OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer says he wants to be the governor who ends abortion in the state, but he’ll need help from fellow abortion opponents to do so.
photo courtesy Colyer for Governor
The Republican spoke Thursday at the National Right to Life convention that is taking place in Overland Park, Kansas, a Kansas City suburb.
Colyer told attendees that there remains a need to stack the courts, Congress and state legislatures with those who oppose abortions.
The crowd was upbeat in the wake of recent decisions by the U.S. Supreme Court, and by the announced departure of Justice Anthony Kennedy. George Delgado, medical director for the group Abortion Pill Reversal, told the crowd that Kennedy’s retirement will lead to the overturning of the Roe v. Wade decision.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A law enforcement initiative is prioritizing federal prosecutions of repeat offenders and convicted criminals who carry firearms in Garden City and Wichita.
U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister during Thursday’s media briefing
The Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative is bringing federal prosecutors together with local and state law enforcement agencies in the two cities where the violent crime rate is higher than the state average of 3.7 per 1,000 people. The 2017 report from the Kansas Bureau of Investigations shows that compares to a rate of 5.1 in Garden City and 10.6 in Wichita.
U.S. Attorney Stephen McAllister says both cities have reported increased gang activity that fuels violent crime.
McAllister says he recently received authorization from the Justice Department to hire two new federal prosecutors in Kansas to concentrate on violent crime cases, including a surge of them in Topeka.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The family of a black man fatally shot by two white officers in Kansas as he fled from them after a struggle filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Wednesday.
White-photo KDOC
The lawsuit alleges that the officers, Michael Cruse and Justin Mackey, fatally shot 30-year-old Dominique White in September near a park in Topeka without legal justification. White was armed and just months out of prison after being prosecuted for burglary and illegal gun possession when the officers responded to a report of gunfire and confronted White.
Police body camera footage shows White fleeing from the officers before he was shot. Shawnee County District Attorney Mike Kagay ruled in December that the shooting was justified, saying White moved his hand over a pocket that contained a gun as he fled. An internal police investigation found that Cruse and Mackey followed department policies during the confrontation.
Police on the scene of the shooting-photo courtesy WIBW TV
Topeka city spokeswoman Molly Hadfield said Wednesday she couldn’t comment on pending litigation.
White’s family said the video shows that White wasn’t an immediate threat to the officers. White’s death certificate said he died primarily from gunshots in the back. The lawsuit said each officer fired four times and three of the shots hit White in the back.
The suit, which seeks more than $75,000 in damages, also accuses the city of providing inadequate training and violating White’s constitutional rights to equal protection and due process. The family’s attorney, Andrew Stroth, said the lawsuit isn’t just about compensation, but also about sending a message to the city and the police department.
“Our focus is reform and addressing unconstitutional and unjustified actions by police,” said Stroth, managing partner of Chicago-based Action Injury Law Group, which specializes in police shooting cases. “Across the country there’s a pattern and practice of officers using lethal force, especially against African-American men.”
Topeka police and the FBI investigated the shooting, which led to protests and people camping in front of law enforcement headquarters in Topeka. The U.S. Department of Justice moderated a community forum. The state Legislature changed the law to allow family members to see body-camera footage after White’s family had trouble getting permission to view the footage in his case.
“The fact that we have video evidence of Dominique getting executed by police is critical to the case,” Stroth said. “The video speaks for itself.”
RENO COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a fatal shooting in Hutchinson and have a suspect in custody.
The shooting just after 6:30p.m. occurred in the 500 block of North Washington Street, according to Police Capt. Troy Hoover.
He said that that there were two victims. One person was taken to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center, while the other died at the scene.
Police blocked off streets near the shooting scene Tuesday evening
Police blocked off 11th Avenue where the wounded victim was being transported to the hospital by private vehicle.
Members of that vehicle spotted a police cruiser and made contact with the officer. The officer called EMS, who then took the victim to the hospital. Hoover says the victim is in critical condition.
It’s believed both victims were involved in an altercation on Washington Street but it doesn’t appear they shot each other, according to Hoover.
The Reno County Correctional Facility shows the arrest of Curtis Garcia. He is jailed on a $500,000 bond, for suspicion of homicide.
Police released no additional details late Tuesday.
SUMNER COUNTY — An earthquake shook south-central Kansas Wednesday morning. The quake just after 9a.m. measured a magnitude 3.2 and was centered approximately 5 miles northwest of Wellington, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
Location of Wednesday quake -image Kansas Geological Survey
The quake is the first in Kansas since a 3.1 quake in Harper County June 18 and pair of quakes in Reno and Saline County on June 4, according to the USGS.
There are no reports of damage or injury of Wednesday’s quake.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has upheld President Donald Trump’s ban on travel from several mostly Muslim countries, rejecting a challenge that it discriminated against Muslims or exceeded his authority.
The 5-4 decision Tuesday is the court’s first substantive ruling on a Trump administration policy.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion, joined by his four conservative colleagues.
Roberts wrote that presidents have substantial power to regulate immigration.
Nations on the travel ban list include North Korea, Somalia, Iran, Yemen, Syria, Libya and Venezuela.
The court may have signaled its eventual approval in December, when the justices allowed the policy to take full effect even as the court fight continued and lower courts had ruled it out of bounds.
TULSA, Okla. (AP) — A Kansas-based company is seeking proposals from private rail carriers to provide passenger service between Tulsa and Oklahoma City.
image courtesy WATCO
The request for proposals by WATCO Companies of Pittsburg, Kansas, would create passenger rail service from downtown Tulsa through the cities of Sapulpa, Bristow, Stroud, Chandler and Midwest City into downtown Oklahoma City.
Legislation adopted in 2011 created a task force to study ways to link northeastern Oklahoma with the existing Heartland Flyer passenger service between Oklahoma City and Fort Worth, Texas. The state sold an existing rail line to Watco, which currently operates freight service over the line and plans upgrades to accommodate passenger cars.
Proposals are due on July 27. State Rep. Monroe Nichols of Tulsa says bringing passenger rail service to Tulsa is a “fantastic economic development opportunity.”
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Two Kansas Lottery players have agreed to pay about $28,000 in damages and fines for allegedly cheating the game.
Tipton – Iowa Dept. of Corrections
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced the settlement Wednesday. Schmidt’s office negotiated the settlement with Amy Demoney and Christopher McCoulskey.
Authorities say the pair cashed in rigged tickets and split $44,000 in winnings with a former multistate lottery security official who manipulated a computer to turn the tickets into winners.
That official, Eddie Tipton, is imprisoned in connection with the case.
Neither Demoney nor McCoulskey admitted guilt but agreed to pay damages in the amount they collected. Demoney will pay $14,400 and McCoulskey will pay $14,000.
The fire broke out Monday at the Jayhawk Motel. The building that was destroyed also included the motel office and a three-bedroom apartment where the owners lived.
The candle was in a dining area of the owners’ living quarters.
No one was hurt.
Authorities say the motel’s three guest buildings were not damaged.
