Fire destroys house in Leavenworth County

Linwood — A Monday morning fire that destroyed a house is under investigation, a Leavenworth County fire chief said.

Firefighters responded at 8:22 a.m. to the alarm at 214 Park St. and found smoke coming from the one-story house, said Sherman Township Fire Chief Dan Tallman.

No one was in the house at the time of the fire. Tallman said he didn’t know who owned the house. In addition to Sherman, Reno and Stranger townships also sent firefighters to assist, Tallman said.

An officer with the Sherman fire department is investigating the fire, Tallman said. Firefighters remained at the scene most of Monday, he said. Losses were undetermined.

Crime Stoppers seeks tips on suspected arson

Law enforcement officials are asking for the public’s help solving a suspected arson June 15 at a building under construction at 2201 Harper St.

The fire started about 8:30 p.m. Whoever set it used “available combustible materials,” said Lt. Ken Massey, a spokesman for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

Massey asked people with information about the crime to call the Crime Stoppers hot line, 843-TIPS (8477).

KU Med dean named to national board

Barbara Atkinson, executive dean and vice chancellor for clinical affairs at the Kansas University School of Medicine, has been elected to a four-year term as a member-at-large of the National Board of Medical Examiners.

The board is an independent, nonprofit organization that examines the health professions. The board also develops the United States Medical Licensing Examination, which provides a common evaluation system for applicants seeking initial licensure to practice medicine in the United States.

The group includes members of the academic community, national professional organizations, state licensing boards, students, resident practitioners, the federal government and the public.

KBI, FBI hook up on fingerprint advances

Technological advances in fingerprinting will be a boon to Kansas law enforcement authorities and public safety, Kansas Bureau of Investigation Director Larry Welch says.

Kansas is now connected electronically to the FBI’s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System, which allows electronic scanning of fingerprints.

“Identifying a suspect by fingerprints traditionally took weeks for the fingerprint cards to be mailed to the FBI and a response received,” Welch said. “We can now get that critical information to the local officers in just hours.”

Currently, 12 agencies have livescan devices electronically connected to the KBI and 15 additional agencies — including in Douglas County — have live-scan devices operating in a “stand alone” mode, which requires electronically scanned prints to be mailed to the KBI. The KBI is working with those agencies to connect for electronic submission.

Public tour available of affordable housing

Tenants to Homeowners is offering a free tour of homes at 1 p.m. Saturday, starting at 1718 Atherton Court.

Tenants to Homeowners is a nonprofit organization designed to build affordable housing for families.

For more information, contact Rebecca Buford at 842-5494 or by e-mail at rbufordefird@yahoo.com.