Community

The results of a state commissioned study on minority youth representation in the juvenile justice system were presented Thursday to community members.

The study, carried out by the Nebraska company Objective Advantage, analyzed data statewide including data from Kansas Judicial District 18, which includes all of Sedgwick County.

Dozens of social workers and law enforcement personnel around Kansas recently completed training designed to further understanding of human trafficking, which is a modern form of human slavery.

Classes were held in Wichita, Topeka and Hays. Social workers from the Kansas Department for Children and Families and Kansas Highway Patrol officers gained new insights from nationally renowned expert Dottie Laster.

Topeka City Councilman Chad Manspeaker has issued an apology to Newtown, Conn.

That follows an announcement by the Westboro Baptist Church that it plans to picket the Sandy Hook Elementary School, where 20 children were killed last Friday.

"Given the situation those folks are in, obviously I feel very bad, and the whole country feels very bad for them in their time of need," says Manspeaker.

"We don't want them to think that Topekans are represented by the Phelps."

The Westboro Baptist Church is headquartered in Topeka.