SEDGWICK COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities continue to ask the public for help with any information on a missing Kansas boy. Five-year-old Lucas Hernandez was last seen one month ago.
Lucas Hernandez
Wichita Police Department spokesman officer Charley Davidson reminded the public Friday the case is still an active investigation. “We still need information from the community.”
Police continue to work with the volunteers from Texas EquuSearch on the case.
When he was last seen on February 17, Lucas was wearing a gray t-shirt with a bear on it, black sweat pants and socks. Lucas is missing his top / front teeth, and he has silver caps on his remaining teeth. He also has a small scar on his upper / left abdomen from a prior medical procedure. If you have seen Lucas or if you know of his current whereabouts or if you have any information whatsoever concerning his disappearance; please call 620-267-2111 or 268-4407.
JEFFERSON COUNTY — Law enforcement authorities are investigating a murder and have a suspect in custody.
Blevins -photo Jefferson Co.
Just before 10a.m. Wednesday, The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a Douglas County Detective advising he had received a call from a subject stating they witnessed a murder Tuesday night at Perry Lake, according to Sheriff Jeffrey Herrig.
Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office responded to the reported area at Perry Lake. They found the body of an unidentified man with apparent gunshot wounds. The victim was later identified as 22-year-old Taylor Sawyer.
Following an investigation, deputies made an arrest in Lawrence.
They booked Jonathan Blevins, 22, Topeka, Kansas into the Jefferson County Jail Wednesday afternoon on requested charges of Intentional 2nd Degree Murder.
FRANKLIN COUNTY — One person died and five others were injured in an accident just before 11p.m. Wednesday in Franklin County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Chevy Suburban SUV driven by Hudson, Curtrail J H Hudson, 16, Kansas City, Kansas, was northbound in the southbound lanes of Interstate 35.
The Suburban struck a 2018 Chevy Impala driven by Charisma A. Shirley, 20, Kansas City, Mo., head-on.
A passenger in the Suburban Tyra L. Cooper, 32, Independence, Mo. was pronounced dead at the scene.
Hudson, Shirley, and passengers in the Impala Alexis M. Thompson, 20, Kansas City, Mo.; Dyimond U. Johnson, 20, Kansas City, Mo., and Shakyra K. Nichols, 21, Kansas City, Kansas, were transported to Overland Park Regional Medical Center.
The occupants of the Suburban were not wearing a seat belts, according to the KHP.
WASHINGTON —Rex Tillerson is out as secretary of state. President Donald Trump tweeted Tuesday morning that he’s naming CIA director Mike Pompeo to replace Tillerson.
Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service! Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so chosen. Congratulations to all!
Pompeo is to be replaced at CIA by Gina Haspel, Pompeo’s deputy at CIA. She would be the first woman in that role.
Tillerson had just returned from a shortened trip to Africa hours before Trump’s announcement. Trump offered no explanation for the change.
Pompeo was elected to the 4th District congressional seat in Kansas during the tea party wave of 2010. He is now fourth in line of presidential succession behind the vice president, speaker of the house and president pro temper of the senate.
RUSSELL COUNTY — A Kansas man died in an accident just before 5p.m. Monday in Russell County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Polaris 4-wheeler driven by Timothy A. Burris, 25, Russell, was southbound in the 200 block of Brooks Street in Russell.
As the vehicle approached the intersection of 2nd Street, the driver hit the brakes hard and lost control and the vehicle.
The ATV rolled and the driver was ejected.
Burris was transported to Russell Regional Hospital where he died.
TOPEKA —RMH Franchise Holdings (“RMH”) recently learned about a data incident affecting certain payment cards used at RMH-owned Applebee’s restaurants that we operate as a franchisee. A
According to the company web site, they are providing this notice to guests as a precaution to inform them of the incident and to call their attention to some steps they can take to help protect themselves. RMH operates its point-of-sale systems isolated from the broader Applebee’s network, and this notice applies only to RMH-owned Applebee’s restaurants including the restaurants a the Town Center in Manhattan, at 5928 SW 17 Street in Topeka and at 2902 Eagle Crest Drive in Emporia.
Unauthorized software placed on the point-of-sale system at certain RMH-owned and -operated Applebee’s restaurants was designed to capture payment card information and may have affected a limited number of purchases made at those locations, according to the company web site.
Certain guests’ names, credit or debit card numbers, expiration dates and card verification codes processed during limited time periods could have been affected. The exact dates vary by location. For a list of affected restaurants and the specific dates related to each location, please see below. Payments made online or using self-pay tabletop devices were not affected by this incident.
RENO COUNTY — An earthquake shook portions of Kansas early Thursday.
Location of Thursday’s quake-USGS image
The quake just before 5a.m. measured a magnitude 3.4, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake was centered approximately 3 miles west of south Hutchinson.
On March 1, the U.S.G.S. reported a 3.1 magnitude quake four miles northwest of South Hutchinson.
There are no reports of damage or injury from Thursday’s quake.
TOPEKA – Larned State Hospital (LSH), one of the two state-operated psychiatric hospitals in Kansas administered by the Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS), has been granted full accreditation by The Joint Commission. The accreditation was effective beginning December 9, 2017, and is valid for 36 months, according to a media release.
The Joint Commission is a nonprofit organization that accredits more than 21,000 US health care organizations and programs. A majority of state governments recognize Joint Commission accreditation as a condition of licensure for the receipt of Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.
“Joint Commission accreditation is known as an indicator of quality treatment and care nationwide,” KDADS Secretary Tim Keck said. “I want to acknowledge all the hard work LSH staff and management put in to be granted this status. I am incredibly proud of the work that has been done there.”
“After a period of concern at the hospital during the summer, LSH had two excellent surveys in December,” Secretary Keck said.
Bill Rein, LSH Superintendent, was informed of The Joint Commission’s decision on accreditation in a letter dated February 27 from Mark Pelletier, RN, MS, Chief Operating Officer for the Joint Commission. The letter said, “Based upon the submission of your evidence of standards compliance on February 9, 2018, and the successful on-site unannounced Medicare deficiency follow-up event conducted on January 19, 2018, the areas of deficiency have been removed.”
“The Joint Commission is also recommending your organization for continued Medicare certification effective December 9, 2017,” the letter said.
Superintendent Bill Rein said, “It took a lot of intense work on the part of staff to get us to where we are, and they deserve a great deal of credit for their commitment and tenacity. I am extremely pleased with results they achieved.”
All conditions of participation for Medicare certification and all standards for The Joint Commission accreditation are now listed as compliant. As a result, LSH has no requirements for improvement.
The central offices for Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and CMS Region 7 have been notified of these findings.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A bipartisan group of Kansas lawmakers is pushing to restore job protections for public school teachers that conservative legislators previously stripped from them.
The House gave first-round approval Wednesday to a bill that would guarantee tenure for thousands of teacher statewide. The 72-48 vote advances the measure to another, final vote Thursday.
The bill would require school districts that do not want to renew a three-year teacher’s contract to allow the teacher to have the matter decided by an independent hearing officer.
Teachers statewide had such a right before conservative Republicans enacted a 2014 law leaving the issue to local school boards and most decided against such reviews.
GOP conservatives argued that the change made firing bad teachers easier. But the bill’s supporters said Kansas needs to respect teachers.
