TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A tentative deal on a final Kansas budget does not include $2 million to fund an effort for a new bioscience research and development center at the University of Kansas.
Gov. Sam Brownback had urged legislators to include funding for the proposed Kansas Institute of Translational Chemical Biology but he didn’t include the proposal in his budget amendment.
House Appropriations Committee Chairman Gene Suellentrop, a Republican from Wichita, said Thursday budget negotiators felt the proposal needed further study.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports the institute would promote research and drug development and encourage collaborations with pharmaceutical companies. University officials also said it would attract businesses interested in working with scientists doing research on new drugs.
April was the month for aging issues in Ellis County Extension programs. We hosted the regional Full Circle Aging Expo last Friday in Hays where more than 90 people learned various aspects of living life to the fullest in their later years. During April we also offered programs on new ways to look at aging, physical activity for older adults and funeral planning and end-of-life issues.
Linda Beech
In May, the Ellis County Extension Office will team up with the Northwest Kansas Aging and Disability Resource Center to again offer helpful information for those at or nearing retirement age. A joint program on “Medicare Basics” will be held at 4 p.m. Thursday, May 8, in the Extension meeting room, 601 Main.
This free educational program will cover Medicare eligibility, how and when to apply, what is covered by the various parts, and how to fill the gaps. Programs available to assist low income individuals will also be discussed.
Anyone interested in learning more about the Medicare maze would benefit from this program, particularly those who are nearing age 65 or those who help aging parents with insurance and financial matters.
Presenters for the program are Glenna Clingingsmith, from the Northwest Kansas Aging and Disability Resource Center, and Linda Beech, Ellis County Extension FCS Agent.
Medicare is the federal government program that provides health insurance to those who are age 65 or older, or under 65 and have a disability, no matter their income.
Medicare has different parts that cover inpatient services, outpatient services and prescription drugs at the pharmacy. Unless someone makes another choice for how to get benefits when they become eligible for Medicare, they will have Original Medicare, the traditional fee-for-service program offered directly through the federal government. In Original Medicare, you are covered to go to just about any doctor or hospital in the country.
People can also choose to get their Medicare benefits instead through a Medicare Advantage plan (such as an HMO or PPO). These plans, which are also called Medicare private health plans, must offer at least the same benefits as Original Medicare but can have different rules, costs and coverage restrictions.
Medicare is different from Medicaid, which is a state and federal program offering health care coverage to people with low incomes.
Everyone has a choice about how to get Medicare health benefits. Whether making decisions for yourself, or helping parents, grandparents, relatives or friends make health care decisions, it is important to understand Medicare options and to choose Medicare coverage carefully. The decisions you make about Medicare benefits can affect quality of care.
To learn more, plan to attend the free program on “Medicare Basics” at 4 p.m. May 8 at the Ellis County Extension meeting room, 601 Main in Hays. Enter the rear door from the north parking lot. Please pre-register by calling the Extension Office, (785) 628-9430, to ensure adequate materials.
Linda Beech is Ellis County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.
LAWRENCE – Junior point guard Naadir Tharpe will not return to the Kansas men’s basketball program for his senior season, he and head coach Bill Self announced on Thursday.
“Naadir and I have talked numerous times since he’s been here about his role and about his situation back home with his daughter,” Self said. “He’s told me many times how much he misses his little girl and she’s had some health issues that has certainly made it difficult for him to be away from her for this extended period of time. She’s doing very well now, but Naadir approached me after the season was over about him wanting to be closer to her. This is his decision to try and accomplish that.”
Tharpe made his first career start in the second game of the 2013-14 season, leading the Jayhawks to a win against 4th-ranked Duke in Chicago’s United Center. A rough stretch of play in non-conference action kept him from the starting lineup for two games before the 5-11 Worcester, Mass., guard took over as floor general for the remainder of the season. With Tharpe at point guard, Kansas went 25-10 overall and 14-4 in Big 12 play to capture its 10th-consecutive regular-season conference title in 2013-14.
In January of his freshman season, Tharpe’s daughter, Amara, was born. Since then, Tharpe has held down the role of student, athlete and father.
“Due to extenuating circumstances within my personal life, I will no longer be attending the University of Kansas,” Tharpe said. “My daughter has current medical issues that require weekly visits to her physician, as well as with a specialist. At this juncture, I feel it is best to be closer to home where I can assist and support in any way necessary.”
In 2013-14, Tharpe went on to earn his first All-Big 12 accolades, being named to honorable mention team after averaging 5.0 assists per game to rank third in the league. His 2.43 assist-to-turnover ratio also checked in third in the conference for the second-straight season. He tallied six different games without a turnover and a pair of double-doubles against Iowa State at home and Kansas State on the road. Tharpe led Kansas in assists (170), free throw percentage (82.1) and tied for the team-lead in most three-pointers made (43).
“I enjoyed my time here,” Tharpe said. “I appreciate the players that were here before me that I got a chance to play with and that are still friends with me right now. It’s going to be tough leaving a situation like this because of the teammates I’m leaving behind. Everything happens for a reason and I have to continue my journey a different way.”
Self concurred, acknowledging the difficult decision Tharpe was faced with before arriving at his decision.
“Personally, it’s something that we 100 percent support and wish him nothing but the best,” Self said. “I certainly appreciate all of his efforts since he’s been here. Naadir has been a good player for us in his three years here. But we also respect the fact that he wants to be closer to his daughter and we want to do everything we can to support that.”
For his career, Tharpe played in 103 games for KU with 31 starts. He averaged 5.5 minutes during KU’s 2011-12 Final Four season and 19.4 minutes with a 5.5 scoring average his sophomore season in 2012-13. He averaged 5.1 points for his career and his 304 assists were 18 shy of KU’s top-20 list.
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – Mark Buehrle pitched into the seventh inning, Juan Francisco and Colby Rasmus each went deep and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Kansas City Royals 7-3 Thursday night to avoid a series sweep.
Francisco and Rasmus each drove in a pair of runs for Toronto, as did Anthony Gose, who was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo to start in place of injured outfielder Melky Cabrera.
Buehrle worked through plenty of trouble to last 6 2-3 innings, allowing two earned runs on seven hits and a pair of walks.
It was a solid bounce-back performance after the left-hander was hammered for seven runs last Friday night against Boston.
Aaron Loup pitched 2 1-3 shutout innings for his third career save.
The Royals’ Jeremy Guthrie left the game trailing 4-3 after six innings.
AUBURN, Maine (AP) — A Maine teenager is flustered but not hurt after a photo op with a squirrel went awry.
Seventeen-year-old Brian Genest of Auburn said Wednesday he saw what appeared to be a friendly squirrel on a hand rail while walking through John Chestnut Park near Tampa, Florida. He was on a trip looking at colleges.
Genest took a “selfie” of himself and the squirrel, but the flash and noises from his camera phone scared the animal, which climbed under the teen’s shirt and hung onto his back.
Genest’s mother snapped photos of the hoopla, which are posted on her son’s Facebook page. She said Thursday that Genest had approached the squirrel making clicking sounds with his tongue to get closer.
She said neither her son nor the squirrel was harmed.
At a work session last night, Hays city commissioners were presented with a proposal by the Western Kansas Skatepark Committee to seek funding for renovations for the current skate park at Aubel-Bickle Park.
The proposed renovation would cost around $250,000, and the commission was asked to give permission to the group to solicit private funding the the public improvement.
Jeff Boyle, parks director for the city of Hays, said that the figure could probably be brought down once a request for bids was sent out, due to the fact that most of the costs would be for concrete.
All of the commissioners were in favor of the proposal but some concerns were brought up concerning the funding.
“$250,000 is a lot of money,” said Commissioner Henry Schwaller. “Several groups have come forth with these types of proposals but just haven’t been able to come up with the funding.”
The commissioners plan to vote on the proposal next week.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — A couple who graduated from Kansas State has donated $3 million to the university to support a new leadership program and a welcome center.
The university announced Thursday that David and Ellie Everitt, currently of Marco Island, Fla., designated $2 million to the Leading Change Institutes and $1 million to the welcome center.
David Everitt is a Concordia native who graduated with an industrial engineering degree in 1975. His wife is a 1973 graduate who earned a degree in clothing and textiles.
The Leading Change Institutes which opens in the summer of 2015, will bring together leaders and scholars to discuss ideas for confronting global and everyday challenges.
The welcome center will provide student career services and a gathering place for students and employers.
BUNKER HILL – Smoky Hills Public Television has announced the winners for the 2014 PBS Kids Writer’s Contest. More than 80 entries were submitted from January through March from across central and western Kansas. Children ages kindergarten through third grade were eligible to enter stories.
A group of community volunteers read each story and determined the winners. Up to three places could be awarded in each grade level.
Awards presentation in Osborne.From left, Gracie Riner, Kassi Kaser, Jaiden Bennett and Hannah Coop.
“The children had to write original stories and include illustrations to be eligible for a prize,” said SHPTV Education Director Leona Breeden. “We were so impressed with the creativity of the stories. The Writer’s Contest is designed to engage children’s creativity while honing their writing skills. The kids did a fantastic job.”
The children, whose stories placed, received a prize pack and a trophy.
The winners at the local level are submitted to the national contest for judging this summer. The winners will be announced by Aug. 31.
The local winners were:
Kindergarten:
1st Place – Asher Selee, Garden City
2nd Place – Elkan Spear, Park City
1st Grade:
1st Place – Kassi Kaser, Osborne
2nd Place – Hannah Coop, Osborne
3rd Place – Jaiden Bennett, Osborne
2nd Grade:
1st Place – Gracie Riner, Osborne
2nd Place – Carlie Carlgren, Concordia
3rd Place – Madelyn Stiles, Concordia
3rd Grade:
1st Place – Kiersten Morgan, Concordia
2nd Place – Tiana Selee, Garden City
3rd Place – Ariana Perrin, Concordia
SALINA, Kan. (AP) — Saline County jurors found a man guilty of felony murder and child abuse in the death of his girlfriend’s 18-month-old daughter.
The verdict was returned Thursday against Troy L. Love II for the April 2012 death of Bre’Elle Jefferson. He was found not guilty of a second count of child abuse for injuries the girl suffered before she was fatally injured.
Love will be sentenced June 30.
The Salina Journal reports Love faces a life sentence with a minimum of 20 years served before becoming eligible for parole on the murder charge.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Microsoft is releasing a security update for Internet Explorer that closes a gap that allowed attackers to take complete control of a computer. It also issued the update to Windows XP users, despite dropping support for the older operating system last month.
The update went live on Thursday.
Adrienne Hall, general manager of Microsoft Trustworthy Computing, said in a statement that the company decided to fix the problem quickly for all customers, saying it takes the security of its products “incredibly seriously.”
Microsoft reported the problem Saturday, saying it was aware of “limited, targeted attacks” and that the vulnerability affected Internet Explorer versions 6 through 11
The company said users with automatic updates enabled don’t need to take any action.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The U.S. Postal Service says it will not change a decision to close the main post office building in downtown Topeka.
The postal service notified Mayor Larry Wolgast this week that it will relocate services at the building to another location, which hasn’t been determined.
The move was announced in February but residents, Wolgast and the National Park Service were among many parties asking the postal service to reconsider. The downtown building has served postal customers in Topeka since 1932.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Tom Samra, a postal service executive, said in a letter that the agency considered the concerns but the decision to close the building is best to ensure that postal services are affordable and efficient.
