Monthly Archives: April 2021

UPDATE: Coffeyville death investigation confirmed as homicide

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COFFEYVILLE, Kan. – Authorities rule a death investigation as a homicide and make an arrest in connection to the case. They have not positively identified the victim yet.

On Wednesday, April 28, around 5:50 p.m., a resident called the Coffeyville Police Department to request a welfare check of a person at 1709 S. Spruce St. in Coffeyville.

Police arrived at the home and found a man dead inside. According to the Kansas Bureau of Investigation, due to the state of decomposition, the man has not been positively identified yet.

The KBI is assisting the Coffeyville Police Department in the case.

(Previous article: KBI assists Coffeyville, KS police in death investigation)

After an autopsy, the victim’s death was ruled a homicide.

Authorities are still investigating. They did arrest one person this afternoon, April 30, in connection to the case. The KBI says authorities arrested 37-year-old Jennifer R. Garnett, of Coffeyville, for burglary, theft, forgery and criminal use of a credit card. The KBI has not released any additional details on the arrest.

Anyone with information related to this homicide is asked to call the KBI at 1-800-KS-CRIME or the Coffeyville Police Department at 620-252-6160.

Top Kansas court upholds law barring ‘wrongful birth’ suits

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By JOHN HANNA AP Political Writer

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ highest court on Friday upheld a law barring so-called wrongful birth lawsuits against doctors, in a case in which a couple sued because they weren’t told of serious fetal defects until after an abortion could have been obtained.

The state Supreme Court ruled against the parents of a girl born with a severe brain abnormality who said they would have opted for an abortion had they known of their daughter’s medical problems months before her May 2014 birth.

The Republican-controlled Legislature and then-GOP Gov. Sam Brownback passed the law against wrongful birth lawsuits in 2013 at the urging of abortion opponents. It overturned a 1990 state Supreme Court ruling saying Kansas law allowed such lawsuits, and current Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, then a state senator, voted against it.

The parents’ attorneys argued that the law violated provisions of the state’s bill of rights declaring the right to a jury trial “inviolate” and providing a right to “remedy by due course of law” for injuries. But four of the seven state Supreme Court justices concluded that the state’s 1850s founders didn’t recognize wrongful birth as a legal concept, making it an “innovation” that isn’t covered by those constitutional provisions.

“It is a new species of malpractice action first recognized in 1990,” Justice Dan Biles wrote in their opinion.

The decision upholds a policy favored by anti-abortion groups, who’ve long criticized the court as too liberal. The state Supreme Court declared in 2019 that access to abortion is a “fundamental” right under the state constitution, meaning it would be protected in Kansas if the U.S. Supreme Court overturned its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. But Friday’s ruling did not cite the 2019 decision or frame the issues in terms of abortion rights.

“The birth of a child should be cause for celebration, not for the law to award damages because the child was ‘wrongfully’ born,” said Attorney General Derek Schmidt, a Republican, who defended the law and is running for governor in 2022.

The four justices were joined in upholding the law by Justice Caleb Stegall, Brownback’s only appointee on the court. He was the lone dissenter in the 2019 ruling protecting abortion rights.

Stegall argued that the majority should have simply overturned the 1990 ruling, calling it “one of the worst decisions in our court’s history” and a “black mark” on par with a U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding the right to inter Japanese Americans during World War II.

He said that although the 1990 ruling precluded lawsuits when healthy children are born, it promoted “reprehensible discrimination” by allowing lawsuits when a child has “gross deformities.”

“The Kansas Supreme Court said quite loudly that under Kansas law, some lives are worth more than others,” Stegall wrote.

Chief Justice Marla Luckert and Justice Eric Rosen disagreed with the majority and would have allowed the lawsuit to proceed.

Luckert said the case contained “the essence of a medical malpractice action,” with the right to file such a lawsuit already recognized when the Kansas Constitution was written in 1859.

Rosen went further in his own opinion, rejecting the idea that constitutional protections for the right to sue cover only types of lawsuits recognized as valid in 1859.

“I believe that recognizing the injury in cases like the one alleged here simply ensures that patients receive competent medical care or compensation for damages if they do not,” Rosen wrote.

A dozen other states besides Kansas have similar laws, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports reproductive rights. It has argued that such laws are part of an “anti-abortion strategy” to deny women information that might lead them to terminate pregnancies.

In the Kansas case, the girl’s brain abnormality left her permanently disabled and unable to ever perform “activities of daily living,” according to court documents. The parents, Alysia Tillman and Storm Fleetwood, said that four months before the birth, Dr. Katherine Goodpasture told them that an ultrasound showed a healthy female fetus.

The parents said the ultrasound actually showed severe deformities and brain defects, something Goodpature disputed. Another ultrasound a few days before the girl’s birth showed a problem with her brain.

The parents said Tillman was deprived of her right to make an informed decision about her pregnancy and they sued to recover the extra costs of caring for a severely disabled child. A district judge in Riley County in northeastern Kansas dismissed the case after Goodpasture argued that their lawsuit violated the state’s law against wrongful birth lawsuits.

An attorney for the doctor declined to comment on the ruling, while an attorney for the parents did not immediately return telephone and email messages seeking comment.

Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt issued the following statement today following the ruling. “I am pleased we have successfully defended this important statute enacted by the Legislature. In Kansas, the birth of a child should be cause for celebration, not for the law to award damages because the child was ‘wrongfully’ born.”

Roger Thomas Coe

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Mr. Roger Thomas Coe, 77, of Goodman, Missouri, departed this life on Thursday, April 29, 2021, in the comfort of his home.

Roger entered this life on May 1, 1943, in Guthrie County, Iowa, one of four sons born to the late Harold Kenneth and Viola (Crawley) Coe. He was raised in Casey, Iowa, where he graduated high school in 1960. On December 30, 1961, he was united in marriage to Carol Pridemore and to this union five children were born. Roger drove a truck for the majority of his life. He was employed by Buddy L Toys, Neosho Products, Sunbeam, Jardon and Ozark Wood Products, before retiring in 2018. Roger enjoyed fishing, visiting with his family and friends and being on the open road.

His parents and three brothers, Dwayne, Melvin and Willie, preceded him in death.

Roger is survived by his wife of fifty-nine years, Carol Coe of the home; his five children, Georgene Austin and husband, David, of Neosho, Leroy Coe of Goodman, Stanley Coe of Goodman, Arbadella Hobbs and husband, Mitchell, of Goodman and Michael Coe also of Goodman; sixteen grandchildren; twenty great grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; as well as a host of other family and friends.

A visitation will be held on Sunday afternoon, May 2, 2021 from 2-4:00 p.m. in the Anderson Chapel of the Ozark Funeral Homes. On-line condolences may be sent to the family through our website, www.ozarkfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are under the personal care and direction of the Ozark Funeral Home in Anderson, Missouri.

Ralph Burton Handlin

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Ralph Burton Handlin, was born August 16, 1933 to Frank and Ester Handlin in Geneseo, KS the 8th of ultimately 9 children in the family. He graduated from Kansas State University with an Engineering Degree and is an Army Veteran from the Korean War.

While the boy left the Kansas farm, the farm never left the boy! Ralph could often be found in his vegetable or rose garden, caring for the dogs and cats, nourishing a fruit or pecan tree, tinkering with a small motor or out on his tractor or riding lawn mower.

Ralph’s contribution to the Joplin area community is woven into its’ history. As manager of the Joplin Natural Gas Company for many years, he led a dedicated team to help his community be safe, fed and warm. His quick thinking after the collapse of the Connor Hotel to use natural gas sniffing equipment helped locate the men trapped below.

As a civil engineer, Ralph designed many of our community gas systems and the transportation of this resource through pipeline underground and across bridges. After tornados would tear apart this infrastructure, he would always be part of the solution to put it back together. He had his own engineering firm for some time and also worked for the Federal Government Corp of Engineers.

Ralph encouraged others to work hard to reach their goals whether he was at the office, on the little league baseball field, as a husband, father, grandfather. He was an active member of the United Methodist Church both in Webb City and in Joplin. His deep baritone voice was often heard in the choir.

Ralph passed on April 27, 2021 after a brief illness. He will be missed by the many lives he touched.

Ralph was predeceased by his first wife, Billie Joan Strella.

He is survived by his wife of 19 years Melanie, his brother Max Handlin and wife Sharron, his son Larry Handlin and wife Leslie and son Lucas, daughter Vickie and husband Alvin McGill along with Vickie’s son’s Matthew and Derek along with Matt’s wife Arissa and their daughter Peyton.

He is also survived by his stepchildren Scott Blizzard his wife Melanie and their children Darcy, Dancy and husband Jesse, Nick Blizzard his wife Heather and Nick’s children Chelsea, Clinton and Caitlin along with Chelsea’s husband Josh Sherwood and daughter Alexus Sherwood, Clinton’s daughter December Blizzard and Heather’s son Brodyn Day and step grandson James McGill.

Family visitation is at the Joplin United Methodist Church Sunday May 2 at 3:30 with Memorial of Ralph’s life beginning at 4:30.

Two arrested for Joplin Kum & Go armed robbery

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JOPLIN, Mo. – Authorities have arrested two people following an armed robbery at a Joplin convenience store.

It happened Thursday night at the Kum & Go on South Main. Authorities say a man went into the store, brandished a knife and demanded money. The clerk got away safely, and the man left in a car with a woman.

Authorities say the suspect is Robert Castro. He was arrested later after a Joplin police officer tracked the car down. He was arrested in connection with the robbery and outstanding warrants.

The alleged driver, Madison Shores was also arrested. She’s facing charges on possession of a controlled substance, DWI and possession of marijuana.

Guns and Hoses Basketball Charity Game to pit cops against firefighters

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JOPLIN, Mo. – John Boyd of Bright Futures Joplin talked with Michael Hayslip about the upcoming Guns and Hoses Basketball Game. It pits the Joplin Police Department against the Joplin Fire Department in a game that raises money for Bright Futures Joplin.

“Our goal is to raise as much money as we can with this one big bash, in order to be ready to help kids succeed during the 2021-22 school year, which is right around the corner,” said Bright Futures Joplin Coordinator Sarah Coyne. “Knowing that sponsors and friends are going to come out and have a great time is fantastic, and it helps us get our budget in line so we know what we’re up against for the coming year.”

The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday, May 1, at the Joplin High School Gym, 2104 Indiana. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are free for kids and students, and $5 for adults.

Oklahoma House OKs ban on teaching critical race theory

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OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Oklahoma public school teachers would be prohibited from teaching certain concepts of race and racism under a bill given final approval by the state House on Thursday.

The GOP-controlled House voted 70-19 for the bill that prohibits teaching of so-called “critical race theory.”

“Students are being taught that because they’re a certain race or sex, they’re inherently superior to others or should feel guilty for something that happened in the past,” said Rep. Kevin West, a Moore Republican who sponsored the bill. “We’re trying to set boundaries that we as a state say will not be crossed when we’re teaching these kinds of subjects.”

Among the concepts that would be prohibited are that individuals, by virtue of race or gender, are inherently racist, sexist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.

Some Republicans expressed concerns that public school children are being indoctrinated into thinking that white people are inherently racist or sexist.

Democrats said the bill was a waste of time and addressed a non-existent problem.

“Instead of focusing on the real issues facing Oklahomans, the majority party continues their attack on anyone in Oklahoma who might not look, think, love, or act like them,” said House Minority Leader Rep. Emily Virgin, a Democrat from Norman.

The bill is similar to measures signed into law in Utah and Arkansas.

The measure would also prevent colleges and universities from requiring students to undergo training on gender or sexual diversity. Virgin, whose district includes the University of Oklahoma, said that provision is particularly troubling because the university is one of several in the state that provides training on gender and sexual diversity and for incoming students.

“That’s what freshman orientations are about: making it clear that this is an inclusive space and inclusive environment and no one should be made to feel that they don’t belong,” Virgin said. “To say in this building that we should prohibit that sort of training goes against the very fabric and very idea of higher education.”

The bill now heads to Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt for final approval.