JOHNSON COUNTY — Police are investigating a burglary and asking the public for help to identify a suspect.
The woman victim was visiting a Kansas cemetery gravesite in Lenexa whenher purse was stolen, according to Lenexa Police.
The alleged suspect seen in security camera images used her credit cards numerous times.
Anyone with information to help identify him is asked to contact or message them at 913-825-8120
EMPORIA —A bullwhacker turned store-owner and a Kansas newsman with a background in law were inducted Tuesday into the Kansas Business Hall of Fame, according to a media release from Emporia State University.
The late Robert M. Wright and Bill Kurtis were recognized at the KBHF induction ceremony during the 46th annual Team Kansas Awards Banquet at the DoubleTree by Hilton in Lawrence.
The ceremony marks the 30th year of inductions into the Kansas Business Hall of Fame, located at Emporia State University. Business leaders selected for the KBHF are widely known for their contributions to Kansas and are recognized as role models. The KBHF recognizes historical contributors and present-day leaders who have made private enterprise work in Kansas and throughout the country.
At the age of 16, Wright took an overland trip to Denver, Colorado, as a trader, crossing the plains by wagon and coach. Wright was also a contractor for hauling grain and cutting hay and wood during this time. His experiences landed him a job as a post trader and as a representative of Dodge County in the Legislation at Fort Dodge in 1867. By 1872, Wright owned one of the largest commercial empires in the area, a general store in Dodge City.
Kurtis, a Florida native, graduated from The University of Kansas in 1962 with a degree in journalism. While seeking his Juris Doctorate at Washburn University, Kurtis worked as a television reporter in the area. Soon after experiencing and reporting an F5 tornado, Bill Kurtis abandoned his law degree and decided to pursue broadcasting at CBS in Chicago. Giving up his promising law degree proved to be an appropriate decision as he soon gained the respect of viewers, providing him with exceptional opportunities. Best known for hosting shows such as American Justice, Investigative Reports, and Cold Case Files, Kurtis also worked in a few films and television commercials.
Kurtis now resides in Sedan, Kansas, where he renovated old buildings, such as donut shops, gift shops, and convenience stores, into tourist attractions. In 2005, Kurtis founded Tallgrass Beef Co., focusing on the health and environmental benefits of organic, grass-fed beef. Between working with his company and renovating old Kansas towns, Kurtis still manages to appear in some television commercials.
For more information on the Kansas Business Hall of Fame and to read about all the past inductees, please visit http://www.ksbhf.org.
Hot conditions are here to stay, and thunderstorm chances make a return late tonight through the weekend. Stay hydrated and weather aware if you have outdoor plans! Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 93. Light south southeast wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Tonight: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 4 a.m. Increasing clouds, with a low around 67. South wind 6 to 9 mph becoming east southeast after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Thursday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 88. South southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Thursday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 69. East southeast wind around 8 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Friday: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly before 1 p.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 90. South wind 7 to 10 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Friday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 1 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 70. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New rainfall amounts of less than a tenth of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 90.
Saturday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1 a.m. Partly cloudy, with a low around 70. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 91.
Sunday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 71.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 91.
Monday Night: A chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 68. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Tuesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 87.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Democratic state Rep. Lauren Arthur has flipped a state Senate seat in Missouri’s first special election since Republican Eric Greitens resigned as governor.
Arthur won Tuesday night over Republican state Rep. Kevin Corlew. Both Arthur and Corlew were critics of Greitens.
Arthur is a former teacher, and has advocated for more school funding. She will represent most of Clay County, a suburban area north of downtown Kansas City previously represented by Republican Ryan Silvey, who stepped down in January.
The region has supported Republicans and Democrats in recent elections, making it a relatively purple district and a possible political barometer ahead of the November midterms.
Missouri has had nine special elections for the state’s General Assembly since Donald Trump became president, and Democrats have also flipped one House seat.
ATCHISON — Two people died in an accident just after 5p.m. Tuesday in Atchison County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1997 Mercury Cougar driven by Elaine L. Drennon, 55, Atchison, was northbound on U.S. 59 just east of Center Township.
The vehicle crossed the center line and struck a semi head-on in the southbound lanes.
Drennon and a passenger in the Cougar Karen Sue Keil, 59, Kansas City, MO. were pronounced dead at the scene and transported to First Call. The semi driver William R. Wilson, 48, Annville, KY., was transported to the hospital in St. Joseph.
Keil was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
TOPEKA, KAN. – Three indictments were unsealed Tuesday alleging massage parlors in Topeka and Lawrence were fronts for prostitution, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.
Five people were charged in federal grand jury indictments alleging prostitution businesses generated millions of dollars in revenue. Charges included conspiracy, interstate racketeering, bank fraud and money laundering.
Defendants charged include:
Ma Li Vanskike, 67, operator of ABC Massage (formerly Naima Therapy) in Lawrence is charged with one count of interstate racketeering and five counts of money laundering. An indictment alleges she laundered more than $1 million in revenues over a period of five years at Harrah’s Casino in North Kansas City, Mo.
Weiling Nielsen, 53, and Erik Nielsen, operators of Jasmine Massage in Topeka, Naima Asian Massage in Lawrence and Serenity Health Spa in Lawrence, are charged with two counts of conspiracy, two counts of bank fraud, five counts of money laundering, and one count of racketeering. An indictment alleges they bought and sold California real estate worth millions of dollars while falsely representing themselves to lenders as restaurant managers in Lawrence.
Lian Hua Li, 55, and Michael Mills, 61, are charged with two counts of conspiracy, two counts of interstate racketeering and four counts of money laundering. An indictment alleges Li operated Sunflower Massage (formerly Jasmine Massage) in Topeka and S-Therapy in Salina, and that Mills worked with her. The indictment alleges Mills transported female sex workers from the airport to massage parlors and assisted Li in laundering cash proceeds of prostitution. The indictment alleges some of the money was laundered through casinos in Kansas.
Upon conviction, the alleged crimes carry the following penalties:
Conspiracy: Up to 5 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000.
Racketeering: Up to five years and a fine up to $250,000.
Money laundering and money launder conspiracy: Up to 20 years and a fine up to $500,000.
Bank fraud: Up to 30 years and a fine up to $1 million.
The FBI investigated with the assistance of the Douglas County Sherriff’s Office and Salina Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christine Kenney is prosecuting.
WASHINGTON — Eagle Communications Inc. has been selected by The ESOP Association as the 2018 Intranet Annual Award for Communications Excellence.
The AACE Awards are sponsored each year by the Association to recognize the outstanding communications and educational programs of its members. The awards are presented each May at the Association’s Annual Conference in Washingtonto companies who have excelled in communicating the ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) and its meaning to the company’s employees.
This is the second year in a row Eagle has been recognized by the national ESOP Association in the intranet category. This award recognizes excellence in ESOP communication efforts through use of a company intranet. The awards are split into two Divisions. Division A: 250 or Fewer Employees and Division B: Over 250 Employees. Eagle falls under the Over 250 Employees division.
“We are pleased to have been selected as a 2018 AACE Award winner by The ESOP Association,” President and CEO Gary Shorman said. “We are proud to be an ESOP company and strongly believe in the power of employee ownership and share that belief with all our employees.”
AACE Award winners are chosen by a panel of five judges made up of both management and non-management employee owners, each of whom has demonstrated active experience and interest in the field of ESOPs and employee ownership communications. Awards are based on: overall quality and quantity of employee owner education, contributions of employee owners, integration of the ESOP into company culture, frequency of ownership communications, involvement and/or response of employee owners, encouragement of ownership attitudes, clear explanations, creative ideas, graphic design, and technical quality.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — As new Missouri Gov. Mike Parson launches his tenure in the governor’s office with meetings with state and local leaders, former Gov. Eric Greitens is still ensnared in court battles related to allegations of personal and political misconduct.
Parson, a Republican, was talking with Republican legislative leaders and some of the state’s mayors in separate meetings on Tuesday, days after the lieutenant governor was elevated to higher office when Greitens, also a Republican, resigned while facing possible impeachment.
Parson appears to be setting himself apart from Greitens in terms of his ability to forge relationships to get things done. Greitens, a former Navy SEAL who was elected in 2016 as a political outsider, had long clashed with the Legislature, even though it was led by members of his own party. Parson, a former state lawmaker, was elected separately from Greitens.
Republican House Speaker Pro Tem Elijah Haahr, as he was walking to a meeting with Parson on Tuesday, said he expects the new governor will be involved with the Legislature “on a day-to-day basis.”
Parson later met with a bipartisan group of mayors and said the goal was “building bridges.” He’s already built a relationship with Kansas City Mayor Sly James, a Democrat who said the two worked together when Parson was a lawmaker.
“I found him to be a reasonable individual, a smart guy, a guy who was willing to listen and a guy who was willing to state his position,” James told reporters gathered outside Parson’s capitol office.
Although Greitens’ resignation was part of a deal with St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner to drop a felony charge alleging misuse of a charity donor list to raise money for his 2016 gubernatorial campaign, legal wrangling hasn’t ended.
The Missouri attorney general’s office determined Tuesday that an unredacted version of the dismissal agreement on the computer data tampering charge is an open record under the state’s open records law. The ruling was in response to a letter Gardner sent Monday, asking whether her office could release the agreement without redactions.
The “stipulation for dismissal” agreement that a judge approved on May 29 includes seven provisions, two of which are redacted.
It’s unclear if or when the full version of the agreement will be released. Messages seeking comment from Gardner’s office and from Greitens’ attorneys were not immediately returned. But Gardner said in her letter to Hawley that she intended to release the unredacted agreement “unless a court orders otherwise.”
Greitens has denied any criminal wrongdoing.
He also had faced allegations that he took a nonconsensual, partially nude photo of a woman with whom he had an extramarital affair in 2015 and threatened to release it if she spoke about their relationship. Gardner’s office had dismissed a felony invasion-of-privacy charge just before Greitens’ trial was set to begin this month, and a special prosecutor is deciding whether to refile it.
Jackson County prosecutor Jean Peters Baker has not said when she’ll decide. The statute of limitations expires in about two weeks.
KANSAS CITY, KAN. – An Kansas man pleaded guilty today to bank robbery after investigators identified him by his blue bicycle and the tattoo of a spider web on his left hand, according to U.S. Attorney Steve McAllister.
Richard Armenta, 57, Overland Park, Kan., pleaded guilty to a Nov. 24, 2017, robbery at Capital Federal Savings Bank, 9001 E. Santa Fe in Overland Park. Armenta left the bank with cash, but investigators had two clues: the tattoo on his left hand and the blue bicycle he rode to the bank.
On Dec. 2, Overland Park Police officers were called to a disturbance involving Armenta. They identified him from video surveillance of the bank robbery, the tattoo on his hand and a blue bicycle in the back of his pickup.
Sentencing is set for Aug. 20, 2018. Both parties have agreed to recommend 37 months in federal prison. McAllister commended the Overland Park Police Department, the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kim Flannigan for their work on the case.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – The fate of a Missouri death row inmate is on hold as a result of former Gov. Eric Greitens’ resignation.
Marcellus Williams was convicted of fatally stabbing former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter Lisha Gayle during a 1998 burglary at her suburban St. Louis home. Williams was hours away from execution in August when Greitens halted it after DNA testing raised questions about whether Williams was the actual killer.
Greitens appointed a board of inquiry made up of five retired judges. The board was scheduled to meet Tuesday but canceled, citing confusion about whether its authority continues after Greitens resigned amid misconduct allegations.
A spokeswoman for new Gov. Mike Parson says the inquiry board has suspended its work pending further guidance from Parson.
