Public’s help sought on 2007 homicide
The Capital-Journal
Published Thursday, July 10, 2008 at 8:30 a.m. CDT
Topeka Police Detectives are asking for assistance from the public on a homicide that occurred a year ago in Southeast Topeka.

On July 6, 2007, police answered a call of a drive-by shooting in front of 1926 S.E. Illinois, where they found that 26-year-old Corey T. Robinson, of Topeka, had been shot in the back as he was standing near the street talking with another person.

Anyone with information may call Crime Stoppers at 234-0007.

Reader Comments
Posted by: kudostoyou at Jul. 10, 2008 at 10:42:21 am
I bet this is gang related and tied somehow to the other recent homicides that this city has seen since the first of the year. Enough is Enough.

Posted by: paiskar at Jul. 10, 2008 at 11:56:25 am
Thank you Captain Obvious!!

Posted by: mlurp at Jul. 10, 2008 at 2:18:00 pm
I think the police department needs to be increased and a pay raise given to all officers. They don't call in sick so their buddies get overtime pay. And they do the job they were hirred for.

Government seeks dismissal of soldier’s suit
The Associated Press
Published Thursday, July 10, 2008 at 12:25 p.m. CDT: CJOnline - Government seeks dismissal of soldier’s suit


Government attorneys say a Fort Riley soldier and a foundation lack standing to sue the Pentagon over alleged violations of religious freedoms.

A Justice Department official filed a motion this week in federal district court in Kansas City, Kan., seeking dismissal of the lawsuit filed on behalf of Spc. Jeremy Hall and the Military Religious Freedom Foundation.

Hall is an atheist and alleges his rights were violated by a higher ranking officer in Iraq when he tried to hold a meeting with other atheists and freethinkers.

The government’s motion claims Hall failed to exhaust military remedies to his complaints and that the military has ample policies to protect service members from religious discrimination.


Reader Comments
Posted by: mlurp at Jul. 10, 2008 at 2:27:26 pm
We got the best govt., money can buy. Once again they prove we don't count.

Is this mess happening in your city? I tried to post a comment it wouldn't take so I shall post it here.
Quote: So what does that mean for everyone else?
"It depends on what the board approves," Balsters said, End Quote...

New Taxes is the answer. You know it and so do I!

Show me where any city/County govt., body has used any other resource to keep going? Govt., grows at about 10% a year and the average persons income volume grows at less than half of that.

Yet our city/county govt., has gotten us into the mess and will use our dwindling income to solve each issue and cover their mistakes.
Wake up people. Your vote counts if you want change. And don't vote the party line. Vote for yourself and your neighbors.
Both political parties are to strong and use deceptive means to get their way.
Look at the headlines of the past weeks news. Gas prices to high to repair many of our cities ruined roadways. Gee infrastructure is the reason most were elected. To bad they waited till it was to late to do much about the pressing problems.
But lets give the guy doing the mayors job, the city manager a pay raise. Wam did you feel the slap to you head, I did. This says volums of our leadership's attitude toward us!
Look at our do nothing legislature, did you feel the many hammer blows to our collective heads, I did!
So vote them out and get new blood to work for the cities people. And don't vote party lines.. End Quote to the story below... Click th elink for the entire story.

Property values put schools to test: CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - Property values put schools to test

By Barbara Hollingsworth
The Capital-Journal
Published Sunday, July 13, 2008
The number seemed unreal: $614.

For a school district used to its property tax base — or assessed valuation — growing by millions of dollars each year, the figure stuck out to Shirley Martin, assistant to the superintendent for business in Shawnee Heights Unified School District 450. After all, $614 looks more like a rent payment or credit card bill, not a climb in assessed valuation.

TAX BASE

Here is a look at how school districts fared when receiving their assessed valuations.

Seaman USD 345: $219.5 million, up 2.2 percent

Silver Lake USD 372: $28 million, up 1.9 percent

*Auburn-Washburn USD 437: $443 million, up 2.3 percent

Shawnee Heights USD 450: $173 million, up less than a percent

Topeka USD 501: $636 million, down 1.3 percent.

*Auburn-Washburn numbers don't include a small amount of land located outside Shawnee County. For the other districts with property in other counties, the numbers include the grand totals.

SOURCE: School districts and Shawnee County Appraisers Office
Shocked? Sure.

"That's next to nothing," Martin said.

For many school districts getting ready to craft budgets, recent assessed valuation estimates have been troubling. Numbers won't be final until this fall, but as is, Shawnee Heights barely squeaked ahead. For the second straight year, Topeka USD 501 lost ground. Other districts primarily located in Shawnee County saw their valuations increase, but for most, gains were at lower rates than they are accustomed.

This has depth to the above. See I was right. Higher taxes in the long run. The cost of food, gas, services one uses all have gone up yet our leadership isn't worried.
Sure we are a small city but it is run like it was the federal govt., in Washington. Why is that? What connects our small city to the big game players in D.C.? The answer is the PoliticaL parties, THAT IS ALL IT TAKES TO COST THE AVERAGE PERSON WAY TO MUCH. Paying at both ends.

Sparse council weighs budget: CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - Sparse council weighs budget

Proposal would increase spending for most agencies
By Tim Hrenchir
The Capital-Journal
Published Sunday, July 13, 2008
With the city council three days away from setting an upper limit for Topeka's 2009 property tax mill levy, Deputy Mayor Jeff Preisner hoped to get a sense Saturday of how high members want that cap to be.

"But unfortunately there wasn't enough of the governing body there to have that discussion," Preisner said after a morning work session on the budget.

WHAT'S NEXT

The city council plans to set a cap on Topeka's 2009 property tax mill levy when its meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday in its chambers at 214 S.E. 8th.
Preisner canceled discussion about the cap near the end of Saturday's session because only himself and council members Bill Haynes, Sylvia Ortiz and Jack Woelfel were on hand.

Councilmen John Alcala, Brett Blackburn and Richard Harmon were absent because of prior commitments, while Councilwomen Deborah Swank and Lana Kennedy left before the council finished hearing presentations from heads of the city's 13 departments. City staff members videotaped the session so council members could watch it later.

The council had learned of Saturday's planned session at its July 1 meeting, where city finance director Jim Langford discussed details of city manager Norton Bonaparte's proposed 2009 budget.

On Tuesday, the council plans to set a cap on the city's 2009 mill levy and consider publishing a notice to hold a July 29 public hearing on it. In its current form, the budget would raise the property tax levy from 32.45 mills to 35.3 mills, increasing the property tax from $373.26 to $405.95 for a home assessed at $100,000.

Bonaparte told the council Saturday his proposal is "not an ideal budget at all" but would meet the city's needs. The proposal would increase spending for most departments, while reducing budgets for the Topeka Zoo, city manager's office, human relations commission, and department of housing and neighborhood development.

Langford told council members this year's biggest budgeting concern is the rising cost of gasoline.

"It just impacts everything," he said.

Langford said the proposed budget is calculated based on the city's average price for unleaded gasoline being $3.65 in 2009. The city isn't required to pay a 40-cent state and federal gasoline tax assessed to most purchasers.

Bonaparte's budget would continue all funding the city provides to social services agencies at this year's level except for grants to aid senior citizens, which Shawnee County would take over. Removing those from the budget would save the city $140,670, Langford said.

In response to a question from Ortiz, he said the county hasn't agreed to take over senior services funding. Ortiz asked the city staff to send county officials a letter asking if they are willing to do that.

Langford said Bonaparte's proposed budget calls for $300,000 in grants the city provides the Topeka Performing Arts Center to come from the city's transient guest fund instead of its general fund. The city levies the 6 percent transient guest tax on hotels and other places that provide temporary lodging.

Langford said the change would reduce the amount of money available for distribution by the council's transient guest tax committee. That committee considers allocations of transient guest tax money recommended by the city's nine-person tourism development fund board, which is made up mostly of tourism professionals.

Bonaparte's proposed budget would increase staffing in two departments by creating jobs. Two positions would be established for master mechanics being paid $34,291 annually in the fleet services division and one for a human resources assistant being paid $28,912.

Saturday's topics of discussion included the proposed police department budget, which includes continuing funding for the helicopter unit.

However, the unit's future remains uncertain. It was grounded pending an evaluation of the helicopter program in April after the crash of the newer of the department's two helicopters, a Robinson R44 the city acquired in January 2007. Police Chief Ron Miller told the council Saturday he plans to spend unused funding in the helicopter unit's 2008 budget to hire an aviation consultant to assess the situation.

After the council heard a presentation from Fire Chief Howard Giles about his department's 2009 budget, discussion turned to the effects of his decision to at times not staff an engine company based at Fire Station No. 3, 318 S.E. Jefferson.

Giles said that company has gone unstaffed about 27 percent of the time since March 21, when he began leaving it unstaffed to try to conserve callback overtime pay and stay within the budget. Bonaparte's proposed 2009 budget calls for the fire department to be allotted $218,364 for callback pay compared to $183,294 this year.

In response to a question from Preisner, Giles said his department hasn't "documented any adverse events" from the engine company's being unstaffed. Giles said leaving it unstaffed could at times change response times in the immediate area but that wouldn't necessarily be detrimental because the area is already well-served by fire stations.

Giles told council members the city has yet to begin negotiations with the local firefighters' union on a contract that would cover 2009.

Langford said the proposed budget calls for city employees to receive a 1.5 percent cost-of-living pay increase plus step increases, unless they are already covered by an existing 2009 union contract. Randy Speaker, deputy city manager, said about 150 of the roughly 1,100 employees in bargaining units are covered by existing contracts for 2009. The city plans to negotiate contracts with unions representing the rest.

Tim Hrenchir can be reached at (785) 295-1184 or tim.hrenchir@cjonline.com.

Something just don't go away... lol

Court hearing set on coal plant dispute: CJOnline - Court hearing set on coal plant dispute

The Associated Press
Published Monday, July 14, 2008 at 12:36 p.m. CDT
A utility hopes a court hearing will get it a little closer to building two coal-fired power plants.

Sunflower Electric Power Corp. wants to build the plants in Finney County. Last year, Health and Environment Secretary Rod Bremby rejected an air-quality permit.

Bremby’s decision resulted in six separate legal challenges. Two are in Finney County District Court.

Judge Philip Vieux has scheduled a hearing for 9 a.m. Tuesday on whether the two cases should be dismissed.

Sunflower and a partner filed the challenges, but Sunflower spokesman Steve Miller says it hopes they are dismissed so other challenges can go forward.

Legislators tried this year to clear the way for the plants, but Gov. Kathleen Sebelius vetoed three bills.

Only one reader comment...

Posted by: mlurp at Jul. 14, 2008 at 4:31:57 pm
More B.S. on the plants that help KS., for nothing fruitful but a few jobs in Finney Co. Not worth it for KS.

Politcs the parties that delute them and the people that sell their souls to be part of the show!....

Kansas Democrats upset over Roberts TV ad: CJOnline - Kansas Democrats upset over Roberts TV ad

The Associated Press
Published Monday, July 14, 2008 at 2:43 p.m. CDT
Kansas Democrats are accusing Republican Sen. Pat Roberts of breaking a federal campaign finance law with a television ad.

Kansas Democratic Party Executive Director Mike Gaughan filed a complaint Monday with the Federal Election Commission.

Roberts spokeswoman Molly Haase called the complaint "pathetic."

Part of the ad attacks Democratic candidate Jim Slattery over his work as a lobbyist for the past 14 years.

Democrats argue the disclaimers included at the beginning of the ad aren't enough to show that Roberts takes responsibility for all of its contents.

In his complaint, Gaughan said that violates a 2002 federal requirement known as the "Stand by Your Ad" provision.

Reader Comments
+ 1 Rating Posted by: TopekaIsBoring at Jul. 14, 2008 at 4:20:09 pm
If being a Washington lobbyist is such a bad thing, then why is Pat Roberts' son David a Washington lobbyist? I wonder how many favors ol' Pat has done for Davey's clients?

Posted by: mlurp at Jul. 14, 2008 at 4:29:55 pm
Pat Roberts needs to go. We see him now because he needs to run for his seat. He lies (his Boening ad) and is the real insider. If Slattery screws up we dump him the next time around. Maybe that is what we should do each time around. Start anew...

Posted by: keithmiles at Jul. 14, 2008 at 4:44:07 pm
The big problem with Slattery is he is ALSO part of the Washington establishment and very much what voters hate..........being a lobbyist.

He's pretty much dead in water.

Posted by: snert2 at Jul. 14, 2008 at 4:45:15 pm
I heard this one the other day. "Leadership is the art of persuading others to follow you, if for no other reason than curiosity."

I am curious about Slattery.

Posted by: HockeyGoon at Jul. 14, 2008 at 4:51:12 pm
Of course the democrats are upset, the ads reveal more about Slattery than he wanted people to know.

When David Roberts runs for Senate I'll hold being a Washington lobbyist against him too, but until then I guess I'm stuck saying "Boo!!!! Hiss!!!"


Posted by: mlurp at Jul. 14, 2008 at 5:08:42 pm
Keithmiles what you going to do? It is th elocal parties that sponser these guys. Like useless Ji, Ryan. You got to be kidding me!

You want change then get rid of the 2 parties who control everything.

One lucky man...

Man wounded during altercation: CJOnline - Man wounded during altercation

By Ann Marie Bush
The Capital-Journal
Published Monday, July 14, 2008 at 1:49 p.m. CDT
A 30-year-old man suffered a head wound during an altercation involving a gun in North Topeka this afternoon, said Topeka police Capt. Jerry Stanley.

Officers were dispatched about 12:30 p.m. to 1220 N.W. Van Buren in reference to gun shots. When officers arrived, they discovered a man with a head wound, Stanley said. The house at the address has been split into multiple apartments. The shooting occurred in the back of the building.

Stanley said a man parked behind the apartments and a verbal altercation ensued when the victim approached the driver.

Capt. Ron Brown said the man struck the victim in the head with a gun and it discharged.

The wounded man refused to be transported by American Medical Response, but AMR personnel bandaged his head at the scene.

Police are searching for a white man in his 20s driving a red Chevrolet Monte Carlo.

Anyone with information is asked to call police detectives at (785) 368-9400 or Crime Stoppers at (785) 234-0007.


Reader Comments
+ 2 Rating Posted by: MacColl at Jul. 14, 2008 at 3:01:15 pm
Bet the victim was relieved to find out it he had been hit with the gun and not the bullet.

Posted by: Heather785 at Jul. 14, 2008 at 3:08:23 pm
right

Posted by: jojo5969 at Jul. 14, 2008 at 3:25:14 pm
No kidding! Beat his ears were ringing!

+ 3 Rating Posted by: asasdfsd at Jul. 14, 2008 at 3:40:43 pm
You can't argue with anyone nowadays - you never know who will kill you over words. Sad.. (and it's NOT just Topeka)

Posted by: jojo5969 at Jul. 14, 2008 at 4:16:37 pm
I agree asasdfsd, it like its the Wild West! Pull out you six shooters!

+ 1 Rating Posted by: ajs2472 at Jul. 14, 2008 at 4:18:47 pm
jojo...I'd say they need to pull something different out and it's not from a holster

Posted by: mlurp at Jul. 14, 2008 at 4:26:26 pm
Just to many people driving around with guns that have no right to carry one.

And your right many years ago before the crips/bloods moved into town just how bad was Topeka. To many people making the wrong choices now!

+ 1 Rating Posted by: MegC23 at Jul. 14, 2008 at 4:49:49 pm
Oy vey....

This type of stuff gives "north" topeka a bad name. I grew up in "north" topeka, Seaman district... and it was honestly a great community. This type of thing is really sad to me..

Posted by: truthfinder at Jul. 14, 2008 at 5:06:14 pm
I'm right with you MegC23. Kids in North Topeka see this kind behavior and think that they are supposed to act like that just because they are all "north"

Just ticks me off. Most enjoy the local joke.

Fire Engine Company No. 3 closed today: CJOnline - Fire Engine Company No. 3 closed today

The Capital-Journal
Published Monday, July 14, 2008 at 8:01 a.m. CDT
Fire Engine Company No. 3, 318 S.E. Jefferson, is shut down today because the Topeka Fire Department would have needed to call back firefighters to staff the company. Downtown and East Topeka are the affected areas.



Reader Comments
Posted by: napoleon969 at Jul. 14, 2008 at 9:06:30 am
2nd verse same as the first.

+ 1 Rating Posted by: peewees at Jul. 14, 2008 at 9:14:12 am
Wait for it ... wait for it ...

+ 1 Rating Posted by: byteme at Jul. 14, 2008 at 9:17:33 am
And little bo peep lost her sheep. So what move on, get a life.

Posted by: MegC23 at Jul. 14, 2008 at 9:31:40 am
STUPID TPD and that gosh darn Dowd!! Wait... wrong one...

Posted by: MacColl at Jul. 14, 2008 at 9:33:30 am
OMG!

Posted by: larrydpicotte at Jul. 14, 2008 at 9:48:48 am
UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

+ 1 Rating Posted by: vedean at Jul. 14, 2008 at 11:05:46 am
This is not news anymore. It is just annoying.

Posted by: FYInformation at Jul. 14, 2008 at 11:18:08 am
Pretty sad that this is all CJ has to fill their spaces with... Oh yeah, we were supposed to stop commenting on this issue, so they'd stop publishing it!
FYI

-1 Rating Posted by: councilcrooks at Jul. 14, 2008 at 12:48:04 pm
"Posted by: FYInformation at Jul. 14, 2008 at 11:18:08 am
Pretty sad that this is all CJ has to fill their spaces with... Oh yeah, we were supposed to stop commenting on this issue, so they'd stop publishing it!
FYI"

What's even sadder is the way you and BABS have run this city into the ground.

Posted by: kdj699 at Jul. 14, 2008 at 1:46:58 pm
Napoleon969 stole my line!!!!!

Posted by: kdj699 at Jul. 14, 2008 at 1:48:05 pm
Oh well, I am out of witty things to say about this crisis.

+ 1 Rating Posted by: vickit at Jul. 14, 2008 at 2:18:55 pm
Actually Napoleon and kdj, this is like 163rd verse....

It's like one of those annoying car trip song 99 days the stations been closed 99 days it's been closed
call in sick
gosh what a D!@&
100 days the stations been closed...........

-4 Rating Posted by: busymama at Jul. 14, 2008 at 2:29:33 pm
vickit - does this story say anyone called in sick? NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOO

-2 Rating Posted by: FYInformation at Jul. 14, 2008 at 2:42:12 pm
Not sure what you're talking about councilcrooks, but I'll say it again - I AM NOT A COUNCIL MEMBER - get it through your thick skull!
FYI

Posted by: kdj699 at Jul. 14, 2008 at 2:56:30 pm
vickit, if you have counted 163 days of this, you have too much time on your hands. You should see if you can get the job of reporting it for CJ.

Posted by: mlurp at Jul. 14, 2008 at 5:17:14 pm
What again. This is what the 3rd or more times it has been closed because of budget and overtime pay eating the fire departments budget. I think these guys need to get it right, now! The citizens shouldn't have to bear the blunt of their dis-satisfaction. The fire union best get its people and act together, NOW!

I put the scanner back to work today. here is some of the results.

a gun... Sorry the picture isn't clear. A white guy was hit.