Fatalities: Teen killed in car crash

A 19-year-old woman was killed in a three-car accident about 8:30 p.m. Saturday while traveling southbound on U.S. Highway 59 in Atchison County.

Melinda Maycroft, Atchison, died at St. Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City, Mo., after colliding with another vehicle while trying to turn left. Maycroft was ejected from the car as it spun into the ditch, according to an accident report.

Debris from the accident struck a third car on the highway. Although six other people were involved in the accident, none had major injuries.

Haysville superintendent dies in two-car accident

Haysville The superintendent of the Haysville School District was killed Saturday in a two-car accident in McPherson County.

Kristen Swartzendruber was driving alone from Kingman to Gossell to meet her sister when the accident occurred at a rural intersection.

Swartzendruber was serving a one-year contract as superintendent after being named acting superintendent in May. She led a staff of 700 and a student population of about 4,800.

She was the second superintendent to serve Haysville since Lynn Stevens was fired for excessive credit card spending in April 2001. Don Wells left earlier this year after less than a year in the post.

Swartzendruber came to the district 11 years ago as the assistant superintendent for curriculum.

She was married and had two children, ages 6 and 16.

Lecture: Education commissioner to discuss federal law

The state education commissioner on Tuesday will be in Lawrence to outline implications of the new federal law “No Child Left Behind.”

Andy Tompkins, commissioner at the Kansas State Department of Education, is scheduled to speak at 7 p.m. in Lawrence school district headquarters, 110 McDonald Drive. The talk is open to the public.

The law requires individual schools to make “adequate yearly progress” toward achieving a standard of academic “proficiency” or suffer financial and management consequences.

The law requires publication of new report cards on student achievement, targeting of federal money to poor children, certification of all teachers as “highly qualified,” and an increase in standardized testing.

Tompkins’ appearance is sponsored by Kansas University’s chapter of Phi Delta Kappa.

KBI: Federal grant to Kansas targeted for DNA records

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation will get a $377,000 federal grant to help it expand and update DNA records.

The money will be used to examine 450 criminal cases under investigation in which no suspects have been identified. The grant will pay for overtime and equipment for increasing capacity and supplies for DNA analysis.

The profiles will be entered into the Kansas DNA database to be compared with offender information.

The grant was announced recently by U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan.