With details on how you, as a Midwest Energy customer, can invest in a new solar panel program offered thru Midwest Energy, is Director of Corporate Communications, Mike Morley.
Month: May 2014
Two from Olathe in custody after high-speed chase on I-70
Two Kansas City area residents were arrested early Monday morning following a high-speed chase that began on Interstate 70 in Dickinson County.
Saline County Sheriff’s Deputy Rick Heinrich said the pursuit began just before 5:30 a.m. in Dickinson County with speeds in excess of 100 mph.
Saline County deputies became involved in the chase at the Niles exit, about 10 miles east of Salina. Speeds dropped after a Salina Police officer was able to spike one tire on the 2007 Honda Civic at Ohio Street and I-70. Deputies pursued the car on I-70, U.S. 81, Kansas 143 and county roads.
The chase ended about 6 a.m. on North Hedville Road between Watkins and Shipton Road, when the driver 29-year-old Greggory Bennett of Olathe allegedly got out of the car and ran.
Bennett reportedly jumped a fence and ran into a field and fell down before being apprehended. Bennett was arrested on requested charges of felony fleeing and eluding, felony obstruction, DUI, reckless driving, driving with suspended license, and transporting an open container of alcohol.
A passenger, 34-year-old Irina Jorgenson, Olathe, was charged with transporting an open container of alcohol.
Claflin residents among four hospitalized following Monday accident
BUSHTON — Four people were injured in a Monday morning crash in Rice County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2000 Dodge Durango driven by Patty A. Gabbard, 51, Claflin, was eastbound on Kansas 4, approximately one mile east of Bushston.
The vehicle left the roadway onto the south shoulder,. The driver overcorrected, crossed both lanes of traffic, and overturned into the north ditch.
Gabbard and passengers in the vehicle Dawn E. Gabbard, 31, Abbie R. Judd, 1, both of Claflin, and Benjamin R. Erwin, 33, Woodward, Okla., were transported to the hospital in Lyons.
The KHP reported that all were properly restrained at the time of the accident.
On the rise again, Disneyland prices have more than doubled since 2003
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — The price of a ticket at Disneyland is creeping closer to triple-digits.
A single-day ticket for either Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park is now $96 for those 10 and up.
The $4 hike went into effect Sunday and is about the same as previous boosts, which usually happen about once a year. Single-day ticket prices have more than doubled since 2003.
The cost for annual passes went up too.
A Disneyland statement says the price hikes were brought on by a variety of factors, but the tickets represent a great value given the breadth and quality of attractions and entertainment at the parks.
Hays student among those honored by KU political science department
LAWRENCE — The University of Kansas Political Science Department honored its top students at their Recognition Ceremony, with awards and induction into Pi Sigma Alpha last month at the Adams Alumni Center.
Twenty-eight students were inducted into the Gamma chapter of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society. Criteria for induction include a 3.5 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale in all political science courses with a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.4 for undergraduates. For graduate students, the average must be at least 3.5. Neither may have a course grade lower than a B in any political science course.
These students were inducted:
Elizabeth Albani, senior from Parkville, Missouri
Mark Arce, senior from Overland Park
Jordan Dollar, sophomore from Blue Springs, Missouri
Chelsea Ellis, senior from Salina
Nicole Gilmore, junior from Columbus
Derek Glasgow, graduate student from Winfield
Nicole Humphrey, sophomore from Lawrence
Joshua Luthi, senior from Overland Park
Allison McKinnon, senior from Overland Park
Brett Pollard, senior from Leawood
Michael Raven, senior from Hays
Joshua Schukman, graduate student from Great Bend
Emily Taylor, senior from Silver Lake
Stephen Tennant, graduate student from Leavenworth
Brian Turnbull, graduate student from Mayetta
Gina Wehby, senior from Wichita
The Department of Political Science provides cash awards with no restrictions and scholarships that provide tuition assistance. The awards and scholarships presented were:
The Ethan P. Allen Pi Sigma Alpha Award to outstanding graduating seniors majoring in political science. The recipients are:
Ibrahim Berro, senior from Lawrence
Gina Wehby, senior from Wichita
Tyler Childress, senior from Coffeyville
The Emmett L. Bennett Scholarship to an outstanding junior majoring in political science. The recipients are:
Tsedenya Bizani, junior from Olathe
Ashley Hart, junior from Kansas City, Kansas
Shayne Thoman, junior from Kansas City, Kansas
Jordan Kane, junior from Overland Park
The Eldon Fields Award to outstanding student majoring in political science. The recipients are:
Chelsea Ellis, senior from Salina
Matt Kasper, senior from Shawnee
Joey Hentzler, junior from Topeka
The Elizabeth and Carl Gustafson Scholarships, ranging from $300 to $500, to outstanding political science undergraduates. The recipients:
Alina Zheng, sophomore from Lawrence
Nicole Humphrey, sophomore from Lawrence
Kaitlyn DeYoung, junior from Wichita
Jordan Dollar, sophomore from Blue Springs, Missouri
Alex Chartrand, junior from Overland Park
Nicholas Czarnecki, senior from Overland Park
Ibrahim Berro, senior from Lawrence
Tyler Childress, senior from Coffeyville
Chelsea Ellis, senior from Salina
Matthew Kasper, senior from Shawnee
Gina Wehby, senior from Wichita
Joey Hentzler, junior from Topeka
KayeLee Rogers, senior from Lane
The Political Science Future Military Leaders Scholarship is awarded twice a year to political science majors participating in ROTC. This fund is possible by the generosity of Roberto Montoya. This year the winners are as follows:
Benjamin Allman, junior from Topeka (Fall 2013)
Madeline Wilcox, senior from Leavenworth (Spring 2014)
The Walter Thompson Scholarships, ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, awarded to deserving political science students. The recipients:
Brittany Mesa, junior from Garden City
Ryan Ott, sophomore from Benton
Lauren Fleming, junior from Lawrence
Alexander Samuelson, senior from Overland Park
Shayne Thoman, junior from Kansas City, Kansas
Amanda Gress, senior from Overland Park
Luke Campbell, graduate student from Liberty, Missouri
Derek Glasgow, graduate student from Winfield
Josh Schukman, graduate student from Overland Park
Lidiya Zubytska, graduate student from Lawrence
The Political Science Faculty Award is given to those students who have nearly completed or have completed an honors thesis with a faculty member. Those students are:
Jacklyn Baillergeon, senior from Lansing
Joshua Luthi, senior from Overland Park
Michael Raven, senior from Hays
All of the scholarship funds are managed by KU Endowment, the independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fundraising and fund-management organization for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment is the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.
RCPD releases victim’s identity in fatal boating accident
Riley County Police Department news release
MANHATTAN — At approximately 3:12 p.m. on Sunday May 18, 2014, the Riley County Police Department received an emergent call stating that a small fishing boat in the Tuttle Cove Park area of Tuttle Creek had capsized. Once on scene, police found that the boat, approximately 14 feet in length, was carrying 3 passengers, who were not wearing personal flotation vests, at the time of its sinking. All three passengers were placed into the 59-degree water in an area where the depth is estimated to be 26 feet.
Two passengers, Jessica Regodos, 22, and Joshua Jacobs, 28, of Manhattan were rescued by a bystander who was able to pull them into his fishing boat. Regodos was subsequently transported to Mercy Regional for non-life threatening serious injury. Jacobs was able to drive his personal vehicle to Mercy Regional.
A search for the third passenger was started immediately and members of Riley County Emergency Management, Riley County Fire, Riley County EMS, Manhattan Fire Department, US Army Core of Engineers, Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism, the Mission Township Water Rescue Team from Shawnee County as well as the Riley County Police Department participated in a coordinated search of the cove’s entrance into the lake for approximately 7.5 hours.
During the course of the search and rescue effort, the decision was made to begin a search and recovery operation due to the length of time the third passenger was thought to have been underwater.
Shortly after 10 p.m., emergency crews recovered the body of Matthew Mann, 25, of Junction City. He was pronounced dead at the scene as a victim of drowning.
The Riley County Police Department would like to thank the agencies and personnel involved in this tragic emergency response and would also like to extend their deepest sympathies to the Mann’s family and friends.
Former TMP principal, commencement speaker will be honored at reception
Submitted by Thomas More Prep-Marian
Thomas More Prep-Marian will host a reception for Kathleen Cepelka, former principal/president and this year’s graduation speaker, from 10 to 11 a.m. May 25 in the school dining hall. The reception is open to the public.
Cepelka, Ph.D., superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee, has served in Catholic education for more than 45 years in teaching and administrative roles at the elementary, secondary and graduate school levels. From 1981 to 1988, she was principal and president of TMP High School and has held many other positions as a Catholic school administrator, board member, teacher and leader through the years.
She continues to teach graduate level leadership courses at Marquette University, in addition to her role as superintendent of Catholic schools. In 2009, she received the Vatican II Award for Service to Education from the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and, in 2013, the John F. Myers Award from the National Catholic Educational Association for service to Catholic education at the national level.
Commencement exercises will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 25, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church. The ceremony, along with Cepelka’s address, will be available live online at https://www.hayspost.com.
Cepelka was named a TMP-Marian Point of Light Award recipient in 1998. Below is the biography submitted for that honor:
Angeline K. Cepelka, PH.D., was a familiar figure in the TMP-Marian halls between 1981-1988. Always there for students and staff alike, her presence and strength of character had an effect upon all. During this span, she served ably as principal and academic dean from 1981 to 1985 and as President and Principal from 1985 to 1988, the first female to do so in this position. Besides doing an exceptional job in those endeavors, she was also a friend and confidant to many, not only within the TMP-Marian family but in the community as well.
Dr. Cepelka was willing to lend an ear and give tirelessly of her talents to others. In addition to her administrative duties, she served as director of dramatics and directed thirteen major productions at TMP-Marian. Also during her presidency, the school moved all of its operations into the main campus and revised the schools’ administrative and academic structures.
After leaving TMP-Marian, she continued her education at Marquette University, receiving her PH.D. in Educational Administration.
Community solar array Q&A session will be Tuesday evening (VIDEO)
By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
As the western Kansas solar array becomes a reality, officials from Midwest Energy and community solar developer Clean Energy Collective have set up area meetings to discuss the project and answer questions.
In March, officials from Midwest Energy and CEC announced an agreement to build a 1-megawatt community solar array in western Kansas.
According to Midwest Energy spokesman Mike Morley, the solar array, which is expected to be made up of about 4,000 panels, will be located in the Colby area, although officials still are working on a few project details.
Midwest Energy customers who purchase panels will get credit on their electric bills for the power their panels produce.
Morley said this is still a relatively new concept in the utility industry, but CEC is one of the largest companies in the U.S. doing community solar arrays, with 30 to 35 across the country.
“It’s a well established company with a good track record of building these types of projects,” Morley said.
He also said that there are a number of benefits to community solar.
“Anybody can participate if you are a Midwest Energy Electric customer,” Morley said.
Renters or people’s houses that are blocked by trees can take advantage of the community solar and still benefit from solar energy.
Officials have scheduled receptions in Colby, Great Bend and Hays as a way for Midwest Energy customers to ask questions about the project.
Morley said there have been many inquires from customers since the project was announced.
“These receptions are an opportunity for Midwest Energy members to come in, in a very informal, no-pressure setting and meet one-on-one with folks with from Midwest and Clean Energy Collective and ask any questions they might have about the project,” he said.
The Hays reception is scheduled for 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. May 20 at Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co., 117 E. 11th.
Other sessions are scheduled from 5 to 9 p.m. May 19 at Front Door Community Center, 1615 10th, Great Bend, and 7:30 to 10 a.m. May 21 at City Limits Convention Center, 2227 S. Range, Colby.
Customers can calculate their savings and find more information online at www.mwecommunitysolar.com.
Morley recently discussed the solar panels with Eagle Community TV. Click HERE to watch this edition of Community Connection.
Victoria parents hope to save gridiron grass with water conservation efforts
By JONATHAN ZWEYGARDT
Hays Post
VICTORIA — Victoria High School supporters are rallying together to ensure the health of the football field as warmer weather approaches.
Because all outdoor watering is banned in Victoria, the school district cannot water the field so, earlier this month, community members approached the school board with an idea to collect water using rain barrels to help water the grass.
Terry Riedel said a few parents of football players have been placing rain barrels across the community, and they have also placed a storage tank at the football field to store water — hoping to keep the grass alive this summer.
They recently received permission to install three 800-gallon rain barrels at the Coca-Cola plant, and Riedel said there will be five 800-gallon rain barrels and several 250-gallon barrels set up around the community. He added they are just starting, but they hope to add more.
Thursday night, the group installed a 12,000-gallon storage tank at the football field.
“It’s going to take some rain and take some runoff to get some rainwater, but hopefully with a few rains here and there, this summer and some donated water, we will be able to keep this thing (the field) alive this summer,” Riedel said.
He added that the recent .2-inch rain yielded more than 600 gallons of collected water.
Victoria High School Principal and Activities Director Stuart Moeckel said the district has been looking for alternatives, and officials are happy the community has taken action to help during the drought. But he stressed the school has taken a hands-off in the process, noting the district is not “in the business of asking for water.”
“Times are tough for everybody,” Moeckel said. “We have farmers that have to water crops, we have farmers that have to water cattle and we understand that football plays a very small part of that big picture.”
Riedel said the entire region needs to step up conservation efforts.
“it may be in vain,” he said, “(but with some rain) it’s going to surprise people what a little ingenuity and saving can do.”
According Riedel, farmers also have been helping water the Otis-Bison football field.
Focus groups part of search for new Kansas education commissioner
Kansas State Board of Education
TOPEKA — The Kansas State Board of Education will host focus groups across the state to gather constituent input as the search for Kansas’ new commissioner of education gets underway.
Kansas Commissioner of Education
Former Education Commissioner Dr. Diane DeBacker submitted her resignation in April to accept a position as the adviser to the director general of the Abu Dhabi Education Council.
In the preliminary phase of the search process, a series of focus groups will be conducted in several state board districts to gather constituent feedback as to what they believe to be the most critical educational issues in Kansas, and the experiences and skills they feel are essential for this leadership position.
The focus groups, led by board Vice Chairwoman Sally Cauble, representing District 5, will be:
• 7 p.m. May 20, Southwest Plains Regional Service Center, 810 West Lark, Sublette
• 7 p.m. June 4 Colby High School Auditorium, 1890 S. Franklin, Colby, Kansas
• 7 p.m. June 5, Great Bend USD 428 District Offices, 201 Patton, Great Bend
All sessions are open to the public.
With a stroke of the pen, Brownback finds an election-year coup
We’re not gonna know and nobody is gonna tell, but that little $5 million line item veto by Gov. Sam Brownback last week on the budget bill looks a little…well, let’s say, as politically good as it gets.
Doesn’t it?
Just a pen-flip on the last bill of the 2014 session prevented pulling $5 million of funding from the Kansas Endowment for Youth (KEY), which this election year has to be a good thing, doesn’t it? That money—from the tobacco settlement fund—had been earmarked by the Legislature for the Kansas Bioscience Authority so it could continue to invest in new and expanding technical companies in the state.
Let’s see, this is an election year, and the Legislature previously killed Brownback’s high-profile plan to spend about $16 million this year to make all-day kindergarten available to children in all Kansas school districts. And then, after a Kansas Supreme Court opinion, lawmakers reshuffled school finance and while everything’s paid for, it wasn’t a press release-worthy exercise.
So…lawmakers take money that was supposed to go to such catchily named programs as Tiny-K, Early Head Start and Parents as Teachers, and want to spend it on technology investments?
Brownback’s veto is not a hard decision if you want the votes of parents and grandparents whose children and grandchildren are assisted in getting a good elementary education. Who lost? Well, politically—that’s for gubernatorial voting of course—those starched shirt technology gurus who have an idea for some new app or something.
Count ‘em up, and the votes are on the side of the children, and Brownback gets points for taking care of programs for them.
Was the $5 million a throwaway, a political point-maker handed to the governor? Or was the now-killed transfer a way to put money into important scientific and job-creating businesses across the state?
The Bioscience Authority initially was after $35 million in the upcoming fiscal year to make investments to finance that growth industry, which the Senate agreed to, and the House pared to about $27 million. After negotiations between the four lawmakers who essentially wrote the budget, two from the House, two from the Senate, that $27 million was boosted to $32 million by pulling in $5 million from KEY. Brownback vetoed the $5 million, bringing the authority back to $27 million in new state funding.
A big deal in a $6 billion-plus state budget? Probably not, but it’s a move that children’s advocates are happy about—and that brought them together for a letter-writing campaign for their cause.
The politics of it? We won’t know until November. But it presented the governor a nice play for fans of children’s issues.
Syndicated by Hawver News Co. of Topeka, Martin Hawver is publisher of Hawver’s Capitol Report. To learn more about this nonpartisan statewide political news service, visit www.hawvernews.com.
Church hopes to open free store for teachers
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita church plans to open a free store for teachers in which individuals or companies can donate supplies for use in classrooms so the instructors don’t have to pay for them out of their own pockets.
The Wichita Eagle reports the average teacher spends between $600 and $1,500 a year of his or her own money on classroom supplies.
GracePoint Church executive pastor Terry Johnson says giving teachers the tools they need can help them better educate students.
The church recently established a nonprofit organization called Project Teacher, which hopes to open a volunteer-run free store in time for next school year.
The idea was inspired by Schoolhouse Supplies in Portland, Oregon, which distributed more than $430,000 worth of supplies during the 2010-2011 school year.
Garland named to Rawlings/ABCA All-Central Region First Team
FHSU Sports Information
Fort Hays State senior Clayton Garland was named to the Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association All-Central Region First Team for the 2014 season. This is the first all-region selection for the two-time All-MIAA selection.
Garland was one of three MIAA outfielders named to the first team, including Ryan Degner of Missouri Western and Cody Robinson of Northeastern State. Garland earned All-MIAA Second Team honors earlier this year.
Garland led the Tigers with a .406 batting average, the first Tiger to hit .400 in a season since Cody Staten hit .419 in 2006. He also led the Tigers in runs scored (42), hits (67), triples (3), total bases (98), slugging percentage (.594), on-base percentage (.466), and stolen bases (6). He finished his career tied with the fifth-highest career batting average at FHSU, a mark of .397 over two seasons.
Below is the entire Rawlings/ABCA All-Central Region Team for 2014.
| First Team | ||||
| Pos. | Name, School, Year | |||
| 1B | Stetson Olson, Minnesota State, Sr. | |||
| 2B | Jake Peterson, Augustana, Sr. | |||
| 3B | Tony Viger, Augustana, Sr. | |||
| SS | Phillip Wilson, Central Oklahoma, Sr. | |||
| INF | Jake O’Brien, Central Oklahoma, Jr. | |||
| OF | Ryan Degner, Missouri Western, Jr. | |||
| OF | Jonathan Freemyer, NW Okla St., Sr. | |||
| OF | Cody Robinson, Northeastern St., Sr. | |||
| OF | Clayton Garland, Fort Hays State, Sr. | |||
| C | Jack Goihl, Augustana, Jr. | |||
| DH | Patrick Rients, SW Minn. St., Jr. | |||
| SP | Jason Hoppe, Minnesota State, Sr. | |||
| SP | Ricky Reeves, Central Oklahoma, Jr. | |||
| SP | Eric Browning, Wayne State, So. | |||
| SP | Davis Ward, Ouachita Baptist, Sr. | |||
| RP | Reese Gregory, St. Cloud State, So. | |||
| Second Team | ||||
| Pos. | Name, School, Year | |||
| 1B | Mike Kattula, Arkansas Tech, Sr. | |||
| 2B | Ben Agredano, Arkansas-Monticello, Sr. | |||
| 3B | Spencer Blacksher, Southwest Baptist, Jr. | |||
| SS | Tyler Nehring, Winona State, So. | |||
| INF | Dean Lond, Emporia State, Jr. | |||
| OF | Brad Wilson, Central Missouri, Sr. | |||
| OF | Kyle Dalton, Concordia, Jr. | |||
| OF | Tyler Adams, Upper Iowa, Sr. | |||
| OF | Anthony Pacheco, Nebraska-Kearney, So. | |||
| C | Nolan Johnson, Minnesota State, Jr. | |||
| DH | Josh Ingram, Central Oklahoma, Jr. | |||
| SP | Dylan Lynn, Southern Arkansas, Sr. | |||
| SP | Collin Campbell, Harding, So. | |||
| SP | Kade Garlington, Arkansas-Monticello, Sr. | |||
| SP | Bryce Bellin, Minnesota State, Sr. | |||
| RP | Brenton Higgins, Emporia State, Sr. | |||
| Central Region Player of the Year | |||
| Phillip Wilson, Central Oklahoma, Sr. | |||
| Central Region Pitcher of the Year | |||
| Jason Hoppe, Minnesota State, Sr. | |||
| Central Region Coach of the Year | |||
| TBA |