By Mike Sherry
Hale Center for Journalism

ROELAND PARK — A Roeland Park-based substance abuse center announced Monday that its founder and chief executive officer will step down at the end of the year.
The nonprofit Heartland Regional Alcohol and Drug Assessment Center (RADAC) said Dalyn Schmitt would hand the reins to Jason Hess, who has been with the organization since 2001 and currently serves as executive director.

According to a news release, Schmitt founded Heartland RADAC in 1998.

The organization provides assessment and referral services, as well as care coordination and case management, for 76 Kansas counties, according to the release.

The organization also has been a key partner in the recent conversion and reopening of the Rainbow Mental Health Center, in Kansas City, Kan., as a crisis stabilization facility.

“I have been contemplating the right time to ‘pass the baton’ for some time,” Schmitt said in the release, “and my decision was ultimately determined by the strong state of the organization right now and my absolute confidence in Jason’s leadership and the strength of the management team he leads.”

The release said Schmitt planned to continue in her role as president of Heartland Consultation Inc., where she supervises independent contractors involved in crisis intervention.

Mike Sherry is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.

United States Attorney’s office

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Tammy Dickinson, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Liberal, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for receiving child pornography over the Internet.

Matthew W. Splitter, 25, of Liberal, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to seven years in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Splitter to pay $2,000 in restitution to one of the victims portrayed in the child pornography images.

On March 11, 2014, Splitter pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography over the Internet.

According to court documents, an officer with the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force identified Splitter’s computer as distributing and receiving child pornography over the Internet through a peer-to-peer file-sharing program. A search warrant was executed at Splitter’s residence on Oct. 5, 2011, and his computer was seized. A forensic examination of the computer revealed 62 videos of child pornography and 493 images of child pornography. The images involved a child as young as 1 to 2 years of age. Court documents describe a large number of “hideous and violent” images that involve young children being raped by adults, bondage and animals.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Gary Milligan. It was investigated by Southwest Missouri Cyber Crimes Task Force, the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Joplin, Mo., Police Department.

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Democratic challenger Paul Davis says a group of dissident Republicans backing him in the Kansas governor’s race has grown to more than 500 members.

Davis said at an Overland Park community center Tuesday that Republicans for Kansas Values added more than 300 educators, superintendents and local school board members. He also said more former GOP elected officials have joined the group.

Davis received national attention in July when his campaign announced the group’s founding with more than 100 mostly former GOP elected officials.

His race with Gov. Sam Brownback is now a tossup.

Kansas Republican Party Executive Director Clay Barker dismissed Tuesday’s announcement as insignificant and the re-airing of old Davis campaign themes.

Brownback had two campaign events with former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina on Tuesday.

MISSOURI – Nearly 50 Missouri colleges and universities this week had the opportunity to give direct feedback to U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill during her statewide “Claire on Campus” tour, aimed at curbing sexual assaults on campuses.

McCaskill used events on ten campuses across the state to talk directly with students, educators, victims’ advocates, and law enforcement on ways to combat sexual violence on campuses—and to get direct feedback on her bipartisan legislation to protect and empower students, and strengthen accountability and transparency for institutions.

“Getting at the problem of sexual assaults is complicated, and requires folks on all sides to be fully engaged,” said McCaskill, a former sex crimes prosecutor. “So having these discussions where stakeholders were in the same room and talking to each other was immensely helpful—especially for me. The interaction was eye-opening for everyone, and I gained some valuable feedback that I’ll take back to the Senate as we refine our legislation.”

McCaskill gathered feedback on issues including best practices on campuses, financial penalties against schools, cooperative agreements between colleges and local law enforcement, and the challenge of ensuring students are aware of their options.

Colleges and universities represented at McCaskill’s events this week included: University of Central Missouri; State Fair Community College; Missouri Valley College; Avila University; Park University; University of Missouri—Kansas City; Metropolitan Community College; Missouri State University; Drury University; Webster University; Cox College; Crowder College; Evangel University; Cottey College; Southwest Baptist University; Missouri Southern State University; Ozarks Technical College; Northwest Missouri State University; North Central Community College; Missouri Western State University; William Jewell College; Truman State University; A.T. Still University; Culver-Stockton College; Moberly Area Community College; University of Missouri – Columbia; Central Methodist University; Columbia College; Lincoln University; Stephens College; Westminster College; William Woods University; Missouri University of Science and Technology; State Technical College of Missouri; Southeast Missouri State University; Three Rivers Community College; Mineral Area Higher Education Center; Harris Stowe State University; St. Louis University; Washington University in St. Louis; University of Missouri—St. Louis; St. Charles Community College; Lindenwood University; Fontbonne University; Jefferson College; Missouri Baptist University; Maryville University; East Central Community College; and St. Louis Community College

In July, McCaskill and a bipartisan group of Senators introduced the Campus Accountability & Safety Act, to take aim at sexual assaults on college and university campuses by protecting and empowering students, and strengthening accountability and transparency for institutions—including establishing stiff penalties for non-compliance with the legislation’s new standards for training, data and best practices.

Earlier this year, McCaskill announced the results of her unprecedented nationwide survey of how sexual assaults are handled on college campuses, which demonstrated a disturbing failure by many institutions to comply with the law and with best practices in how they handle sexual violence against students. The survey found that more than 40 percent of schools have not conducted a single investigation in five years, 21 percent of schools provide no training to faculty and staff, and 31 percent provide no training for students. The 440 institutions represented in the survey are currently educating more than five million students across the country.

By Mike Sherry
Hale Center for Journalism

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Kansas City of the future would be a place where people have affordable medical care, policymakers work with the community on health issues and residents suffer less from chronic disease and violence.
That, at any rate, is the consensus that emerged Saturday at a forum in Kansas City, Mo.And it was just the start of what participants said a vigorous metropolitan area should look like in the next decade.

They spoke of a place free of mental health stigma, less prone to tobacco use and substance abuse, wired for electronic medical records, stocked with nutritious food options and home to healthy youngsters and well-cared-for seniors.

The forum, at the Sheraton Kansas City Hotel at Crown Center, drew roughly 300 participants from both sides of the state line. About a third were African American and more than a quarter said their annual household income was less than $15,000.

The forum sponsors, the Health Care Foundation of Greater Kansas City and the United Way of Greater Kansas City, focused on residents who are uninsured or underserved by the current health care system.

The attendees agreed on a number of strategies to achieve their goals, including:

• Publicizing votes to hold public officials accountable for their views.

• Increasing taxes on tobacco and alcohol to fund prevention and treatment efforts.

• Training parents on how to talk with their kids about sex, pregnancy and mental health.

• Providing financial support, including tax breaks, to allow seniors to remain in their homes.

Organizers said they plan to compile the recommendations into a report they hope to share with legislators and hospital administrators.

Zoie Reynolds, 15, a sophomore at Grandview High School, said she was able to enlighten her tablemates about the stresses experienced by teenagers and the difficulties of getting a healthy school lunch.

Reynolds said she left with a commitment to improve the health of the community, including a vow to inspire her generation and to “speak when I feel passionate and not be voiceless.”

Mike Sherry is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.

Public Policy Polling’s newest Kansas poll finds the races for both the Senate and Governor tightening, as Republican voters start to unify more around their party’s candidates.

In the Senate race Greg Orman leads Pat Roberts 44-41, with Libertarian Randall Batson at 5%. In a head to head match up without Batson, Orman has a 46/43 advantage. A month ago he led Roberts 46/36- Orman has held onto his support since then, but the incumbent is on the rise. Roberts’ gains have come pretty much exclusively with Republicans- he’s gone from leading by 26 points with them at 57/31 in September to now a 37 point advantage at 62/25. Roberts remains unpopular- only 37% of voters approve of the job he’s doing to 47% who disapprove. But Orman’s negatives are rising as the campaign progresses too- his net favorability of +4 at 42/38 is down 16 points from last month when it was +20 at 39/19.

There’s still one big data point in Kansas pointing to the possibility of Roberts ultimately coming back to win this race. By a 52/35 margin, voters in the state would rather Republicans had control of the Senate than Democrats. And among those who are undecided there’s a 48/25 preference for a GOP controlled Senate. If voters make up their minds based on the national picture in the closing stretch it could mean voting for Roberts even if they don’t really care for him personally.

The Governor’s race is getting close as well. Sam Brownback and Paul Davis are each at 42% to 6% for Libertarian Keen Umbehr. Umbehr is the unusual Libertarian who’s actually helping the Republican in the race by splitting the anti-Brownback vote. If you take him out of the picture, Davis leads 45/44. Brownback continues to be very unpopular, with only 38% of voters approving of him to 54% who disapprove. But he’s succeeded in driving Davis’ negatives up over the last month- in September Davis had a +12 net favorability rating at 38/26 but now he’s break even at 39%. That’s helping to drive some Republicans back into the Brownback camp- he leads 64/24 among voters in his own party, compared to 60/25 a month ago. That’s enough to erase what had been a 4 point Davis lead.

Republicans lead in all the down ballot races in Kansas. Secretary of State Kris Kobach has the closest race but still leads challenger Jean Schodorf 47/41. GOP candidates lead by double digits in the rest of the contests- it’s a 16 point advantage for Ken Selzer in the Insurance Commissioner race at 48/32, a 20 point lead for Ron Estes in the Treasurer contest at 50/30, and a 26 point edge for Derek Schmidt in the Attorney General race at 53/27.

 

SALINA, Kan. (AP) — A pilot degree program offered through Kansas State University Salina will expand to the Kansas City area.

The university announced Monday that the expanded program will start next year.

Students will be able to take flight training from Air Associates in Olathe, general-education classes from Johnson County Community College, and other classes online from Kansas State Salina. The students will graduate with a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical technology-professional pilot.

New federal regulations require co-pilots to have at least 1,500 hours of flight experience, an increase from the previous 250-hour requirement. But co-pilots with a four-year degree need only 1,000 hours.

An informational meeting will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at Air Associates in Olathe.