KANSAS CITY, Mo. —

A Missouri woman waited 50 years to take part in a cherished graduation tradition.

Connie Puett graduated from KU in 1972 but she never got to take part in the tradition of walking down the hill to the stadium on graduation day. That is until Sunday.

"Was walking down the hill everything you thought it would be?" sister station KMBC asked Puett.

"It was actually more than I thought it would be," said Puett, a retired teacher.

Puett graduated in 1972, but because of bad weather on graduation day, everything was moved inside to Allen Fieldhouse. There was no walk down the hill to the stadium like generations of KU grads have done before.

"It is the tradition at KU to walk through the campanile and, you know, down the hill to graduation," Puett said.

It wasn't just the class of ‘72. The class of 1970 never got to walk down the hill either.
So when the KU Alumni Association began planning 50-year class reunions, the university said yes, allowing those graduates the chance to finally walk on Sunday with the class of 2022.

For Puett, who's spent the last 50 years watching her husband, son, daughter, and her daughter-in-law walk down the KU hill, this was a big deal.

“And it was just after walking through, I wasn't sure what to expect, you know, walking down the, I was always on the other side on the lawn, cheering on family members," Puett said. "You know, it's like it really went too fast except it like took forever to get all of these graduates down the hill so it was awesome."

Puett said she is forever grateful to the KU Alumni Association. They tried to do that two years ago, but COVID-19 got in the way. There were about 60 graduates who finally walked down the hill. There were some anxious moments, especially when it rained early Sunday but the sun came out and it was a wonderful day.

Three inmates are on the run after breaking out of a jail in Missouri.

The Barry County Sheriff’s Office says the inmates cut and climbed out of holes in the ceiling.

They entered a water heater storage area and were able to escape through a maintenance door.

Detective Doug Henry told CNN the ceilings are made of plaster and could have made the escape easier.

There were also only two staff members working in the jail at the time of the escape, Sheriff Danny Boyd said.

The inmates, identified as Lance Stephens, Matthew Crawford and Christopher Blevins, have been missing for four days now.

U.S. Marshals are now in charge of the search.

Investigators with the Marshals Service say the three are no longer in Missouri and they are likely not together anymore.

One reportedly was seen in Arkansas and another in Springfield.

WASHINGTON —

In one of the biggest days of this year's primary campaign season, voters rejected a measure that would have made it easier to restrict abortion rights in red-state Kansas and repudiated a scandal-tarred former governor seeking a U.S. Senate seat in Missouri.

Meanwhile, a political newcomer emerged from Michigan's messy Republican gubernatorial primary, setting up a rare woman-vs.-woman general election matchup between conservative commentator Tudor Dixon and incumbent Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. And a Democratic congressman was ousted from Congress after redistricting forced him into the same primary as a fellow incumbent.

Takeaways from election results Tuesday night:

RED-STATE KANSAS REJECTS ANTI-ABORTION AMENDMENT

Kansas may seem like an unlikely place for abortion rights supporters to notch a major victory.

But on Tuesday, voters in the conservative state resoundingly rejected a constitutional amendment that would have allowed the Legislature to ban abortion. It was the first major test of voter sentiment since the Supreme Court ruling in June to rescind the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide.

The amendment would have allowed the Legislature to overturn a 2019 state Supreme Court decision declaring access to abortion a "fundamental" right under the state constitution.

Its failure at the ballot in a state Donald Trump won by nearly 15 points issues a stark warning to Republicans, who have downplayed the political impact of the high court's ruling. It also hands a considerable win to Democrats, who are feeling newly energized heading into what was expected to be a tough midterm election season for them.

Kansas currently allows abortion until the 22nd week of pregnancy. After that, abortion is allowed only to save a patient's life or to prevent "a substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function."

Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat who supports abortion rights, has warned that the Republican-led Legislature's efforts to ban abortion would hurt the state. On Tuesday it became clear than many voters agree with her.

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GREITENS' COMEBACK COLLAPSES

Democratic hopes of picking up a U.S. Senate seat in deep-red Missouri faltered Tuesday after Republican voters selected Attorney General Eric Schmitt as their nominee over former Gov. Eric Greitens, who resigned in disgrace in 2018.

Greitens, they predicted, would be toxic in a general election. Democrats landed a strong recruit in beer heir Trudy Busch Valentine, who won her primary Tuesday. And the state's Republican establishment prepared to put millions of dollars behind an independent candidate in the general election, potentially fracturing the GOP vote.

But Greitens came on short Tuesday, finishing in a distant third behind Schmitt and U.S. Rep. Vicky Hartzler. His campaign's tailspin can likely be traced back to March, when his ex-wife submitted a bombshell legal filing in the former couple's child custody case.

Sheena Greitens said in a sworn statement that Eric Greitens had abused her and one of their young sons. She also said he displayed such "unstable and coercive behavior" in the lead-up to his 2018 resignation that others took steps to limit his access to firearms.

At the time, Greitens faced potential impeachment after his former hairdresser testified that he blindfolded and restrained her in his basement, assaulted her and appeared to take a compromising photo to pressure her to keep quiet about an affair.

He resigned from office — and avoided testifying under oath about the affair.

He launched his comeback campaign for Senate last year, marketing himself as an unabashedly pro-Trump conservative. And while many in Missouri wrote him off, one important political figure didn't: Donald Trump, who mused publicly about Greitens' attributes.

But in the end, Trump stopped short of issuing an endorsement, instead issuing a vague statement this week throwing his support behind "ERIC."

And on Tuesday, the other "ERIC" in the race — Schmitt — won.

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MESSY RACE IN MICHIGAN

At its essence, Michigan's raucous Republican gubernatorial primary was a contest of which candidate's personal baggage was the least disqualifying. On Tuesday, conservative media personality Tudor Dixon was the victor, setting up a November general election against Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in the battleground state.

Dixon's past as an actor in a series of vulgar and low-budget horror movies became a campaign issue. But her career moonlighting in titles such as "Buddy BeBop Vs. the Living Dead" and a vampire TV series called "Transitions" paled in comparison to her rivals' problems.

One of them, Ryan Kelley, faces federal misdemeanor charges after he was recorded on video in Washington during the Jan. 6 insurrection directing a mob of Trump supporters toward a set of stairs leading to the U.S. Capitol. Kelley has pleaded not guilty.

Another, Kevin Rinke, is a former car dealer who settled a series of lawsuits in the 1990s after he was alleged to have made racist and sexist comments, which included calling women "ignorant and stupid" and stating that they "should not be allowed to work in public."

A third, Garrett Soldano, is a chiropractor and self-help guru who has sold supplements he falsely claimed were a therapeutic treatment for the coronavirus.

Many in the state's Republican establishment, including billionaire former Trump education secretary Betsy DeVos, view Dixon as their best shot at defeating Whitmer. Trump endorsed Dixon in the race Friday, just a few days before the primary.

But her primary victory is an outcome few would have predicted months ago. In addition to the shortcomings of her rivals, her path was cleared when the two best-known candidates in the race were kicked off the ballot in May for submitting false petition signatures.

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PRO-ISRAEL LOBBY STRIKES AGAIN

Redistricting forced two Democratic House incumbents into a bitter primary in eastern Michigan. But massive spending by the pro-Israel lobby is what may have doomed Rep. Andy Levin, a former president of his synagogue, in the race Tuesday against Rep. Haley Stevens for a suburban Detroit congressional seat.

Stevens, who attends a nondenominational megachurch in the city of Troy, was buoyed by more than $4 million in advertising spending by the United Democracy Project, a super PAC launched by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, commonly called AIPAC.

The ads amplified Stevens' campaign message, but some also attacked Levin. But it's hardly a surprise that the group, which is partially funded by two billionaire Republican megadonors, went after Levin despite his Jewish faith.

Levin, a progressive member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, has been highly critical of Israel's record on human rights and what he has called the country's "deliberate campaign to dilute the Palestinian population." He's also just the latest congressional Democrat who has been defeated following a spending blitz by the group, which has poured at least $24 million into federal races this year.

A California dog that vanished more than a year ago and ended up more than 1,600 miles away in Kansas is back home.

Zeppelin, the dog, was recently found after having disappeared 14 months ago.

After Heather Reichart found him barking in her pasture, she took him to a vet in Louisburg, where a microchip scan revealed he belonged to an owner in Sacramento, KCTV first reported.

The dog’s owner, Sandra O’Neil, had never given up hope since the pooch went missing.

"I always thought if he got away and someone checked his chip maybe he would come back to us," she told sister station KCRA on Wednesday. "I hadn’t given up completely."

She had driven to the spot where she last saw him and said a prayer. The next day she got the call that he had been found.

"I was just floored by how far he made it," she said.

O’Neil first got a virtual reunion with Zeppelin via FaceTime and now will have him back at home just in time for the holidays.

"This is an amazing gift. Our whole family is blessed to have him coming home," said O'Neill.

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Zeppelin's long road trip home happened thanks to the efforts of another stranger. Mary Hastings, who is from Newberry Springs in Southern California.

"I didn’t tell anybody. I didn’t ask anybody. I just did it," Hastings said.

Hastings was visiting her sister in Ohio when her daughter in Kansas told her about Zeppelin who needed a ride home. She volunteered to drive the dog back to its owner. They arrived in Sacramento on Wednesday and met near the Sacramento Wier.

Hastings wanted to give the special gift during the Christmas season.

"Room at the inn. Be the one that can make a difference," she said. "Be the one that can change something and that’s what I was feeling."

The reunion took place in the same area where O'Neill first found Zeppelin in January 2020. She believes someone dumped him there.

O'Neill calls Hastings a "Christmas Angel" and said she is excited to have Zeppelin home for the holidays.

"I don't know what he’s been through so he’s going to get lots of love," she said.

OLATHE, Kan. —

First Lt. Dustin Fergen had been deployed for almost 11 months overseas. He hadn't seen his family since Thanksgiving last year.

That changed Wednesday.

During an assembly at Heatherstone Elementary School in Olathe, Kansas, he surprised his two daughters. They both, fourth grader Joanna Fergen and first grader Angelica Fergen, didn’t see it coming.

"I was half expecting them to come running up to me, but it took a little coaxing. It was everything I could ask for," Fergen said.

Once the shock wore off, it was all smiles for the reunited family.

"But it all worked out and it was worth every second of the wait and the little lies we had to tell," Kim Fergen, the lieutenant's wife, said.

This was Fergen's first deployment. He serves as an intelligence officer in the 130th field artillery unit.

He’s now stationed a lot closer to home in Manhattan, Kansas.

The family says they have a lot of vacations planned to make up for lost time.

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SAY THEY ARE DISAPPOINTED AND STRESSED THAT ONE PERSON’S ACTIONS DON’T REPRESENT EVERYONE FROM THERE. A MAN FROM LAWRENCE GREW UP WITH SUCH EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL PAIN HE COULD NEVER TALK ABOUT. BUT NOW, 44 YEARS AFTER HE FIRST LEARNED HE WAS DIFFERENT, HE ISN’T JUST TALKING. AS KMBC 9’S DONNA PITMAN SHOWS US, HE’S WRITTEN A BOOK ABOUT HIS EXPERIENCES. ♪ DONNA: HE GOES BY D-J MIKE J., MICHAEL FREELAND, AND AUTHOR. MICHAEL FREELAND: I USED TO PRAY THE PRAYER THAT I WOULD RATHER LEAVE THIS EARTH THAN TO ENDURE ANOTHER FIVE MINUTES OF PAIN. DONNA: WHEN HE WAS 5, HIS MOM NOTICED SOMETHING VERY WRONG. MICHAEL FREELAND: I REMEMBER HER LIFTING MY RIGHT LEG, THEN MY LEFT LEG, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN, I HEAR HER SCREAM. WHEN SHE SCREAMED, SHE LEFT ME IN THE TUB, AND I AM SITTING THERE WONDERING WHAT’S GOING ON. DONNA: HIS LEG INCREDIBLY SWOLLEN. THEY FINALLY DISCOVERED FREELAND HAS MILROY DISEASE. >> IT’S EXTREMELY RARE. MICHAEL FREELAND: TO MY RECOLLECTOIN, I DON’T KNOW ANYONE ELSE THAT HAS HAD MILROY’S DISEASE. DONNA: ACCORDING TO THE GENETIC AND RARE DISEASES INFORMATION CENTER, ONLY 200 CASES ARE DOCUMENTED. IT’S INHERITED AND AFFECTS THE LYMPHATIC SYSTEM. MICHAEL FREELAND: THE SICKNESS HAS PLAGUED ME MY WHOLE LIFE. EVEN AS I STAND HERE, I HAVE TO WEAR LEG COMPRESSION. DONNA: DESPITE PAIN, FREELAND FOUND PASSION D-J’ING. MICHAEL FREELAND: I GRAVITATED TO MUSIC. MUSIC BECAME A PART OF ME. I LOVED THE MUSIC. AND BECAUSE I LOVED THE MUSIC, USE THE MUSIC AT SOME POINT BECAUSE I REALIZED IT HELPED TO HEAL ME. DONNA: ANOTHER REMEDY -- WRITING. MICHAEL FREELAND: I SPENT A LOT OF TIME KEEPING MYSELF UNDER WRAPS. NOT TALKING ABOUT MELROSE DISEASE. NOT SHOWING PEOPLE WHAT I DEALT WITH, WITH MY LEG, NOT DISCUSSING IT. DONNA: NOW, IT’S ALL IN HIS BOOK, "FREE YOUR LAND: DEVELOPING YOUR MENTAL REAL ESTATE." MICHAEL FREELAND: LET ME GIVE YOU MY JOURNEY, IF THAT HELPS, TO PUT YOU ON MY BACK AND BRING YOU WITH ME. DONNA: AS FOR THAT PRAYER? WHEN HE ASKED GOD TO TAKE HIM. MICHAEL FREELAND: NOW THAT I’M OLDER AND A LITTLE WISER, I CAN APPRECIATE UNDERSTANDING WHY I WAS LEFT HERE. DONNA: HE SAYS HIS FAITH IS STRONGER, BECAUSE THAT PRAYER WENT UNANSWERED. DONNA PITMAN, KMBC 9 NEWS. CODY: WAY TO GO, MICHAEL. BY THE WAY, HIS BOOK LAUNCHES COMING UP ON SUNDAY, JANUARY 24, AT THE VIVID EVENT SPACE IN GRANDVVIEW FROM 2:00 TO 5:00. HE’LL BE SPEAKING AND SIGNING BOOKS IN TWO ONE-HOUR SESSIONS. YOU CAN ALSO FIND HIS BOOK

'I don't know of anyone else': Man with rare disease pens book to help others

Michael Freeland put his story with Milroy Disease in print.

Updated: 6:15 AM EST Jan 10, 2021

A Lawrence, Kansas, man spent most of his life with such physical and emotional suffering, he could hardly talk about his trials. Now, 44 years after discovering his rare disease, he isn't just talking about it. Michael Freeland has put his story in print. "I used to pray the prayer that I would rather leave this earth than to endure another five minutes of pain." Freeland said. His book, "Free Your Land: Developing Your Mental Real Estate," is about pushing through the pain, accepting life with the exceptionally rare Milroy Disease, and inspiring others. "I spent a lot of time keeping myself under wraps... not talking about Milroy Disease... not showing people what I dealt with, with my leg not discussing it," he said. Freeland started experiencing symptoms of Milroy Disease when he was just 5 years old. It's a rare disorder, affecting only 200 documented patients according to the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center. It is an inherited condition affecting Freeland's lymphatic system.Over the years, Freeland has found joy through music and has had success as "D.J. Mike J."His most recent endeavor: writing. His hope is that all he's been through now and in the past will help others through their hardships now and into the future. "Let me give you my journey if that helps you. put you on my back and bring you with me."

LAWRENCE, Kan. —

A Lawrence, Kansas, man spent most of his life with such physical and emotional suffering, he could hardly talk about his trials.

Now, 44 years after discovering his rare disease, he isn't just talking about it. Michael Freeland has put his story in print.

"I used to pray the prayer that I would rather leave this earth than to endure another five minutes of pain." Freeland said.

His book, "Free Your Land: Developing Your Mental Real Estate," is about pushing through the pain, accepting life with the exceptionally rare Milroy Disease, and inspiring others.

"I spent a lot of time keeping myself under wraps... not talking about Milroy Disease... not showing people what I dealt with, with my leg not discussing it," he said.

Freeland started experiencing symptoms of Milroy Disease when he was just 5 years old. It's a rare disorder, affecting only 200 documented patients according to the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center. It is an inherited condition affecting Freeland's lymphatic system.

Over the years, Freeland has found joy through music and has had success as "D.J. Mike J."

His most recent endeavor: writing.

His hope is that all he's been through now and in the past will help others through their hardships now and into the future. "Let me give you my journey if that helps you. [I will] put you on my back and bring you with me."