CASS COUNTY — A Missouri woman died in an accident just after 1p.m. Wednesday in Cass County.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 1993 Mazda Protégé driven by Maria Bachtel, 52, Sugar Creek, was northbound and failed to stop at the stop at Route CC and Mo. 58.
An eastbound 2006 Dodge Ram driven by James P. Willis, 77, Sugar Creek, struck the Mazda on the driver side. The Mazda traveled off the road, struck a utility pole and the driver was partially ejected.
Bachtel was pronounced dead at the scene. Pleasant Hill EMS transported a passenger in the Dodge Patsy A. Willis, 76, Sugar Creek to CenterPoint Medical Center. James Willis refused treatment.
Bachtel was not wearing a seat belt, according to the MSHP.
Sweet-photo Miller Co.TUSCUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – More than four months after being charged in the killings of two people at a Lake Ozark RV park, the suspect has been appointed an attorney.
Television stations KRCG and KMIZ report that Gary Sweet’s attorney is public defender Brendan McGregor. McGregor filed an entry of appearance as Sweet’s attorney Monday.
Sweet was one of hundreds of cases listed in the area public defender’s caseload conference in Miller County after the office’s attorneys were overloaded with cases. A request by District Defender Justin Carver for caseload relief is being considered.
Sweet is charged with two counts of first-degree murder, assault and other counts in the shooting that killed Sheri and James Parker and injured another.
Authorities say Sweet had been evicted from the park.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on charges filed in the death of a 10-year-old boy on a waterslide at a Kansas waterpark (all times local):
5p.m.
Henry-photo Cameron Co. Sheriff
The co-owner of a Kansas City, Kansas, water park will not oppose his extradition to Kansas, where a 10-year-old boy died on a water slide in 2016.
For now, Schlitterbahn co-owner Jeffrey Wayne Henry will remain in Cameron County Jail in Brownsville, Texas, without bond. However, Magistrate Judge Luis Sorrola said he’d entertain a request to grant Henry bond if Kansas officials don’t pick him up by Tuesday.
Henry is charged with murder, aggravated battery and child endangerment in an indictment in Kansas. He and water slide designed John Schooley are charged in an indictmen in the decapitation death of 10-yuear-old Caleb Schwab at Schlitterbahn’s the Kansas City, Kansas, water park.
___
11:55 a.m.
Kansas says it will conduct a full audit of the inspection records of a Kansas City water park where a 10-year-old boy died in 2016.
The state Department of Labor said Wednesday that it will conduct the audit before the Schlitterbahn park opens its annual season May 25.
Department spokeswoman Barbara Hersh said the park is required to have qualified inspectors examine its rides daily and to keep reports on those inspections. She said the department will ensure that the inspections have been done.
A grand jury has indicted the park, its former operations director, a Schlitterbahn co-owner, a ride designer and a construction company on multiple criminal charges.
The charges arise from the August 2016 death of Caleb Schwab on the world’s largest waterslide at the park.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Missouri House has given initial approval to a bill that would drastically lower tuition for combat veterans seeking graduate degrees.
The House voted on the bill on Wednesday. If it becomes law, combat veterans enrolling in a graduate program at a public university would not have to pay more than 30 percent of the normal cost, including tuition and fees. The discount would be good for 20 years after a veteran’s discharge, but would only kick in once veterans had taken advantage of other federal and state aid.
There were no apparent no votes during the voice vote, and no one testified against the bill in committee.
The bill needs to be voted on again before it heads to the Senate.
Jefferson City, Mo. – Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley is reminding Missouri taxpayers to be wary of telephone and email scams throughout tax season.
According to a press release from Hawley’s office, in past years, phone scammers have acted like IRS agents in order to steal money.
“During tax season, my Office sees a rise in complaints from consumers regarding phone calls that threaten consumers with arrest and other consequences for allegedly failing to pay a tax bill,” Hawley said. “Be alert this tax season.”
The scams usually include a con artist making unsolicited calls claiming to be an IRS agent and demanding that the victim pay a tax bill. They try to get the victim to pay cash, usually through a wire transfer or a prepaid debit or gift card. The scammer will often make substantial threats, such as the threat of arrest or conviction, as means of intimidating a victim into paying. Scammers often alter caller ID numbers to make it look like the IRS or another government agency is calling.
Tax identity theft also increases during tax season. This occurs when an identity thief uses a taxpayer’s stolen identity to file a fraudulent return and claims the refund in the consumer’s name.
Attorney General Hawley offers the following tips and reminders to avoid IRS phone scams and tax identity theft.
The IRS will NEVER:
Call to demand immediate payment using a specific payment method – or ask for cash. Generally, the IRS will mail a bill to any taxpayer who owes taxes.
Threaten to immediately bring in the police or other law enforcement to have the taxpayer arrested for not paying.
Demand that the tax be paid without giving taxpayers the opportunity to question or appeal the amount owed.
Ask for credit or debit card numbers over the phone.
Signs that you may be a victim of tax fraud identity theft include:
Receiving a notice or letter stating that:
More than one tax return was filed using your Social Security number;
You owe additional tax
You have a tax refund offset of which you were not aware;
The IRS or DOR records indicate that you received wages from an employer unknown to you;
The IRS or DOR questions your claim information pertaining to your dependents;
Learning that collection actions were taken against you for a year you did not file a tax return or did not owe money;
Being unable to process your return when using electronic software.
To avoid becoming a victim of tax identity theft:
File your taxes as early as you are able.
Never give out personal information unless you know who specifically is requesting it.
Protect your personal information by using firewalls and anti-spam and virus protection software, updating passwords on bank and tax preparation accounts, and refusing to share personal information with unsolicited callers or authors of unsolicited emails.
For more information concerning identity theft and tax fraud identity theft visit the Missouri Attorney General’s website at ago.mo.gov.
At school, Kansas students learn what to do in case a shooter attacks. Lock classroom doors. Turn out the lights. Huddle out of view from the window in the door.
Kansas lawmakers are debating whether guns can make schools more safe. FILE PHOTO / KANSAS NEWS SERVICE
In the Statehouse, lawmakers are searching for consensus on better ways to prevent, or cut short, school shootings. Arm teachers? Fortify schools? Train kids about guns?
On Tuesday, the feelings clashed in a committee hearing and on the floor of the Kansas House just days after gun control activists drew crowds to March for Our Lives protests in Kansas City, Wichita, Topeka and across the country.
One bill Kansas lawmakers are mulling hopes to protect schoolchildren by making it more likely their teachers would have a weapon handy. A hearing on the measure drew an overflow audience, including students and parents, to a committee room of both supporters and opponents.
“The more guns you have in a school building,” said Shisato Kimura, member of a new student group at Lawrence High School advocating gun reform, “it just increases the chance of violence.”
Kansas has allowed teachers to carry guns in schools since 2013. But when lawmakers approved that, the state’s main school insurer saw a bad business prospect and promptly notified districts it wouldn’t cover that. Districts with armed teachers, EMC announced, wouldn’t have their insurance policies renewed.
The legislation would also make school districts more vulnerable to lawsuits after a school shooting — if it turns out they didn’t allow staff to arm themselves. In court, those districts would face a presumption of negligence.
Sen. Ty Masterson told them would-be shooters are likely to assume there aren’t armed employees in Kansas schools, putting them at greater risk. Insurance companies, he said, should recognize when schools work to fix that.
“You can contend that rates should be lower in the schools that protect their children more appropriately,” the Andover Republican said. “Mentally deranged shooters are looking for soft targets.”
Jason Watkins, a lobbyist for the Kansas State Rifle Association, called the bill “common sense.” His group supports provisions in the bill that would prevent the public from knowing which teachers carry guns.
“A trained, certified and armed teacher will save lives,” he said, “in those precious minutes before law enforcement arrives.”
Kansas’ main teachers union and its school board association testified against the bill.
The Parkland shooting took just six minutes, said Mark Desetti, of the Kansas National Education Association. It’s ridiculous to think a teacher can get his or her students into safe positions, retrieve a handgun from a secure location, make sure it’s loaded, and successfully chase down a heavily armed killer in that time.
“And I’m going to face a guy with an AR-15, rapid firing, perhaps with a bump stock and a very large capacity magazine?” he said. “And I’m going to take that person down? No.”
Later, on the House floor, Democratic Rep. Brett Parker pushed an amendment to another bill in hopes of revoking the ability of teachers carry concealed weapons in school.
Parker, a teacher, said adding guns to classrooms distracts from learning and could make it harder to attract teachers to Kansas.
“We are having a hard enough time filling our teacher shortages,” Parker said.
His effort failed after other lawmakers said local school districts should have the option of choosing to arm teachers.
“Making a target hardened is the best deterrent to armed confrontation,” said Republican Rep. Eric Smith, a sheriff’s deputy. “Advertising a place to be unarmed is the worst thing you can do to deter the tragedies we are seeing.”
The House advanced a bill calling for state guidelines for safer schools, but some lawmakers said it lacks enough money for meaningful security upgrades. A $5 million state grant would help pay for building updates and plans to deal with emergencies such as shootings.
Democratic Representative Cindy Neighbor said she likes the planning requirements, but she said the Shawnee Mission School District recently went through a security upgrade and spent significantly more than the $5 million being offered in the bill. She said lawmakers could be looking for more money in the future to help pay for upgrades.
“This is a very expensive endeavor,” Neighbor said.
The bill also sets guidelines for optional gun safety training that schools can offer to students. The chamber rejected efforts to remove references to an NRA training program named in the bill.
JUNCTION CITY –– A Texas man pleaded guilty to murder and involuntary manslaughter while driving under the influence, according to Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt.
Thompson and her two children -photo from Gofundme
Steven W. Johnson, 45, of Houston, pleaded guilty to one count of murder in the second degree – reckless and two counts of involuntary manslaughter (DUI). Judge Steven L. Hornbaker accepted the pleas Monday in Geary County District Court.
The charges stemmed from a fatal crash on Interstate 70 in November 2016 that resulted in the deaths of Jessica Michelle Thompson and her two minor children.
Scene of the Nov. 2016 crash-photo courtesy WIBW TV
Sentencing is scheduled for June 1 at 1:30 p.m.
The case was investigated by the Kansas Highway Patrol. Assistant Attorney General Corey Kenney of Schmidt’s office is prosecuting the case.
WICHITA, KAN. – A load of methamphetamine that investigators followed from Amarillo, Texas, to Kansas is sending a Guatemalan man to federal prison, according to U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister.
Coa-Garcia -photo Johnson Co.
Jose Adrian Cua-Garcia, 30, was sentenced Monday to five years in federal prison. He pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine.
The investigation began when law enforcement officers stopped an SUV near Amarillo, Texas, and found more than 12 pounds of methamphetamine hidden in a spare tire. Investigators arranged for part of the load to be delivered while they kept it under surveillance.
Co-defendant Jorge Vazquez-Rodriguez, 30, Kansas City, Kan., met the load in a hotel parking lot near I-70 and 78th Street. He took the drugs to a house in Kansas City, Kan., where he met Cua-Garcia. Later, Cua-Garcia left the house carrying the tire in the back of his truck. Investigators pulled him over after a chase and arrested him.
Vazquez-Rodriguez pleaded guilty and sentencing is set for June 4.
A wet start to the work week will persist through today and tonight. Temperatures will continue to wallow around bit above and below normal for this time of year (mid to upper 50s). But, the later half of the weekend will see a cold front show up, bringing some chilly temperatures and a returning chance of rain to the region Sunday. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:
Today: A chance of sprinkles after 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 58. Light and variable wind becoming south around 6 mph in the afternoon.
Tonight: A slight chance of showers before 10 p.m., then a chance of sprinkles between 10 p.m. and midnight, then a slight chance of showers after midnight. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 38. Light and variable wind becoming north 5 to 7 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Thursday: A slight chance of showers before 2 p.m. Cloudy, then gradually becoming mostly sunny, with a high near 51. North wind 11 to 14 mph, with gusts as high as 24 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 31. North wind 5 to 9 mph becoming calm after midnight.
Friday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 59. Light and variable wind becoming west 6 to 11 mph in the morning.
Friday Night: A chance of showers, mainly after 2 a.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 41. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Saturday: A chance of showers before 8 a.m. Partly sunny, with a high near 55. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28.
Sunday: A chance of showers after 2 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 43. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday Night: A chance of showers before 8 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 29. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Monday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 53.
Monday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 35.
KANSAS CITY (AP) – The plummeting number of refugees resettling in Kansas City mirrors a national trend, particularly among predominantly Muslim countries.
Syrian refugee Ahmad al-Abboud (right) tells his story through interpreter Fariz Turkmani at a press conference in Kansas City. photo by ALEX SMITH / Kansas News Service
U.S. Department of State data compiled by The Associated Press show that fewer than 480 refugees resettled in Kansas City last year, compared to more than 740 in 2016. Just over 50 refugees resettled in the city this fiscal year, which is halfway over.
The Kansas City Star reports that the city’s biggest drop has been among refugees from Somalia. Kansas City welcomed nearly 160 Somali refugees last year. But this fiscal year, there’s been five.
The numbers reflect federal policy changes starting early last year. President Donald Trump has lowered the cap on refugee admissions, suspended a program that reunites families split during resettlement and banned arrivals from several countries, mostly Muslim, including Somalia.
