Wichita Eagle: Top Stories

Last day of school for Wichita public school students

Suzanne Perez Tobias — Wed, 22 May 2013 09:24 CDT

Those whoops of joy you’ll hear emanating from school buildings across Wichita on Wednesday afternoon?

That’s the sound of summer vacation.

Wednesday is the last day of school for more than 50,000 students at Wichita public schools. Special events include picnics, ice cream socials and yearbook signing parties.

Water advisory committee to finalize recommendations today

Bill Wilson — Wed, 22 May 2013 08:46 CDT

The city’s advisory committee on how to cope with a projected water shortage will meet this morning to finalize its recommendations to the Wichita City Council.

The meeting is at 9:30 a.m. in City Hall’s 10th-floor large conference room.

The group’s recommendations are tentatively set to go to the council June 4, along with the city’s internal water conservation measures.

Construction fence goes up at Wichita State where new residence hall will go

ROY WENZL — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:47 CDT

Workers have put up a construction fence around the part of the Wichita State University parking lot located between the Morrison Hall administration building and Cessna Stadium.

People were still parking inside that portion of the lot on Tuesday. The gates of the fenced-off area were still open as of late Tuesday afternoon. But those gates will soon be closed, university officials said on Tuesday.

The parking lot will be the site of a new residence hall. The university put off construction until after the graduation ceremonies last weekend.

Via Christi Health system to cut 400 workers

Kelsey Ryan — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:45 CDT

Via Christi Health announced Tuesday it will lay off up to 400 staff members across Kansas – about 4 percent of its workforce – by the end of June.

Via Christi officials said that like other health care providers, they have seen a decline in hospital admissions and physician visits, leading to lower than anticipated revenue.

The majority of the cuts will be in Wichita, said Jeff Korsmo, president and CEO of Via Christi Health.

Wichita weather: Pleasant spring day

Stan Finger — Wed, 22 May 2013 05:29 CDT

A pleasant spring day is in the offing for the Wichita area on Wednesday, forecasters say.

Highs are expected to reach the upper 70s under mostly sunny skies, with light winds out of the north. A chance of showers and thunderstorms arrives early Thursday morning, when lows slip into the mid-50s.

Thursday will see chances for rain continue, forecasters say, with mostly cloudy skies and highs in the mid-70s. Winds out of the east-northeast will crawl into the double digits.

Moran: McConnell Air Force Base to receive new KC-46A tankers

RICK PLUMLEE — Wed, 22 May 2013 08:09 CDT

McConnell Air Force Base will serve as home for the new refueling tankers, U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran said.

“McConnell has been selected to be the main operating base for the KC-46A tankers, the very first choice, by the Air Force,” Moran told The Eagle.

The Air Force will make an official announcement later Wednesday morning after it informs the congressional delegations from the states involved of the decisions.

Boeing: Some employees suffered injuries, property damage in Oklahoma tornado

Molly McMillin — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:46 CDT

Some Boeing employees in Oklahoma City suffered injuries and personal property damage in Monday’s tornado in Moore, Okla., Boeing officials said Tuesday.

Although Boeing’s two office buildings across from Tinker Air Force Base did not sustain damage, the facilities were closed Tuesday because of a water outage caused by the storm. The facilities will reopen Wednesday, said Boeing spokeswoman Michelle Nalley.

“Our priority is the welfare and safety of our employees and their families,” Nalley said.

Wichita residents discuss ideas for Southeast High at meeting

Suzanne Perez Tobias — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:32 CDT

Keep Southeast High where it is.

Build a new school.

Do both.

Wichita school district a pioneer in FEMA-approved storm shelter safe rooms

Suzanne Perez Tobias — Wed, 22 May 2013 05:54 CDT

When storm sirens blare in Wichita, most students file into rooms designed to withstand 250 mph winds that can turn flying debris into deadly missiles.

“I feel so much more safe and confident in my ability to manage and lead a crisis like that because of the safe rooms,” said Julie Bettis, principal at Harry Street Elementary in Wichita.

“I hope soon all schools have them, because it does make a difference.”

Kansas House, Senate leaders negotiate tentative budget proposal

BRENT D. WISTROM — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:10 CDT

State colleges would face a 3 percent budget cut over two years, but the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita would be insulated from the reductions under a proposal House and Senate negotiators tentatively agreed to Tuesday.

Reduced funding for higher education was at the core of a disagreement between House Republicans, who had pushed for a 4 percent cut, and the Senate, which backed a 2 percent cut. Gov. Sam Brownback, meanwhile, had flown around the state to visit universities and advocate for flat funding.

“We’re concerned about the direction higher ed is going in terms of the cost, in terms of the increased tuition costs that we keep getting handed to our kids,” said Rep. Marc Rhoades, R-Newton.

Attorneys finish questioning of possible Seacat jurors

Darcy Gray — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:50 CDT

Attorneys have completed their questioning of potential jurors and are planning to pick a jury Wednesday afternoon in the trial of a former Kansas police instructor charged with killing his wife and setting fire to their home.

After a third panel of potential jurors was questioned Tuesday morning, seven were excused from sitting on the jury for Brett T. Seacat, 37, who is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated arson in the April 30, 2011, death of his wife, 34-year-old Vashti Seacat.

She was found dead from a gunshot wound to the neck after a fire at the couple’s Kingman home, about two weeks after she filed for divorce.

Several area suburban schools have FEMA shelters, safe rooms

Matt Riedl — Wed, 22 May 2013 05:54 CDT

Augusta is not taking chances when it comes to tornado safety at its public schools, Ewalt Elementary Principal Greg Clark said.

As a result of a $48 million bond issue passed in 2008 and subsequent Federal Emergency Management Agency grants in 2011, tornado safe rooms have been installed in every Augusta public school.

“God forbid a tornado like what came through Moore, Oklahoma, should ever come through Augusta,” Clark said Tuesday. “I commend the district for thinking ahead and putting safe rooms in before we need them.”

Wichita faces three years of budget deficits, official says

Bill Wilson — Tue, 21 May 2013 17:11 CDT

Wichita city officials continue to face three years of significant budget deficits, according to a budget planning update Tuesday from the city’s finance staff.

The current budget year continues to run at a $1.4 million deficit, said Mark Manning, the city’s budget officer. And projected budgets for 2014 and 2015 show projected deficits of $3.8 million and $4 million respectively — figures close to those handed out a month ago when City Manager Robert Layton and staff began working through plans for the 2014 and 2015 budgets.

Manning appeared before the City Council on Tuesday to outline some of the city’s priorities as it plans future budgets.

Wichita State baseball falls to Southern Illinois in MVC opener

Paul Suellentrop — Wed, 22 May 2013 09:15 CDT

Book Wichita State opposite Southern Illinois pitcher Cody Forsythe and reserve a spot in the losers bracket for the Shockers.

Forsythe beat WSU for a second straight year in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and the fourth time in his career on Tuesday’s opening day. The Salukis won 5-1 at Bass Field with Forsythe holding the Shockers to seven hits in his first complete game of the season.

"We were only two runs down all the way through," WSU coach Gene Stephenson said. "But we acted like it was insurmountable."

Reno County deputy charged with having sex with female inmate

RICK PLUMLEE — Tue, 21 May 2013 16:11 CDT

A Reno County sheriff’s deputy was arrested Tuesday and has been charged with having sex with a female inmate at the county’s jail.

Jonathan Diaz has been charged by the county’s district attorney with two counts of unlawful sexual relations with a female inmate, two counts of aggravated intimidation of a victim and two counts of bribery, Sheriff Randy Henderson said.

Henderson said in a news release that he ordered an internal investigation after female inmates made allegations against Diaz. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation was later brought in to continue the investigation, Henderson said.

Senate GOP leaders propose compromise tax plan

Brent D. Wistrom — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:55 CDT

In the latest twist on tax talks, Senate Republicans pitched a compromise plan Tuesday to drop the state’s temporarily elevated sales tax from 6.3 percent to 6.25 percent while dropping income tax rates and phasing out almost all tax deductions.

St. Marys Republican Rep. Richard Carlson said he plans to discuss the proposal with other House Republican leaders and return to the negotiating table later Tuesday to debate it further.

The mostly symbolic reduction to the sales tax rate follows months of debate over whether to extend the rate at 6.3 percent instead of letting it drop as scheduled to 5.7 percent in July.

House sends bill on gun lobbying to governor

BRENT D. WISTROM — Tue, 21 May 2013 15:09 CDT

A bill that bans use of state money to advocate for or against gun control won approval in the Kansas House and was sent to the governor Tuesday.

The measure passed 83-28.

It’s intended to block local and state government from hiring lobbyists to advocate for gun control. But it could also prevent the state from advocating on behalf of the state if federal lawmakers were to debate gun restrictions.