The Vatican is investigating Bishop Robert Finn of Kansas City, Missouri, two years after he was convicted of failing to report suspected abuse.
A Finn spokesman says the bishop was notified of the investigation by the papal ambassador in Washington.
The National Catholic Reporter was first to report the inquiry which is being conducted by the Vatican’s Congregation for Bishops.
Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Ottawa visited the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph last week as part of the investigation. His spokeswoman said Monday only that the visit was private.
Finn is the highest-ranking U.S. church leader to be convicted for failing to take action on child sex abuse claims. He was sentenced to two years’ probation for not reporting a priest who had hundreds of pornographic photos of young girls.
Sen. Laura Kelly, left, and Rep. Jim Ward, the top Democrats on the KanCare Oversight Committee, on Monday requested that a special committee be appointed to study whether any legal or ethical boundaries were crossed when Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration contracted with three managed care organizations to privatize Medicaid.-Photo by Dave Ranney
By Andy Marso
KHI News Service
TOPEKA — The top Democrats on the KanCare Oversight Committee on Monday called for a separate committee to be appointed to study whether any legal or ethical boundaries were crossed when Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration contracted with three managed care organizations to privatize Medicaid.
Rep. Jim Ward, D-Wichita, and Sen. Laura Kelly, D-Topeka, said the request was spurred by the months-old news of FBI agents interviewing Capitol denizens for information on allegations of corruption within the administration. The FBI has not confirmed the investigation, per agency policy, but some of those interviewed have told news outlets that the $3 billion KanCare contracts are at the center of the questions.
Ward, a former prosecutor, said that the FBI would only seek out criminal activity, while a special legislative committee also could search for ethics violations.
“When there are instances when the integrity of the legislative process, the integrity of the executive and the taxpayers’ money is at risk, a special committee is not only appropriate, it’s needed,” Ward said.
Brianna Landon, deputy communications director for the governor’s office, said the governor supported the formation of the KanCare Oversight Committee on which Kelly and Ward sit, and questioned why neither raised their concerns at a meeting of that committee last month. Legislators and the general public can view theKanCare contract documents online, she noted.
“Five companies submitted bids in response to the KanCare request for proposal,” Landon said. “Dozens of subject matter experts, including many career state employees, selected the three winning companies. These experts selected the three lowest bidders with the three strongest proposals. Even the losing bidders have stated the process was open and fair.”
When asked why they waited until a month before the general election to request the special committee, Kelly noted that she had made a similar request for legislative inquiry when the story of the FBI interviews broke in April.
At the time, she likened it to an investigation of the Kansas Bioscience Authority ordered by Senate President Susan Wagle, R-Wichita.
“I did call for just this sort of investigative committee and paralleled it with what had happened with the KBA,” Kelly said.
Ward said Democrats waited to see how many days of interim meetings the Legislative Coordinating Council would grant to the KanCare Oversight Committee, in the hopes that the committee might have time to vet the KanCare contracting process.
“They gave us the minimum amount of days,” Ward said of the council, comprised of the Legislature’s top five Republicans and top two Democrats.
A statement on Monday from Wagle, the coordinating council’s vice chairwoman, made it seem unlikely she will vote for a special committee.
“This is a pathetic attempt to distort the truth and deceive voters in an election year,” Wagle said. “Public records clearly show the KanCare contracts were bid in a transparent process and awarded to the lowest bidders.”
The period Ward and Kelly want to investigate dates back to 2012, when United Healthcare, Amerigroup and Sunflower State Health Plan (a division of Centene) were awarded contracts to administer the state’s $3 billion Medicaid program.
Gary Haulmark, a former deputy secretary in the Brownback administration, subsequently went to work for Amerigroup, while two lobbyists connected to Brownback’s former chief of staff, David Kensinger, were employed by the other managed care companies. One of them, Riley Scott, is Wagle’s son-in-law.
Ward said that fit a pattern of other Statehouse advocacy groups changing their representation to lobbyists with ties to the administration.
“All are representing these private companies,” Ward said. “How did that happen? Were there carrots and sticks offered?”
Ward also pointed to smaller-dollar contracts handed out to fully privatize the state’s child support enforcement. The recipient of the majority of those contracts was a company owned by a Brownback donor from Mississippi who privately conversed with Kensinger and a Cabinet secretary about the benefits of privatization years before the contracts were bidded out.
In addition to the bioscience authority investigation, Ward cited other recent precedent for the Legislature investigating possible corruption in other branches of government. He pointed to a 2006 special committee appointed by then-House Speaker Doug Mays, a Topeka Republican, to look into a lunch conversation Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss had with state senators while a school finance lawsuit was pending in Nuss’ court.
Ward said a special committee with subpoena power could forward evidence of criminal activity to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, while directing evidence of lower-level ethics violations to other bodies like the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission. He said an investigation also could be useful in determining whether state laws governing “pay-to-play” deals or influence-peddling need to be tightened.
He said it did not matter whether the investigation is launched before the November election.
“The goal is, whoever the governor is, whoever the Legislature is, people know what the rules are, and the public is confident we’re working for their interest rather than individual interests,” Ward said.
Cecilia C. Quint, age 90, passed away at the Via Christie Ridge Cornerstone Skilled Nursing Center in Wichita, Kansas. She was born and raised in Ellis County, Kansas, one of 13 children to the late Paul and Catherine (Walters) Schmidt.
Cecilia was an avid bridge player and sports fan, and a member and past President of Toast Mistresses in Hays, and a lifetime member of the VFW Auxiliary Post No. 9076. She enjoyed traveling, and loved quilting and needlework.
Cecilia was preceded in death by her 1st husband of 29 years Richard Pfeifer, who passed away in 1972. Together, they farmed and ranched in Rush County and lived in Hays where they raised their children. Cecilia later remarried in 1974, to her 2nd husband, Richard Quint, who passed away in 2010. Together, they owned and operated Southwest Carpet in Garden City, Kansas, before retiring to Wichita, Kansas.
Cecilia is survived by her children: Linda Mudd and husband, Darrell of Wichita, Kansas; Marie Rohleder and husband, Jerry of Omaha, Nebraska; Diane Jensen and husband, Jim of Wichita, Kansas; and Neal R. Pfeifer and wife, Laurie of Chesterfield, Missouri; along with 9 grandchildren and 3 great-grandchildren. Cecilia also has 5 step children: Richard Quint Jr. of Nixa, Missouri; Rodney Quint of Lake Mary, Florida; Katherine Vogel of Loveland, Colorado; Evelyn McMillan of Pacific, Missouri; Donna Rooney of Bartlette, Illinois; and Deborah Landry of Mukilteo, Washington.
Cecilia’s surviving siblings are: Loretta Joy of Temple, Texas; Helen Edmunds of Grosse Pointe, Michigan; Mary L. Schmidt of Hays, Kansas; Marion Schmidt and wife Donna of Hays, Kansas; and Don Schmidt and wife Rose of Sun City, Arizona.
Cecilia’s family sincerely thanks the entire staff of the Cornerstone Assisted Living/ Skilled-Nursing Facility and Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice at Via Christi for their wonderful care and support to our family.
Funeral services will be at 10:00 am on Saturday, October 4, 2014 at the St. Joseph Catholic Church, Hays. Burial will be in the St. Joseph Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00 until 8:00 pm on Friday and from 9:00 am until 9:45 on Saturday, all at the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, 1906 Pine. A VFW Auxiliary rosary will be at 6:00 pm and a parish vigil service will be at 7:00 pm, both on Friday at the funeral home.
Memorials for Cecilia Quint can be sent to the Endowment Foundation of Thomas More Prep-Marian, Inc., in the name of the Paul J. and Catherine Schmidt family. Condolences may be left for the family at www.haysmemorial.com.
Fort Hays State women’s golf sits in 10th place after the first day (Sept. 29) of the FHSU Invitational, being held at Smoky Hill Country Club in Hays, a par-71 layout. A mandatory event for MIAA schools, all 10 teams from the conference and a pair of non-conference teams are competing at the event. The Tigers shot 359 as a team on the first day.
Central Oklahoma leads the way as a team, shooting 305 on day one. Marla Souvannasing of UCO leads as an individual after carding a 1-over par 72. One shot behind her is Alanna Haynes of Lindenwood, who shot 73, helping her team to second place in the standings six shots back of UCO. Central Oklahoma had four players shoot in the 70s (which includes one player competing as an individual), while Lindenwood (311) had three (one individual included) and Northeastern State (316) had two. Altogether, 10 players shot in the 70s in the opening round.
Leading Fort Hays State was Samantha Hobson, who carded 87. Abi Schmidtberger is one stroke back of her after an 88. Quillen Eichhorn shot 91, Megan DeWerff shot 93, and Hadley Tharp shot 105. Sage Alquist is competing as an individual and she shot 103.
A shotgun start at 9 am will be used once again on Tuesday for the final round.
At Monday’s work session, Hays USD 489 school board board members will have their first discussion concerning the Facility Needs Committee’s $100 million bond issue recommendation to update district buildings.
Following a two-year process that included studying the needs of all district buildings, representatives from 10-member FCN presented their final recommendations at the Sept. 15 school board meeting, stating the improvements are needed to improve safety, security and space issues at every building in the district. The committee said some of those needs have been deferred for years.
Board President James Leiker also will outline the nomination process of the “Best of the Best Awards,” a new program intended to acknowledge one outstanding staff member and one outstanding student each month.
Leiker presented the idea at a work session this month, saying it is was important to thank “those that really make an impact and are not acknowledged.”
The award includes a $50 dining gift certificate and a customized engraved limestone post trophy.
A full agenda for the 6:30 p.m. meeting at Rockwell Administration Center can be can viewed HERE.
The Fort Hays State University Alumni Association will host the 5K Tiger Run/Walk on Oct. 11 as part of homecoming festivities.
Registration begins at 7:30 a.m., with the race set to begin at 8 a.m. from the Robbins Center.
Prices will be awarded to the top male and female finishers in several age categories. Entry fee, which includes T-shirt, is $20 for shirt sizes S-M-L and XL, $25 for XXL and XXXL. Registrations will be accepted after Oct. 1 and up until race time for $25, but T-shirts will not be guaranteed.
Register by Oct. 1 by printing the image at right or visiting www.goforthaysstate.com/homecoming2014. Click the “Registration” button and complete the form.
Mail signed entry form with the registration fee to FHSU Alumni Association, One Tiger Place, Hays, KS 67601-3767. For more information. call (785) 628-4430 or email [email protected].
The Sept. 2013 fire took the lives of Karla and Audry Vonachen.
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — District Judge Patty Macke-Dick will decide whether a 15 year old accused of killing his mother and 11-year-old sister and attempting to kill his father should be tried as an adult.
The hearing for Sam Vonachen, who was 14 years old at the time of the alleged crimes, started Monday morning and was over by mid-afternoon.
He faces two counts of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder and aggravated arson. He is accused of setting fire to the family home on Sept. 26, 2013, by pouring gasoline throughout the house then lighting it.
The blaze killed the two family members while the suspect’s father was able to escape. Audrey Vonachen was declared dead at Hutchinson Regional Medical Center shortly after the fire was extinguished. Karla Vonachen was transported to a hospital in Wichita and died later in the afternoon.
There is no timeline for the judge’s decision. The two sides are not allowed to comment due to a gag order issued in the case.
With more than 80,000 pageviews a day, the www.fhsu.edu website has become the most popular tool for accessing information about Fort Hays State University.
Now the FHSU website is easier to use than ever.
Beginning today, the website features a “responsive” web design that makes the pages display appropriately on all devices. It eliminates the need for pinching and zooming by automatically responding to the screen size of the device that is being used. Desktops, tablets, mobile phones and all other devices now are served the same website content, optimized to fit that screen.
Responsive design works on a grid-based structure that allows the website to shift different portions of the webpage around based on the screen size of the device being used to view it. Menus collapse into easy-to-use buttons and certain parts of the page shift around to better fit the screen.
“Today, websites are not just being viewed on desktops and laptops. Students, faculty, parents and others are accessing the Web with their smart phones and tablets. We needed the FHSU website to serve anyone, using any device,” said Kristin Rupp, FHSU’s Web content manager. “Responsive design was the clear answer, and we are very excited to be able to enhance our website with responsive design.”
If a user comes across a page on the website that has information cut off, or just isn’t appearing quite right, most likely there is something set up on the page that is conflicting with the responsive design. Just send an email to [email protected] and include the page URL, the device being used and a description of the problem. Rupp will look at the page and make the needed adjustments to resolve the issue.
“It’s really nice to know that going forward, as new devices become available with new resolutions and screen sizes, our website will work on any of them,” Rupp said.
So, grab your iPad, iPhone, Galaxy, Kindle or any other gadget. You’re going to be pleasantly surprised by your new and improved Web experience when you visit the FHSU website.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush is the latest Republican heavy-hitter to come to the aid of Sen. Pat Roberts’ struggling campaign for re-election.
The potential 2016 GOP presidential candidate was in Wichita on Monday for a fundraising event where he told supporters that Roberts would not let them down if re-elected.
Unlike other potential 2016 presidential contenders, Bush has kept a relatively low public profile for much of the year. But he has stepped up his help for GOP candidates as the Nov. 4 midterm election approaches.
His visit comes just days after former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin campaigned with Roberts.
Roberts once was considered a near lock for re-election but now faces a tough battle from independent businessman Greg Orman after the Democratic candidate withdrew.
COFFEYVILLE, Kan.- Two people were injured in an accident just before 11 a.m. on Monday in Montgomery County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1990 Chevy Station wagon driven by Hubert J. King, Jr., 55, Lenapah, OK., was westbound on County Road 2800 at U.S. 169. The vehicle failed to yield at a stop sign.
A northbound 2002 Buick Century driven by Judith Umlauf, 63, Independence struck the Chevy.
King, Jr., and a passenger in the Buick Elizabeth Webster, 55, Independence, were transported to Coffeyville Hospital.
The KHP reported Umlauf might have been injured but not transported.
All were properly restrained at the time of the accident.
Want to learn more about your Volga-German ancestry? Join us on Saturday, Oct. 11, at the Whiskey Creek meeting room at 3203 Vine, Hays, for the annual American Historical Society of Germans from Russia Kansas Round-Up of Chapters.
Presenters this year include:
• Dr. Eric J. Schmaltz, associate professor at Northwest Oklahoma State University: “Coming Full Circle: South America’s Germans from Russia and other 21st Century Reflections on Our Global Diaspora.”
• Yulia Tsymbal, translator and special projects coordinator for AHSGR: “From Kazakhstan to Lincoln: How Germans from Russia Helped Me to Feel at Home in America.”
• Frank Jacobs, NE Kansas Chapter: “Dust in the Wind: Chasing Genealogy by History and DNA – Several Case Studies.”
• Karen Schutte, author of “Seed of the Volga.”
Registration begins at 8 a.m., and tickets are $10 for members and $15 for non-members. Lunch and banquet tickets are $25 per person. Registration deadline is Oct. 8.
For more information about the event, contact Kevin Rupp at (785) 656-0329 or click HERE. This year’s event is hosted by the Wichita Golden Wheat Chapter.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The former secretary-treasurer of a railroad union in Kansas has pleaded guilty to embezzling from the group.
U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said in a news release that 62-year-old Dale Hull, of Herington, pleaded guilty Monday to one count of embezzling union funds.
The crime occurred while Hull was secretary-treasurer of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union that represents Union Pacific employees working in the Herington terminal and the Salina hub.
Hull said that starting in 2008, he made more than $17,000 in unauthorized transfers from the union’s account to his personal checking account. He also filed reports to the U.S. Department of Labor in which he understated his earnings in his union position.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Topeka man who police say was naked and bloody before his arrest is charged with premeditated first-degree murder in this girlfriend’s death.
Shawnee County District Court records show Trevor William Adkins was also charged Friday with misdemeanor counts of endangering a child and battery. He remains jailed Monday on $1 million bond in the death of 22-year-old Lacie Atchison.
Police say they found Atchison’s body last Wednesday on the front porch of a Topeka home. A naked Adkins was arrested nearby.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports neighbors called police to report seeing a naked man covered in blood running around the street, screaming and yelling.
Court records don’t indicate that Adkins has hired an attorney.
RACHEL ZOLL, AP Religion Writer
