The Kansas Bureau of Investigation and the Topeka Police Department make an arrest in an officer-involved shooting.

Just before noon today, 34-year-old Terrell D. Hayes-Osby was arrested for the attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, aggravated burglary, aggravated assault, criminal possession of a weapon and unlawfully tampering with electronic monitoring equipment. Hayes-Osby was arrested as he was released from Stormont Vail Hospital where he was recovering from injuries sustained in the shooting.

The attempted murder charge was secured by the KBI who is investigating the officer-involved shooting, where Hayes-Osby fired a pistol multiple times toward TPD officers. The remaining felony charges were secured by TPD in their investigation into the theft at gunpoint of a pickup truck, occurring prior to the shooting at the gas station.

A Parsons Police Officer is honored by the Kansas Association of Chiefs of Police.  Corporal Rory Johnson received the Silver Award for Uncommon Valor. This recognition was in honor of his life-saving actions in April 2023.

Corporal Johnson responded to a distress call from former Parsons Officer Luke Schibi at the Parsonian Apartments. Officer Schibi requested assistance after a resident fell through a large window. Recognizing the need for first aid, Johnson applied pressure to a severe abdominal wound while providing support to Officer Schibi, who attended to a leg injury. Corporal Johnson rendering aid until EMS arrived is credited with saving the individual's life.

Nominated by PPD and selected by KACP, Corporal Johnson received this award during the annual KACP conference held at the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane.

 Flags in Kansas will be flown at half-staff this Sunday in observance of National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Day and to honor a Dearing firefighter.

 Governor Laura Kelly issued the directive today for all flags in the state to fly at half mast from sun up to sundown on Sunday. While the order honors all fallen firefighters, Kelly noted the service of Division Chief Martin Smith of the Dearing Fire Department. Division chief Smith passed away unexpectedly in January 2023 after responding to a vehicle accident.

Smith had a long career with the Dearing fire Department. He became a junior firefighter at the age of 16 and later served as a Volunteer Firefighter. He served as Assistant Chief for 26 years and became Chief of the Dearing Division in 2016. Smith had a reputation for being a strong leader, bringing many improvements to the Dearing Fire Department, and expected his volunteer firefighters to be well-trained professionals.

Governor Kelly stated, " “Division Chief Smith selflessly served the people of Montgomery County for nearly 50 years. We will not forget the sacrifices Division Chief Smith made and the work all Kansas firefighters undertake each day to protect Kansans.” 

 Book lovers, take note!

 The Spring Book sale at the Coffeyville Public Library is underway. Librarian Lois Hendricks says it's a chance to grab some great titles.

The library is open until 5pm today and from 9 to 5 Saturday at 311 West 10^th street in Coffeyville.

 One person is injured after a semi truck carrying cattle overturns on a Kansas highway.

 The accident occurred early Thursday morning at around 3:30am on K-14 near Kingman. The Kansas highway Patrol says the semi was traveling north on K-14 when it drifted to the right. The driver then over corrected, causing the truck to overturn. The 55 year old driver was taken to a nearby hospital with serious injuries.

The roadway was reopened around noon yesterday (Thursday) after all of the cattle had been recovered.

 An Oklahoma man is taken into custody by U.S. Marshalls on multiple charges.

 22 year old Devon Schubert was arrested Monday in Okay, Oklahoma, afetr attempting to flee from authorities. Schubert was taken to the Wagoner County jail and booked on charges that include kidnapping and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

 The City of Neodesha is looking for candidates for the city commission.

 The city has one commissioner seat up for election this year. The term on current commissioner Emily Vail-Keller is set to expire as she was appointed by the commission to fill the unexpired term left by the resignation of former commissioner Tom Nichol.

The new commissioner would face a primary election in August and a general election in November. Their three year term would begin in January.

Interested candidates must complete and submit the Declaration of Intention and Substantial Interest forms along with a $20 filing to the Wilson County Clerk's Office by noon on June 3^rd. Qualified electors may file a petition in lieu of the filing fee which must be signed by 38 qualified electors of the City. Specific rules and guidelines for the process are in place by the Office of the Kansas Secretary of State.

 The Osage Nation Police Department is investigating after it was discovered that the, "Million Dollar Elm," tree had been cut down on Tuesday evening.

 This is a tree that was planted in 2014 to symbolize the Osage Nation's past and was located next to the Principal Chief's Office.

The Osage Nation Police Department is reviewing footage. A smooth cut halfway through the trunk and yellow paint marks show that this could not have been from the Tuesday evening thunderstorms. The investigation is ongoing.

 A pair of Bartlesville brothers are arrested on larceny charges.

 18 year old Elijah Campbell and his juvenile brother were arrested on Tuesday and face larceny charges stemming from two separate incidents.

According to an affidavit, Campbell and his brother are accused of taking $1300 from a lock box and using the money to purchase cell phones from Walmart on April 16th.

According to a separate affidavit, on Tuesday, the brothers were picked up after a report of someone pointing a gun at a victim. One witness told officers that one of the brothers pointed a gun at his father before fleeing. A pistol was found in a bush near the house where officers located Campbell and his brother.

Both were arrested, and Elijah Campbell is being held on an aggregate bond of $75,000.

 The Oklahoma Department of Transportation says it is keeping a watchful eye on a logjam in the Neosho River.

 The large logjam was caused by downed tree, brush and debris that swept into the river after last weekend's heavy rainfall. The debris in the river has backed up next a bridge on US-60 near Wyandotte. Residents of Miami, who are upstream from the logjam are concerned about flooding. Miami Mayor Bless Parker says area residents should contact their state legislators and demand the Grand River Dam Authority be held accountable.

Miami residents won a major legal victory against G-R-D-A in January when the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission found a G-R-D-A responsible for flooding in the Miami area. Parker says the state needs to step in.

ODOT says they have no immediate concern for the structural integrity of the bridge. Authorities say that most of the debris is on the surface of the water, which allows water to continue to flow downstream. This is an important consideration to prevent upstream flooding.

The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office is looking for a suspect whose bond is being revoked on an attempted murder charge.

Earlier this morning, law enforcement received a tip that Josh Ferguson, who is wanted on a bond revocation warrant, was at a residence in southern Baxter Springs. Law Enforcement checked the residence and did not locate Ferguson. The original charge of attempted murder stems from an incident involving one of Ferguson's family members in May 2023.

After clearing the residence, law enforcement then searched the area but did not locate him. Anyone with information on Ferguson's whereabouts should contact the Cherokee County Sheriff's Office at (620)429-3992.

The Kansas Department of Health and Environment rescinds the stream advisory for the Verdigris River.

The stream advisory was the result of an oil well spill about 500 feet from the Verdigris River, East of Neodesha. Further field site investigation revealed that the original source of the oil is not discharging to the river and high flow conditions have quickly dispersed and moved any oil in the river past Coffeyville.

The KDHE has determined that water quality conditions in the river are safe for contact and livestock use. Residents are encouraged to take caution when around high, fast-moving water in the river.

 It wasn't a cat stuck in a tree, but it was a dog stuck in a storm drain.

 Firefighter in Wichita rescued the grateful pooch yesterday afternoon after a 9-1-1 call reported the small terrier has fallen into a storm drain. The Wichita Fire Department says the soggy dog's owner arrived on the scene just as they were lifting the canine from the drain.

The dog was not injured and was reunited with his owner.

Photo courtesy Wichita Fire Department

 Residents of Fredonia will soon see higher rates for sewer usage.

 At last night's city commission meeting, commissioners considered a resolution to raise rates for sewer use. City Administrator Wesley Young says part of the reason the rate hike was needed was to help pay for repairs to the system.

Commissioners werer reluctant to raise the rates, but agreed it was a step that neede to be taken. The measure was unanimously approved. The resolution will increase rates for the first one thousand gallons used from $28 to $35. It will also increase the rate for every one thousand gallons after that mark from $4 to $8. Young said the reason for this was to help spread the cost of the rate hike to the city's heavy users.

 Serious charges are made during an Osage County, Oklahoma, forum.

 During this week's Republican Forum, Osage County Clerk Robin Slack made some serious allegations against both former and current county commissioners. Slack said that she believes that not all county purchases are going through her office and that the $10 million courthouse annex is an example.  

Slack says that the Board gave the Osage County Industrial Authority authorization to proceed with a 10.5 million dollar bond to finance the annex project in late 2021. Slack says Osage County citizens had already voted against the measure. 

Slack says that Everett Piper, who stepped down as County Commissioner for District One in March, gave a presentation stating that the county would see a loss of nearly one million dollars. The Board converted the bond from an 18-month bond to a 30-year bond.

Everett Piper calls Slack's accusations untrue. Piper says Slack is intentionally misrepresenting the situation.Piper added that  every step of the requisitioning process has been reviewed and approved by legal counsel.  

Osage County District Attorney Mike Fisher also called Slack's comments were inaccurate.

 A bus stolen from a Kansas church is recovered in Texas.

 The First Christian Church in Medicine Lodge reported the bus stolen earlier this week after it was reportedly seen traveling at a high rate of speed outside of the city. The church had also reported two suspicious people in the area of the bus.

The bus was eventually located in Wichita Falls, TX, but no suspects were found. Texas authorities are continuing to search for the two suspects. When police in Wichita Falls are finished processing the vehicle, the church will be able to reclaim it.

 One person is dead after crashing into a tree on the campus of Emporia State University.

 The accident happened just after noon Wednesday. Reports indicate that the car failed to stop at a stop sign, left the roadway, and hit the tree. The driver of the car was taken to a nearby hospital where they were pronounced dead.

Officers from the Emporia Police Department and the Emporia State Police Department responded to the scene. Due to the nature of the accident, the victim's name is not being released.

 The Oklahoma Department of Transportation says it is keeping a watchful eye on a logjam in the Neosho River.

 The large logjam was caused by downed tree, brush and debris that swept into the river after last weekend's heavy rainfall. The debris in the river has backed up next a bridge on US-60 near Wyandotte.

ODOT says they have no immediate concern for the structural integrity of the bridge. Authorities say that most of the debris is on the surface of the water, which allows water to continue to flow downstream. This is an important consideration to prevent upstream flooding. Any removal of the debris would have to be done from the water and current water levels are too high for that to be done safely.

 Miami Mayor Bless Parker has been a vocal critic of the Grand River Dam Authority and says little is being done to prevent upstream flooding.

 Two men are sentenced to time in prison for arson in northeast Oklahoma.

 30 year old Justin Gering of Fairland, OK, and 23 year old Tyler Tavis of Miami, were both sentenced to serve 5 years in prison for a fire at the Ottawa County Jail. They will also serve a year of supervised release following their prison terms.

The men both entered a guilty plea in March to a charge of Damage by Fire of Property Owned by an Institution Receiving Federal Funding.

 County courthouse improvements again take center stage at this week's Nowata County commission meeting.

 Nowata County Treasurer Rachel Marrs says upkeep on air filters in the courthouse could be better.

District Attorney Will Drake also updated commissioners on possible litigation against Nowata County.

This topic was covered in previous weeks during an executive session . In other business, commissioners accepted a bid on equipment for road construction and accepted a declaration of surplus on a 2016 copier.

The Nowata County Commissioners will meet again next Monday at 9 am at the Nowata County Courthouse Annex, and the meeting is open to the public.

 Kansas total tax collections for April are up.

 Governor Laura Kelly announced yesterday that tax receipts for April were $101 million or nearly 8% above estimates. Total tax revenues are up more than 9% from this time last year.

Kelly says that those numbers underscore the importance of responsible tax relief. Last week, the governor vetoed a bipartisan tax bill that passed unanimously in the Kansas House and with an overwhelming majority of the Senate. She later presented the legislature with her own version of a tax plan.

State Secretary of Revenue Mark Burghart credited the increase in funds to processing 63,000 more 'balance due' checks from taxpayers than at this time last year. He also said that the increase for April is really just a carrying forward of payments that would normally be processed in May. As a result, tax receipts in May will likely be lower than estimates.

A culvert replacement project will start next week north of Sedan.

According to the Kansas Department of Transportation, work should start on Monday to replace a culvert on K-99 about three miles north of Sedan. Lane width will be reduced to 11 feet and the speed limit will be reduced during the course of the project. Temporary signals will direct one-lane traffic through the work zone and drivers can expect brief delays. Weather permitting, the work should be finished by the end of September. KDOT awarded the construction contract of $816,00 to Bruce Davis Construction LLC, Emporia.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office receives a grant through a local business.

The Dickey Foundation, the nonprofit arm of Dickey’s Barbecue, is presenting a $11,000 grant to the sheriff's office. This grant will support the purchase of law-enforcement specific drones for interior tactical operations. The drones provide an added layer of safety for officers responding to emergencies.

Former Independence City Commissioner and Owner of Independence Dickey's BBQ Gary Hogsett says they appreciate everything the first responders do to make our region safe and it is a privilege to support their efforts.

 Independence Community College welcomes a former student as the 2024 commencement speaker.

 Sam Ford is an award-winning television journalist whose work has received many accolades including the AP, New York, and Edward R. Murrow awards, along with numerous regional Emmys. Ford has also been recognized by the Washington Association of Black Journalists and the Silver Circle of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences. He recently retired as the D.C. Bureau Chief for WJLA in Washington D.C.

Ford will be the keynote speaker at ICC's graduation ceremony on May 11^th at Memorial Hall in Independence.

 Montgomery County reminds residents that second half property taxes are due next Friday, May 10^th.

 Taxes can be paid in person at the county treasurer's office on the first floor of the Montgomery County Courthouse in Independence. Office hours for the treasurer's office are 8am to 4pm, Monday through Friday. Mail-in property tax payments must be postmarked by May 10^th.

Anyone with questions can call 620-330-1100