If you noticed your pine tree dropping needles, it may be natural or it may be something to be concerned about. Holly Dickman explains.
Month: November 2013
Sheriff’s Department: Use Caution While Driving
Hays and the surrounding area have received a little bit of rainfall, and The Ellis County Sheriff’s Department would like to take the opportunity to remind all drivers to be careful when driving during any sort of moisture accumulation. Ellis County Sheriff Ed Harbin said that it’s important to remember that it doesn’t take a lot of water to cause adverse driving conditions.
“You need to watch out for hydroplaning. When it rains, after so much rain it will build up on the roads. Your tires have a play in it too, once you get so much water if your tires aren’t moving the water away or if you’re going too fast, you’re going to hydroplane.”
He added that county roads are also a hazard. While hydroplaning isn’t the danger, it’s easy for a muddy county road to “suck a person into the ditch” once a driver loses control, especially if high speeds are a factor.
Harbin said the most important thing people need to remember is to use caution.
Susan Schlicting – Fraud Protection/Cyber Security
Susan discusses a free seminar coming up November 19 concerning fraud protection and cyber security.
Gusting Winds Cause Minor Accident
The Ellis County Sheriff’s Department responded to a minor vehicle accident caused by gusting winds on Sunday According to Ellis County Sheriff Ed Harbin, around 3:25 pm 63 year old Darrell Schmeidler of Hays was northbound on Yocemento Avenue pulling a trailer full of milo.
Schmeidler stopped at a stop sign at an intersection, but because of the blowing chalk/dust on the road, did not see a pickup approaching from the west, and pulled into the intersection. The second vehicle, driven by 30 year old Ryan Roth of Ransom was westbound on Golf Course Road and collided with the truck.
Neither the drivers nor a passenger in the pickup, 43 year old Richard Leuters of Ransom, were injured. There was minor damage to both vehicles.
Sheriff Harbin added that visibility is extremely limited on county roads in high winds, and encourages motorists to use extra caution when traveling down such roads.
Roberts Questions CMS Administrator on Patient Privacy in Obamacare Exchange (VIDEO)
U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan) today renewed his warning that the Obamacare exchanges are leaving applicants vulnerable by failing to safeguard private patient health and financial information. This ongoing concern was reiterated today while questioning Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Marilyn Tavenner in a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee hearing on the failed rollout of the President’s signature legislation.
Senator Roberts pressed Tavenner on a memo she signed on September 27th, just days before the October 1st launch of Healthcare.gov. The memo in question granted her approval to move forward with the exchanges despite multiple warnings that the inability to complete a full end-to-end test of marketplace systems posed “inherent security risks.”
After the hearing Roberts said, “Administrator Tavenner has been managing the day-to-day operations of the exchange website launch. We now have her signature on a document acknowledging there were critical security risks with the healthcare.gov website. It is her signature authorizing the contractors to make the site operational despite stated security concerns from both inside and outside the administration.
“We keep getting assurances from the Administration that the data within the failed healthcare.gov website is secure and that patient privacy is protected, but where is the proof? They won’t share the data with us. What are the administration’s plans for protecting privacy? Why can’t they be transparent? Who is accountable for this mess?” Roberts asked.
“The answers aren’t adding up. Secretary Sebelius says she is accountable, yet Administrator Tavenner says she made the final call on moving forward with the exchange. There is a remarkable lack of clarity when it comes to the security of this site. That lack of transparency is causing incredible uncertainty and downright fear for the folks forced into these exchanges. There is a clear lack of leadership throughout the execution of this program, and I believe that falls squarely at the top on Secretary Sebelius and the President.”
Senator Roberts is an outspoken opponent of Obamacare. He has called on Secretary Sebelius to resign over the problems with implementation of the law. He is a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and the Senate Committee on Finance. He is the Co-Chair of the Senate Rural Health Caucus.
Huelskamp Holding Area Town Hall Meetings – (AUDIO)
Representative Tim Huelskamp released his Town Hall schedule. These local events allow Kansans the opportunity to visit one on one with the Congressman and share their concerns about the future of the nation.
The Congressman spoke with Hays Post in a phone interview about how these meetings are going, what he expects to accomplish in these town hall meetings, and what people can expect when they attend these meetings. Below is a schedule of Huelskamp’s meetings, as well as the interview in it’s entirety.
Wednesday, November 6th
(200th Town Hall)
9:00am – 10:00am
Rooks County Town Hall
Rooks County Health Center – Dining Room
1210 N Washington, Plainville
1:30pm – 2:30pm
Ellis County Town Hall
Rose Garden Banquet Hall (former Fanchon Ballroom)
2350 E 8th, Hays
Friday, November 8th
11:00am – 12:00pm
Marshall County Town Hall
Landoll Lanes
2005 Center St, Marysville
1:00pm – 2:00pm
Washington County Town Hall
1st National Bank Community Room
101 C Street, Washington
Police report Kansas computer crime
On Monday, the Riley County Police Department took a report of computer crime for an incident that began on October 31.
According to police Manhattan Broadcasting Company of Manhattan, Kansas became the victim of this crime when they received a computer virus from an unknown subject(s). This virus was responsible for freezing their computer files and asked that Manhattan Broadcasting Company send payment in order to restore their documents.
Officers are investigating this crime and ask that those with more information contact RCPD or the Manhattan Riley County Crime Stoppers.
RCPD would like to remind the public to be mindful of the links they choose to follow and the files they decide to download onto personal and work computers.
Avoid ‘.zip’ files in attachments to avoid being a victim of this CryptoLocker or similar computer virus.
Weekend Police Activity Log
The Hays Police Department conducted 34 traffic stops and received 15 animal calls Friday November 1st through Sunday November 3rd according to the Police Activity Log.
11/1/2013
1:23 AM – Harassment, Telephone/FAX reported in the 400 block of E 12th St
1:59 AM – Criminal Damage to Property reported in the 100 block of W 7th St
2:46 AM – Suicidal Subject reported in the 400 block of W 5th St
3:04 AM – Disturbance – Noise reported in the 700 block of W 12th St
8:57 AM – Document Service reported in the 100 block of W 12th St
10/31/2013 07:00 PM > 11/01/2013 09:24 AM – Criminal Damage to Property reported in the 400 block of W 7th St
9:49 AM – Warrant Service (Fail to Appear) reported in the 100 block of W 12th St
10:05 AM – Welfare Check reported in the 700 block of E 6th St
9:40 AM – Theft (general) reported in the 4000 block of Vine St
3:10 PM – MV Accident-Private Property reported in the 1900 block of Vine St
3:15 PM – MV Accident-Private Property reported in the 500 block of W 27th St
3:41 PM – Warrant Service (Fail to Appear) reported in the 2100 block of Vine St
3:46 PM – Fraud reported in the 2700 block of Canal Blvd
4:13 PM – Probation/Parole Violation reported in the 1000 block of Fort St
6:44 PM – MV Accident-Private Property reported in the 2700 block of Vine St
8:05 PM – Unwanted Person reported in the 4300 block of Vine St
07:30 PM > 08:00 PM – Bicycle – Lost,Found,Stolen reported in the 4300 block of Vine St
10:12 PM – Minor in Possession of CMB/LIQ reported in the 300 block of W 8th St
11/2/2013
2:23 AM – Driving Under the Influence reported in the 1000 block of W 8th St
2:50 AM – Mental Health Call reported in the 500 block of Halladay St
10:15 AM – Violation of Restraining Order/PFA reported in the 700 block of E 6th St
10:22 AM – Harassment, Telephone/FAX reported in the 700 block of E 6th St
10:30 PM – Found/Lost Property reported in the 2000 block of Patio Dr
10:54 AM – Animal At Large reported in the 2500 block of Virginia Dr
12:15 PM – Warrant Service (Fail to Appear) reported in the 100 block of W 4th St
1:29 PM – Driving While Suspended/Revoked reported in the 1200 block of E 27th St
2:14 PM – Animal At Large reported in the 400 block of W 12th St
3:32 PM – Assist – Other (not MV) reported in the 400 block of E 13th St
3:35 PM – Animal At Large reported in the 2000 block of Walnut St
12:00 AM – MV Accident-City Street/Alley reported in the 100 block of Elm St
5:26 PM – Found/Lost Property reported in the 1000 block of Reservation Rd
9:34 PM – Assist – Other (not MV) reported in the 100 block of E 7th St
11:49 PM – Disorderly Conduct reported in the 200 block of W 10th St
11/3/2013
12:51 AM – Driving Under the Influence reported in the 800 block of Ash St
1:01 AM – Drug Offenses reported in the 200 block of W 8th St
1:05 AM – Suspicious Activity reported in the 2500 block of Marjorie Dr
1:10 AM – Driving Under the Influence reported in the 100 block of W 10th St
1:39 AM – Found/Lost Property reported in the 200 block of W 10th St
02:00 AM > 02:18 AM – Battery on LEO reported in the 2800 block of Grant Ave
6:14 AM – Animal Call reported in the 1000 block of Reservation Rd
9:25 AM – Disturbance – General reported in the 1000 block of Reservation Rd
10:33 AM – Animal Call reported in the 1000 block of Centennial Blvd
11:21 AM – Theft (general) reported in the 2700 block of Hall St
12:13 PM – Aggravated Assault reported in the 200 block of E 20th St
12:50 PM – Animal Call reported in the 3000 block of E 14th St
11/02/2013 10:00 PM > 11/02/2013 12:15 PM – Theft (general) reported in the 2900 block of Vine St
4:01 PM – Animal Call reported in the 2500 block of Haney Dr
5:48 PM – Abandoned Vehicle reported in the 2900 block of Skyline Ct
06:05 PM > 06:18 PM – Theft (general) reported in the 2900 block of Broadway Ave
6:29 PM – Found/Lost Property reported in the 400 block of E 19th St
8:28 PM – Drug Offenses/DUI reported in the 300 block of W 11th St
9:02 PM – Civil Dispute reported in the 100 block of E 15th St
10:27 PM – Contempt of Court/Fail to Pay reported in the 1900 block of Vine St
1 dead, 1 arrested in Tuesday shooting UPDATE
2 p.m. (AP) — Lawrence police have arrested a male suspect on suspicion of first-degree murder in a fatal shooting in the northern part of the city.
Officers went to a home on a report of a shooting around 8:45 a.m. Tuesday and found one adult dead. A male suspect was taken into custody.
Police said in a news release that the male was arrested and taken to the Douglas County jail after being questioned.
The victim and the suspect are described as having had a domestic relationship. Their names and ages were not released Tuesday.
Investigators were preparing to forward the case to the county prosecutor, who will file any charges.
(AP) — Police say one person is dead and another is in custody after a shooting in north Lawrence.
Lawrence police Sgt. Trent McKinley says officers who were called to the home Tuesday morning found an adult dead inside.
Another person in the home was questioned and taken into custody.
No further details were immediately available.
Hays Man enters plea in Child Sex Crime case
A Hays man has pleaded “no contest” to sex crimes involving a child. According to court documents, 49 year old Clinton Eugene Snavely entered the plea Monday in Ellis County District Court. Snavely had initially faced the following 14 counts which stemmed from incidents that occurred from 2002 to September of 2011. All of the charges are felonies involving a minor:
- Count 1: Aggravated Criminal Sodomy, a severity level 1 person felony
- Count 2: Aggravated Criminal Sodomy, a severity level 1 person felony
- Count 3: Rape, a severity level 1 person felony
- Count 4: Aggravated Criminal Sodomy, a severity level 1 person felony
- Count 5: Aggravated Criminal Sodomy, a severity level 1 person felony
- Count 6: Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child, a severity level 3 person felony
- Count 7: Aggravated Indecent Liberties with a Child, a severity level 3 person felony
- Count 8: Aggravated Criminal Sodomy, a severity level 1 person felony
- Count 9: Aggravated Criminal Sodomy, a severity level 1 person felony
- Count 10: Criminal Sodomy, a severity level 3 person felony
- Count 11: Indecent Liberties with a Child, a severity level 5 person felony
- Count 12: Rape, a severity level 1 person felony
- Count 13: Aggravated Criminal Sodomy, a severity level 1 person felony
- Count 14: Aggravated Criminal Sodomy, a severity level 1 person felony
According to the plea agreement, Snavely pleaded “no contest” to counts 6, 7 and 10. In doing so, the remaining charges will be dismissed. Court documents delineate between guilty and no contest as such:
-A plea of GUILTY is an admission of guilty to the crimes charges and relieves the State of Kansas of its burden to prove guilt.
-A plea of NO CONTEST is an admission that the State of Kansas has sufficient evidence to prove guilt and the defendant will not contest such evidence.
In the plea agreement, a suggested sentencing listed. Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees told Hays Post that this sentence duration is one both parties anticipate based on Kansas guidelines as well as Snavely’s history. The plea agreement lists an expected sentence of 188 months in prison. Sentencing for the case has not yet been scheduled.
NTSB report fails to state cause for fatal October crash
(AP) — A preliminary federal report on a Kansas plane crash that killed a traveling California pastor and his pilot does not conclude what caused the aircraft to lummet to the ground 10 minutes after take-off.
The National Transportation Safety Board report released this week did note that pilots in the area at the time of the Oct. 18 crash indicated there was light to moderate icing conditions above 6,000 feet.
The 1975 Cessna Citation was carrying 72-year-old Ed Dufresne and his pilot, 49-year-old Mitchell Morgan, to a speaking engagement in Texas when it suddenly went into a nosedive and crashed near Derby.
The report says the flight left Mid-Continent airport in Wichita at 10:07 a.m. and went down at 10:17 a.m., destroying the plane on impact.
Eli Lowry
Prairie View resident, Eli Lowry, passed away Sunday, Nov. 3, 2013 at the Phillips County Hospital in Phillipsburg, KS at the age of 15. He was born in Tampa, FL on Dec. 2, 1997 to Calvin & Diane (Breathouwer) Lowry. Eli was a sophomore at Northern Valley High School.
His mother, Diane, preceded him in death.
He is survived by his parents, Calvin & Emily Lowry, of Prairie View; brothers, Damian Wellmen and Caden Lowry and sisters, Talia Lowry and Kim Lowry, all of Prairie View; grandparents, Barb & Gayle Christensen of Elbert, CO; LuAnn & Trey Alderson of Indiahoma, OK; and Melvin Breathouwer of Long Island, KS.
A memorial service will be held Friday, Nov. 8, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. in the Northern Valley High School gymnasium in Almena, KS with Pastors Kirk Kasson and Paul VanderVeer officiating. Private inurnment will be in the Norton Cemetery, Norton, KS.
Friends may sign Eli’s memory book at the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel in Phillipsburg, KS on Thursday from 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Memorial contributions may be given to Teens for Christ or the Northern Valley Athletic Department.
Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg, is in charge of arrangements.
Santorum and Dean debate Obamacare (VIDEO)
It’s going to hurt young people. No, it’s already working.
The Affordable Care Act is just one of the topics discussed by former presidential candidates Howard Dean, a Vermont Democrat, and Rick Santorum, a Pennsylvania Republican. The pair were in Hays Monday for a debate in the Keith G. Sebelius Lecture Series at Fort Hays State University.
Santorum and Dean met with the media prior to their debate, moderated by Hays mayor Kent Steward, who is also director of FHSU University Relations.
Dean is a medical doctor, a former Vermont governor, and the former Democratic National Committee chairman. Santorum is a former U-S senator:
The next speaker in the Sebelius Lecture Series features Karl Rove, a Republican strategist and pundit. Rove will be in Hays February 4.
