One million handmade human bones, created by students, artists, and activists will be laid on the National Mall as a symbolic mass grave and visible petition for “bold action towards an end to genocide and mass atrocities”. The installation will cover the area between 3rd and 7th streets in Washington, DC and remain on the Mall through Monday, June 10.
The bones will be laid out beginning at 9 a.m. CDT and the program will begin in the afternoon.
Listen to Mike Cooper interviewing Physician and Surgeon Dr. Manmohan Biring from HaysMed and CardioVascular Surgeon Dr. Elizabeth Ashworth from the DeBakey Heart Institute at HaysMed by clicking the link below.
Health Information Please Show 06-08-2013
Starting around Monday, June 10, the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) will begin an asphalt overlay project on US-183 Highway in Rush County. 
This US-183 project starts at the Rush/Pawnee County Line and continues north 12 miles to the South City Limits of LaCrosse. Construction is scheduled to be completed by August, depending on delays due to adverse weather conditions.
Traffic through this work zone will be controlled by flagmen and pilot car, so drivers can expect delays of up to 15 minutes. There will be a 12 foot width restriction in the work zone, so vehicles with widths wider than 12 feet will need to use an alternate route. The work area will move daily and work will be underway during daylight hours only.
Venture Corporation from Great Bend is the prime contractor for this $1,157,497 project, which is funded by T-WORKS, the transportation program passed by the Kansas Legislature in May 2010. For more information about T-WORKS projects and funding visit the website, www.ksdot.org/tworks .
Highway construction project locations and road condition information can be viewed at the https://511.ksdot.org website, or can also be accessed by telephone by dialing 511.
You might think your iPhone or Android smart phone is secure, but you’d be surprised. Consumer Reports walks you through three tips to protect yourself from wireless threats.
A few tips on how to hit that favorite club in your bag, the driver from former PGA Touring Professional, Steve Gotsche.
Last week, a bicyclist was struck and killed while riding in Saline County. A similar accident could occur anywhere. 
Along with this tragedy, come the discussions (often heated and full of inaccurate information) about bicycles, vehicles, and their use of the road.
The following information can be used to increase the safety for everyone on the road.
Kansas statutes, KSA 8-1586 through KSA 8-1592, and KSA 8-1516, address the majority of issues pertaining to bicycles and vehicles on the roadway, so we have included them for your reference. In addition we will point out a few of the most commonly discussed areas.
• Every person riding a bicycle upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle………………..KSA 8-1587
• Every person riding a bicycle shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable; except when passing, making a left turn, or avoiding other objects…………….KSA 8-1590
• Bicycles shall not ride more than two abreast…………………………………KSA 8-1590
• Wherever a usable path for bicycles has been provided adjacent to a roadway, bicycle riders shall use such path and shall not use the roadway……………………………..KSA 8-1590
• The driver of a vehicle overtaking a bicycle proceeding in the same direction shall pass to the left thereof at a distance of not less than three feet and shall not again drive to the right side of the roadway until safely clear of the overtaken bicycle….the driver of a vehicle may pass a bicycle proceeding in the same direction in a no-passing zone with the duty to execute the pass only when it is safe to do so…………………………………………………….KSA 8-1516
• After stopping for a reasonable period of time, a bicyclist may proceed through a red traffic light that has failed to turn green because of a malfunction or failure to sense the bicyclist. The bicyclist must yield to other vehicles that are in or near the intersection……….KSA 8-1508
8-1516. Same; vehicles and bicycles proceeding in same direction. The following rules shall govern the overtaking and passing of vehicles and bicycles proceeding in the same direction, subject to those limitations, exceptions and special rules hereinafter stated:
(a) The driver of a vehicle overtaking another vehicle proceeding in the same direction shall pass to the left thereof at a safe distance and shall not again drive to the right side of the roadway until safely clear of the overtaken vehicle.
(b) Except when overtaking and passing on the right is permitted, the driver of an overtaken vehicle shall give way to the right in favor of the overtaking vehicle on audible signal and shall not increase the speed of his or her vehicle until completely passed by the overtaking vehicle.
(c) (1) The driver of a vehicle overtaking a bicycle proceeding in the same direction shall pass to the left thereof at a distance of not less than three feet and shall not again drive to the right side of the roadway until safely clear of the overtaken bicycle.
(2) The driver of a vehicle may pass a bicycle proceeding in the same direction in a no-passing zone with the duty to execute the pass only when it is safe to do so.
8-1587. Traffic laws apply to persons riding bicycles. Every person riding a bicycle upon a roadway shall be granted all of the rights and shall be subject to all of the duties applicable to the driver of a vehicle by this act, except as otherwise provided in K.S.A. 8-1586 to 8-1592, inclusive, and except as to those provisions of this act which by their nature can have no application.
8-1588. Riding on bicycles. (a) A person propelling a bicycle shall not ride other than upon or astride a permanent and regular seat attached thereto.
(b) No bicycle shall be used to carry more persons at one time than the number for which it is designed and equipped.
8-1589. Same; clinging to other vehicles prohibited. No person riding upon any bicycle, coaster, roller skates, sled or toy vehicle shall attach the same, himself or herself to any vehicle upon a roadway.
8-1590. Riding on bicycles or mopeds; riding on roadways and bicycle paths. (a) Every person operating a bicycle or a moped upon a roadway at less than the normal speed of traffic at the time and place and under the conditions then existing shall ride as near to the right side of the roadway as practicable, except under any of the following situations when: (1) Overtaking and passing another bicycle or vehicle proceeding in the same direction; (2) preparing for a left turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway; or (3) reasonably necessary to avoid conditions including, but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, parked or moving bicycles, bicycles, pedestrians, animals, surface hazards or narrow width lanes that make it unsafe to continue along the right-hand edge of the roadway.
(b) Any person operating a bicycle or a moped upon a one-way highway with two or more marked traffic lanes may ride as near to the left side of the roadway as practicable.
(c) Persons riding bicycles upon a roadway shall not ride more than two abreast, except on paths or parts of roadways set aside for the exclusive use of bicycles.
(d) Wherever a usable path for bicycles has been provided adjacent to a roadway, bicycle riders shall use such path and shall not use the roadway.
(e) For purposes of this section, “narrow width lane” means a lane that is too narrow for a bicycle and a vehicle to travel safely side-by-side within the lane.
8-1591. Same; carrying articles. No person operating a bicycle shall carry any package, bundle or article which prevents the driver from keeping at least one (1) hand upon the handlebars.
Hot weather is in the forecast for the week ahead. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is urging people to prepare for extreme heat this summer by staying cool, hydrated, and informed. “No one 
should die from a heat wave, but every year on average, extreme heat causes 658 deaths in the United States—more than tornadoes, hurricanes, floods, and lightning combined,” said Robin Ikeda, MD, MPH, acting director of the National Center for Environmental Health and Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. “Taking common sense steps in extreme temperatures can prevent heat-related illnesses and deaths.”
Extreme heat can lead to very high body temperatures, brain and organ damage, and even death. People suffer heat-related illness when their bodies are unable to compensate and cool themselves properly. Extreme heat affects everyone, but the elderly, children, the poor or homeless, persons who work or exercise outdoors, and those with chronic medical conditions are most at risk.
A study released today in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report found that 7,233 heat-related deaths occurred in the United States from 1999 to 2009. An analysis of 2012 data indicates that deaths are on the rise. In a 2-week period in 2012, excessive heat exposure resulted in 32 deaths in four states, four times the typical average for those states for the same 2-week period from 1999-2009. More than two thirds of the deaths (69 percent) occurred at home, and 91 percent of those homes lacked air conditioning. Most of those who died were unmarried or living alone, and 72 percent were male.
According to CDC’s Environmental Tracking Network from 1999 to 2009 three states, Arizona, California, and Texas accounted for approximately 40 percent of all heat-related deaths in the United States. Across the nation, heat-related deaths occur more frequently among males and among adults aged 65 and older.
CDC recommends that local governments engage in advanced planning and preparation to minimize deaths from extreme heat events and to heighten public awareness about the dangers of excessive heat exposure. Advance planning should include increasing access to air conditioning, cooling stations or other public locations that can be used by residents for temporary relief from heat, particularly when temperatures are elevated for several consecutive days.
“Heat-related illnesses and deaths are preventable. Taking steps to stay cool, hydrated and informed in extreme temperatures can prevent serious health effects like heat exhaustion and heat stroke,” said Ethel Taylor, DVM, MPH, the study’s lead author.
CDC is offering new resources, including a new website to prepare for extreme heat, new data on heat-related emergency room visits and hospitalizations, and a Climate Change and Extreme Heat Events guidebook. The new resources not only provide prevention information; but also, data to illustrate the devastating impact extreme heat exposure can exert on a person’s daily life.
New Resources on Extreme Heat
Extreme Heat and Your Health Website: This new page collects CDC resources on extreme heat in one place and provides information on how to prevent heat-related illnesses and deaths for a variety of audiences. The site can be accessed at https://www.cdc.gov/extremeheat/
Environmental Public Health Tracking Data: CDC’s Environmental Public Health Tracking Network introduces new data on heat-stress hospitalizations and emergency room visits from 2000-2011. This adds to the records already available on extreme temperatures, heat-related deaths, and social and environmental conditions that make people vulnerable to extreme heat. Decision makers can use these data to plan how and where to focus efforts to protect the public from extreme heat. The Tracking Network can be accessed at www.cdc.gov/ephtracking.
Climate Change and Extreme Heat Events Guidebook: This recently released guidebook for state and local health departments describes how to prepare for and respond to extreme heat events and explains how the frequency, duration, and severity of these events are increasing as a result of climate change. An audio file for the recent CDC extreme heat event webinar is also available for tips and guidance. The guidebook is available at https://www.cdc.gov/climateandhealth/pubs/ClimateChangeandExtremeHeatEvents.pdf
The webinar archive can be accessed at: https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/s/meetingArchive?eventId=qozysq4qk56y
Workplace Solutions Bulletin: This recently released NIOSH bulletin provides updated statistics, case studies and recommendations for workers and employers to follow in order to reduce the risk of heat-related illness when working outdoors. The report provides specific guidance, examples and it adds to the available resources that illustrate how extreme heat exposures can lead to occupational illnesses and injuries and possible death. The NIOSH resources are available at:
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/wp-solutions/2013-143/
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/heatstress/
For more information on extreme heat and heat safety, call 1-800-CDC-INFO (1-800-232-4636) or visit www.cdc.gov/extremehea
Between 60 million and 3 million years ago, following the extinction of the dinosaurs, mammals emerged as a dominant species on Earth.
“Mammal Invasion: After the Dinosaurs” will open at Fort Hays State University’s Sternberg Museum of Natural History on Saturday, June 8, and will run through Sept 8.
The exhibition of robotic mammals from giant saber-toothed cats to man’s earliest known ancestors brings the Ice Age to life.
Museum hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday from April to September. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, $5 for youths ages 4 to 12, and $4 for FHSU students with valid ID.
For the first time this year, the monthly total of Kansas concealed carry applications dropped below 3,000, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt said today.
In May, 2,032 Kansans applied for concealed carry permits, down from 3,462 in April. But the May total was still higher than any other month in the program’s history prior to this year. Before January, the one-month record was 1,651 applications received in March 2012.
In the first five months of 2013, Schmidt’s office received 16,302 new concealed carry applications. There are currently 60,037 active concealed carry licensees in Kansas.
Schmidt said his office is continuing to process the applications in a timely manner while ensuring complete and accurate review of each application as required by law. Currently, applications are being processed in 80 days or less except for those that are pending the receipt of additional information.
A northeast Kansas man has been sentenced to nine years in prison for trying to drown his 3-year-old son in a bathtub.
Twenty-four-year-old Lamonte Brown, of Kansas City, Kan., pleaded no contest in April to aggravated kidnapping and criminal threat. A charge of attempted murder was dropped.
The Kansas City Star reports Brown’s lawyer said at Friday’s sentencing her client did not remember the January 2012 incident. The attorney said Brown had been unaware that the marijuana he had smoked was laced with the hallucinogenic drug PCP.
Brown’s girlfriend has testified she called police the day of the incident when she heard screams and splashing from a bathroom, where Brown had the 3-year-old boy and another child.
Police broke down the bathroom door and pulled the 3-year-old to safety.
A 26-year-old man was sentenced to 120 days in prison for a wrong-way accident that killed a man in downtown Kansas City.
Robert J.K. Domsch II, of Shawnee, pleaded guilty and was sentenced this week for involuntary manslaughter in the death last April of 28-year-old Marco G. Vendetti of Kansas City. Police say Domsch was drunk and driving the wrong way in downtown Kansas City when his car hit Vendetti’s vehicle.
Police say Domsch had a blood-alcohol content of .242 nearly four hours after the crash.
Domsch, a recent graduate of the University of Kansas law school, will be required to attend an alcohol treatment program. After his prison sentence, he’ll be on probation for five years.
Hays Arts Council SUMMER ART WALK will be held
Friday, June 21 ~ 7 to 9pm
– Make plans now to come see the beautiful artwork throughout the community.
– If you’d like to participate as a visual artist, musician, or location, make your arrangements and then contact the Hays Arts Center at 625-7522 by no later than Monday, June 10.
The weather was perfect. It was a lovely evening for the Ellis County Relay For Life at the Hays Middle School track on Friday. Names on the 2,500 luminaries, in honor or memory of those who’ve battled cancer were read by Brenda Meder.
