WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The U.S. Justice Department says a Kansas hospice care provider and its Texas-based parent company have agreed to pay $6.1 million to settle allegations they submitted false claims to the Medicare program. The settlement with Wichita-based Hospice Care of Kansas LLC and Fort Worth-based Voyager HospiceCare Inc. was announced Thursday. The deal results from a whistleblower lawsuit first filed more than six years ago by Beverly Landis, a Hospice Care of Kansas nurse. Landis will receive $1.34 million under provisions of the federal False Claims Act. The government alleged the companies submitted false Medicare claims between 2004…
Author: KMAN Staff
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) An attorney for a suburban Chicago mother accused in Kansas of abusing her five children says the woman was unaware of how the children were being treated. Deborah and Adolfo Gomez of Northlake, Ill., appeared separately Thursday in Douglas County District Court in Lawrence to set preliminary hearing dates. The couple were arrested last week after two of their children were found tied up and blindfolded outside their SUV in a Walmart parking lot in Lawrence. Three older children were found inside the vehicle unrestrained. Deborah Gomez’s attorney says the woman didn’t know what was happening to…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Shawnee County citizens continue to be frustrated by delays caused by a new computer system for Kansas vehicle and title registrations. Employees of the county treasurer’s office say they are just as frustrated by delays that began after the new $40 million motor vehicle system was installed. The office usually stops taking numbers at noon and is three weeks behind on mail-in renewals. A spokeswoman for the state revenue department says counties statewide have processed 36.5 percent more renewals and 24 percent more titles and registrations than by this time last year. She credits the new system…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Ten former employees of Topeka’s parks and recreation department are seeking a total of $745,000 from the city over severance packages. The employees lost their jobs with the city when the Topeka and Shawnee County parks and recreations departments were consolidated under county control Jan. 1. They all are now working for the county but they claim the new jobs offer substantially less pay and benefits. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports the employees contend they weren’t given severance benefits, which the city code requires if employees lose their jobs through no fault of their own. It also claims…
A Kansas State University biologist rounded out the prosecution’s witnesses on Thursday’s capital murder trial of Luis Aguirre. Aguirre is charged with the murders of his ex-girlfriend Tanya Maldonado and her 13-month old son Juan in September of 2009. Early morning testimony centered on finishing the readings of email correspondence between Aguirre and Tanya Maldonado during 2009. Judge Meryl Wilson then released the Jury until the afternoon while the prosecution and defense attorney’s made arguments on whether or not Kansas State University biologist Dr. Spencer Tomb’s testimony would be heard in court. Judge Wilson ruled in favor of allowing the testimony,…
PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) Some Crawford County residents saw an unexpected fireworks show when six containers of rockets and other explosives caught fire. Federal, state and county officials are trying to determine what caused the fire Tuesday evening outside Jake’s Fireworks Warehouse about a mile west of Pittsburg. Baker Township fire chief Mike Ryan says firefighters had to dodge fireworks while fighting the blaze. They successfully kept it from spreading to the warehouse, which was about 30 feet away. No firefighters were injured. The Joplin Globe reports several employees at the business also escaped injury. Six fire departments fought the blaze…
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) The FBI is investigating allegations of misconduct at the Sedgwick County Jail. An FBI spokeswoman confirmed the investigation Wednesday, the day after a jail deputy was arrested after two inmates alleged they had been raped. Sheriff Robert Hinshaw announced Tuesday that the 21-year-old detention deputy was arrested on suspicion of several offenses, including aggravated criminal sodomy and mistreatment of confined persons. Hinshaw tells the Wichita Eagle that he welcomes the separate FBI investigation and would cooperate completely. Hinshaw said sheriff’s detectives will present results of their investigation soon to prosecutors, who will decide if charges will be…
HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) The real-life story of a troubled Hutchinson stove restoration business has inspired a film. The Hutchinson News reports that several weeks of filming are expected to wrap up by Monday on a feature film called “Salvation.” Writer/director Bernie Van De Yacht was among the people who lost money with a man who repaired and restored gas stoves from the 1950s and 1960s. Complaints started to pile up in 2007 for non-delivery of stoves and refusal to refund down payments. There were also complaints about the quality of the finished stoves. “Salvation” producer Danny Rodriguez says the filming…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) A new aerial survey of Kansas has revealed new breeding grounds for the lesser prairie chicken as the bird’s habitat appears to be moving north. The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism says the survey was part of a five-state project to determine the numbers of birds in the region and their breeding grounds. The survey was conducted ahead of the release of a proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Wildlife and Parks on the status of the birds. Lesser prairie chickens have been considered a candidate under the Endangered Species Act since 1998 as…
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) Kansas has received more than $560,000 from a multistate settlement with insurance company American International Group Inc. Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger said Wednesday the money has been deposited and will be used to support general government programs. The agreement settled a complaint from state regulators that AIG underreported workers’ compensation premiums in past years. AIG agreed to pay a $100 million penalty plus $47 million in taxes and other assessments under the settlement.