TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Department of Transportation is considering a safety improvement after two men were killed in a highway crash.
Spokeswoman Kim Qualls told the Topeka Capital-Journal on Wednesday that officials are considering installing a flashing beacon or an interchange at the intersection of N.W. 62nd and U.S. Route 75.
The Kansas Highway Patrol says 62-year-old driver Steven Galarneau and 64-year-old passenger David Hilleland were killed Tuesday when Galarneau ran a stop sign and struck a vehicle on the highway. The driver and the passenger in the other vehicle weren’t injured.
Four people have died at the intersection in the past 16 months.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas has ordered two years of probation for a fraternity that was the focus of a sexual assault investigation.
Kappa Sigma is barred from having alcohol in its chapter house and must turn over materials to investigators and offer sexual assault prevention training.
The Kansas City Star reports that the university imposed the sanctions Wednesday after an investigation into reports that women were sexually assaulted during some type of gathering at the Kappa Sigma house on Sept. 26 and 27. The investigation found that the fraternity had violated a student code, although the university didn’t offer specifics.
Vice public affairs chancellor Tim Caboni said “significant and substantial sanctions” were placed on the fraternity because of the “seriousness and disturbing nature” of what happened.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas officials say bedbugs have been found inside a state office building near the Statehouse targeted for demolition.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the pests were discovered on the third floor of the Docking State Office Building, west of the Capitol. The floor houses Department of Revenue offices.
Department spokeswoman Jeannine Koranda said it has brought in an exterminator.
She initially said the problem was confined to a small area with a handful of desks, but later said the exterminator will determine the extent of the problem.
The state is moving offices for the revenue agency and the Department for Children and Families to other buildings next year.
It plans to demolish the building because officials believe renovations of the 1950s-era high-rise would be too expensive.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The tempestuous 113th Congress has limped out of Washington for the last time, capping two years of modest and infrequent legislating that was overshadowed by partisan clashes.
How’s this for a legacy? Congressional data show that just over 200 bills became law during the past two years. That was the fewest since at least 1947 and 1948, when what President Harry Truman dubbed “the do-nothing Congress” enacted more than 900 laws.
This Congress did less than the do-nothing one.
Efforts to revamp the immigration system, tighten gun background checks and force work on the Keystone XL oil pipeline all foundered as the Republican-run House and Democratic-led Senate blocked each other’s priorities.
CHICAGO (AP) — A federal judge has rejected a proposed $75 million head injury settlement with the NCAA as too broad.
U.S. District Judge John Lee in Chicago issued a 21-page ruling Wednesday denying preliminary approval. He did say the deal could be altered to address his concerns, which include the scope of the proposal. At an October hearing, he raised similar concerns, saying, “The settlement, as it’s constituted, includes every athlete for all time.”
Under the settlement, NCAA would toughen return-to-play rules for players with concussions. It would also create a $70 million fund to test current and former athletes for brain trauma, and set aside $5 million for research.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Restaurant drinkers who don’t want to know how many calories are in their margarita or craft beer will have a way out: Avoid the menu and order at the bar.
New menu labeling rules from the Food and Drug Administration will require chain restaurants with 20 or more outlets to list calories in alcoholic drinks on menus by next November.
But the rules don’t apply to drinks ordered at the bar or any drinks that aren’t listed on the main menu. And unlike other beverages and foods, most bottles and cans don’t have to list full nutritional information.
After years of lobbying for more nutritional information on alcoholic beverages, public health advocates say the menu labeling rules are a first step.
TOPEKA, KAN. – A Kansas man was indicted Wednesday on one count of theft occurring on federal property. U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom announced in a media release today.
The indictment alleges that on July 4, 2013, Jason H. Carmichael, 41, Wichita, stole a construction trailer containing construction equipment belonging to Image Flooring Concepts Inc.
The theft took place on Fort Riley, which is a federal military installation.
If convicted, he faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command investigated. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Robin Graham is prosecuting.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Immigrant advocates have filed a lawsuit over concerns that federal immigration agents could use state driver’s license databases to track down people for deportation.
The National Immigration Law Center sued the Department of Homeland Security in federal court in on Wednesday demanding records detailing how federal immigration agents access and use driver’s license data.
The lawsuit comes after immigrant advocates in Maryland received reports that immigration agents arrested several people with prior deportation orders after apparently identifying them with help from driver’s license and vehicle information.
It also comes two weeks before California starts issuing driver’s licenses to immigrants living in the country illegally.
A message was left for the Department of Homeland Security seeking comment.
ST. JOSEPH – Anthony Douglas Armstrong, 7 months, died Saturday, December 13, 2014 at his home.
Survivors: mother, Macayla Jo Armstrong, of the home; sister, Alycia Marie Armstrong, of the home; maternal grandparents, Terry and Tracy Armstrong, Wathena, Kan.; uncles, Tyler and Dameyn Armstrong, St. Joseph; aunt, Samantha Thomas, St. Joseph; great-uncle, Richard Bialek, North Platte, Neb.; great-aunt, Iva May Ransom, Council Bluffs, Iowa; cousin, Alexis Ransom, Council Bluffs; and many extended family and friends.
Healing Farewell: 1 p.m., Friday, Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory. Interment Memorial Park Cemetery. The family requests donations to be made to Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory. Online guest book and obituary at www.meierhoffer.com.
ST. JOSEPH – Grace Nicole-Miracle Sprague-Nolan, 20-day old newborn infant, passed away Wednesday, December 17, 2014 in a Kansas City, Mo., hospital. She was born November 27, 2014 in Kansas City, daughter of Julie Nicole Sprague and Ryan Nolan.
Grace was preceded in death by maternal great-great-grandfather, Phillip Cline; maternal great-great-grandfather, Jerry Hart; maternal great-grandfather, David Sprague Sr.; paternal grandfather, Jeff Kurtz; cousin, Jaspen Nolan; aunt, Julie Nicole Hart.
Survivors include mother, Julie Nicole Sprague, of St. Joseph; father, Ryan Nolan of Ky.; maternal grandmother, Shandi Hart; maternal great-grandmother, Kelly Cline; maternal great-grandfather, Mark Hart; maternal great-great-grandmother, Mary Margaret Cline; maternal great-great-grandmother, Betty Hart; maternal grandfather, David Sprague Jr.- maternal great-grandmother, Karen Sprague-Coil; paternal grandmother, Tracy Kurtz; four uncles, Isiah Sprague, Matthew Sprague, Dallas Sprague, and Aaron Kurtz; two aunts, Rachael Kurtz, and Araul-Chier Hart.
Graveside funeral services and interment will be conducted on Friday, December 19, at 11 a.m., at Mount Olivet Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6 to 8 p.m., on Thursday at Rupp Funeral Home. Online condolence and obituary at www.ruppfuneral.com
The Kansas City Chiefs have announced that LB Tamba Hali is the team’s nominee for the prestigious Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide. Hali is joined by candidates from each NFL team in consideration for this illustrious accolade.
The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, named for the legendary Chicago Bears running back, is unique among league honors as it represents the only league award that recognizes a player’s off-the-field community service as well as his playing excellence.
While the accolade has been bestowed annually since 1970, no franchise has garnered more honorees than the Chiefs. Former Kansas City players who have taken home the Gladiator statue include LB Willie Lanier, QB Len Dawson (1973), LB Derrick Thomas (1993), G Will Shields (2003) and G Brian Waters (2009).
A selection panel, comprised of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell; former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue; Connie Payton, widow of Walter Payton; Pro Football Hall of Fame members Frank Gifford and Anthony Munoz; 2013 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award winner Charles Tillman; and Sports Illustrated writer Peter King will announce three finalists this month. The winner will be announced at the fourth annual NFL Honors show in Phoenix, Ariz., the site of Super Bowl XLIX.
The 2014 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award winner will receive a $25,000 donation from both the NFL Foundation and Nationwide in his name to a charity of his choice. The other two finalists will receive a $5,000 donation in their names, while the other 29 nominees will receive a $1,000 donation to their selected charities.
“We are very proud to have Tamba represent the Chiefs Kingdom as this year’s nominee for the NFL Walter Payton Man of the Year Award,” Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt said. “As a player, with his teammates and in the communities he serves, Tamba demonstrates tremendous heart. He does not seek personal recognition for his tireless hard work. He prefers action over words. So, we are delighted to see him nominated for one of the most prestigious honors in our game.”
Fueled by pure passion, Chiefs LB Tamba Hali’s never-quit motor has served him well on the football field. In the years since being selected 20th overall in the 2006 NFL Draft, he has fine-tuned his game, transforming himself into one of the league’s most feared pass rushers. His 79.5 career sacks rank third in team annals behind only franchise stalwarts LB Derrick Thomas and DE Neil Smith. He joins Thomas, Smith and LB Justin Houston as the only players in franchise history to have at least three seasons with double-digit sack totals (2010, 2011, 2013). Additionally, this game changer has forced 31 fumbles as a professional, a figure only Thomas has eclipsed in a Kansas City uniform. He registered a conference-leading 14.5 sacks in 2010 and went on to capture three consecutive Pro Bowl berths following the 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons.
Off of the field, Hali is just as unyielding when it comes to assisting others. That mindset was instilled during his childhood. Hali’s homeland of Liberia trudged through a bloody civil war for most of his adolescence. So, at the age of 10 he left Africa to live with his father, Henry, who had earlier fled to America. Yet, the shy Hali never forgot his roots. This October, he joined with Heart to Heart International, a global humanitarian aid organization, to announce the construction of a 70-bed Ebola treatment unit in Africa for those stricken by the disease. Hali personally donated $50,000, which financed more than half of the project. He’s also using his star status to spread the word about this dire need.
This clinic is just the latest in Hali’s continued support of his economically depressed birthplace. He has partnered with his mother, Rachel, on multiple occasions to get vital supplies, clothing and other necessities distributed in West Africa. Such relief efforts have become common for Hali to finance as he knows the desolate poverty many hailing from this war-torn region have endured.
Hali’s giving nature isn’t confined to international aid. His well-rounded approach has also seen him become a go-to member of the local community. He has teamed with Kansas City’s Bishop Sullivan Center to purchase and serve meals, focusing on sustainable food made with healthy ingredients. He also frequently assists families tied to this support agency, such as donating a dining table so a family can eat together or new clothes so another can look the part at a job interview. Hali has also given back to his alma mater, Teaneck High School, in Teaneck, N.J., donating shoes for the entire football program, financing the school’s freshman football team with a $15,000 gift and donating $40,000 to finish off its Athletic Hall of Fame.
“I’m honored to be nominated for such a prestigious award,” Hali said. “The Kansas City community means a lot to me. Our fan base has given me and my family a tremendous amount of support over the years, and I’m going to give back as much as I can. I’m thankful to even be considered among the other five Chiefs greats that have won this award.”
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Department of Transportation is considering a safety improvement after two men were killed in a highway crash.
