TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The Kansas House has given first-round approval to a bill amending state law on mandatory reporting of alleged child abuse. Supporters said Wednesday the changes were in direct response to the allegations of child sex abuse at Penn State University involving former football defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky.
The bill expands the list of individuals required to report allegations of child abuse to authorities for investigation. It also strengthens the penalty for failure to report cases of suspected sexual abuse. It also would remove the defense that a person believed someone else was going to file the report, unless a report had actually been made, or that a person did not make a report for fear of reprisal or any other consequence.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - Kansas has received bids from five companies for three contracts for managing the state's $2.9 billion Medicaid program. Legislators who have been skeptical of Gov. Sam Brownback's Medicaid overhaul plan saw the number of bidders Wednesday as relatively low and suggested it signals trouble. Medicaid provides health coverage for the needy, disabled and elderly.
But House Majority Leader Arlen Siegfreid, an Olathe Republican, said he thinks the five bids are sufficient for a competitive process. Brownback's administration plans to award the contracts this summer. The bidders include Amerigroup Corp., of Virginia Beach, Va.; Wichita-based Coventry Health Care of Kansas; and Sunflower State Health Plan, based in Topeka. Also bidding are Minnesota-based United Healthcare and WellCare of Kansas Inc., based in Tampa, Fla.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - The Kansas Senate has given first-round approval to Gov. Sam Brownback's plan to modify technical education programs. The measure advanced Wednesday on a voice vote. Final action planned for Thursday would send the bill to the House.
The proposal would provide incentives for high school students who don't plan to pursue four-year degrees and are interested in a career in a vocational or technical program. The plan would allow them to earn certificates in qualified programs through community or technical colleges while still in high school. Financial incentives would be included to encourage high schools and technical schools to develop the certificate programs and get students trained. The plan was part of Brownback's school finance proposal.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) - A Kansas lawmaker says a run-in with a deer made him see a proposal on crossbow hunting in a new light. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that House Republican Anthony Brown voted Tuesday against a bill creating a crossbow hunting season. But when the bill came up for a final vote Wednesday, Brown was for it. The measure now goes to the Senate.
Brown says he was driving home from Topeka to the Douglas County town of Eudora on Tuesday night when a collision with a large doe did substantial damage to his truck. He says a deputy told him it was the second deer-related accident he'd worked that night. The bill would clear the way for Kansas to create a crossbow hunting season for deer, antelope, elk and wild turkey.
In the small town of Hoyt, there is a post office, a water tower, a church, a school, and even a few stop signs. All things that make up a respectable town. But most people don't know that in a local's backyard, a whole other kind of town awaits.
Greg Porter built a western wonderland with a few scraps, his bare hands, and one creative imagination. He says, "Everybody thought I was kind of kidding when I said well I think I'll build a bank. At that time they were kind of having trouble with the banks and the economy and I thought maybe I could get a bailout stimulus package. No, not really. We just kind of built it for fun."
Fun is a serious understatement. Greg says sharing the cowtown with his granddaughter brings back fond memories from his childhood. He says, "I had great memories as a kid. You've got to remember where you come from."
Chickens live on one side of the village and goldfish garnish the pond. Greg says the sounds of the critters embracing the environment rewards him for all of the upkeep. He says, "You get off work, come back here, have your ice tea and just sit and think. Kind of reflect on the day."
No matter where the wind takes them, their family will always reflect back on the village. The Porters want to move to the outskirts of town and would like to sell it before they go.
For anyone interested in buying it, the ad is on eBay and Craigslist for $20,000. Greg says you can also find them in the phone book under Porter Construction.
In 1962 Lanny Ellis hocked his Chicago lifestyle to venture in the pawn shop business with his brother Darrell Johnson.
Ellis says "it was really my brother's idea that he rubbed off from one of his acquaintances"
A part of the store's history includes a lot of changes from the 66' tornado destroying the original location, to the impact of new technology, to the diverse group of people it attracts.
He says "expanded from what it used to be, the very very low end on the pay scale to people that have a good earning"
Store manager Phil Slater believes some people have a negative image of hock shops but says a slew of pawn shop themed TV shows is slowly changing that view. He says "pawn stars and all that have really changed what everyone thought and you know that's why we did a lot of remodeling is to show people that it's not somewhere they need to be scared of"
Ellis says "but that show in two years since its been on the network has probably done more to us to upgrade our image and bring people into the pawn shops that for some reason had been apprehensive to walk into the front door"
He says over the years, many interesting collectibles have made their way into his shop: from sports memorabilia, motorcycles, rare coins and then some.
He says "had artificial teeth offered to me with gold caps and had a guy with an artificial limb wanted to pawn his leg. I didn't take it."
Slater says "the weirdest thing that someone brought in to try and pawn was on Thanksgiving they tried to bring in their turkey to just try to get a couple of extra dollars."
Ellis believes it's the customer service and honest reputation that has made Capital City Pawn shop so successful.
He says "my philosophy is kill them with kindness and they will beat a path right back to your door"
The brothers own 9 Locations in Kansas and Nebraska.
Passing clouds and mild for tonight with lows near 40. Northwest breezes around 10mph.
Mostly sunny to partly cloudy on Thursday. After an early day cold front passage, temperatures will only top out in the lower 50s with northwest winds 20-30mph.
Continued breezy on Friday with a high in the middle 40s. Slightly warmer weather should build back in over the weekend.
One new KU-based website is changing the way young Kansans see politics.
"It makes it really hard if you go on the internet or watch TV. It makes it really difficult to get something legitimate," said Washburn University student Jake Overbey.
Washburn students share what they think about politics in the news.
"There's just a general disinterest or apathy toward the younger generation when talking about politics," said Andrew Ginn, another Washburn student. "Any attempt to get younger people involved in politics is great because coming out of high school there was really a huge just disinterest," Ginn said.
"Candidates and even the news in media understand that most of the kids - most of the younger generations - are not watching those channels. They don't care as much," Overbey said.
The grant-funded website launched february first. Politicalfiber.com is just for young voters.
"Our big focus is to write political news as it relates to young people," said Michael Holtz, one reporter for the site.
Politicalfiber.com is not focused on being the first to report a story.
"We're leaving that to other people. Ours is more in-depth, trying to contextualize things and relate them to young people," Holtz said.
Run mostly by a group of paid and unpaid students, the goal is to give young adults what they want.
"For example, right now in Kansas, people are talking about Brownback's tax overhaul," said Brianne Pfannenstiel, the site's editor. "So a lot of major media organizations are going to talk about property taxes because that has a significant impact on a lot of Kansans. But young readers don't own property so we're not going to focus on that," Pfannenstiel said.
Although the site is experimental, it was built using a study conducted at another university.
"We kind of based a lot of our decisions on a study that was done by Northwestern University during the 2008 Presidentail Campaign where they looked at what young people wanted out of media," Pfannenstiel said.
Pfannanstiel says the site may relaunch each election year and may also serve as a model for others.
KU Journalism Chair Pam Fine originated the idea for the website. It is currently scheduled to run through the end of 2012.
GO Topeka, the economic development arm of the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce, is proposing substantial changes to the revised rezoning plan for the South Topeka Economic Growth Corridor. "We believe these changes," said Doug Kinsinger, Chamber/GO Topeka president and CEO, "accommodate the vast majority of the individual property owners desires and still attains the primary goal of planning for future economic development in Shawnee County."
As the public hearings have progressed over the past week, GO Topeka has supported the Shawnee County Planning Department's recent modifications to the original rezoning proposal in the South Topeka Economic Growth Corridor. "After taking into account the property owners' valuable feedback along with guidance from the Shawnee County Planning Department, we have suggested some revisions to our original proposal," said Kinsinger.
The Shawnee County Planning Department has recommended changes to the original plan. Their changes state that properties in Areas 2, 3, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 20 be retained under their existing residential classification of RR-1 subject to a higher minimum lot size requirement of 10 acres. County planning staff recommended one exception which would retain the current PUD zoning in Area 3.
The county planning staff also recommended that the property in Areas 13, 14, 15, 16 and 19 retain their existing residential classification of RR-1 but they would be limited to a minimum lot size of 20 acres and 400-ft frontage.
On Wednesday morning, GO Topeka proposed additional changes (as reflected on the attached map) which include:
·Removing area 22 from the proposal.
·Retaining Light Industrial (I-1) zoning in northern and western portions of area 1, and in areas 4, 5, 12, 17 and 21, the south and eastern portion of area 11, and all of 18 with the exception of the existing PUD and I-2 zoning.
·Removing the proposed zoning of C-3 and O &I-2 in areas 2, 3, 7, 8, 9 and 10, and replacing those classifications with residential zoning of RR-1 with a 10-acre lot minimum.
·Removal of proposed I-1 zoning in areas 13, 14, 15, 16, 19, and 20 and replacing it with residential zoning of RR-1 with a 10 acre lot minimum.
Basically GO Topeka has dropped the previously requested non-residential zoning west and north of Montara, asking for residential zoning with a 10-acre lot minimum and a 200 foot minimum frontage. Additionally, GO Topeka is making the same recommendation for all properties in the proposed rezoning area south of 85th Street.
"In an attempt to find the best use of land to enable economic growth, GO Topeka has lengthened this rezoning process beyond the normal requirements by mailing out additional notifications, placing ads in the newspaper as well as hosting three open houses to receive input from the property owners," said Kinsinger.
"We believe those extra steps have provided us the input to come to a solution that will help support the needs of the property owners in the area and still demonstrate appropriate planning principles to proactively plan for the future. While we believe the South Topeka Economic Growth Corridor is the best place for future industrial growth and job creation, we also realize that the property owners in this area have valid concerns and we are trying to accommodate them in this new plan."
"GO Topeka is confident this revised plan will provide a level of confidence to land owners and the community that we are planning for the future growth of Topeka and Shawnee County," Kinsinger added.