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Month: June 2013

Court-authorized wiretaps Up Dramatically

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(AP) — A government report on court-authorized wiretaps acknowledges that encryption is thwarting authorities from obtaining the text of some communications.Court-gavel

The annual report issued Friday by the Administrative Office of the United States Courts says federal and state judges approved 24 percent more wiretaps in 2012 than the previous year.

A total of 3,395 wiretaps were authorized. Courts in Kansas issued 11, while Missouri courts approved 102.

The report noted that encryption was found on 15 wiretaps last year, and officials were unable to decipher the encrypted messages in four of those. The report said that’s the first time it has happened since the courts began collecting encryption data in 2001.

It does not include data on interceptions regulated by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

Wild West Festival Tickets Going Fast

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Wild West Festival Schedule of Events Click here for a closer look at the fun
Wild West Festival Schedule of Events  Click here for a closer look at the fun

Do you have your Wild West Festival Tickets? Here is where you’ll find them.

Dillons Stores – 1902 Vine / 27th & Hall
Wal-Mart – 4301 Vine
Cerv’s – 2701 Vine / 2722 Hall
Main Street Express – 1601 Main
Hays Welcome Center – 27th & Vine

Regional
EZ Mart – 1409 Main, La Crosse
Klema Apple Market – 51 S. Fossil St., Russell
Plainville Short Stop – 601 S. Washington St., Plainville
Total Convenience – 106 W. Main, Victoria
ONE $12.00 TICKET IS YOUR

PASS TO ALL EVENTS.
If purchased at a ticket outlet before June 29, 2013. Armbands can be purchased at the gate for $20.00 per event. FREE ADMISSION FOR CHILDREN 5 YEARS & YOUNGER

Brownback’s Economic Performance: Nothing But Negative

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Brownback’s Economic Performance: Nothing But NegativeKansas Dems

Governor Sam Brownback talks a good game on economic growth. According to Sam, Kansas is turning the corner thanks to his supply-side, trickle down policies that put money back in the hands of “job creators”, spurring the Kansas economy and bringing jobs to Kansas.

Unfortunately for Kansas and the governor, the negative economic news keeps rolling in, undercutting Brownback’s false promises of economic revitalization.

Over the past seven days we saw just how bad things really are: Kansas unemployment is up, Kansans’ incomes are down, child poverty is up, Kansas jobs numbers are below average, and state bonds took a huge hit with a super downgrade brought on by Brownback’s tax break giveaways.

May’s unemployment report showed unemployment rising to 5.7%, well above the historical average for Kansas. While Brownback likes to call the 2000s the “lost decade”, Kansas annually averaged sub-5% unemployment in the 2000s, well below today’s 5.7% level.

We also learned today that personal incomes in Kansas are falling, down 1.2% for the first quarter of 2013. This loss of income adds insult to injury for working Kansans who will also see their taxes go up thanks to Brownback’s tax plan that permanently raises sales taxes and drastically reduces income tax deductions like the home mortgage interest deduction.

News for Kansas kids isn’t any better. One in five Kansas children now live in poverty while more Kansas parents find themselves with no consistent employment. What’s more, hundreds of Kansas kids are being kicked out of Head Start and millions of dollars in childhood initiative funds are being used by the governor to pay for even more tax breaks for billionaires and big business.

Kansas workers aren’t fairing well under Governor Brownback either. A report released by the Wichita Business Journal found that Brownback ranks 25th (out of 45) for job creation by governors. In the two-plus years Brownback has steered the Kansas economy, job growth has trailed the national average, sitting at an anemic 1.7% per year. To put that in perspective, If we had maintained merely average growth since Brownback took office, there would be over 6,700 new jobs in Kansas today.

Finally, Kansas government bonds were subjected to a “super downgrade” thanks to Brownback’s unsustainable tax and budget policies. The governor’s policies have led Kansas to a position of “inadequate financial strength”, scaring off investors and increasing economic uncertainty.

What then is certain? With Sam Brownback at the helm, the only thing that is certain is that working Kansans will continue to lose out with higher taxes, less income, and fewer job opportunities.

– See more at: https://www.ksdp.org/blog/kdp-weekly-wrap-6#sthash.BDN89b0d.dpuf

Western Kansas woman injured in Friday evening crash

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A western Kansas woman was injured in a Logan County crash on Friday evening.KHP-Patch

According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, “Robert L. Hoover, Jr., age 77, of Weatherford, Texas was driving a 2009 Toyota northbound on U83 at the U 40 junction South of Oakley and
Adayle A. Kirlin, age 54, of Kinsley was driving a 2002 Pontiac Grand Am eastbound on U40. The Toyota failed to yield right of way and collided with the Pontiac. Kirlin was transported to Logan County Hospital. Both drivers and a passenger in the Toyota Jackie M. Hoover, age 74, were wearing seat belts.”

Alleged Rape Under Investigation

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Police in Hays are investigating an alleged rape that reportedly occurred in the 400 Block of West 7th Street this on Wednesday night. According to Lt. Ron Rounkles, “ All of the Hays policeindividuals involved in the case have been indentified and an investigation is still ongoing.”

An investigation into an alleged rape from May 23 is also ongoing. According to Lt. Rounkles, “All of the individual in this case have been identified and interviews are being conducted as this investigation continues.

We will report additional details as they become available.

Kansas Girl Scouts Surviving Despite Challenges

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Just a year after its centennial celebrations, the Girl Scouts of the USA is grappling with an array of interconnected problems.girl scouts
It faces declining membership and revenues, a shortage of volunteers, rifts between leadership and grassroots members, and a pension plan with a $347 million deficit.
Despite this, girls from all ages, Daisies up to Ambassadors, will still come around for their annual orders of Thin Mints and Peanut Butter Patties. But the corporation of Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) faces the challenges of any youth organization today. They have to be relevant, competing with sporting leagues and other activities for girls’ time. In 2011 a new CEO was established at GSUSA in New York and the program is taking deep turns. And those changes affect girls nationwide.

“The changes are beneficial overall to the girls of today,” says Ms. Muriel Berry, Director of Communications at Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland. “GSUSA has the best interests of girls at heart.” The organization has expanded to include a broader spectrum of interests, such as theatre, math, science and robo troops, (girls working together to build their own robot). There are still the traditional camping trips and cookie selling. Interests of girls have grown, and so has the organization.

Donors and volunteers of every age and talent are always in need. As a reward, patrons of the Girl Scouts can see girls as Ambassadors working toward the highest award possible, the Gold Award. Dozens of hours are put into a lasting community project to better the world around them.

Just like the growing world around us, the Girl Scouts are changing and adjusting to become the positive movers and shakers of tomorrow, along with great cookie sellers. The girls scouts in Hays are located at 2707 Vine and can be reached at 625-5671.

Harvest Update: Elevators still busy

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”Harvest is on the downhill side,” according to Golden Belt Coop in Ellis where they expect harvest to be finished by the middle of next week. South of Ellis finished

Midland Marketing Elevato at Yocementor
Midland Marketing Elevator at Yocemento

cutting but north of town still has some work to do. Golden Belt received approximately 35,000 bushels of wheat at their Ellis location on Friday.

Midland Marketing’s Toulon location told Hays Post on Friday evening that harvest was definitely slowing down a bit. They took in 30,000 bushels on Friday and are seeing yields from 20 -40 bushels an acre the past couple of days.

At Midland Marketing’s Yocemento location Travis told Hays Post, “It was a good day on Friday. We took in 45-50,000 bushels. Test weights were 58-62. Moisture was about 10. Yields are from 20-30. We are on the down side for sure and expect to be finished by the middle of next week. The weather looks like it will hold out and not slow us down.”

At the Cargill Elevator in WaKeeney, they filled their first train cars of the harvest on Friday after taking in well over 200,000 bushels. Caleb told Hays Post that they were very busy all afternoon on Friday.

Western KS Native Joins Take Charge Challenge

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CassiA Ulysses native and former Miss Kansas contestant is using her interest in energy and water conservation as a new program director for the Climate and Energy Project based in Hutchinson.

Cassi Reimer comes to CEP from a recent position in North Carolina as an outdoor educator with Mountain Trail Outdoor School.  She also worked at Penn State University’s Environmental Center.

Reimer graduated from Southwestern College.  While there, she competed in the Miss Kansas pageant where her platform focused on energy efficiency initiatives.

Reimer will lead the Heartland Alliance for Regional Transmission and coordinate an expanded version of the Take Charge Challenge. Her interest in energy and water use was fostered as a young person growing up on a farm in the southwest part of Kansas – where saving water and soil health was a way of life for her family.

The Climate and Energy Project seeks to dramatically reduce greenhouse gas emissions in America’s Heartland through the ambitious deployment of energy efficiency and renewable energy, in policy and practice.

New Kansas Abortion Law Blocked

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A Kansas judge has temporarily blocked parts of a new state law restricting abortion providers that were set to take effect next week.Gov - KS - Abortion Law 001

Shawnee County District Judge Rebecca Crotty’s ruling Thursday covers provisions of the law that changed the definition of what a medical emergency is and requiring abortion providers to post a statement on their websites saying the state’s materials on abortion are accurate.

The rest of the new law will take effect Monday as scheduled. Other provisions of the law can be enforced.

Kansas man sentenced in son’s beating death

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(AP) — A northeast Kansas man has been given the maximum sentence for the beating death of his 4-year-old son.court

27-year-old Lee Davis IV, of Hiawatha, was sentenced Friday to nearly 20 years in prison.

Davis was initially charged with first-degree murder but pleaded no contest in April to second-degree murder and felony child abuse.

The son, who has been identified only by a set of initials, died March 5 at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, Mo.

The sentence imposed by Brown County District Judge Jim Patton requires Davis to register as a violent offender for 15 years after completing his prison term.

A woman who lived with Davis at the time of the killing faces a September hearing on multiple charges, including aiding and abetting second-degree murder.

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