The Hays City Commission Thursday night voted to end the city’s membership in the Public Wholesale Water Supply District Number 15. City Manager Toby Dougherty says the district was established in the 1990s with the City of Russell, as a vehicle to develop the R-9 Ranch into a water source.
The action to end the membership was prompted by comments from Russell City Council members unhappy with the partnership. Dougherty says this has no impact on the two cities joint ownership of the ranch.
The central Kansas community of Hoisington is giving away up to 15 home sites of roughly 12,000 square feet each to families willing to build houses on them.
The Great Bend Tribune reports the acreage is a former mobile home park that was donated to Hoisington on the condition that it not be sold.
The Hoisington City Land Bank decided this week to give the lots on a first-come, first-served basis to families who pay a refundable earnest fee of $500.
Hoisington city manager Jonathan Mitchell says the program has the potential to increase the population and property valuation in the community of about 2,700 people.
Houses built on the lots will have to measure at least 1,500 square feet on the main floor and have a basement and garage.
Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach’s office is asking a judge to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to remove President Barack Obama from the state’s Nov. 6 ballot.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Deputy Secretary of State Ryan Kriegshauser argues in the request that taking Obama off the ballot would violate some voters’ the rights.
Kriegshauser notes that Kansas began mailing ballots with Obama’s name to military personnel overseas last week.
The lawsuit was filed last week in Shawnee County District Court by California attorney and dentist Orly Taitz. She has promoted the discredited notion in several states that Obama isn’t eligible to serve as president.
District Judge Larry Hendricks has scheduled a hearing on the lawsuit Wednesday.
A Topeka man has been sentenced to eight years and six months in prison for killing a neighbor after they argued about noise.
WIBW-TV reports 31-year-old LaVance Thompson will also spend three years on post-release supervision under the sentence he received Thursday in Shawnee County District Court.
Thompson was initially charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 36-year-old James Sanders the night of Dec. 25, 2011. Thompson’s trial was under way in August when he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of voluntary manslaughter.
Sanders and Thompson were neighbors in a Topeka apartment building. Prosecutors said Sanders was dropping weights on the floor, and Thompson was turning up his music.
Authorities said Thompson confronted Sanders and shot him after Sanders called police to complain.
The No. 9 Fort Hays State men’s soccer team dropped a close 1-0 match to No. 21 Lindenwood on Thursday at the FHSU Soccer Stadium in Hays. The loss drops the Tigers to 7-2 and 3-1 in the MIAA, which drops FHSU to third in the standings, while Lindenwood is 6-1-2 and 3-0-1 in the MIAA.
The lone goal came in the 58th minute off a corner kick. The Lions Craig McTear headed in the corner for the 1-0 Lions lead.
The Tigers managed seven shots in the match, and the Lions totaled 13, including eight in the second half. In a physical match, each team was called for six fouls.
Kent Freund went the whole 90 minutes in goal for the Tigers, making five saves and allowing the one goal. He is 2-1 on the season.
The loss is the first home loss of the season for the Tigers, who were 4-0 at FHSU Soccer Stadium before Thursday night’s match.
Fort Hays State continues its homestand with a match against Southwest Baptist on Saturday at 12 p.m.
The Hays High boys soccer team bounced back from a disappointing tie earlier this week in Junction City with a 2-0 victory over defending state champion Liberal Thursday afternoon in Liberal.
Josue Lopez scored the first goal for the Indians in the 37th minute. Lane Clark added the second in the 66th minute.
The Indians stopped two Redskin penalty kick opportunities to preserve the win.
Hays is now 4-5-2 and 2-2-1 in the Western Athletic Conference.
The Hays High volleyball team goes 2-1 at their own quadrangular. The Indians defeat Norton 25-11, 25-19 then lose to Abilene 12-25, 23-25 and Salina South 24-26, 23-25.
The Hays High girls’ golf team finishes eighth at the Hutchinson Invitational.
The Indians shoot a 386, 43 shots behind first-place Garden City (343). Courtney Hess was the only Indian in the top-20, finishing 13th with an 88.
Hays High Results:
Courtney Hess-88-13th place
Elisa Jensen-97-T38th place
Taylor Herman-100-T45th place
Zoey Gubitoso-102-T53rd-place
Team Finish:
1. Garden City-343
2. Maize-346
3. Manhattan-352
4. Buhler-355
5. Winfield-357
6. Goddard-Eisenhower-358
7. Derby-383
8. Hays High-386
9. Arkansas City-387
10. Newton-406
11. Hutchinson-411
12. Salina South-412
13. Great Bend-415
14. Topeka West-428
15. Dodge City-437
Top 20 Medalists:
1. Abbi Shaddix-Garden City-69
2. Taryn Torgerson-Buhler-72
3. Blake Fingalsen-Manhattan-78
4. Abbey Campbell-Garden City-79
5. Makena Mucciaccio-Goddard Eisenhower-80
6. Taelyn Entriken-Maize-81
7. Abbi Moulton-Arkansas City-86
8. Jesse Evans-Maize South-86
9. Madison Scheer-Maize-86
10. Kylie McCarthy-Manhattan-86
11. Jessie Burtnett-Winfield-87
12. Abby Bertholf- Winfield-87
13. Courtney Hess- Hays High-88
14. Elizabeth Hurley-Maize-88
15. Lyndie Simmons-Goddard-Eisenhower-90
16. Kennedy Long-Derby-91
17. Lauren Copp-Maize-91
18. Ashley Reiswig-Maize-91
19. Caitlin Corn-Salina South-91
20. Madison Hopkins-Winfield-91
An Arkansas man has died after a collision involving a semi on K-96 in Reno County, Thursday.
The Reno County Sheriff’s Office and the Kansas Highway Patrol responded to a head-on collision on K-96 between Willowbrook and Nickerson shortly after 3pm.
Sheriff Randy Henderson said that the semi caught fire after the collision.
The driver of the van, 22-year-old Michael Robert Benert of Baxter, Arkansas, was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident. The driver of the semi, 57-year-old Kevin Clapp of Lincoln, Nebraska, suffered non-life threatening injuries.
Traffic was shutdown on K-96 at Riverton Road and Royal Smith Road for at least 3 hours.
MERRIAM, KS—IKEA plans to open a store in Kansas. The popular Swedish home furnishings retailer announced plans Thursday for a proposed store in Merriam, which is near Kansas City.The location is at the southeastern corner of I-35 and Johnson Drive. Currently a vacant shopping center sits on the property. It will be torn down to make way for the new store.
The store, which officials say will need 350 employees, is scheduled to open in the fall of 2014. It would be the first IKEA store in Kansas.
There are 38 IKEA stores in the United States.
(AP) – Several performers have “come together” for a new performance video which aims to raise funds and increase awareness for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Keith Urban, Darius Rucker and Randy Owen join more than 30 other celebrities singing “Hey St. Jude,” a special version of the Beatles classic, “Hey Jude,” released in conjunction with National Childhood Cancer Awareness month.
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From Randy Picking ~ Salina Post
Police in Salina have arrested a 21-year-old man early Thursday morning after an apparent random shooting spree in the central part of town.
Officers were sent to the 700-block of S. 11th just after 1:30am to reports of shots being fired.
Officers found a five gunshot holes in a 1996 Mercury Sable, and 10 shell casings on the street from a .40 caliber gun.
Just around the corner police found in the 400-block of W. Crawford a single shot in a window that lodged in the bathroom door of an occupied home.
While investigating the two different cases, Officers heard several more shots that came from the 700-block of S.10th where they found a van that belongs to Blue Sky Satellite with gunshot holes that damaged several satellite receivers in the van.
While patrolling the area officers stopped three people walking northbound in the 700-block of S. 9th, and Rex C. Vaughn was bleeding from one of his pinky fingers.
Vaughn had apparently shot the finger in the 700-block of S. 10th as drops of blood were going away from where shots were fired into the satellite TV truck.
Vaughn was taken to Salina Regional Health Center by EMS for treatment of the gunshot wound.
While at the hospital, he became combative and kicked a nurse. Police did recover from his apartment in the 700-block of S. 9th a .40 caliber Taurus semi-automatic handgun.
Charges being requested against Vaughn are discharge of a firearm into an occupied dwelling, misdemeanor damage to property, 2 counts of felony damage to property, and a single count of battery.
Damage to the vehicles, home and property has been estimated at $4,450. The two people that were walking with Vaughn were not charged.
According to FBI statistics, a house, apartment or condo is burglarized every 15 seconds.
Fortunately, burglary is the most preventable types of crime. By taking a few simple precautions, you can dramatically reduce your risk.
