Andanh.com

With a trial approaching, most defendants in the federal case against a Kansas group that claims to be an American Indian tribe have deserted their self-described "grand chief" to make deals with prosecutors.

The latest defection came Thursday as Chuck Flynn, one of the so-called tribal chiefs, pleaded guilty to harboring illegal immigrants. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors agreed to a proposed sentence of a year and a day in prison.

Prosecutors contend the Kaweah Indian Nation defrauded legal and illegal immigrants across the nation by telling them tribal membership conferred U.S. citizenship and would allow immigrants to obtain other documents and benefits, including Social Security cards.

Prosecutors claim the tribe is fake. But even if it were real, tribal membership would not make someone a U.S. citizen.

Last year, federal prosecutors charged 11, including the grand chief and the Wichita-based tribe, in a 17-count indictment. Charges have since been dismissed against one defendant, and three have pleaded guilty to varying charges.

A police officer is usually not the first responder at the scene of a fire, not usually the one to go in and rescue someone from a burning building.

But on Thursday morning, Wichita police Officer Victor Trillo pulled an elderly woman from a burning house in southwest Wichita -- and then received a tug on the pants by a defensive pit bull as thanks.

"It was crazy," Trillo said later in the day while recalling the rescue.

The officer was passing by on his way to his first police call of the day at about 7:30 a.m. Thursday when he saw fire spouting over the roof of a house near MacArthur and Gold streets in southeast Wichita.

Trillo called dispatch and found out that fire units were en route, then stopped his car and got out. He saw a woman and her two children outside the house, and asked whether anybody else was inside.

As he is running for the state Senate, Rep. Ty Masterson and his construction company are dealing with unpaid bills that at one point totaled $150,000 in court claims in Butler and Sedgwick counties.

Some of the cases have been resolved, and Masterson says he is working to repay those bills and others. He filed a response in one case saying he "was a victim of fraud and abuse by certain individuals" and had not authorized the charges to his corporate account.

The Andover Republican, running for Senate District 16 against Butler County Commissioner Will G. Carpenter in the Republican primary, said he hasn't tried to hide his financial problems and is working to pay off his debts instead of filing for bankruptcy.

"I believe people should take full responsibility for their debts, and I'm trying to practice what I preach," he said.

The Butler County cases:

Experience differentiates the two Republican candidates competing for Augusta Republican Peggy Palmer's Senate seat.

Both Rep. Ty Masterson and Butler County Commissioner Will Carpenter oppose abortion and a statewide smoking ban in public places. Both support lower taxes and greater government transparency.

Both have political backgrounds. Masterson has served in the House since October 2005. Before that, he served briefly on the Andover City Council. Carpenter has been a Butler County commissioner for eight years and served four years on the Circle school board.

Masterson said his experience in Topeka sets him apart.

"I have relationships developed and have a history of being effective and I could build on that," he said.

Republican Jim Ryun continues to spend huge amounts of cash almost as fast as it comes in as he campaigns to recapture Kansas' 2nd Congressional District seat.

Ryun, who represented the district for 10 years before voters turned him out in 2006, hauled in about $447,000 and spent $683,000 over the latest quarter.

His opponent in the Aug. 5 GOP primary, State Treasurer Lynn Jenkins, reported raising $134,000 and spending $131,000 over the same period from April to mid-July.

The winner will face incumbent Democratic Rep. Nancy Boyda in November's general election.

Ryun, of Lawrence, has already spent more than $1.5 million in the campaign, compared to about $266,000 spent by Jenkins.

An electrical company owned by the Harvey County sheriff and his wife has billed that county for more than $29,000 worth of electrical work, most of it no-bid.

The biggest share of those public expenditures --$20,081 -- was work that the business did for the office the sheriff oversees.

Sheriff Arlis "A.J." Wuthnow says the work that Arlis Electric did over the 15 months he has been sheriff was a bargain. He didn't seek bids, he said, because much of the work was troubleshooting and "unbiddable."

Another electrical company said it would have liked the option to bid. Mitchell Smith, owner of RM's Auto Electric in Newton, said, "If you're in public office, then you can't steer... any of the government's business that you have control over to a business that you have a financial stake in."

Smith said he has been reluctant to talk about the issue but says it gets at the core of governmental ethics.

The "Vote Here" signs went up Wednesday morning around the historic Sedgwick County Courthouse on North Main Street.

Arrows pointed to the courthouse doors.

By the end of the day, 78 people had voted in advance for the Aug. 5 primary election.

That's up considerably from the first day of advance voting in 2006, when 57 people voted, said Bill Gale, Sedgwick County election commissioner.

That's not counting the 7,700 advance ballots mailed out to voters. So far, more than 2,000 have been returned.

From facilities to utilities, both Republican candidates for the District 3 seat on the Butler County Commission say they have experience balancing budgets.

Marvin Dodson, 62, director of facilities management for Butler Community College, said he plans to stay within the county's means by continuing most of the goals the current commission has put in place.

Bruce Harris, 64, retired from a career with utilities, said some slight changes could reduce taxes.

The county could save money by combining resources with city governments to "buy in bulk," he said.

As areas of Butler County anticipate growth, Harris said planning ahead to build new developments near existing infrastructure could reduce costs as well.