KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Investigators are trying to identify a man found dead in a northeast Kansas lake.
KCTV reports police in Kansas City, Kansas, were called to Big Eleven Lake shortly after 10 a.m. Monday on a report of a body in the water.
Wyandotte County Sheriff’s Lt. Kelli Bailiff says the man’s age and race were not immediately determined. It’s also unclear how the man died and how long he had been in the lake.
GREAT BEND, Kan- Deputies on routine patrol at approximately 4:40 a.m. on Sunday observed a vehicle in various locations in Barton County.
According to a released from the Barton County Sherif, the officers contacted the driver of the vehicle, when it pulled into a rural business near the city of Ellinwood.
The driver gave false information as to her identity but was ultimately identified as Leticia Chacon, age 24,of Dodge City, Kansas.
According to Ford County, Chacon is wanted in questioning for burglaries in Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas. The suspect was found to be in possession of several IDs and other property.
Chacon was booked in the Barton County Jail for the felony theft warrant with a bond of $30,000. She was also charged with obstruction of official duty by the deputies, that bond is $5000.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Federal authorities have filed securities fraud charges against Kansas accusing the state of misleading investors about the financial health of its underfunded public employee pension system.
The Securities and Exchange Commission said Monday that the state has consented to its cease-and-desist order to settle the case. The state has since adopted policies and procedures to help ensure disclosures about pension liabilities are made in its bond offerings.
No monetary sanctions were imposed.
The SEC says Kansas has implemented remedial actions and agreed to settle the charges for its prior incomplete disclosure.
Governor Sam Brownback says in a statement that since taking office he has made restoring the health of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System a priority. He says Kansas has made significant strides.
OTTAWA, Kan. (AP) — Franklin County authorities say a 54-year-old Wichita man died in skydiving accident.
The sheriff’s office says the body of Brad Giffin was discovered Saturday evening in a field about a mile where he was supposed to land outside of Ottawa.
Giffin was an experienced skydiver who had more than 500 jumps.
Firefighters from Lincoln-Ottawa-Harrison Fire Department and representatives from a skydiving company began searching for Giffin when he didn’t land in the designated drop zone.
The Federal Aviation Administration is helping with the investigation.
JIM SUHR, Associated Press
FERGUSON, Mo. (AP) — Police say the FBI is taking over the investigation of a suburban St. Louis police officer who fatally shot an unarmed teenager.
Ferguson Police Chief Tom Jackson tells The Associated Press that he was informed Monday that the FBI was going to take over the investigation into the death of 18-year-old Michael Brown. Jackson says he welcomes the move.
Police say the teen was shot multiple times Saturday in a scuffle with an officer.
Tensions erupted in Ferguson after a candlelight vigil Sunday night. Crowds looted and burned stores, vandalized vehicles and taunted officers who tried to block access to parts of the city. Nearly three dozen people were arrested, though the area was relatively quiet early Monday.
The FBI in St. Louis didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.
JOSH BOAK, AP Economics Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators are warning consumers about the risks of using virtual currencies such as Bitcoin.
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says it will begin fielding complaints from people who rely on products such as Bitcoin and online exchanges for such currencies.
In issuing an advisory warning, the agency notes that the currencies are not backed by the government, have volatile exchanges rates and are targeted by hackers and scammers. And unlike bank accounts, Bitcoin-based deposits are not federally insured.
CFPB Director Richard Cordray says in a statement that “consumers are stepping into the Wild West.” Still, Cordray acknowledges that virtual currencies can facilitate online transactions by making it easier to process payments.
The Securities and Exchange Commission previously issued an investor alert about virtual currencies.
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Prosecutors and victims’ advocates are hailing a Missouri Supreme Court ruling as a positive step for prosecuting sex crimes.
The ruling, which received little public attention when it was issued July 29, struck down a rule that allowed appellate judges to set aside convictions on sex crimes if they thought the victim’s testimony wasn’t credible.
The state Supreme Court said the rule required appellate judges to make determinations they were not equipped to make.
The Columbia Daily Tribune reports prosecutors and advocates say the ruling removes an obstacle that often factored into decisions on whether to file charges in sex abuse cases.
Boone County prosecutor Dan Knight says the ruling could prompt prosecutors to consider whether old cases could have a chance of success at new trials.
JOHN HANNA, AP Political Writer
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The largest teachers’ union in Kansas has filed a lawsuit against a new state law that ended guaranteed tenure for public school teachers.
The Kansas National Education Association argued Monday that the law violated the state constitution for the anti-tenure policy to be added to a larger education funding measure.
The lawsuit filed in Shawnee County District Court alleges the Republican-dominated Legislature violated a provision of the state constitution requiring most bills to contain only one subject.
However, the 23,000-member union is asking a judge block only the anti-tenure provision.
The measure approved by legislators in April boosted state aid to poor school districts by $129 million for the new school year. Conservative GOP legislators insisted on tying the new funding to other policy provisions, including the one on tenure
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A new study says small, private colleges might not be well known but they are having a big impact on the state’s economy.
The study, commissioned by the Kansas Independent College Association, says the 18 colleges contribute more than $980 million a year to Kansas’ economy.
Matt Lindsey, president of the association, says the study was commissioned in part to raise the profile of the colleges, which generally aren’t well known except by their graduates.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports colleges included in the study are Baker University, Friends University, Benedictine College, Bethel College, Central Christian College, Donnelly College, Hesston College, Kansas Wesleyan, Manhattan Christian College, McPherson College, MidAmerica Nazarene University, Newman University, Ottawa University, Southwestern College, Sterling College, Tabor College and University of St. Mary.
MONTGOMERY COUNTY- One teen died and another was injured just after 3 a.m. on Sunday in Montgomery County.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Chevy Silverado driven by Dakota E. Skeens, 19, Montgomery City, was traveling on Route B just west of
Mexico Road when he struck two pedestrians who were lying in the roadway.
James D. Lawrence, 19, New Florence, was pronounced dead at the scene. Nicholas F. Sachs, 19, High Hill, was transported to University Hospital. The accident is still under investigation.
