NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Four members of a Kansas family have been identified as victims of Monday’s small plane crash in suburban Nashville.
The plane departed from Great Bend and crashed approximately 10 miles south of John C. Tune Airport in Nashville.
Lori Gibson, a spokeswoman for the family, identified the victims Tuesday as Glenn Mull; his wife, Elaine; their daughter, Amy Harter; and granddaughter Samantha Harter. Gibson says Mull owned Mull Farms and Feeding in Pawnee Rock, about 15 miles southwest of Great Bend.
They were traveling to the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association Trade Show in Nashville when their Gulfstream 690C crashed Monday while trying to land in Nashville. They had taken off from the Great Bend Municipal Airport.
Gibson says the family “is in the process of coming to terms with the shock of this loss” while also trying to address the needs of Mull’s employees and the community.
It doesn’t look like much now, but the snow storm predicted to hit the Hays area has just begun, according to the National Weather Service.
Jeff Johnson, a Dodge City NWS meteorologist, said early Tuesday morning that intermittent, heavier snow will continue much of the day. Forecasters still are calling for 6-plus inches of snow in the Hays area.
“It should taper off by mid- to late afternoon,” Johnson said.
The storm, which originated as an upper-level storm system from the desert southwest, is working its way northeast, from Oklahoma across Kansas.
The hardest hit area of the state, Johnson said, will be from the Wichita area to Salina.
Wind associated with the storm should not be too much of a factor, he added.
“There will be a little bit of blowing, but not too much,” Johnson said.
What follows might be worse, however. When the snow stops, the temperature is predicted to drop quickly.
“It’s supposed to get really cold by … Wednesday,” Johnson said, noting that it will struggle to reach 10 degrees from Dodge City to Hays. Overnight Wednesday, the lows could drop below zero and the area will be a deep freeze for “at least 48 to 60 hours.”
“The temperatures are going to be so cold that the wind chill will start getting pretty dangerous even with a little bit of wind,” Johnson said.
The upside with any precipitation is some measure of drought relief, although Johnson said because of the low temperature it will be a “drier snow.”
“There will be some decent moisture though,” he said.
For an up-to-date listing of snow-related cancellations and delays, click HERE.
There’s an old adage: “The only things certain in life are death and taxes.” With a substantial part of our population not paying taxes, we can pretty much throw out half of this quote.
Tim Schumacher
However, the other half of the adage, “death,” is something that every one of us will experience. When someone one passes away, you often hear the loved ones saying, “It was a blessing” or “It was his/her time.” Unfortunately, many other deaths are sudden and untimely.
In today’s world where drivers are frequently distracted (talking or texting on a cell phone, for instance), life could be gone in an instant. How many times have you read in your local paper, “Driver veers off the road, overcorrects, and overturns their vehicle?” Two drivers recently slammed into the backs of semis. (It would be hard to miss a semi-truck unless you didn’t have your eyes on the road). Each one of us has experienced this kind of tragedy or near- tragedy, or knows someone who has. And this is only one of many threats to our lives.
So the question becomes, if death is inevitable, and we don’t know when, why aren’t our families being protected? Why are so many people passing away and leaving their loved ones with substantial financial issues? If assets have been accumulated, over time, this would be one way to make sure your family is taken care of. But what if those assets have not been accumulated?
This problem can be solved in several different ways. What is available to create substantial assets at exactly the time they’re needed? (At your death) We can win the lottery, expect a large inheritance, or use a simple strategy called life insurance. Two of these choices are not likely to happen. But the choice of implementing protection with a life insurance policy is a choice each one of us has an opportunity to make. Most people never think that any kind of tragedy can happen to them, it’s always going to happen to someone else. The simple truth is that it can happen to anyone; it’s not always going to be the other guy.
There continues to be an ongoing debate on which kind of life insurance is better—term or permanent insurance. If term is implemented, it is normally cheaper than permanent insurance, in the beginning, and the idea is to invest the difference of term and a permanent contract, so that when the term of the policy runs out (e.g. 10, 20, or 30 years), your investments take the place of owning life insurance. (This does not address any of the tax issues that should be a very important part of each individual’s decision). It is very important that a discipline be put in place to invest the difference and keep it invested, if you choose this philosophy. Because if you “buy term and spend the rest”, not only will the life insurance term run out, but there may be no assets (e.g. IRA’s 401(k), mutual funds) to take care of your loved ones.
Permanent insurance has a level premium throughout your life and normally has some sort of cash accumulation within the contract. This can allow premiums to cease at some point or it can purchase additional life insurance coverage within the same contract. So an analogy to the different life policies would be the difference between renting and buying your home—one does not build equity and the other one does. To avoid the big debate between the two, it is safe to say, the best kind of life insurance to own is the kind that is in place when you die.
Although accidents are going to happen, other ways to avoid a premature death would be to simply take better care of ourselves. With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, we all will be forced to work on being healthier just for economical purposes, if for no other reason.
Many times people wait until they experience a death of a close family member or friend, before they decide it could happen to them. For the sake of your own loved ones, it would be good to realize death not only could, but will happen to all of us. How much are you worth to your loved ones, should you leave this world tomorrow?
Tim Schumacher represents Strategic Financial Partners in Hays. [email protected]
Tuesday’s Hays High boys and girls basketball games with Salina South and TMP-Marian’s boys and girls games at Ellinwood have been postponed due to the winter storm.
The Monarchs will make their game up on Monday, February 17th. Hays High will make their games up on Saturday, February 22nd. They will start with freshman games at 1pm, JV games at 2:15pm, varsity girls at 2:30pm and varsity boys at 4pm.
Housing issues and purchase quotes for a service truck are among the items WaKeeney City Council members will review during their meeting tonight. Below is the complete agenda.
Governing Body Agenda City of WaKeeney 408 Russell Ave., WaKeeney KS 67672
Regular Meeting 2/4/14 at 7:00 PM
I. Roll Call
II. Approval of minutes of last meeting
III. Petitions, requests, complaints, guests, etc.
1. Jody Zeman, Director Trego County Economic Development. Interlocal agreement for NRP and discussion of housing issues
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — Health experts at the University of Kansas Hospital are warning people to avoid overtaxing their hearts while shoveling snow.
With a winter storm bearing down on the region, the hospital said in a statement Monday that people clearing snow should be alert to dizziness, extreme fatigue, faintness and chest pains. Cardiologists say that even people in relatively good physical shape can be at risk during cold winter days.
Cardiologists say the dangers for the elderly can be especially high. They urged people to work up to outdoor chores, such as snow shoveling. And health experts said that people with known heart disease should exercise only as part of a health program overseen by their physician.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A utility company that serves Kansas and other states is warning about a scam targeting its customers.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports Black Hills Energy says callers posing as representatives tell customers they must make a payment quickly or their services will be disconnected. Black Hills says the scammers use technology that displays its number on caller ID.
Black Hills is a natural gas and electric utility with more than 600,000 customers in Kansas, Colorado, Iowa and Nebraska.
The company says the scam may be targeting small businesses and customers who may have trouble understanding English and billing practices.
Black Hills says if someone calls claiming to represent a local utility and demands immediate payment or personal information, hang up and call the customer service number listed on a utility bill.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The National Agricultural Statistics Service says declining stock water supplies and extreme weather swings were the biggest concerns for Kansas livestock producers last month.
In its monthly wintertime update, the agency reported Monday that cattle and calf losses were 13 percent below normal, 85 percent normal and 2 percent above normal in January.
The report also said most of Kansas received less than half the normal amount of precipitation last month.
About 20 percent of the winter wheat was rated in poor to very poor condition, with 45 percent rated fair, 33 percent rated good and 2 percent rated excellent.
The report says Kansas farmers in areas with little to no snow cover last month were concerned with winterkill on their wheat crop.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators are considering anti-terrorism legislation inspired partly by an alleged suicide bomb plot at a Wichita airport foiled in December.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that a bill heard Monday by the House Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee would allow victims to sue convicted terrorists. The bill would let victims collect damages equal to three times their losses or $10,000, whichever is greater.
The measure also would make it a felony to conceal a terrorist or hinder prosecution of alleged terrorists.
A 58-year-old avionics technician has pleaded not guilty to federal terror-related charges in what prosecutors say was a plan to set off a bomb at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport.
Supporters of the bill included Sedgwick County Sheriff Jeff Easter. The committee took no action.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt has joined other states in appealing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s proposed regulation of nutrients in runoff from farms and lawns.
Schmidt says he filed a brief Monday in a federal appeals court in Philadelphia in a lawsuit by the American Farm Bureau over the EPA’s regulation of nutrient runoff in the Chesapeake River basin.
Schmidt says Kansas and other states are weighing in on the case before the EPA makes similar regulations on nutrient runoff in the Mississippi River basin, which includes Kansas.
The attorneys general contend the regulation represents EPA micromanagement of how states meet federal water quality standards. Schmidt and others maintain that states have the authority to control runoff and impose any restrictions on industry.
A winter storm will move out over central and western Kansas late tonight and Tuesday. Snow will develop before sunrise and continue through much of the day before ending. The greatest snow amounts are expected to occur across central into parts of southwest Kansas. Some blowing and drifting snow could occur by Tuesday afternoon as northerly winds increase.
Today Snow. High near 23. Wind chill values as low as 4. Blustery, with a north northeast wind 13 to 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 3 to 5 inches possible. Tonight Snow, mainly before midnight. Low around 1. Wind chill values as low as -17. Blustery, with a north wind 17 to 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than a half inch possible. Wednesday Mostly cloudy and cold, with a high near 8. Wind chill values as low as -18. North wind 10 to 16 mph. Wednesday Night A 30 percent chance of snow, mainly after 5am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around -5. Wind chill values as low as -13. North wind 5 to 9 mph becoming calm after midnight. Thursday A 30 percent chance of snow. Cloudy and cold, with a high near 9. Calm wind becoming east southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Thursday Night A 20 percent chance of snow before 7pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around -2. Friday A 30 percent chance of snow. Cloudy and cold, with a high near 15.
