Kansas Governor Vetoes GOP Income Tax Cuts
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Democratic Governor Laura Kelly has vetoed proposed income tax cuts and accused GOP lawmakers of trying to revive a nationally notorious fiscal experiment. The bill Kelly vetoed yesterday (FRI) would have saved individuals and businesses $284 million over three years. Republicans could try to override her veto next month. GOP legislators have said they want to provide relief to individuals and businesses whose state income taxes have risen because of changes in federal income tax laws. But Kelly has repeatedly recalled the persistent budget shortfalls that followed income tax cuts in 2012 and 2013 under then-GOP Governor Sam Brownback.
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Some Kansas Counties Turn Down COVID Vaccine as Demand Slows
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Some Kansas counties are rejecting new COVID-19 vaccine shipments or reducing their orders because of decreased demand for the drugs, worrying health officials who say mass vaccinations are the only path to a return to normalcy. Kansas Association of Local Health Departments executive director Dennis Kriesel said yesterday (FRI) that the shift occurred in the past couple weeks. The state opened vaccine eligibility on March 29th to all residents 16 and older. That led to an uptick in demand in mostly urban areas, but some rural counties already had already begun vaccinating anyone of age who requested it. Nearly four months into the vaccination effort, providers are beginning to run out of people who want to be immunized.
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Leavenworth Police Arrest Three in Shooting Death of 12-year-old
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — Leavenworth police say a 12-year-old boy who was shot to death outside a pharmacy was not the intended victim. Police say Brian Henderson Jr., of Kansas City, Missouri, was shot Wednesday night near the Kare Pharmacy in Leavenworth. He died at a Kansas City hospital. Leavenworth Police Chief Pat Kitchens says officers called to the pharmacy didn’t find any victims, but were notified later about Henderson’s death. Kitchens said it’s “very clear” that the child was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Two suspects, 25-year-old Darvon Thomas, and a 17-year-old male, have been charged with murder. A third suspect has been arrested in connection with the shooting. Investigators are still trying to determine what prompted the shooting.
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Federal Agency to Send Review Team to Haskell University
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The federal agency that oversees Haskell Indian Nations University plans to send a team to the Lawrence campus following a faculty no-confidence vote in its president. The Lawrence Journal-World reports the Bureau of Indian Education said in a message to university employees that an “impartial administrative review team” would arrive Monday to gather information on student and staff concerns. The Faculty Senate unanimously declared earlier this month that it had no confidence in Haskell President Ronald Graham, alleging he has shown disdain for the free speech rights of students and faculty and a disregard for academic freedom. Graham did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Journal-World.
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State Dept. Watchdog: Pompeo, Wife Violated Ethics Rules
WASHINGTON (AP) — The State Department’s internal watchdog has concluded that former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and his wife violated federal ethics rules by asking staffers to run personal errands and perform non-official work for them. In a report released yesterday (FRI), the department’s inspector general concluded that those requests were “inconsistent” with the regulations. But, because Pompeo is no longer a federal employee, it did not call for any action against the former secretary who left office on January 20th. Instead, it recommended that the State Department clarify its policies to better define tasks that are inappropriate for staffers and make it easier to report alleged violations. The department accepted all recommendations in its response to the report.
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Remains of Wichita Man who Died at Pearl Harbor Identified
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A 20-year-old Wichita man who died in the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941 will be laid to rest in his native state in May. Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency said Thursday the remains of Robert Goodwin were identified using dental and anthropological analysis. Goodwin was a Cook 3rd Class on the USS Oklahoma when it was hit by multiple torpedoes during the attack by the Japanese. Goodwin was among 429 crewmen on the ship who died. A burial service is planned May 14th in Topeka. His remains were among those buried in 46 plots at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu.