ALLEN COUNTY — Law enforcement found the body of a man on a Kansas highway Sunday.

The Kansas Highwway Patrol reported the body of Billy Lee Montgomery, 26, Springfield, Missouri, was found just before 2a.m. in the eastbound lane of US 54 just east of 3400th.

Authorities believe he was the victim of  a hit and run crash.

Montgomery’s body was transported to Countryside Funeral Home in Humbolt.

CHAFREE COUNTY, Colo. (AP) — A dog that survived almost three weeks in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains after being thrown from a vehicle in a fatal crash has been reunited with its family.

The year-old canine — a golden-doodle named Bentley — was lost when the vehicle it was traveling in slid off the edge of a mountain road west of Pueblo and plunged 600 feet down an incline on Aug. 7.

The crash killed Jennifer Orr of Wichita, Kansas and seriously injured her 21-year-old daughter, Samantha.

Samantha Orr returned to the crash scene after being released from the hospital.

Orr and others spotted Bentley early Saturday and captured on video the moment when they were able to lure the animal in with food and a toy.

The dog was malnourished and dehydrated but otherwise fine.

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CHAFFEE COUNTY, CO — A Kansas woman died in an accident Tuesday in Chaffee County Colorado.

Sheriff John Spezze said a 2014 Jeep Wrangler driven by Jennifer Orr, 43, Wichita, was traveling on Iron Chest Road from CR 295 when it fell 600 feet down the mountain.

The jeep was at an elevation of over 11,000 feet at the time of the accident, according to Speezze.

Orr was pronounced dead at the scene.  A helicopter transported  Orr’s daughter who was passenger in the vehicle to a hospital in Pueblo.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Large donations are flowing into Missouri through independent political action committees after voters amended the state constitution to cap contributions to individual candidates.

Individual candidates can only collect contributions that are less than the voter-imposed $2,600 limit. But independent PACs face no such restrictions, and donations often are made with no disclosure of where the money comes from.

“Regrettably, this is the new norm,” said James Harris, a longtime Republican political consultant in Missouri. “And the casualty is the political process is much less transparent.”

Chuck Hatfield, a Democratic attorney with expertise in state election law, says the situation has been playing out at the federal level for years, especially after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2010 that political spending is protected speech.

“Missouri is just catching up with the rest of the country,” Hatfield said. “It’s a natural outgrowth of contribution limits.”

Take, for example, three GOP primary campaigns for seats in the Missouri Senate, where a PAC called Missouri Senate Conservatives Fund spent big to boost its preferred candidates.

Missouri Senate Conservatives Fund raised around $800,000 in the month leading up to the Aug. 2 primary, with more than half coming from a dark-money nonprofit that isn’t required to disclose its donors.

In the race for a Senate seat in Platte and Buchanan counties, Missouri Senate Conservatives Fund spent $490,000 over the campaign’s final month to assist the eventual winner, Tony Luetkemeyer.

Luetkemeyer and his opponent, Harry Roberts, combined to spend $432,000 during the same period.

A PAC called Missouri Federation for Children spent $120,000 boosting the candidacy of Cindy O’Laughlin, who emerged victorious from a four-way GOP primary for a state Senate seat in northeast Missouri.

Two-thirds of Missouri Federation for Children’s money came from Missouri Senate Conservatives Fund.

Meanwhile, O’Laughlin came under attack by a PAC called Missouri’s Future, which was bankrolled by trial attorneys and spent $181,000 on the race.

Justin Brown won the GOP primary for a Senate seat based in Rolla with the help of $65,000 in spending from a PAC called Team Justin.

Team Justin received $50,000 from Missouri Senate Conservatives Fund.

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A gunman opened fire Sunday at an online video game tournament that was being livestreamed from a Florida mall, killing two people and then fatally shooting himself in an attack that sent several others to hospitals, authorities said.

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said authorities believe 24-year-old David Katz of Baltimore carried out the attack using at least one handgun at the Jacksonville Landing, a collection of restaurants and shops along the St. Johns River. He said the man died from a self-inflicted gunshot and that authorities were still making final confirmation of his identity with the FBI assisting them in Baltimore.

Nine other people were wounded by gunfire and all were in stable condition Sunday evening, Williams said. He added that two others were injured in the chaos as people sought to flee the gunfire.

Katz was in Jacksonville for the “Madden NFL 19” video game tournament. The games maker, EA Sports, lists a David Katz as a 2017 championship winner.

Thee competition was held in a gaming bar that shares space with a pizzeria. Viewers could watch the games online and see the players.

Investigators were looking into online video that appeared to capture the scene right before the shooting began, Williams said. A red dot that appears to be a laser pointer is visible on the chest of a player seconds before the first of a dozen gunshots rings out.

Marquis Williams, 28, and his girlfriend, Taylor Poindexter, 26, both from Chicago, were ordering pizza at the bar when they heard the gunfire. Williams said people trampled each other in the panic while trying to get away.

“Initially we thought it was a balloon popping, but there weren’t any balloons in the room. Then we heard repeat shots and we took off running,” said Williams, who participated in the tournament earlier.

Jason Lake, the founder and CEO of compLexity, a company that owns professional e-sports teams, said on Twitter that one of his players, 19-year-old Drini Gjoka, was shot in the thumb.

Gjoka tweeted: “The tourney just got shot up. Im leavinng and never coming back.” Then: “I am literally so lucky. The bullet hit my thumb. Worst day of my life.”

The sheriff’s office used Twitter and Facebook immediately after the shooting to warn people to stay far away and to ask anyone who was hiding to call 911. Police also barricaded a three-block radius around the mall. Officers and Coast Guard boats patrolled the nearby river. Many ambulances could be seen in the area, but the mall area appeared empty of all but law enforcement. Police also took up positions on a bridge overlooking the river.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said President Donald Trump had been briefed on the attack and the White House was monitoring the situation.

The Jacksonville Landing, in the heart of the city’s downtown, also hosts concerts and other entertainment. It was the site of a Trump rally in 2015, early in his campaign for the White House.

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5 p.m.

A source close to the investigation says a mass shooting during a video game tournament at a Jacksonville, Florida, riverfront mall has left four people dead.

The source says the person who opened fire died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The source spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to release information on the shooting. It wasn’t immediately clear if the source was including the suspect in the death toll.

Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams said at a news conference Sunday afternoon that the suspect, a white male whose identity authorities are still seeking to confirm, had died. He did not elaborate, but said the shooting site had since been secured.

Several other people were taken to hospitals.

Sounds of the shooting were captured as the gaming tournament was being livestreamed.

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4:45 p.m.

Florida authorities say they’ve finished clearing the scene of a fatal mass shooting at a riverfront mall in Jacksonville and there are no additional suspects.

Speaking to reporters Sunday afternoon, Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams says a suspect is dead at the scene and they are still working to identify the male.

The sheriff’s office says the shooting, which erupted during a video game tournament, has left multiple dead and sent others to the hospital. Williams did not give any details on the number of people killed or wounded.

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Florida authorities are reporting multiple people dead and “many transported” to hospitals after a mass shooting at a riverfront mall in Jacksonville that was hosting a video game tournament.

Mass shooting at the Jacksonville Landing. Stay far away from the area. The area is not safe at this time. STAY AWAY #TheLandingMassShooting

— Jax Sheriff’s Office (@JSOPIO) August 26, 2018

The Jacksonville Sherriff’s Office is reporting that one suspect is dead at the scene after the shooting at Jacksonville Landing, but it was unknown if there were other suspects involved.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office used Twitter and Facebook to warn people to stay far away from the Jacksonville Landing.

The department says to “stay far away from the area. The area is not safe at this time. STAY AWAY.”

“We are finding many people hiding in locked areas at The Landing. We ask you to stay calm, stay where you are hiding. SWAT is doing a methodical search inside The Landing. We will get to you. Please don’t come running out,” the sheriff’s office said via Twitter.

The sheriff’s office didn’t provide any other information, but also warned news media to stay away from the area, which contains restaurants and shops along the St. Johns River.

The GLHF Game Bar at the Landing was hosting a Madden 19 video game tournament at the time of the shooting.

GRAIN VALLEY, Mo. (AP) — A Boy Scout from western Missouri has achieved a rare milestone —earning every available merit badge.

Ryan Niederschulte says he earned 138 badges, even though only 21 are needed to be an Eagle Scout, because “I just wanted to keep going.” The 17-year-old is from Grain Valley, which is about 20 miles east of Kansas City.

He says his favorite badge was horsemanship. Through scouting, he’s been on all kinds of adventures across the country with his father, including scuba diving, kayaking and hiking. He acknowledged that it was a “lot of work” but said it also was a “lot of fun.”

The Boy Scouts no longer offer the computer merit badge. Future scouts can only earn 137 badges.

KANSAS CITY – A former church maintenance worker pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to arson after setting a fire at Concord Cultural Center  in Kansas City and spray-painting racist graffiti on the front of the adjoining church, Concord Fortress of Hope, in an effort to cover up his burglary, according to the United State’s Attorney.

Nathaniel D. Nelson, 49, pleaded guilty before U.S. District Judge Beth Phillips to the charge contained in a Nov. 16, 2017, federal indictment.

Nelson was a member of the church who was employed as a maintenance worker at the church and cultural center, located at 11040 W. Longview Parkway, Kansas City.

Firefighters were called by a church employee and responded to the cultural center on Sunday morning, Oct. 29, 2017. A fire had occurred in an office inside the building but a sprinkler had activated and extinguished the fire prior to the arrival of firefighters. Investigators concluded that an office chair and other ordinary combustible material had been intentionally ignited using an open flame.

According to the church’s insurance company, the fire, fire suppression efforts, and other damage resulted in payouts to date in excess of $330,000. Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Nelson must pay restitution, which will be determined by the court at the sentencing hearing.

Investigators also discovered racist graffiti spray-painted on the front of the church. A racial slur, the letters “KKK” and a symbol similar to a swastika were visible from the main entrance into the parking lot as members of the congregation arrived at the church for Sunday morning services.

Nelson admitted he set the fire to conceal his breaking into the church offices and vending machines. Nelson also admitted he spray-painted the outside to further conceal his identity.

The digital video recorder for the video surveillance system that monitored the foyer area and the cultural center’s interior and exterior cameras was unplugged and no longer recording when examined by investigators. Investigators determined that the DVR system lost power sometime after 1 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017, and had been intentionally unplugged.

A review of the DVR system revealed that Nelson was in the foyer area shortly before the DVR system was deactivated. A second DVR, which was still powered on, recorded the video surveillance footage for the interior and exterior cameras located inside and outside of the church, which were separate from the cameras located in the cultural center and foyer. The second DVR captured video footage of Nelson spray painting the front of the church. Nelson admitted he deactivated one DVR to hide his actions and identity. He did not know that video was being recorded on a separate system inside the church, which captured him spray-painting the outside of the building.

Under federal statutes, Nelson is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of five years in federal prison without parole, up to a sentence of 20 years in federal prison without parole. The maximum statutory sentence is prescribed by Congress and is provided here for informational purposes, as the sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the court based on the advisory sentencing guidelines and other statutory factors. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Jan. 17, 2019.

By JIM MCLEAN

Plenty of pundits are speculating that a Democratic takeover of the U.S. House would trigger impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.

But the Democrats attempting to flip three Republican-held congressional districts in Kansas aren’t at all eager to talk about the issue.

Paul Davis, Sharice Davids and James Thompson — Democrats running in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Congressional Districts, respectively — haven’t hesitated to criticize the president for championing tax cuts they charge mainly benefitted wealthy Americans and corporations, or the tariffs Trump imposed over objections from Kansas farmers.

But they’ve had relatively little to say about recent revelations concerning the president’s involvement in illegal hush money payments to two women who claimed to have had affairs with him.

And what they have said echoes the talking points of cautious Republicans.

“You know, we have a special prosecutor who is widely respected by Republicans and Democrats and I think we’ve got to see what he’s going to present and let him do his job,” said Paul Davis, the former minority leader in the Kansas House now running for the open seat in Kansas’ 2nd Congressional District.

Compare that to what U.S. Sen. Lindsay Graham, a South Carolina Republican, said to reporters when pressed on the issue this week.

“I’m not saying (the latest developments are) not serious. I just don’t believe we’re going to know enough until Mueller issues his report,” Graham said, referring, like Davis, to the investigation led by special counsel Robert Mueller.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Claire McCaskill, from Missouri, recently used similar talking points in dispatching impeachment questions.

“There’s a respected federal prosecutor running an investigation and everybody should leave him alone and let him finish his work. That’s all I’ve got to say about that,” said McCaskill, who is facing a strong challenge from Republican Josh Hawley.

Ten other Democrats locked in tight Senate races have said nothing on the impeachment issue, according to a Thursday story from McClatchy’s Washington, D.C. bureau.

Davis, who won the 2nd District while narrowly losing a 2014 bid to unseat then Republican Gov. Sam Brownback, is more emphatic when talking about the need to protect the Mueller investigation.

While he has concerns about Republicans unwillingness so far to “speak up,” Davis said he believes they would join with Democrats in stopping any attempt by the president to impede or end the inquiry.

“I think that is a pressure point when you’re going to see a bipartisan backlash,” Davis said.

Steve Watkins, the political newcomer who won a crowded race for the GOP nomination in the 2nd District, remains firmly behind the president. He said he would vote against impeachment and challenged Davis to take a definitive stand on the issue.

“It’s time for Davis to answer on the record because right now,” Watkins said in an email to the Kansas News Service. “Second District voters deserve to know if Paul Davis will vote to impeach President Trump.”

Meanwhile, Steve Bannon, Trump’s exiled senior strategist, is using the issue to energize Republicans.

In a midweek interview with Bloomberg News, Bannon called the midterm election “a referendum on impeachment.”

“Every Trump supporter needs to get with the program,” he said. 

Earlier this month, Davids, the Democrat attempting to unseat 4-term Republican Congressman Kevin Yoder in the 3rd District, said she wanted to see whether Mueller’s investigation and those being conducted by congressional committees turned up “definitive evidence” that impeachment was warranted.

Thompson, the Democratic civil rights attorney challenging first-term Republican Congressman Ron Estes in the 4th District, said impeachment “is a legal question and not a political one.”

“We must make sure to look at the evidence and hear the testimony before making any judgment,” he said. “Our nation is built upon the foundation of innocence until proven guilty and I would not feel comfortable making a judgement one way or another until I could see these things.”

Thompson lost a closer-than-expected race to Estes in 2016 to fill the Wichita-area seat vacated by Mike Pompeo when he joined the Trump administration as director of the Central Intelligence Agency. Pompeo is now the U.S. secretary of state.

Jim McLean is managing director of the Kansas News Service, a statewide collaboration between KCUR, Kansas Public Radio, KMUW and High Plains Public Radio covering health, education and politics. Follow him on Twitter @jmcleanks.