Month: August 2016

Attorney general schedules open government training

Free training sessions on Kansas open government laws will be offered at five locations across the state next month, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt and the Kansas Sunshine Coalition for Open Government announced.

“Open access to the functions of government is important to self-government,” Schmidt said. “As our office investigates complaints of violations of open government laws, most often we find the violations were inadvertent and can be avoided through better education. I encourage public officials, staff, members of the media and the public to participate in these training sessions to learn more about how these laws work.”

The schedule for the sessions:

Monday, Aug. 15, from 1 – 4 p.m., Jordaan Memorial Library,
724 Broadway St., Larned

Wednesday, Aug. 17, from 9 a.m. – noon, Mulvane Public Library,
408 N 2nd Ave., Mulvane

Friday, Aug. 19 from 9 a.m. – noon, Memorial Hall Auditorium,
120 SW 10th Ave., Topeka

Tuesday, Aug. 23 from 1 – 4 p.m., Cloud County Community College
President’s Addition, Room 257, 2221 Campus Dr., Concordia

Wednesday, Aug. 24, from 9 a.m. – noon, Johnson County Administration Building, Lower Level Conference Center, Room 200, 111 S. Cherry St., Olathe

These seminars are free and open to the public. Space at each location is limited, and registration is on a first-come, first-served basis. Participants can register on the Kansas Attorney General’s website, www.ag.ks.gov/open-gov, or by calling 785-296-2215.

The training about the Kansas Open Records Act and the Kansas Open Meetings Act will be conducted by attorneys in Schmidt’s office who specialize in open government laws. Panelists will include Kansas Sunshine Coalition members, local government officials and media representatives.

KCK man sentenced to 12 years on carjacking, firearm charges

A Kansas City, Kan., man who shot his way out when a gas station clerk tried to lock him in the store was sentenced Tuesday to 12 years in federal prison, acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said.

Nathaniel Germany, 27, Kansas City, Kan., pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking and one count of possessing a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence. In his plea, Germany admitted that on Sept. 1, 2015, he pointed a gun at a driver parked at the BP Gas Station at 900 N. 5th St. in Kansas City, Kan. Germany took the driver’s car and fled.

On Sept. 7, 2015, a clerk at the BP Gas Station recognized Germany when he came into the store with another man. The clerk, who was behind bullet-resistant glass, used a button to lock the men in the store while he called police. Germany produced a .40 caliber handgun and fired two shots into a glass door in order to escape.

Three days later, Germany’s parole officer recognized him from surveillance photos and notified police, who arrested Germany.

Beall commended the Kansas City, Kan., Police Department, the Kansas Department of Corrections, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and Assistant U.S. Attorney Terra Morehead for their work on the case.

Night Out Against Crime to be tonight

National Night Out Against Crime will be held from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2, at the National Guard Armory, 18th and Ridge, Kansas City, Kan.

There will be a “Remembering Our Fallen” special tribute honoring Detective Brad Lancaster given by Police Chief Terry Zeigler.

The first 100 adults attending who belong to a registered neighborhood group will receive a free T-shirt. There will be informational booths and activities at the event.