NEW YORK (AP) — The debate over the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of millions of Americans’ telephone records has fallen squarely into the courts.
A federal judge in Manhattan on Friday upheld the legality of the program and cited its need in the fight against terrorism just days after another federal judge concluded it was likely not constitutional.
The latest ruling and the opposing decision earlier set the stage for federal appeals courts to find the delicate balance between individual rights set out in the Constitution and the need to protect national security.
The judge Friday concluded the program was a necessary extension of steps taken after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The earlier ruling granted a preliminary injunction against collecting the phone records of two people who had challenged the program.
There is not a lot of time to think about insurance during the hectic rush of the holidays, but as you begin the New Year, it is a good idea to evaluate your insurance coverage. We at the Kansas Insurance Department (KID) and The National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC) offer these tips and reminders to help with your review.
Homeowners/Renters Insurance
This is a great time to update your home inventory and make sure your homeowners or renters policy is current for your needs. If your holiday decorations are still out of storage, take some photos or video of them. Note any antique items and their value so you can talk with your insurance agent to ensure that they are properly covered.
Now that you have opened all your gifts, remember to add them to your home inventory, too. Include as many details as you can and take a photo of each item. Most basic home insurance policies have standard limits for big-ticket items like electronics, art, jewelry or sporting equipment. You may need special coverage, so be sure to call your agent as soon as possible to discuss changes for your policy.
If you are starting a home inventory from scratch, the NAIC’s free smartphone app, myHOME Scr.APP.book, takes some of the headache out of the process. Download the app from iTunes or Google Play. Also, on our ksinsurance.org website, you can print a hard copy of our Personal Home Inventory booklet; or, you can call us at 800-432-2484 to request a mailed hard copy.
Auto Insurance
Winter can be a challenge for all drivers. Whether you are trying to escape the weather for someplace warmer or just preparing for another drive to work in the snow, there are a few insurance items you should review.
Make sure your coverage is appropriate for your life situation. Liability is the part of the policy that pays for any injury or damage if you cause an accident. If your liability insurance is too low, it is possible that you could be sued for any damages above your liability limits.
Also take a look at your deductibles for comprehensive and collision coverage. This is the amount you will pay if your car is damaged or totaled without fault of another driver. Raising or lowering deductible amounts can affect your premium.
Before hitting the road, make sure you have a copy of your insurance card and your insurance agent or company’s number in the car. It is also a good idea to have a way to record details of an accident if you are in one. The NAIC smartphone application WreckCheck walks you through the process of gathering information following an accident. You can then email your notes directly to your agent. Again, you can download the free app from iTunes or Google Play.
Health Insurance
Many families recently went through the open enrollment process for their health insurance at work, through the new online insurance marketplace or through Medicare Open Enrollment. This means you may have new insurance cards and paperwork coming in the mail. It is a good idea to get all this information together before winter illness or accidents happen.
Also, if you are getting insurance through the online marketplace, you have until March 31, 2014, to get covered and avoid paying a penalty.
Make sure to check your medical provider lists to verify that visits to your doctor and any specialists are still covered by your policy, because in-network or preferred provider lists could change from time to time. Also read through your documents and make note of your copays for in-network and out-of-network providers so you are not surprised later.
When you’re planning a vacation away from home, check with your insurance carrier to identify urgent care centers and hospitals that accept your insurance coverage near your destination and along the way. Be sure to ask your carrier about applicable co-pays and deductibles if care is needed.
More Information
If you have questions about your insurance options or about your insurance coverage, call the KID Consumer Assistance Division toll free (in Kansas) at 800-432-2484. If you want to learn more about insurance in general for all life situations, go online to www.InsureUonline.org, the NAIC’s national website.
TOPEKA, Kan. – The Kansas Department of Agriculture will again be served by an agricultural advocacy, marketing and outreach team advisory board. Members of this board have been appointed by Jackie McClaskey, acting Secretary of Agriculture, and will serve terms of various lengths beginning in January 2014.
McClaskey said in a news release the board consists of 12 members who will advise the KDA advocacy, marketing and outreach team on programs and services offered by the team. Advisory board members will work with the advocacy, marketing and outreach team on the state trademark program, From the Land of Kansas; international agricultural development; agricultural business development and agricultural communication and education program areas.
Board members include: Mike Bergmeier with Shield Agricultural Equipment, Hutchison; Donna Cook, owner of Rabbit Creek Products, Louisburg; David Foster, a dairymen from Fort Scott; Ron Hirst, a Kansas rural economic development professional, Hutchison; agricultural education instructor Lindsey Huseman, Ellsworth; specialty crop producer Twilya L’Ecuyer, Morrowville; Brian Linin, Chief Financial Officer at Frontier Ag, Inc., Goodland; Becky Nickel, co-owner of Prairie Harvest Market & Deli, Newton; agricultural advocate Greg Peterson, Assaria; Jennifer Ryan, a Pratt farmer and rancher; Derek Sawyer, a McPherson farmer and rancher; and farmer Ron Suppes, Dighton.
Each member was appointed by the secretary of agriculture to serve a one, two or three-year term. Members were selected based on their knowledge and leadership in specific sectors of the agricultural industry.
The board will meet on a biannual basis with the committees meeting quarterly.
By JOHN SIMMONDS Hays Post
Two people have been arrested in Hays under suspicion of manufacturing methamphetamine with children in the home. Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees told Hays Post the two were arrested Thursday, December 26 in the 700 block of East 6th street and are currently being held for attempted and/or manufacturing of methamphetamine, possession of methamphetamine, and aggravated endangering a child for production of methamphetamine around a child.
Drees says the suspects, 32 year old Rickey Leon Kyger Jr. and 23 year old Sahara Dawn Freeman, were living in the Springfield, Missouri area until recently. He said the two moved to Hays to help care for Kyger’s 10 year old niece and 7 year old nephew. Officers arrested the two suspects at their residence Thursday evening. According to the Hays Police Department, the children were not in the home at the time of the arrest.
Both are being held in the Ellis County Jail. Freeman is being held on a $50,000 bond. Kyger is being held on a $100,000 bond. Kyger is also being held on a warrant out of Springfield for probation violation. On May 30 2013 he was sentenced to probation for possession and manufacturing of methamphetamine.
The Hays Police Department, Ellis County Drug Enforcement Unit, and the Kansas Bureau of Investigation collaborated on the investigation and were on site during the arrest.
Photo courtesy of Philip, SD, the town named after Scotty Philip
By JOHN SIMMONDS Hays Post
A documentary about a western hero with local ties is receiving national acclaim. “The Buffalo King” details the life and work of James “Scotty” Philip, a man from Scotland who immigrated to the US and is credited with saving the American bison from extinction.
Philip came to the US in 1874 with two of his brothers and joined the third brother, George Philip, in Victoria. He continued to work farmland in the area for about a year before moving to what would later become South Dakota. His wife Sarah (Sally) Larribee was half French, half Sioux. His wife’s sister Helen was married to a well known Oglala chief: Crazy Horse.
The film won Best Documentary Feature at the South Dakota Film Festival, was a nominee for the same award at the Black Hills Film Festival, and has been accepted by the Documentary Feature Committee as an official selection at the 2014 Fargo Film Festival. It has also been featured at the following events.
DocuWest Documentary Film Festival
Film Fest Twain Harte
National Bison Association Summer Conference
American Bison Society and Wildlife Conservation Society Conference and Workshop
South Dakota Festival of Books
Below is a trailer from the film, which was written by Justin Koehler and Aaron Pendergast.
7 p.m. In a release from Salina Police: On Thursday, December 26, 2013 at approximately 10:35 p.m., the Salina Police Department and Salina Fire Department were sent to 1218 Augusta Street in regards to an unresponsive child. The child was pronounced dead at the scene.
At this time, the Salina Police Department is investigating this incident as a homicide. The investigation has led to the arrest of Desirah Nichole Overturf, 20 years of age, and Nicholas Jordan Corbin, 27 years of age. Both were booked into the Saline County Jail. This investigation is currently under review by the Saline County Attorney’s Office who will file formal charges against Desirah Overturf and Nicholas Corbin.
Corbin,Nicholas Jordan Murder in the 1st degree; Intentional and premeditated Abuse of a child; Torture or cruelly beating child <18 Aggravated endangering a child; Reckless situation to child <18 Murder in the 1st degree; Intentional and premeditated Abuse of a child; Torture or cruelly beating child <18 Aggravated endangering a child; Reckless situation to child <18Overturf,Desirah NicholeMurder in the 1st degree; Intentional and premeditated Abuse of a child; Torture or cruelly beating child <18 Aggravated endangering a child; Reckless situation to child <18 Murder in the 1st degree; Intentional and premeditated Abuse of a child; Torture or cruelly beating child <18 Aggravated endangering a child; Reckless situation to child <18
3:30 p.m. Nichole Desirah Overturf and Nicholas Jordan Corban of Salina, have both been charged with murder in the first degree along with additional charges that include abuse of a child; Torture or cruelly beating child under 18.
No other information is available at this time.
Stay tuned to Eagle Radio and Hays Post for additional details as they become available.
12:15 p.m.The Salina Police Department is investigating the death of a 3-month-old baby boy. The incident happened in south Salina on Thursday. Police say that two people, a man and woman, have been taken into custody for questioning.
An autopsy was scheduled for Friday afternoon.
No other details are available at this time.
Stay tuned to Eagle Radio and Check Hays Post for more as it becomes available.
GARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) — Kansas health officials are investigating an outbreak of gastrointestinal illness among patrons of a Garden City restaurant.
The state and Finney County health departments said more than 110 cases of the illness were reported as of Friday among people who ate food from a Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches restaurant.
Authorities are asking anyone who ate food from the Garden City Jimmy John’s between Dec. 10 and Dec. 24 to complete a survey, even if they did not get sick.
The Kansas Department of Health and Environment says officials believe the outbreak was caused by norovirus. The symptoms include diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and muscle aches.
The restaurant is working with health officials on the investigation. The Finney County Health Department has said there were no violations of food-handling rules.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita police say a man lost a fingertip when he tried to reach into a car to get his stolen wallet back.
Police said the wallet was taken from the victim’s unlocked car early Friday. When the man reached into the car driven by the thief, police said, the thief rolled up the window and drove off.
The victim was treated at a Wichita hospital. Police say he lost the tip of his left index finger.
The Ellis County Sheriff’s Department has made progress in a string of fuel thefts that were previously thought to be unrelated. Monday December 23, investigators interviewed a person concerning theft of fuel from a rural residence south of town that had been targeted previously. As a result of that interview, it was discovered numerous area fuel thefts and attempted thefts could be related.
Detective Chuck White told Hays Post the person being interviewed Monday was extremely cooperative. White says as a result of that discussion, the department began looking for two area residents, one of whom may have been involved in a large number of these costly thefts. As of Friday December 27, one of those being sought by law enforcement had been brought into custody, and authorities continue to look for the final person of interest in the cases.
Some victims had fuel stolen from large tanks, while others had gas taken directly from vehicles parked at home. Currently, the following cases are considered connected, though more may be added as the investigation continues.
$10.00 worth of fuel stolen between 04/12/13 & 04/13/13
Attempted theft of fuel between 10/29/13 & 10/30/13
$300.00 worth of fuel stolen between 11/16/13 & 11/18/13
$40.00 worth of fuel stolen between 11/16/13 & 11/18/13
$77.00 worth of fuel stolen between 12/02/13 & 12/20/13
White added that charges have not yet been filed in this case. The identities of those being sought by the Sheriff’s Department have not yet been released.
At a time of year that is typically busier in other communities, the Hays Fire Department reports they weren’t busier than any other day of the year. Chief Gary Brown told Hays Post the department averages 5 calls a day, and that average was consistent throughout the holiday season.
The department had only 5 calls on Christmas Eve: one report of smoke that came from a resident driving through a neighborhood (no fire was found), one smoke alarm caused by cooking on the FHSU campus, and three medical emergencies. On Christmas Day, the department received 5 medical emergency calls.
Brown said he doesn’t anticipate an uptick in fire calls on New Year’s Eve either. He added that the approaching New Year is a great time to make regular checks of safety equipment in the household, as well as take advantage of the programs the Hays Fire Department has to offer.
“We have a program to give smoke and carbon monoxide alarms to people on a fixed income, who can’t afford them, and also to install them or change batteries for those people that have limited mobility,” Brown said. “Check your smoke alarm and your carbon monoxide alarm, and if you need help call the Hays Fire Department.”
The Hays Fire Department can be contacted at 628-7330.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (AP) – Before you hear it, sing along with it, hum it or dance to it, someone has to come up with the idea and set it to music. That’s the idea behind an event set for Grammy week – and it will feature performances from artists like Bonnie Raitt and Kris Kristofferson. They will take part in the event “A Star Is Born” – also known as the Grammy Foundation Legacy Concert. Aside from Raitt and Kristofferson, performers will include Jimmy Webb, Steve Cropper and Paul Wilson – as well as current Grammy nominees Sklar Gray and John Rzeznik.
(AP) — Target says that customers’ encrypted PIN data was removed during the data breach that occurred earlier this month.
The company issued a statement Friday that additional forensic work has shown that encrypted PIN data was removed along with customers’ names and card numbers. But Target says it believes the PIN numbers are still safe because the information was strongly encrypted. It says the PIN can only be decrypted when received by its independent payment processor.
A PIN number is the personal identification code used to make secure transactions on a credit or debit card.
Data connected to about 40 million credit and debit cards used at Target were stolen between Nov. 27 and Dec. 15.
Minneapolis-based Target says it is still in the early stages of investigating the breach.
WASHINGTON (AP) — More than 1 million Americans are bracing for a harrowing, post-Christmas jolt as federal unemployment benefits come to a sudden halt this weekend.
The development entails potentially significant implications for the recovering U.S. economy and sets up a tense battle when Congress reconvenes in the new year.
For families dependent on cash assistance, the end of the federal government’s “emergency unemployment compensation” will mean some difficult belt-tightening as enrollees lose their average monthly stipend of $1,166.
Jobless rates could drop.
But analysts say the economy may suffer with less money for consumers to spend on everything from clothes to cars. Having let the “emergency” program expire as part of a budget deal, it’s unclear if Congress has the appetite to start it anew.
NEW YORK (AP) — The debate over the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of millions of Americans’ telephone records has fallen squarely into the courts.
