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LOCAL&STATE
1B SUNDAY DECEMBER 15, 2013
Now you know.
AREA NEWS IN BRIEF Police: Two men robbed South Broadway bank Wichita police on Saturday were searching for a pair of men who reportedly robbed The Valley State Bank at gunpoint Saturday morning. Sgt. Bruce Watts said the men entered the bank, 5310 S. Broadway, about 9:30 a.m., ordered employees to the ground and demanded cash. They got away with an undisclosed amount of money, Watts said. At least one carried a handgun. The men were last seen fleeing in an older model, gray Ford Focus, Watts said. They are in their 20s or 30s, he said, 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8 tall, weigh about 160 pounds each and have slender builds.
Oneok split could freeze rates the original company name and operate its businesses in gathering, transport and processing natural gas and related liquid products such as Kansas Gas Service customers will propane and butane, said spokesman get a freeze in base rates until 2017 Brad Borror. and some small rebates over the With more 2.1 million customers, next three years, if regulators apOne Gas will become the nation’s prove a plan by Oklahoma gas giant Oneok Inc. to spin off its utility oper- mission for a final decision, expected third-largest publicly traded natural gas utility company, according to next week. ations. testimony filed by KCC accounting The plan is to break Oneok into Those provisions are part of a chief Justin Grady. settlement between Oneok, the staff two separate companies, each with From a customer-service and billits own stock and corporate identity. of the Kansas Corporation Commising standpoint, the company will A new company called One Gas sion and the Citizens’ Utility Rateretain the names of its three operwill take over Oneok’s natural gas payer Board. The settlement means there will be distribution systems in Kansas, Texas ating divisions: Oklahoma Natural Gas, 847,000 customers; Texas Gas and Oklahoma. no opposition to the company split The remainder of Oneok will keep Service, 634,000; and Kansas Gas when the plan goes before the comBY DION LEFLER The Wichita Eagle
The plan is to break Oneok into two separate companies, each with its own stock and corporate identity.
Service, 630,000, said company spokeswoman Dawn Ewing. The company wants to assure customers a “seamless” transition and that they’ll continue to get the current level of service provided by the same employees, Ewing said. “Our customers are and will continue to receive safe, reliable, environmentally responsible service,” she said.
Consumer protections The settlement contains some key provisions to ensure that the split Please see ONEOK, Page 4B
— Amy Renee Leiker
Little Caesars Pizza on East Harry robbed Two armed men reportedly robbed a southeast Wichita pizza restaurant Friday, police say. Wichita police Sgt. Bruce Watts said the men, in their 20s, entered the Little Caesars Pizza at 4100 E. Harry, between Oliver and Hillside, about 10 p.m. and demanded money from store employees. They were given money then ran away, Watts said, before police arrived at the scene. At least four people were inside the takeout restaurant at the time, Watts said. He gave no detailed description of the robbers but said each had a covering over his face at the time of the crime. At least one was armed with a handgun, Watts said. — Amy Renee Leiker
Where do you go to gamble? The Kansas Star Casino opened in Mulvane two years ago this month, bringing Las Vegas-style gambling to the region for the first time. Do you go there? How often? Do you still go to other casinos, and to other states, to gamble? The Eagle would like to learn what you think of the Kansas Star and what suggestions you might have. You may tell us through the Public Insight Network. Go to kansas.com/publicinsight and click on the link under “Current PIN surveys.” — Fred Mann
Dave Williams/Eagle correspondent
Colvin Elementary fourth-graders arrive at the Palace West Theater on Saturday morning for the premiere of their movie, “Falvey TV.” The students of Brianna Falvey wrote and produced the movie.
Kids see hard work on big screen Wichita fourth-graders wrote, edited, produced, filmed movies BY MOLLY MCMILLIN The Wichita Eagle
On Saturday morning, students in Brianna Falvey’s fourth-grade class at Colvin Elementary School in Wichita got a glimpse of stardom. Better than that, they learned
what they could accomplish when they worked together. They pulled up at the Palace Theater in limousines to watch the movie they wrote, edited, produced and filmed. “It was a huge motivational tool for them,” Falvey said. “It’s been
awesome.” Colvin Elementary, nestled in the Plainview neighborhood, has a 98.7 percent “extremely impoverished” student body, Falvey said. The students were split into five groups, where they selected a genre and wrote their scripts. The groups
chose to work on a newscast, horror, science fiction and action segments and a music video. Through it, they applied reading, writing, speaking and listening skills to real-world applications, Falvey Please see BIG SCREEN, Page 4B
Man, 35, shot in leg during altercation Wichita police say a 35-year-old man is recovering from a leg wound after gunfire erupted during an argument early Saturday near I-135 and Hydraulic. The altercation involved the 35-year-old and two other men, apparently unknown to the shooting victim, at an address in the 1600 block of East Fortuna, Sgt. Bruce Watts said. Around 3 a.m., one of the men pulled out a handgun and fired, he said. At least one bullet struck the 35-year-old’s leg, Watts said. He was taken to a local hospital for treatment. — Amy Renee Leiker
Working secretary inundated with bills after wrist fracture BY FRED MANN The Wichita Eagle
Share the Season is an annual campaign that offers one-time aid to people affected by unforeseen hardships. The people are not identified to protect their privacy. The 63-year-old widow who works as a secretary was unable to pay all her medical bills after fracturing her wrist and needing surgery in October. She also couldn’t pay for the dental work she needed that month because she had maxed out her dental insurance.
“I’m someone who doesn’t even have a doctor because I never get sick,” she said to The Eagle. “This past October, I was inundated.” In addition, some other bills were piling up. So she did something she wouldn’t have thought to do before. She applied to Share the Season. “Many of us are the working poor and don't want to be a burden on anyone, but most appreciate that you would even Please see SHARE, Page 4B
Family who lost dad struggles financially and emotionally BY FRED MANN The Wichita Eagle
Share the Season is an annual campaign that offers one-time aid to people affected by unforeseen hardships. The people are not identified to protect their privacy. This single mother with two children lost her husband two years, and the family has struggled emotionally and financially ever since. The kids have not had a good Christmas since their father died.
“Paying the mortgage and not having to worry about that would help considerably and would free up the money to buy Christmas presents and dinner for the three of us,” she wrote in her application to Share the Season. Send contributions to Share the Season at the Wichita Community Foundation, 301 N. Main, Suite 100, Wichita, KS 67202. To donate online, go to www.sharetheseason.org. Donors will be listed in The Eagle; please note if you prefer to remain anonymous.