NASHVILLE (AP) – Martina McBride has raised more than $40,000 for cancer research. Her nationwide volunteer group Team Martina donated the money to Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center in Nashville to fund breast cancer research. The donation was made in honor of Team Martina member Taira Baughman, who died of breast cancer earlier this year. She appeared in McBride’s video for “I’m Gonna Love You Through It.”
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The American Red Cross was honored Monday for their free wireless apps, which local volunteers utilize regularly. Megan Carver, Service Center Manager for the Hays office, told Hays Post that a lot of local volunteers utilize those apps in various disaster situations. She said the Red Cross encourages the public to download these free resources. She also added that a lot of people aren’t aware of all that the American Red Cross (ARC) does and how far donations go. Specifically, she mentioned the involvement of ARC at last week’s train derailment.
“Until you personally see our services, you don’t necessarily know exactly what we do…until you experience us first hand, you don’t really know what your donations go for.
We were really active with the train derailment…we opened a shelter at Holy Family for the people that were taken out of their homes, we set up cots and had food for them away from everything until it was safe for them to go back. We also had volunteers and employees on the scene with our emergency response vehicle and they were handing out coffee and water, we had breakfast and lunch there for them.”
Carver also stated that a good way to get involved or get familiar with what ARC does is to download their newest wireless app, “The Team Red Cross App”. It allows people to view what volunteer opportunities are available locally and sign up to volunteer.
Carver added that donations to ARC go into a large national pot, which can be used in conjunction with funds raised locally for disaster relief efforts. “If we would have needed more money than what we had raised locally, then we would have definitely received it.”
Below is the press release from the American Red Cross
The Wireless Foundation honored the American Red Cross on Monday with the Connected Health Achievement Award for its popular suite of free preparedness mobile apps. The American Red Cross First Aid, Tornado, Earthquake, Hurricane and Wildfire Apps provide people with lifesaving information in times of disaster at the touch of a button.
“What is really most gratifying to me personally is when disasters are averted all together,” said Gail McGovern, president and CEO of the American Red Cross, at the awards dinner in Washington, D.C. “And that’s exactly what these apps can do.”
McGovern recounted a review she saw posted on the iTunes Store where a Tornado App user described how the app’s tornado warning alert sounded when tornadoes ripped through Oklahoma in May. Based on the information in the app, the user was able to determine where to go to safety. As a result, he credited the app with saving his life and the lives of his family and neighbors.
In just nine months, the five apps have been downloaded over 3 million times and have exponentially increased the reach of Red Cross safety and preparedness messages. People have reported using the First Aid App to save lives in situations such as giving back blows and abdominal thrusts to a stranger who was choking; controlling bleeding for an injured colleague; and helping a friend who was having a seizure.
Last week, the Red Cross released its newest app, the Team Red Cross App, which allows people to sign up to help, get an overview on basic tasks and receive notifications about Red Cross disaster volunteer opportunities in their community.
“Our plan is stay on the cutting edge of this technology,” McGovern said.
The apps can be found in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store by searching for American Red Cross or by going to redcross.org/mobileapps
FIRST AID APP The First Aid app is an easy way to get lifesaving first aid instruction anytime, anywhere. Features include step-by step instructions for first aid scenarios and a 9-1-1 call button, as well as safety and preparedness tips for a range of conditions including severe weather and disasters.
TORNADO APP The tornado app includes features like a high-pitched siren and tornado warning alert that signals when a NOAA tornado warning has been issued.
HURRICANE APP People can download the Red Cross Hurricane App to have real-time hurricane safety information at their fingertips. They can use the app to receive weather alerts and get information on Red Cross shelters.
EARTHQUAKE APP People can receive alerts and notifications when an earthquake occurs, prepare their family and home, find help and let others know they are safe even if the power is out – a must have for anyone who lives in an earthquake-prone area or has loved ones who do.
WILDFIRE APP The Red Cross Wildfire App features preloaded content that gives users instant access to information on what to do before, during and after wildfires – even without mobile connectivity. Get the latest news from local, state and federal fire agencies in the “Wildfire News” section.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit the Western Kansas American Red Cross page at https://www.redcross.org/ks/garden-city or visit them on Twitter at @RedCross.
(AP) — A federal judge has refused to lift a criminal contempt finding against a Kansas doctor who repeatedly interrupted her during a recent 
appearance on charges related to a $7 million Army fraud and bribery indictment.
U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson on Thursday rejected a defense request to reconsider the judgment against 50-year-old Heidi Lynn Webster, of Manhattan. Robinson sentenced Webster to 30 days on top to any sentence she receives in the underlying Texas case accusing her of medical equipment contract fraud.
Webster’s attorney told the court his client was remorseful and called her conduct a result of “panic and shock from being arrested.”
But Robinson ruled the attorney made no legal showing to merit reconsideration and noted the court repeatedly warned Webster during last week’s hearing.
(AP) — Discount retailer Alco Stores Inc. has entered into an agreement to merge with private investment firm Argonne Capital Group LLC.
Alco said in a news release Thursday that Atlanta-based Argonne will acquire all the outstanding share of Alco Stores’ common stock for $14 per share in cash. The proposed transaction would total about $47 million.
Alco’s Board of Directors has unanimously approved the merger agreement and is recommending that shareholders approve it.
Alco, formerly known as Duckwall-Alco before changing its name last year, is in the process of moving from Abilene, Kan., to the Dallas suburb of Coppell. The company specializes in serving small towns and has 213 Alco stores in 23 states selling home furnishings, outdoor products, electronics sporting goods and clothing.
The Hays Police Department conducted 15 traffic stops and received 11 animal calls on Wednesday, according to the Police Activity Log.
Driving While Suspended or Revoked:
Suspicious Activity:
Disturbance:
Vehicle Accident:
11 a.m. Thursday The Governor is aware of this issue and understands the concerns outlined by the Attorney General. Governor Brownback will make a decision soon on calling a special session to address this Supreme Court decision and its effect on the Kansas “Hard 50” law.
5 p.m. Wednesday (AP) — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt is asking Gov. Sam Brownback to call the Legislature into special session to rewrite the
state’s “Hard 50” sentencing law.
The statute allows people convicted of first-degree murder to be sentenced to a minimum of 50 years in prison before they can seek parole.
In a letter Wednesday to the governor, Schmidt says a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision raised questions about the constitutionality of the Kansas law. The high court held that juries, not judges, should have the final say on facts triggering mandatory minimum sentences.
The Associated Press obtained a copy of Schmidt’s letter from a source who was not authorized to release it publicly. Schmidt did not return a cell phone message seeking comment.
NEW YORK (AP) – Loretta Lynn and Vince Gill are among the musicians bringing the music of the Civil War back to life. They are part of a two-disc set of Civil War songs called “Divided and United.” Other artists include Dolly Parton, Lee Ann Womack, Ralph Stanley, T Bone Burnett, Jamey Johnson and Steve Earle. The collection comes out this fall, but you can hear Lynn’s version of “Take Your Gun and Go, John” on RollingStone.com.
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A security camera has captured the moment when a Spanish train veers off the track and crashes into a wall at high speed.
The footage posted today shows the train rounding a bend, making a turn to the left underneath a road overpass.
The train’s first carriage behind the locomotive appears to come off the tracks first, slamming the tail of the locomotive into a concrete wall.
All the carriages can be seen starting to come off the tracks as the locomotive hurtles toward the camera position.
The security camera footage appears to stop at the moment that the engine crashes into it. The death toll from the crash stands at 78. Hospital officials say 141 people were injured, and 36 of them remain in critical condition.
Graduates of Kansas State University at Salina’s pilot program are getting a break from the federal government.
The school has been granted an exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration that will allow students to become professional co-pilots more quickly than other schools’ graduates.
The FAA rule requires aviation graduates to have at least 1,500 hours of flight time before being hired as co-pilots. The Salina Journal reports KSU-Salina’s flight program meets FAA requirements for an exemption. That means its graduates are required to have only 1,000 flight hours before becoming co-pilots.
Kurt Barnhart, an official at the school, said the exemption gives the students advantages in time and cost over students at flight schools that don’t meet the FAA requirements.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is urging swimmers and boaters to be careful after a spate of drowning deaths.
So far this year, there have been seven water-related fatalities at the district’s Kansas lakes – the most in these lakes in more than 20 years. The corps says alcohol was a contributing factor in five of the seven drownings.
Those deaths are among 74 in the past nine years in the 18 lakes the corps manages in its Kansas City district, which includes parts of Missouri, Kansas, Iowa and Nebraska. The corps urged boaters to wear life jackets, noting that only one of the 74 victims was wearing a life jacket.
Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt today joined a bi-partisan national coalition of 49 Attorneys General calling on Congress to amend
federal law to help states fight prostitution and child sex trafficking online.
In a letter to key members of Congress, the Attorneys General advocated that Congress amend the Communications Decency Act to allow criminal jurisdiction for state and local prosecutors.
The Communications Decency Act of 1996 was drafted when the internet was in its infancy. The original purpose of the Act was to protect children from accessing indecent material online, but courts have interpreted certain provisions of the Act to provide immunity from State prosecution to online classified ad sites, such as Backpage.com, that promote and profit from human trafficking.
“Federal law needs to be modernized to make sure we can prosecute those who use technology to exploit vulnerable victims,” Schmidt said. “Local prosecutors should be on the front lines of this battle.”
Absent interstate travel, federal property, or the involvement of a minor, prostitution is not a federal crime. While the Communications Decency Act provides criminal authority to the federal government, the Attorneys General believe that criminal jurisdiction needs to be extended to help states combat these crimes.
Federal, state and local prosecutors report that prostitution solicitations have largely moved online.
Hays Post News
A parasite typically seen only in Latin America has sickened hundreds in the United States.
Nearly 300 people from 8 states including Kansas have already become sick. The Iowa Department of Public Health says at least five people have been hospitalized.
Health officials say it possibly came from contaminated food or water. The parasite causes symptoms similar to a viral stomach bug. Doctors say antibiotics can help treat it. The illnesses began in June, leading officials to believe whatever produce caused it may have been eaten or thrown away by now.
