Now that is fast action by the TPD. Great..

Pair arrested; close call recounted: CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - Pair arrested; close call recounted

By Kevin Elliott
The Capital-Journal
Published Friday, May 16, 2008
The second of two men suspected in the armed robbery of Expert Tire in southwest Topeka was arrested Thursday.

Topeka police Capt. Jerry Stanley said officers arrested Jeremy Beard, 30, of Kansas City, Kan., at 5 p.m. in the 3300 block of S.E. Ohio. Beard, believed to be the gunman, was taken to the Law Enforcement Center for questioning before being booked into the Shawnee County Jail in connection with aggravated robbery and aggravated assault.



Ann Williamson / The Capital-Journal
Mike Davis chased after the gunman who held up Expert Tire, 5320 S.W. 21st. The mechanic has worked at the store for four months.



Submitted
Jeremy Beard is believed to be the man who fired shot.



Submitted
David Cox is believed to be the getaway driver.

Click Thumbnails to View
Comments
Click here to read comments from yesterday's story. Three hours after Wednesday's robbery, police located the suspected getaway vehicle, a white passenger car with a Texas plate, in the 3300 block of S.E. Emerson, and arrested the driver, said Kristi Pankratz, police spokeswoman. David Anthony Cox, 40, of Topeka, was booked in connection with armed robbery.

Meanwhile, a mechanic at Expert Tire recounted Thursday chasing the robber to get a description of the getaway vehicle, not knowing the man was armed with a gun.

Mike Davis said he was talking to another employee in the garage at Expert Tire, 5320 S.W. 21st, when a man in a hooded sweatshirt walked into the crowded lobby and robbed the business about 5 p.m. Wednesday.

"The manager said, 'He robbed us,' " Davis said. "Out of instinct, I took off running."

Without a thought, the 44-year-old mechanic said he was out of the second bay of the garage, into the parking lot and chasing the robber.

Davis said he barely noticed the crowd at Topeka West High School just 100 yards to the west, the steady stream of traffic along S.W. 21st Street or the line cars in the Arby's drive-through next door. Nor did he notice the chrome revolver the robber was carrying — until he turned and shot at Davis.

"I saw his arm move and I heard a big 'pop,' " Davis recalled. "I didn't realize he had a gun till I got to the fence."

The robber was already around the south fence at the rear of the parking lot and heading to a waiting getaway car. Davis said he was about halfway up the chain-link fence when the robber brought his left arm around behind him and fired an errant shot in his direction.

Davis dropped to the ground about 10 to 17 feet from where the shot was fired from the parking lot of the Fairlawn Green Apartment complex, 5237 S.W. 20th Terrace. It was then that Davis heard his co-workers warning him about the gun.

"I was betting on that he didn't have a gun, but I was wrong," he said. "It was just dumb luck that he didn't hit me."

Police said the bullet was thought to have passed between Expert Tire and The Toy Store, 5300 S.W. 21st. It wasn't recovered. Police guessed the bullet might have landed in a tree line far to the south side of S.W. 21st Street.

"Everything happened so dang quick," Davis said. "I basically wanted to see where he was going and what he was getting into so I could have a description of the vehicle."

Davis said chasing the robber may not have been the safest choice.

"It finally sunk in around 9 or 9:30 last night," he said. "It was like — wow."

Despite the shock, he said he isn't letting the incident get to him.

"I come to work no matter what," he said. "I don't let things bother me. I don't let things scare me. Things happen for a reason. I can't answer them."

Kevin Elliott can be reached

at (785) 295-1192.

Using a hammer and ugh th erest of thereport. Doesn't anyon ehave sickos lik ethese brothers in their community?

Man to testify against brother: CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - Man to testify against brother

Plea agreement linked to slaying of Hope Street Academy student
By Steve Fry
The Capital-Journal
Published Friday, May 16, 2008
As part of a plea agreement with the Shawnee County district attorney's office in which he admitted using a hammer to batter a Topeka couple, Anthony Earl Hall agreed to testify against the man charged with the brutal slaying of 15-year-old Nacole Winter in December 2006.

Hall will testify against his brother, Christopher Dwayne Hall, 25.

The case of Christopher Hall, who is charged with the first-degree murder of Winter, aggravated indecent liberties with a child and desecration of a corpse, is scheduled to be in district court June 19 for a docket call.

Anthony Hall, 28, pleaded guilty Monday to attempted second-degree murder. A second count of attempted murder, a count of aggravated robbery and two alternative counts of aggravated battery were dismissed, according to court records.

Christopher Hall and a third brother, Michael Timothy Lamar Hall, 27, also are charged with the aggravated robbery of Michael Joseph Delaney and two counts of the attempted second-degree murder of Jennifer Leigh Hughes and Delaney.

Michael Hall is scheduled to make a plea in that case May 28, according to court records. Terms of the plea aren't known.

The Hall brothers had lived at the Fairlawn Green Apartments, 5237 S.W. 20th Terrace.

They were charged with using a "giant hammer" to beat Delaney and Hughes, who lived in the same apartment complex, on Christmas 2006, District Attorney Robert Hecht said in a statement. The two suffered serious injuries after each was struck on the head.

In addition to attempted murder, Anthony Hall pleaded guilty to attempted rape and aiding a felon, Hecht said.

The attempted rape conviction is tied to the sexual assault of a woman, 26, in November 2006 in a laundry room at her apartment complex, Hecht said. The woman screamed and was able to break free from her attacker, Hecht said.

Anthony Hall's aiding a felon conviction is tied to helping or harboring someone he knew who killed Winter and committed aggravated indecent liberties with a child, Hecht said.

Potential sentences for Anthony Hall are 55 to 247 months each for the attempted murder conviction and attempted rape and seven to 23 months for the aiding a felon conviction, Hecht said. The sentences depend on his criminal history.

In early December, District Judge Thomas Conklin found Christopher Hall incompetent to stand trial and ordered him to a state psychiatric hospital for evaluation and treatment for at least 90 days. Conklin said a psychiatrist had found Hall was a "serious and imminent risk" to himself.

Winter, an eighth-grader, disappeared after she walked away Nov. 30, 2006, from Hope Street Academy, an alternative school operated by Topeka Unified School District 501. Her body was found Dec. 14 in a wooded area in the 4100 block of S.E. East Edge Road in an open field near Lake Shawnee.

The body was burned from the waist down in an apparent attempt to conceal evidence of the assailant's identity. The killing, sexual assault and burning of the body occurred between Dec. 11 and 14, court records said.

Steve Fry can be reached at (785) 295-1206 or steve.fry@cjonline com.

Some you know about a few are new the ones that strikes me are the VA
e-mail, the IRS report of failure, and yahoo munity and the Forces seeking Al-Qaida in Mosul.

Power plant thingy was over.

Governor vetoes third attempt at power plant expansion: CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - Governor vetoes third attempt at power plant expansion

By James Carlson
The Capital-Journal
Published Saturday, May 17, 2008
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius today vetoed the Legislature's third attempt at allowing expansion of a coal-fired power plant in southwest Kansas.

Supporters of the $3.5 billion project had tied this latest bill to economic development projects around the state, including a tax break aimed at bringing a $150 million manufacturing plant to Topeka. Sebelius criticized the bundling of bills in her veto message.



Gov. Kathleen Sebelius
"Rather than working toward a compromise solution, legislative leaders recklessly chose to jeopardize important initiatives for businesses and communities across our state by combining them with energy legislation I have previously vetoed twice," she said.

House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, said the bill would have provided "billions (of dollars) in opportunities." "Now with the Governor's veto, Kansas has lost out on those opportunities," he said. Many legislators were angered by an October decision by Rod Bremby, secretary of the Kansas Health and Environment, to deny the 1,400-megawatt plant addition sought by Sunflower Electric Power Corp.

In his ruling, the secretary cited dangers posed by the new plant's projected 11 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Many scientists link CO2 pollution to global warming.

Bremby's action prompted lawmakers to craft legislation authorizing the construction and stripping the secretary of the power to regulate greenhouse gasses beyond current federal regulations. Two such bills had already flown through the Statehouse with simple majorities in each chamber, but Sebelius has met each with a veto.

Supporters of the coal plant have always had the two-thirds of votes in the Senate needed to override the governor's denials, but the House has consistently come up short of the veto-proof majority.

In an attempt to widen the measure's appeal and gain a few new supporters, legislative leaders packaged the coal-plant issue with a telecommunications industry tax break, financial support for a new transit complex in Johnson County and expansion of tax incentives for business recruitment.

One of the tax incentives was directed toward luring a $150 million wind turbine manufacturing plant to Topeka, one of three cities vying for the project.

Opponents of the coal bill — and some supporters — said the coupling of so many disperate items wouldn't pass the constitutional requirement of each bill having only one subject.

Sebelius said Friday she "cannot support a measure that blatantly contradicts our founding document." Neufeld rejected that criticism, saying every item in the proposal is for economic development. On Friday, he also slammed the governor for allowing to stand Bremby's decision, which Neufeld said is creating regulatory uncertainty that is scaring away investment in the state.

"Businesses must know what is expected of them before they commit to Kansas," he said. "With the Governor's veto, the water remains murky for businesses."

The speaker and others contend a $10 billion oil refinery project that had considered locating in Kansas is no longer interested because of the secretary's action.

Supporters of the plant expansion outside Holcomb in Finney County will have an opportunity to try to override Sebelius' veto when they return for the ceremonial end of the session on May 29. But House Minority Leader Dennis McKinney, D-Greensburg, a supporter of the plant, said he didn't expect enough votes to succeed in the override.

"I'm hoping we continue the conversation and try to gain approval of this next year," he said. He said getting other utilities in the state to purchase a portion of the power from the Holcomb facility could generate some extra support. Some critics have focused on the fact that only 200 of the plant's 1,400 megawatts are earmarked for Kansas, while the remaining energy will flow to Colorado and Texas.

Steve Miller, a spokesman for Sunflower, was disappointed in Friday's veto. "We think Kansans deserve the most reliable and lowest cost energy," he said. Also on Friday, Sebelius vetoed a companion measure to the coal-plant bill that would have kept an additional 200 megawatts in the state and would have applied a 2-cent fee on every electric meter in the state to help pay for a bioenergy research center.

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

Lets hear how your city handles their budgets! 2 reader comments.

Fire department temporarily shuts down company
The Capital-Journal: CJOnline - Fire department temporarily shuts down company

Published Saturday, May 17, 2008 at 2:39 p.m. CDT
A Topeka fire company that serves the downtown, Oakland and East Topeka areas was shut down today under a policy implemented to conserve overtime pay for firefighters called back to replace those who are sick or on vacation.

The fire department said it closed its engine company based at Fire Station No. 3, 318 S.E. Jefferson, effective from 7 a.m. today to 7 a.m. Sunday.

The move come under a policy change Fire Chief Howard Giles announced in March regarding the department's practice of generally calling back firefighters to work overtime to maintain the minimum 54 firefighters needed to staff its 18 fire companies.

Giles said budget concerns prompted him to opt to no longer call back firefighters to staff as many as two companies after the department in any given month reaches a prorated limit of about $12,000 he has set in callback overtime pay. He decided to shut down the engine company at Fire Station No. 3 at times when the department would need to call back one to three firefighters, and also to close the truck company at Fire Station No. 9 when four to six firefighters would need to be called back.

The fire department’s engine companies carry hoses and water to fight fires while its truck companies are responsible for search and rescue and providing lights and ventilation. The department’s truck company based out of Fire Station No. 3 remains in operation today.

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Reader Comments
Posted by: OtherSignGuy at May 17, 2008 at 06:32:22 PM
Wait! I've heard this song before! It goes "Vote the bums out! Vote the bums out! da da, da-da da da, vote the bums out!"

Posted by: mlurp at May 17, 2008 at 07:06:44 PM
I guess he has his fingers crossed that no fire will start in the closed down fire companies area of operation.
This stupid policy was approved by whom? Maybe if the city council had more desire to do for the citizens they represent and not for choppers that consultants they hired told them were not needed there would be money to support the Fire departments. And even hire more men. Same with the Police department. Just a thought.

I wonder if this is the guy that wrote a false check on my account: I got it resolved. But one wonders. "Preston Craig Clowdus, 40, on a warrant charging him with making a false writing, 12:03 p.m. 5/16".

Police & fire calls: CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - Police & fire calls

Published Sunday, May 18, 2008
Police calls

Felony cases reported to the Topeka Police Department.

Address,

Crime, Time, Day

1600 blk. S.W. Huntoon,

house burglary, criminal damage, 10 a.m. 5/16-10:05 a.m. 5/17

3100 blk. S.E. 6th,

passing counterfeit money, 11 a.m. 5/17

People booked into the Shawnee County Jail in connection with a felony.

Preston Craig Clowdus, 40, on a warrant charging him with making a false writing, 12:03 p.m. 5/16.

Andrew Lee Parkhurst, 20, in connection with crimes that included aggravated battery, 5:30 p.m. 5/16.

Kylie Anne Halstead, 20, in connection with crimes that included criminal damage to property, 2:48 a.m. 5/17.

Felipe DeJesus Cuevas-Delgado, 38, in connection with crimes that included felony drug possession and possessing contraband in a penal institution, 5:15 a.m. 5/17.

Stephen Rea Shanks, 36, on a warrant charging him with aggravated battery, 8:05 a.m. 5/17.

Jesse James Griffin, 23, on a warrant charging him with crimes that included possessing stolen property, 11:05 a.m. 5/17.

Fire calls

Address, Action, Time, Day

Topeka Fire Department

3750 N.W. 62nd,

Potentially hazardous conditions at the scene of a possible meth lab, 12:28 a.m. Fri.

1141 S.E. Lime,

Vegetation fire, no loss, 1:19 a.m., Fri.

534 S. Kansas Ave.,

Service call, 6:21 a.m., Fri.

731 S.E. Lafayette,

Public assistance call, 7:18 a.m., Fri.

1312 S.W. Polk,

Structure fire, no loss, 1:43 p.m., Fri.

2930 S.W. Foxcroft Ct.,

Structure fire, no loss, 2:20 p.m., Fri.

S.W. I-470 and Burlingame Rd.,

Mobile property fire, no loss, 4:05 p.m. Fri.

107 S.W. 16th,

Vegetation fire, no loss, 4:41 p.m. Fri.

115 S.E. 6th Ave.,

Trash fire, no loss, 5:30 p.m. Fri.

1600 N.W. Taylor,

Steam or gas mistaken for smoke, 5:59 p.m. Fri.

1600 S.W. Randolph Ave.,

Steam or gas mistaken for smoke, 9:41 p.m. Fri.

536 N.E. Lime,

Potential toxic conditions, 10:21 p.m. Fri.

N.E. Division, Wilson,

Steam or gas mistaken for smoke, 11:15 p.m. Fri.

28 medical calls and no false alarms on Friday.

Mission Township Fire Department

One medical call and one false alarm between 3 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday.

Soldier Township Fire Department

N.W. US-24 and K-4 highways,

Traffic accident, 3:57 p.m. Fri.

One medical call between 3 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday.

Shawnee Heights Fire District

Lake Shawnee,

Bicycle accident, 3:30 p.m. Fri.

N.W. US-24 and K-4 highways,

Mutual aid call on a traffic accident, 3:57 p.m. Fri.

Two medical call and one false alarm between 3 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday.

and now thrown in the face of opponents of the coal fired plant in S.W. Kansas. S. Dakota wins it but now there might be problems KS., might have avoided. It shows that Big Business wants it all their way again! But hey a new oil refinery plant any where is good news.

Hyperion refinery: possibility or politics?
Impact of Sunflower decision under scrutiny: CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - Hyperion refinery: possibility or politics?

By James Carlson
The Capital-Journal
Published Sunday, May 18, 2008
Officials called it Project Nicole, and for almost two years they concealed its details.

While a fight over the proposed $3.5 billion expansion of a coal-fired power plant boiled in public, negotiations for an even bigger investment played out in the background.

The details of this secret development dwarfed all others. Hyperion Resources Inc., a Dallas-based company, was considering four sites, including Kansas, for a $10 billion oil refinery producing 8,000 construction jobs and 1,800 well-paying permanent positions.

"Wow is all I can say," wrote Deb Miller, secretary of the Kansas Department of Transportation, when she learned of Project Nicole in March 2007.

Then in March 2008, the refinery and coal plant projects collided. Reporters were summoned to a Statehouse office where Rep. Richard Carlson, R-St. Marys, revealed that Kansas was no longer in contention for this previously undisclosed oil refinery. Why? Because Hyperion's president was unsure of Kansas' regulatory climate, Carlson said.

This offered the ultimate example of what supporters of the coal-fired power plant had said all along — the decision by the state's top environmental regulator to deny the power plant, decried as outside his authority, was driving investment away from the state.

But others said Hyperion had long ago decided to locate its refinery in South Dakota and that Kansas was only a fallback site.

Was Kansas in serious contention for the project or was connecting the coal-plant denial to the lost $10 billion project just political hyperbole?

Compelling reasons

In April 2006, Bob Cole, director of the Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation, replied to a request by Hyperion for possible sites to locate an oil refinery. Over the next 10 months, Cole and others in the Kansas Department of Commerce talked with Hyperion, and by Feb. 15, 2007, the state was one of four remaining areas in contention.

The company also was considering Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota, according to a questionnaire submitted by Hyperion to state officials in March 2007.

On April 11, 2007, Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson and other state officials flew to Dallas for a meeting with the company. Six days later, Hyperion executive Preston Phillips e-mailed Bill Graper, a development consultant with the commerce department.

"Kansas presents many compelling reasons for doing business in the state," Phillips wrote. "Hyperion wants to move forward with more detailed discussions."

Between that meeting and the end of May, Phillips and other Hyperion representatives visited Topeka twice, according to an e-mail from Graper to Kansas officials involved in the negotiations.

The purpose of these meetings, Graper wrote, was to "begin permitting protocols" and to "discuss the process for optioning needed property."

"You never really know if we were a secondary option (for Hyperion)," Cole said in an interview. "But suffice it to say, they spent a lot of money and a lot of time on the Kansas side."

Kansas, a backup

In June 2007, after media speculation about a mystery company buying up land around Elk Point, S.D., Hyperion announced it was considering the South Dakota city as a location.

Soon after, RTP Environmental Associates Inc., a consultant for Hyperion, began work on the permitting process with South Dakota officials.

In September, Colin Campbell, the RTP employee in charge of the Hyperion project, e-mailed the Environmental Protection Agency, saying he would be submitting an air-quality permit application for the South Dakota location soon.

"A different site could ultimately be selected, but we can deal with that circumstance if and when it arises," Campbell wrote.

Carlson acknowledges South Dakota was moving ahead. "We were probably a little behind," he said. "(Hyperion was) renewing land options up there."

The Kansas Department of Commerce points to the South Dakota site announcement and the subsequent months of dialogue between that state and Hyperion as a clue that Kansas was a backup.

"All indications in the summer and fall were that the gears were turning in South Dakota and that South Dakota had emerged as the top candidate," said Joe Monaco, spokesman for the commerce department.

Moving forward

But also at this time in Kansas, Phillips met with landowners in Pottawatomie County, according to an e-mail he sent to Kansas officials in early September 2007.

"She was very nice and receptive to the project," the Hyperion executive wrote about one landowner.

Meanwhile, Campbell with the consulting firm said he was moving forward with an air-quality permit application in Kansas, per instructions from Hyperion.

"South Dakota was definitely where we first filed," Campbell said in an interview. "But I don't know if that was any indication of preference."

'We need to discuss'

On Oct. 19, 2007, Rod Bremby, secretary of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, announced he was denying an air-quality permit for the 1,400-megawatt expansion of a power plant outside Holcomb in Finney County that was sought by Sunflower Electric Power Corp. He cited dangers posed by the plant's projected 11 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, a greenhouse gas many scientists link to global warming.

Critics of the decision said Bremby didn't have the authority to regulate pollutants not spelled out in the federal Clean Air Act. Sunflower, opponents said, had met all known requirements, and its permit denial would scare off other businesses.

Two days after the ruling, Phillips e-mailed Graper at the commerce department.

"We need to discuss as this is of major concern," Phillips wrote. He added, "Hyperion has to understand where the state of Kansas is on this issue."

Keeping on track

If Bremby's ruling scared off Hyperion, it wasn't immediately.

Phillips wrote to commerce officials on Oct. 31, 2007 that he was flying to Kansas the next day and would meet with another landowner.

But e-mails between the two sides show Kansas' uneasiness with their claim to the Hyperion project.

"We are trying to keep things on track as best we can while things sort out," Steve Kelly, deputy secretary of business development with the commerce department, wrote to KDHE officials in mid-November. He continued, "I think one of the things these companies are looking for is information and direction as to process and standards that will be in place."

On Dec. 6, 2007, Hyperion filed its rezoning application for land in Union County, S.D., and on Dec. 20, 2007 the company officially filed its air-quality permit with that state.

According to an e-mail from Kelly on Jan. 4, 2008, Hyperion was anxious to nail down specifics in Kansas because it was coming up on a deadline to commit to buying land.

"The cost associated with that transaction is approximately $500,000, so they understandably would like to have some conversation prior to that date to determine whether that sort of financial commitment is prudent," Kelly wrote to KDHE.

Much uncertainty

Phillips wrote to Kansas commerce secretary David Kerr on Jan. 22 asking for a commitment to approve the air-quality permit if Hyperion applied in Kansas. Bremby replied Feb. 11, "Kansas remains open for business."

Bremby wrote he couldn't commit to issuing the permit but said if Hyperion submitted the same application as they did in South Dakota, there "should not be a problem with issuance."

Sometime around this time, Hyperion told Campbell, the environmental consultant, to stop planning for the Kansas air-quality permit application, Campbell said.

On March 11, Union County officials in South Dakota approved Hyperion's request to rezone the land, and a few days later Phillips called Cole at the Pottawatomie Economic Development Commission to tell him Kansas was no longer in the running.

"Hyperion told me that with the CO2 emissions question up in the air, there was just too much uncertainty," Cole said.

Lawsuit

Cole, Carlson and others contend regulatory uncertainty created by Bremby's decision on the coal plant cost Kansas its chance. The state wasn't a fallback, they say.

"I think they were very serious about us," Carlson said.

But others say South Dakota was always Hyperion's first choice and point to the fact that only days after the company's land was approved for rezoning in South Dakota, Kansas was removed from contention.

Hyperion has run into some problems lately in South Dakota. The company's CEO, Albert Huddleston, is being sued by the trustees of his wife's multi-million dollar inheritance to try to block those funds from being used for the refinery.


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

One can only hope the Dem's upset the Republicans this coming election. I am tired of the Republicans always for big businesses and not the people of KS. so you know how I will vote. A few Dem's won't get mine and I hope these big interest Dem's have someone, anyone running against them. One reader comment. Which says it all for me. These clowns need to go!

Drama, defeats mark house speaker's tenure: CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - Drama, defeats mark house speaker's tenure

By Tim Carpenter
The Capital-Journal
Published Sunday, May 18, 2008
Major legislative defeats define the two years Republican Melvin Neufeld has gripped the gavel as the House's top political operative.

The western Kansas lawmaker's first session will be forever linked to passage of legislation establishing Kansas as the exclusive domain of state-owned and -operated casino gambling.



The Capital-Journal
Melvin Neufeld opposed expanded gaming.
HOUSE SPEAKER

Rep. Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls.

Leadership position: Speaker of the House

House service: 1985-1988, 1991-present

Occupation: farmer, stockman
"I'm afraid so," Neufeld said.

His second year at the helm has been marked by an epic struggle to break Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' blockade of a proposed coal-fired power plant at Holcomb. The speaker boasted in January he would get the $3.6 billion project on track. However, Sebelius vetoed Friday a third coal bill. The Senate, but not the House, has twice before demonstrated a capacity to override the governor on coal.

Legislators and political activists say two years of political drama in Topeka have left Neufeld in a weakened position. There are doubts Neufeld, while recognized for his solid work ethic, has diplomatic skills a House speaker requires to forge coalitions.

It makes the outcome of the November general election important to Neufeld's future as speaker. If Democrats slice into the GOP's 78-47 lead in the House, Neufeld can expect to face a rebellion during leadership races in December. If House Republicans hold the line, Neufeld stands a better chance of being rewarded by peers with another two-year term as House leader.

"Winning cures all ails," said Christian Morgan, executive director of the Kansas Republican Party.

Neufeld was chosen speaker by GOP colleagues in December 2006 after then-Speaker Doug Mays, R-Topeka, declined to seek re-election. On a final-ballot vote of 47-31, Neufeld defeated moderate Rep. Kenny Wilk, of Lansing.

Neufeld said it was his intention to run for another term as speaker of the House, but he didn't believe it was appropriate to dwell on leadership races before the November elections.

"Every seat in the Kansas House is up for election," he said. "That is what I am focused on — getting returning House Republican caucus members re-elected as well as getting more Kansas Republicans elected to the House."

He said it was disruptive for members to "focus on their personal gain rather than what is best for the caucus and those we represent."

Wilk, who is retiring after 16 years in the House, said Democrats could make modest inroads against Republicans in the House during the '08 election cycle. The wild card is Sebelius, a popular chief executive who is expected to campaign diligently for Democratic candidates for the Legislature. If events conspire to undermine GOP representation in the House, Wilk said, the buck shouldn't stop at Neufeld.

"If that happens," Wilk said, "then I think the whole Republican leadership team pays a price."

Mike Gaughan, executive director of the Kansas Democratic Party, said Neufeld's struggle centered on an inability to effectively bridge a long-simmering divide in the House between about two dozen moderate Republicans and a similarly sized group of deeply conservative Republicans.

A 31-seat GOP majority in the House doesn't automatically translate into success with the caucus so fractured, Gaughan said.

He said Neufeld's leadership problems were a legitimate election issue.

"Of course," he said, "we are looking forward to giving Kansans a choice this fall."

Sebelius, who represented Topeka for eight years in the House prior to running for statewide office, said she wouldn't get involved in Senate and House leadership debates. She said it would be appropriate for legislators to bring a "fresh attitude" to the Statehouse in 2009.

"This session is probably the most difficult session I have had in my years as governor, because it was an attitude of ultimatum," Sebelius said. "I'm hoping next year we can start on a more collaborative basis."

Hutchinson Rep. Mike O'Neal, a candidate for speaker in 2006, said he shares Neufeld's philosophical approach to state government and holds many of the same positions on public policy. Both men support the Holcomb coal project and oppose casino gaming.

However, O'Neal said he was exploring the possibility of challenging Neufeld for speaker in December.

O'Neal said his candidacy, if it comes to fruition, would tap into discontent with Neufeld's leadership ability. O'Neal said Neufeld took his eye off the ball during the 2007 session long enough for the casino gambling amendment to be attached to a widely supported bill renewing the Kansas Lottery. In 2008, he said, Neufeld moved to the floor a Holcomb coal bill that was drafted behind closed doors. Lack of attention to detail and willingness to cut back-room deals are red flags, O'Neal said.

"We've had a lot of colleagues concerned about that," O'Neal said.

Neufeld has one more chance to counter Sebelius on coal and remove this sore spot with House members. The House and Senate can try a veto override May 29 when the Legislature returns for a ceremony to close the session.

Senate Republicans hold a 30-10 majority and gathering 27 votes for a veto override on coal hasn't been a problem. Without 84 votes in the House to trump Sebelius, O'Neal said the speaker would lose a political battle he should have won.

"There was no reason to lose," O'Neal said. "You had bipartisan support that was geographically balanced."

O'Neal said the coal issue could have been settled long ago with a more delicate leadership approach in the House. He said Neufeld didn't personally reach out to representatives who might have changed their vote against coal. More one-on-one dialogue could have made a difference, O'Neal said.

"To me," O'Neal said, "it's a fundamental part of the process of developing public policy."

Rep. Peggy Mast, an Emporia Republican who backed O'Neal two years ago, said she was generally pleased with Neufeld's handling of the 2007 session. She said the speaker's orchestration of the 2008 session was disappointing because immigration and education reform was sidetracked by the attention given to coal.

"I feel like he should take some of the responsibility for the lack of accomplishment," Mast said.

Neufeld said the Legislature made significant progress during the past two years on reducing taxes for business and the elderly, financing public education, launching health care reform, controlling state spending and promoting economic development.

"We have a lot of good things to talk about with voters," Neufeld said. "People can say what they want to say, but they need to look at the performance."

Rep. Arlen Siegfreid, R-Olathe, said Neufeld had proven himself to be a resilient and tough legislative leader with a "chess-master mentality."

Bob Beatty, a professor of political science at Washburn University, said that while an unusually strong showing by Democrats in November could threaten Neufeld's place in the Statehouse hierarchy, it isn't clear the time is right to draft Neufeld's political obituary.

"It's a lot easier to talk about taking on a speaker than it is to successfully do it," Beatty said.

Tim Carpenter can be reached at (785) 295-1158 or timothy.carpenter@cjonline.com.

Reader Comments
+ 2 Rating Posted by: leslea at May 18, 2008 at 09:39:27 AM
Okay, for me, the performace that really concerns me is the coal fired power plants. I don't undertsand why this continues to be pursued. My understanding is that the bulk of the power will go out of state and Kansas only gets a small fracton of the power generated and all of the polution. It's not like it's going to lower our electric bills in the forseeable future. If the pursuit of this is job creation, the same people who would gain employment from building a coal plant could gain the same employmet building wind farms, where all the generated power could be used in Kansas. I can't help but wonder what kind of benefit legislators are getting from the coal industry and the people who want to build the plants.

And if the Republicans want to talk with the people, talk with us about access to health care for low income Kansans, talk with us about increases in Medicaid to pay for people in nursing homes to live in the community. The state pays more to keep people in nursing homes, than they would to allow them to live in the community as the legislators do. Talk with us about low income housing-we need so much more of it. Talk with us about how to help people on Medicaid see doctors that won't see Medicaid clients because of low reimbursement rates. Talk to us about how to help low income people who can't afford to pay their utilities, pay rent, purchase groceries and medication in the same month. Sure you can talk a lot, and we read it, but many of us ARE looking at performance and that may very well be why voters will be looking at making big changes when they go to the polls.

My comment says it all.

Kansas Democratic Party chairman backs Obama: CJOnline - Kansas Democratic Party chairman backs Obama

The Associated Press
Published Monday, May 19, 2008 at 3:06 p.m. CDT
Kansas Democratic Party Chairman Larry Gates is endorsing Barack Obama’s bid for the party’s presidential nomination.

Gates, one of Kansas’ superdelegates to the Democratic National Convention, said today he was backing Obama for his ability to win in Republican-dominated states and for “his positive campaign.”

Gates joins Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson, who have endorsed Obama’s campaign over Hillary Rodham Clinton. All three are among the state’s superdelegates to the national convention this summer in Denver.

Obama defeated Clinton in the Kansas caucuses in February.

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Reader Comments
Posted by: mlurp at May 19, 2008 at 04:48:03 PM
And I thought that they were suppose to support the popular vote. So why not wait till the few remaing staes have their say?

Sunday standoff ends peacefully: CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - Sunday standoff ends peacefully

By Phil Anderson
The Capital-Journal
Published Monday, May 19, 2008
A standoff that started about 9 a.m. Sunday in southeast Topeka ended peacefully about 90 minutes later when a man voluntarily surrendered to police.

The incident took place in the 2300 block of S.E. Kentucky, police said.

Officers were called to a residence after receiving reports of a man who was despondent and making suicidal threats.

The police Response Team was activated, according to departmental policy.

"Part of our policy and protocol is to make contact with the individual and make sure no one gets hurt," said police Sgt. J.P. Anguiano. "We were able to make contact with him. He came out and spoke to us."

Anguiano said the situation "ended really peacefully," as the man decided to go to a local hospital for evaluation.

The incident ended about 10:30 a.m.

A few streets were blocked off as a matter of public safety, Anguiano said. No injuries were reported.

Phil Anderson can be reached at (785) 295-1195 or phil.anderson@cjonline.com.

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Reader Comments
Posted by: bluesguy at May 19, 2008 at 12:29:22 PM
First class job TPD. No suicide by police last night and that is a good thing.

Posted by: docputer at May 19, 2008 at 02:09:25 PM
Yep, good job TPD. No loss of life is always good.