Wire
Sunflower pleased with dismissal of two lawsuits in Finney County
TOPEKA (AP) — The Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s general counsel is responding to a recent court ruling involving two proposed coal-fired power plants. Sunflower Electric Power Corp. wants to build the plants in Finney County. In October, Department of Health and Environment Secretary Rod Bremby denied the utility an air-quality permit, inspiring six separate legal challenges. Sunflower and a partner filed separate lawsuits ...
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Iraqi-born soldier sues over citizenship delay
David Twiddy Associated Press Writer KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — An Iraqi-born U.S. soldier who applied for U.S. citizenship more than a year ago has filed suit, claiming federal officials have ignored their own deadlines for processing citizenship applications. The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit Tuesday in the U.S. District Court of Kansas on behalf of Army Spc. Julian Polous Al Matchy, whom the organization says is a membe...
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Youngsters urged to bike, walk to school
The Associated Press Megan Schroeder rides her bike or walks to school to do her part to help the planet. She also likes the incentives that her school, Bear Creek Elementary, uses to reward kids who ditch mom or dad’s car in favor of biking or walking. “You get treats, too — usually some kind of food. I won a bike at the awards ceremony,” said Megan, 8, of Boulder, Colo. “Since I like animals, I want to save the environment.” Across the...
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Celebrities
Boy band promoter ordered to repay victims $300M ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Lou Pearlman and federal authorities have finally agreed on how much the former boy band promoter swindled from banks and investors in a decades-long scam: a staggering $300 million. That’s how much creator of the Backstreet Boys and ’N Sync will have to repay, at a minimum, for restitution on the fraud conviction for which he’s serving a 25-year prison sentence. U.S. Distr...
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1st Division celebrates history at Fort Riley
John Milburn Associated Press Writer FORT RILEY (AP) — Thousands of soldiers laced up running shoes instead of boots and hit the asphalt just after dawn Tuesday to help celebrate the Army’s oldest division and honor members who have died in combat. The 5-mile run around Custer Hill by 12,000 soldiers of the 1st Infantry Division was part of its first Victory Week celebration. The division’s headquarters is there, as is most soldiers’ hous...
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Judge refuses to dismiss charges against Schneider in ‘pill mill’ case
Roxana Hegeman Associated Press Writer WICHITA (AP) — A federal judge on Tuesday denied defense motions to dismiss an indictment against a Haysville physician accused of running a “pill mill” linked to 56 overdose deaths. In a sweeping ruling for the government, U.S. District Judge Monti Belot repudiated nearly every pretrial motion made by defense attorneys for Dr. Stephen Schneider and his wife, Linda. Belot did not buy into the defense’s a...
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Mangino gets two more years, raise from KU
LAWRENCE (AP) — Kansas amended coach Mark Mangino’s contract on Tuesday, raising his compensation to $2.3 million per year and extending it by two years. The contract is retroactive to Jan. 1 and will go through 2012. Mangino, entering his seventh year at Kansas, was named The Associated Press coach of the year after leading the Jayhawks to an 11-1 regular season. He later led Kansas to a 24-21 victory over Virginia Tech in the Orange Bowl...
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Judge to rule on dismissing abortion charges
Roxana Hegeman Associated Press Writer WICHITA (AP) — A Sedgwick County judge said Tuesday that he will rule within the next two weeks on whether to dismiss criminal charges against one of the nation’s few late-term abortion providers. A written decision will be issued before a July 29 status conference with attorneys in the case against Dr. George Tiller, Sedgwick County District Judge Clark Owens said. He did not indicate how he would r...
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Judge: Westar Energy must pay Wittig $1.67M
Award nearly $900K less than former CEO asked KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — A Shawnee County judge on Tuesday agreed that Westar Energy Inc. must reimburse former Chief Executive Officer David Wittig for legal fees in his ongoing criminal case, but awarded much less than what Wittig was seeking. District Court Judge David Bruns ordered the Topeka-based utility to pay Wittig $1.67 million for legal bills his attorneys generated between February 2005...
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Hamilton hits record 28 HRs in Derby’s first round
NEW YORK (AP) — Fans at Yankee Stadium were chanting Josh Hamilton’s name and the theme music from “Rocky” was blaring over the loudspeakers. Alas, the Texas Rangers’ comeback kid had nothing left. Hamilton hit a record 28 homers in the first round of the All-Star Home Run Derby before running out of gas and getting beaten by Minnesota’s Justin Morneau in the finals Monday night. The 2006 AL MVP topped a tired Hamilton 5-3 in the last rou...
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Oddities
Honor system fails as free life jackets vanish SPANAWAY, Wash. (AP) — The honor system is barely staying afloat at a lake in this Tacoma suburb. Twenty life jackets were made available to be borrowed — and returned — by swimmers at Spanaway Lake, which has no lifeguards. Within four days of the June 27 dedication ceremony, only two were left in their cabinet, said Matt Holm, assistant chief of Central Pierce Fire and Rescue. The fire di...
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Anthony Kim: A golfer going places
SOUTHPORT, England (AP) — Anthony Kim stopped off on his way to the clubhouse, whipped out his pen to sign a few autographs, then looked back impatiently at his caddie, still loitering on the ninth green. “Let’s go, E!” he barked toward Eric Larsen. “You know how cranky I get when I’m hungry.” Kim was just kidding around, but it wouldn’t be out of line to say those words carried meaning. This guy isn’t waiting around for anyone. There are...
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Judge tosses two lawsuits in coal plant fight
TOPEKA (AP) — A legal battle over two proposed coal-fired power plants in southwest Kansas has become less complicated and could be resolved more quickly because of a district judge’s action Tuesday. In Finney County, Judge Philip Vieux dismissed two lawsuits filed by companies seeking to build the plants against the Kansas Department of Health and Environment and Secretary Rod Bremby. He has blocked the plants since October over concerns a...
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Kansan pleads guilty to lying about racial attack
TOPEKA (AP) — A Concordia man pleaded guilty Tuesday to lying to the FBI about whether he witnessed a drunken, racial incident at a graduation party last year. Prosecutors say a May 2007 attack on a black high school student in Waterville was an attempt to drive the student out of the area. The victim has been identified only by the initials J.L. U.S. Attorney Eric Melgren said Andrew S. Ralph, 21, lied to the FBI when he said he hadn’t wi...
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Celebrities
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Khloe Kardashian’s next dose of reality will involve the county jail. The reality show star and youngest daughter of the late attorney Robert Kardashian admitted during a July 3 court hearing that she violated her probation stemming from a 2007 drunken driving arrest, according to court records. A Los Angeles Superior Court judge ordered Kardashian, who’s featured on E! Entertainment Television’s “Keeping Up With the Kardas...
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Missing antiques could hurt Wichita amusement park
WICHITA (AP) — Owners of a nearly 60-year-old Wichita amusement park are looking for missing antiques that would be key to reopening the park. The most important pieces missing from the Joyland Amusement Park are a life-sized, carved clown named Louie and the automated Wurlitzer organ that Louie played. Owners Stanley and Margaret Nelson have sued former Joyland operators Robert Barnard and Michael Moodenbaugh. In the lawsuit, the Nelsons ...
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Ask Amy
Dear AmyWHEN WIFE EXILES SNORING SPOUSE, THERE LIKELY IS ANOTHER PROBLEM DEAR AMY: My wife insists that we sleep in separate rooms. She says I snore -- and maybe I do, a little -- but sleeping alone makes me feel emotionally alone. I’ve tried to compromise, asking her if we could stay together for a while first before splitting -- but she will not yield, not even a little. I was sad, but now I’m angry too. After 20 years of marriage, I feel u...
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Cliff Lee, Ben Sheets to start All-Star game
NEW YORK (AP) — Cliff Lee of the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee ace Ben Sheets were picked as the starting pitchers for tonight’s All-Star game at Yankee Stadium. Lee is 12-2 with a 2.31 ERA, a remarkable resurgence after the left-hander was demoted to the minors last season. He was chosen by American League manager Terry Francona of Boston. “I’m just honored to be here, to be honest with you,” Lee said Monday. “To get the start is just i...
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Celebrities
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Sir George Martin, the classically trained producer who helmed the Beatles recordings from their mop-top phase through their late musical masterworks, was honored Saturday night in Los Angeles. Martin, 82, received a career award from The Recording Academy’s Grammy Foundation, which provides education programs for future music professionals and works to preserve musical history. Martin is the most successful record produ...
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Kansas Democrats upset over latest Roberts TV ad
John Hanna AP Political Writer TOPEKA (AP) — A Kansas Democratic Party official is accusing Republican Sen. Pat Roberts of breaking a federal campaign finance law with his latest television ad. Mike Gaughan, the Democrats’ executive director, filed a complaint Monday with the Federal Election Commission, contending disclaimers in the ad don’t comply with a 2002 requirement known as the “Stand by Your Ad” provision. The senator’s campaign...
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