(AP) — A former Wichita police officer has been charged with conspiring to bribe a car-theft victim in hope of saving her job.

The U.S. attorney’s office says 34-year-old ex-officer Joletta Vallejo was indicted Wednesday on charges of wire fraud and conspiracy. Also charged in the case are 40-year-old Patrick Melendrez and 30-year-old Courtney Foster, both of Wichita.

The defendants’ home phones were either disconnected or unanswered Wednesday. It’s not known if they had lawyers.

Prosecutors say an internal police investigation concluded that Vallejo violated department rules in handling reports of a domestic violence case and a related car theft.

The indictment accuses Vallejo of arranging last August for Melendrez to pay the theft victim $150 to recant his statement and another $150 if she kept her job.

Darius

Things got especially heated earlier this week when a Twitter user told Darius to “Leave country to the white folk.”  Darius shot back, “WOW. Is this 2013 or 1913.”  He then added, ” I’ll take my grand ole Opry membership and leave your racism.”

Darius tells Rolling Stone that tweet was shocking to him.  He says, “Sometimes people will say, ‘You’re not country,’ and I know what that means, because they can’t be talking about the music.  But when somebody says to leave country music to the white folks, that is unbelievable to me…But that’s life.”

Darius knows he’ll have to deal with that kind of ignorance in some shape or fashion for the rest of his life.

He says, “I’m a black guy in country music, and there are people who don’t like that.  But it’s not going to make me quit.”

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

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RECORD OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE GOVERNING BODY 8 MAY 2013

                The Governing Body of the City of WaKeeney, Kansas met in a regular session at City Hall 408 Russell Ave at 7:00 PM with the Mayor presiding and the following members present:

Mayor Kenneth Roy and Council Members George Arnold, Irene Dirks, Tom Kreutzer, Troy Leiker, Lynelle Shubert and Allen Weigel

BEING ABSENT: Mary Jo Clevenger

The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as written, printed and distributed.

                GUESTS:  David Tidball, Terry Eberle, and Janelle Miller

At this time an ordinance making appropriation for the payment of claims for the month of April 2013 was read, whereupon, George Arnold motioned to approve claims in the amount of $214,384.66.  Tom Kreutzer seconded.  Motion carried.  Warrant #9145 and 9149 were reviewed prior to approval.

Mayor Roy welcomed new council members Irene Dirks and Lynelle Shubert to the council.  Mayor Roy also presented plaques to outgoing city council members George Arnold and Tom Kreutzer and thanked them from their service to the community.

David Tidball was present before the Governing Body to request that the city ordinance prohibiting farm animals (goats, miniature horses, and the like) be modified to allow David to have a petting zoo adjacent to his thrift shop on Main Street.  It was the consensus of the council to not allow this type of business in the city.  David was thanked by the governing body and took his leave.

CHIEF OF POLICE:  Chief Eberle requested approval to hire two new patrol officers.  Mark Dahlsten and Dustin Weber will both begin employment on June 3, 2013.  Dustin Weber will need to attend the Kansas Law Enforcement Training Center to become certified.  A motion was made by Allen Weigel and seconded by Lynelle Shubert to approve the hiring of the officers. Motion carried.

CITY ADMINISTRATOR:  Hardy Howard presented the two quotes that were received for the electrical work for the new shelter at the Pool Park.  After a short review, Irene Dirks motioned to approve the quote from Eberle Electric in the amount of $498.64.  Allen Weigel seconded. Motion carried.

MAYOR:   Kenneth Roy presented his list of annual appointments to the city administrative offices, Library Board, Travel and Tourism, Keeney Village Board of Directors, Planning Commission, City Fire Department and Tree Board.  After a discussion and review, Troy Leiker motioned to approve the Mayor’s appointment list as presented.  Allen Weigel seconded.  Motion carried.

Allen Weigel motioned to nominate Troy Leiker as council president for the coming year.  Irene Dirks seconded.  Motion carried.

No further business appearing, the meeting was adjourned.

APPROVED:                                                                                        ATTEST:

__________________________                                                   _________________________

Lindsay Flax

City of WaKeeney

408 Russell Ave

WaKeeney, KS 67672

785-743-5791

The sessions at the Fort Hays State University Robbins Center target consumers who receive long term services and support, giving them an opportunity to find out more about the program changes and to voice their opinions.

Tonight’s meeting is open from 6-8p.m.  Attendees can come at any time.

KanCare officials are asking participants to discuss what they like most and least about KanCare, and what is most important to them in choosing their KanCare health plan.

An afternoon session was also offered.

The Dutch Woodstock 1970 offers rare vintage performances by such beloved rock acts as Santana, Pink Floyd, Jefferson Airplane, The Byrds, T. Rex and Canned Heat.

Among the memorable tunes featured on the set are Santana’s “Jingo,” the Jefferson Airplane classic “White Rabbit,” and the early Pink Floyd psychedelic gem “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun.”

The DVD contains footage originally included in a feature film that focused on the 1970 Kralingen festival, as well as additional previously unreleased performances from the event.

Other artists that also contributed songs to the collection include The Soft Machine, Country Joe, Dr. John and Al Stewart.

Here’s the complete track list for The Dutch Woodstock:

DVD
Santana, “Gumbo”
Al Stewart, “Zero She Flies”
Canned Heat, “Human Condition”
Canned Heat, “The World’s in a Tango”/”So Sad”
Quintessence, “Giants”
Jefferson Airplane, “Won’t You Try Saturday Afternoon”
It’s a Beautiful Day, “Wasted Union Blues”
Pink Floyd, “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun”
Country Joe, “Oh Freedom”
Dr. John and the Night Trippers, “Mardi Gras Day”
Family, “Drowned in Wine”
It’s a Beautiful Day, “Bulgaria”
T. Rex, “By the Light of the Magical Moon”
The Byrds, “Old Blue”
The Flock, “Big Bird”
Soft Machine, “Esther’s Nose Job”
Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit”/”The Ballad of You and Me and Pooniel”
Santana, “Savor”/”Jingo”
Pink Floyd, “A Saucerful of Secrets”

CD 1
Cuby and the Blizzards, “Dust My Blues”
Canned Heat, “Human Condition”/”So Sad”
Livin’ Blues, “Big Road Blues”
Al Stewart, “Zero She Flies”
Quintessence, “Giants”
East of Eden, “The Sun of East”/”Irish Theme”
Country Joe, “Freedom”
Dr. John and the Night Trippers, “Mardi Gras Day”
Family, “Drowned in Wine”

CD 2
Santana, “Gumbo”/”Savor”/”Jingo”
Jefferson Airplane, “White Rabbit”/”The Ballad of You and Me and Pooneil”
It’s a Beautiful Day, “Wasted Union Blues”/”Bulgaria”
T. Rex, “By the Light of the Magical Moon”
The Byrds, “Old Blue”
The Flock, “Big Bird”
Soft Machine, “Esther’s Nose Job”
Pink Floyd, “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun”/”A Saucerful of Secrets”

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

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“The USAF’s selection of McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita as the Preferred Alternative to operate the KC-46A is great news for Kansas and is a credit to the men and women at McConnell,” Governor Brownback said. “This major milestone could not have occurred without the community support received from the citizens of Wichita, our Delegation and the people of Kansas.”

The next stage of the Air Force’s KC-46 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) process will include the release of a Draft EIS and a public comment period. This will lead ultimately to a Record of Decision (ROD) which the Air Force has projected will occur in the Spring of 2014. McConnell, which was evaluated along with bases in North Dakota, Washington and Oklahoma, would be the home base for 36 KC-46A tankers, subject to a favorable ROD affirming the selection of McConnell as the Preferred Alternative.

“Although there is more work ahead, we are very grateful for this reaffirmation by the Air Force of the critical role which McConnell plays in meeting its world-wide requirements,” Brownback said. “The demonstrated ability of the 22nd and the 931st to work jointly was a positive attribute in the evaluation of McConnell.”

The aircraft will be operated in cooperation by the Active Duty 22nd Air Refueling Wing, and the 931st Air Refueling Group of the Air Force Reserve; an Active Association between the Units is currently in place.

While Wednesday’s announcement brought positive news to the City of Wichita and McConnell AFB, another unit, the 190th Air Refueling Wing of the Kansas Air National Guard, operating from Forbes Military Airfield in Topeka, was under consideration to serve as the Reserve Component KC-46 basing site. The Air Force selected Pease Air Force Base in New Hampshire to host the mission for which Forbes and four other bases competed for selection.

“Realistically, it was highly unlikely that two bases in the same State would be selected to host the initial round of KC-46 bases, but the fact that Kansas was the only state which had two bases in consideration speaks of the high quality of the personnel at both bases,” Governor Brownback noted. “General Tafanelli and I couldn’t be more impressed with the 190th Wing for the capabilities they offer, and the professional approach they took in competing for the KC-46A Reserve Component site.”

The State of Kansas, City of Wichita, and Kansas Congressional Delegation will now prepare for the public comment and review period. Brownback said they will work closely with the Air Force to show the American people that the confidence which the Department has shown in selecting McConnell Air Force Base for the KC-46 Active Duty Operational site was the best choice and a wise selection for this critical mission – now, and into the future.

Join John P. Tretbar weekdays for News from the Oil Patch

News from the Oil Patch 5 22 2013

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Closing Cash Grain Prices 5 22 2013

Trace won All-Star Celebrity Apprentice on Sunday, and he donated the $1.5 million he won on the show to the Red Cross.  That organization was on the scene when Trace’s Nashville home burned two years ago, and he’s been working on their behalf ever since.

Trace explains, “We always see the huge, you know, the natural disaster response, and the things that the Red Cross does, but it’s 365, you know, 24/7.”

For more information on how you can help, go to RedCross.org.

Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio

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Two of the three persons, Oganes Nagapetian, 53, and his wife, Larisa Nagapetian, 46, are scheduled to be arraigned on a federal indictment in the U.S. District Court in Wichita on June 4; the third defendant, Tigran Nagapetian, 50, a brother of Oganes Nagapetian, appeared Tuesday before a U.S. magistrate judge in Los Angeles. He also is scheduled to appear for arraignment in Kansas on June 4. All three are charged in the Kansas federal indictment, Grissom said.

“The defendants are alleged to have engaged in a scheme to steal semi-loads of cargo by pretending to be legitimate freight haulers,” Grissom said. “They are charged with conspiracy, wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The USDA Office of Inspector General and the FBI, together with their state and local law enforcement partners, are aggressively investigating these cases.”
Grissom said such schemes have become more common across the country in the past few years, and that the large meat packing plants in Kansas – including Dodge City, Liberal, Holcolm and Garden City — have been targeted on several occasions. A total of seven large plants load dozens of semi-loads per day of packaged meat, which is a commodity that is valuable and relatively easy to sell, he said. A semi-trailer-load of processed beef can be worth $100,000 wholesale, Grissom said. Meat packing plants in Nebraska also have been victimized, he said.

The indictment, which was returned by a federal grand jury in Wichita April 23, alleges that the defendants conspired in November 2011 to steal a load of beef from the Tyson Fresh Meats plant in Holcomb, Kan., and the brothers dropped off a trailer to be loaded, but never came back to pick it up because they thought they were under law enforcement surveillance. In the weeks before the attempted Holcomb theft, loads of shoes, fans and almonds were stolen from three companies in California, according to the indictment.

The indictment alleges that the three conspired to use the identity of a legitimate trucking company in Pennsylvania to bid on hauling the load of Kansas beef to California through a freight broker based in Ohio. Once the hauling contract was awarded, a man allegedly fitting the description of Oganes Nagapetian but using a counterfeit California commercial drivers license in another person’s name dropped off a trailer at the Tyson plant in Holcomb to be loaded. The man never returned, according to the indictment.

The indictment charges all three defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and to steal shipments of freight, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. Oganes Nagapetian and Tigran Nagapetian also are charged with wire fraud, which has a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and aggravated identity theft, which has a statutorily-required sentence of two years in prison. In addition, Oganes Nagapetian, a lawful permanent resident from Russia, faces various document fraud charges. Tigran Nagapetian is a naturalized U.S. citizen from Armenia, as is Larisa Nagapetian.

In addition to the USDA OIG and FBI, agencies working on the investigation include Homeland Security Investigations; the Kansas Highway Patrol; the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Dept. and its “Cargo Cats” unit; the Finney County, Kan., Sheriff’s Dept.; the California Highway Patrol Cargo Theft Interdiction Program; the National White Collar Crime Center; and the National Insurance Crime Bureau. It is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brent Anderson.

If convicted of the conspiracy count, the defendants face a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Wire fraud carries a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000. Document fraud has a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison, and aggravated identity theft has a mandatory sentence of two years in prison. As in any criminal case, a defendant is innocent unless proven guilty; an indictment merely alleges criminal conduct.