GREENWOOD, Miss. (AP) – Bobbie Gentry will get a marker on the Mississippi Country Music Trail. Her marker will be unveiled today in Greenwood, Mississippi, where Gentry went to school. Gentry is probably best known for the 1967 song “Ode to Billie Joe.”
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3:50 p.m. Similar bomb threats were called into two K-Mart stores and a Walgreens store in Wichita and a K-Mart store in Manhattan. Authorities in Salina say a man called demanding that money be placed on a pre-paid debit card. The store had 3 minutes to transfer the funds or a bomb would be detonated.
2 p.m. Thursday afternoon, a bomb threat was called in at K-mart on Broadway Blvd., in Salina.
The store was evacuated and a perimeter was set up by the Salina Police Department.
The threat was quickly handled, no bomb was found and the store was reopened. An investigation continues.
It took city of Hays employees six days to collect 380 tons of “junk” during last month’s annual alley cleanup.
According to Solid Waste Superintendent Marvin Honas, 39 employees on five crews worked 2,184 hours starting October 14.
They picked up 760,000 pounds of trash, debris and tree limbs not normally collected using a variety of trucks, tractors and trailers.
Honas says the amount of metal goods was down substantially from previous years.
“We also only collected 20 bicycles which people put out to be refurbished and then we donate the bikes to local kids, ” says Honas.
“Our employees saw several people taking the bikes and putting them in the back of their trucks. We’re pretty sure they’re iron collectors and sell the bikes as scrap iron.
“I hope people realize why those bicycles are out there, and that we recycle them.”
The alley cleanup program is free for residential refuse customers.
Hays residents have an opportunity to lend a helping hand as part of an international relief effort for those affected by Super Typhoon Haiyan (or Yolanda as locals referred to it) which devastated the Philippines on Friday, November 8th. Susan Gamboa of Hays is leading a local relief effort to gather donations to be sent directly to those in need. Born in the Philippines, Gamboa told Hays Post that she has partnered with The Hadley Center, which has offered to allow people to utilize their mail room to store the items to be mailed overseas.
Gamboa has also already received donations from various groups within the community. Any non-perishable items will be accepted. She added that all donations will be shipped directly to a church and distributed by two pastors and a priest that Gamboa has been communicating with.
“The television news casts you see, the focus is mostly on the most hard-hit areas, but there are other islands that had been hit that people don’t see. There are more people affected by this super typhoon. We are so blessed here, and we would like to ask for things that people don’t need, especially more summer things since there’s no winter there.”
Some of the items in demand include clothes, small toys for children, books, towels, and shoes. Gamboa added that there is no weight limit on the boxes, and any non-perishable items that can be put into a box will be appreciated.
Items can be dropped off at the Hadley Center through the 205 E. 7th St entrance. Signs will be posted to direct the public. Donations will be accepted through sometime next week. Anyone with questions can contact Susan Gamboa at 206-979-2897.
Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism (KDWPT) law enforcement officers will conduct a wildlife checkpoint in northcentral Kansas in mid-November.
With upland bird, turkey, deer and waterfowl seasons underway, the checkpoint is intended to help enforce state and federal wildlife laws.
Officers will ask vehicle occupants if they have been hunting or are transporting wildlife. If they answer yes in either case, drivers will be directed to a check lane where natural resource officers will check for required licenses and permits, count the game and gather biological, harvest, and hunter success information. If violations of wildlife laws or other state laws are found, appropriate enforcement actions will be taken.
Additional wildlife checkpoints will occur around the state during the fall and winter hunting seasons.
The latest Medicare phone scam comes from a New York based company by the name of ‘GMY’. Complainants allege that GMY company representatives contact consumers and ask that they verify their information in order to update their Medicare cards. Consumers have reported phone calls coming from 866-680-0169, one of the known GMY phone numbers. Although it may seem like a routine call, these scammers are only after bank account numbers and other personal information. Some consumers report they were threatened with losing their Medicare and Social Security benefits if they failed to provide the updated information.
The scam has made one Concordia, Kansas resident a victim.
So far, consumers have also been contacted in New York, Nebraska, Minnesota, and Ohio. BBB wants to make sure this list doesn’t grow and offers the following tips to avoid falling victim to this Medicare scam.
Don’t give out personal information such as bank account numbers credit card numbers, dates of birth or social security numbers to unfamiliar callers.
The government does not call, text or email. Government agencies typically communicate through the mail, so be very cautious of any unsolicited calls, text messages or emails you receive. Also, if the government is contacting you, they should already have your basic personal info, such as your address and social security number.
Beware of threats or immediate calls to action. Threats stating that you’ll lose your Medicare and/or Social Security are a red flag. If you have questions regarding your coverage, contact Medicare directly at, 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227)
Don’t by fooled by door-to-door or telephone salespeople that tell you medical services or equipment are free.
Give your insurance/Medicare identification our sparingly. You should only give your insurance/Medicare information to those who have provided you with medical services.
Keep accurate records of all health care appointments to prevent fraud involving Medicare/Medicaid information provided to doctors or caregivers.
Identify real Medicare providers by calling 1-800-MEDICARE (633-4227); TTY users can call 1-866-653-4261 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
If you suspect identity theft, or believe you may have given your personal information to someone you shouldn’t have, call the Federal Trade Commission’s ID Theft Hotline at 1-877-438-4338. For more information about Medicare and Medicare fraud, visit www.medicare.gov.
Hays High School, along with the rest of the area schools, is taking bullying very seriously. As more examples of student-on-student harassment are springing up around the nation (a recent case being the physical hazing and branding of lower classmen by their Hutchinson football teammates) school staff in the area remain on the lookout. Hays High School principal Martin Straub told Hays Post that he doesn’t feel like Hays sees as much bullying as other schools in the region, in part because of the efforts of adults.
Straub believes that school staff, parents, and the community as a whole play a big part in shaping students and helping them make responsible decisions, including how to interact with others. He said that bullying and harassment have evolved and adults have had to adapt as well, especially in recent years.
“The type of bullying over the years; the biggest change we’ve seen is through social media. Even social media bullying has changed in that kids carry around a computer in their phones. When it happens it’s just very seldom done here at school because they have access to technology 24/7 now.”
He said that school staff maintains a constant presence in the halls and around the building when students are about, which he feels helps prevent bullying. Straub added that that while staff may not observe it as often, when any student is seen mistreating another, it’s addressed immediately, but not through punishment.
“You try to intervene on behalf of the victim and try to empower them to stand up for themselves but many of them can’t or won’t, so you advocate for them. Fortunately for us in Hays, usually conferencing with a kid and letting those parents know that their kid is being identified as somebody who is saying something inappropriate or taking advantage of a kid is usually enough.”
Straub said taking this approach before jumping straight to punishment has been very beneficial in his 30 year experience, as it helps prepare the students for life beyond high school, helping them think beyond the immediate future while encouraging students to make the responsible decisions.
“It is part of our society and we need to do more than just punish kids. We need to work them through it and try to appeal to their sense of decency, empathy, morality and understanding that every kid in our school is different, every adult is different. And we take time to talk about those things.”
Straub added that Hays High School has an eclectic mix of students with various backgrounds and interests, which also helps promote the need to respect others despite their perceived differences.
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(AP) — President Barack Obama says he hears Americans who are upset about losing their health insurance “loud and clear” and is offering a fix.
Obama on Thursday announced that insurance companies can keep offering consumers plans that would otherwise be cancelled.
The president noted that the first-month enrollment numbers in health care plans under his law are lagging and he isn’t happy about it. He said that “we fumbled the roll-out” of the program. And he vowed to build a better health care system for every American and “get it right.”
The administrative changes are good for just one year, though senior administration officials said they could be extended if problems with the law persist.
(AP) — A Reno County judge is granting a 14-year-old Hutchinson boy’s request to bar public access to juvenile court proceedings over the arson deaths of his mother and younger sister.
The teen is charged with first-degree murder in their deaths and with the attempted murder of his father. He also is charged with aggravated arson in the Sept. 26 fire at the family’s home.
Reno County Chief Judge Patricia Macke Dick also advised Wednesday that individual documents in the case may be sealed.
Prosecutors didn’t object to the teen’s request for a “protective order,” but an attorney for The Hutchinson News argued against excluding the public. A hearing was held last month.
The state is seeking to prosecute the teen as an adult.
(AP) — Former Kansas fullback Christopher Powell alleges in a lawsuit that the NCAA failed to adequately protect athletes from head trauma.
The 
suit was filed this week in the in the U.S. District Court for Western Missouri. The class action suit seeks an undetermined amount in damages for Powell and other athletes who suffered head trauma in college.
Powell, of Kansas City, Mo., said in his filing that he sustained at least four concussions while playing for Kansas from 1990 to 1994. Powell says he continues to suffer neurologic and cognitive deficits that require medical monitoring and out-of-pocket expenses.
Kansas is not a named defendant in Powell’s suit. The NCAA didn’t immediately respond to a request from The Associated Press seeking comment.
“The bill is a sham.”
First District Kansas Congressman Tim Huelskamp (R-KS) doesn’t like the 1,200 page immigration reform bill passed by the Senate in June, which has yet to be debated by the House:
Wednesday, House Speaker John Boehner ruled out any action in the House this year on immigration reform. Immigration laws have not been changed since 1985.
U.S. Senator Pat Roberts today took to the floor of the U.S. Senate to put a name and a face on the consequences of the President’s new health care law by sharing the concerns of Beth from Tribune, Kansas.
U.S. Senator Pat Roberts today took to the floor of the U.S. Senate to put a name and a face on the consequences of the President’s new health care law by sharing the concerns of Beth from Tribune, Kansas.
According to media reports, more Kansans are losing coverage under Obamacare than are able to sign up for it in the exchanges. In October, only 371 Kansans have signed up for coverage under the exchange while more than 9,000 Kansans have lost the plan they liked including Kansans like Beth.
For audio and video of Senator Roberts’ floor statement click HERE.
The following is the text of Senator Roberts’ prepared remarks:
“Beth from Tribune, Kansas is the single mother of a 3-year-old-son with significant physical disabilities.
“Her son’s insurance is being cancelled the first of January.
“To replace his policy with a similar plan, it’s going to cost far more than the $750 monthly premium Beth pays now.
“She writes, ‘How can this be? My little boy needs health insurance…Now our insurance company is telling us this policy no longer exists because it doesn’t meet the government’s requirements and if we’d like to get another plan it’s going to cost even more for the same child to be covered.’
‘We didn’t change children…it’s the same child!! This doesn’t make sense. We visit multiple specialists frequently and we need this insurance. It baffles me as to why this is happening. It’s not rocket science…it’s healthcare. Obamacare is affecting the people that need it the most and NOT in a good way…It’s very stressful raising a child with significant needs….I’d like to be concentrating on the health and well-being of my son and not stressing out over health insurance.’
“For Beth and her son, we must repeal this law.”
Senator Roberts is a senior member of the Senate Committee on Finance. He is the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee’s Subcommittee on Health. Roberts is also a key member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and is the co-chair of the Senate Rural Health Caucus.
