Condolences to George Strait, whose father, John Byron Strait, died Tuesday at age 91. He had been hospitalized for much of the last month.
George says in a statement, “We are grateful for the time over the last few weeks we were able to spend with Daddy before he passed away. I want to thank everyone for their prayers and support during this difficult time as we mourn our family’s loss.”
John Strait was a junior high math teacher and a rancher on his property outside Big Wells, TX. The funeral will be private, and the family requests donations to The Jenifer Strait Memorial Foundation in lieu of gifts.
Strong winds from the storms overnight did damage in several western Kansas towns. Fire crews reported downed power lines in Hugoton. Wind gusts of over 60 miles per hour damaged mobile homes in rural areas of Seward County. The communities of Liberal and Elkhart reported large tree limbs down.
Hail up to the size of half dollars was also reported in parts of Southwest Kansas. A tornado was reported 9 miles southwest of Lakin in Kearney County. It was in open country and did no damage.
Should parents with kids who are bullies have to pay up? A city in Wisconsin has decided to fine parents with children who bully others. Good idea? Stupid law? Please tell us what you think in the comment section below.
The new Wisconsin rule only applies to parents who are labeled uncooperative. Parents who make a good-faith effort to address the problem at home won’t receive a ticket which carries a $114 fine.
A 74-year-old man was killed in a head on crash late Tuesday night in Ford County. According to the Kansas Highway Patrol, “ Due to weather conditions and poor visibility, Lorren H Perkins of Cimarron was driving a 2006 Chevy Silverado westbound in the eastbound lane of U50 at Mile marker 114.8 when he hit a semi truck head on. Perkins was not wearing a seat belt. He was transported to Western Plains Medical Center where he died. The semi driver from Houston, Texas was not injured.”
On Tuesday, Congressman Tim Huelskamp (R-Kansas) questioned numerous Obama Administration appointees and helped uncover the shocking revelation that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) computer systems have been hacked repeatedly for at least three years. Indeed, the private medical records of more than 20 million veterans still remain potentially vulnerable to hacking by various nation-state sponsored actors, perhaps the Communist Chinese and Russian mobsters.
Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for Information Security Jerry Davis testified: “I learned that these attackers were a nation-state sponsored cyber espionage unit and that no less than eight different nation-state sponsored organizations had successfully compromised VA networks and data, or were actively attacking VA networks, attacks that continue at VA to this very day.” The testimony of the Office of the Inspector General concluded: “Until VA fully implements key elements of its information security program and addresses our outstanding audit recommendations, VA’s mission-critical systems and sensitive veterans’ data remain at increased and unnecessary risk of attack or compromise.” When the VA allowed the data of 26 million veterans and military personnel to be breached back in 2006, the taxpayers had to pay $20 million to settle a class action lawsuit.
Congressman Huelskamp made the following statement:
“A few weeks ago, VA Secretary Eric Shinseki wrote: ‘To be clear, VA’s [Internet Technology (IT) systems] security posture was never at risk.’ But nothing could be further from the truth. The VA’s IT systems were at risk and remain at risk. That means bad guys gained access to the computer data systems with the private information of 20 million veterans (as well as their dependents plus VA employees). It includes names, addresses, dates of birth, social security numbers, medical records, employment records, bank account numbers, passwords, and countless emails. To add insult to injury, $87,000 in bonuses was paid to the Acting Assistant Secretary who failed to protect the privacy rights of our nation’s veterans! Following the hearing, the House of Representatives passed the ‘VA bonus ban’ amendment I co-authored to prohibit Secretary Shinseki from paying bonuses to VA employees.”
The votes, which had to be hand-counted, were tallied by 8:40p.m. Tuesday in the Ellis County courthouse.
The $10 million bond issue for USD 388/Ellis has been soundly defeated:
YES 275
NO 424
All but one precinct in Ellis and the three in Trego County which are part of USD 388, voted against the measure.
There were 701 votes cast: 59% opposed, 41% in favor.
The bond issue would have been used for new athletic facilities, major repairs at Washington Grade School and a new Junior High wing at Ellis High School.
The results are unofficial until canvassed Monday by Ellis County Commissioners.
Fort Hays State University’s chapter of Omicron Delta Kappa, the national Leadership Honor Society, welcomed 16 new members in the spring 2013 semester.
Omicron Delta Kappa was founded in 1914 to recognize outstanding leadership and involvement in extra-curricular activities as well as academic achievement. Nationwide, the organization has more than 300,000 members.
“We look for people who are active in different organizations or other activities such as sports or journalism,” said FHSU chapter president Allison Gough.
The organization looks for students who show leadership in one of five categories: scholarship, athletics, campus or community service, social and religious activities and campus government; journalism, speech and the mass media; and creative and performing arts.
New inductees from Ellis County include
Nanette Brown of Ellis, a senior majoring in teacher education.
From Hays: Shawn Demuth, a senior majoring in music education, Anne Drees, a senior majoring in teacher education, and Kalee Kirmer, a senior majoring in biology.
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A northeast Kansas sheriff’s office has renewed its request for tips in the killings of two women 24 years ago.
The body of Christina Brandolese was found in a rural part of southern Johnson County on May 30, 1989. The other victim, Candice Fisher, was found dead in the same area three days later.
In a statement Tuesday, the sheriff’s office said Johnson County deputies worked more than 190 leads over the years. They’re hoping again for help from the public in Kansas and nearby Kansas City, Mo., where both women had last been seen in the midtown area.
Authorities believe the killings were connected. Both women died of blunt force trauma, and their bodies were in similar conditions when they were found within two miles of each other.
Kansas continues to be ahead of the national average when it comes it employment growth. Linda Nickisch is with the US Department of Labor Statistics office in Kansas City. She told Great Bend Post that about 12,100 non-farm jobs were added in the Sunflower State in April…a 0.9 percent from April of last year. She says employment grew 5.3 percent nationally last month, while the increase in Kansas was 7.1 percent. The star of this report statewide, though, is manufacturing growth in Wichita.”
Nickisch also said that business, manufacturing and a number of other sectors added jobs…while construction was the sector with the biggest loss in jobs.
Olympic gold medalist swimmers Ian Crocker and Alyssa Anderson were in Hays Friday for a Mutual of Omaha Breakout Swim Clinic.
Despite some travel snafus and starting the clinic three hours late, the host team Hays Hurricanes and more than 80 other young swimmers from western Kansas and the Oklahoma Panhandle, were thrilled to finally meet and work with Anderson and Crocker.
“I was actually here last year, and I think they’ve improved since then,” said Crocker. “It was awesome.”
22-year-old Alyssa Anderson, Granite Bay, California, has just joined the breakout clinics, and won her first Olympic gold medal last year in London.
30-year-old Ian Crocker, Austin, Texas, is a three-time Olympian with five Olympic medals. He participates in breakout clinics around the country nearly every weekend.
The clinic participants practiced champion performance techniques of all four swim strokes in the Fort Hays State University Cunningham Hall pool.
After all their hard work, the young swimmers got to pose for pictures with their idols and even don their Olympic gold.
Olmpic gold-medalist swimmers Alyssa Anderson and Ian Crocker sign autographs at the Mutual of Omaha Breakout! Swim Clinic in Hays.
Hays Hurricane swimmer Gabe Stanton poses with Olympic swimmers Alyssa Anderson and Ian Crocker. Gabe is wearing Alyssa’s London gold medal.
Crocker instructs clinic participants in the FHSU pool
Olympian swimmer Alyssa Anderson talks with the swim clinic participants after the training.
Ian Crocker’s gold medals from the Sydney, Athens and Beijing Olympics.
Watch the story tonight/tomorrow morning on Hays Post News, Eagle Community TV Channel 14.
Consumer Corner: Check out your contractor before making home repairs
By Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt
Spring time storm damage can require quick clean-up and unscheduled home repairs. In addition, as the weather warms up, summer begs us to get started on home improvement projects that we neglected during the winter months.
Every year at about this time, the Kansas Attorney General’s Office Consumer Protection Division experiences an increase in complaints about home-improvement and home-repair scams.
The vast majority of contractors offer legitimate services and quality results. But when the contractor engages in fraudulent or deceptive business practices as part of a scam, our office has the authority to intervene.
A scam we often hear about involves someone claiming to be a contractor approaching a homeowner saying they have “leftover” materials from a neighbor’s job. Then, they offer to do your work at a discounted rate if they can get a portion of their money in advance. Many times, these scammers leave the property with your money and never return.
You should always be especially cautious of people offering door-to-door home-repair or storm clean-up services. Often these transient sales people single-out homes where the homeowner is vulnerable to high-pressure sales tactics – an older person who lives alone, for example.
Here are a few simple tips to remember:
If a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
You should always get multiple written bids on home improvement projects to ensure quotes are reasonable and competitive.
When selecting a contractor, it is always wise to ask for local references. Working with a well-known, reputable local contractor is always the best way to go.
Friends, family and neighbors are the best sources for recommendations.
You should make sure any contractor you work with is insured and carries all of the required local permits.
Never give final payment for any work until it has been completed to your satisfaction.
If you believe you are the victim of a scam, our office is here to help. You can file a complaint with our Consumer Protection Division by visiting our website, www.ag.ks.gov, or by calling (800) 432-2310. Even if we find that there has not been a violation of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act, the staff in our office can provide information on options to settle your disputes.
Condolences to George Strait, whose father, John Byron Strait, died Tuesday at age 91. He had been hospitalized for much of the last month.
