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Tag: Kansas

  • Google Now Facing Third Suit, As 30 State Sue Over ‘Illegal Monopoly’

    Google Now Facing Third Suit, As 30 State Sue Over ‘Illegal Monopoly’

    Google is being sued by 30 states, as the company faces its third lawsuit over abusing its monopoly in search and online advertising.

    Google is already facing lawsuits by the Department of Justice (DOJ), as well as a coalition of 10 states. The new lawsuit is led by Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser, and includes Alaska, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wyoming, the District of Columbia, and the territories of Guam and Puerto Rico.

    “Our economy is more concentrated than ever, and consumers are squeezed when they are deprived of choices in valued products and services. Google’s anticompetitive actions have protected its general search monopolies and excluded rivals, depriving consumers of the benefits of competitive choices, forestalling innovation, and undermining new entry or expansion,” Weiser explained. “This lawsuit seeks to restore competition.”

    The scope of this lawsuit goes beyond the previous two, accusing Google of “engaging in a multi-pronged effort to maintain its monopolies.” In particular, “Google’s acquisition and command of vast amounts of data obtained because of consumers’ lack of choice has fortified Google’s monopolies and created new barriers to competition and consumer value.”

    The states have filed a motion to join their case with the DOJ’s case, which could significantly expand the scope of the DOJ’s case.

  • Derecho Threat: Severe Storm Pummels Midwest

    A derecho is often classified as a type of extreme weather phenomenon, which refers to an inland-type of hurricane accompanied by heavy thunderstorms. Derechos are capable of inflicting extensive damage to wide areas. According to the Storm Prediction Center, derechos are at least 240 miles wide and produce long-lived straight-line wind damage.

    On Tuesday, extreme weather, heavy flooding and severe storms brought on by a possible derecho, affected more than 35 million people in Iowa, Kansas and Nebraska. Weather agencies placed a rigid watch on the storm as it continued to wreak havoc throughout the Midwest region until late Wednesday, according to a weather report on FOX19-WXIX.

    The National Weather Service Omaha put out a warning on Twitter, advising residents of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa not to walk or drive through the area due to rising floodwaters and “potentially life threatening flash flooding”.

    According to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center, wind gusts measuring over 80 mph battered the Midwest region. The strong winds uprooted trees and utility poles and forced Eppley Airfield, three miles northeast of Omaha, to close. Joe Rotterdam,  assistant manager of airline affairs, said the closing caused the cancellation of 33 flights.

    Flash floods, hail measuring the size of baseballs, and strong winds were all part of the intense storm that hit the Midwest. In Omaha, Nebraska, more than 12,000 urban residents experienced power outages due to flooding and heavy rainfall from the possible derecho.

    The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration stated that a derecho can occur when a storm spans a distance of more than 240 miles with gusts reaching more than 58 mph. This kind of storm brought massive destruction back in June 2012 when it ripped through the states of Illinois and Virginia, causing an estimated $1 billion in damages and 13 fatalities.

    Image via YouTube

  • Baxter Springs, KS Reeling From Damages

    Baxter Springs, KS Reeling From Damages

    Baxter Springs, in southeast Kansas, is still reeling from the damage caused by a tornado on Sunday evening. One man was killed in nearby Quapaw, Okla. and 25 people were injured, nine which were serious enough to be hospitalized.

    The tornado, now rated by the National Weather Service as an EF2 on the Enhanced Fujita scale, touched down at Quapaw and slashed an eight mile path of destruction through the nearby city of Baxter Springs.

    According to newson6.com, the tornado was approximately 150 yards wide at one point.

    Oklahoma governor Mary Fallin and Kansas governor Sam Brownback declared a state of emergency for the area and President Obama promised in a press conference from the Philippines to help the victims rebuild.

    “Your country will be there to help you recover and rebuild as long as it takes,” Obama said.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQbnzvuld0M

    Over 100 houses and buildings were destroyed in downtown Baxter Springs, and the one aforementioned casualty was a man from Baxter Springs who was passing through Quapaw when the tornado hit. He drove his car into a vacant building for shelter, but the building collapsed on top of the car.

    Quapaw Police Chief Gary Graham said that the area had no warning whatsoever and didn’t sound the tornado sirens.

    “You know it’s hard to warn other people when we don’t know. It’s unfortunate that it happened that way and I’m not happy that it happened that way but I don’t know what else we could have done.”, he said.

    The tornado left behind twisted metal and rubble and many devastated lives.

    People like Sue McBride, 71, a Baxter Springs resident, have a long road of recovery ahead. She was sitting on her front porch when the twister hit town. When the sirens went off, she had enough time to run into a hallway before her windows were blown out and glass flew everywhere.

    “I didn’t have one scratch on me and I was fine,” she said, even though she woke up in a Red Cross emergency shelter. “Some angel was watching here. I am just so thrilled to be alive and not hurt.”

    So many were not so lucky.

    Image via YouTube

  • Jewish Center Shooting: Suspect A White Supremacist?

    The suspect in the fatal shooting of three people at a Jewish community center is said to be a white supremacist.

    The man has been identified as 73-year-old Frazier Glenn Cross, of Aurora, Mo. The identity of the suspect was initially hidden by Overland Park Police Chief John Douglass and was only revealed by a prison official on the condition of anonymity.

    Cross is merely an alias for the suspect. He is better known as Frazier Glenn Miller.

    Miller has been a participant in hate groups for much of his life. He was a founder of the Carolina Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and the grand dragon of the group during the 1980s. He later founded another hate group called the White Patriot Party.

    Eyewitnesses reported the suspect as shouting “Heil, Hitler!” as he was escorted away from the scene by police.

    The police chief told the press, “We are investigating [the shootings] as a hate crime.” He added, “We haven’t ruled out anything. Again, we’re three hours into it.”

    The killings took place ahead of the Passover or Pesach, a Jewish holiday. Law enforcement officials understand that the nature and the timing of the murders will put the community on edge.

    President Obama released a statement to the press about the tragic shooting, “My heart and prayers are with all those who were affected by today’s events,”

    Governor Sam Brownback was quoted as saying, “We will pursue justice aggressively for these victims and criminal charges against the perpetrator or perpetrators to the full extent of the law.

    “We are condemning the murder which according to all signs was committed because of hatred of Jews”, said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a statement, “The state of Israel [together] with all civilized peoples is committed to fighting against this plague.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Quadruple Homicide: Kyle Flack To Stand Trial

    Following a two day preliminary hearing, a man accused of killing four people has been ordered to stand trial in Kansas on charges that include capital murder, first-degree murder, and criminal possession of a firearm.

    Kyle Flack will stand trial for the murders of Andrew Stout, Steven White, Kaylie Bailey, and Lana-Leigh Bailey. Lana-Leigh was just 18-months-old. The toddler is thought to have been killed in the same bedroom as her mother, Kaylie.

    The deaths of Kaylie and Lana-Leigh have proven to be the most disturbing aspect of the quadruple murder. According to the testimony of Dr. Erik Mitchell, a forensic pathologist, Kaylie Bailey was the only victim that had been tied up and gagged prior to her death. Mitchell called it an “execution” as she was shot in the head at close range. He concluded that “something awful happened to her” before she was killed.

    Flack had been charged with one count of rape, however Franklin County Judge Thomas Sachse dismissed it on the grounds that the the prosecution had not met the burden needed to prove probable cause.

    Her daughter Lana-Leigh, Mitchell testified, had been shot in the chest. The toddler was then carefully wrapped in a towel, and placed in an almost fetal position inside a suitcase. The suitcase containing her young body was then tossed into the river.

    The male victims, Stout and White, were each shot multiple times and both were shot in the head.

    The bodies of the adults were discovered in early May Stout’s Ottawa farm . Lana-Leigh’s body would not be found until about a week after the other victims in the suitcase that was pulled from a creek in Osage County.

    The only motive provided thus far seemed to revolve around an argument over rent. Flack also claimed that one of the deceased, Stout, had given him the weapon.

    The prosecution declined to comment at this time as to whether or not they will be seeking the death penalty.

    Image via YouTube

  • Quadruple Homicide: Kyle Trevor Flack Is Accused Of Murder In Ottawa, Kansas

    Franklin County Judge of Ottawa, Kansas, Thomas Sachse, has ordered Kyle Trevor Flack to stand trial for the murder of an 18-month-old girl and three adults.

    On May 2012, Flack, 28, was charged with attempted rape, weapons violation, first-degree murder, and capital murder. The bodies of three adults, Kaylie Bailey, Steven White, and Andrew Stout, were found at Stout’s farm in Ottawa, which is located around 50 miles from Kansas City. A few days after, the body of Bailey’s little girl, Lana Leigh Bailey, was found in Osage County. The body was wrapped in a blanket and placed in a suitcase that was left by a creek.

    Several witnesses testified and described how the bodies of the victims looked when they were found. Testimony showed that all of the four victims died from gunshot wounds to the upper body, face, and the head. The medical examiner also said that the little girl might have suffered the most out of the four, as her death did not come instantly.

    The defense, however, says that the tests are inconclusive as the firearms expert and the medical examiner cannot determine what type of shotgun the bullets came from.

    At the preliminary hearing, the judge stated that there was enough evidence to try Flack on weapons and murder charges. Flack cannot legally carry a firearm, as he was convicted in 2005 for second-degree murder and was paroled in 2009. The initial charge of rape was later changed to attempted rape, as the judge says that the DNA evidence is not enough to support the claim.

    Flack’s arraignment is slated for April 22. The chief of the Kansas Death Penalty Defense Unit, Ron Evans, represents him.

    A week after the arraignment, prosecutors must decide if they are going to seek death penalty, as it has been 49 years since the last execution in Kansas.

    Image via KCTV News

  • Arrowhead Homicide: Police Investigate Man’s Death

    During Sunday’s game, played by the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos, a man was killed during an altercation in the parking lot of Arrowhead Stadium. Police confirmed the man’s death and say they are treating his death as a homicide.

    So far, no arrests have been made, but police are still continuing their investigation to find out who the killer is and the motive behind the murder. They currently have three persons-of-interest in custody.

    Eye witnesses described the incident to police saying that a father and his son walked to their car and noticed a man in their vehicle going through their belongings. A struggle took place, leaving the man lying unconscious on the ground. Paramedics arrived and took the man to the hospital where he later died. His name has not been released, and neither has the suspects.

    “Talking to several witnesses that were out here in the parking lots, there was an individual who came back to his vehicle, saw someone inside the vehicle that did not belong. A struggle ensued between the two. That’s when the individual collapsed,” Kansas City police spokesman, Darin Snapp, said.

    (image)

    The main focus right now is determining the man’s cause of death. “We don’t know if the person had a health condition, had a heart attack. We don’t know,” Snapp said. “We’re going to investigate this as a homicide until we hear differently. Right now it’s a suspicious death but we are going to investigate it as a homicide.”

    The men in custody are not being treated as suspects until the autopsy reveals the man’s cause of death. “Right now they’re persons of interest,” Snapp said. “Like I said, until we find out exactly how this person passed away, we’re going to investigate it as a homicide. They’re not suspects right now until we find out exactly what happened.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • AP Men’s Basketball Top 25: New Poll Out, Where Does Your Team Stand?

    It’s the start of a new week, and all the basketball fans know what that means, right? It is time for a new poll showing everyone the AP Men’s basketball teams, and how they are all ranked.

    There was not a lot of movement this week, but certainly some, and while the top two teams remained undefeated, the top ten was shaken up some.

    The thing that really screwed things up was when Louisville lost to North Carolina, sending them from #3 down to #9, and allowing for several other teams to jump ahead of them.

    The latest poll was released today, which features Michigan State at the top, followed by Kansas and Kentucky.

    Michigan State came into the season ranked #2, and beat Kentucky who was the top-ranked team at the time on November 12, in order to move into the #1 spot. Kansas has also looked very good all year, and is currently undefeated behind their young star, Andrew Wiggins.

    The AP college basketball was shaken up most in the middle of rankings when VCU, Memphis, and New Mexico all lost. UMass was also the team that was able to take down the #25 ranked New Mexico, and remain undefeated with wins over LSU, Nebraska and Boston College.

    Michigan State won on Saturday, which secured them as the winners of the Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic, defeating Oklahoma with a score of 87-76. The Big Ten looks to be a dominant force in college basketball once again, as Wisconsin and Ohio State are both currently ranked in the top ten, along with the Spartans.

    After the Big East was broken up at the end of last season, it is hard to keep track of what teams are in each conference. As the season progresses, that may become more clear, but the biggest change that fans will see is the fact that former powerhouses in the conference, Syracuse and Pittsburgh, have now entered the ACC.

    Some people would argue that the ACC was already one of the tougher conferences to play in with both Duke and North Carolina, and maybe the toughest. When Syracuse, currently ranked #8 in the nation, and Pittsburgh, are thrown into the equation, it almost creates a super conference that would be intimidating for any team to play in. It will certainly be interesting to see how things play out by the end of the season.

    The AP men’s basketball top 25 has been updated for this week, and features many of the same teams that we have seen all year, with not a lot of change. With big tests for top teams occurring all the time, that is likely to change at any time though.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDZyWb2VLzQ

    Image via Facebook

  • Stuck Cargo Jet Finally Takes Flight

    “Whoa.”

    Traffic jams, road closures, car accidents, and shocked spectators. A large Boeing cargo jet was the center of a bizarre scene on Wednesday when it accidentally landed at a small airport on Kansas.

    According to the Chicago Tribune, the Dreamlifter, which took off from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, was bound for McConnell Air Force Base in Wichita, Kansas but instead landed at the Colonel James Jabara Airport, a city-run airport too small to handle the 72-meter Atlas Air 747.

    “Whoa,” Wichita city officials said on Thursday in a statement posted on the city’s official Facebook page. “The plane is too large for the runway and will need help departing.”

    The Dreamlifter can carry up to 800,000 pounds on takeoff, a much heavier load than the small business planes that usually land at Jabara can carry. In fact, the Jabara runway is about 3,000 feet short of what planes of that weight and size typically use to take off.

    However, on Thursday, after a 16-hour layover, the large aircraft lifted its wheels and took off about 1:15 p.m. CST (2:15 p.m. EST) to the sound of applause from spectators and officials.

    “I think it’s hysterical. I couldn’t stop laughing,” said Kevin Schwerdtfeger, a commercial pilot in town for training. “I’ve heard of this before, but it’s fairly rare.”

    “I’m sorry for the pilots that landed there by mistake because their careers are in jeopardy,” another pilot, Steve McNulty, said.

    The 747 landed safely at McConnell, 9 miles away, twenty minutes later.

    No damage was done to the plane or to the airport.

    Boeing is still looking into how the incident happened.

    image via: Wikimedia Commons

  • Duke vs. Kansas: Here’s What Twitter Is Saying In Real Time

    Currently #4 Duke is playing #5 Kansas in the Champions Classic in Chicago. This is the follow-up game to the thriller that was Kentucky vs. Michigan St. where we saw Michigan St. come out on top.

    Follow what people are saying about the game in real time.

    Here’s the #DUKEvsKANSAS conversation:


    What are your thoughts on the game? Let us know in the comments area below.

    (Image: ESPN Events)

  • Boy Says He Was Suspended for Carrying a Purse

    A 13-year-old Kansas student was suspended from his junior high school this week because he reportedly refused to ditch his Vera Bradley purse. Skyler Davis is an eighth grader at Anderson County Senior-Junior School and says he has been carrying the bag since school started and found himself in trouble after he refused to take it off one day this week.

    Skyler’s mother, Leslie Willis, was called to the school on Wednesday to pick up Skyler. After he refused to take the purse off in class, he was sent to the office, where he also refused to remove the bag.

    “I was a little furious, and I called the school to reverify the story, and yeah, he refused to take off his Vera Bradley bag, nothing more to it. Skyler has been going to school since August with that same Vera Bradley bag on, hasn’t taken it off. What is the problem?” Willis commented. Willis says she is supportive of her son’s decision to wear a Vera Bradley bag.

    Check out a picture of Skyler wearing his Vera Bradley purse below.

    (image)

    “It expresses myself and I think everyone else can wear it, so I wear it as well. All the girls can wear purses but I can’t because I’m a male,” Skyler said. Skyler’s mother says that he is the victim of gender discrimination.

    When Skyler went back to school the next day, he says he was told that he was never suspended for refusing to remove the purse. “He was pulled into an office, behind closed doors to tell him that he was never suspended for refusing to take off his purse, he got suspended for foul language,” Willis said. “That’s not the story that Mr. Hillard told me yesterday. Skyler is only 13 years old. He’s just a child. And if this isn’t bullying, I don’t know what is.”

    Even though the root cause of the suspension is disputed, Anderson County School District Superintendent Don Blome is very clear on the fact that students aren’t allowed to bring any bags in the classroom, something that has been a rule for around 10 years.

    “We strive to make sure we treat every kid alike and there are classroom rules we expect kids to follow,” Blome said. “They can bring (bags and purses) to school. There’s no policy against that. But the classroom rules are that they can’t bring it to the classroom.” Blome says that handbags and backpacks are supposed to be stored in lockers while the kids are in class–this rule applies to all students, not just males.

    Skyler has received a lot of support for his decision to wear a purse, both at school and online. Check out some comments posted to Twitter. Make sure to post your thoughts on the issue below.

    [Images via KCTV5]

  • Arizona and Kansas Exploit Supreme Court Loophole

    Earlier this year, the Supreme Court struck down an Arizona law that required voters to present proof of their United States citizenship in order to vote in local as well as federal elections.

    The New York Times reports that Arizona has agreed to comply with the Supreme Court’s ruling, even though the state has planned to join Kansas in the utilization of a loophole the Court left open. In their decision, the Justices indicated that although Congress’ power over federal elections was paramount, the same power does not apply to state elections.

    Kansas and Arizona are, together, suing the Election Assistance Commission under the argument that federal voter registrations should demand proof of citizenship. Arizona attorney general Tom Horne said of the demands for proof that “If you require evidence of citizenship, it helps prevent people who are not citizens from voting, and I simply don’t see a problem with that.”

    On Monday, Horne told Arizona election officials that separate voter rolls should be created for those who filled out the state form and those who filled out the federal form In what would be called a “two-tiered system.” A separate ballot would be used for federal elections where citizenship proof is not required, while state elections would require that proof. Democrats had hoped the increased turnout would continue a push to retake local offices from Republicans, who have been the main policy-makers in recent years.

    The executive director of Promise Arizona in Action, Petra Falcón, said of the new system that “It’s another veiled attempt at discouraging young voters, low-income voters, Latino voters from entering the electoral process.” On the other side, spokesperson Matt Roberts, speaking for Arizona secretary of state Ken Bennett, said “We have a hard enough time already to get people to go to the right voting place… The last thing any poll worker wants is to have to tell someone who might be voting for the first time why they can’t vote for governor.” Roberts added that Bennett is a proponent of requiring proof of citizenship for all elections.

    This development is the latest in the political jousting match over voting rights since the 2012 presidential election. Where Democrats would seek to make voting easier and increase turnout among the minority groups that make up their base, Republicans would require proof of citizenship.

    If you want to read the full Times story, you can find it here.

    [Image via an ABC News YouTube report from last year about the illegal immigration problem]

  • 50,000 lbs Of Beef Recalled Due To E. Coli Fears

    The National Beef Packing Co. has recalled around 50,000 pounds of ground beef over fears that it may be contaminated with the dread E. Coli bacteria.

    The Kansas company’s products are shipped all around the country, so the recall is both terrifying and widespread, although there have been no reported illnesses due to the possible contamination.

    The company is calling the action “a voluntary recall for NatureSource Natural Beef, Naturewell Natural Beef and National Beef commodity ground beef.” The packages in question are reported to have a use by/freeze date of August 7th and were produced on July 18th. The company is hoping that by releasing that information they can assist customers in avoiding ingesting the meat in question.

    Perhaps the scariest part of this story is that the meat was sold to wholesalers and food service distributors, meaning that a consumer could ingest the possibly tainted product without their knowledge. It is unknown whether or not the meat was released at a general retail level.

    National Beef Packing is no stranger to being forced to recall meat. The company was forced to recall around 22,000 pounds of product earlier this summer over similar concerns. With certain strains of E. Coli being potentially fatal, National Beef Packing should reconsider their protocols and packing methods. Not only could they lose valuable customers, if they haven’t already, but they could potentially play a part in the death of someone who just wanted a burger.

  • Tiller Killer Punished For Intimidating Abortion Clinic

    Scott Roeder, the man convicted of killing Dr. George Tiller, has now been disciplined for intimidating those who have reopened Tiller’s abortion clinic.

    According to a Reuters report, Roeder has been punished with 45 days of solitary confinement for comments he made in a telephone interview back in April. A prison hearing determined that his statements could intimidate members of the now-renamed South Wind Women’s Center. According to the Kansas Department of Corrections, he will spend 23 hours per day in his cell for 45 days, and have “reduced privileges” for 60 days.

    Roeder’s interview was with David Leach, a well-known anti-abortion activist based in Iowa.

    “To walk in there and reopen a clinic, a murder mill where a man was stopped, is almost like putting a target on your back saying, ‘Well, let’s see if you can shoot me,’” said Roeder.

    Roeder was convicted in 2010 for the murder of Tiller, one the only doctors in the U.S. who performed late-term abortions. Roeder shot Tiller in the head at point blank range while Tiller was attending a worship service at a Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for 50 years.

  • Three Bodies Found On Farm Spark Homicide Investigation

    Three bodies found on a farm have sparked a massive homicide investigation in Kansas. Now police are trying to match the bodies to a missing persons report from last week.

    The bodies – two adult men and one woman – were found on a farm west of Ottawa. Two people – Kortni McGill and Corey Schlotzhauer – originally checked out the property after they had lost contact with a friend. They found a foul odor emanating from the property at the time, and called the police to investigate. An initial sweep of the area found nothing, but McGill found one of the bodies under a tarp the next day.

    Besides the three bodies, investigators also found a burn barrel with baby items and clothing. Some think that the discovery may indicate that the woman found was a Kansas City mother that went missing with her 18-month-old baby last week. Tests are still ongoing, but it could explain the existence of the baby items if the tests come back positive.

    The investigation has now pulled in over 40 detectives from across the state as they attempt to find answers to a very bizarre murder case.

    [h/t: AP]

  • Bing Heads To Google, Kansas

    Bing is at it again with another “Bing it On” challenge. Actually, it’s pretty much the same challenge, but they’re challenging people again.

    Bing says in a blog post, “With the newest version of the Challenge site, in addition to search results, you’ll get to learn about a new homepage every day, rollover video preview and instant translation all on the same site – some of our unique features that give you even more reasons to fall in love with Bing.”

    They’re kicking off a new nationwide campaign. This time they went to Topeka to ask people if they know that most people prefer Bing search results to Google’s.

    “I’m not sure I believe that,” one participant says, before being wowed by the awesomeness that is Bing.

    As you may recall, a few years ago, Topeka temporarily adopted the name “Google” for its city in a campaign to get Google Fiber (which ultimately debuted in Kansas City).

    “In Google, Kansas, you made me a Bing man,” says one person.

    You can try the challenge here. Just remember that the experience is completely different (for both search engines) than when you actually search on Google or Bing, as it strips out key features like Google’s Knowledge Graph and Bing’s social features.

  • Google Fiber Is Coming to Shawnee, Kansas

    Google has just announced another expansion of their Fiber service – one that’s pretty close to “home base.”

    Home base being Kansas City, the location of Google’s Fiber’s first installment. The next town to be blessed with Google’s super-fast internet is Shawnee, Kansas, which is located south-west of Kansas City. Google won’t have to expand their service that far to accomodate the people of Shawnee.

    “Shawnee, which is right outside of Kansas City, is known as a tight-knit community and a great place to do business. We’ve also been impressed by Shawnee’s vision to keep their citizens informed and involved using the Internet. Recently, the City modernized their website, so that locals can easily access city info—from crime maps to fiscal reports to streamed audio of city council meetings.

    This is a great example of how access to information via the web can help make communities stronger. Google Fiber—and widespread connectivity throughout Shawnee—will be a great complement to the great work the City is already doing,” says Google Fiber Community Manager Rachel Hack.

    Google says that they don’t yet have an estimate on when things will get underway.

    Today’s announcement comes during a period of many expansion announcement for Google Fiber. Last month, Google announced that Fiber would we coming to Austin, Texas by mid-2014. Less than two weeks later, it was Provo, Utah that was added to the list.

    On the heels of Google’s 1Gbps advances, other ISPs have announced plans to up their game. We’ve just recently seen ISPs in Vermont and Tennessee detail plans for Gigabit internet. Not to be outdone, AT&T has also announced plans to build a 1Gbps Fiber network in Austin. Call it the Google Fiber effect, but it has people thinking. And acting.

    [Image via Facebook]

  • Kansas Governor Can’t Stop Facebook ‘Sarcasm Bombing’

    These politicians. Some of these people really struggle to handle a public page on Facebook. Take Kansas Governor Sam Brownback.

    He’s vowed to sign into law the onerous “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act” – a bill he freely admits that he has not read – that would permit doctors to withhold information from patients, force women to hear the fetal heartbeat prior to an abortion procedure, and contains the absolutely bananas provision that would require doctors to lie to women by telling them that abortions would increase the risk of breast cancer.

    As a result of his willfully blind determination to sign the bill, the governor’s Facebook account has been swarmed with a wave of “sarcasm bombing,” a new phenomenon consisting of coordinated trolling en masse, wherein commenters mocked Governor Brownback by facetiously addressing him as some kind of women’s health expert. Here are a few of the gems left by the bombers (hat tip to Kate Freeman at Mashable for catching these):

  • “Hi Sam- I had sex with my wife and she didn’t get pregnant. I’m here to turn her in.”
  • “I just called your office, and they wouldn’t let me schedule a pap smear. I’m confused, aren’t you taking care of all this now?”
  • “Hey Governor Brownback, I was considering going on birth control because I’m fed up with being a teacher who has acne. Which one would you recommend for this?”
  • “UPDATE: My wife changed her pad. You may resume regular activities. Thanks again for caring so much, Sam.”

    • While Brownback does appear to have deleted these comments from his wall, that seems to have only emboldened the bombers, who have now moved to simply continuing the posts in the comment sections of unrelated wall posts made by Brownback. After all, when you cause this much of a stink, you’re not gonna be able to shoo away all the flies.

    In a wall post titled, “Lt. Gov. Colyer: Legislative Oversight Essential to Providing Highest Quality of Services under KanCare,” which is a press release about the state’s Medicaid program, some people responded with highly related comments like:

  • “Does ‘highest quality of services” mean the chastity belts are all sterilized and wrapped in bubble wrap?”
  • “And can I get pregnant from having sex with my boyfriend? I know I’m a guy but there must be a way…”
  • “VaginavaginavaginavaginavaginavaginavaginaVaginavaginavaginavaginavaginavaginavagi
    naVaginavaginavaginavaginavaginavaginavaginaVaginavaginavaginavaginavaginavaginavagin
    aVaginavaginavaginavaginavaginavaginavaginaVaginavaginavaginavaginavaginavaginavagina.”
  • “Can you use the word concept in a press release? It sounds too much like conception, and that should be left to our LORD and Savior Jesus Christ, AMEN.”
  • “what douche can you recommend?”
  • “Governor, I think I am getting my period what do you think?”

    • In a different wall post related to the grand opening of Cabela’s, a retailer of hunting and other outdoorsy supplies, in Wichita this past Wednesday, bombers mused with very relevant comments like:

  • “It is the woman’s duty to have pregnancies–and mans duty to ensure that all their hard work is not for naught. Who cares about possible harm to the woman. They should buck up and accept their duty.”
  • “Did this event feature a birth control symposium too? I hear that asprin was talked about quite a lot.”
  • “The Bible lists women among property not to be coveted – if they’re not filling their role as part of a man’s belongings, what are they good for?”
  • “Can we buy the burkas in many colors or do they only come in black? I really don’t look good in black at all.”
  • “Is science real?”

    • It just keeps going on from there and the most recent comment I saw was from as recently as five minutes ago.

    Meanwhile, some poor staffer will assuredly be assigned the undesirable task of cleaning up Governor Brownback’s Faceback page. Good luck stemming that tide, kiddo.

  • Google Begins Fiber Internet Construction In Kansas City

    Google Begins Fiber Internet Construction In Kansas City

    After months of waiting, Google is now beginning construction of their super fast Internet service in Kansas City.

    Announced today on the Google Fiber Blog, Kevin Lo said that they will be taking thousands of cables and stretching them across Kansas City, Kansas and Kansas City, Missouri. The new glass fiber cables will create a new online infrastructure that will carry data at 100 times faster speeds than what most Americans have access to right now.

    They’re going to be focusing on building the backbone of the fiber network for now, but they’ll start connecting houses once the infrastructure is up and running.

    The Kansas City Star is reporting that Google took their time due to issues over where Google would attach the fiber optic cables to. The original agreement said that Google would be able to hang its wires for free in the upper part of utility poles that usually host electrical lines.

    The problem came with the fact that using the higher up portions of electrical lines brought higher fees from construction and hiring more advanced engineers that charge more for their services. A source from Google told the Kansas City Star that Google was going to opt out of the offer and put their wires at the same level as other Internet providers in the community.

    Google has about 100 people working in Kansas City at the moment with more people coordinating the efforts back at their HQ in Mountain View, California.

    Google hasn’t said how much their service will cost, but promises it will be competitive with what local ISPs are charging.

    Are any of our readers in Kansas City? If so, have you seen Google employees out and about today?

  • Kansas Capital Adopts “Google” Name

    Kansas Capital Adopts “Google” Name

    The capital city of Kansas really, really wants Google to build it a high-speed broadband network.  Indeed, rather than stick to the standard email campaigns and Facebook groups, its efforts to catch the search giant’s attention have extended to the mayor renaming Topeka "Google."  At least temporarily.

    This is no joke or repaint-the-town-sign prank.  According to Tim Hrenchir, Topeka Mayor Bill Bunten consulted yesterday with all seven city council members and got their approval.  Then he "signed a proclamation . . . calling for Topeka to be known for the month of March as ‘Google, Kansas – the capital city of fiber optics.’"

    Considering that not a lot of other cities are likely to take this step (and now, they’ll look like copycats even if they do), it’s a good bet that this’ll earn Topeka big points in Google’s eyes.

    As for the related Facebook group (because there is one of those, too), "Bring Google’s Fiber Experiment to Topeka!" has 10,717 members at the moment, and that number represents about 8.74 percent of Topeka’s population (according to 2007 census data).  Which is rather impressive.

    Anyway, Google’s supposed to keep collecting responses to its broadband network proposal until March 26th, and then the company should name its target communities later this year.