AP Top Kansas News at 5:45 a.m. CDT

Sunday, November 1, 2009

Kansas juvenile system to change

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Juvenile group homes in Kansas will be subject to twice-a-year outside reviews.

It's part of a series of changes that the commissioner of the Juvenile Justice Authority is implementing.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reported that Russ Jennings also received support this past week from a legislative committee to use a uniform test to assess the risk juveniles pose. And facilities will be rated for low-, medium- and high-risk offenders.

The changes come after The Capital-Journal reported two weeks ago about problems at the Forbes Juvenile Attention Center, a privately run group home for male juvenile offenders in Topeka.

The story highlighted a lawsuit that alleged that lax supervision made it possible for a 12-year-old boy to be repeatedly raped by his 15-year-old roommate in January 2008.

Rep. Joe Patton, R-Topeka, a member of the Legislature's Committee on Corrections and Juvenile Justice Oversight, said that case prompted the new policies.

------ Former Kan. para faces more sex charges in NM

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- A former Topeka school paraprofessional who received probation for sexually assaulting a student has been indicted on one charge of sexually assaulting the same boy in New Mexico.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reported that 39-year-old Jennifer Dawn Liskey was indicted Thursday by a grand jury in Dona Ana County, N.M., with one count of fourth-degree criminal penetration of a child age 13 to 16.

In the Kansas case, she pleaded no contest in January to aggravated indecent liberties and criminal sodomy.

Liskey was a paraprofessional at a Topeka middle school when she met the victim.

------

Information from: The Topeka Capital-Journal, http://www.cjonline.com

------ Kansas company helps with Freedom Tower

STERLING, Kan. (AP) -- A central-Kansas company is playing a small part in building the One World Trade Center in New York.

United Industries Inc. is helping with the building's cooling.

The Freedom Tower is to be build where the World Trade Center once stood. The completition date is set for 2013.

United Industries says it constructed 17 condenser water filtration systems that will go on the buildings 104th floor and in its mechanical mezzanine

Last month, the company shipped the last six of the filter systems.

------

------ Bison brought from South Dakota to Kansas

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) -- A bison herd from South Dakota has arrived in Kansas to begin life on the Tallgrass Prairie.

Leaders from the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve went to South Dakota to collect 20 of the bison from this unique herd of about 500.

They hope it will be the beginning of a herd of about 100 that will roam the public parkland in the Flint Hills.

The Kansas group ended up receiving only 13 buffalo -- six cows and seven bulls.

Other groups from Montana, Iowa, and even Mexico also received fewer than they had sought.

------

------ Abbyville man survives 2 medical emergencies

HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) -- An 24-year-old Abbyville man has bounced back from two medical emergencies.

That's why people are calling Levi Mitzner a survivor.

He was 17 years old when a tumor was removed from his brain. This August, Mitzner suffered a traumatic head injury when he wrecked his motorcycle.

He spent nearly 20 days in a coma at a Wichita hospital before he awoke and began a rehabilitation process that included relearning how to dress and bathe.

Mitzner has one more semester at Hutchinson Community College to complete his degree in fire science. He wants to be a firefighter, if he can.

------

------ Man turns bout with prostate cancer into education

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- A Topeka man hasn't put away his running shoes since he found out he had prostate cancer.

Brad Rhoden has been fighting the cancer for five months and blogs about his progress.

Rhoden estimates since then he has run about 60,000 miles, including 127 marathons.

But Rhoden has been able to run every day since Aug. 16.

He continues to run and has several events lined up if his body will allow him.

------

------ Joplin man restores historic stained glass

JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) -- A Joplin man has come out of retirement to restore historic stained glass windows at an area church.

Kenny Campbell is now back working on the same windows as he worked on 32 years ago at First Christian Church in Joplin.

The work launched Campbell's career in church restoration.

Campbell was forced to retire in 1994 with an eye injury.

But the church again contacted Campbell to do the repairs.

------

------ Urban chicken farmers learn the final truth

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- An urban farming expert teaches how to bring their chickens to a quick and painless death.

Novella Carpenter is the teacher and author of "Farm City: The Education of an Urban Farmer."

She writes about sustainable-food production and was in Kansas City at the invitation of Bad Seed, a Kansas City organic farm.

The 10 people there say they have all dreamed about raising chickens in their backyards.

For many urban farmers, the biggest challenge is culling their chickens.

------

------ Missouri family puts together a special prom

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) -- Zeph Boand made a promise to a Missouri girl that he couldn't break.

Boand promised he'd dance with her at prom and that meant traveling eight hours for the dance.

Prom came early for Sarah Jones, a 12-year-old who is starting hospice.

At the end of the night, Zeph lifted Sarah out of her wheelchair and as he cradled her in his arms, they danced to Lee Ann Womack's "I Hope You Dance."

Sarah was born 15 weeks premature with cerebral palsy.

Sarah has struggled with health problems all her life including three months ago when they discovered she has a chronic lung disorder.