KANSAS CITY – Two people were injured in an accident just before 3 p.m. on Saturday in Wyandotte County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2014 Harley Davidson driven by Jason M. Tirk, 40, Kansas City, was northbound on Interstate 635 in the number one lane when it struck a mattress in the roadway. The driver and passenger were both ejected.
Tirk and a passenger Jennifer Nicole Richardson, 31, Kansas City were transported to KU Medical Center.
The KHP reported they were not wearing helmets.
NICHOLAS CLAYTON, Associated Press
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas renewable energy groups say that proposed tax increases would threaten the young industry’s existence.
Two bills before the Kansas Legislature would remove tax incentives for renewable energy investments by shortening a lifetime property tax exemption for wind and solar farms and imposing a 4.33 percent excise tax on ethanol fuel and renewable electricity.
Ethanol producers say the tax could force plant closures and would have ripple effects in the agricultural sector.
But the state is facing a state budget shortfall of nearly $600 million in the fiscal year beginning July 1. Conservatives in the Legislature who have traditionally opposed tax increases now say that renewable energy is one sector they don’t mind turning to for revenue.
CLEVELAND (AP) – The Browns have signed free-agent wide receiver Dwayne Bowe , a legitimate down-the-field target to help their passing game.
Bowe spent the previous eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs . The 30-year-old’s 532 receptions are the second most in club history and he scored 44 touchdowns.
The Browns have been in need of a No. 1 wide receiver since former Pro Bowler Josh Gordon was suspended by the NFL for the 2015 season for drug violations.
Browns general manager Ray Farmer says Bowe is a player who “adds a big, tough and physical presence to our group.”
Bowe scored 15 touchdowns in 2010, but has had only 13 times in the past four seasons. He has had two 1,000-yard seasons and at least 57 catches in each of the past three seasons.
KANSAS CITY – A Kansas City, Kan., woman has been indicted on charges of preparing false federal income tax returns according to U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom.
Prayshana Washington, 27, Kansas City, Kan., was indicted Thursday in U.S. District Court in Kansas City, Kan., on 21 counts of aiding and assisting in the preparation of federal income tax returns containing false information.
The indictment cites tax returns filed for 15 individuals for tax years 2011 and 2012 containing false information on wages, dependents, and education credits and American Opportunity Credits that help pay college expenses. The Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Scott Rask and Matthew Kluge, Trial Attorney with the U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division, are prosecuting.
ALAN FRAM, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — An emerging bipartisan House deal changing how Medicare pays physicians would raise money in part by targeting Medicare providers who are tax scofflaws and by curbing reimbursements for hospitals and nursing homes.
It would also help Tennessee hospitals serving large numbers of poor patients and help makers of medical equipment bidding for business under Medicare.
Those were among new details in an outline of the tentative agreement released Friday.
Key parts of the pact were already known.
It would prevent a 21 percent cut in doctors’ Medicare reimbursements due April 1 and replace a 1997 law setting those payments with a new formula. It would provide money for children’s health and community health centers.
No cost figures were released. Aides said its total price tag would be roughly $210 billion.
MARY CLARE JALONICK, Associated Press
KEITH RIDLER, Associated Press
BOISE, Idaho (AP) — Potatoes that won’t bruise and apples that won’t brown are a step closer to grocery store aisles.
The Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the genetically engineered foods as safe, saying they are as nutritious as their conventional counterparts.
The approval covers six varieties of potatoes by Boise, Idaho-based J. R. Simplot Co. and two varieties of apples from the Canadian company Okanagan Specialty Fruits Inc.
Simplot’s potatoes go by the trade name “Innate,” while Okanagan’s apples are called “Arctic Apples.”
The agency’s review process is voluntary, and both companies asked for a review to ensure their products met safety standards.
Aware of potential resistance to its genetically modified potatoes, Simplot officials note that Innate potato traits come exclusively from domestic potato varieties.
Office of the State Fire Marshal
TOPEKA–Tana, one of OSFM’s two arson dogs, has once again been nominated for the Hero Dog Awards by the American Humane Association. Tana’s sharp senses and tedious training have contributed to putting several arsonists behind bars. This is the second year in a row Tana has been nominated. Voting is now open at http://www.herodogawards.org/hda2015vote-tana#voteform. During the first round, you can vote every day.
“Tana can go into the scene of an arson-caused fire and identify if any type of accelerant was used and the origination point,” said Rose Rozmiarek, Tana’s handler and OSFM Chief of Investigations.
Tana, a 5-1/2 year old yellow lab, is a certified Accelerant Detection Canine through the Maine State Police and works in the OSFM Investigation Division.
This amazing dog started her service work at a young age and has already been in service for 4 ½ years working multiple cases with convictions. Many of the suspects in her cases would plead out their case instead of going to trial knowing the evidence that Tana uncovered.
Tana was diagnosed with a potential debilitating injury in the fall of 2013 that could have ended her short career. She underwent surgery and was back to work within two months. Her desire and drive continues and still is assisting in arson convictions throughout the State of Kansas.
Besides working fire scenes, Tana also presents demonstrations as well as promotes fire safety to the citizens of Kansas. She worked with school age children during Fire Prevention Week and is now a regular at the Kansas State Fair Emergency Preparedness Day events.
Arson dogs have many different skills and train every day to sharpen those skills. Not only can they sniff out the exact location of accelerant at a fire scene, they can also pick out a suspect from a line-up. Often the arsonists will still have traces of the accelerant on their clothing.
Rozmiarek says Tana has helped put criminals in jail in several cases with the evidence she discovers at arson scenes. In the case of a Parsons, Kansas fire, a suspect tried to pass off a fatal house fire as an electrical accident but Tana detected accelerant in the house’s ceiling insulation. With that evidence presented at court, the arsonist was convicted.
Rozmiarek says if Tana can win the award, arson dogs will finally get the spotlight they deserve.
“To credit Tana for her skills and accomplishments at bringing arsonists to justice would just be awesome.”
Anyone can vote for Tana at www.herodogawards.org. The first round of voting opened March 9th and will end May 15th. The top three vote getters will go on to the second round to select the category winner and, finally, each category winner will move on to final selection for the overall Hero Dog.
There are multiple categories other than Arson Dog, and top finalists in each category will travel to Beverly Hills, Calif. to attend the American Humane Association Hero Dog Awards Gala.
Cash prizes will be given out to the winners, and they will choose what charity or benefit to donate it to.
“Tana should be a Hero dog because not only does she put arsonists in jail but also touches so many others as an ambassador to fire safety while overcoming medical obstacles,” said Rozmiarek.
WASHINGTON – On Thursday, U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) participated in a Finance Committee hearing designed to examine the broken promises and wasted tax dollars of Obamacare, five years after Democrats drafted the law behind closed doors and forced the flawed bill through Congress without a single Republican vote.
View Senator Roberts comments here
“Obamacare is bad for the economy, it’s bad for employers and employees, and it’s bad for the doctor-patient relationship,” Roberts said after the hearing. “I continue to be frustrated by the broken promises of this law and the constantly moving goal posts through which its supporters are claiming success.”
At the hearing Senator Roberts delivered the following statement:
“The broken promise of this law that I currently hear most about from my constituents is the impact on their premiums. The President told them this law would reduce premiums for the typical family by $2,500 a year.
“Jim from Overland Park, Kansas, tells me his 2015 premium went up 21%.
“William from Olathe’s monthly premium more than doubled if he wanted to keep his same plan. But as he says, ‘the devil was in the details as the deductible increased and virtually none of our doctors were in the new network.’
“And as April 15th approaches, the confusion and frustration with the law is bubbling up again as folks prepare their taxes.
“An independent contractor told me that due to an unexpected contract he received, his estimated income was off for last year. As a result, all of the premium tax credit he received over the course of the year is now taxable income. Instead of forgoing coverage and paying a $700 penalty, he now owes the IRS $6,700. He tells me he has since dropped his coverage.”
Roberts then questioned Dr. Doug Holtz-Eakin, President of the American Action Forum and former Congressional Budget Office Director, about the vast differences in the reported number of enrollees in Obamacare and if these new enrollees, regardless of the number, actually have access to timely and quality care.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A former employee of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas has been charged with embezzling $116,000.
The Wyandotte County prosecutor’s office announced Friday that 52-year-old Rose A. Hammes, of Kansas City, Kansas, is charged with three counts of felony theft. She is jailed in Wyandotte County on $50,000 bond. Her defense attorney, Jacquelyn Rokusek, didn’t immediately return a phone call from The Associated Press seeking comment.
The archdiocese said in written statement that Hammes served as the director of communications and pastoral planning from September 2010 until April 2014, when “financial irregularities” were discovered. The statement said the archdiocese hopes to recover the money through insurance. Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann urged prayer and patience.
Hammes previously worked for dioceses in La Crosse, Wisconsin, and Winona, Minnesota.
OTTAWA – A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 1 p.m. on Thursday in Franklin County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Kawasaki motorcycle driven by Sean Shehan, 31, Lawrence, was westbound at the intersection of Stafford Road and Kentucky Road five miles Northwest of Ottawa.
The motorcycle left the road on the south side while attempting to negotiate a turn.
It traveled through a ditch, became airborne and landed a few feet from where it left the ground causing the vehicle to come to a stop and eject the driver.
Shehan was transported to Ransom Memorial Hospital.
The KHP reported he was wearing a helmet.
