Olathe

Police seek clues in suspected homicide

Police are conducting a homicide investigation into the death of a woman found unconscious in her Olathe home Sunday, authorities said.

Sheila Carper, 64, died at a hospital. An autopsy indicated that she was killed.

Independence, Mo.

Dancer’s birthplace designated a landmark

The birthplace of dancer and film star Ginger Rogers has been designated a historic landmark.

The Independence City Council voted unanimously Monday to make the home where Rogers was born a local landmark, qualifying it for historic preservation.

Rogers, best known as the dance partner of Fred Astaire in 10 popular films beginning with “Flying Down to Rio” in 1933, was born in the home on July 16, 1911, as Virginia Katherine McMath. She began performing on the theater circuit after winning a state Charleston championship in Texas when she was 14, eventually making it to Broadway and then Hollywood, where she had made 19 films before the first movie appearance with Astaire.

She died in 1995.

Wichita

City goes easy on new dog law

The city has decided to give dog owners a little breathing room if they violate a new ordinance that makes it illegal for them to leave their dogs tied up all the time.

Under the ordinance that took effect Friday, dog owners could face fines of up to $500. But most people who violate it will get off with a warning for now because animal control workers said they want to work with dog owners and give them time to comply with the new rule.

Wichita’s ordinance does not prohibit tethering, but prohibits tying up dogs for more than one hour at a time.