Head trauma killed Eudora resident

The Eudora man found dead Tuesday near railroad tracks in Leavenworth County died of a blunt trauma to the head, officials said Wednesday after an autopsy.

But beyond that, investigators still don’t know exactly what happened to 29-year-old John Schmidt.

His car, a 1991 Oldsmobile Cutlass, was found on Interstate 435 about a half-mile from the Interstate 70 interchange. Police are asking anyone who may have seen someone near the vehicle to call the Leavenworth County Sheriff’s Office at (913) 758-4582.

A Union Pacific railroad crew found Schmidt’s body about 2 p.m. Tuesday between Loring Drive and the Kansas River in southeast Leavenworth County.

Baldwin growth drives down speed limits

The speed of Baldwin’s growth is pushing city and county officials into driving down speed limits on two county roads north of town.

Douglas County commissioners agreed Wednesday to reduce the posted 55 mph speed limit on County Roads 1055 and 12, two paved roads carrying more traffic as new homes pop up in subdivisions at Baldwin’s northern edge.

Along County Road 1055, the speed limit will be 45 mph from North 400 Diagonal Road to 500 feet north of County Road 12.

Along County Road 12, the speed limit will be 45 mph from East 1750 Road to 300 feet west of North 375 Road, where an existing 30 mph speed zone will be extended leading to Douglas County State Lake.

The Baldwin City Council will consider imposing 40 mph speed limits along sections of the roads inside the city limits.

Audit advises reporting probable West Nile cases

Topeka — State auditors are recommending that the Kansas Department of Health and Environment begin reporting all probable cases of West Nile virus to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But the report, conducted by the Legislative Post Audit Division and released Wednesday, also said that 20 cases classified as “probable” by KDHE — and not reported to the CDC — represented “fairly insignificant” underreporting.