VERNON COUNTY — One person died in an accident just after 11a.m. Friday in Vernon County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2002 Jeep Liberty driven by Misty L. Allmond, 23, Richards, was southbound on 300 Road three miles southwest of Richards.

The driver was following a semi that was stirring up dust and obscuring the vision of drivers, according to the MSHP.

The Jeep crossed the centerline and struck a 2005 Peterbilt semi driven by Trevor L. Pettibon, 19, Nevada, head-on.

Pettibon and passengers in the Jeep Lane T. Allmond, 23 and Mari L. Allmond, 1, both of Richards, were transported to the hospital in Nevada where the baby died.

Misty Allmond was transported to KU Medical Center in serious condition.  She and Lane Allmond were not wearing seat belts, according to the MSHP.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Visitors to the Kansas City Zoo usually see only one rhinoceros on exhibit at a time, even though the zoo has had as many as four of the African beasts.

Zoo officials say the animals generally are solitary creatures and are fine being alone.

The Kansas City Star reports two recent acquisitions, who are comfortable with each other, went on exhibit together Friday and will be out all weekend.

The breeding pair are 10-year-old female Zuri and 7-year-old male Ruka, newly arrived from the Oregon Zoo in Portland. She weighs about 2,900 pounds and he weighs about 2,600 pounds but is still growing.

In the future, the pair will take turns on exhibit with another male rhino, Werikhe.

All of the zoo’s rhinos are of the eastern black subspecies.

By STEPHEN KORANDA

Six weeks of protests by the Poor People’s Campaign nationwide and in Topeka aim to raise awareness of social and economic inequalities.

Translating those demonstrations into changes in state policy, says at least one analyst, will likely demand more sustained efforts.

The protests over recent weeks have focused on a variety of issues including poverty, voting rights and immigration policy.

Durell Sharrone is one of the leaders of the Kansas chapter of the Poor People’s Campaign. He said the group’s goal is to create a grassroots movement by raising awareness of those issues.

“Speak … against those conditions, for others to stand and think, ‘That is immoral. That is wrong and we will not have it,’” Sharrone said.

He said the six weeks of protest are a start, and they hope the campaign will continue into the coming years.

University of Kansas Professor Randal Jelks studies American social movements.  He said protests raise awareness of issues and can motivate people who might otherwise sit out the political process.

“You do have to make people cognizant that these are issues facing them and facing their children for the future,” Jelks said.

However, Jelks said creating policy changes generally takes more than just protests.

“It takes getting out the vote, turning out voters,” he said. “You go out and try to elect candidates that are going to represent the public policy issues that you think are important.”

The national branch of the Poor People’s Campaign will be pushing voter registration.

Sharrone said the Kansas chapter could be urging new candidates to run for office.

“If that’s what it takes,” he said. “We are saying that it is time that you work on behalf of the people or it is time that you are fired.”

Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for KPR a partner in the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @kprkoranda. Kansas 

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Republican Gov. Mike Parson will tour Missouri next week to hear from community leaders as he begins his new role as the state’s top executive.

Parson announced the tour Friday. He says it’s needed to govern effectively and start moving the state forward.

Parson took over a week ago after former Republican Gov. Eric Greitens resigned amid allegations of personal and political misconduct. Parson previously served as lieutenant governor.

Parson’s first tour stops are Tuesday in Springfield, Branson, Carthage, St. Joseph and Kansas City. On Wednesday, he’s going to Columbia, Gordonville, Sikeston and St. Louis.

Parson says he wants to speak with local leaders about infrastructure and workforce and economic development. He also wants to focus on the urban and rural divide in the state

LACLEDE COUNTY— One person died in an accident just after 11:30a.m. Friday in Laclede County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1991 Ford Taurus driven by by Barbara G. Hall, 58, Lebanon, was eastbound on Highway 64 seven  miles west of Lebanon.

The vehicle crossed the center line and stuck a 2008 Dodge Ram driven by Dustin S. Childress, 35, Lebanon, head-on.

Hall was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Fadel Funeral Home.

Childress was transported to Mercy Medical Center in Lebanon.

Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the MSHP.

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the death of a woman who led an investigator to the body of her 5-year-old stepson (all times local):

4p.m.

A woman found dead after leading an investigator to her 5-year-old stepson’s body told an investigator that she “did him wrong” on a recording broadcast on a recent podcast episode of “Crime Stories with Nancy Grace.”

Police say officers found Emily Glass’ body early Friday after her ex-boyfriend, Jonathan Hernandez, called to report that she had killed herself. The official cause of death hasn’t been determined.

Glass reported Lucas Hernandez missing in February and helped the investigator find his body last month. In an episode of Grace’s podcast that aired Monday, Hernandez said he no longer believes Glass and that she recently told a private investigator that she panicked after finding Lucas dead.

The investigator captured a recording of Glass saying: “I did Lucas so wrong. I did him wrong.”

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SEDGWICK COUNTY — Authorities are investigating the fatal shooting of a woman found early Friday in the Kansas home of a 5-year-old boy whose decomposing body his stepmother led an investigator to three months after reporting him missing.

Just before 2 a.m., police responded to a home in 600 Block of South Edgemoor and and found the body of 27-year-old Emily Glass, according to officer Charley Davidson.

It was reported as a suicide. Her death is under investigation and the Sedgwick County Coroner’s office will determine the cause of death, according to Davidson.

At approximately 1:40 a.m., Glass’ boyfriend 34-year-old Jonathan Hernandez called 911 to report arriving home and finding her dead, according to Davidson.

Officers found a rifle near her feet and three suicide notes in the residence, according to Davidson.

Her body was transported to the Regional Forensics Science Center. Glass had been questioned in the disappearance and death of Jonathan’s son 5-year-old Lucas Hernandez.

On May 24, Glass was booked into the Sedgwick County Jail for felony obstruction of justice after leading a private investigator to the boy’s body under a bridge in Harvey County. She reported Lucas missing on February 17.

The homicide investigation into Lucas’ death is ongoing, according to Davidson.

Police released no additional details.
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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Authorities are investigating the fatal shooting of a woman found in the Kansas home of a 5-year-old boy whose stepmother led an investigator to his decomposing body three months after the child was reported missing.

Police say officers responded early Friday after Jonathan Hernandez called to report finding a woman dead of a gunshot wound in his Wichita home. The woman’s name hasn’t been released.

Hernandez’ live-in girlfriend, Emily Glass, reported his son, Lucas Hernandez, missing on Feb. 17. After she was acquitted of child endangerment in an unrelated case involving her own daughter, she led the investigator to Lucas’ body on May 24.

She was arrested on suspicion of lying to authorities, but freed. Prosecutors haven’t charged her in Lucas’ death but said she was a person of interest.

By STEPHEN KORANDA

The Kansas Court of Appeals said Friday that a grand jury investigation of Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s office should go forward. The request was brought by a Lawrence man running for the Kansas House, Steven Davis.

He followed a rarely used Kansas law that allows citizens to call grand juries by collecting signatures.

Davis said he’s heard, anecdotally, that people who registered online didn’t have their registrations completed and couldn’t vote. He suspects the office may have improperly handled registrations, which is why he pursued the investigation.

“As a private citizen, I don’t have any ability to do that on my own,” he said. “That’s why I think this grand jury process is important, because they have the power to do that investigation and I don’t.”

However, Davis said he’s not assuming the grand jury will uncover evidence of crimes and issue indictments.

“First of all, I would like to make sure the system works going forward,” he said. “I do think the evidence is out there.”

A lower court previously denied his request for a grand jury, but the appeals court overturned that decision.

Kobach said in 2017 that a website glitch prevented some Kansans from registering to vote online.

The Court of Appeals ruling isn’t a finding that any crimes were committed. The court only said a grand jury should be convened in Douglas County to investigate.

The grand jury could start meeting in around three months, Davis said.

Only a half dozen states allow citizens to call grand juries.

A spokesperson for the secretary of state’s office said Kobach wants to study the opinion before commenting. In the past, his office has said any allegations of mishandling voter registrations are “nonsense.”

Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for KPR a partner in the Kansas News Service. Follow him on Twitter @kprkoranda.