MANHATTAN —  Law enforcement authorities continue to investigate a Sunday morning shooting in Manhattan.

Just after 1:30 a.m., police officers responded to the 500 block of North Manhattan Avenue according to Riley County Police spokesperson Hali Rowland.

When officers arrived on scene, they found one victim who was transported by EMS to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

On Monday, police released a description of the suspect as a black male wearing dark clothing.

Police have made no arrests and did not release the name of the victim.

Anyone with information is asked to call Riley County Police or Crimestopers.

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MANHATTAN —  Law enforcement authorities are investigating a Sunday morning shooting in Manhattan.

Just after 1:30 a.m., police officers responded to the 500 block of North Manhattan Avenue according to Riley County Police spokesperson Hali Rowland.

When officers arrived on scene, they found one victim who was transported by EMS to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

BY Stephen Koranda

Kansans who need to update their voter registration before the fall local election will need to move fast. Tuesday is the deadline to register to vote before the November election.

This is the first year that local elections are being held in November instead of spring. In many communities, voters will decide races for city council, school board or ballot questions about issues including bonds and sales taxes.

A big motivation for the calendar change for local Kansas elections was to get people into the habit of voting every fall and improve turnout.

Douglas County Clerk Jamie Shew, who sent a mailing to alert voters about the change, said requests for advance ballots are way up.

“We’ve been surprised by the response to it,” Shew said. “We actually have had over 4,000 people respond to it asking for an advance ballot, which is 10 times the number of advance ballots we’ve had for local elections.”

Shew said in the past, local elections would come quickly after federal elections, which may have led to voter fatigue. The change in date appears to be attracting people who normally may not be interested in local races.

“Over 50 percent of the people who requested a ballot have never voted in a local election,” he said.

Some confusion remains about voter registration rules, Shew said.

State law says new Kansas voters need to provide proof of citizenship. Because of a court order, people registering using the federal voter registration form are currently not held to that requirement.

Shew offers both the federal and state forms in his office. He said voters using the federal form need to keep future uncertainty in mind.

“It’s something that I talk to voters about. Your status could change, depending upon what happens,” he said.

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

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – A Kansas City man has received a 40-year prison sentence for having sex with a preteen girl.

The Kansas City Star reports that 34-year-old Shaun B. Bettis will serve time for first-degree statutory rape. He also will be subject to lifetime monitoring as a sex offender.

Clay County prosecutors say Bettis knew the victim and was able to have sexual contact with her at his home while the victim’s family members were busy taking care of sick relatives.

Clay County prosecutor Daniel White says the child has experienced a series of losses in her life including the illness and death of family members, and was particularly vulnerable.

MARSHALL COUNTY – The Kansas Bureau of Investigation (KBI) is assisting the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office following the Saturday afternoon escape of two inmates from the Marshall County Jail in Marysville, Kan.

According to a media release, just before 5 p.m., Saturday, the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the KBI to investigate the events surrounding the escape of two Marshall County Jail inmates. KBI agents, the Crime Scene Response Team, and the Kansas Office of the State Fire Marshal responded to conduct the investigation.

Preliminary information indicates that at approximately 3:50 p.m. on Saturday, inmates lit a fire in a cell, causing smoke to fill the Jail. Two inmates, 46-year-old Jeffrey S. Guenther, and 30-year-old Matson Z. Hatfield allegedly forced their way through the Jail, obtained two shotguns and then exited the Jail into the Sheriff’s Office parking lot.

It is believed that while the two inmates were fleeing, a civilian county employee’s tan 2004 Dodge Ram pickup truck was stolen at gunpoint, and shots were fired at a Marysville Fire Department truck. A responding Marysville Police Officer fired at Guenther in the fleeing truck. Meanwhile, Hatfield reportedly fled on foot to a residence nearby the Jail, and fired shots toward a male subject standing in front of the residence. Hatfield was acquainted with the residents of the home. A short time later, Hatfield surrendered to an officer from the Marysville Police Department.

Guenther fled the area in the stolen pickup truck and headed north on Highway 77, across the state line into Nebraska. He was pursued by Marysville Police until he rolled the truck and was apprehended in rural Gage County, Neb., not far from the Kansas/Nebraska state border. The Nebraska State Patrol investigated the accident scene.

Fortunately, no one was injured during the escape or in the events following the escape. By approximately 6 p.m. Saturday, the remaining Marshall County Jail inmates had been safely transferred to the Washington County Jail.

Law enforcement agencies who responded to this incident were: the Marshall County Sheriff’s Office, the Marysville Police Department, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Kansas Highway Patrol.

Formal charges have not yet been filed. This investigation is ongoing. No further information will be released at this time.

JOHN HANNA, AP Political Writer

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas has a record number of candidates for the early stages of its 2018 governor’s race.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) – Two pit bulls have been shot to death in the last week in Springfield, where city officials passed a ban on the dogs earlier this month.

The Kansas City Star reports that one family’s pit bull was killed Saturday. Police say a neighbor shot the dog when it jumped a fence into a yard and attacked the neighbor’s dog.

Police say a woman tried to separate the dogs, but when a man intervened, the pit bull turned on him and he shot the dog.

On Thursday, a Springfield man shot an unleashed pit bull to death because the dog grabbed his leashed dog by the neck while they were out for a walk.

SHAWNEE COUNTY–Fire crews responded to a fire located at 110 NE Coachlight Drive, Topeka just after 3 p.m. on Saturday.

According to a media release, fire crews found heavy smoke and flames coming from the mobile home. Firefighters began an offensive fire attack, keeping it confined to the structure of fire origin. Firefighters performed a search of the structure and confirmed there were no occupants.

A Topeka Fire Department Investigation’s Unit responded to this incident to determine the fire cause to be natural, associated with a lightning strike.

Estimated dollar loss – $15,000.00 structural loss and $2,000.00 contents loss.

BY DAVID LIEB

JOPLIN, MO —(AP)The Joplin, Missouri, school district has rebuilt following a deadly tornado that hit more than six years ago. But it’s still haggling with federal officials over how much disaster money it’s due.

Records obtained by The Associated Press show the school district has seven appeals disputing more than $70 million of denied costs pending at regional or national headquarters of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

The key issue is whether FEMA underestimated the cost to rebuild, or whether the district is simply trying to get as much cash as possible for its improved facilities.

School officials say they had to borrow money to pay their bills while awaiting a resolution on the disputed FEMA funding.

FEMA officials say they are trying to speed up their decisions on appeals.