Two Semi Trucks collided in Southwest Kansas on Monday sending one to the hospital. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, “A 2013 Kenworth Semi truck driven by 61 year old Blanche May Sparks of Denver was South bound on U 83 about 10 miles South of Scott City. A 1992 Kenworth semi driven by 53 year old Alfonso G Hernandez of Garden City was north bound on U83.  Sparks’ semi truck crossed the centerline and struck the other Semi truck. She was transported to Scott County Hospital. Both drivers were wearing seatbelts.”

Watch NASA Administrator Charles Bolden name the 2013 Astronaut Class including Hoxie native Tyler N. Hague (Nick)

After an extensive year-and-a-half search, NASA has a new group of potential astronauts who will help the agency push the boundaries of exploration and travel to new destinations in the solar system, including an asteroid and Mars. Eight candidates have been selected to be NASA’s newest astronaut trainees, hoping to be among those who are the first to launch from U.S. soil on commercial American spacecraft since the retirement of the space shuttle.

The 2013 astronaut candidate class comes from the second largest number of applications NASA has received — more than 6,000. Half of the selectees are women, making this the highest percentage of female astronaut candidates ever selected for a class. The group will receive a wide array of technical training at space centers and remote locations around the globe to prepare for missions to low-Earth orbit, an asteroid and Mars.

1. KansasDOT ‏@DriveSafeKansas1hPls RT –> As of 06/10/13 there have been 117 motor vehicle fatalities in Kansas.  #KSDOT #DWD #CIOT

   
   

(AP) — Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach says the state’s proof-of-citizenship requirement for new voters can still be enforced after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling against a similar Arizona law.

Kobach says the Kansas law differs enough from Arizona’s version that the high court’s Monday decision doesn’t apply to Kansas.

County election officials in Kansas said they were waiting for guidance from Kobach.

But Kobach’s position could prompt a federal lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union.

The law took effect in January and applies to people registering to vote for the first time in Kansas. They must provide a birth certificate, passport or some other proof of citizenship.

The Supreme Court said the Arizona law conflicted with federal voting laws.

An Oberlin man was sentenced Monday to more than 17 years in prison after being convicted of murder, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said.

Dylan R. Coryell, 25, was convicted by a Decatur County jury in March on charges of intentional second-degree murder and aggravated battery. Judge Preston Pratt today sentenced Coryell to 212 months in the Kansas Department of Corrections for the murder conviction. In addition, Coryell was sentenced to 13 months for aggravated battery, to run concurrently. The charges stemmed from the October 2011 death of Corey Cook, 22, also of Oberlin, and a related injury to Sarah Campbell.

Assistant Attorney General Nicole Romine of Schmidt’s office and Assistant Decatur County Attorney Margaret P. Mahoney prosecuted the case. The Kansas Bureau of Investigation worked with local law enforcement officers from the Oberlin Police Department and Decatur County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation.

Payless-Summer Sandal Sale- Now-June 23rd

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Make it a safe harvest

By John Schlageck, Kansas Farm Bureau

Long hours, a flurry of activity, less-than-ideal weather conditions and work involving large machinery combine to make wheat harvest a potentially dangerous period.

To say farmers are busy during this time would be an understatement. Try to call one after 7 a.m. or before 10 p.m. and you’ll be wasting your time – they’re not home. They’re in the field or shop preparing for harvest.

Wheat harvest marks the pinnacle of nearly a year’s effort to produce this crop. During harvest, farmers and custom cutters work long, hard hours. Fifteen-minute meal breaks are about the only real time off in days that often stretch 14 hours. If weather conditions cooperate, cutting usually begins about 9 a.m. and continues until midnight, or when the grain becomes too moist or too tough to cut. People and machines are pushed to their limits.

While every machine – combine, truck, grain cart, tractor or auger – provides its own unique hazards, operator stress or error account for the majority of harvest accidents. Years of safety features built into these machines are useless without operator safety. Exceed human limitations and accidents are bound to follow.

Operator knowledge and attitude remain the key to a smooth, well-oiled wheat harvest. A safe operator knows his skills, limitations and condition, both physical and emotional.

The safety-conscious operator knows his equipment, its condition, capacities, limitations, hazards and safety equipment. Such an operator is constantly monitoring field and weather conditions.

In Kansas, thousands of acres of wheat add to the pressure of slicing through those acres before hail or windstorm destroys the bountiful crop. With this added pressure comes the desire to take chances, short cuts and extend working hours. Such behavior only adds to fatigue and high levels of stress and tension.

Remember, harvest will take its toll if you don’t take breaks. Eating balanced meals, even if you only take 15 minutes is important.

Stop the machine. Crawl off and relax a few minutes while you’re eating.

Drink plenty of water, tea or other cold liquids during the hot, dry days of wheat harvest. Jump out of your machine for such breaks at least every hour.

Walk around the machine to limber up. This will also allow you to check for possible trouble spots on your combine.

Before harvest ever begins, check your equipment and perform the proper maintenance. Consult your operator’s manual or dealer if you have any questions. Well-maintained machinery reduces the chance for breakdowns and related aggravation in the wheat field.

Delays due to breakdown only force harvest crews to work longer and harder to catch up. Such delays also increase the chance of accidents during this catch-up period.

As is sometimes the case with some farmers, they may have kept some combines longer than they should have. Treat these “old-timers” with care. They’ll need additional preventative and routine maintenance.

Pulling pre-harvest maintenance is easier and less frustrating than fixing such problems in the heat, dirt and sweat of the harvest field. Reduce your chances of aggravation now – it will be worth it.

John Schlageck is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas. Born and raised on a diversified farm in northwestern Kansas, his writing reflects a lifetime of experience, knowledge and passion.