Today, U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) along with U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), a member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, announced the Fiscal Year 2014 Homeland Security Appropriations Bill was approved with bipartisan support by the Senate Appropriations Committee. The bill includes $404 million for construction of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF), an amount equal to the U.S. House of Representatives approved appropriations bill and a critical step forward for the lab under construction in Manhattan, Kan.

“It’s an objective fact,” Sen. Roberts said. “The nation needs NBAF. Every delay leaves the American people and the American food supply at greater risk. Another important step toward completion was made today as $404 million for construction of the NBAF made it out of committee and is now on its way to the Senate floor. We need to get this done, and I look forward to broad bipartisan support of the NBAF on the Senate floor.”

“As a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, I’m committed to making certain NBAF remains a top priority,” Sen. Moran said. “This bill is good news for Kansas and for the country: it means we’re on the way to constructing a modern, world-class facility — a vital component to protect Americans against biological threats. A great aspect for Kansas is that NBAF’s construction is yet another opportunity to develop our state as a research epicenter, ultimately creating jobs for Kansans in the fields of engineering, science and technology.”

The main laboratory will boast safety and security features recommended by the National Academies of Sciences. It will include specialized air and water decontamination systems, new technologies for handling solid waste onsite, and structural components to strengthen the laboratory against hazardous weather conditions. A funding commitment was also made to provide infrastructure repairs at the Plum Island Animal Disease Center to guarantee a smooth transition of research from Plum Island, N.Y., to Manhattan, Kan.

(AP) — A former dean at the University of Kansas Medical Center and her husband left a $10 million gift to the medical center and university libraries when they died last year.

The university’s endowment association announced the gift Thursday from the estate of Stata Norton Ringle, a former dean of the School of Allied Health at the medical center and her husband, David Ringle. The couple lived in Leawood.

Stata Ringle was a faculty member and administrator at the medical center from 1962 to 1990. David was a research psychologist for the Midwest Research Institute.

The university says the gift will be divided between student scholarships at the School of Health Professionals, the Clendening History of Medicine Library and the Kenneth Spencer Research Library.

Four former bank employees are charged with embezzling from a bank in Grant County, Kan., and staging a robbery to cover the thefts, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.

Four former employees of Western State Bank in Ulysses, Kan., are charged in a federal grand jury indictment unsealed today. The defendants are:

Amber Gutierrez, 32, Ulysses, Kan., who is charged with two counts of embezzlement by a bank employee and one count of bank robbery.
Hattie Wiginton, 32, Ulysses, Kan., who is charged with two counts of embezzlement by a bank employee, one count of bank robbery, and one count of making a false statement to the FBI.
Ashley Cravens, 28, Ulysses, Kan., who is charged with two counts of embezzlement by a bank employee and one count of bank robbery.
Linda Wise, 59, Ulysses, Kan., who is charged with one count of embezzlement by a bank employee.

The indictment alleges:
From 2008 to July 24, 2010, while Gutierrez was head teller and Wiginton and Cravens were clerks, they embezzled up to $84,200 from the bank.
On July 24, 2010, Gutierrez, Wiginton and Cravens staged a robbery at the bank, taking an undetermined amount of cash.
On July 24, 2010, Wiginton made false statements to the FBI, including false claims that she did not know who robbed the bank, that there were two robbers and that one of the robbers was a male with an Hispanic accent.
From late 2010 to March 2013, Gutierrez, Cravens and Wise, who were still bank employees, embezzled $24,450 from the bank. They created falsified cash deposit slips and deposited funds in their personal accounts.

If convicted, they face a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1,000 on the each count of theft by a bank employee; a maximum penalty of 25 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of bank robbery; and a maximum penalty of five years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of making a false statement to the FBI. The FBI, the KBI, the Grant County Sheriff’s Office and the Ulysses Police Department investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith is prosecuting.

(AP) — The longtime chairman of the Kansas House Insurance Committee is seeking the Republican nomination for insurance commissioner.

Rep. Clark Shultz of McPherson said Thursday he’s thought about running for the office for several years. But he said he’s intended to wait to run until three-term Republican incumbent Sandy Praeger planned to retire.

Praeger isn’t expected to seek another four-year term next year.

Shultz said one of his main goals as commissioner would be attracting new insurance companies to Kansas.

Shultz is the fourth declared Republican candidate, with the GOP primary set for August 2014. No Democrat has publicly announced plans to run.

The 56-year-old Shultz has served in the House since 1997 and has been chairman of its Insurance Committee for nine years. He’s also chairman of its rules committee.

On July 9, at Solomon Creek Farms near Colby, the 25th billionth bushel of wheat in the past 100 years of Kansas farming was harvested. Mike Brown, co-owner of

Solomon Creek Farms, caught the grain in a bushel basket as his son Tanner unloaded the combine into a grain cart.

Members of the Mike Brown harvest crew, harvested the 25 billionth bushel of wheat, July 9, near Colby.
Over the past 100 years, productivity and determination have allowed Kansas farmers to produce over 25 billion bushels of wheat, which equals more than 1 trillion commercial loaves of bread.
Often referred to as “The Wheat State,” Kansas has earned a reputation for wheat production. On average Kansas is the largest wheat producing state with nearly one-fifth of all the wheat in the United States grown in Kansas.

Mike sees this accomplishment of 25 billion bushels as testament to the hard work farmers continue to put forth every single day, during the good times and the bad.

“I think it’s very symbolic of the perseverance and dedication that the Kansas farmer has done over the past 100 years,” Mike said.

Harvesting the 25th billionth bushel at their farm was an honor for the entire Brown family, as they share a rich history in farming. Mike is a first generation farmer who got his start in agriculture by working as a farm hand for a couple who became his in-laws. He and his wife, Jeanene, now farm that same land today. Their son Tanner and his wife, Carla, run the operation with Mike. Tanner is a 6th generation farmer, as his mother’s family has been farming in Thomas County for over 100 years. Mike and Tanner are both active leaders in the industry. Mike has served as a commissioner on the Kansas Wheat Commission. Meanwhile Tanner was just accepted to the 12th class of the Kansas Agriculture and Rural Leadership program.

As a farmer in northwestern Kansas, Mike has seen his fair share of the struggles of agricultural life. The past few years, his farm has felt the negative effects of long-term drought. However, the silver lining of production agriculture keeps Mike and farmers like him moving forward. This year, even though the drought cut his yields, Mike was ecstatic about the quality of his wheat.
“I guess what keeps us going is that farmers seem to be eternal optimists. We always think next year is going to be better,” Mike said.

Mike also accredits several changes in technology that have allowed farmers to conquer the daily challenges on the farm. Through improved seed genetics and equipment, the production per person has changed dramatically over the past 100 years. Mike also believes that management techniques such as no-till and crop rotations have given a boost to the productivity and success of farmers.

“I think it is a pretty impressive milestone for the Kansas wheat producers. Obviously there is a reason they call us the wheat state,” Mike says.

While 25 billion bushels of wheat harvested is a mighty accomplishment, just like any farmer, Mike has his view set on the future. He believes that the future will bring many new opportunities for farmers and just as it has in the past it will also bring obstacles. However, progression in farming and the wheat industry is something that Mike is sure will continue.

This year also marks the 100th anniversary of the Kansas State Fair. The public is invited to celebrate the success of the fair and agriculture across the state of Kansas at this year’s state fair in Hutchinson, September 6-15. The 25th billionth bushel will be on display at the Kansas Wheat booth in the Pride of Kansas Building.