(KMZA)--A state of local disaster emergency has been declared for Nemaha County following Sunday’s winter storm.

The Nemaha County Commission adopted a resolution Monday declaring the disaster emergency at the request of  county Emergency Management director Todd Swart.  "The Governor declared a disaster in the state of Kansas, and if there’s enough of a qualifying cost, Nemaha County can do a damage assessment and they will get paid their overtime hours for removing snow, their materials for removing snow, equipment rental rate. That goes for the cities and townships also.”

The storm brought heavy snow and strong winds, creating blizzard like conditions.

U.S. 36 and K-9 Highways were closed down for a period of time due to blowing snow.

Governor Jeff Colyer on Sunday declared a State of Disaster Emergency.  The declaration authorized the use of state resources and personnel to assist with response and recovery efforts across the state.  

(KAIR)--Firing a weapon simply for the sake of doing so is what Atchison Police say was the motive behind shots fired, a pursuit, and ultimately an arrest.

Facing charges in connection with the case is 22-year-old Atchison resident Jarvis Grace. “That investigation has now determined that the suspect in custody did fire shots from inside the vehicle, they were shot in the air. We had no threats made to persons, there was no property damage, there was no other vehicle at the scene.”

That’s Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson, who told MSC News Grace was arrested following the report of shots fired late Thursday afternoon. “It was at 4:45 on Thursday afternoon when officers responded to the area of Walnut and M Street after we received a report of shots fired. We arrived in the area and spotted a suspect vehicle. We were able to get that vehicle stopped in the 800 block of Parallel where one occupant bailed out of the vehicle and ran. That person was taken into custody after a three-block foot pursuit.”

It’s alleged that Grace attempted to dispose of the weapon as he tried to escape from police. “During that foot pursuit, the handgun was thrown down by the suspect, which we recovered. There were two other occupants in the vehicle. They were taken into custody at the vehicle, [but] later released.”

Grace now faces charges for criminal possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, unlawful discharge of a firearm, and interference with law enforcement.

Following his arrest, Grace was booked into the Atchison County Jail.

(KAIR)--An Atchison man now faces federal charges in connection with the seizure of methamphetamine made in October by the Atchison County Sheriff’s Office.

According to a news release issued Thursday by Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie, a federal indictment was handed down Wednesday for 27-year-old Jacob Clem.

The Federal Grand Jury indictment alleges that Clem possessed, with the intent to distribute, methamphetamine, possessed a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking, and possessed a weapon as a felon.

On Thursday, members of the Atchison County Sheriff’s Office and the Special Response Team of the Drug Enforcement Administration apprehended Clem, executing a federal arrest warrant in the 2200 block of Millwood Drive, in Atchison.

Sheriff Jack Laurie, last month, told MSC News Clem was the focus of an investigation that led to an October 20 traffic stop, which then led to the discovery of what’s alleged to be around 4 ounces of methamphetamine. ““Deputies had some information on Mr. Clem,” Laurie said during an October 22 interview. “[The deputies] were able to perform a traffic stop on him, in the 100 block of North 4th Street. The K9 unit was there and assisted in indicating narcotics were present. We were able to use that and get in the vehicle to search for the narcotics.”

Clem, following his arrest Thursday, was booked into the Atchison County Jail, where he remains held on the federal warrant.

According to Laurie’s news release Thursday, the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office, and the Merriam Police Department, assisted with the apprehension of Clem. 

(KAIR)--Atchison residents are being asked to complete a survey focused on all aspects of city operations.

The surveys are being received via U.S. Mail, and can also be completed online.

A postage-paid return envelope is included with those that have been mailed.

According to a news release from the City of Atchison, the survey is comprised of 54 questions, and allows residents to “provide feedback on nearly every aspect of city government.”

Questions range from the quality of service offered by the City to code enforcement and public safety.

The surveys have been sent by the ETC Institute, which the news release calls “an organization with an outstanding record of performance in gauging community feedback.”

Mayor Allen Reavis, in the release, says the survey allows the City to receive critical “unfiltered, unbiased, direct feedback from the public,” adding that “the more participation [the City has], the better understanding [the City has] of the public’s expectations of city management.”

Residents are encouraged to respond to the surveys within a few days of receiving them, and once have been received to provide a valid statistical representation, ETC Institute will compile the results. The results will be released to the public once received by City officials.

A link to the online survey, which is to be completed by only those not using the paper, mailed survey, is found here.

(KAIR)--An elderly woman, who shot a man she perceived to be attempting to burglarize her Leavenworth home, will not face charges.

That word was delivered during a Thursday morning news conference held by Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson.

In a news release issued following the conference, Thompson said that “based upon careful review of the evidence and the appropriate Kansas Statutes, the County Attorney’s office does not believe any charges are appropriate in this case.”

That follows the early Saturday morning shooting death of 41-year-old Ralph Byrd, Jr. at 604 Chesnut, in Leavenworth.

The 74-year-old resident, around 1:15 that morning, called police reporting a burglary in progress.

Apparently thinking her home was being broken into, she fired at Byrd, whose body was discovered when police arrived at the home.

He died of a gunshot wound.

The woman was transported to an area hospital for the treatment of what police described as “a medical event,” but a full recovery was expected.

Thompson, in the release, said Kansas statute states that a person is justified in the use of force if that person “reasonably believes the use of deadly force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm.” 

(KNZA)--The 28th annual Horton Christmas Luminarias will take place Sunday evening, December 2.

The event, sponsored by the South Brown County Ministerial Alliance, will be held from 5:30 to 7:30.

The Luminarias transforms ten city blocks, beginning at 14th and Central Avenue, into living, dramatic scenes of the life of Christ.  Men, women and children of the area take their place as Biblical characters in a setting of live animals, colorful props, costumes and music.  The atmosphere is enhanced by 13-hundred glowing candles outlining the route from scene to scene.

Those who don’t wish to drive the route, may board a free shuttle at Jim’s Thriftway.

The event, also known as the “ Festival of Lights”, draws hundreds of vehicles each year.  

The event is free but a donation may be dropped in a receptable at the end of the route to support the South Brown County Ministerial Association’s benevolence outreach.

(KNZA)--A St. Joseph, Missouri man charged in the August shooting death of a former Troy, Kansas man will undergo a competency evaluation.

A judge Tuesday granted a motion filed by the attorney for 36-year-old Jessie Lee Nelson for the mental evaluation.

A preliminary hearing, which had been scheduled in the case, was placed on hold pending the outcome of the evaluation.

Nelson is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of 29-year-old Mack Jenkins.  He’s also charged with first-degree assault in the wounding of another man.

Police say Jenkins and a 23-year-old man were shot the evening of August 6 while in a vehicle that had crashed just north of downtown St. Joseph.

According to a probable cause statement, witnesses said the driver of a second car got out of his vehicle, walked to Jenkins vehicle and fired several gunshots.  The suspect, later identified as Nelson, then alleged got back in a his vehicle and drove away.

Nelson remains in the Buchanan County Jail on a $250,000 bond.

(KMZA)--The Nemaha County STEP Foundation Board of Directors has announced recipients for the second round of 2018 grants, which total nearly $37,000.

According to a news release from the STEP Foundation, Meals on Wheels of Nemaha County will receive the largest grant this cycle in the amount of $15,000. The funds will be used for the purchase of  kitchen cabinets and equipment for the new Senior Services and Public Transit building in Seneca.   
 
The City of Corning will receive two grant awards. The first grant is for $7,500 to assist with Phase 2 of the walking trail in the park. The second grant for $2,500 will be used to replace two 20-year-old soccer goals.

The City of Wetmore will receive $6,300 to purchase new playground equipment.

Community Healthcare System of Onaga will receive $2,500 for the purchase of Automated External Defibrillators. The AEDs will assist in providing life-saving assistance to patients and members.

An award of $2,000 will be used to purchase about 12 therapeutic dolls and ten therapy pets for residents with dementia at the Apostolic Christian Nursing Home in Sabetha.

And the newly formed Nemaha County Museum Consortium will receive $850 for creating and printing a brochure showing historical locations in Nemaha County, including, but not exclusive to all the museums located in the county.

More than $107,000 in grant funding was requested this round.

Grants are awarded twice a year through the STEP Foundation, with the next deadline being January 15, 2019.

(KNZA)--A Kansas City, Kansas man, being extradited from a Kansas City, Missouri jail to Topeka, is accused of attempting to escape after assaulting a private transport officer in Holton.

Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse, in a news release, said it happened Wednesday afternoon when 38-year-old Jacob Daniel Kull was allowed to use a restroom at the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office, in Holton.

The private transport company had stopped at that location to pick up a second inmate also being transported to Topeka on Shawnee County warrants.

While in the restroom, it’s alleged that Kull removed his handcuffs and then assaulted the officer.

After fleeing from the building, Morse said Kull didn’t get far, subdued in the parking lot of the Sheriff’s Office by deputies and corrections officers.

Kull was arrested by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputies on charges of aggravated escape from custody and battery. His bond is set at $50,000.

Kull was being transported to face Shawnee County charges including burglary, theft, and forgery.

(KAIR)--A new manager has been selected for Atchison's Amelia Earhart Birthplace Museum.

A news release issued Tuesday by the museum's Board of Trustees names Joni Colwell as the person appointed to the position.

In the release, board member and search committee chair Cheri Thompson says Colwell “brings a wealth of energy, enthusiasm and professionalism to the role,” adding that the board is confident that the Atchison County resident “will do exceptionally well in preserving and promoting the museum’s significance as a focal point of Amelia’s early life and long legacy of accomplishments.”

According to the release, Colwell's previous employment experience includes serving as the director of alumni relations and special events for Atchison's Benedictine College, as well as other roles primarily in the education field.

Thompson, in the release, said Colwell's work in various education-related capacities is viewed by the board as “an added plus” due to the museum's growing focus on “developing a more robust school and community outreach program aimed at broadening the museum’s exposure while inspiring young people to pursue their dreams as Amelia did.”

In the release, Colwell says she is “both humbled and excited to begin working” in the role, adding that she is “eager to take new and creative approaches to both introduce and reintroduce the museum to potential and past patrons.”

Colwell, a resident of Atchison County, is a native of Yuma County, Colorado and a graduate of Benedictine College.

(KLZA)-- Two people were transported to the Fairfax, MO. Community Hospital Tuesday evening around 6:20. 

The Missouri Highway Patrol report indicates 39-year-old Richard Boyd of Watson, Missouri was traveling north on “C” Avenue about two miles north of Watson when the wreck occurred. 

The Chevy Blazer Boyd was driving slid on the icy roadway and traveled off the east side of the road striking a ditch. 

Boyd and a passenger in the vehicle, 16-year-old Brianna Maxwell of Watson were transferred by private vehicle to the hospital with injuries described as minor.  

Both occupants of the vehicle were wearing safety devices.  The Blazer sustained moderate damage.

TECUMSEH, Neb. (AP) - The family of a man strangled by his cellmate at a Tecumseh State Correctional Institution has sued the state, the prisons director and prison staff.

Twenty-two-year-old Terry Berry was killed in April 2017 by cellmate Patrick Schroeder, who told investigators he killed Berry for being too talkative. In June Schroeder was sentenced to death .

A federal lawsuit filed Monday in Omaha says the prisons department and prison officials violated Berry's civil rights. The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages for Berry's pain and suffering as well as punitive damages.

A companion state lawsuit was filed Monday in Johnson County District Court in Tecumseh, where the prison is situated. It alleges the prison had pervasive overcrowding and understaffing issues that increased the risk of assaults.

State and departmental representatives don't comment on pending litigation. The state hasn't yet filed responses to the lawsuits.

(KMZA)--An investigation leads to the arrest of two individuals in Seneca on drug and child endangerment charges.

22-year-old Constance Sandeffer, of Seneca, and 23-year-old Lane Ferris, of Hiawatha, were arrested November 23 following the execution of a search warrant at a Seneca residence.

Nemaha County Attorney Brad Lippert says the pair have been formally charged in Nemaha County District Court with possession of marijuana with intent to distribute, aggravated endangerment of a child, possession of marijuana without a tax stamp and two counts of possession of drug paraphernalia.

The case was investigated by the Seneca Police Department with the assistance of the Nemaha County Sheriff’s Department.

Sandeffer and Ferris are being held in the Nemaha County Jail on $250,000 bond each.    

(KNZA)--No injuries are reported following a 10-hour standoff on the Kickapoo Reservation during which shots were fired at law enforcement officers.

Kickapoo Tribal Police Chief Nathan Gray says an officer was called to a home in the 1200 block of Fern Street around 9:00 Tuesday evening for a domestic disturbance.

Gray says when the officer arrived, he could hear gunshots coming from the residence.

Multiple agencies responded as shots continued to ring out, leading to a standoff.

The standoff ended peacefully around 7:00 Wednesday morning. Gray says the Kansas Highway Patrol sent a team inside the home and took the suspect into custody.

Brown County Sheriff John Merchant says 54-year-old Anthony Walker, of Horton, was booked into the Brown County Jail on a charge of  kidnapping. He’s being held on a $500,000 bond. Other possible charges are pending.

Gray say a woman in the home was able to escape without injury before the standoff ended.

Responding to the scene were the Kansas Highway Patrol, Horton Police Department, Kickapoo Tribal Police, Sac and Fox Tribal Police, Brown Co. Sheriff’s Department, Nemaha County Sheriff’s Department and Topeka Police Department, which sent an armored vehicle.   

(KMZA)--A Marysville man who escaped from the Marshall County Jail last year has learned his fate.

According to a news release from the office of Attorney General Derek Schmidt, 31-year-old Matson Hatfield was sentenced Tuesday to more than 47 years in prison.

Hatfield pleaded guilty last month to 15 counts--including one count of attempted first-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder.

Authorities say Hatfield and Jeffrey Guenther escaped from the Marshall County Jail on October 14 of last year.   

During their escape, the two men allegedly lit a cell on a fire and obtained two shotguns.

Hatfield fled to a nearby home and surrendered a short time later.  Guenther allegedly stole a pickup truck and lead authorities on a chase.  He was arrested after rolling the truck in rural Gage County, Nebraska.

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation says shots were fired during their escape but no one was hurt.

Guenther is scheduled for trial next month.  

(KNZA)--The Kansas Highway Patrol worked five fatal crashes over the Thanksgiving holiday reporting period—including one locally.

The Patrol released its holiday activity report Monday for the period running from 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 21, through 11:59 p.m. on Sunday, November 25.

A single-vehicle Atchison County crash late November 21 claimed the life of a Country Club, Illinois man.

22-year-old Deandre Brown, who was not wearing a seatbelt, died the following day at a Kansas City hospital from injuries received in the crash on U.S. 59 Highway about two miles south of Atchison.

The Patrol says he was a passenger in a car driven by 20-year-old Chicago, Illinois resident Jacquez Martin which left the roadway and overturned.

Martin and another passenger, also from Illinois, were seriously injured in the wreck.

The Patrol reported 16 DUI arrests during the holiday period, up from 12  last year.

In addition, the Patrol issued 1,195 speeding citations, down from the 1,227 issued last year.

(KNZA)--A Doniphan County man is among eight individuals indicted by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Missouri for their roles in a $2.1 million conspiracy to distribute nearly 100 kilograms of methamphetamine.

According to a news release from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, 32-year-old Denton resident Jacob Walsh was among those charged in a four-count indictment.

Also indicted were three St. Joseph residents including 26-year-old Shelby Peterman, 40-year-old Christopher Sharp and 28-year-old John Gnat.  The other defendants included three citizens of Mexico residing in the Kansas City area and a man who is a citizen of Laos residing in Independence, Missouri.      

The federal indictment alleges that all eight participated in a conspiracy to distribute meth, and in a money-laundering conspiracy over a nearly 4-year period from January 1, 2015 to November 14 of this year.

The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require the defendants to forfeit to the government $2.1 million.  That represents the alleged proceeds of the drug-trafficking conspiracy.

The case was investigated by the Buchanan County, Missouri Sheriff’s Department, the Jackson County, Missouri Drug Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

(KNZA)--A Doniphan County man is among eight individuals indicted by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Missouri for their roles in a $2.1 million conspiracy to distribute nearly 100 kilograms of methamphetamine.

According to a news release from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, 32-year-old Denton resident Jacob Walsh was among those charged in a four-count indictment.

Also indicted were three St. Joseph residents including 26-year-old Shelby Peterman, 40-year-old Christopher Sharp and 28-year-old John Gnat.  The other defendants included three citizens of Mexico residing in the Kansas City area and a man who is a citizen of Laos residing in Independence, Missouri.      

The federal indictment alleges that all eight participated in a conspiracy to distribute meth, and in a money-laundering conspiracy over a nearly 4-year period from January 1, 2015 to November 14 of this year.

The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require the defendants to forfeit to the government $2.1 million.  That represents the alleged proceeds of the drug-trafficking conspiracy.

The case was investigated by the Buchanan County, Missouri Sheriff’s Department, the Jackson County, Missouri Drug Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

(KNZA)--A Doniphan County man is among eight individuals indicted by a federal grand jury in Kansas City, Missouri for their roles in a $2.1 million conspiracy to distribute nearly 100 kilograms of methamphetamine.

According to a news release from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, 32-year-old Denton resident Jacob Walsh was among those charged in a four-count indictment.

Also indicted were three St. Joseph residents including 26-year-old Shelby Peterman, 40-year-old Christopher Sharp and 28-year-old John Gnat.  The other defendants included three citizens of Mexico residing in the Kansas City area and a man who is a citizen of Laos residing in Independence, Missouri.      

The federal indictment alleges that all eight participated in a conspiracy to distribute meth, and in a money-laundering conspiracy over a nearly 4-year period from January 1, 2015 to November 14 of this year.

The indictment also contains a forfeiture allegation, which would require the defendants to forfeit to the government $2.1 million.  That represents the alleged proceeds of the drug-trafficking conspiracy.

The case was investigated by the Buchanan County, Missouri Sheriff’s Department, the Jackson County, Missouri Drug Task Force and the Drug Enforcement Administration.

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) - Leavenworth police say a 74-year-old woman fatally shot a man who she thought was trying to burglarize her home.
 
Police Chief Pat Kitchens says when officers responded to the woman's call early Saturday they found the 41-year-old suspect, Ralph Byrd Jr., of Leavenworth suffering from a gunshot wound.
 
The Leavenworth Times reports Byrd was pronounced dead at the scene.
 
Kitchens says the woman suffered a "medical event" after the shooting and was taken to a hospital but was expected to survive.
 
Kitchens says the focus of the investigation will be to determine if Byrd was committing a burglary when he was shot.

(KAIR)--Snow, ice, and wind left thousands without power Sunday, with some expected to remain without power through Monday.

According to Westar Energy spokeswoman Gina Penzig, Sunday’s winter storm left 32,000 customers of the company without power, with 5,000 remaining without as of around 8:30 Sunday night.

In an emailed response to questions posed by MSC News, Penzig said some customers are likely to remain without power until late afternoon, or evening, Monday.

She said crews went to work Sunday as soon as it was safe to do so, and will work throughout the night to make repairs.

However, Penzig said storm damage is widespread, and road and weather conditions are making it difficult for crews to travel and to access outage areas. Additional personnel has been called in to assist with the effort.

According to Penzig, crews are focused on restoring power in their home divisions, and will the move to other areas to assist.

Crews from southeast Kansas, and the Wichita area, will assist with repairs, focused specifically on the Atchison and Leavenworth areas.

According to Penzig, the areas impacted hardest by the storm damage were Atchison, Leavenworth, Topeka, Lawrence, and Ottawa.  

Westar Energy trucks lined up along Atchison's Main Street Monday, November 26, 2018/Credit: Kim Bottorff

(KAIR)--Road crews across the region continue the ongoing effort of clearing travel routes following Sunday's blizzard-like conditions that brought snow, ice, and strong winds to the local area.

Atchison County Emergency Management, in a Monday morning Facebook post, reported that highways and paved roads in Atchison County are open, but remain slick.

Crews have also been working through the day to clear gravel roads.

The City of Atchison also provided an update to Facebook, saying that a relatively thin layer of ice developed overnight, but crews have been working to clear the roads of both the ice and the packed snow.

In the update, the City of Atchison stated that while side streets have been plowed, more focus would be placed on those areas throughout the day.

Crediting a sunny forecast, the post explains that the sunshine will allow the salt used to treat streets to thoroughly work, with the post noting that north/south streets will clear faster than those running east/west due to sun exposure.

Residents are also urged to pile driveway snow on the left side, when looking from the street, in order to help alleviate plow ridges as city plows continue to clear the streets.

Sunday's storm also left thousands without power, but an update Monday morning from Westar Energy said power in the immediate area has been restored.

Westar spokeswoman Gina Penzig Sunday told MSC News that while the storm damage was widespread, the areas impacted hardest were Atchison, Leavenworth, Topeka, Lawrence, and Ottawa.

At it's peak Sunday, 32,000 Westar customers were without power, and crews from well outside the area were called in to assist with the restoration effort.

Monday morning, Westar trucks, bearing license plates from such out-of-area locations as Wichita and Hutchinson, lined Atchison's Main Street, as the crews continued to make local area repairs.

(KLZA)-- One person was seriously injured in a three-vehicle wreck Sunday morning in Atchison County, Missouri. 

The Missouri Highway Patrol reports the chain-reaction wreck occurred on Interstate 29, about eight miles north of Rock Port. 

A Chevy Malibu driven by 65-year-old Gary Frye of Falls City was northbound and slowed for traffic.  A Nissan Rogue operated by 53-year-old Lisa Johnson of Hickman, Nebraska struck the Frye vehicle in the rear, causing the car to spin around.  

The third vehicle, a Ford Edge operated by 64-year-old Mickey Ardery of Norfolk, Nebraska struck the front of the the Frye vehicle. Frye came to rest in the passing lane facing north.  The second vehicle came to rest in the median and the third vehicle came to rest on the east side of I-29 facing west. 

56-year-old Linda Browman of Fairmont, Nebraska was a passenger in the second vehicle and suffered what were described as serious injuries.  She was transported to the Grape Community Hospital at Hamburg then on to the University of Nebraska Medical Center by the Atchison-Holt EMS.

The Rock Port Police Department assisted at the scene of the wreck.  

(KLZA)-- The Richardson County Sheriff's Department reported three non-injury wrecks on Sunday.  

A one-vehicle wreck occurred just south of Falls City on Highway 73.  21-year-old Megan Strasheim of Falls City was driving down an ice covered road and lost control of her vehicle hitting a guardrail causing an estimated $7-thousand damage to the guard rail and $5-thousand damage to her Lincoln MKC. 

A single vehicle wreck also occurred on 703 Trail south of Rulo.  Thomas Alston of St. Louis, MO., slid off the roadway and damaged his Toyota  Camry.  A Deputy helped with medical assistance when enroute to shelter. 

The third wreck was just west of  Highway 75 on 719 Road  when Thomas Bierke of Oklahoma was driving a three-quarter-ton pickup east toward the highway and got stuck in a snow drift.

Richardson County Highway Superintendent Steve Darveaux Jr. reported quite a few roads are still drifted shut   and that he expects it to be late today or Tuesday before all the county roads can be cleared. 

Darveaux urged people to be very careful on  county roads if they must travel.   

(MSC News)--Kansas officials are urging drivers to stay off the roads because of dangerous conditions across much of the state.

Gov. Jeff Colyer declared a state of emergency because of the winter storm moving across Kansas on Sunday that is creating blizzard conditions and slick roads. A section of Interstate 70 was closed Sunday morning between Salina and Wakeeny.

Colyer says travelers should consider delaying their trips until after the storm passes if possible. Anyone who must be on the road, should consult 511 road conditions hotlines and make sure their gas tank is full and cell phone fully charged.

Kansas highways, including local portions of U.S. 36, closed Sunday due to the weather, while local roadways were also shut down. 

In Atchison County, the Kansas Department of Transportation closed all eastbound/westbound State & Federal Highways, while all eastbound/westbound county roads were also closed, according to Atchison County Emergency Management.

The same decision regarding highways was made in other nearby counties, including Doniphan, Jackson and Nemaha. Doniphan County Emergency Management Coordinator Julie Meng, late Sunday, said county roads are impassable. 

In neighboring Missouri, Interstate 29 is closed near the Iowa border. Officials say additional road closures are likely during the storm.

Although the blizzard conditions are forecast to taper off into the evening hours, authorities continue to report dangerous travel conditions, and urge motorists to avoid travel, if possible. 

The winter weather has also led to numerous school cancellations for Monday, November 26. For a list of closings, go here. 

(Lincoln, Neb.) — As the leaves fall and cold weather approaches, the Nebraska
Department of Transportation (NDOT) is encouraging drivers to be prepared for winter driving conditions.

NDOT works closely with its partners at the Nebraska State Patrol, Nebraska Emergency Management Agency as well as the National Weather Service to proactively educate and inform the traveling public on

ways to safeguard themselves from winter weather hazards.  While NDOT monitors weather conditions, some storms are so severe, preparation can’t forestall hazardous conditions that come with extremely low temperatures, low visibility, heavy snowfall or dangerous ice.

When winter weather conditions are hazardous, NDOT may indicate that travel is not advised.  Such alerts are not issued without considerable thought and weighing the effects of such advisories.

Ultimately, the reduction of travelers on the roadway during a winter event assists NDOT with timely snow and ice removal, while improving safety for all those who share the roadway.

As always, as winter storms approach, travelers are urged to be alert, be aware and check the most up-to-date travel conditions available through 511, Nebraska’s Advanced Traveler Information System.

The system is available at all times via Nebraska 511’s smartphone app, online at

www.511.nebraska.gov or by dialing 511 on your mobile device within the state, or if dialing from a landline or outside Nebraska at 1-800-906-9069.

After assessing the conditions, should individuals determine travel is necessary, NDOT reminds motorists to be prepared with warm clothing, water and food.  If traveling a significant distance, a winter

weather survival kit stocked with additional items is advised.  Additionally, travelers are advised to not drive faster than conditions allow.  Surfaces will be slick under the snow and visibility may be poor.  Allow plenty of time to arrive at your destination.

With snowplows out on the roads, travelers also are urged to be cautious and courteous to those operating them, making sure to:

· Slow down as you approach plows. They travel slowly, usually 25 to 30 mph or less.

· Stay well behind plows to give you and them plenty of room.  When traveling outside of a business or residential district, it is unlawful to follow a highway maintenance vehicle (snowplow, truck or grader) more closely than 100 feet when it is plowing snow, spreading salt or sand, or displaying a flashing amber or blue light.

· Never pass a plow on the right – snowplows are equipped with “wing plows” which extend beyond the truck itself.

· Know where plows are and actions they may be taking while they plow snow.

Further, motorists are reminded to make sure everyone in their vehicle wears a seat belt and children are in a car safety seat.  They also should not use cruise control in wet or snowy weather, and they should keep a full gas tank.

For safe-driving tips and winter weather information, visit NDOT’s website, 
http://dot.nebraska.gov/safety/driving/winter/

As a reminder, the Nebraska State Patrol Highway Helpline is available 24 hours per day for motorists in need of assistance.  Drivers can reach NSP by dialing *55 from any cell phone.  Call 911 for any emergency.

As travelers hit the road over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, Nebraska State Troopers will be out in force to help keep Nebraska roadways safe. The Nebraska State Patrol (NSP) is also urging drivers to be prepared for potential winter weather that may arrive in the latter part of the weekend.

Troopers and dispatchers will be working throughout the holiday weekend from border to border in Nebraska. Any motorists who need assistance can call the NSP Highway Helpline at *55 from any cell phone. The public can also use *55 to get a direct connection to NSP dispatch to report impaired or reckless drivers.

Nationwide, AAA is projecting 48.5 million people will travel by car over the Thanksgiving weekend, the highest travel volume since 2005. With the potential for rain and snow in some parts of Nebraska this weekend, travelers should pay close attention to local forecasts and also check the weather and road conditions before their return trip. 

Nebraska 511, Nebraska’s Advanced Traveler Information System, is the best way to stay up to date on travel conditions throughout the state. The system is available at all times via phone by dialing 511, online at www.511.nebraska.gov, or Nebraska’s 511 smartphone app. 

For those traveling outside Nebraska, most other states maintain a system similar to Nebraska 511, also available via phone by dialing 511 when present in that state. 

(KAIR)--A single vehicle, Wednesday night Atchison County rollover wreck sent three Illinois residents to the hospital.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reports that the crash occurred on U.S. Highway 59, two miles south of Atchison, just north of 274th Access Road.

It was at that location that the car, northbound on the highway, crossed the center line, and the southbound lane, before leaving the roadway to the west where it overturned.

The Patrol identifies the driver as 20-year-old Jacquez Martin, of Chicago, Illinois.

He was transported by Atchison County EMS to Mosaic Life Care, in Saint Joseph, Missouri, for the treatment of what the Patrol calls disabling injuries.

Martin's two passengers, also suffering disabling injuries, both required helicopter transport to area hospitals.

21-year-old Nicholas Lillibridge, of Loves Park, Illinois, was flown to Mosaic Life Care while 22-year-old Deandre Brown, of Country Club Hills, Illinois, was flown to the University of Kansas Hospital, in Kansas City, Kansas.

According to the Patrol's report, Brown was the only one of the three not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the wreck, which happened shortly before 10:00 Wednesday night.

(KAIR)--No sale.

That's the decision made through the lack of a motion pertaining to negotiations for the sale of Atchison Senior Village.

The matter came before the Atchison County Commission Tuesday in the form of what County Counselor Patrick Henderson explained was a letter of intent from the Brooklyn, New York based company interested in making the purchase. “By signing it, you're agreeing to negotiate, you're agreeing not to offer the product for sale, the facility for sale, to any other person or entity, for a period of time, and enter into negotiations for the sale of the facility.”

County Commission Chairman Eric Noll, following Henderson's explanation, called for a motion on the matter. “Is there a motion to sign the [letter of intent] with RecoverCare?”

Twelve seconds of silence followed Noll's question, with no motion offered, meaning the proposal died, which keeps the residential care facility under the ownership and operation of the County.

The possible sale has been on the table since 2015, with the proposal drawing public controversy.

The lead up to the November 6 general election saw both 1st District County Commission candidates in agreement that the facility should not be sold.

The winning candidate, incumbent Jack Bower, had strong words leading up to the election about the possible sale. “The people that want to buy it currently are in an office above a yoga store in Brooklyn, New York. They don't exist here in Kansas...it would not be the same,” Bower said during an interview with MSC News in October.

As Atchison Senior Village goes off the market, the facility finds itself at the heart of a lawsuit seeking more than $75,000 in wrongful death damages.

A jury trial is set to begin October 22, 2019 in Atchison County District Court.

The lawsuit was filed in June by the family of a former resident.

(KLZA)-- A rift between Falls City Police Chief Duane Armbruster and Richardson County Sheriff Don Pounds did not appear to move toward being resolved Tuesday during the Richardson County Commissioners meeting. 

In front of a crowded Commissioners meeting room that included City officials and member of the Police Department and members of the Taking Back Our Community group, Chief Armbruster read from a prepared statement concerning a power point presentation Sheriff Pounds did during the November 13th Commission meeting.

Chief Armbruster asked from some clarification about allegations concerning searches of prisoners by Falls City Police Officers not being thorough enough allowing contraband into the Richardson County Law Enforcement Center on several occasions. 

One of the allegations was that a prisoner at the  Richardson County Law Enforcement Center brought a small bag of methamphetamine into the facility in his shoe that was not found during an initial search. The drugs were later found in the prisoners shoe in storage, away from the prisoner.

Last week in responding to  questions from the Taking Back Our Community organization, Sheriff Pounds indicated Falls City Police Officers did not  properly search the individuals. The Sheriff said this is not an issue  he  is pushing, noting TBOC was asking why there were issues with meth getting in the jail.

The rules of the Richardson County Law Enforcement Center are that anyone bringing in an arrested person must search them before the  prisoner is booked. Jail Standards allows each facility to create their own system.

Later in the meeting Chief Armbruster asked the Sheriff to contact him when there are issues so he can address them with his officers. Armbruster said the agencies need to get along.

Commission Chairman David Sickel, who has advocated combining the Falls City Police Department and Richardson  County Sheriff's Office said it is an issue that needs to be taken care of. He called it a serious situation that needs to be rectified. 

Sickels suggestion of a weekly meeting between the entities  to resolve their differences led to a final disagreement between the two law enforcement leaders.  Chief Armbruster said “I'm in, lets make it happen.” 

Sheriff Pounds responded that Armbruster was “good in front of an audience saying this.”  Pounds went on to say that “weekly meetings are fine for a department that is overmanned.”  Pounds  noted he is short-handed and having to work nights himself due to a shortage of officers.

Sheriff Pounds says he will need to hire additional personnel in the jail to take over all the searches of those booked into the jail and complete the required paperwork.  

(KAIR)--A search warrant is executed, and an Atchison man goes to jail, following an ongoing investigation into local drug distribution.

Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie said 30-year-old Jeffery Walker was taken into custody Sunday on charges related to the sell of methamphetamine, following the search of his 416 North 7th Street address.

Laurie told MSC News the arrest followed a focus placed on Walker by the Atchison County Narcotics Division. “We've been looking at Mr. Walker for about three months now, and were able to make multiple purchases on him over these past three months,” Laurie said. “This was just the right time to finish the investigation and we were able to make another purchase and then obtain a search warrant for his residence.”

During the search of Walker's residence, Laurie said methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, and proceeds from methamphetamine sales were located.

Walker was taken into custody on a charge of distribution of methamphetamine.

Following his arrest, Walker was booked into the Atchison County Jail where he's held on a $50,000 bond.

(KAIR)--Formal charges are filed against a Doniphan County Sheriff's Deputy that has been the focus of a long-term investigation.

Deputy Raymond Hall had been on paid leave since July 8, 2017.

The Kansas Chief reports that a two count complaint is now filed against Hall.

The complaint, filed November 13 in Doniphan County District Court, alleges mistreatment of a confined person and battery. The victim is identified as James Groh.

According to the newspaper, Hall's paid leave ended in late October.

The complaint was filed by Nemaha County County Attorney Brad Lippert, who is serving as special prosecutor in the case.

In October, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation confirmed that it was “investigating allegations against an employee of the Doniphan County Sheriff's Office.”

The confirmation came in an email sent to MSC News by KBI Communications Director Melissa Underwood in response to questions posed by MSC News regarding the reported investigation of Hall.

The email didn't specifically name Hall as the focus of the probe, but said the investigation was initiated June 30, 2017, and was, at that time, ongoing.

Hall began his role as a Doniphan County Sheriff's Deputy in September, 2013.

As of November 20, Hall remained listed as a deputy on the Sheriff's Department website.

According to Lippert's office, Hall is currently free on a $2,500 bond. 

(KLZA)--Unemployment figures went up in Southeast Nebraska counties during the month of October. 

Richardson County has a 2.9 percent jobless rate which is up 3-tenths from September.  Unemployment in Pawnee County jumped 8-tenths to 2.8 percent.

The biggest increase in unemployment was in Gage County where the figure increased 1.3 -percent to 4 percent.  Otoe County has the best unemployment rate at 2.6 percent, up just a tenth.  

In Nemaha County the rate jumped 2-tenths to 3 percent and in Johnson County the rate was up a tenth to 3.3 percent. 

Statewide the jobless rate remained steady at 2.8 percent, well below the national averaged 3.7 percent.

(KLZA)-- After several months of being one officer short, the Falls City Police Department will soon be back to full strength. 

Mayor Jerry Oliver recommended Mike Dougherty be hired to fill the vacant position Monday night.  The Council approved the appointment on a 7-0 vote with Mike Dougherty abstaining.  Dougherty will resign from the City Council when he begins his duties.

Dougherty is certified and can begin work immediately.  He will present his two-week notice as a  Richardson County Deputy Sheriff.  Dougherty has worked previously as a Falls City Police officer and also worked with the Sac and Fox Police Department and currently serves part-time as a member of the Iowa Tribal Police Department. 

At full strength the Falls City Police Department has seven officers in addition to the Chief of Police and Assistant Chief of Police.  

(KAIR)--A celebration of Raven success, and a call for public support, as Benedictine College continues post-season action.

On Saturday, the Ravens took the win in the first round of the NAIA National Championship Playoff.

That win was celebrated during Monday's meeting of the Atchison City Commission, with Assistant Coach Charlie Gartenmayer, flanked by Raven cheerleaders, appearing before the Commission. “We are very appreciative of the City and their support of Benedictine College,” Gartenmayer said. “I particularly want to recognize what the City Commission is doing, but particularly [City Manager] Becky [Berger] and [Assistant City Manager] Justin [Pregont] and their progressive thinking. That really helps us at Benedictine College when we recruit.”

Following his comments, Gartenmayer called in the Benedictine College athletic band, which offered a commission room performance of the college fight song.

Once the song concluded, Gartenmayer extended a community invitation to Saturday's football game against Concordia University. “ We've got a big game this Saturday at home. Our students are on Thanksgiving break, so the people in the community, whatever you can do to come on up...I invite everyone in the community.”

The game begins at noon at O'Malley Field in Wilcox Stadium.

During the presentation, the City Commissioners wore Benedictine College baseball-style caps, provided to them by Gartenmayer.

(KAIR)--The Leavenworth County Commissioner who came under fire for a racially charged comment has resigned.

The audio of Tuesday morning's Commission Meeting, posted as a YouTube video on the Leavenworth County website, revealed that Louis Klemp's resignation letter was read aloud during the session by County Clerk Janet Klasinski.

Klemp was not in attendance.

In his letter, Klemp said he was resigning “with great sorrow” in order to “maintain a focus and prioritize the needs of the county.”

Calls for Klemp's resignation grew following a comment he made during the November 13 meeting of the County Commission.

While speaking to a female presenter, he used the term “master race,” which is commonly associated with white supremacy ideology.

Among those calling for Klemp to step down was Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer.

Klemp's resignation lettter directly addressed the controversy, saying the comment was an attempt “at identifying a similarity with a presenter "that was "well-meaning but misinterpreted by some and definitely not racially motivated.”

Klemp, in the letter, said he regretted the comment and reached out to the presenter to extend his “regret and support.”

The two Commissioners in attendance for Tuesday's meeting voted to accept Klemp's resignation.

Those Commissioners, Robert Holland and Doug Smith, both called on Klemp to resign before his term ended January 15. The Republican Party appointed Klemp to the commission in October 2017 to fill a vacancy created by a resignation. Klemp, who once ran for governor, has come under criticism in the past for making controversial comments.

(KAIR)--Possible injuries for a Leavenworth woman following a single vehicle Monday afternoon Atchison County crash that's being blamed on a deer in the roadway.

The Kansas Highway Patrol identifies the driver as 64-year-old Deborah Coates, who was transported to the Atchison Hospital following the wreck that happened shortly before 1:00.

Coates was driving southbound on U.S. Highway 73, reportedly near 258th Road, when she attempted to avoid the deer. Her maneuver sent the Chevy Trailblazer onto the west shoulder where Coates over-corrected. The vehicle went back into the roadway and Coates lost control, with the Trailblazer running into the east ditch, where it rolled over.

Coates was buckled up at the time of the wreck.

(KAIR)--A December 6 preliminary hearing has been set for an Atchison man accused of shooting at an officer late last month.

According to the Atchison County Attorney’s Office, that came during an appearance Friday in Atchison County District Court for 44-year-old Bryan Boldridge.

Boldridge faces a charge of attempted second-degree murder.

Boldridge was returned to Atchison earlier this month following his release from a Kansas City hospital.

According to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, he suffered injuries when an Atchison Police officer returned fire after Boldridge began shooting.

That happened during the late morning of October 31 after the officer was called to a residence at North 4th and L Streets to assist a utility company with a theft of service issue.

The officer was not hurt.

Boldridge remains in custody, held on a bond of $150,000.

(KAIR)--A Friday evening Atchison County car-deer wreck sent a Willis woman to the hospital.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says 48-year-old Lawrence Pentlin, of Willis, was eastbound on U.S. 159 Highway, east of Chase Road, when his car struck a deer crossing the highway.

A passenger, 20-year-old Crystel Pentlin, was transported to Topeka's Stormont Vail Hospital.

The Patrol says she was not wearing a seatbelt, but the driver was.

The wreck was reported shortly after 6:30 Friday evening.   

(KNZA)--A late Saturday morning two-vehicle Jefferson County wreck sent a Topeka man to the hospital.

The Kansas Highway Patrol it happened at the intersection of K-4 Highway and Sycamore Street in Valley Falls shortly before noon.

The Patrol says 58-year-old Lonnie Hawkins was southbound on K-4 when a car driven by 28-year-old Stephen Lane, of Perry, failed to yield at a stop sign and struck Hawkins pickup truck in the side.

Hawkins was transported to Topeka's Stormont-Vail Hospital with what were described as possible injuries.

Lane was not hurt.

(MSC News)--Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer is joining those calling for the resignation of a Leavenworth County Commissioner after he told a black city planner he belongs to " the master race."

The governor issued a statement on Saturday saying Commissioner Louis Klemp should step down.

“Racial and discriminative language have no place in our society, and most especially when spoken by someone holding a public office,” wrote the Governor. “The inappropriate remarks made by Leavenworth County Commissioner Louis Klemp are unacceptable and do not reflect the values of the county which he represents. As such, I call on him to step down as County Commissioner.”

Klemp cited the master race — the Nazi ideology of Aryan supremacy — at a November 13 Commission meeting while responding to a presentation by Triveece Penelton and a colleague on road development options in Tonganoxie.

"I don't want you to think I'm picking on you because we're part of the master race," Klemp told Penelton . He then said he didn't like any of the land use options that she had presented to the commission.

Klemp told KSHB-TV off camera that his comment was a joke.

His fellow commissioners, Robert Holland and Doug Smith, have both called on Klemp to resign before his term ends January 15. The Republican Party appointed Klemp to the commission in October 2017 to fill a vacancy created by a resignation.

Klemp, who once ran for governor, has come under criticism in the past for making controversial comments.

(KNZA)--The Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation has opened its new Behavioral Health Center.

A ribbon cutting ceremony and open house was held Thursday afternoon for the new center located at 11386 158th Road, in rural Mayetta.

According to a press release from the tribe, the 48-hundred square foot state-of-the art facility is the first of its kind.

The release says the Prairie Band Potawatomi Nation is the first tribe in Kansas to build a facility for the sole purpose of mental health care and the new facility reflects the tribe’s huge commitment to mental health in Kansas.

The release says providing a stand-alone center will encourage clients to seek services while respecting their privacy and help break the stigma around mental health care.

The Prairie Band Potawatomi Behavioral Health Center started as an outpatient alcohol and drug recovery program in 1989 at the IHS Holton Service Unit.  Its evolved over the years to include outpatient mental health counseling, dual diagnosis treatment, continuing care, individual, family and couples counseling, group therapy, anger management and other services.

The Behavioral Health Center will serve any federally recognized Native American individual within the service area.  The center also works with outside agencies accepting referrals and providing referrals as needed.          

(KNZA)--On November 14, Highland Community College employees donated enough food to provide 16 families in need from Doniphan County with a Thanksgiving meal.

According to a news release from the college, the effort was spearheaded on campus by a group of employees called The Hamper Committee.  The group includes Theresa Grossman, Laura Young, Margy Heddens, Shelley Smith, Pamela Fulbright, Sam Perkins, and Amy Foley.

Grossman, a speech instructor at Highland, noted the project could not have happened without the tremendous generosity of the college’s employees.

The committee coordinated the effort with a larger project by the Doniphan County Council on Aging and Transportation, and for delivery of the meals and pies.

The pies were provided by Hiawatha Wal-Mart and State Farm of Hiawatha.

(KNZA)--Teams from two local high schools did well at Washburn University’s 49th annual Math Day Tuesday.

A team from Atchison County Community High School took 1st place in the 1A-2A classification category, while a team from Valley Falls High School took 2nd place in the same category.

The top three finishers on the ACCHS team were Lane Scoggins, Kayla Vanderpool and Sarah Kimmi.

The top three finishers on the Valley Falls team were Catherine Montgomery, Alex Wilson and Nathan Pickerell.

The Washburn University math department hosted 187 students from 21 northeast Kansas high schools for the event.

Students participated in math testing and the “ Mathnificient Race”, a scavenger hunt on the campus for information required to solve a sequence of problems as quickly as possible.

Besides ACCHS and Valley Falls, also participating were Atchison, Hiawatha and McLouth.

(KMZA)--A Friday afternoon three-vehicle Marshall Co wreck claimed the life of a Marysville motorcyclist.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says 32-year-old Nathan Lock was driving a Harley Davidson motorcycle southbound on K-99, about five miles south of Frankfort, when he went left of center and sideswiped a northbound car driven by 21-year-old Katheryn Gregerson, of Herman, Nebraska.

Lock was ejected and Gregerson's car entered the east ditch.

Another nortbound car driven by 20-year-old Sabetha resident Laura Edelman then struck Lock's motorcycle, causing her vehicle to enter the west ditch.

Lock was pronounced dead at the scene.

Gregerson and Edelman, who were both wearing seatbelts, were not hurt.

The wreck was reported shortly after 3:15 Friday afternoon.     

(KAIR)--A Wednesday morning two-vehicle Atchison County wreck sent one person to the hospital.

According to a report from Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie, the wreck happened around 10:40 at the intersection of McPherson Road and U.S. 59 Highway.

Laurie says 21-year-old Christian Palacios, of Lawrence, was northbound on U.S. 59  when his car struck the rear of a truck that had braked to turn off the highway driven by Topeka resident Brian Thurma.

Laurie said Palacios stated he had dropped something on the floorboard and was reaching for it when the wreck occurred.

Thurma was transported to the Atchison Hospital for the treatment of minor injuries.  

Laura says he was driving a truck used to pump waste from portable toilets.

The Nortonville Fire Department assisted at the scene by washing down fluids that had leaked from the vehicles.

(KAIR)--A vehicle check leads to the arrest of an Atchison man on drug charges.

According to a report from Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie, deputies checked on an individual in a parked vehicle at the Lewis and Clark historical site on 314th Road around 3:30 Friday morning.

The occupant of the vehicle was identified as 42-year-old Andre Green.

Laurie says during the encounter, deputies were able to detect the order of burnt marijuana and allegedly found drugs in the vehicle.

Green was arrested for possession of methamphetamine, marijuana and drug paraphernalia.

He was booked into the Atchison County Jail.

(KLZA)-- The Auburn Board of  Education approved the purchase of two vehicles for the school district when they met Monday. 

Superintendent Kevin Reiman says the District is still playing catch-up due to recent losses in State Aid.  The Board approved the purchase of a new passenger van and a used Sport Utility Vehicle. 

Both vehicles were purchased in Auburn from Meyer Earp.  The van came at a cost of $28,700 and the used SUV carried a price tag of $22,900.

Two vans owned by the school have been declared excess equipment.  Reiman said the vans are in bad shape and will be scrapped. 

A couple of calendar changes have been approved.  Students will not attend class on March 11 allowing Auburn to host a District Speech contest. Teachers will be working that day.  

Due to missing two days of school for state softball and the March 11th day, with the potential of missing snow days,  a scheduled day of no school on April 22nd will now be a regular school day.  

The 2017-18 audit report was accepted by the School Board members. Reiman said it was a clean audit.

(KAIR)--A traffic stop in north Atchison leads to the arrest of a St. Joseph, Missouri man on drug charges.

According to Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson, the arrest took place around 1:30 Thursday afternoon, when an officer on patrol stopped a vehicle that had committed a traffic violation in the area of 7th and Harper Drive. “That traffic stop in the 1400 block of North 7th led to an investigation that determined that the driver of that vehicle, 39-year-old Herbert Thomas, was in possession of several drugs, including methamphetamine, heroin, and a hallucinogenic drug. He was taken into custody on a number of drug charges as well as an outstanding district court warrant.”

Thomas was also arrested on a charge of interference with law enforcement. Wilson says this stemmed from Thomas giving police false information regarding his identity.

Thomas was taken to the Atchison County Jail.

Wilson says there were two other passengers in the vehicle, one of whom was arrested on an outstanding warrant.

However, neither passenger was arrested on drug-related charges in connection with the traffic stop.

Wilson says the investigation has concluded and reports on the case were taken to the prosecutor’s office Friday morning.

(KNZA)--A man has been arrested in St. Joseph, Missouri in the death of an Iowa woman in September.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety said in a news release that 32-year-old Zackery Bassett was arrested Wednesday on a warrant  for first-degree murder.

The release says Bassett called police in Webster City, Iowa on September 22 to report that his 50-year-old girlfriend, Andrea Sokolowski ,was not breathing.

She was taken to a Webster City hospital, where she was pronounced dead.

The release says an autopsy revealed “several suspicious findings,” but investigators declined to say what caused Sokolowski’s death.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation was asked to assist in the investigation.  Locally, assisting in the investigation were the St. Joseph Police Department, Elwood Police Department, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, Doniphan County Sheriff’s Department and Doniphan County Attorney’s Office.

Bassett is being held in the Buchanan County Jail on a $250,000 bond.

Arrangements are being made to have him  transported to Iowa for an initial appearance.

( MSC News)--USDA Rural Development is investing $34 million in projects at five rural Kansas hospitals—including Holton and Marysville.

USDA Rural Development State Director Lynne Hinrichsen made the announcement Thursday in a news release.

The release says Rural Health Resources of Jackson County, doing business as the Holton Community Hospital will receive a $14.6 million loan to expand and renovate the critical access hospital. A two-story health clinic will be built adjacent to the current hospital. Updates to the hospital facility include expansion and renovations to the emergency department, inpatient rooms, specialty clinic, public restrooms, corridors and roof.  Additional funding includes a $2 million USDA Community Facilities loan guarantee and a $1 million applicant contribution.

In Marysville, the CMH Foundation is receiving a more than $9.5 million loan to acquire Community Memorial Healthcare’s critical access hospital.  The Foundation will lease the facility back to the hospital to operate and maintain the campus.  The CMH Foundation is a non-profit organization that was formed in 2009 to support health care in Marshall County.  The release says the project will help ensure that the hospital can continue to serve the area’s 10,000 residents.  Additional funding includes a nearly $6.6 million Community Facilities loan guarantee.

.

(KNZA)--A new Horton High School activities director has been hired.

Following an executive session at their regular meeting Monday evening, the USD 430 Board of Education voted to hire Larry Mills, of Alma, Kansas, for the position.  Mills will also serve as head golf coach.

He began work Tuesday.

Mills has more than 30 years of experience in the education field—including as superintendent of schools, principal, athletic director, teacher and coach.

He most recently served as superintendent of schools for 8 years in Balko, Oklahoma.   Prior to that, was a junior high principal and 7-12th grade athletic director at Norton, Kansas.

Mills replaces Travis George. The Board accepted his resignation during a special meeting in late September. That came after he was arrested and charged in connection with domestic disturbance at his Atchison residence in August, which police say turned violent. George had been hired in May.
    

(KLZA)-- Two people were transferred to the Nemaha County Hospital in Auburn Thursday morning following a three-vehicle wreck just north of the intersection of 730 Road and U.S. 75-Highway near Auburn. 

The Nemaha County Sheriff's report indicates a car driven by Cody Humm of Johnson stopped in the left, northbound lane of Highway 75 attempting to make a left turn onto 730 Road.  A van driven by Shelby Barnard of Beatrice was in the right-side northbound lane of Highway 75.  A Chevy Avalanche driven by Shayne  Steria of Auburn was behind  Barnard vehicle.  Steria attempted to pass  the Barnard vehicle on the left.  Steria's vehicle struck the back end of the Humm car as well as the left side of the Barnard vehicle.

The collission sent the Humm vehicle onto the southbound shoulder as well as the Steria vehicle.  The van driven by Barnard came to a stop on the northbound shoulder. 

Humm and his passenger were transported by Auburn Rescue to the Nemaha County Hospital  in Auburn with unspecified injuries.  Barnard was transporting six student from Wymore Southern School, along with an adult female, to Peru State College on a field trip. None of the occupants of the van were injured. 

The Humm vehicle and Steria vehicle both had substantial damage, while the Barnard vehicle was heavily damaged on the left side.

The Nebraska State Patrol,  Auburn Rescue Squad, Auburn Fire Department, Peru Fire and Rescue and Nebraska Department of Roads all assisted at the site of the crash. 

(KLZA)-- The Richardson County Canvasssing Board met Wednesday morning  to conduct a recount of the  Rulo Village Board race.

The results remained exactly the same.  Those elected will be Trevis Keller with 30 votes; Quincey Smith with 29; Nathan Popejoy received 25 votes and Dion Grier remained at 24 votes.

Keller, Smith and Popejoy will  join the Rulo  Village  Board. 

The Shubert Village Board write-in candidates  were tallied with the highest amount of votes cast for Tomas Borrego Jr. with 24.  

There were 23 other names receiving between 1 and three votes each.

Linda Patchen and Borrego were elected to the Village Board of Shubert. 

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — A white area county commissioner who told a black city planner that he belongs to "the master race" as he rejected her proposed development plan is coming under pressure from fellow commissioners to resign.

Leavenworth County Commissioner Louis Klemp cited the master race — the Nazi ideology of Aryan supremacy — at a board meeting Tuesday while responding to a presentation by Triveece Penelton and a colleague on road development options in Tonganoxie, just west of Kansas City.

"I don't want you to think I'm picking on you because we're part of the master race," Klemp told Penelton . He then said he didn't like any of the land use options that she had presented to the commission.

Commissioners Robert Holland and Doug Smith called on Klemp to resign before his term ends Jan. 15. The Republican Party appointed Klemp to the commission in October 2017 to fill a vacancy created by a resignation.

"In the best interest of the county, he should resign," Smith told The Leavenworth Times for a story published Thursday.

"I was shocked. I was in disbelief," Holland said. "He should resign. I don't care if he's got two days left, he should resign."

Klemp told KSHB-TV off camera that his comment was a joke. A message left at his home Thursday was not immediately returned.

Klemp, who once ran for governor, has come under criticism in the past for making controversial comments.

Last December, while the commission was discussing holiday schedules, Klemp suggested Robert E. Lee, the commander of the Confederate Army in the Civil War, should be honored.

"Not everybody does them all because we have Robert E. Lee...Oh God Robert E. Lee...wonderful part of history," Klemp said.

He also said George Washington probably wouldn't get his own holiday because he was a slave owner.

"It bothers me that if we're going to have Martin Luther King Day, why don't we have a George Washington?" he said. "I think George was a pretty important guy."

(KNZA)--A Mayetta teenager has pleaded no contest to charges in connection with the shooting of a 17-year-old Mayetta girl in October.

Jackson County Attorney Shawna Miller told MSC News that 18-year-old Lance Bailey entered the plea Wednesday to an amended charge of aggravated battery, along with two counts of aggravated assault, after waiving his preliminary hearing.

In exchange for the plea, two drug charges were dismissed.

Sentencing was set for December 20.

Bailey had originally been charged with attempted first-degree murder.

Miller says the charge was amended after a review of video footage revealed the victim's gunshot wound was a result of a ricochet off the ground in front of her rather than a direct hit as initially believed.

Authorities say the shooting happened at a residence on the Potawatomi Reservation October 3rd during what's believed to have been a verbal alteration.

The victim was transported to a Topeka hospital for treatment.

Bailey remains in the Jackson County Jail, held on a $500,000 bond.

(KAIR)--An investigation by the Atchison County Sheriff’s Department leads to the arrest of an Atchison woman on drug charges.

Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie says 25-year-old Laura D’ Cushinberry was arrested Tuesday following the execution of a search warrant at 1117 Hickory Street in Atchison.

Laurie says that followed a 2-3 month long investigation into the alleged distribution of marijuana.

During the search, he says deputies discovered over 60 grams of marijuana, scales and drug paraphernalia.

Cushinberry was arrested for distribution of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and no drug tax stamp.

She was booked into the Atchison County Jail.

(KAIR)--An investigation by the Atchison County Sheriff’s Department leads to the arrest of an Atchison woman on drug charges.

Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie says 25-year-old Laura D’ Cushinberry was arrested Tuesday following the execution of a search warrant at 1117 Hickory Street in Atchison.

Laurie says that followed a 2-3 month long investigation into the alleged distribution of marijuana.

During the search, he says deputies discovered over 60 grams of marijuana, scales and drug paraphernalia.

Cushinberry was arrested for distribution of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and no drug tax stamp.

She was booked into the Atchison County Jail.

(KNZA)--The Hiawatha Middle School gym will be getting new scoreboards.

The Hiawatha USD 415 Board of Education this week approved the purchase of two scoreboards from Fair Play Scoreboards for a cost of $13,506, which includes installation.

The new scoreboards will be funded entirely by donations from the Youth Basketball League, Youth Volleyball League and Hiawatha USD 415 Education Foundation.

In other business, Superintendent Lonnie Moser discussed the timeline for the hiring of a new elementary school principal.

Moser said plans are to start advertising the position next month.

The field of applicants will then be narrowed down for interviews during the first week of February, with a recommendation to be made to the Board at their February meeting.  

Current Elementary School Principal Tom Schmitz is retiring at the end of the current school year.

Schmitz, who also serves as the district’s curriculum director, explained the timeline and process of evaluating possible new math curriculum for a district wide adoption by the summer of 2019.

Among other aspects, he said the team will be evaluating whether to continue with the traditional curriculum at the high school of Algebra 1 and 2 and Geometry or to switch to a nontraditional method of Math levels 1,2 and 3.

(KAIR)--The USD 409 Board of Education will soon begin looking for a new superintendent of schools.

That’s according to retiring superintendent Dr. Susan Myers, who tells MSC News the board voted to employ the Kansas Association of School Boards to work with them in searching for a new superintendent.

The process is tentatively scheduled to start in December, and will include various meetings and the development of a characteristics profile of the new superintendent.

According to Myers, the board would like to have the next person named to the position by February, if possible.

The new superintendent would officially begin serving on July 1st.

Myers announced her decision to retire earlier this month, and the board formally accepted her retirement during their Monday meeting.

Myers will serve through the remainder of the school year.

Myers is involved in numerous civic organizations and boards in the Atchison community, and says she has no specific plans to leave Atchison in the foreseeable future.

(KNZA)--The 22nd Annual Jingle Bell Ride will hit the streets of Hiawatha Sunday.

Organizers say the goal of the ride is to help the less fortunate children in Brown County experience the joy of Christmas.

Rider registration for this year’s event will begin at 10:30 Sunday morning on the south side of the Brown County Courthouse Square.  Beginning at  11:00 there will be activities around the Courthouse Square—including mini horse carriage rides, mini pony rides, face painting, a silent action and the arrival of Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus.

In addition, concessions will be provided by the youth group from the Hiawatha First United Methodist Church and the Hiawatha Fire Department will be serving hot cocoa.

At 1:00 , the riders will take part in a parade on Oregon Street before splitting up to collect donated gifts.

Needed are new unwrapped toys for those all ages, monetary gifts and children’s hats and gloves.

If you would like to donate a toy or a monetary gift you are asked to call 785-741-0861 or you can mail monetary donations to Jingle Bell Ride, P.O. Box 434, Hiawatha, 66434.

Last year, the Jingle Bell Ride helped around 90 families and provided toys for about 300 children in Brown County.
     

(KLZA)-- The Pawnee City board of  Education approved hiring Spencer Zvacek as a full-time teacher beginning Tuesday, Nov. 13th when they met Monday evening. 

In addition, with the hire, Board members voted to accept the resignation of Alan Strong as a full-time teacher effective November 12.  Strong who retired previously agreed to fill-in full-time until a new teacher was  hired. 

The purchase of three doors to the band room, a door to the cafeteria kitchen and one door to the boiler room was approved, with a limit of $12-thousand. The doors will be paid for from the Depreciation Fund. 

Board members also unanimously approved adoption of  Board Policy5099, the “Extra Curricular Drug Testing Program as presented  and recommended by the Policy Committee.  

The performance evaluation instrument of Superintendent Brian Rottinghaus was unanimously approved as presented.

(KLZA)-- The cost for health insurance for Falls City School District employees is going up for the 2019-20 year. 

Monday night the Board learned the rates for the Educators Health Alliance insurance will increase 4.99 percent next year for health and dental insurance plans used by nearly every Nebraska school district. 

The Educators Alliance is a consortium of three statewide public school groups that manages the plan.  The Health insurance will increase 5.2 percent and dental insurance 1 percent resulting in the overall 4.99 percent increase. 

A presentation on one of School District 56 newest peer mentoring programs at North Elementary school entitled Circle of friends occurred at the beginning of the meeting.  

The program is funded by a grant provided through the Autism Action Network and Nebraska Autism Spectrum Disorder network.  

It was also noted the Falls City Sixpence program gained two new employees in the past month.  Sandra McNeely who has been a Paraprofessional and Substitute Teacher for Falls City Public Schools for the past eight years was hired along with Tyson Wessels, a Peru State graduate with a degree in Elementary Education who has served as a Southeast Nebraska substitute and worked with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.  

(KAIR)--An investigation by the Atchison County Sheriff’s Department leads to the arrest of an Atchison woman on drug charges.

Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie says 25-year-old Laura D’ Cushinberry was arrested Tuesday following the execution of a search warrant at 1117 Hickory Street in Atchison.

Laurie says that followed a 2-3 month long investigation into the alleged distribution of marijuana.

During the search, he says deputies discovered over 60 grams of marijuana, scales and drug paraphernalia.

Cushinberry was arrested for distribution of marijuana, possession of drug paraphernalia and no drug tax stamp.

She was booked into the Atchison County Jail.

(KMZA)--The Seneca Volunteer Fire Department was kept busy Tuesday, responding to two house fires.

Seneca Police Chief Jordan Weaver said the first fire was reported around 1:00 Tuesday afternoon at 606 Walnut Street.

Two people were home at the time of the fire and were able to escape the house.

They were transported to the Nemaha Valley Community Hospital in Seneca for the treatment of smoke inhalation and released.

Weaver said the house is considered a total loss.

He said the fire is suspected to have been started by a waterbed heater malfunction.

The second fire was reported around 9:20 Tuesday evening at 314 South 6th Street by a neighbor.

Weaver said no one was home at the time of the fire.

A damage estimate was not available, but the house is not considered a total loss.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

(KNZA)--An Ozawkie man is jailed on multiple charges, accused of setting his home on fire after barricading himself in a bedroom.

According to a news release from the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, 37-year-old James Patrick Hutchins was booked into the Jefferson County Jail Monday evening on three counts of battery on a law enforcement officer, four counts of cruelty to animals along with felony counts of arson, criminal damage to property and battery of a correctional officer.

The Sheriff’s Office says deputies responded to 10927 Arapaho Lane, in Ozawkie, shortly after 5:00 Monday evening on reports of a possibly suicidal man arguing with his mother.  

When deputies arrived, the man barricaded himself in a bedroom with a knife and a pit bull.

Deputies made contact with Hutchins and tried to convince him to surrender.  The Sheriff’s Office says that’s when Hutchins started a fire in the home, with him and several family pets still inside.  

Deputies immediately took action and pulled Hutchins to safety.  As they were trying to detain him, Hutchins allegedly started fighting with three of the deputies, until he was restrained and taken into custody.

Five fire departments responded to the fire.  The residence was declared a total loss.

The Sheriff’s Office says the incident remains under investigation and additional charges are possible.

(KAIR)--Special honors for a local high school principal.

The recognition is given to Monika King, principal of Atchison's Maur Hill-Mount Academy, selected recently to receive the 2018 AdvancED Excellence in Education Award.

According to a news release issued by the private, Catholic high school, King was recognized with the award “for her dynamic role in Maur Hill-Mount Academy's revitalization.”

The release says that since the time she became principal in 2010, King “has incorporated new educational systems into the school, including a new flex-mod schedule. Since her time at the school, grade point averages, test scores, and college scholarship amounts have all increased substantially.”

School President Phil Baniewicz, in the release, calls King “deserving” of the recognition due to her “amazing job at increasing the academic rigor” at the school and for “continually striving to improvement.”

He calls King “one of the main reasons [Maur Hill-Mount Academy] has excelled like it has in the past eight years.”

(KAIR)--One week after the November 6 general election, the official outcome of the 1st District Atchison County Commission race is known.

Following a canvass of ballots Tuesday afternoon, Republican incumbent Jack Bower defeated his Democratic challenger Charlie Perdue by only a 16 vote margin--691 to 675.    

That comes after the Atchison County Commission, meeting as a canvassing board, approved counting 19 out of around 30 provisional ballots and the counting of all mail-in ballots.  Friday was the deadline for the return of mail-in ballots.

Results on election night had Bower leading Perdue by 17 votes, 680 to 663.

Bower has held the commission seat since May 2017 after being selected to fill a vacancy created by the resignation of Jeff Schuele.

(KNZA)--An early Tuesday morning single-vehicle Brown County wreck sent a Horton man to the hospital.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says it happened on K-20 Highway between Falcon and Dewberry Roads shortly after 3:30.

The Patrol says 33-year-old Douglas Coulter was westbound when his pickup truck traveled across the center line and left the roadway to the south.  The vehicle traveled down an embankment and rolled over onto its top.

Coulter, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was partially ejected.

He was transported to the Horton Community Hospital.

(KLZA)-- Fire caused significant damage to a Falls City home early Tuesday morning.

Amy Olberding  awoke to a house filled with smoke shortly before 5:00 a.m. 

Falls City Volunteer Fire  Department Public Information Officer Jon McQueen said the house at 1515 Nemaha Street suffered heavy smoke damage and fire damage to the roof of the home, but said no one was hurt in the fire.  A family pet did perish in the fire. 

The State Fire Marshall's Office will investigate the cause of the fire.  McQueen said it appears the fire started in the basement.  

The Falls City Rural Fire Department responded to the mutual aid call as did the Falls City  Volunteer  Ambulance  Squad. Fire fighters were on the scene for about  five hours.  

(KMZA)--Kansas State University is saving energy costs and becoming greener by using one of the state’s most abundant resources---wind.    

K-State announced in a news release Monday that the college has signed a 20-year agreement with Westar Energy for energy produced by a new wind farm planned in Nemaha County.

Under the agreement, the college will buy 14 megawatts of energy from the 300-megawatt Soldier Creek Wind Center to be developed by an affiliate of NextEra Energy Resources.  The college says that would provide about 50 percent of the energy needs for the university’s main Manhattan campus.

The new wind farm is estimated to be on line by the fourth quarter of 2020.

College officials say the agreement will save the university about $180,000 to $200,000 annually.

Kansas State is among 14 Kansas organizations that will receive electricity from the wind farm.

Washburn University in Topeka announced last week it will purchase 4-megawatts of power from the wind farm, which will provide about 80 percent of the energy needs for Washburn and the Washburn Tech campuses.

(KAIR)--Atchison schools will keep their Native-American themed mascots.

After considerable – and at times emotional – remarks, the USD 409 board Monday night voted to keep the Redmen mascot for the high school and Braves mascot for the middle school.

Prior to the vote the board heard passionate comments from area residents, several of whom had ties to the Kickapoo Tribe. Those residents uniformly described the Redmen mascot as hurtful, derogatory, and degrading to Native Americans, and they strongly urged the board to stop using it.

The ultimate outcome came after Board member Sean Crittendon moved that the district “move away” from using those Native-American themed mascots.  It was seconded by Diane Liebsch.

However, that ended up being the only support for the motion, as it failed by a vote of 2 to 5, with board members Bill Shipley, Rick Zumbrunn, Herb Gwaltney, Carrie Sowers, and John Eplee all voting against.

In explaining their vote, several board members cited informal discussion they had with district patrons on the issue.  Board member Zumbrunn described those he spoke with as being “overwhelmingly” in favor of keeping the mascots.

The long-awaited vote followed a lengthy committee review of the issue, and a public forum last month that drew less than 50 people.

Of the 11 who spoke at that forum, 8 were in favor of keeping the mascots, while three voiced their opinions as to why the mascots should be removed.

A committee, comprised of USD 409 School Board Members, representatives of the public, and others, conducted a study outlining the pros and cons of continuing the use of the mascots.

A Facebook page established for discussion of the topic continues to draw comments from both perspectives.

The issue arose in 2016 after the school district received what Superintendent Dr. Susan Myers at the time called “written communications pertaining to the use of the Redmen mascot.”

(KLZA)--The Richardson County Sheriff's Department is seeking the public's help in locating a Richardson County man.

23-year old Phillip A. Doerr is wanted on a revocation of probation for assault, and felony charges of use of a deadly weapon to commit a felony and possession of a firearm while committing a felony.

He is described as a white male standing 5'11” and weighing 200 pounds, with brown hair and green eyes.

If you have information concerning Doer or his whereabouts, please contact the Richardson County Sheriff's office at 402-245-24 79.

The Sheriff's Office advises not attempt to apprehend Doerr as he is considered dangerous. If you see him, call 911.

(KNZA)--A December 3rd preliminary hearing has now been set for an Omaha, Nebraska woman accused of killing three members of a Sabetha family, and injuring two others, during a head-on collision last November in Jackson County.

Jackson County Attorney Shawna Miller told MSC News that came last week  during a status hearing for 49-year-old Maria Perez-Marquez.

Perez-Marquez faces three counts of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of aggravated battery and one count of reckless driving.

She was arrested last month in Nebraska on a warrant after she failed to appear for a scheduled October 11 preliminary hearing in Jackson County District Court.  Perez-Marquez was transported back to Jackson County after waiving extradition.

She remains in the Jackson County Jail, held without bond.

(MSC News)--NEK-CAP has been awarded a $300,000 grant to help local families access quality, affordable housing in its seven county service area.

According to a press release issued Friday by the Kansas Housing Resources Corporation,  NEK-CAP is among 12 non-profit organizations and public housing authorities across the state that will share $1.8 million in tenant-based rental assistance awards.

Last year, the release says funding through the KHRC’s Tenant-based Rental Assistance Program helped 760 families access safe, stable housing.

Program Director Christine Reimler says program funds help families avoid eviction and homelessness, so they can focus on long-term self-sufficiency goals like education and employment.

The release says the program helps income-eligible households afford rental subsidies, utility deposits, and security deposits.  

NEK-CAP serves Atchison, Brown, Doniphan, Jackson, Jefferson, Marshall, and Nemaha Counties

(KMZA)--A bid has been approved for a highway resurfacing project in Marshall County.

According to a news release from the Kansas Department of Transportation, Halls Brothers, of Marysville, was awarded the contract for the milling and overlay of more than 18 miles of U.S. 36 Highway beginning at the end of the 4-lane divided section east to the K-87 junction.  

The project does not include U.S. 36 in Marysville from 4th Street to 20th Street.

The bid was for more than $2.3 million.

Bids were opened October 17 in Topeka.

A construction date has not be announced.

Editor's note: the following was submitted by the Brown County Sheriff's Office.

(KNZA)--Beginning Monday, November 19, through Sunday, November 25, the Brown County Sheriff’s Office will join many other police agencies across the state, including the Kansas Highway Patrol, in the Kansas Thanksgiving Safe Arrival traffic enforcement campaign. A grant from the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) will underwrite overtime enforcement efforts that specifically aim at removing impaired drivers from our roads and ticketing vehicle occupants who are unrestrained or whose child passengers are unrestrained.

According to KDOT, which tracks all crashes in the state, the day before Thanksgiving sees more impairment-related crashes than any other day of the year. Those driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs endanger not only themselves, but also others they share the road with – such as their passengers, other motorists and their passengers, bicyclists and pedestrians. On average, across Kansas, three persons are injured every day, and one person is killed every four days in alcohol/drug-related crashes. And the crashes tend to be more severe. Vehicle occupants in alcohol- or other drug-related crashes are over 2 ½ times more likely to be injured or killed than those involved in crashes where alcohol or other drugs were not a factor.

Each week across Kansas, over 250 drivers are arrested for DUI (Driving Under the Influence). A DUI conviction will result in jail time, the suspension or revocation of driver’s license, a fine of $500 to $2,500, participation in an alcohol or other drug treatment program and, where alcohol is cited as a contributing factor, the purchase and installation of an ignition interlock device by the offender. This device requires the offender to blow into a device that measures blood alcohol concentration prior to starting the car. It’s embarrassing and a hassle.

Also responsible for needless death and maiming is the failure by many teens and adults to simply buckle up themselves, or to properly buckle up child passengers. Twice as many Kansans who die from a crash are unrestrained as are restrained. Even worse is the fact that injuries suffered by those who are unbuckled are likely to be much more severe and disabling than injuries suffered by those who are buckled in. This applies regardless of speed, and whether the occurrence is on a city street, a county road, or a highway.

Don’t let pride or concerns for your convenience endanger your life and the lives of innocent others. Drivers always wear your seatbelt and don’t move the vehicle until each person riding with you is buckled in. This is your best defense against death and injury, it is their best defense, and it is the law. You will live with the consequences – good or bad – the rest of your life. By always following these simple rules, you can preserve life – maybe your life – and certainly your cash. You can safely arrive.

(KAIR)--An Atchison man, struck by a car earlier this month while walking across a Saint Joseph, Missouri roadway, has died.

According to the obituary for Reverend Sean Roper Kelley, the 46-year-old died November 7, one day after he suffered injuries as he crossed Riverside Road, on foot.

Saint Joseph Police say Kelley was walking west to east, south of Mitchell Avenue, shortly after 7:00 on the evening of November 6 when he was hit.

Police say a car, northbound on Riverside Road, struck Kelley, who was transported for treatment of his injuries at Saint Joseph's Mosaic Life Care.

According to his obituary from Atchison's Arensberg-Pruett Funeral Home, Kelley died at the hospital.

The driver of the car has only be identified publicly as a 20-year-old Saint Joseph man.

According to his obituary, Kelly served as Associate Minister, Sunday School Superintendent, and music minister, at Atchison's Ebenezer Baptist Church.

His services are planned for Monday afternoon at 2:00 at the church.

Among Kelley's survivors are his wife, Sarah, his parents, and four sons.

Sherri Becker (left) is sworn in as Atchison County Attorney Friday by Honorable Judge Martin Asher as Honorable Judge Robert Bednar looks on/Credit: Jamie Madison/Atchison County

(KAIR)--The new Atchison County Attorney is officially installed, sworn into office Friday.

That happened during an afternoon ceremony in the district courtroom at the Atchison County Courthouse.

According to a release issued by Atchison County Human Resources Director Jamie Madison, Sherri Becker was sworn into office by 1st District Court Judge Martin Asher. He was accompanied by fellow 1st District Court Judge Robert Bednar in overseeing the ceremony.

The signed Oath of Office Friday was sent to the Kansas Secretary of State by County Clerk Michelle Phillips. That will allow the Secretary of State to authorize Becker to perform the official duties of her appointment.

The ceremony followed Becker receiving confirmation of her appointment as Atchison County Attorney from the Office of Governor Jeff Colyer.

Colyer made the appointment based on Becker's selection as county attorney by the Atchison County Republican Central Committee.

Those members voted to appoint Becker to fill the unexpired term of Jerry Kuckelman who left the position after being appointed to serve as 1st District Court Judge.

Becker was chosen from three who were nominated during the November 1 Atchison County Republican Central Committee convention.

The unexpired term comes up for election in 2019.

Left to right: Chad Starling, Mary Starling, and Tammy Ellis/Credit: Atchison Co Sheriff's Office

(KAIR)--An investigation, focused on an Effingham residence where a young girl was allegedly exposed to methamphetamine, leads to another arrest.

According to Atchison County Undersheriff Toby Smith, a search warrant was executed Thursday morning in Effingham, with 37-year-old Chad Michael Starling arrested at the residence, located at 708 George Street.

Starling, of Effingham, was allegedly found to be in possession of methamphetamine.

According to Smith, Starling faces charges for aggravated child endangerment and aggravated battery, which were the focus of the warrant, along with possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.

According to Smith, Starling is the son of Mary Starling, and the boyfriend of Tammy Ellis.

That pair was arrested in September at the same address on charges including possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and aggravated endangerment of a child.

Authorities allege that a 6-year-old girl inside the home at that time tested positive for methamphetamine use, with Sheriff Jack Laurie saying in September that a charge of aggravated battery was pending due to the condition of the child, who Laurie said had not been enrolled in school.

That charge is now levied against Chad Starling, who was booked into the Atchison County Jail following his Thursday arrest.

He is held on a bond of $10,000.

64-year-old Mary Starling remains in custody, held on a $5,000 bond, while 42-year-old Tammy Ellis also remains in custody, held on no bond.

Tecumseh - Once again rifle deer season is coming up, which leads to the closure of the Steamboat Trace trail from November 10-18 and again from January 1-15 during the two rifle hunting seasons. Nemaha Natural Resources District officials close the entire 22 miles of the Steamboat Trace trail to all users, including hunters, during these rifle hunting seasons to protect the safety of those who would otherwise be on or near the trail. 

It should be emphasized that hunting and the possession of weapons is never allowed on the converted railroad right-of-way that stretches from just south of Nebraska City to just south of Brownville. Anyone found on the trail during the closures may be ticketed for trespassing.

Signs will be posted at all the trailheads and at major access points alerting visitors to the closures. For more information about the Steamboat Trace, contact the Nemaha NRD at 402-335-3325.

(KAIR)--The man accused of shooting at an Atchison Police Officer on Halloween morning is now in the custody of the Atchison County Jail.

44-year-old Bryan Boldridge, of Atchison, was returned to Atchison following his November 5 arrest in Kansas City, Kansas.

Taken into custody after being released from the University of Kansas Medical Center, Boldridge was initially booked into the Wyandotte County Jail.

According to Atchison County Jail records, he is now in local custody, held on a charge of second degree murder.

Boldridge had been a patient at the Kansas City hospital since the day of the shooting.

According to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, he suffered injuries when an Atchison Police Officer returned fire after Boldridge began shooting.

That happened during the late morning of October 31, at an Atchison residence located at North 4th and L Street.

Police Chief Mike Wilson told MSC News the officer was there to assist a utility company. The KBI said the officer's assistance was needed for a theft of service issue.

Following a brief appearance in Atchison County District Court Wednesday, jail records state that Boldridge is now scheduled to appear on the morning of November 16 at 9:00.

He remains in custody on a bond of $150,000.

(KNZA)--A Holton man accused of fatally shooting his father and shooting at Jackson County law enforcement officers during a standoff in September will under a competency evaluation.

Jackson County Attorney Shawna Miller tells MSC News a judge granted a motion filed by the attorney for 49-year-old Derrick Bohnenkemper for the mental evaluation.

Miller says his preliminary hearing, which had been set for Wednesday, was continued indefinitely.

Bohnenkemper faces one count of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted capital murder and one count of aggravated assault.

He’s charged in the shooting death of his 73-year-old father, Gaylen Bohnenkemper.

He was found inside a residence north of Holton after the younger Bohnenkemper ultimately surrendered to authorities following a more than 5 hour standoff early September 18.    

(KNZA)--Fire caused damage at a rural Robinson shop Thursday evening.

The Robinson Fire Department was called to 2629 Thrasher Road shortly before 8:50.

Upon arrival, Fire Chief Dennis Tietjens says heavy black smoke was found coming from the about 40 by 50 foot metal building.

Entry was made and a farm sprayer along with related shop items were found burning.

The fire was quickly extinguished, but Tietjens say the sprayer sustained heavy damage and building heat damage.

Tietjens says an investigator from the State Fire Marshal’s office was called to investigate.  He said the investigator determined the flue pipe that exited the structure was mostly likely at fault.

Assisting at the scene were the Hiawatha Fire Department, Town and Country EMS, Brown County Rescue Squad and Brown County Sheriff’s Department.

(KLZA)-- Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts has announced he will seek qualified applicants to fill two legislative vacancies.  

One is in Legislative District 1 where Senator Dan Watermeier was elected to the Public Service Commission.  The other is in Legislative District 49 where Senator John Murante was elected as State Treasurer.                 

Both Senators must submit their resignations before assuming their new office in January. 

Applications for appointment to fill the vacancies in both legislative districts will be accepted immediately and until 4:00pm on Friday, December 7, 2018.  

Applicants wishing to be considered for appointment must demonstrate that they have lived within the district for at least a full year, are registered to vote, and are at least 21 years old. 

Legislative District 1 includes Johnson, Nemaha, Pawnee, Richardson, and portions of Otoe County.  

Legislative District 49’s boundaries lie within Sarpy County. 

The Governor reserves the right to seek out additional qualified candidates.
Both appointments are for two years.  The appointees will serve until January 2021.

Interested individuals may complete an application online at  Governor.Nebraska.gov. The application can be found on the website under the Constituent Services tab.

Questions about the application process can be directed to Kathleen Dolezal with the Governor’s Office at 402-471-2256.

(KLZA)--  The Rulo Village Board election will require a mandatory recount per Nebraska statute.

 Following the meeting of the canvassing Board Thursday in Richardson County, the vote difference between the third and fourth place finishers in the election was one vote.

 Seven people were seeking the three positions up for election.

Trevis Keller received 30 votes, second in the voting was Quincey L. Smith with 29. Nathan J. Popejoy received 25 votes and Dion Grier received 24.

County Clerk Mary Eickhoff said in a release the recount will be held the week of November 12.

In addition, following the meeting of the Canvassing Board, Linda Patchen and Tomas Borrego Jr. will receive Certificates of Election to serve on the Shubert Village Board while Carolyn Meckstroth and Dylan Handley will receive Certificates of Election to serve on the Barada Village Board.

In this file photo from Oct. 9, 2018, members of the Atchison community listen as comments are offered on the future of the city's public school mascots/Credit:Brian Hagen/MSC News 

(KAIR)--The fate of Atchison's Native-American themed mascots will be decided Monday.

That comes following a lengthy committee review of the issue, and a public forum last month that drew less than 50 people.

The Atchison High School uses the Redmen mascot while the Atchison Middle School uses the Braves.

Of the 11 who spoke at the October 9 forum, three voiced their opinions as to why the controversial mascots should be removed.

A committee, comprised of USD 409 School Board members, representatives of the public, and others, conducted a study outlining the pros and cons of continuing the use of the mascots.

A Facebook page established for discussion of the topic continues to draw comments from both perspectives.

The issue arose in 2016 after the school district received what Superintendent Dr. Susan Myers at the time called “written communications pertaining to the use of the Redmen mascot.”

A vote is now set to happen on whether or not the mascots will remain.

That is scheduled as part of the agenda for Monday's meeting of the Board of Education.

The session will begin at 7:00 at the Board of Education Office, located at 626 Commercial Street, in Atchison.

(KMZA)--A Seneca home is considered a total loss following a fire late Wednesday night.

The Seneca Volunteer Fire Department was called to the house located at 101 North 2nd Street around 10:30.

Seneca Police Chief Jordan Weaver said the owners were home at the time of the fire and got out safely.

Weaver says the cause of the fire is being investigated by the State Fire Marshal’s Office.

He said an investigator from the fire marshal’s office has been at the scene and believes the fire started on the back patio area.

Weaver said the cause of the fire has not been determined yet, but foul play is not suspected.

(KAIR)--Grant monies are secured as the City of Atchison moves forward with construction of an inclusive playground at the city's Jackson Park.

Approved by the City Commission in August, funding support was offered by Live Well, Live Atchison, through the “Pathways to a Healthy Kansas” program, offered by insurance provided, Blue Cross Blue Shield.

In September, the Commission was tasked with approval of a tobacco-free ordinance, in order to secure the funding.

As promised, the organization, according to a news release issued by the City, has presented the $32,000 grant for construction of the playground.

The ordinance that led to the funding prohibits tobacco use within 25-feet of all playground areas located on city property.

According to the news release issued November 5, construction of the inclusive playground began in October, with demolition, site grading, and perimeter concrete having been completed since that time.

The project is expected to be completed in four to five weeks, once the playground structures, surfacing, and perimeter fencing have been installed.

The release says the inclusive playground “aims to provide a fun, safe environment where children can be social, develop skills, work on sensory challenges, learn from each other, and most of all, have fun together.”

It will feature a wheelchair accessible composite structure, a multiple occupant saucer swing, a merry-go-round, musical instruments, and a tunnel mound.

(KLZA)-- The Richardson County  Sheriffs Office is asking for the public's assistance in locating 43-year-old Travis R. Kirkendall of Falls City. 

Arrest warrants were issued for Kirkendall in October when he failed to appear in Richardson County  District Court  for arraignment in two separate cases. 

Kirkendall, is described as a white male standing 6'4” weighing 225 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. 

A wanted poster for Kirkendall advises the public not to attempt to apprehend Kirkendall as he is considered dangerous. If you see him, you are advised to call 911. 

Kirkendall is currently facing felony charges of theft by receiving stolen property valued at more than $5-thousand.  Operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest;   burglary, resisting arrest and being an accessory to a felony.
In addition he is wanted for driving under suspension. 

Kirkendall is presently facing 15 charges including several felonies.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Kirkendall is asking to contact the Richardson County Sheriff's Office or Falls City Police Department.
 

(KLZA)-- The Richardson County  Sheriffs Office is asking the public to contact the Sheriff's Office or Falls City Police Department if you have any information on the whereabouts of 43-year-old Travis R. Kirkendall of Falls City. 

Arrest warrants were issued for Kirkendall in October when he failed to appear in Richardson County  District Court  for arraignment in two separate cases. 

Kirkendall, is described as a white male standing 6'4” weighing 225 pounds with brown hair and blue eyes. 

A wanted poster for Kirkendall advises the public not to attempt to apprehend Kirkendall as he is considered dangerous. If you see him, you are advised to call 911. 

Kirkendall is currently facing felony charges of theft by receiving stolen property valued at more than $5-thousand.  Operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest;   burglary, resisting arrest and being an accessory to a felony.
In addition he is wanted for driving under suspension. 

Kirkendall is presently facing 15 charges including several felonies.  In addition, he was named in an investigation conducted by the Nebraska State Fire Marshall's Office in regards to the use of an explosive device at the Spirit Shoppe in Falls City. 

Richardson  County Sheriff's Office Phone number 402-245-2479.

Falls City Police Department Phone number 402-245-4422. 
 

(KNZA)--The Hiawatha Police Department wants to bring back the old 1950’s era police badge as the department’s official uniform badge.

The Hiawatha City Commission this week gave Police Chief John Defore approval to solicit donations to reinstate the badge.

Defore said it will cost around $1,575 to switch back to the badge.

Defore said since  posting a picture of the old badge on the police department’s Facebook page, he has received interest in seeing the badge brought back.

He said he believes reinstatement of the unique badge is another way the city of Hiawatha can stand out and be original.

Those who would like to donate to the badge fund can either mail or drop their donation by the Police Department or City Hall during regular business hours.

The old 1950’s era police hat and badge is currently on display at the Hiawatha City Hall.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Washburn University in Topeka says it is committed to providing most of its energy from a Westar wind farm in the future.

Washburn and Westar Energy announced Monday they have signed a 20-year agreement for energy produced by a new wind farm planned in Nemaha County.

Under the agreement, the university will buy 4 megawatts of energy from the 300-megawatt wind farm to be developed by an affiliate of NextEra Energy Resources. The university said in a news release that would provide about 80 percent of the energy needs for Washburn and the Washburn Tech campuses. The new wind farm is expected to provide energy by the fourth quarter of 2020.

Washburn president Jerry Farley says the agreement will save the university up to $100,000 a year.

(MSC News)--Nemaha County Home Health & Hospice has been named a 2018 HHCAHPS Honors recipient by HEALTHCAREfirst, a leading provider of web-based home health and hospice software, billing and coding services, CAHPS surveys and advanced analytics. This prestigious annual review recognizes agencies that continuously provide a positive patient experience and high quality care as measured from the patient’s point of view. It acknowledges the highest performing agencies by analyzing the performance of the Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HHCAHPS) survey satisfaction measures.

HHCAHPS Honors acknowledges the highest performing agencies by analyzing performance on the Willingness to Recommend question as a qualifier and then analyzing performance on 18 other questions that comprise the publicly reported measures from April 2017 through March 2018. HHCAHPS Honors recipients include agencies scoring above the HEALTHCAREfirst National Average on at least 85% of the evaluated questions. HEALTHCAREfirst holds a special recognition, HHCAHPS Honors Elite, to recognize home health agencies scoring above the HEALTHCAREfirst National Average on 100% of the evaluated questions.

“HHCAHPS Honors recipients are leading the way in providing and demonstrating a quality patient care,” said J. Kevin Porter, CEO of HEALTHCAREfirst. “We are extremely proud to be aligned with such hard working agencies like Nemaha County Home Health & Hospice and we congratulate them on their success.”

Nemaha Co Home Health and Hospice Director Patricia Remmers credits a staff truly interested in the patient’s success as the primary reason for receiving the award. It is expressed best in this comment received from a patient, “ All of the staff were professional and so wonderful. They took great care of me, they respected me and my wishes. We are blessed to have such a great service to help us.”

Nemaha County Home Health & Hospice is owned and operated by Sabetha Community Hospital.

(KNZA)--The city of Hiawatha is moving forward with the demolition of five derelict structures deemed as unsafe.

Following a public hearing, the Hiawatha City Commission Monday evening voted to have a resolution prepared for approval at their November 19 meeting ordering their removal.

The structures are located at 915 Miami, 709 Kickapoo, 508 South 7th, 112 Iowa and 800 Kickapoo Street.

The Police Department’s code enforcement officer recommended that all five structures be demolished.

Karen Sweet, who recently took over ownership of the property at 800 Kickapoo, told the Commission she knows the house has a lot of problems but would like  to bring it up to code.

While the Commission was sympathetic, they did not feel it was financial feasible to repair the house.         

Mayor Bill Collins told Sweet he felt she would be pouring good money after bad.

Sweet was the only property owner to appear at the meeting.

(KNZA)--A Tuesday afternoon one-vehicle Atchison County roll-over wreck left an Atchison teenager injured.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says it happened shortly before 3:30 on 274th Road, east of Ellsworth Road, about 4 miles northeast of Effingham.

The Patrol reports 15-year-old Wyatt Kramer, of Atchison, was eastbound when he lost control of his pickup truck on the gravel.  The vehicle entered the south ditch where it rolled multiple times, coming to rest on its wheels.

A passenger, 14-year-old Payton Wagner, was transported to the Atchison Hospital for the treatment of unspecified injuries.

Kramer was not hurt.

The Patrol says both occupants were buckled up when the wreck occurred.    

(MSC News)--Kansas voters went to the polls Tuesday in to decide local, state and federal races. 

A narrow margin in the race for Atchison County Commission District 1.

As it currently stands, Republican incumbent Jack Bower leads his Democratic challenger, Charlie Perdue, by just 17 votes, 680 to 663.

Those numbers, like all votes cast Tuesday, remain unofficial until the formal canvass. 

In Atchison County, that will happen during Tuesday's meeting of the Atchison County Commission. Around 30 provisional ballots await review, and mail-in ballots are also awaited by their end of the week deadline. 

Left to right: Jack Bower and Charlie Perdue

According to Atchison County Clerk Michelle Phillips the unofficial voter turnout in Atchison County was 47%.

A total of 5,435 ballots were cast, with 1,460 of those being advance, walk-in, mail out advance, and overseas ballots.

That figure does not include provisional ballots.

In Hiawatha, voters approved the renewal of a one-quarter percent citywide sales tax for economic development purposes by a more than 260 vote margin,  662 to 394.    

The sales tax, which is currently set to expire March 31, 2020, will continue for an additional 15 years until March 31, 2035. 

John Merchant, Jr. was elected as the new Hiawatha Commissioner of Finance in a three-way race.  Merchant received 498 votes.  Write-in candidate David Middendorf, who current holds the position, received 288 votes.  Matthew Haws, who recently withdrew from the race, received 236 votes.

Richard Lehmkuhl was elected as the new 1st District Brown County Commissioner. Lehmkuhl defeated incumbent Steve Roberts, who ran as a write-in candidate, by a vote margin of 911 to 414.   

The Brown County Clerk’s Office reported a 55 percent voter turnout.

In Marshall County, Republican Barb Kickhaefer was elected as the new 1st District county commissioner.  

Kickhaefer defeated Democrat Steve Boyda by a vote of 704 to 650.  Incumbent Robert Connell did not seek re-election.

Voters in the Jefferson County community of Winchester approved a one-half percent citywide sales tax for infrastructure maintenance by a vote of 86 to 62.  It will take effect April 1, 2019.  

62nd District State Representative Randy Garber, a Sabetha Republican, won re-election to another term, defeating his Democratic challenger Melvin Baker, of Seneca, by a wide margin.

Garber received 70 percent of the vote to Baker's 30 percent.

Results from Tuesday's General Election in Nebraska.

Richardson County:

Mayor of Falls City:  Shawna  Bindle elected with 594 votes.
Carla Rhodd 448  and Write-in candidate Mark Harkendorff 345.

Ward 2 City Council:  Elected – Lucas Froeschl 246  Kaylie Ractliffe  92

Ward 3 City Council: Elected – Incumbent Mitch Merz  287;  Terry Lee Stradtman 67

1st District Richardson County Commissioner:
Elected – Republican  John Caverzagie  573;   Democrat – John  Coonce 274.

Humboldt – Mayor – Elected Robert Mendenhall 227;  Dale Oehm 92.

Humboldt Ward I Council:  Elected Jan Wilhelm 87;  Doris DeJonge  71.

Humboldt Ward II Council: Elected Dustin White 97;  Kendra Douglas 60;

Village Board of  Dawson:  ( 3 elected )  Dennis McLarnen  41;  Michael L. Wendtlandt 31;  Lyndsay Maahs 24;  Charles B. Laux  19. 

Rulo  Village  Board.  ( 3 elected)  Trevis Keller 30;  Quincey Smith 29;  Nathan Popejoy 25;  Dion Grier 24; Nathan Thompson 22;  Kraig Coonce 21;  Jimmy Coonce 10. 

Village of Verdon Board of Trustees.  ( 2 elected ) Incumbent Denise Koso 46;  Brenda Streit  45;  Jacob Bents 11;  Gale Moore 9;  Verna  Shelton 7;  Bret Lewis Townsend 7. 

Falls City School Board:  ( 3 elected)  Kevin Scheitel 1404;  Richard Malcolm 1100;  John E. Martin 1084;  Tedd Gilkerson 857;  Bob Campbell 827;  Joseph Jarred 541.  Three incumbents re-elected. 

HTRS School Board – ( 3 elected )  Tim Schaardt  879;  Scott Ogle ( Inc) 836;  Neal Kanel ( Inc. ) 785;  Leah Reyes  517.

PAWNEE COUNTY RESULTS:

Pawnee City Mayor – Deborah Klein 192,  John Dahlgren  165

Pawnee City Council ( 2 elected)   Charlie Hatfield 185;  Ric Helms 173;  R.J. Hickey 154;  Katie McAhon 61;  Write-In 122;  

Pawnee County  Commissioner:
District 2 Incumbent Democrat Ron Seitz re-elected 263.  Brad Stake 155.

District 3 Incumbent Jan Lang – Republican 263;  Democrat James Zelenka 95. 

Village  Board of Steinauer – ( 3 elected)  Byford Schmit 29;  Kristen Herricj 29;  Robert Steinauer 27;  Thomas Lutcagish 5.

Table Rock Board ( 3 elected)   Kenneth Edwards  79;  Milan Tomek 59;  Cayle  Rauner 57;   Shad Gager 36. 

Pawnee City School Board:  ( 3 elected)  Hope Koester 447;  Lisa Hunzeker  425;  Terry Borcher 378;  Bryce Niss 287;  Brady Johnson 223. 

Nemaha County Nebraska Election Results: 

County Treasurer:  Democrat Jana Gerdes 1,363;  Republican Deb Heidzig 1,223.

County Commissioner:  
District 1 – Michael Hall – Rep.  561;  Mike Sullwood -  Dem.  201

District 3 – Larry Holtzman – Rep.  505;  Michael Weiss – Dem.  500

Brownville Board of  Trustees ( 3 elected) 
Robert Sailors 52; Martin Hayes 41; Natasha Winkelman 37;  Andrea Rinkleff  32. 

Johnson County Results:

County Treasurer:  Nadine Beethe ( Rep.)  1,319;  John Sterup ( Lib) 440.

District 3 County Commissioner:  James Erickson ( Rep) 330;  Les Agena ( Dem)  302.

Tecumseh Mayor:  William ( Bill) Montz Sr.  273;  Lavern Bartels 260.

Johnson County Central School Board  ( 3 elected) 
Gail Hutt  780;  Kim Wellensiek 720;  Justin Beethe 688;  Susan Borcher  502.  

City of Tecumseh Airport Authority ( 2 elected ) 
Michael Wendt 422;  Phillip  Julifs 349;  Douglas Bernadt 147;  Jerome  Condradt  83.  

In Holt County Missouri Tuesday, voters approved selling $1.2-million in revenue bonds for a waterworks system in Forest City, Missouri.  

All of the election totals are unofficial until the Canvassing Board in each county meets. 

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Latest on the midterm election in Missouri (all times local):

10:35 p.m.

Missouri voters have turned down a proposal that would have raised the state's gas tax to help pay for road and bridge improvements.

Proposition D, voted down on Tuesday, would have increased the state's 17-cent-per-gallon tax, which is among the lowest in the nation, by 10 cents a gallon. In addition to road and bridge repairs, the money would have helped fund the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

Republican Gov. Mike Parson campaigned in support of the tax increase, saying the state's infrastructure needs are long overdue. SaferMO.com, the group advocating for the gas tax, paid for Parson's tour.

The Republican-led Legislature referred the measure to the ballot this year.

Missouri voters have a long history of saying no to tax increases. Since voters approved a constitutional amendment in 1996 requiring all tax increases over a certain amount to go to a statewide vote, not a single general tax increase has passed.

___

10:30 p.m.

Minimum wage workers in Missouri will soon get a boost in pay after voters on Tuesday approved a plan to gradually raise the wage to $12 an hour.

The current minimum wage in Missouri is $7.85 an hour. Proposition B will require the wage to rise to $8.60 an hour in 2019 and gradually increase to $12 an hour by 2023. The organization Raise Up Missouri turned in more than 120,000 signatures to get the measure on the ballot.

The effort got a boost in September when a Washington, D.C.-based dark money nonprofit, The Sixteen Thirty Fund, donated $3 million to Raise Up Missouri. The Kansas City Star reported it was the largest single contribution in the state in the last two years.

___

10:15 p.m.

A ballot measure allowing the use of medical marijuana with an emphasis on helping veterans has passed, but two other medical marijuana measures were turned down.

Missouri voters on Tuesday approved Amendment 2, a ballot measure backed by a coalition of patients, doctors and veterans called New Approach Missouri. It was one of three unrelated medical marijuana measures on the ballot.

Under Amendment 2, post-traumatic stress disorder is among the conditions that qualify for use of medical marijuana, along with cancer and other serious illnesses. A 4 percent sales tax will go to a newly-created fund for health and care services for veterans. The sales tax revenue also will be used to administer licensing of medical marijuana businesses.

Voters turned down Amendment 3, which would have included a 15 percent tax to create a new state institute to research "presently incurable diseases." The effort was largely self-funded by Springfield doctor and attorney Brad Bradshaw.

Also defeated was Proposition C, which would have imposed a 2 percent tax on the sale of medical marijuana.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Latest on the midterm election in Kansas (all times local):

11:30 p.m.

Republican novice Steve Watkins has won a congressional race in eastern Kansas that Democrats had hoped to flip to their column.

Watkins defeated Democrat Paul Davis in Tuesday's election in the 2nd District. Watkins will replace retiring five-term GOP Rep. Lynn Jenkins.

The district leans Republican and President Donald Trump carried it by nearly 17 percentage points in 2016. Watkins had Trump's endorsement.

Democrats saw an opportunity because Davis was better known as a former Kansas House minority leader. Davis won the district in an unsuccessful run for governor in 2014.

Davis pitched himself as a bipartisan problem solver.

Watkins is a former Army officer and government contractor. He overcame questions about living outside Kansas most of his adult life and being caught embellishing his accomplishments.

10:35 p.m.

Democrat Laura Kelly has won the hotly contested Kansas governor's race even though Republican Kris Kobach played up his ties to President Donald Trump.

Kelly prevailed over Kobach in Tuesday's election with independent candidate and Kansas City-area businessman Greg Orman trailed far behind them.

Kelly is a veteran state senator from Topeka. She made the election a referendum on former Republican Gov. Sam Brownback's ill-fated 2012-13 experiment in slashing state income taxes that legislators largely reversed in 2017.

Kobach promised to shrink government and cut taxes again.

He is Kansas secretary of state and built a national profile as an advocate of tough immigration policies and strict voter identification laws.

Kobach was an early 2016 backer of Trump and served as vice chairman of Trump's now-disbanded commission on voter fraud.

10:15 p.m.

Republican incumbent Jake LaTurner has won a full, four-year term as Kansas state treasurer after being appointed last year to the office.

LaTurner prevailed in Tuesday's election over Democratic state Sen. Marci Francisco of Lawrence.

He was appointed in April 2017 by former Republican Gov. Sam Brownback to replace Republican Ron Estes, who won a special election for the Wichita-area congressional seat formerly held by U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

LaTurner was a state senator from Pittsburg at the time. He was first elected to the Senate in 2012.

Francisco is a former Lawrence mayor who was first elected to the Senate in 2004.

The treasurer's most visible programs find owners of unclaimed property and manage education savings accounts and savings accounts for the disabled.

_____

10:15 p.m.

Republican state Sen. Vicki Schmidt has been elected Kansas insurance commissioner.

The Topeka lawmaker defeated Democrat Nathaniel McLaughlin of Kansas City, Kansas, in Tuesday's election.

Schmidt is a pharmacist who has served in the Senate since 2005. She is chairwoman of its Public Health and Welfare Committee and has been a key player on health legislation.

She's also a GOP moderate who has supported expanding the state's Medicaid health coverage for the poor and disabled following the 2010 federal Affordable Care Act.

McLaughlin is a former regional manager for a health services company and has served as president of the state NAACP chapter. He ran unsuccessfully for Congress in 2016.

Incumbent Insurance Commissioner Ken Selzer unsuccessfully sought the Republican nomination for governor this year.

______

10:15 p.m.

Republican Derek Schmidt has won a third term as Kansas attorney general.

Schmidt easily defeated Democrat and Lawrence attorney Sarah Swain in Tuesday's election after the Kansas Democratic Party refused to support her.

The Democratic Party called on Swain to drop out of the race in June because of a poster in her law office showing the superhero Wonder Woman pulling a lasso around a police officer's neck. Critics said the poster promoted violence against law enforcement officers.

Swain apologized but said it was meant as a metaphor for cross-examination and a zealous defense of clients. She also said she had seen injustices caused by "less-than-honest police officers."

Schmidt is a former Kansas Senate majority leader who was first elected attorney general in 2010 and re-elected in 2014.

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans are trying to hold on to an eastern Kansas congressional seat Tuesday with a little-known candidate who spent most of his adult life outside the state and was caught embellishing his credentials.

The district represented by retiring GOP Rep. Lynn Jenkins leans Republican and President Donald Trump carried it by nearly 17 percentage points two years ago. Republican Steve Watkins emerged from a bruising seven-person primary that saw one opponent label him a "fraud" and some local leaders question his commitment to the party.

"I just can't trust Steve Watkins," said Allan Willis, a 44-year-old Democrat and excavating foreman from Topeka.

Willis voted for Democrat Democrat Paul Davis, a former Kansas House minority leader and Lawrence attorney, who carried the district in an unsuccessful run for governor in 2014 and raised $3.6 million for his congressional race.

Watkins had Trump's endorsement and help from a relatively strong economy. Tuffy Radford, a 37-year-old Republican from Topeka, was confident enough about the economy earlier this year to start his own tile-setting business after struggling to find work a few years ago. He voted for Watkins.

"I need to keep the economy going in my direction," he said. "The economy's booming."

Davis pitched himself to voters as a commonsense centrist who worked with Republicans during his legislative career. He started his campaign by promising that he wouldn't support Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi for House speaker if Democrats recapture a majority.

He also stressed health care issues, promising to fight to keep prescription drug prices in check and protect health coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions.

None of those stances prevented Republicans, including Watkins, from attacking Davis as a Pelosi liberal.

Watkins himself emerged as an issue despite his attractive profile as a political outsider and a West Point graduate who served in Afghanistan and then worked there, in Iraq and in Central Asia as a government contractor. He's run the famed Iditarod dog sled race twice in Alaska and attempted to scale Mount Everest in 2015.

But he was caught exaggerating his role in a small business in the Middle East and removed a quote about his "heroic leadership" during the Mount Everest expedition attributed to his guide, after the guide told The Associated Press that he'd never said it.

Even before, Republican critics noted that the Topeka native had spent most of his adult life living outside Kansas and had not voted in the state until a municipal election in November 2017, after he'd decided to run for Congress.

Also, Watkins' father, a Topeka physician, was heavily involved in the race as the almost-exclusive source of funding for a political action committee, Kansans Can Do Anything, boosting his son's candidacy. The elder Watkins contributed more than $765,000 to the PAC.

One former GOP foe, ex-state Sen. Steve Fitzgerald, called him "a charlatan, a fraud and an opportunist," days before the August primary, though he later wouldn't criticize Watkins. Some GOP leaders also were wary of him after three Democrats said publicly that he met with them last year about running as a Democrat — something he strongly disputed.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump was a dominant force in the 2018 midterm elections as attitudes toward the polarizing leader influenced the decisions of more than 6 in 10 voters.
Nearly 40 percent of voters cast their ballots to express opposition to the president, according to AP VoteCast, a national survey of the electorate, while about 25 percent said they voted to express support for Trump.
While Trump is not on the ballot, his controversial presidency has animated voters on both sides of the aisle, with 2018 likely to set turnout records for a midterm election. Democrats have been activated in opposition to Trump since the moment of his election, while in recent weeks Trump has driven Republicans to the polls by trying to cast the race as a referendum on his administration. The outcomes of Tuesday's races, which will determine control of Congress, stand to alter the course of the Trump presidency.
The snapshot of who voted and why comes from preliminary results of VoteCast, a nationwide survey of more than 113,000 voters and about 20,000 nonvoters conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.
Democrats looking to seize control of Congress have pinned their hopes on women and minority voters, while Republicans have hoped to retain majorities by preserving support among the bloc of voters who propelled Trump to the White House in 2016.
According to VoteCast, women voted considerably more in favor of their congressional Democratic candidate: About 6 in 10 voted for the Democrat, compared with 4 in 10 for the Republican. Men, by contrast, were more evenly divided in their vote.
Urbanites voted almost 2 to 1 in favor of Democrats, and small-town and rural voters cast votes for Republicans by a smaller margin.
In suburban areas, where key House races will be decided, voters skewed significantly toward Democrats by a nearly 10-point margin.
Non-white voters cast ballots for Democrats by a roughly 3-to-1 margin.
Democrats need to gain a net of at least 23 seats in the House and two seats in the Senate to win majorities in the respective chambers.
Ahead of the election, both parties claimed the emotionally charged debate over the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh would motivate their supporters to turn out. Kavanaugh faced multiple allegations of sexual misconduct from his youth that he denied.
According to VoteCast, half of voters said the tumultuous process was very important to their vote and they broke for the Democratic House candidate. Still, an overwhelming majority of voters in both parties said the Kavanaugh debate was at least somewhat important to their vote.
Both parties' closing messages appeared to have animated their respective bases, according to VoteCast, with health care and immigration each described as the most important issues in the election by about 25 percent of voters. Of those who listed health care as the most important issue facing the nation, about 3 in 4 voted for the Democratic candidate. About the same percentage who described immigration as the most important issue cast ballots for the Republican.
Opposition to Trump proved to be more a motivating factor for Democrats than support for the president a factor for Republicans. Still, Republican voters tended to be overwhelmingly supportive of the president.
More voters disapproved of Trump's job performance than approved — a finding that is largely consistent with recent polling.
Voters scored Trump positively on the economy and for standing up "for what he believes in." But the president received negative marks from voters on temperament and trustworthiness.
Still, about one-third of voters said Trump was not a factor in their votes.
With the final days of the 2018 campaign interrupted by a spate of politically motivated attempted bombings and a massacre at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, about 2 in 10 Democratic and Republican voters think their own party's way of talking about politics is leading to an increase in violence.
VoteCast debuted Tuesday, replacing the in-person exit poll as a source of detailed information about the American electorate. Developed with NORC at the University of Chicago, it combines a random sample survey of registered voters and a massive poll conducted via opt-in online panels. The resulting research has the accuracy of random sampling and the depth provided by an online poll that interviews tens of thousands.
VoteCast results cannot be reliably compared to the results of previous exit polls, as the two surveys use different methodologies to poll the electorate. Differences between the two may be the result of differences in survey methods, rather than real changes in opinions or makeup of the electorate over time.
___

WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans were clinging to delicate majorities in the House and Senate Tuesday night as an anxious nation watched whether voters would reward or reject the GOP in the first nationwide election of Donald Trump's turbulent presidency.
With control of Congress and statehouses across the nation at stake, many of the nation's top elections were too close to call.
Democrats seized early victories in contested House races in Florida and in Virginia, but lost a high-profile contest in Kentucky.
At the same time, Democrats re-elected embattled New Jersey Sen. Bob Menendez, who, less than a year ago, stood trial for federal corruption charges. The Justice Department dropped the charges after his trial ended in an hung jury.
In Virginia, political newcomer Jennifer Wexton defeated two-term GOP Rep. Barbara Comstock. The Republican incumbent had been branded Barbara "Trumpstock" by Democrats in a race that pointed to Trump's unpopularity among college-educated women in the suburbs.
In south Florida, former Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala defeated Republican Maria Elvira Salazar.
Democrats failed to defeat a vulnerable incumbent in Kentucky, where Republican Rep. Andy Barr won over former Marine fighter pilot Amy McGrath.
Anxious Republicans privately expressed confidence in their narrow Senate majority but feared the House could slip away. The GOP's grip on high-profile governorships in Florida , Georgia and Wisconsin were at risk as well.
Fundraising, polls and history were not on the president's side.
"Everything we have achieved is at stake," Trump declared in his final day of campaigning.
Long lines and malfunctioning machines marred the first hours of voting in some precincts, including in Georgia, where some voters reported waiting up to three hours to vote in a hotly contested gubernatorial election. More than 40 million Americans had already voted, either by mail or in person, breaking early voting records across 37 states, according to an AP analysis.
Nearly 40 percent of voters cast their ballots to express opposition to the president, according to AP VoteCast, a national survey of the electorate, while one-in-four said they voted to express support for Trump.
The nationwide survey indicated that nearly two-thirds said Trump was a reason for their vote.
Overall, 6 in 10 voters said the country was headed in the wrong direction, but roughly that same number described the national economy as excellent or good.
Two issues more than any others were on voters' minds: 25 percent described health care and immigration as the most important issues in the election.
Trump encouraged voters to view the first nationwide election of his presidency as a referendum on his leadership, pointing proudly to the surging economy at recent rallies.
He bet big on a xenophobic closing message, warning of an immigrant "invasion" that promised to spread violent crime and drugs across the nation. Several television networks, including the president's favorite Fox News Channel, yanked a Trump campaign advertisement off the air on the eve of the election, determining that its portrayal of a murderous immigrant went too far.
The president's current job approval, set at 40 percent by Gallup, was the lowest at this point of any first-term president in the modern era. Both Barack Obama's and Bill Clinton's numbers were 5 points higher, and both suffered major midterm losses of 63 and 54 House seats respectively.
Democrats needed to pick up two dozen seats to seize the House majority and two seats to control the Senate.
All 435 seats in the U.S. House were up for re-election, although fewer than 90 were considered competitive. Some 35 Senate seats were in play, as were almost 40 governorships and the balance of power in virtually every state legislature.
Meanwhile, several 2020 presidential prospects easily won re-election, including Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Trump spent Tuesday at the White House, tweeting, making calls, monitoring the races and meeting with his political team.
He and the first lady were to host an evening watch party for family and friends. Among those expected: Vice President Mike Pence and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, an informal adviser to the president.
Democrats, whose very relevance in the Trump era depended on winning at least one chamber of Congress, were laser-focused on health care as they predicted victories that would break up the GOP's monopoly in Washington and state governments.
The political and practical stakes were sky-high.
Democrats could derail Trump's legislative agenda for the next two years should they win control of the House or the Senate. Perhaps more important, they would claim subpoena power to investigate Trump's personal and professional shortcomings.
Some Democrats have already vowed to force the release of his tax returns. Others have pledged to pursue impeachment, although removal from office is unlikely so long as the GOP controls the Senate or even maintains a healthy minority.
Tuesday's elections also tested the strength of a Trump-era political realignment defined by evolving divisions among voters by race, gender, and especially education.
Trump's Republican coalition is increasingly older, whiter, more male and less likely to have a college degree. Democrats are relying more upon women, people of color, young people and college graduates.
Women voted considerably more in favor of their congressional Democratic candidate — with fewer than 4 in 10 voting for the Republican, according to VoteCast, a nationwide survey of more than 113,000 voters and about 20,000 nonvoters — conducted for The Associated Press by NORC at the University of Chicago.
In suburban areas where key House races will be decided, voters skewed significantly toward Democrats by a nearly 10-point margin.
The demographic divides were coloring the political landscape in different ways.
Democrats were most optimistic about the House, a sprawling battlefield set largely in America's suburbs where more educated and affluent voters in both parties have soured on Trump's turbulent presidency, despite the strength of the national economy.
Democrats faced a far more difficult challenge in the Senate, where they were almost exclusively on defense in rural states where Trump remains popular. Democratic Senate incumbents were up for re-election, for example, in North Dakota, Indiana, and Missouri — states Trump carried by almost 25 percentage points on average two years ago.
History was working against the president in the Senate: 2002 was the only midterm election in the past three decades when the party holding the White House gained Senate seats.
Democrats boasted record diversity on ballots.
Three states could elect their first African-American governors, while several others were running LGBT candidates and Muslims. A record number of women were running for Senate, House, governorships and state legislative seats.
___
Associated Press writers Eric Tucker, Jill Colvin and Zeke Miller in Washington, Kantele Franko in Westerville, Ohio and Michael Kunzelman in Silver Spring, Maryland, contributed to this report.
For AP's complete coverage of the U.S. midterm elections: http://apne.ws/APPolitics
 

(MSC News/Associated Press)--Polls are now closed across Kansas.

Polls in four of the state's 105 counties were open an hour later because they are in Mountain Time instead of Central. They are Hamilton, Greeley, Wallace and Sherman counties along the Colorado border, but they have fewer than 6,900 of the state's 1.84 million registered voters.

For up to the minute live coverage of KS races, go here. 

Editors note: results for the following local races will be updated as they become available

Local contested November 6 general election races   

1st District Atchison County Commissioner: As of 10:55 p.m. with advance ballots counted. 

Jack Bower  ( Republican incumbent ) 680

Charlie Perdue ( Democrat ) 663

1st District Brown County Commissioner:   unofficial final results

Richard Lehmkuhl -- 911- *winner

Steve Roberts -  414

1st District Marshall County Commissioner:  unofficial final results

Steve Boyda --650

Barb Kickhaefer--704 * winner 

Incumbent Robert Connell did not seek re-election

City of Hiawatha special question:  unofficial final results

Should the one-quarter percent citywide sales tax earmarked for economic development purposes be renewed ?

Yes- 662 *                                 no- 394

( The sales tax is currently set to expire March 31, 2020.  If approved by voters, the sales tax would continue an additional 15 years until March 31, 2035.)

Hiawatha Commissioner of Finance:  unofficial final results

David Middendorf --288

John Merchant Jr.--498 * winner

Matthew Haws--236

(KAIR)--An Atchison man required hospitalized treatment after he was struck while walking in Saint Joseph, Missouri Monday evening.

According to the Saint Joseph Police Department, the 46-year-old man was crossing Riverside Road, west to east, south of Mitchell Avenue, shortly after 7:00.

According to police, a car, northbound on Riverside Road, struck the man, who was transported to Mosaic Life Care with serious injuries.

The driver is identified as a 20-year-old Saint Joseph man, but no names have been made public.

The case remains under investigation.

(KNZA)--A Tuesday morning two-vehicle Brown County wreck sent a Holton woman to the hospital.

The Kansas Highway Patrol says it happened on U.S. 75 Highway, about a ½ mile south of 260th Road, shortly before 8:30.

The Patrol says 40-year-old Koertland Beyer, of Sabetha  was northbound when he fell asleep, which caused his pickup truck to strike a northbound car driven by 44-year-old Christine Rieschick.

Rieschick was transported to the Sabetha Community Hospital with what the Patrol described as possible injury.

Beyer was not hurt.

The Patrol says both drivers were buckled up at the time of the wreck.

(KNZA)--A late Monday morning two-vehicle Brown County wreck sent two people to the hospital.

Brown County Undersheriff Randy Linck says it happened shortly before 11:00 at the intersection of U.S. 36 Highway and West Oregon Street at the west edge of Hiawatha

Linck says 58-year-old Darle Watson, Jr., of Hiawatha, was driving a car southbound on U.S. 36 when he attempted to make a left turn onto West Oregon Street in front of a northbound pickup truck driven by 49-year-old Michael Goodman, of Hiawatha, and the vehicles collided.  The pickup overturned onto its side.

Goodman and a passenger in the Watson vehicle, 47-year-old Sabetha resident Christina Lewis, were transported to the Hiawatha Community Hospital.  Goodman received possible injuries and Lewis received unspecified injuries.  

Linck says Goodman was the only occupant not wearing a seatbelt.

(KAIR)--The pursuit of a stolen vehicle was the reason behind precautions taken Tuesday morning at the Atchison County Schools of USD 377.

Shortly after 9:00, the Effingham-based school district posted to Facebook a message that was also sent via text alert to district patrons. It said the school district had “entered into a controlled environment due to police activity in the area,” adding that there was no “immediate or imminent threat to students.”

A short time later, an all clear alert was issued by the district.

Atchison County Undersheriff Toby Smith, in a release, said his office was notified by the Kansas Highway Patrol, around 9:00, that a stolen vehicle was being pursued and was entering Atchison County on U.S. Highway 59, near the Nortonville area.

The Sheriff's Office joined the Patrol in pursuing the vehicle throughout northwestern Atchison County.

When the suspect vehicle traveled onto Edwards Road, at a high rate of speed, the school district was notified as a precaution, due to the proximity of the pursuit to the schools.

The suspects allegedly abandoned the vehicle near 310th and Decatur Road a short time later, and were taken into custody by the Patrol.

Arrested was 40-year-old Quinton Wilson, of Topeka.

Identified as the driver of the vehicle, he was transported to the Leavenworth County Jail.

A female passenger was released from custody.

The Chevy Impala had been reported stolen from Lawrence.

(KMZA)---A longtime Nemaha County official has resigned.

Following a short executive session at Monday's Nemaha County Commission meeting, Todd Swart announced his resignation as county noxious weed director and county emergency management agency director.

The resignation is effective December 3rd.

Swart says he has taken a job with Heinen Brothers Agra Services in Seneca.

He has worked for the county for 25 years.

Commissioners discussed advertising for the positions as two separate jobs.

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) - An Oregon man is charged after he allegedly rammed a Leavenworth County sheriff deputy's car twice.

Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said Monday that 42-year-old Derek Kelley, of Rainier, Oregon, is charged with aggravated battery on a law enforcement officer and three other counts. Kelley is jailed in Leavenworth County.

Leavenworth County Undersheriff James Sherley said when the deputy was out of his vehicle Sunday evening after stopping a pickup truck between Leavenworth and Atchison, the pickup reversed and hit the patrol vehicle before taking off. Sherley says during the ensuing chase, the truck suddenly stopped and reversed into the patrol vehicle a second time.

The deputy suffered a knee injury.

The truck was found abandoned. Kelley and a passenger in the truck fled into a nearby home before being arrested.

(KAIR)--The man accused of shooting at an Atchison Police Officer last week has formally been arrested.

According to a news release issued Monday night by the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, 44-year-old Bryan Boldridge, of Atchison, was arrested Monday evening.

He was taken into custody after being released from the University of Kansas Medical Center, in Kansas City, Kansas.

Boldridge has been hospitalized at that location since October 31, transported there with injuries he incurred after he was shot by the officer.

According to the release, Boldridge was arrested by the KBI, and the the medical center's police department, on a warrant charging him with attempted second degree murder.

Once he was in custody, Boldridge was booked into the Wyandotte County Jail.

He's held on a $150,000 bond.

According to the KBI, the shooting happened after the Atchison Police Officer was called to a residence at North 4th and L Street due to a report of theft of services.

Police Chief Mike Wilson told MSC News the officer was there to assist a utility company with that issue.

The KBI, in a news release issued after the shooting, said that although Boldridge put down a rifle he was carrying when the officer arrived, he later drew a handgun and fired when the officer attempted to taze him after a verbal conflict escalated.

The officer was not struck and suffered no injuries.

According to the KBI Monday, the investigation is ongoing, but once concluded, the findings will be turned over to the Atchison County Attorney's Office for review.

The release concludes by saying that “further information related to this investigation will come from the County Attorney's Office.”

The Atchison City Commission Monday met in executive session to discuss matters related to the shooting.

No information related to their discussion has been made public.

(KAIR)--One teen, and two men, are in custody, arrested Monday in connection with a Jackson County burglary.

They were apprehended following a search involving numerous law enforcement agencies, which included the use of aircraft.

The trio is identified as 21-year-old Ty Daniel Haire, of Mayetta, 20-year-old Robert Anthony Witmer, of Topeka, and a 17-year-old boy, of Hoyt.

Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse, in a release, said the search for the three began after a homeowner discovered a break in at 18075 98th Roads, in southeastern Jackson County.

Just prior to the discovery, the resident spotted a suspicious vehicle leaving that location.

The resident located the vehicle broken down near 98th and V. 4 Road, and authorities, including the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office and the Kansas Highway Patrol searched for the occupants.

Later learning that they had been provided a ride by a passerby who took the suspects to Topeka, the focus of the investigation turned to that Shawnee County location.

With two persons spotted in a wooded area near the residence it was believed they had been taken to, and with Shawnee County Sheriff's Deputies assisting, one arrest was made with the assistance of a Kansas Highway Patrol K-9 unit.

The two other suspects were located, and apprehended, a short time later.

All three were booked into the Jackson County Jail on charges of aggravated burglary and theft.

Morse says the trio allegedly wore masks during the burglary and are also suspected of allegedly committing another half dozen burglaries in surrounding counties.

(KAIR)--A man required hospital treatment, and a woman went to jail, following a weekend stabbing at an Atchison apartment complex.

Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson told MSC News Amber Benoit, of Atchison, was arrested Sunday morning in connection with the stabbing. “7:45 Sunday morning, officers responded to a disturbance at an apartment complex in the 1200 block of North 5th. Officers there did locate a 27-year-old male who had three stab wounds to the back area. He was transported to a hospital in Saint Joseph by EMS. That investigation led to the arrest of a 29-year-old female who was taken into custody at the scene.”

Wilson told MSC News investigators learned that Benoit, and the victim, identified as 27-year-old Devon Mackie, lived together at the apartment, along with the victim's 28-year-old brother, identified as Benoit's boyfriend. “At the scene, when we arrived, he was outside the apartment. He had an injured hand, apparently being cut himself. We're not aware that he received any medical treatment, but he did have an injury. He then told us about the disturbance that had occurred, that his brother was inside the apartment, or near the inside of the apartment, with these wounds.”

Once Mackie was located, he was transported for treatment of his injuries. “[They] appeared to be non-life threatening, but we did know, early on from medical staff, that a lung may have been injured, and of course, that could present problems. Although his exact condition is unknown, we know that he has survived.”

Benoit now faces charges for aggravated battery and domestic battery.

Following her arrest, she was booked into the Atchison County Jail.

“What we learned when we first got there is that this had been an ongoing disturbance throughout the night,” Wilson added.

The investigation is continuing.

(KLZA)-- Tuesday is election day and the polls are open 8:00 A.M. - 8:00 P.M. in Nebraska. 

There are a number of contested races for positions in area counties. 

In Richardson County Republican John Caverzagie is running against Democrat John Coonce for District 1 County Commissioner. The winner will replace Jim Davidson who did not seek re-election. 

In Falls City,  three people seek the position of Mayor.

Carla Rhodd and Shawna Bindle advanced  to the General Election this past May.  Recently Mark Harkendorff entered the race as a write-in candidate.  Mayor Jerry Oliver did not seek re-election.

Seeking the Ward 2 Council seat will be Lucas Froeschl and Kaylie Ractliffe. 

In Ward 3, Terry Lee Stradtman is attempting to unseat current Council member Mitch Merz. 

In Humboldt  Robert R. Mendenhall and Dale Oehm seek to replace Crystal Dunnecacke who did not seek re-election as Mayor.  

Doris DeJong and Jan Wilhelm are seeking the Ward I Council seat in Humboldt with Kendra Douglas and Dustin White  running for the Ward 2 Humboldt  Council seat. 

Seven people seek three seats on the Village Board of  Rulo. 
Incumbents Dion Grier and Quincey L. Smith seek re-election. Also running will be  Norm Thompson, Jimmy  Coonce, Kraig Coonce, Trevis Keller and Nathan J. Popejoy. . 

Three seats are up for election for the Dawson Village Board of Trustees. Michael Wendlandt, Incumbents Charles B. Laux and Lyndsay Maahs as well as Dennis McClarnen.  

Six people are on the ballot for the Village Board of Trustees in Verdon.  Verna  Shelton,  Jacob Bents, Bret Lewis Townsend and Gale Moore are running along with incumbents Denise Koso and Brenda Streit.  

In Pawnee County there are two races for County Commissioner. 
Republican Brad Stake and Democrat Ron Seitz are running for the District 2 Commission seat.  Incumbent Jan Lang, Republican and Democrat James Zelenka are running for the Third District Commissioner seat. 

There are no other contested races for County officials in Pawnee County.   

Deborah Klein and John Dahlgren are seeking the Mayors seat in Pawnee City. 

Two Pawnee City Council seats are up for election.  Five people seek the seats.   Incumbent  Ric Helms is running and current Mayor Charlie Hatfield is also running for the Council.  Also entering the race is R.J. Hickey, Katie McAhon and write-in candidate Donnie Fisher. 

In Johnson County, Republican Nadine Beethe and Liberterian John Sterup seek the position of County Treasurer.  

Republican James Erickson and Democrat Les Agena seek the position of Third District commissioner.

Two people on the ballot for Mayor in Tecumseh.  William ( Bill ) Montz Sr. and Lavern Bartels are running for office. 

Four people are running for two positions on the Tecumseh Airport Authority.  Phillip Julifs,  Michael Wendt, Douglas Bernadt and Jerome Conradt are on the ballot. 

Seven people are on the ballot for the three seats open on the Sterling Village  Board of Trustees. Brian Schmidt, John Keizer,  Ralph Wusk, Tom Nivien Dwight Weiss,  Eldon Wilken and Vane Rengstorf.

In Nemaha County, Nebraska there are two races for seats on the County Commission.  Republican Michael Hall and Democrat Mike Sullwod seek the District 1 seat.  Republican Larry Holtzman and Democrat Michael Weiss  are seeking the Third District seat. 

Debora Heidzig a Republican is seeking the position of  County Clerk along with Democrat Jana Gerdes.  

Three seats are open on the Brownville Village Board of Trustees.  Andrea Rinkleff,  Natasha Winkelman, Martin Hayes and Robert Sailors are on the ballot.  

Three seats are up for election on the Village Board of Steinauer.  Thomas Lutcagish, Byford Schmit, Robert Steinauer and Kristen Herricj will appear on the ballot.  

There are a number of school board races during Tuesday's election.

In Falls City, running for the District 56 Board of Education are: Incumbents, John Martin, Richard Malcolm and Kevin Scheitel. Also seeking the three seats are Joseph Jarred, Tedd Gilkerson and Bob Campbell. 
 
The District 70 HTRS School Board has four people running for three spots. Incumbents Scott Ogle and Neal Kanel are running for re-election with Leah Reyes and Tim Schaardt also running. 

For School Board District 1, the Pawnee City Board,  Incumbents Terry Borcher, Lisa Hunzeker and Hoe Koester look to retain seats with Bryce Niss and Brady Johnson also seeking to fill one of the three openings.   

Seeking seats on the Johnson County Central School Board will be Susan Borcher, Kim Wellensiek, Justin Beethe and Gail Hutt. 

Four people are on the ballot for three positions on the Sterling Board of  Education.  Lois Lempka Agena,  Rick Vollman, Stan Karr and Kevin McAuliffe seek the seats. 

There are a couple of races in the area with write-in candidates.  Voters are reminded they must darken the oval next to the write-in candidate line on the ballot and then write the name of the person you wish to vote for.  

(KNZA)--An early Sunday morning Buchanan County, Missouri single-vehicle wreck sent two people to the hospital.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol says it happened on Route DD about one mile east of Faucett shortly before 1:00.

The Patrol says 21-year-old Christopher Barnes, of St. Joseph, failed to negotiate a curve and his pickup truck traveled off the roadway.  The vehicle struck a sign before traveling into a tree line and overturning, coming to rest on its top.

Barnes and a passenger, 19-year-old Amazonia, Missouri resident Corbin Hanson, were both taken by private vehicle to Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph.

The Patrol says neither occupant was wearing a seatbelt.

(KLZA)--Polls will be open Tuesday from 8:00 a.m. to 8 p.m. in Nebraska.

There are a number of contested races for positions in area southeast Nebraska counties.

In Richardson County, Republican John Caverzagie is running against Democrat John Coonce for District 1 County Commissioner. The winner will replace Jim Davidson who did not seek re-election.

In Falls City, three people seek the position of Mayor. Carla Rhodd and Shawna Bindle advanced to the General Election this past May. Recently Mark Harkendorff entered the race as a write-in candidate. Mayor Jerry Oliver did not seek re-election.

Seeking the Ward 2 Council seat will be Lucas Froeschl and Kaylie Ractliffe.

In Ward 3, Terry Lee Stradtman is attempting to unseat current Council member Mitch Merz.

In Humboldt Robert R. Mendenhall and Dale Oehm seek to replace Crystal Dunnecacke who did not seek re-election as Mayor.

Doris DeJong and Jan Wilhelm are seeking the Ward I Council seat in Humboldt with Kendra Douglas and Dustin White running for the Ward 2 Humboldt Council seat.

Seven people seek three seats on the Village Board of Rulo.  Incumbents Dion Grier and Quincey L. Smith seek re-election. Also running will be Norm Thompson, Jimmy Coonce, Kraig Coonce, Trevis Keller and Nathan J. Popejoy. 

Three seats are up for election for the Dawson Village Board of Trustees. Michael Wendlandt, Incumbents Charles Laux and Lyndsay Maahs as well as Dennis McClarnen.

Six people are on the ballot for the Village Board of Trustees in Verdon. Verna Shelton, Jacob Bents, Bret Lewis Townsend and Gale Moore are running along with incumbents Denise Koso and Brenda Streit .

In Pawnee County, there are two races for County Commissioner. Republican Brad Stake and Democrat Ron Seitz are running for the District 2 Commission seat. Incumbent Jan Lang, Republican and Democrat James Zelenka are running for the Third District Commissioner seat.

There are no other contested races for county offices in Pawnee County.

Deborah Klein and John Dahlgren are seeking the postion of Pawnee City mayor.

Two Pawnee City Council seats are up for election. Five people seek the seats. Incumbent Ric Helms is running and current Mayor Charlie Hatfield is also running for the Council. Also entering the race is R.J. Hickey, Katie McAhon and write-in candidate Donnie Fisher.

In Johnson County, Republican Nadine Beethe and Liberterian John Sterup seek the position of County Treasurer.

Republican James Erickson and Democrat Les Agena seek the position of Third District commissioner.

Two people on the ballot for Mayor in Tecumseh. William ( Bill ) Montz Sr. and Lavern Bartels are running for office.

Four people are running for two positions on the Tecumseh Airport Authority. Phillip Julifs, Michael Wendt, Douglas Bernadt and Jerome Conradt are on the ballot.

Seven people are on the ballot for the three seats open on the Village Board of Trustees. Brian Schmidt, John Keizer, Ralph Wusk, Tom Nivien Dwight Weiss, Eldon Wilken and Vane Rengstorf.

In Nemaha County, Nebraska, there are two races for seats on the County Commission. Republican Michael Hall and Democrat Mike Sullwod seek the District 1 seat. Republican Larry Holtzman and Democrat Michael Weiss are seeking the Third District seat.

Debora Heidzig a Republican is seeking the position of County Clerk along with Democrat Jana Gerdes.

Three seats are open on the Village Board of Trustees. Andrea Rinkleff, Natasha Winkelman, Martin Hayes and Robert Sailors are on the ballot.

Three seats are up for election on the Village Board of Steinauer. Thomas Lutcagish, Byford Schmit, Robert Steinauer and Kristen Herricj will appear on the ballot.

There are a number of school board races during Tuesday's election.

In Falls City, running for the District 56 Board of Education are: Incumbents, John Martin, Richard Malcolm and Kevin Scheitel. Also seeking the three seats are Joseph Jarred, Tedd Gilkerson and Bob Campbell.

The District 70 HTRS School Board has four people running for three spots. Incumbents Scott Ogle and Neal Kanel are running for re-election with Leah Reyes and Tim Schaardt also running.

For School Board District 1, the Pawnee City Board, Incumbents Terry Borcher, Lisa Hunzeker and Hoe Koester look to retain seats with Bryce Niss and Brady Johnson also seeking to fill one of the three openings.

Seeking seats on the Johnson County Central School Board will be Susan Borcher, Kim Wellensiek, Justin Beethe and Gail Hutt.

Four people are on the ballot for three positions on the Sterling Board of Education. Lois Lempka Agena, Rick Vollman, Stan Karr and Kevin McAuliffe seek the seats.

There are a couple of races in the area with write-in candidates. Voters are reminded they must darken the oval next to the write-in candidate line on the ballot and then write the name of the person you wish to vote for.

(MSC News)--Registered voters in northeast Kansas will go to the polls Tuesday to decide federal, state and local races.  

In addition, voters in Hiawatha will decide whether to renew a one-quarter percent citywide sales tax earmarked for economic development purposes.

The sales tax is currently set to expire March 31, 2020.  If approved by voters, the sales tax would continue an additional 15 years until March 31, 2035.

Two candidates are vying for Hiawatha commissioner of finance.  Incumbent David Middendorf, who is running as a write-in candidate, is being challenged by John Merchant Jr.  Matthew Haws had also filed for the position, but recently withdrew from the race. However, his name will still appear on the ballot.

Running unopposed for Hiawatha mayor is Bill Collins.  Collins was appointed to the position in July following the resignation of Steffen Shamburg.

There are contested races for 1st District county commissioner in Atchison, Brown and Marshall Counties.  

In Atchison County, Republican incumbent Jack Bower is being challenged by Democrat and current Atchison City Commissioner Charlie Perdue.

In Brown County, incumbent Steve Roberts,  who is running as a write-in candidate, is being challenged by fellow Republican Richard Lehmkuhl.

In Marshall County, Democrat Steve Boyda and Republican Barb Kickhaefer  are vying to replace Robert Connell as 1st District commissioner.

There is a local contested race for 62nd District state representative, with incumbent Republican Randy Garber, of Sabetha, being challenged by Seneca Democrat Melvin Baker.

There are also contested races for several state offices—including governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer and commissioner of insurance.

On the federal level, three candidates are vying to replace Republican 2nd District U.S. Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins.  They include Democrat Paul Davis, Republican Steve Watkins and Libertarian Kelly Standley.

The polls will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.   

Nemaha County Public Transit will provide free rides Tuesday in Sabetha and Seneca to individuals that need a ride to the polls in either of the cities polling locations.  If interested, you can call Nemaha Co Public Transit to schedule a ride at 785-336-8011.   

(KAIR)--No injuries are reported following a weekend Atchison County barn fire.

Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie, in a report, said it happened in Muscotah, shortly before 12:40 Sunday morning.

According to initial reports at the time of the fire, crews responding to the scene found the barn to be fully engulfed in flames.

According to Laurie, the investigation leads authorities to believe the fire was due to an accidental electrical issue.

The barn, located at 410 East 4th Street, is owned by Tim and Gayla Self, of Muscotah.

(KAIR)--Distracted driving is being blamed for a Saturday afternoon Atchison County crash that sent two to the hospital.

According to a report from Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie, it happened on U.S. Highway 73, near Osage Road, when an eastbound vehicle, driven by 20-year-old Effingham resident Mallory Eckert, crossed into the westbound lane. That caused her vehicle to crash head-on with a van, driven by 25-year-old Leavenworth resident Lonnie Marie Folsom.

Eckert, whose injuries included a broken leg, was flown by LifeNet helicopter to Mosaic Life Care, in Saint Joseph, Missouri, for treatment.

Folsom, who incurred neck pain, was also treated at Mosaic.

Laurie, in the report, said Eckert stated she was distracted by using her phone at the time of the wreck, which was reported minutes after 2:00.

(KAIR)--Following the approval of a resolution by the Atchison County Commission, a local 4-H club will work with County residents to see that address signage is posted properly on every rural residence.

The resolution was approved during the October 23 meeting of the Commission, and states that "the owner of each residential, commercial, industrial and public building site located outside the corporate limits of any city in Atchison County, Kansas shall erect and maintain permanent signage, prominently, displaying the site's unique 911 locator address."

The county will, at the request of the landowner, "pay the costs incurred to obtain materials to construct 911 address signs" and utilize County staff to construct, and post, addresses at no cost.

The previous County ordinance, adopted in 1993, required such address postings only in unincorporated areas.

According to a press release issued by Atchison County Emergency Management Director Wes Lanter, the Atchison Aviators 4-H Club is partnering with the County “to post address signage on every rural residence in Atchison County.”

It was the efforts of one club member, and her family, that led to the commission resolution. Nora Colwell, in the release, said she noticed the lack of addressing several years ago when she was involved in the fire safety education program conducted by the Atchison Fire Department. “I learned of my family’s need for our house number to be visible day and night and from both directions of on-coming traffic,” Colwell said.

After initiation from the Colwell family and the Aviators 4-H Club, the Atchison County Commission adopted Resolution 2018-1443 on Tuesday, October 23 detailing the signage description and posting locations.

Lanter, in the release, said the project will help “first responders arrive in a timely manner in the case of an emergency at a residence” as “a clearly posted address makes the difference” when seconds count.

The Atchison County Emergency Management and Road and Bridge Offices are mailing out applications along with a copy of the resolution to all rural addresses in the county. Return applications by November 30th to the Atchison County Emergency Management office at 10443 US HWY 59 in Atchison, KS 66002. Or email him at wlanter@atcoks.org.

An application can also be completed on the Atchison County website at www.atchisoncountyks.org (follow the link on the left side of the page under links and announcements).

For more information, contact Atchison County Emergency Management at (913) 804-6131.

(KAIR)--An Atchison man is in custody, arrested in connection with a wreck last summer that left his two passengers injured.

Atchison County Sheriff Jack Laurie, in a release, said 19-year-old Austin Hager was arrested Thursday.

He was taken into custody on an Atchison County District Court Warrant for charges of aggravated battery, DUI, reckless driving, and failure to stop at a stop sign.

The Kansas Highway Patrol investigated the July 5 crash that happened two miles west of Lancaster.

Traveling at what Laurie calls a high rate of speed, Hager, according to the Patrol's report, was northbound on Greeley Road, at the T-intersection at 286th Road, when he failed to stop, going straight through the intersection.

His Chevrolet Camaro left the roadway, struck an embankment, and then collided with a tree.

Hager and a passenger, 17-year-old Muscotah resident Jacob Hamilton, were taken by Atchison County EMS to Mosaic Life Care in St. Joseph, Missouri.

A second passenger, 18-year-old Lancaster resident Michael Baker, was flown by LifeStar helicopter to the University of Kansas Hospital in Kansas City

The Patrol says the three were not wearing seat belts at the time of the wreck.

Following his arrest, Hager was booked into the Atchison County Jail.

He is currently free on a $10,000 bond.

(KAIR)--Authorities say a physical altercation is the reason why an Atchison man went to jail Wednesday.

Atchison Police Chief Mike Wilson told MSC News 56-year-old Eddie Thomas, Jr., was taken into custody due to the afternoon domestic incident. “4:00 Wednesday afternoon, our officers responded to a domestic disturbance at a residence in the 1200 block of north 4th. We had a 56-year-old male that was taken into custody at a residence there after a 32-year-old female reported being threatened with a screwdriver, and also during the disturbance was choked.”

Thomas now faces charges for aggravated assault and aggravated domestic battery.

Following his arrest, Thomas was booked into the Atchison County Jail.

His bond is set at $10,000.

(KAIR)--After more than a decade of leadership, the Superintendent of the Atchison Public Schools is retiring.

Dr. Susan Myers on Friday made her decision public.

She told MSC News she made her plan known to USD 409 staff on Wednesday, and informed the Board of Education earlier in the week.

Myers said she will serve through the remainder of the school year.

The Board of Education is expected to formally accept her resignation for the purpose of retirement during the Board's November 12 meeting.

In an email to MSC News, Myers said she has not made a decision about her post-retirement plans, but says she doesn't plan to leave Atchison in the near future, calling the city “a fantastic place.”

Myers began serving in the role of Superintendent of Schools for USD 409 in July, 2007.

(KNZA)--The Brown County Sheriff's Office is seeing an increase in reports of suspicious vehicles in the county.

Sheriff John Merchant says the reports are coming at different times of the day and in different areas of the county.

Merchant says an increase in suspicious vehicle reports usually means that thieves are driving around during daylight hours to locate potential property to steal and then coming  back after dark to load up the items.

Several residents have reported some small items stolen.

Merchant says thefts tend to increase during this time of year, so if you notice something unusual or suspicious, please call the Sheriff's Office.  If you are able to do so safely, he said license plate information is always helpful as well as a description of the vehicle and number of occupants.

He also urges those who have vacant homesteads, sheds or remote areas where property is stored or kept, to install trail cameras or other monitoring devices to help identify thieves.

Merchant says his office has modified county patrols to show a presence in areas where activity is likely to occur and where reports have been taken.

He noted KBI crime index report statistics have shown that rural Brown County has the lowest reported crime rate in the northeast Kansas region.  Merchant says he feels its due to residents that actively report suspicious activity and trust the sheriff's office enough to share confidential information.

(KMZA)--A Sabetha man accused of sex crimes involving a 15-year-old child has entered into a plea agreement.

Nemaha County Attorney Brad Lippert says 20-year-old Gage Gresham pleaded no contest Thursday in Nemaha County District Court to two counts of indecent liberties with a child.

In exchange for the plea, a third charge of criminal sodomy was dismissed.

Sentencing was set for December 6.

Gresham was arrested in May following an investigation by the Sabetha Police Department.

He remains in the Nemaha County Jail, held on a $200,000 bond.

(MSC News)--It’s time to “ fall back” as Daylight Saving Time ends Sunday.

Don’t forget to set your clocks back an hour before going to bed Saturday night.

The time change will officially “ fall back” at 2:00 Sunday morning, creating darkness earlier in the evenings and more daylight during the early morning.

Fire safety officials also recommend changing the batteries in your smoke detectors this time of year.  

(MSC News)--Holton Community Hospital Home Health has been named a 2018 HHCAHPS Honors recipient by HEALTHCAREfirst, a leading provider of web-based home health and hospice software, billing and coding services, CAHPS surveys and advanced analytics. This prestigious annual review recognizes agencies that continuously provide a positive patient experience and high quality care as measured from the patient’s point of view. It acknowledges the highest performing agencies by analyzing the performance of the Home Health Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HHCAHPS) survey satisfaction measures.

HHCAHPS Honors acknowledges the highest performing agencies by analyzing performance on the Willingness to Recommend question as a qualifier and then analyzing performance on 18 other questions that comprise the publicly reported measures from April 2017 through March 2018. HHCAHPS Honors recipients include agencies scoring above the HEALTHCAREfirst National Average on at least 85% of the evaluated questions. HEALTHCAREfirst holds a special recognition, HHCAHPS Honors Elite, to recognize home health agencies scoring above the HEALTHCAREfirst National Average on 100% of the evaluated questions.

“HHCAHPS Honors recipients are leading the way in providing and demonstrating a quality patient care,” said J. Kevin Porter, CEO of HEALTHCAREfirst. “We are extremely proud to be aligned with such hard working agencies like Holton Community Hospital Home Health and we congratulate them on their success.”

Holton Community Hospital CEO Carrie Saia said, “This is the second consecutive year we have received this honor. We are blessed to have such a dedicated, caring and professional group of individuals who provide care to our patients and families. Our staff members are a part of our community and often know the individuals they are providing care to, which is very reassuring to our patients. I am very proud of all of our staff who are a part of the team delivering care to be recognized for their efforts.”

Holton Community Hospital is a 501c3 Not-for-Profit Corporation governed by a eight member Board of Directors. Designated as a Critical Access Hospital, Holton Community Hospital, together with our Provider Group, Family Practice Associates, offers vital health care services to Holton, Hoyt, Wetmore and surrounding areas.

(KMZA)--An Omaha, Nebraska man convicted in Nemaha County, Kansas on a pair of child sex charges  has learned his fate.

Nemaha County Brad Lippert says 48-year-old Daniel Russo was sentenced Thursday in Nemaha County District Court to a total of 118 months in prison on two counts of sexual exploitation of a child.  However, Lippert says the sentence was suspended and Russo was placed on probation for 36 months. As a condition of his probation, he must serve 60 days in the Nemaha County Jail.

Russo was also ordered to register as a sex offender for a period of 25 years.

He pleaded no contest to the charges in September.

Russo was arrested in May following an investigation by the Nemaha County Sheriff's Department, Hiawatha Police Department and Omaha Police Department.

(KNZA)--An amended charge has been filed against a Mayetta teenager who had faced an attempted 1st degree murder charge in the shooting a 17-year-old Mayetta girl last month.

Jackson County Attorney Shawna Miller Tuesday filed an amended complaint in Jackson County District Court charging 18-year-old Lance Bailey with a reduced charge of aggravated battery.

Bailey also faces two counts of aggravated assault, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia

Miller told MSC news that a preliminary hearing in the case, which had scheduled for Wednesday, was continued to November 14.

Authorities say the shooting happened at a residence on the Potawatomi Reservation October 3rd during what’s believed to have been a verbal altercation.

Jackson County Sheriff Tim Morse says a car occupied by three females drove into the driveway of the residence when Bailey allegedly opened fire with a rifle, striking the victim twice who was then standing in the drive.

The three girls left the scene in the vehicle and called law enforcement.

The victim was transported to a Topeka hospital for treatment of her gunshot wounds.

Bailey remains in the Jackson County Jail,  held on a $500,000 bond.

(KAIR)--Advance voting for the November 6 general election ends Monday at noon.

Prior to the deadline, Atchison County voters still have time to cast their ballots early.

County Clerk Michelle Phillips says that can be accomplished Friday, November 2, at her office, inside the Atchison County Courthouse, from 8:30 until 5:00.

The final time frame to cast an advance ballot will be Monday, at the same location, from 8:30 until 12 noon.

Voters are deciding numerous state and federal elections, along with one key, contested Atchison County race.

Voters will select the next 1st District Atchison County Commissioner, as Republican Jack Bower and Democrat Charlie Perdue vie for the seat.

Those who opt to skip advanced voting can cast their ballots on Tuesday.

Polls will be open from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m.

(KAIR)--A new Atchison County Attorney is selected, chosen through a vote during a convention of the Atchison County Republican Central Committee Thursday evening at the Atchison County Courthouse.

Following nominations, which led to the selection of three nominees who explained why they should be selected, votes were cast.

Central Committee Chairman Derek Franklin, serving as Convention Chair, announced the selection. “Sherri Becker is our new County Attorney, Franklin told the Committeemen and Committeewomen in attendance at the Atchison County Courthouse.

Sherri Becker defeated local attorneys Allen Ternent and Andrew Werring in gaining the position. “I'm very excited,” Becker told MSC News moments after her selection was announced. “I've always loved being a prosecutor, and I can't wait to put my skills to use in our community. I'm from here, grew up here, so I'm excited to be able to represent our community, and I hope that I'll make everyone proud.”

Becker told MSC News that despite the numerous goals that come with the office, community safety is her key aspiration. “There's so many goals as a prosecutor, but really it's to keep the community safe. It's to be the voice for victims, whether they're strong enough to do it on their own, or they're not, so listen to them. But really, it's to hold people accountable for the things that they do, and to try to keep our community safe.”

Becker will begin serving in the role once she is formally appointed to the position by Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer.

The unexpired term, which comes up for election in 2019, was vacated by Jerry Kuckelman, who resigned last week following his selection to serve as 1st District Court Judge.