TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A 72-year-old Topeka woman has been identified as the victim of a fatal mobile home fire earlier this week.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the Shawnee County coroner’s office determined Marjorie Shaffer died of smoke inhalation in the Wednesday morning blaze.

Firefighters were called at 7:41 a.m. to the residence near the south end of the mobile home park and found heavy smoke and flames coming from the home. They pulled Shaffer out of the residence but efforts to revive her failed and she was pronounced dead at the scene.

A neighbor said he saw Shaffer lying on a hallway floor but was unable to get to her because of the heat and smoke.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

LAWRENCE- A Kansas semi driver was injured in an accident just after 10 a.m. on Saturday in Douglas County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2010 Kenworth semi-truck pulling a trailer and driven by Gabriel T. Bukovatz, 36, Waverly, was eastbound on Highway 40 eight miles west of Lawrence.

The truck avoided a bicycle rider causing the vehicle to leave the roadway, overturn and strike a tree.

Bukovatz was transported to Lawrence Memorial Hospital. The KHP reported he was properly restrained at the time of the accident.

The KHP did not mention the condition of the bicycle rider.

ST. LOUIS (AP) – Missouri conservation officials say the death of an eastern Missouri man this week is only the state’s third recorded fatality from a copperhead snake bite.

Timothy Levins died Tuesday evening after being bitten at Sam A. Baker State Park by a copperhead he had picked up after pointing it out to his son at a cabin.

Dan Zarlenga of the Missouri Department of Conservation told The St. Louis Post-Dispatch copperhead bites usually aren’t fatal because the venom isn’t as strong as that of other snakes.

He says nearly 100 people are bitten by snakes each year in Missouri, and about 25 percent of those are non-venomous.

Zarlenga says most bite victims are men in their 20s who were bitten while trying to pick up or kill the snake.

By Scott C. Brunner, M.A.
Health Policy
Cheng-Chung Huang, M.P.H.
Public Health

TOPEKA — The Kansas Health Institute has released its Annual Insurance Update, providing an in-depth look at insurance coverage in the Sunflower State. The report examines public and private insurance coverage using data from the 2012 U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS). This information may be used to better understand how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and other federal health policy changes could affect decision-making in Kansas.

Uninsured Kansans

About 359,000 Kansans – or 12.6 percent of the population – were uninsured in 2012, similar to the rate in 2011, but significantly lower than the national rate of 14.8 percent. Of this number, approximately 56,000 are children. However, the rate of uninsured children in Kansas has been declining since 2008, from 9.3 percent to 7.3 percent in 2012.

70.8 percent of all uninsured Kansans are between the ages of 19 and 44. Two-thirds have family incomes above the federal poverty level ($23,050 annually for a family of four in 2012).
Although employment improves a person’s chance of being insured, more than three out of four uninsured Kansas adults are working.
The ACA’s health insurance marketplaces provide tax subsidies for those who qualify (incomes between 100 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level) to help cover the cost of plan premiums. Sixty-one percent of Kansans who are uninsured could be eligible for this financial assistance when purchasing coverage.

Kansans with Insurance

More than half – 52.2 percent – of all Kansans are covered through employment-based health insurance and 29.4 percent have public coverage, such as Medicare or Medicaid.

Over half (51.5 percent) of Kansas children are covered through their parents’ employment-based health insurance plan, and 35 percent receive public insurance.

Essentially all Kansans over the age of 65 have public insurance, primarily Medicare or a combination of Medicare and Medicaid.
Consistent with national trends, the rate of uninsurance for 19-25 year-olds has declined significantly since 2009 (26.8 percent to 22.3 percent), likely a result of the provision of the ACA which allows dependents to stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26.
“This analysis helps us inform policymakers about the important trends in insurance coverage, especially with the implementation of federal health reform,” said Scott Brunner, senior analyst and strategy team leader. “The Annual Insurance Update provides context and historical information about health insurance coverage as Kansans try to understand the potential impacts of the ACA.” Brunner is a former Medicaid director for the state.

The report also provides information related to insurance coverage by race and ethnicity, as well as maps that depict differences in coverage and Medicaid participation across the state. Finally, the report examines how insurance coverage in Kansas has changed since the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2010, which provides some insight into how the economy, job market and changes in federal and state health policy affect coverage.

→ Download full report

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Amelia Rose Earhart has completed the round-the-world journey that her namesake never finished nearly eight decades ago.

The 31-year-old pilot completed the 24,300-mile journey Friday when her single-engine plane landed at Oakland International Airport, where she was greeted by her parents and crowds of supporters.

Earhart is not related to the famed aviator who disappeared during her attempted global flight in 1937.

The Denver resident and her co-pilot Shane Jordan took off from Oakland on June 26 and made 17 stops in 14 countries. They flew in a Pilatus C-12 plane equipped with GPS and other modern technology her namesake never had.

Earhart hopes the global flight will inspire girls to fly. She runs a nonprofit called the Fly With Amelia Foundation that sends teenage girls to flight school.

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Gun violence is often thought of as an urban problem, but recent shootings in Columbia, Missouri, are creating concern.

The Columbia Tribune reports that a small group of central Columbia residents met with three police supervisors last week to discuss a recent wave of gun violence.

On Wednesday, someone fired dozens of shots and hit two houses and an empty car. No one was hurt.

Police say they’re being proactive. Officers from other divisions are on patrol in the central city, part of an effort to saturate the area with police, said Jason Jones, a police lieutenant who was part of the meeting.

Atticus Taylor, who lives in the area where shootings have occurred, said he fears for his children.

“Every summer, we have gun violence,” Taylor said.

One problem police face is that, while tips come in and a suspect is often identified, finding evidence and getting someone to agree to testify is often difficult, said deputy police chief Jill Schlude.

Just one man has been arrested in the shootings, for allegedly firing rounds at a park in late June. Another man is being sought for shooing a man on July 3, but police have not found the suspect.

Police Lt. Eric Hughes said residents can make their homes less attractive to criminals by keeping the area well-lit, clearing brush and debris, and installing security cameras.

JAMIE STENGLE, Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) — Efforts to eliminate extra pay for teachers who earn advanced degrees are gaining momentum in a small but growing number of U.S. schools. The issue is stirring a national debate about how best to compensate quality educators and angering teachers who say the extra training is valuable.

More than half of the nation’s teachers have master’s degrees or higher, but the changing salary structure is giving pause to others considering the same path. Texas’ two largest school districts, in Houston and Dallas, recently eliminated advanced degree pay going forward. And North Carolina lawmakers last year started phasing out the practice.

Those championing dropping the extra pay say advanced degrees don’t necessarily translate into better student test scores. But some teachers say extra education gives them more tools in the classroom.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Roy Blunt (Mo.) applauded the U.S. Senate’s bipartisan passage of the “Near East and South Central Asia Religious Freedom Act,” which is co-sponsored by U.S. Senate Armed Services Chairman Carl Levin (Mich.) and encourages the president to appoint a special envoy to promote religious freedom among religious minorities in the Middle East. To read the bill, click here.

“As we continue to witness disturbing violence against religious minorities around the world, I’m pleased the Senate passed this bipartisan bill to show the U.S. takes religious freedom very seriously,” said Blunt. “I hope the House will pass this updated bill quickly and the president will appoint a special envoy to promote religious freedom and call attention to all persecuted religious communities in the region.”

Blunt’s bill encourages the president to appoint a special envoy who would hold the rank of ambassador and work in coordination with the Ambassador at Large for Religious Freedom. Together, they would monitor and combat acts of religious intolerance and incitement targeted against religious minorities in these regions. In addition, the special envoy would work with foreign governments and relevant multilateral organizations, and coordinate these efforts with the U.S. Secretary of State.

“It is in the interest of the United States to promote freedom of worship and the rights of religious minorities around the world, and especially in nations where those freedoms are under threat, such as Iraq, where Christians and other religious minorities have faced severe persecution,” said Levin. “Such violence is a threat to regional stability in a part of the world where U.S. interests are great. Moreover, our support for these universal human values affirms the principles upon which our own nation was founded.”

Blunt recently spoke on the U.S. Senate floor to urge U.S. officials to aggressively protect the rights of religious minorities throughout the world, specifically calling for the release of Meriam Ibrahim and her family in Sudan, as well as Pastor Saeed Abedini in Iran. Please click here to watch his remarks.

Additional Background Information:

Blunt and Levin originally introduced legislation to protect religious minorities in the Middle East in June 2011. Blunt also introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in November 2013 to appoint a special envoy in the Near East and South Central Asia. In December 2013, the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee overwhelmingly passed Blunt’s bipartisan legislation. U.S. Representative Frank Wolf (Va.) introduced a companion bill in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Blunt’s bill is co-sponsored by U.S. Senators Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), John Boozman (Ark.), Dan Coats (Ind.), Susan Collins (Maine), John Cornyn (Texas), Mike Crapo (Idaho), Ted Cruz (Texas), Mike Enzi (Wyo.), Mike Johanns (Neb.), Tim Kaine (Va.), Mark Kirk (Ill.), Jerry Moran (Kan.), Rob Portman (Ohio), Mark Pryor (Ark.), Pat Roberts (Kan.), Marco Rubio (Fla.), Tim Scott (S.C.), Jeff Sessions (Ala.), Debbie Stabenow (Mich.), Pat Toomey (Pa.), and Roger Wicker (Miss.).

In October 2013, Blunt joined U.S. Senators Bob Corker (Tenn.) and Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) in a letter to Secretary of State John Kerry noting recent reports of more frequent, targeted attacks against Coptic churches and individuals in Egypt “warrants a clear U.S. response.” In August 2013, Blunt reiterated his calls for Congress to pass bipartisan legislation aimed at promoting and protecting religious freedoms throughout the region.

Blunt serves on both the defense authorizing and appropriations committees, and he is a member of the Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs.

BENTON COUNTY- A woman was hit by two vehicles and killed in an accident just before midnight in Benton County.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Chevy Cobalt driven by Elizabeth D. Ogle, 23, Kirksville, was driving southbound on U.S. 65 one mile north of the Hickory County line.

The driver noticed a pedestrian in the lane of traffic, attempted to avoid the collision and struck Mercade N. Jones, 23, Muskogee, OK., with the left front of the vehicle.

The Chevy went off the left side of the road into the trees. The pedestrian was launched into the northbound lanes of traffic where she was hit by a 2006 GMC driven by James E. McLaughlin, 51, Independence

Jones was pronounced dead at the scene. She was transported to the Benton County coroner’s office.
Ogle was transported to Citizens Memorial in Bolivar.

The accident remains under investigation.

By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post

WAKEENEY, Kan — Following a two-day preliminary hearing at Trego County District Court, District Judge Glen Braun decided Friday there is sufficient evidence to take the state’s case against Scott Bollig to trial.

Bollig, 30, WaKeeney, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of former Wakeeney resident Naomi’s Abbott’s unborn child.

Abbott, who worked for the Trego County Sheriff’s office at the time, reportedly suffered a miscarriage Jan. 31.

Bollig is accused of crushing and sprinkling an abortion-inducing drug, mifepristone, on pancakes Abbott ingested. He was charged Feb. 20.

The state’s first and last witness of the day Friday was Hays pathologist Dr. Lyle Noordhoek, who performed the autopsy on the fetus and determined the gestational age to be “eight to 10 weeks.”

Noordhoek testified the fetus was developing normally, “which led me to believe some sort of process was interfering with the loss to oxygenation” to the placenta leading to the placenta to begin detaching from the uterine wall.

He said he received information from law enforcement before the exam that Abbot’s blood serum sample — taken at Gove County Hospital at the request of local law enforcement — tested positive for mifepristone.

Noordhoek said he determined the cause of death was consistent with what would happen if a pregnant women was given mifepristone.

Upon questioning from defense attorney Dan Walter, Noordhoek said the symptoms could have also been caused by  a woman who is overweight,  taking antidepressants or birth control pills at time of pregnancy, smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol or has suffered a blunt force trauma.

Bollig’s defense lawyers then proceeded to call 11 witnesses to the stand — most were investigators in the case or members of law enforcement.

One dispatcher from the WaKeeney Police Department and Abbott’s ex-husband were also called to the stand.

Bollig’s arraignment has been set for Sept. 9

Check St. Jo Post for more as the story develops.