(AP) — A group has filed a federal lawsuit accusing a Kansas middle school of violating a student’s free speech rights by prohibiting the student from posting fliers about a prayer event.
The lawsuit was filed in Kansas City, Kan., by the Alliance Defending Freedom, a conservative Christian group that advocates for religious rights.
The suit contends the Robert Clark Middle School in Bonner Springs violated the student’s free speech rights when a counselor prohibited the student from posting fliers containing Biblical references promoting the Sept. 25 prayer event before school.
Bonner Springs School Superintendent Dan Brungardt said Monday the district hasn’t heard about the lawsuit. He also says it hasn’t received any complaints about posting fliers before the event, which he says was announced over the school’s intercom system.
. (AP) — A former Wichita police officer has been sentenced to one year of probation for conspiring to bribe a car-theft victim in an unsuccessful effort to keep her job.
The U.S. Attorney’s office says 35-year-old Joletta Vallejo was sentenced Monday in federal court in Wichita, where she pleaded guilty in August to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Vallejo admitted failing to follow procedures when two citizens reported being victims of crimes, then lying to department investigators about her actions. She also admitted arranging for co-defendant Patrick Melendrez to pay the car-theft victim $150 to recant his statement about her actions plus $150 if she kept her job.
Melendrez was sentenced earlier to two years of probation.
Vallejo served with the police department from January 2006 to August 2012.
The Hays High Indian basketball team opens the season ranked No. 6 in the first Kansas Basketball Coaches Association Poll of the season. The Indians finished 14-8 last season and lost in the first round of the 5A State tournament, 59-42 to Lansing. Both the Indian boys and girls teams open the season Thursday evening against Riley County in the Gerald Mitchell Hays City Shootout.
The Stockton boys are ranked No. 3 and is Hoxie No. 4 followed by Victoria at No. 7 and Osborne and Thunder Ridge are ranked ninth and tenth respectively in 1A-Division 1.
Smith Center, the defending 2A girls Champions open the season ranked No. 2 by the Kansas Coaches. Hoxie is the defending 1A-Division 1 Champions and they are ranked No. 1 in the 1A-Division 1 girls rankings and Victoria is No. 6.
5A Boys 1. Highland Park
2. Lansing
3. Eisenhower
4. Kapaun Mt. Carmel
5. Mill Valley 6. Hays 7. Andover
8. Shawnee Hts
9. OP BV Southwest
10. Wichita Hts.
(AP) — Kansas City police have identified the man who died in Arrowhead Stadium’s parking lot on Sunday as 30-year-old Kyle A. Vanwinkle of Smithville.
Police spokesman Darin Snapp says an examination of Vanwinkle’s body did not show obvious signs of trauma. He says it could be four to six weeks before the cause of death is determined.
Officers responded at 5:20 p.m. Sunday to an altercation in the parking lot and found Vanwinkle unconscious on the ground. Snapp says a Jeep owner and his son returned to the vehicle during the Chiefs game against Denver and found Vanwinkle inside, leading to a fight.
He says Vanwinkle was taken to a hospital, where he was declared dead.
Three people taken into custody for questioning were released Monday with no charges filed.
(AP) – Police say officers are searching a suburban Kansas City home in connection with the death of a man found unconscious in the stadium parking lot during Sunday’s Chiefs-Broncos game.
Police spokesman Darin Snapp said Monday that detectives received information that evidence related to the man’s death is at the home in Independence.
Snapp says officers called to the scene Sunday evening in the parking lot outside Arrowhead Stadium found the man unconscious in a vehicle that wasn’t his. He says the man had apparently had an altercation with the vehicle’s owner.
An autopsy will determine how the man died. Police haven’t released his name but say he’s in his mid-20s.
Three people were taken into custody for questioning and were expected to be released later Monday.
A former waste water treatment superintendent for the City of Hays pleaded guilty and was sentenced Monday for violating the federal Clean Water Act, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said today.
Charles L. Blair, 58, Hays, was sentenced to a year on federal probation and a $2,500 fine.
Blair pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of negligent discharge of a pollutant.
In his plea, he admitted that in February 2012 he negligently allowed for the discharge of effluent from the waste water treatment plant in Hays that contained an ammonia nitrogen level of 46.2 milligrams per liter. This level of ammonia nitrogen is in excess of both state and federal regulations.
(AP) A traveling medical technician was sentenced Monday to 39 years in prison for intentionally infecting dozens of patients in four states with hepatitis C through tainted syringes.
“I don’t blame the families for hating me,” David Kwiatkowski said after hearing about 20 statements from people he infected and their relatives.
David Kwiatkowski, 33, a contract medical technician who worked at more than a dozen hospitals, including Hays Medical Center, over the past five years, was sentenced to 39 years in prison for infecting dozens of people with hepatitis C.
“I hate myself.”
Kwiatkowski, 34, was a cardiac technologist in 18 hospitals in seven states before being hired at New Hampshire’s Exeter Hospital in 2011. He had moved from job to job despite being fired at least four times over allegations of drug use and theft. Since his arrest last year, 46 people have been diagnosed with the same strain of hepatitis C he carries.
Kwiatkowski admitted stealing painkillers and replacing them with saline-filled syringes tainted with his blood. He pleaded guilty in August to 16 federal drug charges.
Before he was sentenced by Judge Joseph LaPlante, Kwiatkowski said he was very sorry what he had done. He said that his crime was caused by an addiction to painkillers and alcohol.
The victims spoke angrily and tearfully of the pain that Kwiatkowski had inflicted upon them.
Linda Ficken, 71, of Andover, Kan., was one of two Kansas victims to attend the sentencing hearing. She underwent a cardiac catheterization at Hays Medical Center in 2010, and said she is haunted by the memory of Kwiatkowski standing at her bedside for more than an hour, applying pressure to the catheter’s entry site in her leg to control a bleeding problem.
“On one hand, you were saving my life, and on the other hand, your acts are a death sentence for me,” she told him Monday. “Do I thank you for what you did to help me? Do I despise you for what your actions did and will continue to do for the rest of my life? Or do I simply just feel sorry for you being the pathetic individual you are?”
Lynwood Nelson, who was infected when he went in for a procedure at the Baltimore VA Medical Center in 2012, said Kwiatkowski “should receive the same punishment he gave us: the death penalty.”
Prosecutors had pushed for a 40-year prison sentence, saying Kwiatkowski created a “national public health crisis,” put a significant number of people at risk and caused substantial physical and emotional harm to a large number of victims.
Defense lawyers argued that a 30-year sentence would better balance the seriousness of the crimes against Kwiatkowski’s mental and emotional problems and his addiction to drugs and alcohol, which they said clouded his judgment.
In all, 32 patients were infected in New Hampshire, seven in Maryland, six in Kansas and one in Pennsylvania. Kwiatkowski, 34, also worked in Michigan, New York, Arizona and Georgia.
Two of the 16 charges stem from the case of a Kansas patient who has since died. Authorities say hepatitis C, a blood-borne virus that can cause liver disease and chronic health problems, played a contributing role.
Ficken told The Associated Press last week that while she has struggled with fatigue since her diagnosis, a bigger blow came last month when her brother was diagnosed with leukemia and was told he needs a stem cell transplant. While siblings often are the closest match, she can’t donate because of her hepatitis C status.
11:30 a.m. MONDAY (AP) — A woman infected with hepatitis C by a former hospital technician has told him that he handed her and others “a potential death sentence.”
Linda Ficken, of Andover, Kan., addressed 34-year-old David Kwiatkowski (kwiht-KOW’-skee) at his sentencing Monday in New Hampshire.
Kwiatkowski has admitted stealing painkillers and replacing them with saline-filled syringes tainted with his blood. He worked in 18 hospitals in seven states before being hired at New Hampshire’s Exeter Hospital in 2011.
Prosecutors are arguing for a 40-year sentence, saying his conduct was “unbelievably cruel.”
Defense lawyers say he had a drug and alcohol addiction. They are seeking 30 years in prison.
Since his arrest last year, 46 people in New Hampshire, Maryland, Kansas and Pennsylvania have been diagnosed with the same strain of hepatitis C he carries.
(AP) — Victims of a former hospital technician who infected patients with hepatitis C are getting a chance to face him, and some of them are traveling from Kansas to New Hampshire to do it.
David Kwiatkowski has admitted stealing painkillers and replacing them with saline-filled syringes tainted with his blood. He is being sentenced Monday. He pleaded guilty in August to 16 federal drug charges under an agreement that calls for him to spend 30 to 40 years in prison.
Kwiatkowski worked in 18 hospitals before being hired at New Hampshire’s Exeter Hospital in 2011.
Since his arrest last year, 46 people in four states have been diagnosed with the same strain of hepatitis C he carries, including two from Kansas who are attending Monday’s hearing.
(AP) — A man held in connection with the deaths of a southeast Kansas mother and her three children has had his first court appearance.
22-year-old David Cornell Bennett Jr., of Cherryvale, appeared Monday in Labette County District Court through a video feed from the county jail.
The judge found probable cause to continue holding Bennett on $5 million bail in connection with the deaths of 29-year-old Cami Umbarger and her children, 9-year-old Hollie Betts, 6-year-old Jaxon Betts and 4-year-old Averie Betts.
The attorney general’s office is handling the case and has until Dec. 10 to file charges.
Umbarger and her children were found dead Nov. 25 at their Parsons home. Authorities have not said how they died.
Bennett has filed paperwork to obtain a court-appointed attorney.
Gubernatorial candidate and House Minority Leader Paul Davis, D-Lawrence
Kansas House minority leader Paul Davis is a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, his first attempt at a statewide office.
The 41-year-old Lawrence attorney was in Hays recently during a campaign tour and talked about the state’s future:
Representative Davis has been critical of cuts to Kansas’ income tax rates enacted by the Republican-controlled Legislature. He says the “lost revenue is harming education, social services and other essential state services.”
Davis has served in the Kansas House of Representatives since 2003.
Jill Docking is Davis’ running mate. She is a 57-year-old investment advisor from Wichita whose husband was lieutenant governor in the 1980s.
You can see more of the Paul Davis interview this week on the Eagle Community TV Channel 14 Forum with host Gary Shorman, following Hays Post news at 6p.m. and 10 p.m.
IRVING, Texas – In blocking a Kansas freshman record seven shots in KU’s 67-63 win against UTEP, freshman C Joel Embiid was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week in a vote by a media panel which covers men’s basketball the conference announced Monday.
Embiid scored in double digits in two contests as the Jayhawks recorded a 2-1 record at the Battle 4 Atlantis in Paradise Island, Bahamas, over Thanksgiving weekend. The 7-0 Yaoundé, Cameroon, native also had 10 blocked shots while shooting 63.2 percent from the field and 71.4 percent from the free throw line. His seven rejections versus UTEP set the KU freshman record for blocked shots in a game, previously held by Nick Collison (six vs. Nebraska in 2000). Embiid averaged 9.7 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 blocks in the event.
Averaging 9.1 points and a team-best 7.0 rebounds, Embiid leads Kansas in field goal percentage at 67.6 percent and is third in the Big 12 with 2.3 blocked shots per game. His 7.0 boards per game are ninth in the league.
Embiid joins sophomore F Perry Ellis and freshman G Andrew Wiggins who have also been named to weekly Big 12 honorees this season. Ellis was the co-Big 12 Player of the Week Nov. 18 and Wiggins the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, also on Nov. 18.
Kansas (6-1) is in action next at former conference foe Colorado on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 2:15 p.m. (Central). The game will be shown on ESPN. CU was 7-1 on the entering its Dec. 3 contest at Colorado State.
The Fort Hays State University softball team is excited to announce the early-signing period commitments of five individuals for 2014-15.
Mackenzie Villarreal, of Loveland, Colo., is the younger sister of current Tiger Samantha Villarreal, and reigns from Loveland, Colo. Mackenzie played at Bearthoud High School and is an infield/outfield utilitiy player.
“Mackenzie will add a great amount of power, enthusiasm and unexpected speed to our line up,” head coach Erin Kinberger “She is a utility player and we look forward to having the Villarreal sisters together again at Tiger Stadium.”
Savannah Price, from O’Fallon, Mo., played ball at Timberland High School as a pitcher.
“Savannah will join our battery next year; her understanding of spin and movement and strong presence will be a huge asset to the circle,” Kinberger said.
Gabrielle “Gabby” Sandoval reigns from Wichita, Kan., and played at Valley Center High School as a utility player.
“Gabby’s versatility, power, and speed will be a great addition to the team,” Kinberger said. “She fits the mold of Tiger Softball through her aggressive play and love for the game.”
Veronica “Ronnie” Knittig, from Barnhart, Mo., is a senior at Seckman High School. Knittig will serve as a utility infielder with the Tigers.
“Ronnie is a solid player who caught my addition through her hustle and all-out play,” Kinberger said. “We look forward to her bringing that with her and motivating everyone around her.”
Harmony Clipperton, from Blue Springs South High School in Blue Springs, Mo., comes to the Tigers as a catcher.
“Harmony will be representing Tiger Softball from behind the dish next year and she is a fundamentally sound player with a lot of potential to be a difference maker in our program,” Kinberger said.
Fort Hays State is coming off an impressive season that saw the team go 47-12 en route to a berth in the NCAA Central Regional.
2 p.m. update (AP) — A Wisconsin truck driver who joined a cyberattack on Wichita-based Koch Industries has been sentenced to two years’ probation for the onslaught that briefly took the company’s website offline.
Eric Rosol, of Black Creek, Wis., was also ordered Monday to pay $183,000 in restitution for taking part in the attack on Koch Industries. He pleaded guilty earlier to a misdemeanor count of accessing a protected computer.
Prosecutors agreed in Rosol’s plea deal to recommend a sentence at the low end of guidelines.
Koch’s website was offline for about 15 minutes during the 2011 attack organized by the hacking collective Anonymous.
The parties agreed the direct loss to Koch was less than $5,000. But Koch contends it spent $183,000 for a consulting group when it learned of the planned attack.
(AP) — A Wisconsin truck driver who joined a cyberattack on Wichita-based Koch Industries will learn his fate for the onslaught that briefly took the company’s website offline.
Eric Rosol, of Black Creek, Wis., faced sentencing Monday in U.S. District Court in Wichita on one misdemeanor count of accessing a protected computer.
Prosecutors agreed in Rosol’s plea deal to recommend a sentence at the low end of federal guidelines.
Koch’s website was offline for about 15 minutes during the February 2011 attack organized by the hacking group Anonymous.
The parties agreed the direct loss to Koch was less than $5,000. But Koch contends it spent $183,000 for a consulting group when it learned of the planned attack.
U.S. District Judge Eric Melgren will decide how much restitution Rosol must pay.
The Hays Police Department conducted 39 traffic stops and received 11 animal calls from Tuesday November 26th through Thursday November 28th according to the Police Activity Log, which was delayed in being released due to the holiday.
11/26
12:39 AM – Abandoned Vehicle reported in the 1300 block of Fort St
8:15 AM – Abandoned Vehicle reported in the 2900 block of Willow St
10:00 AM > 11:40 AM – Burglary/residence reported in the 400 block of Walnut St
11/25/2013 06:15 PM > 11/26/2013 01:42 PM – Criminal Damage to Property reported in the 1700 block of Volga Dr
2:53 PM – Disturbance – General reported in the 2800 block of Augusta Ln
3:32 PM – Animal At Large reported in the 900 block of Walnut St
3:39 PM – Probation/Parole Violation reported in the 1000 block of Fort St
4:26 PM – Assist – Other (not MV) reported in the 1000 block of Fort St
08:30 AM > 09:00 AM – Harassment (All Other) reported in the 1000 block of W 28th St
10:24 PM – Disturbance – General reported in the 200 block of W 5th St
10:38 PM – Disturbance – Noise reported in the 100 block of W 15th St
11/27
2:19 AM – Abandoned Vehicle reported in the 400 block of W 7th St
2:22 AM – Drug Offenses reported in the 800 block of Vine St
2:45 AM – Abandoned Vehicle reported in the 300 block of W 11th St
9:03 AM – Driving While Suspended/Revoked reported in the 0 block of Vine St
9:25 AM – Theft (general) reported in the 105 block of W 12th St
9:36 AM – Probation/Parole Violation reported in the 1000 block of Fort St
01:30 AM > 09:30 AM – Criminal Damage to Property reported in the 400 block of Elm St
10:22 AM – Disturbance – General reported in the 1300 block of Main St
11:13 AM – Phone/Mail Scam reported in the 2800 block of Grant Ave
1:28 PM – Harassment (All Other) reported in the 3600 block of Vine St
2:04 PM – Harassment, Telephone/FAX reported in the 2900 block of Willow St
3:04 PM – Theft (general) reported in the 3300 block of Lincoln Dr
4:16 PM – Found/Lost Property reported in the 100 block of W 12th
4:50 PM – MV Accident-City Street/Alley reported in the 4500 block of Vine St
6:46 PM – MV Accident-Private Property reported in the 700 block of Vine St
09:00 AM > 10:15 PM – MV Accident-Hit and Run reported in the 400 block of E 15th St
6:53 PM – Theft (general) reported in the 4300 block of Vine St
7:30 PM – Disturbance – Noise reported in the 1400 block of Main St
06:55 PM > 10:05 PM – Search Warrant reported in the 100 block of W 12th St
8:23 PM – Domestic Disturbance reported in the 200 block of W 10TH ST
11/28
2:09 AM – MV Accident-Fatality reported in the 500 block of E 5th St
11:30 PM > 02:09 AM – Theft of Vehicle reported in the 500 block of E 8th St
10/12/2013 08:00 AM > 11/28/2013 08:46 AM – Burglary/storage unit reported in the 300 block of E 13th St, Hays
11/27/2013 05:00 PM > 11/28/2013 09:20 AM – MV Accident-Private Property-Hit and Run reported in the 2700 block of Ash St
4:53 PM – Warrant Service (Fail to Appear) reported in the 3000 block of Hall St
8:09 PM – Disturbance – General reported in the 4300 block of Vine St
8:45 PM – Found/Lost Property reported in the 1500 block of Marjorie Dr
The American Red Cross is asking that his holiday season, those wishing to give to the less-fortunate remember that there’s one gift many don’t have on a wish list until the need is dire: blood.
During the holiday season, blood donors can invite loved ones to follow in their footsteps and help patients in need or let someone know they rolled up a sleeve in his or her honor with a customized postcard.
Donors take a photo of a Red Cross moment, whether it’s relaxing on a donor bed, enjoying a post-donation snack or meeting a blood recipient, then upload it at rcblood.org/holidaypostcard and add a message. The “postagram” is mailed anywhere, courtesy of the Red Cross and Postagram.
Below are dates and locations of blood drives where the gift of life can be donated.
Ellis County
Dec. 17 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at American Red Cross, 208 E. Eighth St. in Hays, Kan.
Dec. 18 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at American Red Cross, 208 E. Eighth St. in Hays, Kan.
Dec. 19 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Mid-Kansas Auto, 700 W. 48th St. in Hays, Kan.
Dec. 19 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at American Red Cross, 208 E. Eighth St. in Hays, Kan.
Dec. 20 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at American Red Cross, 208 E. Eighth St. in Hays, Kan.
Dec. 24 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at American Red Cross, 208 E. Eighth St. in Hays, Kan.
Dec. 26 from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. at American Red Cross, 208 E. Eighth St. in Hays, Kan.
Dec. 27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at American Red Cross, 208 E. Eighth St. in Hays, Kan.
Dec. 31 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at American Red Cross, 208 E. Eighth St. in Hays, Kan.
Gove County
Dec. 23 from 2-5:30 p.m. at American Legion, 235 Main St. in Grainfield, Kan.
Rooks County
Dec. 20 from 9 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. at Rooks County Health Building, 426 Main St. in Stockton, Kan.
Sheridan County
Dec. 17 from 12-6 p.m. at 4-H Building, Highway 23 in Hoxie, Kan.
Dec. 19 from 12-6 p.m. at National Guard Armory, 101 Armory Road in Smith Center, Kan.
(AP) — A group has filed a federal lawsuit accusing a Kansas middle school of violating a student’s free speech rights by prohibiting the student from posting fliers about a prayer event.
