(Salina Post)

WASHINGTON – Kansas legislative offices in Washington and across the state are overwhelmed with the number of phone calls following President’s Trump’s Executive Order on immigration.

“Thank you to everyone who has called my office to express their opinions. Our Washington and Kansas offices are experiencing an extremely high volume of calls, but the phones are open. I always appreciate hearing the thoughts and concerns of Kansans. If you are unable to get through, you can also reach me on social media or send an email.

Roberts said he agreed with the President. “We need a major overhaul of our immigration system and a better vetting process for those entering our nation. One attack on our shores like those in Paris and Brussels is one too many. We have also seen too many crimes committed by illegal immigrants that should never have been in our country in the first place. However, we need to strike a balance that protects the rights of Americans and those permitted to enter the country legally. The president needs to work with Congress to ensure every aspect of a major policy change such as this is taken into consideration.”

Kansas Junior Senator Jerry Moran said in media release keeping Americans safe should be our federal government’s top priority.

“Strengthening our immigration system is critical to that end, and it’s common sense to have appropriate vetting procedures in place for individuals wishing to travel to our country. While I support thorough vetting, I do not support restricting the rights of U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents. Furthermore, far-reaching national security policy should always be devised in consultation with Congress and relevant government agencies.”

A Kansas man was sentenced Monday to 52 months in prison for his role in a scheme involving the illegal export of firearms from the United States using a hidden online marketplace.

U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said Michael Andrew Ryan, aka Brad Jones and GunRunner, 36, of Manhattan, Kansas, previously pleaded guilty.

He was found guilty in June on six counts of exporting and attempting to export firearms illegally from the United States to individuals located in other countries. In addition to imposing the prison sentence, U.S. District Judge Daniel D. Crabtree of the District of Kansas ordered Ryan to forfeit all firearms and ammunition seized by law enforcement during the investigation.

In connection with his plea, Ryan admitted that he used the hidden internet marketplace Black Market Reloaded, a website hosted on the Tor network where users can traffic anonymously in illegal drugs and other illegal goods. He admitted unlawfully exporting or attempting to export firearms from the United States to Cork, Ireland; Mallow, Ireland; Pinner, England; Edinburgh, Scotland; Victoria, Australia.

Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division there were dozens of firearms, including pistols, revolvers, UZIs and Glocks, some from which the manufacturer’s serial numbers had been removed, altered or obliterated, as well as magazines and hundreds of rounds of ammunition.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Kansas City Field Division investigated the case with assistance from ATF’s National Investigative Division; U.S. Customs and Border Protection; U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations; and the Manhattan and Riley County, Kansas, Police Departments.

A 25-year-old pedestrian from Kansas City, Mo. man was killed when he was hit by a car in Warrensburg Sunday night.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says Demetrius Hayden, 25, was walking along U.S. Highway 50 near PCA Road shortly before 10 pm Sunday when he was hit by a Dodge Charger.

The driver, identified in the crash report as Aaron Collins, 19, of Ottawa, Kansas, was not injured. Hayden was pronounced dead at the scene by the Johnson County Coroner.

Following pressure from U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill and her colleagues, the Trump Administration reversed course and exempted many VA jobs from the federal hiring freeze. McCaskill called the move a good step, but said it doesn’t go far enough.

“…It’s nowhere near enough to ensure the VA is fully equipped to provide our veterans the high-quality care, speedy claims resolution, and treatment access in rural areas that they need and deserve,” said the Missouri Democrat. “This policy would have had serious consequences for those who have courageously served our country, and I’ll never stop fighting to ensure we’re fulfilling our promises to them.”

McCaskill says veterans make up 31 percent of the federal workforce, and the Department of Veterans Affairs has reported it currently has more than 45,000 vacancies. There are currently more than 450,000 veterans awaiting VA benefits they earned while serving the country.

Last week, after President Donald Trump issued an executive order freezing hiring across the federal government, McCaskill and her colleagues demanded the Administration exempt the VA and all veterans seeking federal jobs from a freeze that would have serious consequences for veterans and their families.

McCaskill has helped lead efforts to address medical workforce shortages at the VA. After repeated urging from McCaskill, the VA last year announced the installation of a permanent medical director at the St. Louis VA—a position which had been vacant for years, after the VA failed six times to secure a permanent director.

A Wabaunsee County woman who was the executor of her mother’s estate pleaded guilty Monday to fraud in the sale a South Padre Island condo.

Julie D. Woodland, 55, Maple Hill, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of interstate transportation of funds obtained by fraud. According to U.S. Attorney Tom Beall, she admitted in her plea that she served as trustee of trusts set up by her parents, Stephen W. Dibble and Elaine R. Dibble.

It was her parents’ intent that proceeds of the trusts be shared equally among Woodland and her siblings, Lance A. Dibble and Stan Dibble. Woodland also was executor of her mother’s estate.

Woodland sold a condo in Texas belonging to the trust for $270,000. She distributed half the proceeds to her brother, Stan Dibble, and she kept the rest. Her brother, Lance Dibble, requested an accounting of the trust funds, but she refused to provide the information.

Sentencing is set for May 8. She faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. Beall commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Rich Hathaway for their work on the case.

A Kansas man with a previous conviction for sexual abuse was sentenced Monday to 22 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography.

U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said Jonathan Curtis McClain, 37, Wichita, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of distributing child pornography. In his plea, McClain admitted he previously was convicted of sexual abuse in 1998 in Medford, Ore.

This investigation began when agents of the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations in Tennessee identified McClain’s user profile engaged in chats on the Internet telling other users about his interest in watching child pornography. In March 2016 McClain sent child pornography to an investigator.

Beall commended the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart for their work on the case.