher of the Year team success as they represent Kansas education in the coming year.”
Morgan was named the 2019 Kansas Teacher of the Year from a field of eight finalists.
Throughout the coming year, all of the finalists will work as a team to advocate for education and teaching.
Selected from a pool of more than 100 nominations, the other 2019 finalists are: Signe A. Cook, a fifth-grade teacher at Park Elementary School (Great Bend USD 428); Jennifer S. Brown, a first-grade teacher at Sheridan Elementary School (Geary County USD 475); Nicole L. Corn, a kindergarten teacher at Sunset Hill Elementary School (Lawrence USD 497); Sharon L. Kuchinski, a social studies teacher at Leavenworth Senior High School (Leavenworth USD 453); Megan Clark, an art teacher at Clear Creek Elementary School (De Soto USD 232); Lan T. Huynh, a third-grade teacher at Christa McAuliffe Academy (Wichita USD 259); and Tim “T.J.” Warsnak, a social studies teacher at Halstead High School (Halstead-Bentley USD 440).
Morgan began her career as an English and ESOL teacher at Wyandotte High School in 2013. She received her bachelor’s degree in secondary education with a minor in nonprofit leadership in 2012 from Kansas State University. She currently is working on obtaining her master’s degree in English from the Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English in Middlebury, Vermont.
Morgan is involved in several leadership roles and professional organizations, and she is a Stanford Graduate School of Education Hollyhock Fellow.
Mary Stewart, principal of Wyandotte High School, called Morgan an “exemplary educator” who “develops effective relationships with students by working to understand their interests and cultural backgrounds.”
“On a daily basis, Mrs. Morgan – both verbally and nonverbally – shows her students that she cares,” Stewart said. “She is firm in holding all students to a high level of performance expectation, yet interacts with each of them with a calm and nurturing approach. She knows each of her students as individuals. She values their uniqueness and sees their potential.”
Kurt Auleta, senior vice president of distribution and sales operations for Security Benefit Corp., presented Morgan with a $4,000 cash award.
In addition, Morgan will receive the Kansas Teacher of the Year Lifelong Learning Scholarship to attend participating universities free of charge as long as she continues teaching in Kansas; and The Hubbard Foundation Kansas Teacher of the Year Ambassadorship. The ambassadorship provides funds for travel and other necessary expenses incurred by the Kansas Teacher of the Year.
Morgan also will receive the use of a rental car from Enterprise Rent-a-Car for Kansas Teacher of the Year travel. Jostens Inc. also provided Morgan with a Leader in Education ring.
All eight members of the 2019 Kansas Teacher of the Year team received a $2,000 cash award from Security Benefit and a red marble apple from the Master Teacher in Manhattan. In addition, each will receive Capturing Kids’ Hearts training from The Flippen Group, of College Station, Texas, and a one-year membership in the Kansas State Teachers of the Year organization.
The Teacher of the Year program has state and national competitions. The national program, presented by Voya Financial, is a project of the Council of Chief State School Officers. The Kansas program is sponsored by the Kansas State Department of Education.
Morgan is now a candidate for National Teacher of the Year.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Food safety officials are stressing the importance of proper handling and cooking practices amid a nationwide outbreak of drug-resistant Salmonella found in raw turkey, with Thanksgiving approaching.
People infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Reading, by state of residence, as of November 5, 2018 (n=164) CDC Image
The Centers for Disease Control last week said the number of reported illnesses has nearly doubled since July to 164. Minnesota has the most cases at 16. There’s been one reported death linked to tainted turkey.
The USDA hasn’t named the suppliers associated with the tainted meat or identified a single, common source.
In addition, Jennie-O Turkey recalled ground turkey as part of the salmonella outbreak, and regulators say additional products from other companies could be named as their investigation continues.
The products being recalled include 1-pound packages of raw, ground Jennie-O turkey and were sold nationwide. The more than 91,000 pounds of turkey had use-by dates of early October and shouldn’t be in stores anymore, but could still be in freezers. Regulators say it should be thrown away.
Hormel said in a statement that government agencies have found the strain in the outbreak in 29 manufacturing plants from 19 companies.
Officials say consumers should always wash their hands and all surface areas where turkey is prepared, never leave it to thaw on the counter, and use a meat thermometer to cook it to an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The following is a listing of general highway maintenance and construction work in the Northwest Missouri region planned for the week of Nov. 19 – 25 from the Missouri Department of Transportation.
In addition to the work listed below, there may be other road work conducted throughout the region. Many of these will be moving operations and could include lane closures with delays. All scheduled maintenance and construction projects are subject to change.
MoDOT will halt most temporary lane closures throughout the state at noon on Wednesday, Nov. 21, to accommodate an increase in traffic due to the Thanksgiving holiday. They will resume again Monday morning, Nov. 26.
MoDOT reminds the public to stay alert, watch for road work, buckle up, put your phone down, slow down, and drive with extreme caution through work zones and in changing weather conditions.
For more information about a project, please contact MoDOT at 1-888-ASK-MoDOT (888-275-6636) or visit modot.org/northwest. You can also follow MoDOT’s Northwest Missouri District on Twitter @ModotNorthwest and on Facebook.
Atchison County
Interstate 29 – Striping from the Iowa state line to Route 111, Nov. 19 – 21
U.S. Route 59 – Shoulder work from U.S. Route 136 to the Holt County line, Nov. 19 – 21
U.S. Route 136 – Pothole patching from Route M to the Brownville Bridge, Nov. 19 – 21
Buchanan County
Route JJ – Drainage work at Dittemore Road, Nov. 19 – 20
U.S. Route 169 (Belt Highway) – Pedestrian crossing improvement project at Faraon Street and U.S. Route 36, Nov. 19 – 21
Carroll County
Route 10 – Resurfacing project from Route FF to Business U.S. 65 near Carrollton, Nov. 19 – 21
Harrison County
I-35 – Shouder work from the Iowa stat line to Route N at Eagleville, Nov. 19 – 21
Holt County
I-29 – Pavement repair southbound from U.S. Route 159 to U.S. Route 59, Nov. 19 – 21
Linn County
U.S. Route 36 – Bridge maintenance from Route FF to Route 5, Nov. 19
U.S. Route 36 – Pothole patching from Route 139 to the Macon County line, Nov. 19 – 20
U.S. Route 36 – Pavement repair from Route 11 to U.S. Business Route 36, Nov. 19 – 20. This will include overnight lane closures.
Nodaway County
Route E – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from Route 246 to Missouri-Taylor Street (100th Street Road), Nov. 19, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Route V – CLOSED for a culvert replacement from 290th Street to Galaxy Road, Nov. 20, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Putnam County
Route 139 – Shoulder work and striping from the Iowa state line to Route 6 (Sullivan County), Nov. 19 – 21
Sullivan County
Route 139 – Shoulder work and striping from the Iowa state line (Putnam County) to Route 6, Nov. 19 – 21
Worth County
Route YY – CLOSED at the Middle Fork of the Grand River after a regularly scheduled inspection revealed critical deterioration to the structure. For more information, visit the project’s web page.
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Les Miles, a national championship-winning former coach at Louisiana State and Oklahoma State, has been named the new head football coach at the University of Kansas, Kansas Athletics Director Jeff Long announced Sunday.
photo courtesy University of Kansas Athletics
With Miles’ hiring, Kansas becomes the only university in the country that can boast a current men’s basketball coach with an NCAA Division I Championship and a football coach with an FBS Championship.
Miles will receive a five-year contract that will pay him $2,775,000 annually, with additional retention bonuses due in Nov. 2020 and Nov. 2022.
“Since the beginning of our search, we focused on identifying and recruiting an experienced head coach with a strong track record of success on and off the field,” Long said. “Les Miles is exactly what we need for our program right now. His national reputation as a great recruiter and as a coach who student-athletes love playing for will enable us to break the cycle and return a winning tradition to the Kansas Jayhawks. We are thrilled to have Les and his family as Jayhawks.”
Miles brings to Lawrence 142 victories, a BCS national championship and two SEC titles in 15-plus seasons as a head coach, the most career wins of anyone who has coached football at Kansas in the modern era.
Most recently, Miles served as the head coach at LSU (2005-16), where his teams averaged 10 wins per year in his 11 full seasons. He led LSU to bowl games in each of those 11 seasons (winning seven), and won 42 games against Top-25 teams and 16 over Top-10 teams. Miles’ teams won 10 or more games seven times, reached the SEC title game three times (winning twice) and led LSU to five Top-10 and three Top-5 finishes.
“I am humbled by the opportunity to lead the KU football program and I am grateful to Chancellor Girod and Jeff Long for the opportunity,” said Miles. “We will bring Jayhawk Football back and we will do it with outstanding coaches, tremendous student-athletes of character and ability and an unrelenting drive for excellence. My family and I cannot wait to be a part of the KU family!”
During his tenure at LSU, Miles coached an SEC-leading 69 NFL draft picks, 13 of them first-round selections. He coached 22 first-team All-Americans and 11 players who won national awards. He is the second-winningest coach in LSU history in overall wins (112) and SEC regular-season wins (63).
In the classroom, more than 240 players earned degrees under Miles and during his tenure, LSU Football’s graduation rate ranked as high as No. 2 in the SEC multiple times. As part of LSU’s Project Graduation established in 2010, more than 30 players who had left school without a degree returned to earn their college diploma before Miles left in 2016. Nearly 190 LSU players were named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll during Miles’ time there.
“I want to thank Jeff Long for his outstanding work and leadership of our Athletics’ program. I also want to thank the student-athletes in our football program for the mature way in which they have handled this challenging circumstance. I have no doubt that Coach Miles will have an immediate impact on our football program, and on our university,” Chancellor Girod said. “Together as Jayhawks, we will rebuild our football program the right way, winning championships and continuing to graduate young men of character. Today is an exciting day for the KU Family.”
Miles went to LSU after a four-year tenure as head coach at Oklahoma State. The OSU program he took over in 2001 had registered only one winning season since 1988. The Cowboys went 4-7 his first year, then had three-straight winning seasons (8-5, 9-4, 7-5). He led OSU to three-straight bowl games, a first for the program since 1983-85.
Miles’ four-year winning percentage of 57 percent is the best career winning percentage for an OSU coach since 1949. OSU was the only team in the nation to beat Oklahoma twice during Miles’ four-year tenure there.
Prior to OSU, Miles spent three years as tight-ends coach with the Dallas Cowboys (one divisional title, two playoff appearances). He went to Dallas after serving as offensive coordinator at OSU for three seasons (8-3, Alamo Bowl berth in 1997).
Miles served two stints (total of 10 seasons) as an assistant coach at Michigan, several of them under legendary head coach Bo Schembechler. During Miles’ second tenure there, from 1987-94, Michigan won 71 games, made eight-straight bowl appearances, including four Rose Bowls, and finished no lower than No. 21 in the final Associate Press national rankings.
Between tenures at Michigan, Miles spent four seasons as an assistant coach at the University of Colorado.
Miles graduated from Michigan in 1976 with a degree in economics. He was a two-year football letterman, playing on two Big Ten championship teams. He earned all-state honors in football at Elyria High School in Ohio, where he also earned letters in baseball and wrestling.
Miles’ wife, Kathy, was a point guard at Central Michigan University and later an assistant basketball coach at Michigan. They have two daughters, Kathryn (nickname “Smacker”), a former swimmer at Texas and currently a TV sports personality who hosts Les’ podcast), and Macy, a youth softball pitching standout. They also have two sons, Manny, a quarterback at North Carolina, and Ben, who won a high-school football state title in 2015 and is currently a fullback at Texas A&M.
