Kansas.com: News

City aims to improve on '89 plan for downtown

BRENT D. WISTROM — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:52 CST

Last time the city rolled out a big plan to turn downtown Wichita into a fun place to live, work, play and generate new tax dollars, it followed through on many of its ideas.

The Boathouse was built. The Hyatt rose. A transit center emerged. Trolleys began circulating. Old Town grew and evolved. Main Street got a grand entrance at the feet of the Kellogg flyover. The Arkansas River banks improved.

As the city embarks on a new plan over the next several months, it hopes to capitalize on that — and succeed where the past plan faltered.

Jail consultant's original proposal promised more

DEB GRUVER — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:56 CST

A consulting firm that did not meet its contracted goal of reducing the jail's population by 25 percent in 10 months initially made an even bigger promise.

The consultants made light of the 25 percent goal in a meeting with Sedgwick County commissioners on Thursday, asking whether anyone really believed such a reduction was possible in 10 months.

But when Justice Concepts first approached the county in 2007, it said it thought it could reduce the jail's population by 40 percent within six months for $48,000, records show.

Brazen burglars strike in College Hill

TIM POTTER — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:46 CST

While a College Hill couple and their two small children slept upstairs early last Sunday, burglars went room to room downstairs.

The family might have slept through it if their dog hadn't growled. The husband went down to see what was wrong, felt a breeze, saw a door open, shouted for his wife to call 911 and retreated. While he remained armed and standing guard, she called 911 and said they had an intruder in their home.

Because a 911 dispatcher mishandled the call, 18 1/2 minutes passed before officers arrived — an eternity for the family.

Arena draws hundreds of job seekers

Chandra Stauffer — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:39 CST

When the doors to Century II opened Saturday morning for the Intrust Bank Arena job fair, a line of applicants already stretched as far south as Waterman.

During the six-hour job fair, at least 5,000 people were expected to submit resumes for the 420 available part-time positions.

Chris Presson, general manager of the arena, wasn't surprised by the large, early crowd.

Wichita-area charities have many to help, and need help too

SUZANNE PEREZ TOBIAS — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:45 CST

Before last week, Terry Olguin had never stood in line at the Bread of Life food pantry. But the 53-year-old grandmother lost her bartending job a few months ago, so she and her husband, who also is unemployed, "started hitting some of the food banks," she said. Last week she waited hours in the cold for a turkey and supplies for Thanksgiving dinner.

"I have some prospects" on jobs, Olguin said. "But right now it's hard. We're just looking for a little help wherever we can."

Leaders of local nonprofits say a recession that began well before last year's holiday season has stretched into this one and likely will continue for several more months. That means the demand on relief agencies is up, contributions are down, budgets are tight and everyone's anxious.

Girl gives Make-A-Wish wish to KC-area food bank

LEE HILL KAVANAUGH — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:57 CST

Julie Brock-Garcia knows wishes come true.

So when she was asked by the Make-A-Wish Foundation what her heart's desire was, she told them: to meet Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Not Arnold the governor. Or Arnold Strong aka Mr. Universe. But Arnold the actor in "Terminator."

Keyes blasts Obama policies in speech

HURST LAVIANA — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:03 CST

Former ambassador and presidential candidate Alan Keyes blasted President Obama and his policies in a speech to a Wichita audience Saturday night.

"It looks like nothing any rational person would do if he was hoping for a positive outcome," Keyes said.

Keyes spoke to about 200 people at the Beech Activity Center, 9710 E. Central, in support of Republican congressional candidate Jim Anderson.

2009 Holiday Wish List

Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:38 CST

See if your ability to help matches a list of local charities' needs

Animal services

Caring Hands Humane Society, 1400 SE Third, Newton, 67114, 316-283-0839, www.caringhandshs.org. Mission: Improving quality of life. Needs: Money, adult volunteers, house training pads.

Big crowd turns out to apply to work at arena

Chandra Stauffer — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 02:53 CST

When the doors to Century II opened Saturday morning for the Intrust Bank Arena job fair, a line of applicants already stretched as far south as Waterman.

During the six-hour job fair, organizers expected at least 5,000 people to submit resumes for the 420 available part-time positions.

Chris Presson, general manager of the arena, wasn't surprised by the large, early crowd.

Building a family tradition

Chandra Stauffer — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:28 CST

Holiday traditions are often passed from generation to generation, but a tradition has to start somewhere. For three sisters from Wichita, that tradition started Friday at the Gingerbread Village, a fundraiser for the Assistance League of Wichita.

Patty Ferris has been taking her children to the annual event to make gingerbread houses for five or six years, but this is the first year two of her sisters joined her.

"The kids love it," she said. "I love it. It's become our family tradition."

Extradition flights save county time, money

RON SYLVESTER — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:23 CST

Steve Saffell keeps a Taser tucked by his seat in the cockpit and a handgun holstered underneath his right arm. As pilot of the Sedgwick County sheriff's airplane, Saffell's passengers are usually wearing handcuffs and leg irons.

Neither he nor Nathan Bevis, the county's other deputy pilot, has ever had to pull a weapon at 25,000 feet while returning people wanted on felony warrants to Wichita.

Even in a time of economic crunches and county budget cutbacks, the Sheriff's Office says flying saves taxpayers money — about $3 million since 1986, according to cost analysis reports.

Wichita grandad warns of telephone con artists

HURST LAVIANA — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:53 CST

The phone rang at 11:33 a.m. Thursday.

"This is your favorite grandson," the caller said.

"Chris?" the Wichita man asked.

Ashcroft opposed to civilian 9/11 trials

DAVID TWIDDY — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:08 CST

OVERLAND PARK _ Former U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, who on Friday endorsed fellow Republican Todd Tiahrt's U.S. Senate campaign, condemned the Obama administration for moving the trial of Sept. 11 terrorism suspects to civilian rather than military court.

Ashcroft, who served as attorney general at the time of the attacks, said the trials could endanger the public and give anti-U.S. elements a public stage to voice their rhetoric.

He also said prosecutors will have to publicly disclose evidence, which could compromise efforts to monitor and break up future attacks.

KU researchers work to turn sewage into fuel

Associated Press — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:53 CST

LAWRENCE — University of Kansas researchers are working to turn microbes from treated sewage into a commercially viable biofuel, that one day could be used to power the nation's cars, trucks, airplanes and other modes of transportation.

But for now, the future grows in four farm tanks at Lawrence's wastewater treatment plant, and inside another four at a research station northeast of the Lawrence Municipal Airport.

The project is unmistakably green, a shade that can be produced only by millions of cells of algae fattened with treated waste from the city's sewer system, then harvested after absorbing organic pollutants and yielding oil for transformation into clean-burning biodiesel.

Alan Keyes in Kansas to stump for Dist. 4 candidate Jim Anderson

DION LEFLER — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:53 CST

Those who want to see former ambassador and presidential candidate Alan Keyes — in Kansas to campaign for congressional candidate Jim Anderson — will have plenty of opportunity.

The campaign is bringing in Keyes to try to drum up support for Anderson, a small-business owner who is running in a five-candidate Republican primary for the 4th Congressional District seat being vacated by Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard.

The other candidates are businessmen Mike Pompeo and Wink Hartman; and state Sens. Dick Kelsey and Jean Schodorf.

Fax scam CEO, manager each sentenced for fraud

ROXANA HEGEMAN — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:08 CST

The president of a Florida consulting firm convicted in a massive fax blast scam was sentenced Friday to 68 months in prison for his role in defrauding thousands of small business owners across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Richard Hagan, chief executive officer of the Melbourne, Fla.-based PBS Global Inc., also was ordered to make more than $1.02 million in restitution and forfeit a similar amount in ill-gotten gains.

The sentence was agreed upon in advance as part of his guilty plea in September to charges of wire fraud and money laundering.

Copper theft suspect arrested on return trip

STAN FINGER — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:08 CST

There are legendary tales of criminal masterminds — and then there's the guy who tried to steal copper pipe from a rental house near downtown.

A 39-year-old maintenance man was working on a rental property in the 600 block of North St. Francis shortly after 10:30 a.m. Thursday when he noticed the door to a garage studio apartment was open across the street — and it shouldn't have been.

When he went to investigate, he found a man removing copper pipe from beneath the kitchen sink. The intruder claimed he was removing the pipe under the instruction of the owner, the maintenance man told property manager Kris Sims via cell phone.

Thanksgiving travel could spread flu

KAREN SHIDELER — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:08 CST

Measures of H1N1 flu continue to decrease, in Kansas and nationwide, health officials said Friday, but what health officials call "influenza activity" continues to be much higher than would be expected this time of year.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported that another death — the state's 19th — has been linked to the virus.

KDHE said a 75-year-old man from the Topeka metropolitan area — Jackson, Jefferson, Osage, Shawnee and Wabaunsee counties — was infected with H1N1 when he died. The man had underlying health conditions that placed him at greater risk for serious complications of influenza, KDHE said.

Tiahrt bill would block further bailout spending

dion lefler — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:08 CST

Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Goddard, has introduced a bill in Congress to halt further spending to bail out financial institutions and automakers.

Tiahrt's bill is called the Ensure TARP Expires Act of 2009, and would block Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner from spending any more money on the Troubled Asset Relief Program, or TARP.

Begun under the Bush administration and continued by President Obama, TARP has injected hundreds of billions of dollars in capital into failing investment, banking, insurance and automotive companies in an effort to stabilize the financial system.

Theft, burglary charges for pregnant woman

STAN FINGER — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:08 CST

A pregnant woman believed to have stolen from west Wichita residents once they let her inside to make a telephone call has been arrested and charged, authorities said Friday.

Nicole L. Bell, 26, was charged Friday in Sedgwick County District Court with two counts of aggravated burglary and two counts of felony theft.

She is accused of stealing $245 from one west Wichita house on Nov. 1 and $103 from a second house on Nov. 18, court officials said.