Young People

Salina police arrest the mother of Clayden Urbanek, the 14-month-old child who died earlier this month. Police say he died as a result of child abuse. The mother was booked into jail Tuesday for felony murder, aggravated child endangerment and obstructing the legal process. On October 4, police arrived at the Salina home because Clayden's mom called 911. Her boyfriend had called her at work and told her to come home because Clayden was acting strange.  When police arrived, he was lifeless and cold  to the touch.  Captain Mike Sweeney says it was obvious he had been abused.

Colby Liston said he wouldn't be in a wheelchair long.  He kept that promise. “I'm so much more independent now,” says Liston. Last fall Liston was getting into the back of an SUV with friends at KU when he was struck from behind by a suspected drunk driver. Liston's legs were pinned between the two vehicles.  Doctors were forced to amputate both legs above the knee. Less than a year later, Liston is not only up and walking on prosthetics, he's training for a track and field event in June.

Ten U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement employees are suing the Obama administration with the help of Kansas' Secretary of State. Kris Kobach, who is also an immigration adviser to Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, is representing the employees. The 22-page lawsuit was filed Thursday in federal court in Dallas. Click Here to Read Lawsuit The employees are seeking to block a program that allows young illegal immigrants avoid deportation.

By Michael Schwanke (WICHITA, Kan.) Music is what 17-year-old Ryan Doberer loves. It's what he wants to do when goes to college. But, just like learning to play the trombone, saving for college isn't something that happens overnight. "We're on our own-it's up to us," says Ryan's mom, Sara. Ryan's parents started saving when Ryan was just 8 years old.  If you ask them what they could change, they'll tell you they wish they would have started earlier. "Start even before you have kids.

The entire Wichita Public Schools family is deeply saddened to hear of the news of the tragic elementary school shooting in Connecticut. Our thoughts and prayers are with those families and the community. There will no doubt be extensive coverage of this event on the news, and much discussion about it in the coming days. I want to assure you that the safety of our students is our top priority, and that our district schools have comprehensive safety plans in place to help avoid tragedies such as this.

Local young people will soon get a chance to be part of a new hockey league called the Junior Thunder. For the first time in the organization's 20-year history, the Wichita Thunder will found a new team in the Western States Hockey League (WSHL) and will begin play in the 2012-13 season. Wichita Thunder owners say the search is underway for the first Junior Thunder head coach.  The team expects to make a coaching announcement in the coming weeks. The Junior Thunder is a partnership of Steven Brothers Sports Management LLC and will be operated by the Thunder organization in addition to the parent Central Hockey League club.

A life jacket -- or a toe tag?  That's the question authorities are asking boaters this summer. More people have died on US Army Corps of Engineers waterways since December than in all of last year. You may hear the sound of lapping water at the lake, or the gun of a boat engine.  But something officials want you to see more of -- life jackets.       Already, it's the law for kids 12 and under to wear their life jackets on the water -- because they can drown on this water in about 20 seconds.  But the US Army Corps of Engineers says there's another reason to make kids wear their life jackets.  If kids wear them, they're more likely to convince their parents to wear them as well.

“NIKITA” When she was a deeply troubled teenager, Nikita (Maggie Q, “Live Free or Die Hard,” “Mission Impossible 3”) was rescued from death row by a secret U.S. agency known only as Division, who faked her execution and told her she was being given a second chance to start a new life and serve her country.  What they didn't tell her was that she was being trained as a spy and assassin.  Throughout her grueling training...

A Kansas woman is sharing her tragic story in hopes of keeping young people from driving drunk. She asked students at a Kansas high school to promise that they will never drink and drive. It was part of a presentation Tuesday by the Reno County Sheriff's Department. It was also the first time for a Kansas mother to speak out about how a drunk driver changed her life. Students walking into an auditorium at Haven High School are handed a piece of paper. Of all the pieces of paper they'll get in class today, this may be the most important one. Elizabeth Bossell came to the school to explain why. "I think that's my purpose now," Bossell said.

Update: The state needs money, and half the state needs more people in it.  On Monday, the governor signed a bill into law to address both those problems. In this town, boys still skateboard on the sidewalks, and main street still has traffic.  Not all rural Kansas towns have that anymore.  "We're losing population, we're losing our children," said Jane Wallace. Which is why Kingman County (population 7,858) is one of 50 Kansas counties in the Rural Opportunity Zones.  Governor Sam Brownback signed the bill Monday, giving a five-year state income tax break to out-of-staters who move to any of those counties, and federal student loan repayments of  up to $15,000.