The Missouri Department of Conservation reports that angler John Burke of Crestwood set the first fishing record for 2015 with a 1-lb. 14-oz. gizzard shad measuring 17 inches caught by pole and line on Feb. 1 from Jefferson Lake in St. Louis. The previous pole-and-line record for gizzard shad was 1 lb. 6 oz. set in 2001.
For more on state-record fish, click here.
JIM SUHR, Associated Press
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Police say they’ve cited a Kansas State student for disorderly conduct after he body-checked a Kansas player during an on-court celebration following the Wildcats’ upset victory Monday over the visiting Jayhawks.
Kansas State police on Wednesday identified Nathan Power as the Wildcats fan who collided with Kansas forward Jamari Traylor after Kansas State’s 70-63 victory over eighth-ranked Kansas.
University police say a cooperative Power met voluntarily with them Tuesday, after police sought public help in identifying a photograph showing the student who made contact with Traylor.
Power didn’t immediately respond Wednesday to an Associated Press interview request sent to his student account. A message left at his Kansas City-area home wasn’t immediately returned.
A student identifying himself as Nathan Power also apologized in a letter Wednesday to the university newspaper.
OSAWATOMIE, Kan. (AP) — Federal authorities are no longer threatening to end Medicare and Medicaid funding for the Osawatomie State Hospital after work began on $3 million worth safety improvements.
The Kansas City Star reports that the Department of Health and Human Services told the psychiatric facility Monday that it had made sufficient progress and payments that amount to about one-fourth of the hospital’s $26 million annual budget would continue.
Osawatomie was threatened with the loss of funding after the department inspected the facility in January and found that it was not in compliance with several safety standards to prevent patient injuries and suicides.
The hospital has been replacing beds, installing new bathroom fixtures and replacing suspended ceilings. They have also been eliminating items that could be used for hanging or as a weapon.
By Austin Fisher
KU Statehouse Wire Service
TOPEKA — House lawmakers heard testimony Tuesday on a bill that would check whether gamblers who hit the jackpot at state-run gambling facilities have overdue child support payments before they walk away with their winnings.
House Bill 2269 would expand the state’s debt setoff program that currently withholds outstanding child support just from scratch ticket winnings of $600 or more. The bill adds state-owned or managed casinos, racetracks, and other licensed establishments as places where winnings can withheld in an effort to increase collections.
The Department of Administration maintains a list of people with debt to state agencies, foreign state agencies, municipalities or the federal treasury, like those who owe back taxes or child support. Scratch ticket retailers can check players’ names against the list to see whether they have debts.
Under the new law if an indebted gambler wins at least $1,200 from a slot machine or bingo, $1,500 from keno, or $5,000 from a poker tournament, the casino would subtract the debt and credit it to the department’s setoff clearing fund.
Rep. Pete DeGraaf (R-Mulvane) told the House Children and Seniors committee that the bill will help children from broken homes.
“We owe it to Kansas children to collect whatever we can before the winnings are lost in further attempts to win more, or squandered somewhere else,” DeGraaf said. “This bill supports the principle of paying debts before gambling away the funds needed to pay for past responsibilities.”
Melissa Johnson, deputy director of Child Support Services, supported the bill and estimated that families would receive an additional $157,300 in child support each year. That figure is based on a similar program in Colorado that deducted $1,430 per collection on average in 2009.
The Department of Administration estimates updating computer systems to implement the bill would cost less than $10,000. It is looking into how much of the debt setoff currently comes from lottery collections.
Representatives for the Kansas Department for Children and Families couldn’t say for sure how many non-custodial parents — those who aren’t paying their child support — are gamblers.
Richard Klemp, director of governmental affairs for the Kansas Star Casino and Boyd Gaming Corporation, also supported the bill.
“We’re not necessarily doing a happy dance if it becomes law but we’re already doing a number of procedures when a jackpot is hit,” Klemp said.
Casinos take a photo of winner, check their identification and whether they’re in a voluntary exclusion program for problem gamblers, deduct state income tax and, if the winner wants, federal income tax.
“This would not slow the process down. And we do this (deduct state debt) in some other states so this is not a brand new concept. In fact it’s pretty seamless,” Klemp said.
The bill excludes Native American tribal gaming facilities that operate under sovereign law separate from Kansas.
Austin Fisher is a University of Kansas senior from Lawrence majoring in journalism.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Senate is expected to approve a bill that would allow people to carry concealed guns without requiring them to get a state permit or take training classes.
Senators were debating the measure Wednesday and expected to take a final vote Thursday. The measure is sponsored by 26 of the chamber’s 40 members, led by Majority Leader Terry Bruce.
A state concealed carry permit costs $132.50, and a person must undergo eight hours of training to get one.
Gun-rights groups note Kansas has long allowed the open carrying of weapons without a state permit. The bill’s critics say training should be mandated for people carrying concealed weapons.
The National Rifle Association says Alaska, Arizona, Vermont and Wyoming don’t require permits to carry concealed anywhere in the state.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A bill that would heavily restrict sexually oriented businesses did not advance as Kansas lawmakers face key deadlines.
The Senate Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee debated the bill Wednesday. It was the last day the panel could meet before the Legislature’s annual “turnaround” deadline. With a 3-3 tie in voting on the measure, it will not advance.
Most bills must clear their original chamber by Friday or be discarded for the year.
The Senate Ethics and Elections Committee also deferred action on a bill that would suspend the state’s next presidential primary elections.
Lawmakers have canceled every one since 1992 because of the cost. Republicans and Democrats have held caucuses instead.
Senate President Sen. Susan Wagle, a Republican from Wichita, says Kansas should try to form a regional primary.
TOPEKA – A Kansas teenager was injured in an accident just after 8 a.m. on Wednesday in Shawnee County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Volvo semi driven by Joseph Kanaha Palaile, 53, Nashport, OH., was making a U-turn on U.S. 24 at NW Huxman Road.
A 1995 Ford F150 driven by Jordan Alexis Sharpe, 16, Topeka, struck the trailer of the semi and came to rest in the westbound lanes of the highway.
Sharpe was transported to Stormont Vail.
Palaile was not injured.
The KHP reported both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident.
KIMBERLY HEFLING, AP Education Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — No Child Left Behind is a widely criticized law, but a GOP bill the House is considering to fix it isn’t winning popularity contests among Democrats.
House Republicans say the measure, which will be debated Wednesday, would restore local control in schools and stop top-down education mandates.
House Democrats and the White House say it would lead to the federal government abandoning its responsibility to poor, minority, non-English-speaking and disabled children.
The bill maintains annual federal testing requirements. It eliminates many federal programs, creates a single local grant program and allows public money to follow low-income children to new public schools.
A vote is expected on Friday, and it’s possible that members will vote strictly along party lines. That’s what happened with a similar bill in 2013.
The remains of a Kansas man who served in World War Two are on the way back stateside and his family for burial with full military honors.
The remains of Staff Sergeant John Copeland of Dearing Kansas was among eight that were accounted for by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency.
Here’s the complete list:
Army Air Forces 1st Lt. William D. Bernier of Augusta, Montana
Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Bryant E. Poulsen of Salt Lake City, Utah
Army Air Forces 1st Lt. Herbert V. Young Jr. of Clarkdale, Arizona
Tech Sgt. Charles L. Johnston of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Tech Sgt. Hugh F. Moore of Elkton, Maryland
Staff Sgt. John E. Copeland of Dearing, Kansas
Staff Sgt. Charles J. Jones of Athens, Georgia
Sgt. Charles A. Gardner of San Francisco, California, have been accounted for and buried with full military honors.
Jones will be buried Feb. 28 in Athens, Georgia and Johnston will be buried March 2 in Arlington National Cemetery. On March 18, there will be a group burial service at Arlington National Cemetery honoring Poulsen, Copeland and the other crew members.
Bernier was buried Sept. 19, 2014, in his hometown. Young was buried Oct. 15, 2014, in Prescott, Arizona Moore was buried on Nov. 11, 2014, in his hometown. Gardner was buried on Dec. 4, 2014 in Arlington National Cemetery.
On April 10, 1944, 12 B-24D Liberator crew members took off from Texter Strip, Nazdab Air Field, New Guinea, on a mission to attack an anti-aircraft site at Hansa Bay. The aircraft was shot down by enemy anti-aircraft fire over the Madang Province, New Guinea. Four of the crewmen were able to parachute from the aircraft, but were reported to have died in captivity.
Following World War II, the Army Graves Registration Service (AGRS) conducted investigations and recovered the remains of three of the missing airmen. In May 1949, AGRS concluded the remaining nine crew members were unrecoverable.
In 2001, a U.S.-led team located wreckage of a B-24D that bore the tail number of this aircraft. After several surveys, DoD teams excavated the site and recovered human remains and non-biological material evidence.
To identify Jones’ remains, scientists from DPAA and the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory (AFDIL) used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, including, mitochondrial DNA, which matched Jones’ maternal niece.
To identify Johnston’s remains, scientists from DPAA and AFDIL used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, including, mitochondrial DNA, which matched Johnston’s maternal cousins.
To identify Gardner’s remains, scientists from DPAA and AFDIL used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, including, mitochondrial DNA, which matched Gardner’s maternal niece and nephew.
To identify Young’s remains, scientists from DPAA and AFDIL used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, including, mitochondrial DNA, which matched Young’s sister.
To identify Moore’s remains, scientists from DPAA and AFDIL used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, including, mitochondrial DNA, which matched Moore’s niece and grand-niece.
To identify Bernier’s remains, scientists from DPAA and AFDIL used circumstantial evidence and forensic identification tools, including, mitochondrial DNA, which matched Bernier’s cousins.
To account for Poulsen and Copeland, scientists from DPAA used circumstantial evidence that placed them on the aircraft and accounted for as them as part of the group.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas House committee has recommended cutting all funding for the Parents as Teachers program, which would end the program.
The House Social Services Budget Committee on Tuesday recommended cutting $7.2 million for the program, which has staff member visit homes to help parents prepare students for school and connect to community resources. The organization is scheduled to celebrate its 25th anniversary next week.
The Hutchinson News reports Rep. Peggy Mast of Emporia proposed the action as part of the state’s response to a multimillion dollar budget shortfall.
Nancy Keel, director of the Kansas Parents as Teachers, says she was caught off guard by the proposal. But she notes lawmakers have tried to end the program in the past and funding was always restored.
