Kansas City, Kan.: Teen sentenced in house shooting

A teenage girl has been sentenced to 21 years in prison for shooting at a house last winter and killing a woman as she napped inside on a couch.

Ana A. Melendez, 18, was sentenced Monday in connection with the Jan. 23 slaying of Maria Santoyo, 47. Police said Santoyo was hit in the neck by one of four bullets Melendez fired at the house. Santoyo died instantly.

“I’m not the bad person you guys think I am. It’s all an accident,” Melendez told the Santoyo family at the sentencing.

Wyandotte County Judge Thomas Boeding also ordered 36-month parole terms for each count, one of second-degree murder and one of shooting at an occupied building. Boeding also tacked on a $5,000 fine.

Independence, Mo.: Former Costa Rican president to speak

Former president of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Laureate Oscar Arias will discuss economics, politics and peacemaking in his lecture “Globalization from a Third World Perspective” at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Community of Christ Temple, River and Walnut, Independence, Mo.

Arias was president of Costa Rica from 1986 to 1990 and earned the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in Central America. His plan to end regional crisis was signed by all five Central American presidents on Aug. 7, 1987.

For free tickets, call (816) 521-3077, or e-mail at confreg@CofChrist.org.

Kansas City, Mo.: Veterans Day ceremony scheduled

The first Veterans Day ceremony since the reopening of the Liberty Memorial in Kansas City, Mo., will be on the memorial’s south lawn Monday.

Several bands, politicians and ROTC units will participate in the parade set for 9:30 a.m. The ceremony honoring the veterans is set for 10 a.m.

Kathy Lee, a U.S. Army nurse who served in Vietnam, will speak along with Kansas City Mayor Kay Barnes and Congresswoman Karen McCarthy.