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Death of Muslim soldier’s son issue for lawsuit: CJOnline - Death of Muslim soldier’s son issue for lawsuit

The Associated Press
Published Friday, May 30, 2008 at 2:29 p.m. CDT
The death of a Muslim soldier’s son in North Carolina has become a key issue for a group that is suing the military in Kansas.

Eight-month-old Lachlan Agee died May 3 at Fort Bragg, and officials suspect sudden infant death syndrome. His father, Pfc. Eli Agee, is stationed there.

Mackenzie Agee says she tried repeatedly to get routine medical appointments for her baby over several months and couldn’t. He was born premature in September 2007.

She believes the family was mistreated because it is Muslim. Post officials say they don’t condone discrimination, and an inspector general is considering a complaint.

The Military Religious Freedom Foundation says the case is relevant to its federal lawsuit in Kansas.

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Reader Comments
Posted by: topher40 at May 30, 2008 at 04:35:06 PM
I pay to much in taxes because I am white, the sky is blue because I am white and I dont like it, water is wet because I am white and it makes me wet. C'mon folks grow up and take the baby to another hospital. Why cant I sue someone because I am white, I dont want to be so maybe i should sue my parents! I couldnt sue anyone BECAUSE I am white!

Posted by: nrockwell at May 30, 2008 at 06:23:13 PM
cause you are white you made the rules.so live by what you made.maybe you should change your color ,your ways and the very shoes you wear.cause you are white you don't have to.that is why l don't just hate white people,l hate all people.as the song says you can't be that vain to think this is about you.don't you?

Posted by: councilcrooks at May 30, 2008 at 09:15:18 PM
nrockwell, I hope you someday build a bridge and GET OVER it.

Scratch my back and I will scratch yours if not the people suffer anywa!

No wind break, but an end:CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - No wind break, but an end

2008 session concludes as Topeka delegation pushes for turbine plant
By James Carlson
The Capital-Journal
Published Friday, May 30, 2008
Talk about a reversal.

Exactly four weeks ago from Thursday, House members voted overwhelmingly to pass a bundled bill authorizing a coal-fired power plant and extending the sunset for a tax break meant to lure a $150 million investment to Topeka.



Anthony S. Bush / The Capital-Journal
House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, closes the 2008 legislative session Thursday with a smack of the gavel and the words "sine die," which mean "final adjournment."
When Gov. Kathleen Sebelius vetoed the bill earlier this month, House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, chastised her for costing the state "billions in opportunities."

On Thursday, lawmakers rejected a standalone bill solely extending the tax break. This time it was Sebelius' chance to cry foul, saying the speaker blocked "the opportunity to advance significant economic development."

Lawmakers adjourned for the year after denying the bill during the ceremonial sine die session on Thursday.

Topeka lawmakers say the $1 million per year tax break is aimed at a wind turbine manufacturing plant interested in locating in the capital city. The Topeka Chamber of Commerce has said the investment would bring up to 950 jobs to the area.

The incentive was coupled in early May with a series of economic development projects and the coal plant issue in a last-ditch effort to allow the plant expansion, which Sebelius had twice vetoed.

The move was meant to persuade coal opponents to get on board. When the governor vetoed that bill, the tax break went with it.

On Thursday, area legislators pushed the House to pass a bill pertaining only to the tax incentive.

"We felt like this is an important issue for our community, and unfortunately it was held hostage in the economic stimulus package that included the coal bill," said Sen. Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka.

Rep. Annie Kuether, D-Topeka, offered the motion to approve the bill, saying it earlier had been a "victim" of the coal issue.

"We believe this bill will help all of Kansas, not just Shawnee County," she said.

But following Thursday's vote, Neufeld said that bringing up new measures in the sine die session is out of line with normal procedure.

"The majority of folks came here saying we weren't going to do business, and they didn't want to do business," he said.

Sen. Laura Kelly, D-Topeka, criticized that logic, saying legislators "don't normally take hostage an economic development bill, either."

"This was a unique situation where lots of games got played during the session," Kelly said. "And (today) was an opportunity to move forward on an important economic development."

Kelly, Hensley and the rest of the 12-member Shawnee County delegation signed a May 27 letter to Neufeld urging his support for the measure. All 12 voted for the bill.

Rep. Lee Tafanelli, R-Ozawkie, voted for the original bill, including the tax break and coal plant addition, but said "no" Thursday to the standalone proposal.

"There weren't enough votes to overturn it, and I wasn't going to get involved in the gamesmanship," Tafanelli said.

The 47-49 vote was close to a majority of those legislators present but far from the 63-vote majority needed for passage.

James Carlson can be reached at (785) 233-7470 or james.carlson@cjonline.com.

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Reader Comments
Posted by: BAB at May 30, 2008 at 07:42:42 AM
Can you say small little man that got his butt kicked and now is scratching back? I hope he is not truly representative of southwest Kansans. But, he probably is.

Politics needs to change from the top to the bottom. The parties have way to much power and control. And for the most part do more harm than good.

Wind plant still up in air: CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - Wind plant still up in air

State senator hopeful facility and its jobs will land in Topeka
By Michael Hooper
The Capital-Journal
Published Saturday, May 31, 2008
A Topeka legislator hopes the Legislature's decision not to extend a tax break doesn't kill the city's chances to attract a wind turbine manufacturer.

"I would hope not," Sen. Laura Kelly, D-Topeka, said in an interview Friday. "It (the tax break) expires in 2009. I would hope they (the company) would have confidence in us to work hard to get it in the next session. That would be my fantasy."

As lawmakers ended the 2008 session Thursday, they rejected a standalone bill extending the tax break beyond 2009. Topeka lawmakers say the $1 million per year tax break is aimed at a wind turbine manufacturing plant interested in locating in the capital city. The investment would bring up to 950 jobs to the area.

"We know other states have put up cold hard cash," Kelly said.

The name of the company hasn't been disclosed.

Without the extension on the tax break, it is likely the company will look elsewhere, she said.

The tax break originally was approved a year ago to entice Hill's Pet Nutrition to build a new Emporia plant, which is currently under construction.

The wind turbine industry is booming in the United States as energy companies look for alternatives to fossil fuels for production of electricity. At least three wind farms are under construction in Kansas. Westar Energy has made a commitment to increase its use of wind power. It is fairly common to see truckers hauling wind turbine propellers along Interstate 70 in Kansas.

"That is one of the new emerging industries," said Steve R. Jenkins, senior vice president for economic development at the Greater Topeka Chamber of Commerce/Go Topeka.

Jenkins declined to discuss prospects for Topeka attracting a wind turbine manufacturer.

"I can't talk about it," he said.

But Jenkins said the Legislature has to address the state's competitiveness in attracting jobs and industry.

"We're finding it increasingly difficult to compete," Jenkins said.

A month ago, House members voted overwhelmingly to pass a bundled bill authorizing expansion of a coal-fired power plant at Holcomb and extending the sunset for the tax break meant to lure a $150 million investment to Topeka. After Gov. Kathleen Sebelius vetoed the bill, House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, chastised her for costing the state "billions in opportunities."

On Thursday, Sebelius issued a statement critical of Republican and Kansas Chamber of Commerce leadership for not working toward passage of the tax break.

"It is unfortunate that Kansas business owners, their employees and the state's economy will be the victims of this legislative decision made on the final day of the 2008 legislative session," Sebelius said.

A Kansas chamber official said he didn't have enough knowledge of the issue to comment.

The 47-49 vote Thursday involving the tax break was close to a majority for those legislators present at the sine die adjournment but far from the 63-vote majority needed for passage.

Michael Hooper can be reached at (785)295-1293 or michael.hooper@cjonline.com.

Well this is the end of the road for me. I had hopes that we could share info, data and grow toward understanding that one city no matter the size has many of the same problems and adventures. But I counted on one thing to make it happen you! You didn't let me down you let yourselves down. Like the citizens of American have done for so long. Now your voices is just an echo heard by your friends and familes but no further. You failed your selves and your country in the end, but that is from my point of view only.
So enjoy any of these or find a local with the last link which list so many of our countries papers and if you bother to look you will find that many of the worlds papers are there too.. Thanks for the time reading but that was not my reasoning behind this thread. I will check back from time to time to see if anyone gets it. And if so maybe the hope that started this thread will continue.

CJOnline

KTKA 49 News Topeka - KTKA.com

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WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL

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News - Telegraph

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Tucson Weekly : The Alternative to Bland Daily Journalism in the Sonoran Desert


Independent Media Center | www.indymedia.org | ((( i )))

10 Downing Street website - Home

NewsLink | NEWSPAPERS | U.S. | DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA

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Not sure if you have any online newspapers se this site for state by state news on line. Newspapers of the World - Newslink

Newspapers of the World - Newslink

Well the number of readers has climbed but not one of you have bothered to post a thing. Over 1,000 and not one of you have an online newspaper. LoL

More at the site with plenty of reader comments. Enjoy.

Help wanted: Legals only
Councilman wants city part of E-Verify employment program
By Tim Hrenchir
The Capital-Journal
Published Saturday, June 21, 2008

Topeka City Councilman Jack Woelfel wants to ensure the city doesn't hire anyone who isn't legally entitled to work in the United States.

CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - Help wanted: Legals only

Woelfel has sponsored a resolution the council will consider Tuesday that would authorize the city to take part in the federal E-Verify program.
Print E-mail Comment
Click to learn more...

Jason Hunter / The Capital-Journal

Jack Woelfel

There is no charge for employers to participate in E-Verify, an online service offered by the Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security. But... Read it all at the site.

Why not you keep coming yet offer no data from your area. . For the reader comments go to the site.I guess Topeka is the only city in America with a newspaper.

Medicare reduced by 10.6 percent: CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - Medicare reduced by 10.6 percent

Most Kansas lawmakers speak out against decision
By Barbara Hollingsworth
The Capital-Journal
Published Saturday, June 28, 2008
Medical care options may be reduced after lawmakers packed up and left Washington, D.C., this week without stopping a 10.6 percent decrease in Medicare reimbursements made to physicians.

Primary care physicians with the Cotton-O'Neil Clinic will stop accepting new Medicare patients on Tuesday as a result of the cuts that go into effect that day.

"We urge citizens to communicate with your elected officials and ask for their support to repeal cuts to their Medicare benefits," said Kent Palmberg, chief medical officer for Stormont-Vail HealthCare, of which Cotton-O'Neil is a division.

Legislation was needed to block cuts that otherwise occur automatically under a formula. Congress has blocked similar cuts in the past.

Jerry Slaughter, executive director of the Kansas Medical Society, said he was hopeful lawmakers could make a fix when they resume meeting July 7, following a break for the Fourth of July. Even with hopes of a change, he said the inaction this week created problems.

"At this point it will be disruptive," Slaughter said. "There's just no way to avoid that."

Nearly every member of the Kansas Congressional delegation lined up behind the Medicare legislation this week. It breezed through the House on a 355-59 vote, with the support of all four members from Kansas.

But in the Senate, the legislation fell just short of mustering the 60 votes needed to pass the measure under expedited rules. Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, fell out of line with other members of the state's delegation, voting against shutting down debate so senators could vote on the measure. Phone calls and an e-mail sent to Brownback's office on Friday weren't returned.

President Bush has threatened to veto the legislation, which would cut spending on private Medicare Advantage plans — plans that studies have found to cost more than the traditional Medicare program.

Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, supported the legislation.

"I urge my colleagues to put politics aside to pass this bill for seniors and our health care providers," Roberts said in a statement released by his office. "I hope the Congress and the administration can work together to adopt these reforms as soon as possible."

Rep. Nancy Boyda, D-Kansas, said she was shocked when she received word that the Medicare cuts weren't stopped.

"I think this is where I'm hoping there is nothing short of outrage on this," Boyda said. "Public policy follows public opinion."

In addition to eliminating the planned reduction, Boyda said the legislation would have addressed problems that are driving small pharmacies out of business and leaving some rural counties with no pharmacies. The legislation would have continued to make bonus payments to physicians working in rural areas, kept caps off of physical therapy and increased Medicare payments to doctors by 1.1 percent in January.

Boyda said she worries about seniors losing out on medical care options.

"They don't need one more thing to worry about," she said.

In the meantime, Cotton-O'Neil physicians will stop accepting new Medicare patients. Any of the 42,000 current Medicare recipients who already have a Cotton-O'Neil primary care physician and current patients who become Medicare eligible will continue to be served. Unaffected are patients seeing Cotton-O'Neil specialists, such as cardiologists.

"As costs increase and reimbursement decreases, the provision of care to an increasing Medicare population becomes more difficult," said Nancy Burkhardt spokesperson for Stormont-Vail HealthCare.

Fred Lucky, senior vice president of the Kansas Hospital Association, said he believes the 10.6 percent cut won't stand. He said he had received assurances from the offices of both Roberts and Brownback.

"While we were disappointed last night the Senate didn't act on it we are confident the Senate will act on it," he said.

After 31 years this clown is not running again. This should pi** off any normal human being. For the reader comments go to the site.

Judge strays from guidelines: CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - Judge strays from guidelines

Dowd gives three years probation to convicted sex offender
By Mike Hall
The Capital-Journal
Published Saturday, June 28, 2008
Shawnee County District Court Judge Matthew Dowd, widely criticized in 2007 for granting probation to three men convicted of sex with children, did it again Friday.

Shawnee County District Attorney Robert Hecht said Friday he would appeal both that sentence and a downward sentencing by Dowd in a similar case earlier in the week.



Matthew Dowd
Ironically, a new state law going into effect July 1 might have prevented Dowd from granting the probation in Friday's sentencing.

Dowd couldn't be reached Friday afternoon to elaborate on this week's sentencing decisions.

Harold Dean Spencer, 75, entered guilty pleas to two counts of sex with children. Hecht said one of the victims was 6 years old and one 7.

Hecht said that Kansas statutes, patterned after the national "Jessica's Law," call for a life sentence on each count.

But Dowd suspended the prison time and imposed a 36-month supervised parole period. Dowd listed a number of factors in his decision — Spencer's age, the lack of a prior criminal record and the availability of family support.

"I have never seen, nor am I aware of any case, anywhere, where the proscribed sentences are two life sentences and the court grants three years of low level probation," Hecht said.

On Tuesday, Dowd departed downward from sentencing guidelines in a case against Christopher Henderson-Brown, a 32-year-old man convicted of the rape of a 5-year-old child. In that case Dowd lowered the sentence to 155 months from a recommended 166 to 186 months.

"The attack was so violent and so egregious that multiple doctors and surgery were required to reconstruct and repair the physical damage done to this 5-year-old," Hecht wrote in a statement released Friday.

The reason for the appeal, he said, was that Dowd cited as a reason for the departure that he wanted Henderson-Brown to "see light at the end of the tunnel."

"It is this office's opinion that such reason is not a legal justification for a departure in such a crime," Hecht wrote.

Ashley Anstaett, spokeswoman for the Kansas attorney general's office, said late Friday it appears to some of the AG's legal staff that a new state law going into effect July 1 might have prevented Dowd from giving probation in the Spencer case. But she said that, with little time to research the question and with little information about the details of the two cases, the AG's attorney's couldn't make a definitive statement.

Joe Patton, a Republican member of the Kansas House of Representatives from Topeka, was a sponsor of the new law. He introduced it after learning of Dowd's 2007 departures. On Friday he said he believes his new law will prevent judges in the future from such drastic downward departures from the guidelines.

When told the details of the Henderson-Brown case, he exclaimed, "That's outrageous. The community should be outraged."

His law would allow judges to depart downward from the guidelines in cases of violent sexual crimes, but by no more than half the recommended sentences.

Dowd has announced he will retire on Sept. 1 after 31 years as a district court judge. Had he wished to remain on the bench, his name would have been on the November election ballot for voters to decide whether he should be retained in the job.

In 2007, he was criticized for three cases in which he departed from state sentencing guidelines to allow probation rather than prison time for men convicted of sex crimes.

Mike Hall can be reached at (785) 295-1209 or mike.hall@cjonline.com.

Your city might have a group of these dedicated law enforcement officers.
Reader comments at the site.

Mission is simple: Track down fugitives: CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - Mission is simple: Track down fugitives

'A good example of agencies working together'
By Ann Marie Bush
The Capital-Journal
Published Saturday, June 28, 2008
Tornado sirens blared and rain pelted hard against the windshield of John Lamb's Crown Victoria.

Although dangerous weather loomed, Lamb continued on his quest with the Kansas Apprehension Task Force to track down fugitives.



Anthony S. Bush / The Capital-Journal
Members of the Kansas Apprehension Task Force place Allen Mitchell, a parole absconder, under arrest after spotting him driving down east 4th Street. Nationwide, the initiative has led to the arrest of 37,000 fugitives.



Anthony S. Bush / The Capital-Journal
Members of the Kansas Apprehension Task Force listen for any activity during a search for a parole absconder recently in Topeka.

Click Thumbnails to View
District of Kansas

Total Warrants Cleared: 181

Wichita: 97

Topeka: 30

Kansas City: 54

Total firearms seized: 10

Wichita: 8

Topeka: 1

Kansas City: 1

Participating agencies: U.S. Marshals; Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives; Drug Enforcement Administration; Immigration and Custom Enforcement; Housing and Urban Development-Office of Inspector General; Kansas Department of Corrections, Enforcement: Sedgwick County Sheriff; Shawnee County Sheriff; Wyandotte County Sheriff; Johnson County Sheriff; Wichita Police Department; Topeka Police Department; Kansas City, Kan., Police Department; and Bel Aire Police Department.

Two notable arrests that occurred during Opearation FALCON were:

• Andray Cameron, a fugitive wanted by the Shawnee County Sheriff's Office for rape of a child under 14 years of age, aggravated criminal sodomy of a Child under 14 years of age and aggravated indecent liberties with a child. Deputy U.S. Marshals, Kansas Department of Corrections enforcement officers, Shawnee County Sheriff's deputies and Topeka Police Department officers were able to track down and arrest Cameron after a brief foot pursuit in Topeka.

• Kirby Davis, a fugitive wanted by the Kansas Department of Corrections for violation of parole. A team of Deputy U.S. Marshals, Kansas Department of Corrections enforcement officers, ATF agents and Sedgwick County Sheriff's deputies arrested Davis on June 20 in the Wichita area following a vehicle pursuit and physical altercation. A search warrant was conducted that produced two firearms and drug paraphernalia that Davis is prohibited from possessing. Federal charges are now pending for these new items.

SOURCE: U.S. Marshals
The task force is a multi-jurisdictional fugitive task force comprised of the United States Marshals Service, Topeka Police Department, Shawnee County Sheriffs Department and Kansas Department of Corrections.

Lamb is the director of enforcement for the apprehensions and investigations division of the KDOC and has several people who work with the task force.

"This is a good example of agencies working together," Lamb said.

In the month of June, the Kansas Apprehension Task Force took part in a nationwide fugitive apprehension operation coordinated by the United States Marshals Service. Operation Federal and Local Cops Organized Nationally (FALCON) uses the resources of federal, state, city and county law enforcement agencies to locate and apprehend criminals wanted for violent crimes.

This is the fifth time for the operation and it is the largest, most successful fugitive apprehension effort in U.S. history, according to the U.S. Marshals Service. To date, nearly 37,000 fugitives have been arrested and 45,300 warrants have been cleared.

In Kansas, Operation Falcon will continue through today.

The initiative so far has cleared 181 warrants, said Logan Kline, Deputy U.S. Marshal in Kansas. Operation Falcon in Kansas consisted of about 13 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, making up several arrest teams working together, Kline said. Each participating local officer was sworn in as a Special Deputy U.S. Marshal. This special authority allowed them to cross traditional lines of jurisdiction to track down and arrest targeted fugitives.

Lamb's vehicle — with its several antennas and visible lights — is clearly a law enforcement vehicle. But other vehicles used by his team, such as a Chevy Tahoe, are a little less conspicuous.

Kansas Apprehension Task Force members oftentimes find themselves driving around, knocking on doors and looking for fugitives without any luck. They peer in mailboxes, listen through doors for signs of life, look through open windows for sightings of the criminal and visit with neighbors. They work during the heat of the summer, the blizzard-like conditions in the winter and in the rain.

Oftentimes, the team makes several stops without any luck.

That was the case June 19 when this reporter and a Topeka Capital-Journal photographer rode along with Lamb and the team. Several stops into the afternoon, including a stop at the home of fugitive Allen L. Mitchell's mother, officers were coming up empty handed. Mitchell's photograph appeared on a list of warrant absconders the team was seeking out.

Team members were on their way back to Mitchell's mother's house when they spotted a car with Mitchell in it. After a few tense moments, the car pulled to a stop. Mike Custenborder, a supervisor with the KDOC apprehension enforcement and investigations division, pulled a gun and ordered Mitchell from the car. The fugitive was then handcuffed and placed in the back of a team member's vehicle. He was booked into the Shawnee County Jail at 3:49 p.m. June 19.

All of Lamb's team members have access to a Taser, a baton, 40-caliber semi-automatic Glock, a shotgun, gas, handcuffs, recorders and metal detectors. Lamb's team members can't pursue a fugitive in a car chase, but Lamb can.

Lamb has been involved in a lot of arrests, including one aboard an airplane headed to Las Vegas. He has witnessed a lot in his years in law enforcement, and said female fugitives can be more verbal and combative than males.

He also said some fugitives can be cooperative one time and be combative and dangerous the next because of drugs.

"You never know," he said.

Custenborder agreed.

"We assume they are capable of anything," he added.

Both Lamb and Custenborder said they enjoy what they do, despite the risks involved.

"I enjoy the fact that we get closure when we find somebody," Custenborder said.

Ann Marie Bush can be reached at (785) 295-1207 or ann.bush@cjonline.com.

Here enjoy...