CJOnline - Heroin making its way to rural Kansas

Heroin making its way to rural Kansas
The Associated Press
Published Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 3:24 p.m. CDT
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — When police in Mulvane, Kan., decided to crack down on drug dealers in their small south-central Kansas town, they expected to find marijuana, cocaine and some prescription medicine.

What they didn’t expect was heroin — from a high school student.

“We had never seen it down here,” Mulvane Police Chief Dave Williams said today. “Up to this point I knew that it had kind of made a comeback. And it was just a matter of time before it showed up here.

“But I was surprised that a high school kid sold it to us.”

Williams said four high school students were arrested this week for selling a variety of drugs with seven other people, including a 17-year-old who did not attend school.

Three of the students were being held today in a juvenile facility in Wichita, and one bonded out, Williams said. The others were in their teens and 20s, he said. Most faced felony charges of selling a controlled substance within 1,000 feet of a school.

Heroin is available in Kansas, but it poses a low threat and is available “on a limited basis” in Kansas City and Wichita, according to the National Drug Intelligence Center, a division of the U.S. Justice Department. The 2003 report said criminal groups from Mexico were the primary transporters of heroin in Kansas.

The Justice Department survey also said that of 29 law enforcement divisions in Kansas reporting heroin abuse in their communities, 26 said abuse was low, and three said it was moderate.

Mulvane is a community of about 5,700 residents 15 miles southeast of Wichita.

“Everything gets here eventually,” Williams said. “The Midwest is two years behind the east and west coasts. But it’s here.”

He said he didn’t know the exact amount of heroin the student was charged with possessing and selling, but that it was contained inside two balloons and sold for about $50.

“Balloons because they’re easy to swallow,” Williams said.

Williams said the teen charged with selling heroin was also using the drug.

“Apparently his parents are aware he’s using it,” he said. “We probably have some kids that don’t have a whole lot of guidance, and unfortunately it falls on the department or services like police to make these kids responsible for what they do.

“I’m sick of raising other people’s kids,” he said.

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Reader Comments
Posted by: maddmike at May 01, 2008 at 07:48:46 PM
Legalize Pot!! It's harmless. I love how alcohol is legal and it cause 150,000 related deaths a year. Heroin ****s people up beyond. Weed has never been releated to any deaths. If your not going to legalize it then at least decriminalize it. Stop overcrowding the jails with non-violent criminals. I smoke a joint on my porch and read a magazine, what harm is that to anybody?

Posted by: jaso0107 at May 01, 2008 at 09:00:23 PM
maddmike--if you are going to post here, at least, with what few brain cells you haven't burned up with pot, KEEP IT CLEAN !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: maddmike at May 01, 2008 at 09:35:23 PM
Will do, my bad. I got plenty of brain cells my friend. It's 2008, do you realize how many people smoke pot? I've smoked with a doctor, a cop, and a president of a company that I will not name. Just cause you smoke pot dosen't mean your some slow, dumb, lazy good-for-nothing. I'm saying if you decrminalize it at least, stop throwing people in jail for non-violent crimes such as having 30$ worth of weed in your pocket, then violent criminals would stop being let out of prison early to make room for somebody who got caught with pot.

__________________
Yea can't keep the words of your great leader.

Prophet Muhammad - “Do you love your creator? Love your fellow-beings first.”

comments. There are many more than what I have listed here. And it applies to our society and the responsibilities we seem to have lost. His picture is posted beside the story.

High-schooler slain just blocks from weekend homicide: CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - High-schooler slain just blocks from weekend homicide

By Phil Anderson
The Capital-Journal
Published Friday, May 02, 2008
Gunfire early Thursday rocked a Highland Park neighborhood in southeast Topeka, jarring residents from their sleep and claiming the life of a 17-year-old boy.

Algie Taylor-Grays, 65, who lives in the 2400 block of S.E. Minnesota, was one of many on her block who heard the shots at about 2 a.m. She was asleep on a couch when the shooting started.



Farrell Sanders: This is where his picture is on the site.



The Capital-Journal
Algie Taylor-Grays stands outside her home at 2415 S.E. Minnesota hours after an overnight homicide Thursday killed a junior at Highland Park High School. Grays says she heard a series of shots coming from different directions. No arrests have been made.



The Capital-Journal
Topeka police officer John Bernick looks at a shell casing behind a house at 2415 S.E. Minnesota on Thursday afternoon following a homicide the night before.

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Read comments from an earlier version of this story.

Farrell Sanders was pictured in a 2004 article about Big Brother's Big Sisters of Topeka. Read it here: 'Bigs' needed for 'Littles' 06/08/04

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"I rolled off the couch, stayed on the floor and called 911," she said. "The people had to be running, because I heard the shots coming from different directions."

Several other neighbors reported they also called police.

Taylor-Grays said officers arrived and talked to neighbors but didn't see a victim. Police then left, the neighbors said.

But when someone started a car that was facing west in the driveway at 2415 S.E. Minnesota and turned on the headlights, a person could be seen lying near a tree in the backyard.

Another 911 call was made. This time, police officers and emergency responders found the victim, who was pronounced dead at the scene.

The victim was identified as Farrell Sanders, a junior at Highland Park High School.

Sanders' death followed by less than four days the slaying of David Wakes, 25, who was killed in a drive-by shooting Sunday afternoon in the 2800 block of S.E. Michigan.

The two homicides occurred about six blocks apart. No arrests have been made in either case.

Police on Thursday afternoon used metal detectors to search for spent shell casings behind homes in the 2400 block of S.E. Minnesota.

Taylor-Graves, who was at home with her husband and niece, said she heard "at least 13 or 16" shots. Other neighbors reported hearing between six and 10 shots.

The neighborhood has seen similar violence in the past, Taylor-Grays said. Two years ago, a man was shot in front of her neighbor's house. He survived, she said.

The latest round of violence has hit close to home, and after the death of a teenager on her block, Taylor-Grays said she has seen enough.

"It needs to stop," she said. "I'm sure it's gang-related. I'm sure of that. It will go on and on if these guys don't stop it.

"This is dangerous. It makes you scared to come out of the house."

Shannon Rodriguez, another resident of the 2400 block of S.E. Minnesota, said she was asleep when she heard "about 10 gunshots go off. They were real close."

She said she heard about six shots in rapid succession, followed by three more and then another.

Rodriguez said she had no idea the victim could be as young as a teenager.

"I didn't even think about him being a kid," she said. "My kids are in bed. I just thought it was a man lying there."

Despite the night of violence, Rodriguez said she felt safe in her neighborhood.

"It could happen anywhere," she said. "The only way we could get away from it is if we moved out in the country, and if we did that, there'd be something else there."

Police spokesman Maj. John Sidwell said detectives were following more than 20 leads by late Thursday afternoon with more to be investigated.

Sidwell said it was too early to determine whether Sanders' death was gang-related or if it was connected to the Wakes killing, despite the proximity of the two homicides.

Dale Cushinberry, principal of Highland Park High School, said the mood in the hallways was "sober" Thursday. He said counselors and social workers met with students in a "recovery room."

Cushinberry said Sanders attended Highland Park as a freshman and Topeka High School as a sophomore before returning to Highland Park this year.

"He wasn't a disruptive student," Cushinberry said. "He always had a pleasant, upbeat personality. He was well-liked by a lot of students."

Tahaj James, a 16-year-old Highland Park sophomore, said Sanders was a "good person."

"Everybody in our school liked him," James said. "Everybody was hurt by his loss today."

Sanders became the city's fourth homicide victim of 2008.

In addition to Sanders and Wakes, the city's two other homicide victims this year were:

• Michael Holley, 24, of Topeka, who was shot to death Feb. 23 in his car in the parking lot of Deep Pockets pool hall, 4310 S.W. 21st. No arrest has been made.

• Albert L. Conley, 30, was shot to death April 12 outside the Mahogany Lounge, 1307 S.W. Huntoon. Police arrested Timothy D. Arterberry, 17, in connection with the slaying.

Anyone with information on Sanders' death or any of the other unsolved homicides may call detectives at (785) 368-9400 Anonymous tips may be left by calling Crime Stoppers at (785) 368-9400.

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

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Reader Comments
+ 1 Rating Posted by: kansasman101 at May 02, 2008 at 02:35:36 AM
How will this violence stop?

That is the million dollar question.

-1 Rating Posted by: buzz at May 02, 2008 at 04:41:48 AM
The million dollar answer is more LOVE, more self-worth and more hope in a life lived beyond the streets.

These kids are really cynical. They believe that being a pawn in the phony war on drugs is the best that they can do in life. They are killing each other over it. How sad.


-1 Rating Posted by: kansasman101 at May 02, 2008 at 05:52:50 AM
So, you are saying it is the adults in their lives or lack of adults who are not doing their job?

-1 Rating Posted by: 135 at May 02, 2008 at 06:20:02 AM
A loss for the family, friends and school. A question to the parents: Why, on a school night, was he there? A qestion to the "neighbors/ hosts": Why was late night activity supported/tolerated and not reported? A question to others: If govenment is going to correct all of our faults, why do we still have the faults?

Posted by: lisa66543 at May 02, 2008 at 06:43:47 AM
Good question. Why was he allowed out on a school night or any other night that late? Parents need to protect their children.

-1 Rating Posted by: JennyG at May 02, 2008 at 07:50:29 AM
I agree. I think a lot of parents let their kids run wild these days. A 14 year old girl is pregnant at my sons school. I wonder, why were these kids allowed the ooportunity to be alone in order to have sex. My son... home right after school and that's the end of it.What is wrong with parents? WE are the bosses.Kids have to have rules and boundries.

-1 Rating Posted by: wofford at May 02, 2008 at 07:51:58 AM
135; how much "government" do you want in your life? Do you want to be frisked everytime you are out walking the streets or do you want a government imposed curfew. We are back to Feudal Lords ruling the lands they claim are theirs; what has occurred in world history to establish democracy over feudalism? Turf, power, money even at the lowest levels of society are powerful enticements for anyone willing to live this life style; King for a Day. Sure as heck beats the 9 to 5 of common life.

-3 Rating Posted by: jhman38 at May 02, 2008 at 08:35:33 AM
***** man its 2 bad my mayne had 2 die like this he wasnt involved in all that mess that has been goin on rip its 2 bad sum 1 had 2 do this knowin ***** well farrell had a daughter

Posted by: JennyG at May 02, 2008 at 08:38:29 AM
Huh?


-1 Rating Posted by: kansasman101 at May 02, 2008 at 08:46:55 AM
Some people talk on here as if they are drunk!

+ 2 Rating Posted by: jrsommers79 at May 02, 2008 at 08:53:33 AM
PLEASE STOP...The answers to your questions are simple enough without spewing hate and negativity across the page. Farrell was a good, loving, and helpful kid. He went to school, took EXCELLENT care of his 1 year old daughter, had a job, and was NOT a gangbanger. As for why he was out, nobody can answer that except for him and his "friends" he was with. The curfew in his mothers' home is 10pm. However, this woman busts her tail each and every day to take care of her children, as well as dealing with severe medical issues. Regardless of that, Farrell was not a disrespectful child by any means. Not one person can tell me their teenager has not been slightly rebellious at some point in time. Please send your love to his family, and keep the negativity out of the blog today.

-1 Rating Posted by: oldman1 at May 02, 2008 at 08:58:37 AM
It obviously doesnt take a rocket scientist to figure out "this shooting is tied to the last shooting." What is really scary is the next victim or suspect is just around the corner. Im scared for this town and my family, and I dont even live close to that area. I thank God I had good caring parents who wouldnt allow me to be running the streets at 10am...........let alone 2AM!!!!!!!! May the violence stop.

-1 Rating Posted by: JennyG at May 02, 2008 at 09:16:55 AM
I wasn't personally attacking the parents of the kid, it was more of a general statement. A lot of parents drop the ball, no ones perfect.Prayers for the family. Oh,kansasman101...either they're drunk or just tired.

-1 Rating Posted by: bdogg_02 at May 02, 2008 at 09:31:58 AM
Just reading these blogs makes me sick. No matter what these young boys where in or how they where raised. They didnt need to die! When the truth comes out..9 out of 10 who did the shooting are trying to make a name for themselves and get higher in their gang. These young men and their familys have a hard road ahead of them. When I first moved away people used to ask me how I was going to survive in a Big City. Well Topeka the Big City has come to you. I don't know how many funerals that I have attended with my son or how many more that I will have to attend. I say to all of you reading. If you know a child that needs help, dont wait for the state or someone else to do it. Get off your rump and help them out, just think of them as your own. Some of you say that your child wouldnt be out on the street that late...well wake up cuz violence doesnt just happen at night.

Posted by: sassy_mother_of_3 at May 02, 2008 at 09:35:10 AM
Jenny - I personally appreciate the fact that you aren't attacking the parents of the kid. In general, I get real defensive when people blame "the parents" for the choices that their kids make. For instance, I have tried to instill good morals and standards in my kids, but they make choices everyday just as we do as adults. They aren't always the best choices and sometimes they tend to get the kid in trouble.......regardless......this is a tradegy. Why was he out at that time of night? Has anyone ever heard of "sneaking out" when the parents are asleep?

Posted by: mockflea at May 02, 2008 at 09:36:10 AM
That picture is heart breaking.

Posted by: jmb4205 at May 02, 2008 at 09:36:17 AM
Yeah, lets all talk nicely and sugar coat the whole darn thing. That will make things better. Yes, I do have sympathy for this kid and his family, but you know to be "hard" is not the way to live a long time. And to jhman38 stay in school kid....for a long time you need it, and maybe just a little more after that.

Posted by: MIX at May 02, 2008 at 09:36:37 AM
R.I.P

+ 2 Rating Posted by: urabus at May 02, 2008 at 09:41:21 AM
I don't know anything about this kid, and my sympathies to his family and friends, but the first thing that pops into my mind is what was a 17 year old doing out at 2:00 a.m.? I don't care if it was in the middle of the week or on a weekend, nothing good ever happens to young people in the wee hours of the morning! I know my parents always knew where I was, I always had a curfew and I can guarantee you it wasn't 2:00 a.m.!

Posted by: CrazyLarry at May 02, 2008 at 09:54:10 AM
Bad parenting, pure and simple. I could go on and on explaining, but we've heard it all before so I'll keep it short. You know, when I was 17 my parents had a curfew for me (home by midnight on weekends 10pm during the week). It was a very controlled environment for me and if I got out of line then there was usually an azz-beatin involved as consequence. These days, you have babies having babies (just like this 17-year old who had a kid when he was 16). Piss-poor parenting pure and simple. The down-fall of this society started in the early 80's whenever parental "corporal punishment" turned into "child abuse".

-1 Rating Posted by: CrazyLarry at May 02, 2008 at 09:55:37 AM
IMHO, the government should require people who want to kids to get a license. If you are found to be mentally or financially unqualified then no kid for YOU! (i'm dead serious).

Posted by: CrazyLarry at May 02, 2008 at 09:56:05 AM
"people who want kids"

Posted by: CrazyLarry at May 02, 2008 at 09:58:00 AM
Sympathies to the "family".

Posted by: dougmauck at May 02, 2008 at 10:16:00 AM
We can't expect to find solutions to problems in a culture with values so far removed from what we assume. The 'rules' of the majority culture don't apply. One unmarried victim had several children and no employment, very few in the culture have two parents in the same household. Many unmarried girls have a different 'baby's daddy' for each child. Few finish high school. Few have any hope of any kind of career. Most males expecting to go to prison at some point...and they do so. Many are resolved to dying young on the streets. Race is not a part of the culture, it's a culture of anger and dispair that contains all races. Generations inherit the misery of the preceding generation because they know nothing else. Government can't 'help' without violating the rights of the afflicted. jhman38 is neither drunk nor tired, the language is 'text messaging', a language most of us understand about as well as we understand other cultures in our community.

Posted by: submatt at May 02, 2008 at 10:18:13 AM
To all of you who are trying to "be positive." Wake up and look at the world around you. Kids are being shot and you want to be positive? And you wonder why the HP area has a bad rep. Kids get shot and the neighbors "stay positive." There is a bit of truth in all stereotypes and I think more truth than most in the one regarding the HP area. I guarantee you if a 17 year old got shot in my neighborhood there would be a posse out the next day to find who done it. Believe that!!

Posted by: amesmb at May 02, 2008 at 10:19:05 AM
Sympathies to the "family".
-"Family" instead of family? How incredibly insensitive, CrazyLarry.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people on these forums like to cast stones. Yes, he was out late. Yes, he was a teenage father. Yes, he was in what many consider to be a bad neighborhood. Yes, this happened days after another homicide. But right now we can't conclude anything based on any of that. And bdogg_02 is right- these kids don't need to DIE, regardless of their circumstances. Ms. Rodriguez is right in saying, "It could happen anywhere," but it still happens too much here. The crime rate in this city is bad enough to make me want to move. There are various reasons for it (just look at the online poll). The gang problem is out of control. Based on what people, including a HPHS teacher I know, have said about this young man I'm not convinced he was the target of a gang but it can't be ruled out at this point either. Then there's the TPD- I'm not about to point the finger at them entirely because they do have a hard job and there are good cops around here, but then I know a young woman who's house had been shot up in a driveby (different neighborhood) and it took the police an hour to get there. SOMEthing has got to change.
*Whew!* I'm getting all fired up about this....

Posted by: susarza at May 02, 2008 at 10:23:07 AM
Crazy larry, what you're saying about him having kids at a young age has nothing to do with him getting shot. Some people are just plain evil, and if they want to hurt you it doesn't matter what time of day, they will do it. Theres an example, Wakes was murdered in broad daylight. I'm not saying it's ok for a teenager to be out late at night, but if someone has the evil instinct to murder you, it doesn't matter what time it is. You give simpathies to the family Crazy larry? Shove them up your ***, because after all the crap you just talked on this kid, you are such a hypocrite, go ahead keep throwing stones!! Just pray that this never happens to you, because the ones left suffering are families. And don't believe just because you think you are a good parent you're safe! Only GOD can judge us, Amen.

Posted by: buzz at May 02, 2008 at 10:26:25 AM
Who puts these kids in the crosshairs of deprivation, marginalization and a phony war on drugs? It's not the parents. There's a bad recipe at play here, and good parents are also the victim.

Posted by: greaseman at May 02, 2008 at 10:27:50 AM
Unfortunately, violence seems like a way of life in Top-city. Yet I can't help but wonder why was this young man was out at 1 am on a school night? Despite all of the comments about his fine qualities, it certainly appears he put himself in jeopardy by choices he made that fateful night. I doubt it was a random act of violence.


Posted by: shesalady at May 02, 2008 at 10:36:35 AM
Sympathy to the family. Comments about why he was out are hardly relevant; he was 17 years old and a father?? And if 'good father' then why would he be out at all IF he wanted to be in his kid's future? This is a culture thing, plain and simple; if you want to change this situation then there needs to be a FATHER at the head of the family, instilling values and morals. Bill Cosby said it best.

Posted by: hawk1976 at May 02, 2008 at 10:38:20 AM
WAKE UP!!!!! A kid was murdered. Do you not get that. No child let alone a human deserves that. I don't care if he is black, white, brown, or purple. No one deserves to be murdered. Yes we do have babies rasing babies in this day and age. I am not to far removed from seeing my own classmates when I was in high school having kids. Does that make them bad people? Does that mean that they do not deserve to live? Wake up people and understand that by casting stones is not going to solve anything. We as humans have to stop and think.

Reading all of these post just makes me cry. My best friend was murdered over 10 yrs ago. Was he perfect? No cause no one is. He had two parents in the home. He had a curfew. His parents knew his friends. Does that mean he should of been shot and killed?

Just think people.

Posted by: mtacha at May 02, 2008 at 10:43:24 AM
Crazy larry: Don't you just love it when people say things like "you are such a hypocrite" and then follow it up with "Only GOD can judge us."?
I agree with you.
It's heartbreaking that these things happen, but with all the broken homes, lack of parenting skills (how many parenting classes do you supposed this kid had as a teenage father?), and all the other factors that play into kids' lives these days, it's not surprising.

Posted by: rkquiet at May 02, 2008 at 10:50:03 AM
A 17 year old has no business being out at 2am on a school night. What the hell is there to do in T-town at 2am but get into trouble. He put himself in a bad situation, and paid the ultimate price for it. Rest assured this was gang activity.

Posted by: GBPackers at May 02, 2008 at 10:53:14 AM
What was he doing outside @2:00A.M. Crack?????

Posted by: T-TownTracker at May 02, 2008 at 10:57:25 AM
Please understand that it seems to help some people to find some person or persons to blame (besides the killer). It seems to help them cope and feel safer if they think they are better parents. It's basically fear and ignorance. The circumstances of this have not been printed, so virtually everything is speculation at this point. I am happy to read that he had rules and a mother that cared, but if he had a daughter, he is was not a kid. He was man.

+ 2 Rating Posted by: the7wonders at May 02, 2008 at 10:59:39 AM
I believe society started falling apart when Dr. Spock told the world that "spanking" was wrong. Kids aren't disciplined anymore.
Parents have to be accountable! They just do. I can honestly say that I know where all of my children are at all times. They have a midnight curfew on weekends and 10-11 pm on weeknights , depending on if they work that night or not. Nothing good happens after midnight.
Plus , bars close and drunks are going home and putting others in danger.
Sure, my children make the wrong choices sometimes, but they dont stray too much from the morals and values they have been brought up with.
I dont know why this young man was out at 2am, or what his family life was like. Its very sad that this has happened. It can be very hard for kids these days to stay on the straight and narrow when all these kids want to do is "fit in".
I am praying for this family's loss.


Posted by: CrazyLarry at May 02, 2008 at 11:02:55 AM
mtacha, good point!

amesmb and susarza, WTF is your problem? Please reread the comments. Can you not read and comprehend? NOWHERE in my posts did I make any kind of statement beefing on this particular family. I made statements on the general state of our society.

There is a problem here on CJOnline whereby many people, when reading comments that they do not agree with, take it personally and begin belittling the commentator. What constitutes a family? Is it really that upsetting to you that I chose to place the word within quotation marks... Hypersensitive indeed!

Posted by: CrazyLarry at May 02, 2008 at 11:03:34 AM
and the7wonders just bolstered the point I was trying to make.

Posted by: T-TownTracker at May 02, 2008 at 11:03:54 AM
Thanks, Buzz. It is a phony war on drugs that fans the flames. The war on drugs, started by Nixon, has given rise to many gangs as there is profit and risk in trafficking chemicals. If addicts could be as open and alcoholics, there wouldn't be an underworld to supply them. Your government has created the industry. "Man lose their life, because THE MAN has fixed the price" Suggested listening: MI SPLIFF (UB40 and others)

Posted by: Cabocrazed at May 02, 2008 at 11:14:45 AM
Another ignorant post from TTT. How about this? Let's legalize everything - pot, crack, - how about some black tar heroin? Basically you advocate an open society with no accountablity. Example - Alcohol, by itself, has a devestating(sp?) effect on society. Death by DUI, death by cirrhrosis, financial effects - this list goes on and on. I know people that would rather by a 12 pack of beer rather than feed their family or maintain health insurance. And you want legalization of substances worse than alcohol. I don't care what your rationalizations are for the legalization of illegal drugs are but they are simply stupid. The government isn' the problem dude, the problem is you.

Posted by: amesmb at May 02, 2008 at 11:15:37 AM
CrazyLarry: By putting the word in quotes you implied that they aren't really a family, or that there is some irony in calling them a family and that is an insult to them. Plus, you started your comment by saying, "Bad parenting, pure and simple." Do you really think people won't interpret that as being in relation to Farrell's parents? And you also said, "These days, you have babies having babies (just like this 17-year old who had a kid when he was 16)." So yes, you did "beef on" him directly.

Posted by: jmoeblues at May 02, 2008 at 11:27:01 AM
This town is in the worst shape ever. This town is spending more on stopping old hooker then on stopping the drugs that has taken over the city .Chief Miller you need to stay late at work and take your lunch there to .I know you like to go out for it And go home Around 5.But your city is in cries's. You need more officers late night, I've been at your business the last three nights trying to stop the thefts, That are almost every night , And when I do your officers job and catch them, Your officers charge me for using a gun to stop them ! Case pending in city court . And in the past nights not one police car went down North Topeka blvd . And when I left the only one I saw was at the gas and stop.That has been a office for them for along time .
Its not just parenting ,ITS THE DAM STREETS ! We lost a family member 17 highland park student .for the wheels on a car he was riding in . Are hearts go out to the family. God bless you

Posted by: susarza at May 02, 2008 at 11:28:42 AM
Crazy larry you did bash this kid, with the comments you made, you need to reread your own comments before you try and defend yourself or did you not write? "These days, you have babies having babies (just like this 17-year old who had a kid when he was 16). Piss-poor parenting pure and simple." Yeah go ahead and read your comments again. But there's no point of arguing with someone as ignorant as you, I feel for you though, I think your mom droped you on your head too many times! LMAO ;)
GBpackers you would know what to do at 2am huh? I think the only crack head in this blog is you LOL Alright enough of this bull****!!

Posted by: GBPackers at May 02, 2008 at 11:31:01 AM
Maybe his parents could have done more? Sure sounds like it!

Posted by: CrazyLarry at May 02, 2008 at 11:38:43 AM
susarza, my statement of FACT is your bashing someone...huh, go figure.

Get a life already lady.

Learn a little something about reading comprehension and critical thinking before you start bashing people.

Posted by: CrazyLarry at May 02, 2008 at 11:40:10 AM
When I say piss poor parenting, I'm not singling out anyone. You see, I started off the whole statement by claiming the problem at hand stems from poor parenting in our society.

-1 Rating Posted by: talessman at May 02, 2008 at 11:41:26 AM
JennyG and Sassy_Mother, you've both got great points. And it IS always a tragedy when someone is murdered, especially if they aren't even an adult yet.

And you're right that kids shouldn't be out on the streets at 2am. Parents should keep better track of - and more control over - their children.

That's one of the main problems in modern society, especially with single parent-run broken families where one parent has no authority or presence and the other has to work twice as hard to make ends meet.

Adding more government control won't help. If anything, government expansion over the last several decades has only added to the problem. Consider the following:

1. Parents are no longer able to effectively discipline their kids without certain government agencies (ex: SRS) threatening to take their kids away.
2. Family courts encourage parents to fight each other for power instead of encouraging them to work together to raise their children.
3. When the gov't raises taxes to pay for more social programs, that makes parents have to work more jobs (away from their kids) to pay the extra taxes.
4. Public education systems continue to undermine parents' authority over their children by refusing to allow parental involvement in some important subjects (like Sex Ed, for example). In some states, government agencies go as far as targeting parents who home-school their children.

Those are only a few of the problems that have resulted from government intervention into families. And the more government power we add, the worse the problems get.

Ultimately it IS up to the people directly involved. The victim and the murderer both put themselves on the street that late. Their parents shouldn't have let them be out that late, but at age 17 they are old enough to be (mostly) responsible for their own actions.

Some commenters here have stated that the Farrell Sanders they knew was a good kid. Regardless of the circumstances of his death, it is always a tragedy when someone is murdered.

Respectfully,

Thomas Lessman
Website: Thomas Lessman, Citizen - Advocate - Activist
Blog: Neighborhood Watch Watch
--------------------


-1 Rating Posted by: sreynolds at May 02, 2008 at 11:41:27 AM
You all need to just shut up you don't know crap about him or his family. Stop being such sechib. He was 17 he was one of the few good 17 year olds out there. "Maybe his parents could had done more." Well what about Mikey when he got shot in his friends house..he didn't do this so tell me could his parents had saved him. Not all us 17 year olds do drugs and *****...I think why so many of us do it is becuase thats what adults expect us to do. Well I'm stronger then your gnikcuf thoughts...I'm 17 and I'm telling y'all to grow up...how sad is that. You didn't know him...You don't know *****. YOu don't know the tears shed and you don't know how hard it is to excape this ***** that your born into even if your family dosen't do it you still have those in the real world.....Maybe you all should stop blaming the parents and blam yourself becuase I know for a ***** fact I don't hear ***** about how y'all try to help and tell us teens how much better then that we are... All I ever hear is "Wow for a 17 year old you shur do have your head on straight." I grew up here in topeka to you know.... I just knew the few good Adults who realize their not better then everyone just becuase their older...that would had helped Farrell and all his friends... R.I.P Farrell

Posted by: GBPackers at May 02, 2008 at 11:46:19 AM
suzarsa, why is the truth sometimes so hard? Yes,I was an addict at one time, so I do know a little bit about the streets, especially someone out at these hours. Quit being so sensitive, I'm only trying to make sense of a young man killed at 2:00 AM. I'm quite sure he wasn't the angel hes being portrayed as.

Posted by: CrazyLarry at May 02, 2008 at 11:47:16 AM
sreynolds, why aren't you in school bud?

Posted by: sreynolds at May 02, 2008 at 11:48:51 AM
lol I am in school...I'm about to switch classes acturally. I'm done with most of my classes and can't start any new ones becuase school is about to get out...It's sortta boaring

Posted by: GBPackers at May 02, 2008 at 11:49:36 AM
I'm not hashing this out with you people anymore, Good Luck.

Posted by: pitafersure at May 02, 2008 at 11:53:45 AM
sreynolds - Can I suggest an English class?

Thanks for the lesson in contradiction though. I appreciate it!

"Not all us 17 year olds do drugs" "and *****...I think why so many of us do it" "is becuase thats what adults expect us to do."

+ 1 Rating Posted by: pitafersure at May 02, 2008 at 11:55:07 AM
sreynolds - Can I suggest an English class?

Thanks for the lesson in contradiction though. I appreciate it!

"Not all us 17 year olds do drugs" EMPLYING YOU DON'T "and *****...I think why so many of us do it" EMPLYING YOU DO "is becuase thats what adults expect us to do."

Posted by: BigSam at May 02, 2008 at 12:17:08 PM
The reality is that for most of society the concept of responsibility for your actions has disappeared as a concept that shapes and guides one's life. This occurs in regard to parenting, schooling, and decisions made throughout every aspect of life. We have told kids/society when things go wrong that it is not their fault. It is now the mantra of schools, parents, and more importantly the kids. Unfortunately, what has results due to this route begun by the baby-boomers and their self-indulgence (and more importantly, the indulgence of their children) is that kids don't learn to face real or significant consequence early in life, when a child's outlook and approach to life is formulated. Thus, people do as they please, what is easiest, and for many in society, a decline begins. As a result, too many parents no longer feel responsible for their kids - or claim there is nothing they can do with them (and thus they do nothing or only act in superficial, symbolic manner). This problem extends into society at many levels. For example, society and government blames the schools for not educating kids (never mind the role of the child or that child's parents), yet it never looks at its role in creating an untenable situation. Our "enlightened" programs. and our "educated" and "sensitive" approaches to reshaping our society are being found to be intellectually bankrupt and utterly hopeless at the social engineering that was behind their motivation. For these problems, everyone needs to take some responsibility. Yet, more importantly (if one ever hopes to fix this growing problem), individually, the blame for the situation must go on those directly involved. Better choices could have been made. Better results could have occurred. However, poor choices have led to a poor result - not just in regard to this incident, but with all that is going on in Topeka and the rest of this nation. I teach. I work with kids beyond my role as a teacher. I see kids starving for some level of discipline, some level of expectation placed upon them by adults (especially their families). However, very few are getting this basic need fulfilled.

-1 Rating Posted by: sreynolds at May 02, 2008 at 12:18:21 PM
pitafersure- can I suggest you read between the ***** lines I mean really I'm talk as a all not as myself. I have never done drugs i grew up around drugs I never did *****. I don't steal and I'm going into the army I'm going to farther my schooling after highschool aswell. Can I suggest if you want a real argument then go to walmart on wannamaker anytime and go to subway cause thats where I work...lol sorry I'm 17 so I'm gunna shoot you right??? ***** you. You take the real issue here and make it a personal situation. This is about Farrell. I'm in class trying to type fast so I don't interfear with school to much. Live a day of my or my friends lifes and we'll see if you learn a thing or two. I understand that people go through different ***** I grew up with it and none of my friends realise I do nothing more then lie about my "life" because I grew up with so much ***** and I refuse to let it controle me... this is not personally so I'm done with you besides that i hate people that hide behind computer screans I'd like you all everysingle last one of you to go to his house knock on his door and tell his parents that he was ****ed up and that they ****ed up.

-2 Rating Posted by: sreynolds at May 02, 2008 at 12:24:11 PM
pitafersure- another thing sorry to correct you but it would look like this.

"Not all us 17 year olds do drugs" (EMPLYING YOU DON'T) "and *****...I think why so many of us do it" (EMPLYING YOU DO) "is becuase thats what adults expect us to do."

You use brakets to seporate your own words from another persons words..But I need anglish class good job espesialy since I'm a published writer and all good job dumb ***** just another reason for me to say you don't look at ***** becuase what I'm a teen? I'm more adult then half the ****ing 20 year olds...I'm more adult then most 30 year olds...the grass isn't always greener on the other side of the fence

Posted by: wofford at May 02, 2008 at 12:36:11 PM
The consequences of individual choices are ***** severe; sort of a Darwin's Theory for animals that have the ability to reason/think?

+ 1 Rating Posted by: CrazyLarry at May 02, 2008 at 12:37:15 PM
The following song just popped up on my i-Pod, and I thought it appropriate:

Do you know the cost of future misery?
Have you lost your sense of sustainability?
We are just a step away from realizing what we strive to be.
But we've got to break-out from this insulated, blind and lame senility.

Wake up the new America, wo-oh!
Transcend the mass hysteria, wo-oh!
Change is the thing you're wary of, wo-oh!
We need a new America, wo-oh!

Laurels, human triumph, bestowments from the past.
Victories don't mean a thing if they don't last.
We are just marching toward extinction with blinders on our eyes.
Jeopardizing everything we've learned and come to realize.
You call that wise?

Open your eyes America, wo-oh!
See through the lies they tell to us, wo-oh!
Confront the fears that worry us, wo-oh!
We need a new America, wo-oh!

We don't have to be afraid to re-invent.
We've got to start to build, progress and implement.
For when we take our fill, and never pay the price.
We only build ourselves, a fleeting false-paradise.

Yeah, you can live in staunch denial and mark me as your enemy.
But I'm just a voice among the throng who want a brighter destiny.

They say with me,

We are the new America, wo-oh!
This is the new America, wo-oh!

(Bad Religion - New America)

__________________
Yea can't keep the words of your great leader.

Prophet Muhammad - “Do you love your creator? Love your fellow-beings first.”

there is always a but in politicas. A few reader comments.

Veto override falls four short
'This is truly a sad day for Kansas,' speaker says of coal plant issue: CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - Veto override falls four short

By Tim Carpenter
The Capital-Journal
Published Friday, May 02, 2008
The Legislature fell short of delivering a crippling blow Thursday to the governor's campaign to limit new emissions of carbon dioxide in Kansas, failing to overturn her veto of a bill clearing the way for state approval of a coal-fired power plant expansion in the tiny community of Holcomb.

The vote in the House was 80-45, but supporters needed a two-thirds majority. They were four votes short.



Mike Burley / The Capital-Journal
After making a passionate speech to sway colleagues to vote against overriding the governor's coal veto, Rep. Josh Svaty, D-Ellsworth, looks as votes are counted on the House floor on Thursday evening.
HOW THEY VOTED

Here is the 80-45 vote Thursday by which the House failed to override Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' veto of a bill allowing two coal-fired power plants in southwest Kansas.

Republicans voting yes: Aurand, Beamer, Bethell, Bowers, Brown, Brunk, Burgess, Carlson, Colyer, Craft, Crum, Dahl, Donohoe, Faber, Fund, George, Goico, Gordon, Grange, Hayzlett, Hill, Carl Holmes, Mitch Holmes, Horst, Huebert, Humerickhouse, Johnson, Kelley, Kelsey, Kiegerl, King, Kinzer, Knox, Landwehr, Light, Mast, Masterson, McLeland, Merrick, Jim Morrison, Moxley, Myers, Neufeld, Olson, O'Neal, Otto, Owens, Patton, Peck, Powell, Powers, Proehl, Rhoades, Roth, Schroeder, Schwartz, Shultz, Siegfreid, Sloan, Swanson, Tafanelli, Vickrey, Watkins, Whitham, Wilk, William Wolf and Yoder.

Republicans voting no: Colloton, Hodge, Huntington, Metsker, Judy Morrison, Pottorff, Quigley, Spalding, Swenson, Kay Wolf and Worley.

Democrats voting yes: Feuerborn, Gatewood, Grant, Hawk, Lukert, McKinney, Palmer, Pauls, Peterson, Phelps, Ruff, Wetta and Williams.

Democrats voting no: Ballard, Burroughs, Carlin, Crow, Davis, Dillmore, Faust-Goudeau, Flaharty, Flora, Frownfelter, Garcia, Goyle, Henderson, Henry, Holland, Kuether, Lane, Loganbill, Long, Mah, McCray-Miller, McLachlan, Menghini, Neighbor, Rardin, Ruiz, Sawyer, Storm, Svaty, Tietze, Treaster, Trimmer, Ward and Winn.
Inability of the Republican-controlled House to obtain the necessary votes to deflect Democratic Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' opposition to the project is unlikely to bring to a close the most contentious issue of the 2008 legislative session. The House could attempt a second override of a similar coal bill rejected by Sebelius.

"This is truly a sad day for Kansas and the people of Kansas," said House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls. "We have other options. We'll get our people together and decide what is best."

Construction of two 700-megawatt units at the existing Sunflower Electric Power Corp. power plant in Finney County wouldn't have been guaranteed if the veto override was successful because environmental groups vowed to file lawsuits to undermine the development.

In October, the Kansas Department of Health and Environment placed the issue at the Legislature's feet by rejecting Sunflower's application for an air permit needed to proceed with construction.

Sebelius said in aftermath of the House vote that the Legislature should work with her to create energy policy that "truly serves the needs of the entire state — east and west."

"I am still ready and willing to work with all of the energy producers in Kansas to find that common ground on which true progress can be built," Sebelius said.

Neufeld said after the vote that Sebelius allowed legislators to fly on state aircraft to The University of Kansas games in the NCAA Tournament to leverage her position on the coal fight.

"What else did the state pay for?" the speaker said. "I have no idea."

The Senate easily gathered enough votes to override the governor's vetoes of two bills designed to advance the Sunflower project, but the House fractured into geographic, political and economic divisions that made it impossible to secure 84 votes among the 125 members to clear the way for a project expected to cost more than $3.6 billion.

On Wednesday, Sebelius rejected a proposal from House and Senate Republican leaders that called for development of two 600-megawatt coal units at Holcomb. The governor stuck by her offer of a single 600-megawatt plant accompanied by a deeper commitment by utilities to renewable energy.

Sunflower Electric and its partners applied to build a 1,400-megawatt facility, but wheels on the project began to fall off when KDHE Secretary Rod Bremby declined to issue a permit on grounds the new coal units would pour 11 million tons of carbon dioxide into the air.

Senate Minority Leader Anthony Hensley, D-Topeka, said it was disturbing to critics of the project that 85 percent of electricity produced by the new coal-fired units could be consumed in Colorado and Texas.

"I don't view that as being a very good deal," Hensley said.

During the 2008 session, House and Senate members reacted angrily to the governor's vetoes because advancement of the Holcomb expansion was among top priorities of GOP leaders in both chambers. Energy and environmental organizations set a record for lobbying expenditures to sway opinion on the subject.

Senate President Steve Morris, R-Hugoton, said it was agonizing to see Sebelius standing in the way of the large economic development initiative.

"We can either have them located here in Kansas, where we will benefit directly from the jobs, expanded baseload power capacity and the integrated industry associated with the plants, or we can watch the jobs, the revenue and the cleaner coal power go to a neighboring state," Morris said.

The governor didn't budge from her view that the coal legislation contained an unacceptable provision stripping the KDHE secretary of authority to control permits for industrial projects producing carbon dioxide.

Sunflower Electric, headquartered in Hays, is working on the expansion project with Tri-State Generation and Transmission Association, of Colorado, and Golden Spread Electric Cooperative, of Texas.

Before the unsuccessful veto override effort in the House, representatives voted 78-46 for a bill designed to entice reluctant legislators to support the Holcomb development. The package contained in the "trailer" bill increased by 200 megawatts the amount of power created at the Sunflower facility available to Kansas utility companies and did more to speed development of renewable energy sources, such as wind.

Opponents of the supplemental bill, which won't be implemented unless the coal veto is overridden, complained it was written behind closed doors.

Rep. Annie Kuether, D-Topeka, said she wasn't impressed by the companion bill.

As she put it, "They're trying to put more lipstick on the pig."

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Reader Comments
Posted by: RHAB at May 02, 2008 at 03:52:05 AM
LOL, CK THE PIG? What should be done is a $ tax on every gallon of fuel to go to mass transit. Another $ to go to fixing the inter traffic problem. New timed lights & yellow left turn arrows so we can turn left when the go through is green. To sit and waste fuel is stupid at best. I go ahead and go if it is safe. New not so stupid traffic & other laws. REX

-2 Rating Posted by: kansasman at May 02, 2008 at 06:14:19 AM
It's to bad that there aren't enough Representatives that care enough about our economy to override a Governor who has repeatedly showed her lack of caring for the economy.

ie: against Holcomb expansion (and all the new jobs that come with it)

her statements ridiculing the states Wine Industry (her so called joke)



-5 Rating Posted by: wasmadau at May 02, 2008 at 06:24:18 AM
So in what way is Sebelius out of step with Kansans? She is the best governor we have ever had.

__________________
Yea can't keep the words of your great leader.

Prophet Muhammad - “Do you love your creator? Love your fellow-beings first.”

How goes it in your state with the budget. KS. is cutting back.. And finding cheaper ways to repair roads etc.

Senators attempt to address state's budget concerns:CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - Senators attempt to address state's budget concerns

By James Carlson
The Capital-Journal
Published Friday, May 02, 2008
A black cloud on the state's fiscal horizon pushed senators to take a drastic measure early this morning to strip out virtually all new spending in the wrap-up budget bill.

After four hours of debate on the budget that included numerous amendments, Sen. David Wysong, R-Mission Hills, offered an amendment that removed all state general fund spending except that directed toward Medicaid caseloads and K-12 appropriations.

The vote added just $100,000 to the budget and removed $34 million from the original bill that had emerged from the Senate budget committee. That chamber's move comes as the state is facing bigger budget shortfalls in upcoming years.

"Even if I get beat in November, I would say to myself I did the right thing for the state of Kansas," Wysong said. "We're in bad times, and we're going to be in bad times in the future."

Other senators questioned the logic of cutting so much.

"We're taking money out of the budget for very important programs, for some of the most vulnerable and needy in our state," said Sen. Laura Kelly, D-Topeka.

Meanwhile, the House voted 64-60 to pass a bill that added approximately $52 million in spending, bringing the total state budget up to $13.6 billion for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The measure included money for early childhood education and a cost-of-living increase for retired state workers.

The House's version would increase overall state budget spending by $454 million, or about 3.4 percent.

The House bill's thin margin of victory is the result of legislators worrying about the direction of the budget lawmakers are working toward. Budget forecasters two weeks ago released state revenues that were $130 million less than expected.

"These are difficult times, and we're dealing with numbers we really didn't expect," said Senate President Steve Morris, R-Hugoton.

A compromise wrap-up budget bill will now be hammered out between House and Senate negotiators.

Recent projections of the outlying budget years show the state with no money for the 2010 fiscal year beginning July 1, 2009. By fiscal year 2011, the state is projected to be hundreds of millions of dollars in debt.

Rep. Ann Mah, D-Topeka, chastised lawmakers during the House debate for not taking action that could free up millions for the state coffers.

The economic stimulus package passed by Congress this spring could remove at least $79 million of business tax revenue from the state. A bill sitting in the Legislature would detach Kansas from the federal income tax codes for those specific taxes, but Mah said legislators are too scared of the business community.

"I can't understand why we would throw seniors and kids under the bus because we don't have the guts to do the right thing," she said.

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

__________________
Yea can't keep the words of your great leader.

Prophet Muhammad - “Do you love your creator? Love your fellow-beings first.”

Lots of luck if we get a real bill on this issue passed. That is a very big "MAY"

Immigration bill may be back on track: CJOnline - Immigration bill may be back on track

The Associated Press
Published Friday, May 2, 2008 at 11:08 a.m. CDT
House and Senate negotiators trying to work out a compromise immigration bill met briefly and agreed to continue trying to work out an agreement.

Negotiators said today that they would meet again, but didn’t set a specific time.

Last month, a compromise bill stalled in the House because it didn’t include criminal penalties for businesses that illegally treat any workers as independent contractors instead of employees. That practice is known as misclassification.

The negotiating committee chairman, Sen. Pete Brungardt, R-Salina, said he was optimistic a bill can be drafted that is acceptable to both chambers.

__________________
Yea can't keep the words of your great leader.

Prophet Muhammad - “Do you love your creator? Love your fellow-beings first.”

It happens in every county in America, a real shame. About 6,000 teens with the first license drive away from home and don't return, inexperience mostly. But to drive after drinking is just plain stupid and sooner or later bad results will come from it.
KS. is 6th in the Nation for DUI's and driving while under the influence. So now they are starting to crack down. I don't think this woman understand what the results of her actions
were. But she will have time to think about it. Several reader comments included

Woman draws 41 months in DUI death: CJOnline / The Topeka Capital-Journal - Woman draws 41 months in DUI death

Judge refuses to OK probation in wreck that killed a father of two
By Steve Fry
The Capital-Journal
Published Saturday, May 03, 2008
A woman who was intoxicated when her car slammed head-on into a car that killed a father of two will have this weekend to spend with her daughter before she reports to jail Monday to start a 41-month prison sentence.

Jessica L. Dennon, 27, of Topeka, on Friday emotionally pleaded with Shawnee County District Judge Thomas Conklin to allow her to remain free so she could care for her daughter. Conklin denied Dennon's plea to be placed on probation rather than serve a prison term.

Dennon pleaded no contest Jan. 9 to involuntary manslaughter in the commission of driving under the influence of alcohol and driving the wrong direction on a one-way road. The sentence range for the manslaughter conviction was 38 to 43 months. Justin D. Fujibayashi, 25, of Valley Falls, was injured in the crash on Dec. 7, 2006, and died three days later.

"You will have a chance to see your daughter go through high school," Conklin told Dennon in an apparent reference to Fujibayashi, who won't see the growing milestones of his children, Henry, 2 1/2, and Ivy, 9 months.

"I'm really relieved," Greta Fujibayashi, Justin D. Fujibayashi's widow, said minutes after Dennon was sentenced. "I thought there was a chance she wouldn't be punished."

Dennon must report at 8 a.m. Monday to begin serving her sentence. If she earns all the good-time credit available, she could be released after serving almost 35 months, the judge said.

Conklin noted he had driven the stretch of K-4 highway at the Interstate 70 interchange where Fujibayashi was killed and said lighting had been a problem there in the past.

But "I never was driving on that road 0.25 percent," Conklin said, referring to Dennon's blood-alcohol level. That is more than three times the 0.08 percent level that Kansas law defines as driving drunk.

Dennon cried and her hands shook as she read a statement, apologizing to the victim's family.

"The hardest thing I have ever done in my life is to stand here before you today, not because of the fear of you judging and sentencing me, but because all I want to do is hide my face in shame and take my punishment," Dennon said. "On behalf of my little girl, I am asking for leniency in your sentencing. Let me have an opportunity to be a productive citizen, finish college, and raise and care for my child."

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

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Reader Comments
+ 2 Rating Posted by: RHAB at May 03, 2008 at 04:02:57 AM
She should have gotten 41 YEARS. REX

-2 Rating Posted by: dittoditto at May 03, 2008 at 06:28:44 AM
Conklin sounds like a near sighted road builder,K-4- oakland expressway is one screwed up engineering mess.Conklin must be clearing the state of liability. Its not the first death on that roadway, drunk or otherwise

-2 Rating Posted by: talessman at May 03, 2008 at 10:21:48 AM
About the highway,

Dittoditto and Judge Conklin are both right, that particular spot of K-4 was not very well designed. The lighting is poor, it's not very well marked, and if someone approaches without paying attention (especially if they're drunk!), it can be too easy to suddenly find yourself going the wrong direction.

I talked to my State Rep (Ann Mah) after I witnessed this accident, and she worked with KDOT to get some improvements there. It still needs more work, but there's only so much that can be done; that was really a poorly designed section of highway.

Thomas Lessman
Website: Thomas Lessman, Citizen - Advocate - Activist
Blog: Neighborhood Watch Watch

__________________
Yea can't keep the words of your great leader.

Prophet Muhammad - “Do you love your creator? Love your fellow-beings first.”

Now the GOP leader is crying foul. lol, Some leadership. But the party have made their dession to keep it up. Some body wants this power plant for more than the power it will offer CO. & TX. A few reader comments included.

Coal issue viewed as slam dunk: CJOnline Page Not Found


Speaker says Sebelius wooed lawmakers with flights to NCAA tourney
By Tim Carpenter
The Capital-Journal
Published Saturday, May 03, 2008
Seven Democrats and four Republicans accepted rides on Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' state airplane to follow the Kansas Jayhawks during a march to the NCAA championship.

The legislators, five of whom represent Topeka or Lawrence, got a lift in March to early-round games in Omaha, Neb., and Detroit, as well as the Final Four extravaganza during April in San Antonio.



Submitted
The governor's state airplane ferried 11 legislators to see KU in the NCAA Tournament.
"I eat, breathe and drink KU basketball," said Rep. Annie Kuether, a Topeka Democrat who caught KU action in Detroit. "That's why I was invited."

Others in the Statehouse assigned greater significance to the governor's air taxi service.

House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls, accused Sebelius of manipulating state resources to curry favor from lawmakers in her fight against a $3.6 billion coal-fired plant proposed for southwest Kansas. The governor vetoed two bills advancing the project.

The Senate passed overrides of both vetoes. The House failed Thursday to complete the override of a coal bill, and Neufeld complained Sebelius' generosity with flight privileges contributed to her win in the political showdown on coal.

"What else did the state pay for to get this?" Neufeld said after the House vote.

On Friday, interviews with seven of 11 lawmakers who accepted a seat on the eight-passenger aircraft during the NCAA Tournament said the opportunity to accompany the governor had no influence on their assessment of coal legislation. None of the seven said they discussed the coal issue during the flights, and none in the group switched sides on the coal issue.

Sen. Dwayne Umbarger, R-Thayer, chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, said a road trip with Sebelius to San Antonio couldn't diminish his support for the Holcomb development.

"Obviously not," he said, "because I've been voting against the governor consistently."

Rep. Paul Davis, D-Lawrence, accepted a ride on the state airplane to games in Nebraska and Texas. Davis' district covers part of The University of Kansas campus in Lawrence, and he said the speaker's opinion about those who traveled to basketball venues with Sebelius was off the mark.

"That assertion is absolutely crazy," Davis said. "On those flights, the coal plant issue was never discussed."

Rep. Sydney Carlin, D-Manhattan, said the Nebraska flight to see KU and Kansas State University teams play was insignificant in the political realm.

"My vote is not for sale," she said.

Sherriene Jones-Sontag, spokeswoman for Neufeld, said it wasn't necessary for anyone to talk about coal legislation to score points. Sharing perks at public expense can be as much about remaining loyal to the governor in opposition to coal plant bills as it is about switching a vote, she said.

"The bottom line is the governor hosted several weekends of bonding with influential groups of legislators," Jones-Sontag said. "The governor is a skilled politician and I am sure was keenly aware that regardless of what was or was not discussed on any of the particular weekends, that the goodwill built with these legislators and potential surrogates could be valuable."

Assigning sinister connotations to a bipartisan delegation of Kansas legislators "seems to be a reach — even for the speaker," said Nicole Corcoran, spokeswoman for Sebelius.

"The people of Kansas count on their leaders to work together to get things done — not make excuses when they fall short," Corcoran said. "The governor offered House and Senate leadership a ride on the state plane when the president comes to Greensburg Sunday. Would the speaker say that, too, is about coal? Clearly, it is not."

Sen. John Vratil, R-Leawood, who is a coal plant advocate, and Sen. David Wysong, a Mission Hills Republican opposed to the coal facility, said experiencing Jayhawk basketball in person didn't alter their view on energy policy.

Wysong, who doesn't accept contributions from lobbyists or political action groups, said he refunded the state for the Detroit flight. He has had season tickets to KU basketball and football for 23 years.

Others on flights were Rep. Barbara Ballard, D-Lawrence; Sen. Marci Francisco, D-Lawrence; Rep. Terrie Huntington, R-Mission Hills; Sen. Laura Kelly, D-Topeka; and Rep. Julie Menghini, D-Pittsburg,

Tim Carpenter can be reached at (785) 296-3005 or timothy.carpenter@cjonline.com.

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Reader Comments
+ 1 Rating Posted by: stevew at May 03, 2008 at 11:04:22 AM
Kudos to Sen. Wysong for having the integrity to reimburse the State for the flight. Regardless of security measures, which officials will undoubtedly cite as justification for use of the State plane for this event, all that went on this flight should share in the cost. It could even be legitimately argued whether or not this was an "official State business" trip. The taxpayers should not be expected to pay for such perks for legislators and other state leaders that do little to earn their pay in the first place.

Posted by: rminear68 at May 03, 2008 at 11:25:02 AM
I think it is customary for the Governor to attend high profile functions for the teams in our state, and I have no problem with adding additional people to plane ride....
However, as a Republican and Kansas, I do have a problem with the way that Speaker Newfeld does business and curries votes (or blackmails for them) and then has the gall to call out the Governor for buying votes. The leadership in the Republican side of the house should wake up and see what he is doing to the Republican party, and see that it could cause a backlash that will hurt the state. Rep Neufeld: You should be ashamed, and as Kansans, we should be afraid of what he is doing to our image nationally.

Posted by: MShadow at May 03, 2008 at 01:14:38 PM
Nice to see that the Melvinator is a sore losed as well as a bully. Boo-hoo! Kathleen took State legislators on a State plane to see a State university play a basketball game, and that's why I didn't get my own way! What a tool you are, Melvin. A sad excuse for "leadership".





Posted by: CHG103 at May 03, 2008 at 01:28:57 PM
I wonder if she considered how much CARBON DIOXIDE was put into the atmosphere by her plane. I think she should have car pooled in a Toyota Prius. She is incompetent and an embarrassment as a leader of this state!

Posted by: mlurp at May 03, 2008 at 01:41:51 PM
rminear68 is correct. And I really wonder just after the deal was told NO! When the threats of all our lawyers and the campaign to get the companies way started (while our elected officials were out of session) how many accounts were dispatched and just what did the Republicans gained from supporting this bad deal for KS. Sure that far western city could use some extras jobs. But not at the risk of the entire states health. Look at Greenberg recovery, it is going completely green so the coal plant that would produce emissions for us and power for TX and CO. would off set all other efforts to go green. Aren't our elected officials suppose to work for the state first then their districts. And I am sure this isn't over, the GOPers and the few Dem's will not give up!

__________________
Yea can't keep the words of your great leader.

Prophet Muhammad - “Do you love your creator? Love your fellow-beings first.”

This is so stupid it won't stop unless we who oppose this give in to the powers that want it so badly, and it isn't going to serve KS. But TX. & CO. Who would really gain from this is my question?
Come on people join the forum and post your own LOCAL NEWS, that is why this thread was started, so from around the country we see what is going on, and how much alike our cities really are. And just who runs what!

Legislature may sue Sebelius over coal: CJOnline Page Not Found

Resolution needs House, Senate OK
By Tim Carpenter
The Capital-Journal
Published Saturday, May 03, 2008
The House Republican leadership Friday introduced a resolution urging the filing of a lawsuit against Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' administration regarding stalled development of a coal-fired utility expansion.

The measure, which has yet to be voted on by the House, seeks a challenge of "questionable legal decisions" by the executive branch in rejection of Sunflower Electric Power Corp.'s application for an air permit to build a 1,400-megawatt plant at Holcomb.

"It's a separation of power problem we're facing," said Senate Majority Leader Ray Merrick, R-Stilwell.

House members made no attempt Friday to override the governor's coal veto, but might take a shot today as the 2008 session winds down.

The resolution takes aim at Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson, who said in April that override of the governor's veto wouldn't necessarily clear the way for construction at Holcomb. Parkinson said other avenues for blocking the project, including litigation, were under consideration.

"He came out and said regardless of what we do we don't have any grounds to do what we're going to do," Merrick said. "It's us saying there is a separation of power issue, and we're going to take care of our interest and protect our members because we are an equal body."

Sebelius distanced herself from Parkinson's comments, but said environmental groups certainly would file suit if the Legislature forced the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to issue a permit.

The House resolution also takes exception to KDHE Secretary Rod Bremby's use of emergency powers in state law to guard the health and safety of Kansans.

"The legislative intent was that be used for existing problems, not speculative problems that might occur in the future," said Sherriene Jones-Sontag, spokeswoman for resolution co-sponsor House Speaker Melvin Neufeld, R-Ingalls.

Sebelius spokeswoman Nicole Corcoran said the resolution was under review by the governor. The House and Senate must concur to enforce the resolution, which can't be vetoed by Sebelius.

The state's Legislative Coordinating Council would be responsible for hiring legal counsel to file the constitutional challenge.

"This is ridiculous," said Rep. Vaughn Flora, D-Topeka. "If you want to really make the governor mad, that's the way to do it."

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