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Month: July 2012

Obituary – July 28, 2012

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David McDougal

Alpine, California – David McDougal, age 65, died Wednesday, July 18, 2012, at his home. He was born December 5, 1946, in San Diego, California. He married Lee (Joy) in Hays, Kansas.

Survivors include his wife, Lee McDougal; one son, Daniel McDougal; one daughter, Jamie Van Clay and husband David; four grandsons, Daniel McDougal II, Hayden VanClay, Gage VanClay and Ryder VanClay; one sister, Donna Schoolcraft.

Memorial Services are 10:00 A.M. Thursday, August 2, 2012, at the Robbins Center-Vogel Patio area on Fort Hays Sate University Campus. Inurnment will be at Fort Hays Memorial Gardens Cemetery, Hays, Kansas. In lieu of flowers donations are suggested to Sharp Hospice Care, P.O. Box 1750, La Mesa, CA 91944 or in care of Cline’s Mortuary of Hays 1919 East 22nd Street Hays, Kansas 67601. Condolences can be sent via e-mail to [email protected].

Former Rooks County Sheriff Pleads Guilty To Meth Charges

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A former northwest Kansas sheriff has pleaded guilty to four felony counts of distributing methamphetamine.

Randy Axelson was the sheriff of Rooks County when he was arrested in December 2011 following an investigation by Kansas authorities. He was accused of distributing meth over a period of four months at the Rooks County Fairgrounds and within 1,000 feet of Stockton High School.

Prosecutors dropped five counts in exchange for Axelson’s guilty pleas Friday to four counts in Rooks County District Court. The plea agreement includes a recommendation that Axelson serve five years and four months in prison.

Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees served as a special prosecutor in the case.

Axelson had been free on bond and resigned as sheriff in June.

Soldier’s Funeral Shielded from Westboro Picketers: The Joan Jerkovich Show

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Don Shrubshell photographs

In the wake of the massacre at the Aurora, Colorado theatre, which left so many feeling stunned and in shock, a heartwarming story came out of Columbia Missouri.  Given notice that the Westboro Baptist church from Topeka, Kansas would be picketing the funeral of fallen soldier, 21-year-old Army Spc. Sterling Wyatt who was killed by an improvised explosive device while serving in Afghanistan; thousands of people gathered outside the church to show their support.

Dressed in red shirts, the supporters formed a human shield blocking out the six or so people from the Westboro Church whose organization, considered radical by many, often picket the funerals of soldiers.  The Westboro group believes that the military deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan are God’s punishment for the US tolerance of homosexuality.

As reported by Janise Silvey in the Columbia Daily Tribunes, several times, Wyatt’s parents, Randy and Sherry, and brother Chandler, came out of the church before the 1 p.m. service to greet and hug attendees.

Citizens who deplore the activities of this radical group have been following their actions and organizing counter protests.  Link to this podcast to hear from my Producer, Tonya Powers, as she talks about her participation in a counter protest against the Westboro group held in Hutchinson, Kansas:  https://joanjerkovich.com/2012/07/24/response-to-westboro-baptist-church/

 

To hear Joan Life Coaching on Starting a New Business at 60, and Co-Dependent Relationship listen this Saturday and Sunday at 9am on 910 KINA or go to https://joanjerkovich.com/ for the Podcast and link to iTunes.

 

Joan Jerkovich is a Board Certified Life Coach

For Free Life Coaching on The Joan Jerkovich Show

Go to https://joanjerkovich.com/

 

The Joan Jerkovich Show

Weekends at 9am on 910 KINA

On the web at www.joanjerkovich.com

 

 

 

Chick-fil-A Controversy Reaches Kansas Universities

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Some students at two Kansas universities want Chick-fil-A removed from the campuses because of the fast-food chain’s stance on gay marriage.

Online petitions began at Wichita State University and the University of Kansas after Chick-fil-A President Dan Cathy said he opposed gay marriage. Some groups are boycotting Chick-fil-A, while others are supporting the fast-food chain.

The petition at Wichita State had about 530 signatures early Friday. The Kansas petition had nearly 1,800 signatures. Another petition to keep Chick-fil-A at Kansas had about 560 signatures.

Wichita State officials say if they hear of anyone being refused service at Chick-fil-A because of sexual orientation, the school would address the situation.

The Wichita Eagle reports Kansas officials say they are discussing the issue with people on campus and off.

5-Year-Old Dies After Swallowing Drugs, Mother Charged

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A 25-year-old Lawrence woman is charged after her 5-year-old daughter died when she ingested drugs.

Rebecca Lynn Wynne is charged with reckless involuntary manslaughter. She is also charged with two counts of aggravated child endangerment of her two other children, ages 6 and 4.

Douglas County District Attorney Charles Branson says the girl died in April after ingesting opiates that were left in the family’s house.

Wynne appeared in court Thursday, where her bond was set at $25,000. She was ordered to have no contact with her children, who are in protective custody.

Wynne is scheduled to appear next in court Aug. 2.

Midwest Energy Warns of Utility Scam

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The latest scam floating around the nation targets utility customers. Midwest Energy is warning its customers to be aware of the scam where people are contacted about their eligibility for an energy credit offered by the President. The catch is they have to provide a variety of personal information.

The scam began in April targeting utility customers in South Carolina and Florida, but has since spread nationwide, although there are no known cases in Kansas as of yet.

Another version of the scam has the caller posing as a representative of your utility, threatening to shut off your electricity unless you provide your banking information. A Midwest Energy representative says they’d never call and demand your bank account information.

If customers have any concerns about contact from someone claiming to represent Midwest Energy, they are encouraged to call the company for verification.

The scam also has been spread through social media including Facebook and Twitter.

Grant for Hays Airport Approved

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The Federal Aviation Administration has approved a grant to partially fund the repair of the main runway at the Hays Regional Airport.

City Manager Toby Dougherty says the project will cost $7.4 million with the FAA paying 90%.

The project was slated to be done this summer, but since the bid was not awarded until this month, the construction will be pushed back to next spring.

Date Set to Demolish Historical Building

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The Opera House in downtown Hays will come down next month.

The building is owned by Liberty Group, and CEO Chuck Comeau says a company that specializes in demolition has been hired to remove the deteriorating building.

The project is scheduled to begin August 20th. Hays City Manager Toby Dougherty says every effort will be made to accommodate area businesses and the traveling public to keep Fort Street open.

The city commission Thursday night approved a resolution of condemnation that will allow the city to step in and tear the building down if Liberty Group doesn’t complete the project as scheduled.

Junior Legion Loses at “A” State Tourney, Monarchs in Zone Finale

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Salina Hawks 7, Hays Eagles 4
The Hays Eagles Junior American Legion drops to the loser’s bracket of the Class A state tournament in Pratt following a 7-4 loss to the Salina Hawks yesterday evening. Lane Downing held the Hawks to one run over the first four innings, but Salina broke through in the fifth with four hits, two walks and a Hays error to take the lead. The Eagles fall into the elimination bracket and will play at 10 this morning.

Monarchs in Zone 6 Finals
The Hays Monarchs look to punch their ticket to the “AA” state tournament tonight when they play in the Zone 6 tournament finals in Lincoln. The Monarchs are 2-0 with wins over Osborne and Lincoln. The “AA” state tournament begins Wednesday in Sabetha.

Senior Legion Game Time at State Set
The Hays Eagles Senior American Legion will play in the second game of the day at the “AAA” state tournament Wednesday August 1st in Manhattan. The 39-8 Eagles will play the Zone 4 winner around 1:30pm. You can hear the game on 96.9, KFIX.

Kansas Father Arrested After Baby Dies From Abuse

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A southwest Kansas man has been arrested following what authorities are calling the abuse death of his 9-month-old son at a Wichita hospital.

Family members took Brandon Villa to a Dodge City hospital on Sunday. He was flown Wesley Medical Center the same day. The Dodge City Police Department was informed of his death early Thursday.

The case is now being investigated as a homicide, although Dodge City Police Chief Craig Mellecker declined to comment on the baby’s injuries.

Mellecker says the 24-year-old father was arrested Wednesday in Texas County, Okla., on a warrant for abuse of a child. The News reports the father was out of jail on bond in a robbery case when the baby was injured Sunday.

210,000 Designer Drug Packets Seized In 6 States, Including Kansas

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Six people were arrested and more than 210,000 packets of synthetic drugs seized in six Midwestern states as part of a nationwide crackdown.

The Drug Enforcement Administration on Thursday announced results of Operation Log Jam, targeting synthetic drugs like so-called “bath salts”, “potpourri”, along with other types of fake marijuana, items commonly sold at head shops and some convenience stores and often targeted at teenagers.

The DEA says nearly 100 people nationwide were arrested and more than 5 million packets seized.

James Shroba of the DEA office in St. Louis says synthetic drugs are a growing problem around the nation, including the six states his office covers – Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota and southern Illinois. He says the crackdown sends a message to manufacturers and sellers that law enforcement is coming after them.

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