11 years ago
Republican legislators have blocked a state audit of the Kansas foster care system even though several of them acknowledged they have concerns about how it operates. A legislative committee that directs the work of state auditors voted 5-4 Wednesday against initiating a review of the foster care system sought by two Democrats. The no votes came ...

11 years ago
The Kansas division of a federal civil rights commission says it will investigate whether Kansas voter identification laws have affected voter turnout. KCUR reports that the Kansas Committee of the U.S. Civil Rights Commission voted Tuesday to hold hearings to determine if voter turnout in some Kansas communities has been suppressed by the Kansas voter identification ...

11 years ago
A suburban Kansas City woman cleaning out some of her husband's items found what is believed to be a live explosive in their home. The Prairie Village, Kansas, woman called police around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday saying she had found an old military item that could possibly be an explosive. Prairie Village police spokesman Capt. Byron Roberson says ...

11 years ago
A 23-year-old woman has been charged in the robbery and beating of a man at Douglas State Fishing Lake. 23-year-old Breanna Denise Parsons was charged with aggravated battery and aggravated robbery Tuesday.  According to police, Parsons and Donnie Ray Plouffe attacked and robbed a man at the lake on June 24. Douglas County Sheriff's Office spokeswoman Sgt. ...

11 years ago
A man has been found guilty for the fatal drive-by shooting of a woman just hours after her wedding in Topeka. Awnterio Dwan Lowery was found guilty of several charges including first-degree murder and attempted first-degree murder Tuesday for the slaying of 42-year-old Tiffany Davenport-Ray. Prosecutors say in May 2014, Lowery and two other men followed Davenport-Ray ...

11 years ago
Kansas officials are reviewing its foster care policies, sparking concerns among some advocates that the state will stop placing abused and neglected children with gays, lesbians and straight, single individuals. But spokeswoman Theresa Freed said Tuesday that the state Department for Children and Families review will be broad and cover more than who should serve as ...

11 years ago
A case involving the stabbing death of a 13-year-old Saline County girl is slowly progressing towards a trial. A Saline County teen accused of stabbing her sister to death spent most of the day in court Tuesday. 15-year-old Sierra Niehaus appeared with her attorney Julie Effenbeck. Judge Patrick Thompson listened to several pre-trial motions. Sierra is scheduled ...

11 years ago
A high-speed chase through Ellsworth and Russell Counties Monday evening ended with a crash on the northeast side of Russell, one person in custody and another on the loose. According to the dispatch report and Kansas Highway Patrol trooper Ben Gardener, KHP troopers were in pursuit of a 2015 Chevy Tahoe in the westbound lane of ...

11 years ago
Gov. Sam Brownback doesn't plan to be present when his administration outlines $50 million in spending cuts to help Kansas avert a budget deficit. Brownback spokeswoman Eileen Hawley confirmed Tuesday that the governor won't be in his office. Budget director Shawn Sullivan will outline the cuts during a news conference planned for Friday. Hawley declined to discuss ...

11 years ago
The top Democrat in the Kansas House has apologized to fellow Democrats and asked how he can improve next session. The Wichita Eagle reports House Minority Leader Tom Burroughs, of Kansas City, wrote his 28-member caucus after the longest session in the state's history. Burroughs was in his first year as minority leader last session. Burroughs sometimes ...

11 years ago
A special state task force says treatment options for the mentally ill in Kansas are lacking because the state's two acute care psychiatric hospitals don't have enough space and smaller mental health facilities are underfunded. The Adult Continuum of Care Committee says in a new report that the state's psychiatric hospitals in Larned and Osawatomie don't ...