Police attribute baby’s death to asphyxiation

A year-old baby who died Friday was asphyxiated by a car-seat strap while sleeping in the seat inside a caretaker’s home, police say.

The car seat’s straps weren’t fully fastened, which allowed the baby, Nikolas Robert Smith, to position himself in a way that cut off his breathing, said Sgt. Mike Pattrick, a Lawrence Police Spokesman.

A preliminary autopsy found the death was accidental, Pattrick said.

The baby’s mother found him not breathing about 10:15 p.m. Friday after returning to a family member’s home in the 1200 block of Summit Street, Pattrick said. A family member had been baby-sitting Nikolas and had put him to sleep in the seat, Pattrick said.

Plane’s recovery focus on ‘River City’ encore

“Raising the Wildcat,” the story of Topeka veteran Paul Beauchamp and his connection to the Lawrence-based warbird that spent almost half a century on the bottom of Lake Michigan, takes an encore this week on “River City Weekly.”

6News’ Josh Garber and 6Productions’ Brian Powell produced this Telly Award-winning episode in which we’ll also hear from Lawrence veteran Dean Allen, who flew the same type of plane in combat against Japanese forces, and Steve Craig, who restored the vintage plane.

“River City Weekly,” with host Greg Hurd, premieres on Sunflower Broadband Channel 6 at 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays with replays at 9:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Thursdays, 9:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Fridays, 9 a.m. Saturdays, 9:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. Mondays, and 10 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays.

UCLA selects law dean

A professor at New York University has been named to a prestigious law school position once sought by a Kansas University dean.

Michael H. Schill, professor of law at NYU, was named dean of the University of California-Los Angeles School of Law on Monday.

Steve McAllister, dean of the KU School of Law, was one of four finalists for the position. He later withdrew his name from consideration.