Turnpike CEO doesn't have many details on proposed KDOT merger; Nearly two out of five Kansas inmates are mentally ill; Calif. company buys into Kansas wind.
Few Details Released On Proposal To Merge KDOT, Turnpike Authority
Gov. Sam Brownback has proposed merging the Kansas Turnpike Authority and the state's highway department, but hasn't released many details as to how that will happen.
Nearly Two Out Of Five Kansas Inmates Are Mentally Ill
The number of mentally ill prisoners in Kansas has increased by 126 percent since 2006.
Sedgwick County Deputy Saves Man From Train
A Sedgwick County sheriff's deputy is being lauded as a hero after pulling a driver from a wrecked cement truck just before a freight train smashed into it.
The truck rolled over Friday morning in south Wichita. Its driver was pinned inside the vehicle when deputies arrived and noticed a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train approaching at about 35 miles per hour. Deputy John Scaglione is credited with pulling the driver through the front windshield.
Sheriff's Lieutenant Brad Hoch described the deputy's actions as "very heroic" and said he "didn't think twice about what he was doing."
The unidentified 35-year-old driver was taken to a Wichita hospital with shoulder injuries, cuts and scrapes. Authorities are still investigating why the truck rolled over.
California Company Acquires Kansas Wind Projects
A California company has acquired several wind projects in western Kansas.
The Santa Barbara-based company Infinity Wind Power just announced they're purchasing the Pioneer Wind Project in Ford County from Clipper Windpower Development.
Last year, the company also acquired two Kansas projects under development in Ford, Gray and Finney counties from local developer Zephyr Wind Power, based in Cimarron.
Infinity CEO Matt Riley says the acquisitions bring Infinity's total development pipeline in western Kansas to more than 2500 megawatts of power.
