Month: April 2017

Police investigate homicide in 900 block of Kansas Avenue

Kansas City, Kansas, police are investigating a death in the 900 block of Kansas Avenue at 11:05 p.m. April 19.

A police spokesman said Casey M. Eaton, 34, of Kansas City, Kansas, was found dead from an apparent gunshot wound. She was inside a vehicle.

Police are investigating the death as a homicide, according to the spokesman. Eaton is reportedly the sister of Pamela Butler, who was killed about 17 years ago after being kidnapped in Kansas City, Kansas, in the Armourdale area.

The Kansas City, Kansas, Criminal Investigations Division is encouraging anyone with information to call the TIPS hotline at 816-474-TIPS.

KCKCC recognized for innovative use of technology

by Kelly Rogge, KCKCC

Kansas City Kansas Community College has been recognized as being among the most tech-savvy community colleges in the nation.

The Center for Digital Education has announced the winners of its 2016-17 Digital Community Colleges Survey. Now in its 12th year, the survey analyzes how community colleges use a range of technologies to improve services to students, faculty, staff and the community. Award winners have demonstrated innovative uses of technology including online courses, mobile apps, mobile environments, wireless networks and secure platforms. KCKCC came in fourth in the Mid-sized Colleges Category (between 5,000 and 10,000 students) and is the only community college in the state of Kansas to be ranked in the top 10 in any category.

“This year’s survey indicates community colleges are continuing to improve efforts at creating cost-effective platforms and Open Education Resources, mobile environments, real-time resources, telepresence robots and more to create robust online and mobile environments for their students,” said Kecia Ray, executive director for the Center for Digital Education. “Congratulations to this year’s survey winners.”

All accredited community colleges in the United States are eligible to participate in the survey and are classified based on enrollment. Award winners will be recognized at the Digital Colleges Survey Awards dinner at the end of April in New Orleans, La.

“Students do not come to Kansas City Kansas Community College for the technology,” said Baz Abouelenein, chief information officer for KCKCC. “But when they are here studying and working toward finishing their degree, they expect it.”

In addition to recognizing community colleges, the 2016-17 Digital Community Colleges survey also looks at what technology community colleges are prioritizing. Those surveyed said that mobility devices/app support is among their top priorities for the coming year, followed by website redesign/updates, cybersecurity tools and testing and digital content and curriculum.

For more information on the Center for Digital Education, visit www.centerdigitaled.com.

Kansas regulators block purchase of Westar Energy by Great Plains Energy

by Stephen Koranda, Kansas Public Radio

Kansas regulators Wednesday blocked the $12 billion purchase of Topeka-based Westar Energy by Great Plains Energy.

Members of the Kansas Corporation Commission had concerns that the purchase price was too high and that the merger wouldn’t create enough efficiencies to guarantee lower costs to customers.

The order from the three-member commission called the proposal “too risky.”

Westar is the largest electric utility in Kansas, and Missouri-based Great Plains Energy is parent company of Kansas City Power and Light. If the merger moved forward, the combined companies would have 950,000 customers in Kansas.

David Nickel of the Citizens’ Utility Ratepayer Board, which represents consumers, said the only testimony in favor of the merger came from the two companies.

“It didn’t make economic sense, and it really put the ratepayer at risk for anything that might go wrong,” Nickel said.

The companies have 15 days to appeal the decision. Gina Penzig, a Westar spokewoman, said they haven’t decided if they’ll continue to pursue the merger.

“We think that it was good for Kansas. We think that it was going to bring a lot of benefits to customers,” she said. “We’re going to sit down, we’re going to take a look at the order and determine what the next steps are.”

Stephen Koranda is Statehouse reporter for Kansas Public Radio, a partner in the Kansas News Service.

See more at http://kcur.org/post/kansas-regulators-block-purchase-westar-energy-great-plains-energy.