WASHINGTON— One day after stepping down as Governor, Sam Brownback officially began his new duties in the Trump Administration.
On Thursday afternoon, Vice President Mike Pence participated in the swearing in ceremony for the new Ambassador for International Religious Freedom. Watch the ceremony here.
Last week, the Republican-led Senate narrowly approved Sam Brownback for the position. Trump originally nominated him to the post in July .
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A former Topeka car dealer who didn’t keep a promise to donate to a memorial fund for a slain Topeka police officer can no longer do business in the state.
The Kansas attorney general’s office said Thursday that Justin Bogina, of Tecumseh, and his Topeka business, Auto Acceptance Center Corp., also must reimburse more than $25,000 to consumers.
Attorney General Derek Schmidt said shortly after Police Cpl. Jason Harwood was killed in the line of duty in September 2014, Bogina advertised that he would donate $100 per vehicle he sold during a specific time to the memorial fund. But he didn’t track sales during the time period and didn’t make a donation until an investigation began in April 2016.
A lawsuit claimed Bogina also repeatedly violated consumer protection laws over several years.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – Presidents and fiscal officers from Missouri’s two- and four-year colleges are warning lawmakers that any more higher education cuts in the state budget could result in more layoffs, program eliminations, deferred maintenance and tuition hikes.
The Columbia Missourian reports that University of Missouri System President Mun Choi spoke before a House education appropriations committee Wednesday. Choi says the system will continue focusing on improving student success and research but budget cuts will hinder those goals.
The university system released a report last week recommending dozens of academic programs be eliminated, reviewed or combined.
Wednesday’s hearing was a continuation from Tuesday, when officials from several universities testified how budget cuts have strapped them in recent years. The schools’ leaders say they’d need to increase tuition and fees to offset further cuts.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Police officers at the University of Kansas will soon start carrying stun guns as a safe option for situations when lethal force isn’t appropriate or necessary.
University Police Chief Chris Keary tells the Lawrence Journal-World that all department officers will be trained and armed with a stun gun by the end of the spring semester.
Keary says most campus police departments in the Kansas Board of Regents system already carry stun guns, as do local law enforcement agencies. He says he wouldn’t be surprised if people had assumed the department was already carrying them.
The cost of the conducted-electrical weapons, including holsters, cartridges, batteries, training supplies and other related equipment, totals to nearly $68,000. Keary says the university’s Public Safety Office is covering the cost.
St. Joseph Mayor Bill Falkner attended a meeting last week at the White House with other mayors from around the country and also discussed local sewer issues with an EPA representative.
Falkner said he was invited to the meeting which, because of the government shutdown, was cancelled, then back on the schedule for Wednesday.
“President Trump, he addressed the mayors there in the White House, and we were also able to hear from Vice President Pence. We also had a question and answer with several department heads from transportation, education and commerce there. As mayors, we all liked what everybody was saying. There is a big infrastructure package coming out that President Trump is about ready to roll out which we’re all interested in that. They were talking also about regulations and trimming back some of the regulations which we’re also happy to see that.”
Falkner said during a reception afterward, he talked with someone from the EPA about sewer issues and costs in the community.
“I made the comment that some of the mandates and requirements that they’re putting on communities, they’re forcing elected officials to raise the rates higher than what our citizens can afford, in order to do the projects that are mandated to us,” Falkner said. “I also told them that if a community is under a mandate, they shouldn’t have another mandate come on them or other large ticket items until that first mandate is paid for. These things didn’t happen overnight and they shouldn’t expect communities to pay for these overnight.”
Falkner said he also suggested expanding the time frame required for communities to fund projects from 20 to 40 years would help with paying for projects. He added that state funding is important to communities, grants would be helpful and he said he encouraged the EPA to pursue nutrient or waste trading.
“Basically, what that is, they are requiring the communities to take out the nutrients in your treatment process and communities that have the availability to take out larger amounts than what they are required to, then we can trade the excess to some of the smaller communities that can’t afford that,” Falkner said. “The program that was brought forward to the city council, once the initial project is done, then it would bring in anywhere from one to two million dollars into the sewer fund which would help offset sewer rates.”
Falkner said city staff is preparing more information to send to the EPA contact and Senator Blunt also talked with Mayor Falkner about getting more information so he can follow up on the issue with the EPA.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is reporting that it collected $165 million more in taxes than expected in January, and its top tax official sees the surplus resulting from changes in federal tax laws.
Revenue Secretary Sam Williams said Thursday that federal tax changes enacted late last year encouraged people to pay state and local tax bills before 2017 ended.
The Department of Revenue reported that Kansas took in nearly $747 million in taxes last month. The state had expected tax collections of $582 million.
The monthly surplus is more than 28 percent.
It was the eighth consecutive month tax collections have exceeded expectations. Since the current fiscal year began July 1, the state has collected $3.9 billion in taxes. That is $249 million more than anticipated and a surplus of 6.7 percent.
The Board of Education for the St. Joseph School District announced Thursday that Dr. Doug Van Zyl has been named as the next superintendent of the district.
After interviewing three finalists, the Board voted to employ Dr. Van Zyl.
“The Board was delighted with the candidates we had to select from and believe that Dr. Van Zyl is a perfect match – in background and experience – for St. Joseph,” said Lori Prussman and Larry Koch, the two Board members overseeing the search process.
Dr. Van Zyl is in his eighth year as superintendent in Fort Dodge, Iowa, a school district of approximately 4,000 students. According to a press release from the St. Joseph School District, during his tenure, Dr. Van Zyl increased student achievement, stabilized the budget and developed many partnerships between the school district and local business and civic organizations. After a long process of public engagement, Van Zyl recently helped Fort Dodge pass a bond issue with more than a 70% approval rating – one of the first bond issues to pass in many years.
In speaking to the St. Joseph School Board, Van Zyl said he is honored to have the opportunity to serve as superintendent in St. Joseph.
“I realize the Board had many excellent candidates and I take my selection sincerely as a vote of confidence in the leadership I have to offer the district and the community. I am excited to begin getting to know people in St. Joseph and to begin listening to staff and citizens throughout the community about how we can move forward to connect the district and the community in order to better serve our students.”
Dr. Van Zyl was born and raised in Minnesota and went to Northwestern Christian College in Iowa. Prior to serving as superintendent in Fort Dodge, Van Zyl was superintendent of Harrisonville, Missouri, for three years. He previously served as an assistant superintendent in Harrisonville and was an elementary principal in the Independence School District for seven years. In addition to his BS degree from Northwestern College, Van Zyl has an MS from Sam Houston State University in Texas and a doctorate from the University of Missouri at Columbia. Dr. Van Zyl and his wife have three children, two currently in college and one graduating from high school this year.
All three of the final candidates participated in interviews with the Board and with interview committees. The interview committees were comprised of teachers, administrators, community stakeholders, parents and students. Each candidate spent most of a day with the district, including an interview with the Board.
The new superintendent was hired with a three-year contract with an annual salary of $210,000 the first two years. Any future increase to his salary is linked to future salary increases awarded to St. Joseph teachers. The Board granted Dr. Van Zyl’s request to be provided family health insurance, which he was provided in Fort Dodge. He will receive the benefits given all St. Joseph School District administrators along with a car allowance, which is a typical benefit given superintendents in the region. Dr. Van Zyl and his family plan to move to St. Joseph at the end of this school year.
Dr. Van Zyl will begin his new role with the St. Joseph School District on July 1st, but he plans to make a number of visits to the school district and the community during the spring.
BELLEVILLE, Kan. — Authorities say a second suspect in a Kansas homicide has been arrested after a police chase.
The pursuit began Wednesday afternoon in Kansas City, Missouri. Police say it appeared drugs and guns were tossed from the speeding vehicle before the chase ended about 20 minutes later in Kansas City, Kansas. Police say three people were taken into custody including 28-year-old Shannon Dace. She is wanted in connection with the Aug. 30 shooting death of 29-year-old Kevin Fowler.
Another suspect, Zachary Barnes, was arrested in September south of the small Republican County town of Cuba, Kansas, and charged with second-degree murder. The search for Barnes caused several schools and public agencies to be placed on lockdown in two other towns in the
area, which is near the Nebraska border.
A strong cold front will drop temperatures quickly later this morning. Temperatures won’t move much through the day staying in the mid to upper 20s before falling back into the teens tonight. Winds will also be fairly strong out of the north today making for wind chills in the teens. So, make sure everyone is prepared appropriately for the cold. Here’s the 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service:
Today: Mostly cloudy, then gradually becoming sunny, with a high near 28. North northwest wind 13 to 15 mph, with gusts as high as 22 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 10. North northwest wind 6 to 11 mph becoming light northeast after midnight.
Friday: Increasing clouds, with a high near 33. Light and variable wind becoming south 5 to 10 mph in the morning.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 28. South wind 7 to 9 mph.
Saturday: Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47. South southwest wind 6 to 10 mph.
Saturday Night: A chance of rain and snow before 4 a.m., then a slight chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday: A chance of snow before noon. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 23. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Sunday Night: Partly cloudy, with a low around 12.
Monday: Partly sunny, with a high near 35.
Monday Night: A chance of rain and snow before 7 p.m., then a chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 20. Chance of precipitation is 40%.
Tuesday: A chance of snow. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 33. Chance of precipitation is 30%.
Tuesday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 13.
Wednesday: Partly sunny, with a high near 31.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Court documents say a Kansas man has been arrested after threatening to “blow up” the White House.
Brandon Koss, of Wichita, was taken into custody Wednesday. He has been charged with making a threat against the president. His public defender didn’t immediately return an email message from The Associated Press.
A Secret Service agent wrote in the affidavit that Koss made the threat last week to a White House operator and used profanities. The affidavit says the agent went to Koss’ home but that Koss refused to open his door for the agent. Instead Koss agreed to talk to the agent on the phone.
The affidavit says Koss admitted calling the White House but denied making a threat. The agent says Koss claimed he was attempting to report terrorism.
