MCPHERSON, Kan. (AP) — A major pharmaceutical company says it will invest $120 million in improvements at its McPherson plant over the next five years, likely resulting in 150 new jobs.
Illinois-based Hospira Inc. announced the project Wednesday.
Hospira makes injectable drugs and infusion technologies. The Kansas plant opened in 1977 and currently has about 1,400 employees who produce medications in glass vials, cartridges, syringes and other delivery systems.
The plan for the McPherson facility includes additional production lines, automated visual inspection systems and expanded capacity.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration has named the first communities that will receive special attention to help attract global manufacturers.
The initiative was started last September and is meant to encourage communities to develop long-term strategies to compete for these manufacturers.
It uses the resources of federal departments and agencies to support local economic development plans.
The partnership is another attempt by the administration to boost U.S. manufacturing. The White House says nearly 650,000 manufacturing jobs were created in the past five years.
The 12 communities announced Wednesday are: southwest Alabama, Southern California, northwest Georgia, the Chicago metro area, south Kansas, greater Portland, Maine, southeastern Michigan, the New York Finger Lakes region, southwestern Ohio aerospace region, the Tennessee Valley, the Washington Puget Sound region and the Milwaukee area.
Eligible voters have until June 6 to register for next month’s special election, which will ask Hays USD 489 constituents for a 1 percent increase to the local option budget.
A look at local option budget rates. Courtesy Hays USD 489
Ballots are scheduled to be mailed June 10 for the school’s special question, which proposed to increase the LOB from 30 percent to 31 percent — a move that would generate an additional $200,000 for the district’s budget. Ballots must be returned by noon June 27, and the Ellis County Clerk’s office will keep as running tally as they are returned by voters.
Legislative changes this year actually would slightly reduce the amount the district would collect if the LOB would go unchanged, said Superintendent Dean Katt.
This spring’s school funding compromise approved by the Legislature also would allow the district — should the June LOB question be approved — to increase the LOB to either 32 percent or 33 percent for one year only.
Katt said the board has considered that possibility, but nothing has been determined.
The one-year-only increase to 32 percent would generate approximately $400,000 in new revenue, with the owner of a $100,000 home paying an additional $67.85 annually. A 33 percent LOB would generate nearly $600,000 in revenue, with the owner of a $100,000 home paying an additional $133.40 over the course of a year.
Katt is in the midst of a talking tour touting the benefits of the LOB increase. The last stop before ballots are mailed will be at noon June 2 before the Hays Rotary, but Katt will continue to speak with community members about the issue though at least June 17. Click HERE for the talking tour schedule. He also spoke at length with Eagle Community Television recently on the issues facing the district. Click HERE for the wide-ranging interview.
In addition to the mail-in ballot, voters also have until July 15 to register for the Aug. 5 primary election, and until Oct. 14 to register for the Nov. 4 general election.
Following is a list of Ellis County voter registration locations. For more information, call the Ellis County Clerk’s office at (785) 628-9410.
ELLIS COUNTY VOTER REGISTRATION LOCATIONS
ELECTION OFFICER: Donna J Maskus
1. Ellis County Clerk’s Office, 1204 Fort St, Hays
Hours: 8-5 M-F 785-628-9410 Contact: Donna J. Maskus
2. Hays City Clerk’s Office, 1507 Main St, Hays
Hours 8-5 M-F 785-628-7300 Contact: Brenda Kitchen
MERRIAM, Kan. (AP) — IKEA plans to install a large solar array at its store in suburban Kansas City, making what the furniture retailer calls the largest rooftop solar spread in Kansas.
The company said in a release Wednesday that installation of the 92,000-square-foot solar array will likely begin in June. The store’s opening is scheduled for this fall.
IKEA says the 2,850 panels at the Merriam store will produce more than 1 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually for the store, which is being built on about 20 acres in Merriam.
The company says it has installed more than 550,000 solar panels on buildings worldwide and has solar energy at most of its U.S. locations
PLAINVIEW, Texas (AP) – Before he became known as a sausage king, Jimmy Dean had a career in music. And next month, ground will be broken in Texas to honor that part of Dean’s legacy. Wayland Baptist University and the Museum of the Llano Estacado will start work on an addition of a museum dedicated to Dean’s career as a country star. The museum wing will be Plainview, Texas – Dean’s hometown. The museum will cost about $5 million to complete. It will house memorabilia from Dean’s personal collection – and feature a bronze statue of the performer.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police say two people died and two others were injured in a disturbance at a south Wichita neighborhood that was the result of a simmering feud.
An argument involving three residents of WindRidge Apartments spilled in the street Tuesday evening.
Lt. Randy Reynolds says a 27-year-old man visiting the complex shot three people in the street.
Two people — 24-year-old Cayli Phillips and a 50-year-old Eddie Centeno-Martinez — died of gunshot wounds.
A 38-year-old cousin of Centeno-Martinez was shot and is in critical condition.
Reynolds says the suspected shooter also is in critical condition after being stabbed at some point during the dispute. Police have not yet determined exactly what prompted the feud.
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WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Police say two people died and two others were injured in a disturbance at a south Wichita neighborhood.
Wichita police Capt. Jose Salcido said three of the victims in the Tuesday night incident were shot and one was stabbed. But Salcido released few other details, including the genders or ages of the victims. He also would not provide any information on a possible suspect.
Salcido says the disturbance occurred outside and the crime scene was nearly a block long in a residential area. He says the motive for the altercation was not known.
CHAUTAUQUA, Kan.-Two men from Oregon were hospitalized after a semi-truck crash at 2:05 a.m. Wednesday in Chautauqua County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Volvo semi-truck pulling a trailer driven by Dale Freda Vogue, 49, Huntington OR., was southbound on K-99 just south of Trail Road.
The truck dropped off the edge of the road and the driver over corrected causing the vehicle to overturn on its side.
Vogue and a passenger in the vehicle Edward Godfrey, 56, Huntington, OR., were transported to Via Christi St. Francis.
The KHP reported Godfrey was not wearing a seat belt.
MCCUNE, Kan. (AP) — Efforts to clean up one of the hundreds of abandoned mine sites in southeast Kansas have created a popular fishing spot.
The Mined Land Wildlife Area near McCune encompasses 14,500 acres, with 1,500 acres of surface water. The pits left by mining are now filled with largemouth bass, walleye, crappie, trout and other fish.
The area attracts 300,000 visitors a year.
The cleanup is required by the federal government, and has been financed by mining reclamation money paid by mining companies. The Mined Land Wildlife Area is one of several projects chosen by state officials to clean with the reclamation money.
The Joplin Globe reports some landowners have fought the reclamation projects but state officials say they improve habitat and safety in the region.
The Ellis County Commission will meet in a special meeting at 5 p.m. Wednesday to discuss a contract between the county and Secure Energy Consulting. Commissioners also will consider signing a letter from the National Association of Counties supporting a new federal highway bill currently under discussion.
Jeff Younger from Secure Energy Consulting will talk with the commission about the services the company provides and answer questions about the proposed supply contract. Younger’s company helps the county buy natural gas in bulk, saving the county on the price of natural gas. After the county purchases the bulk gas, Midwest Energy distributes it once it reaches the area.
The commission will also discuss a letter drawn up by Public Works Director Mike Graf in response to NACo’s request that each member county contact their congressional delegation encouraging them to authorize a new highway bill.
Both items were tabled from the May 16 regular meeting.
TOPEKA — A former Kansas state legislator pleaded guilty Tuesday to defrauding Farmers and Merchants Bank of Colby of more than $465,000, some of which he deposited in his campaign account, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said Wednesday in a news release.
Trent K. LeDoux, 40, Holton, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. In his plea, he admitted he applied for three loans from the bank, falsely representing that he was going to use all the funds to buy cattle that would serve as the collateral for the loans. In fact, he used some of the money to pay off existing debts and to make contributions to his political campaign account.
Sentencing is set for Aug. 11. He faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison and a fine up to $1 million. Grissom commended the FBI and Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Hathaway for their work on the case.
LeDoux represented the 50th District in the Kansas House in 2011 and 2012.
WASHINGTON (AP) — An outbreak of antibiotic-resistant salmonella linked to a California chicken company continues even after more than a year.
There have been 50 new illnesses in the past two months. Since March 2013, 574 people have been sickened.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says there are about eight new reported salmonella illnesses linked to the outbreak a week — most of them in California.
So far, there’s been no recall of Foster Farms chicken.
The Agriculture Department is monitoring Foster Farms facilities and says measured rates of salmonella in the company’s products have been going down since the outbreak began.
The department threatened to shut down the facilities last year but let Foster Farms stay open after the company had made immediate changes to reduce salmonella rates.
MCPHERSON, Kan. (AP) — A major pharmaceutical company says it will invest $120 million in improvements at its McPherson plant over the next five years, likely resulting in 150 new jobs.
