ELLIS- An Ellis man was injured in an accident just before 3 p.m. on Wednesday in Ellis County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1992 Geo Tracker driven by Chad Allen Younger, 21, was westbound on Old Highway 40 just east of Ellis.
The driver lost control of the vehicle. It went in to the north ditch and rolled coming to rest on its wheels on the railroad tracks.
Younger was transported to Hays Medical Center.
The KHP reported he was properly restrained at the time of the accident.
Kansas Attorney General
TOPEKA – A Florida company will pay more than $21,000 in fines and penalties for violating the Kansas Consumer Protection Act and the Kansas Credit Services Organization Act, Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt announced today.
Cypress Law Group Inc, doing business as The Cypress Law Group, P.L. of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, agreed to a consent judgment ordering them to pay $21,500 in investigative fees and civil penalties. In addition, the firm must pay $5,400 in restitution to two Kansas consumers. The investigation stemmed from a consumer complaint regarding fees paid to the firm for assistance in requesting a loan modification from a mortgage servicer. It was determined that the Cypress Law Group was advertising and providing debt management services to Kansas consumers without a license and charging grossly inflated prices for similar services that were readily obtainable by licensed credit services organizations.
Judge Rebecca Crotty approved the judgment in Shawnee County District Court.
“Companies doing business in Kansas must respect Kansas laws,” Schmidt said. “We continue to vigorously pursue violations of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act and the Kansas Credit Services Organization Act.”
Kansans who believe they may have been the victim of a scam should contact the attorney general’s office by calling (800) 432-2310 or online atwww.InYourCornerKansas.org .
By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post
An unknown person recently purchased an item or items with a counterfeit $50 bill at Hibbett Sports, 120 W. 43rd, Hays.
It is unknown when the transaction took place, according to Lt Ron Rounkles of the Hays Police Department.
Rounkles said the counterfeit bill was discovered by an employee at Sunflower Bank’s northern location, 4720 Roth, after the employee sorted through a deposit made by the sports store and noticed the fake bill.
Staff at the bank reported the incident to the HPD on Monday.
If anyone has information on the incident, they are encouraged to contact the HPD at (785) 625-1030.
Rounkles said fake currency can look real, but the quality of paper is usually thinner and lacks security features available on real currency.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A second lab has confirmed that a Kansas City, Kansas, man who came to University of Kansas Hospital this week with Ebola-like symptoms does not have the deadly disease.
The hospital announced Wednesday that the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta had confirmed negative results from a Nebraska lab, and that the patient had been moved to lower-level isolation.
Dr. Lee Norman said Monday the man was a medic on a commercial ship off Africa’s west coast and had treated patients for all kinds of illnesses, including typhoid fever.
The man became ill while on the ship and flew back to Kansas last week. He was placed in tight isolation at the Kansas City hospital because he had been working in an area where Ebola had broken out.
By KHI NEWS SERVICE
LAWRENCE — The Affordable Care Act will be the focus of this year’s Kansas Economic Policy Conference at the University of Kansas.
The conference, titled “The Affordable Care Act in Kansas: Impacts on People, Business and Providers,” begins at 8 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, at the Kansas Union and is scheduled to adjourn at 2:15 p.m.
The morning keynote speakers are Arthur Daemmrich, associate professor of history and philosophy of medicine at the KU School of Medicine, and Scott Brunner, senior analyst and strategy team leader at the Kansas Health Institute, which is a nonpartisan policy and research organization that also houses the editorially independent KHI News Service.
Daemmrich will speak on the “U.S. Health System in an International Context” and Brunner will speak on “The State of Health Care and Health Insurance in Kansas.”
The luncheon keynote will feature Andy Allison, former director of Arkansas Medicaid; Rep. Dave Crum, Kansas House assistant majority leader; and Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger.
Conference registration is $55. For more information, see a full agenda and online registration page.
For Kansans who can’t make the trip to Lawrence, the conference will be broadcast live to a satellite location in Ulysses.
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
Donations are being accepted through this Saturday for the 17th annual Coat Giveaway in Hays next Saturday, Oct. 25.
Gently used coats of all types may be dropped off at either McDonald’s restaurant, any Hays school, and at Master Cleaners and Top Notch Cleaners on Eighth Street in downtown Hays.
“We just want it so that anyone who needs a coat, can have a coat,” said Amy Smith, co-owner of Top Notch Cleaners.
Top Notch and Master Cleaners will roll out numerous racks filled with hundreds of donated coats, gloves and hats onto their driveways starting at 9 a.m. Oct. 25. The giveaway continues until 2 p.m.
“The kids coats always go first, so get here early if that’s what you’re looking for,” Smith advised. “Kids grow so fast and families with several children may not be able to afford a brand new coat for each of them every year.”
Both dry cleaners are making minor repairs as needed to the donated coats and then will clean them before the big giveaway.
“There are no income guidelines, no paperwork, nobody to talk to — just come get what you need. It’s to help not only those who are low-income, but also middle-class — anybody who needs a little help here and there,” Smith said.
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Over the years, the coat drive grown big enough to reach people outside of Hays.
The donated coats have also been given to Rooks County where “they don’t have anything like First Call for Help like we do in Hays. Judge (Doug) Bigge comes and gets three or four trash bags full of coats and takes them to the courthouse in Stockton where they’re given to people who need them,” Smith said, “and we have a service group in Hill City that collects coat donations there and then brings them to Hays for our giveaway.”
Any coats that are left over are given to other organizations, including the Hays Community Assistance Center and the Russell Food Pantry.
By RON WILSON
Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
From bluegrass to tallgrass. No, I’m not talking about converting your lawn. I’m referring to the progression of a singer, songwriter and musician who is part of an effort that is celebrating the Kansas Flint Hills.
Last week, we learned about Annie Wilson of Tallgrass Express String Band. Today we’ll meet her fellow lead vocalist in the band, the talented Carl Reed of Manhattan.
Carl grew up in Michigan and studied agriculture at Michigan State. His family was musical. “We did music all the time,” Carl said.
After college, Carl volunteered for the Peace Corps and was assigned to a grain laboratory in Costa Rica. While working there, two things happened: One, he met a visiting delegation of grain science specialists from Kansas State University, and two, he bought a guitar. The guitar was for his own pleasure and enjoyment. But when his two-year assignment was up and he was looking for a job, he thought of Kansas State.
Dr. Charles Deyoe was the head of K-State’s Grain Science Department, which was ramping up its international work at the time and which had sent the delegation to Costa Rica. Carl wrote to Dr. Deyoe to express interest in a job, and he was ultimately hired onto the K-State Grain Science faculty where he worked in international grain programs for nearly 30 years.
After retiring, he launched a grain scouting business in the rural community of Buhler, population 1,344 people. That’s rural – but there’s more.
Meanwhile, Carl continued to play the guitar. He got into bluegrass music, bought a stand-up bass, and started writing songs.
“I had tunes buzzing around in my head,” Carl said. “I got involved with a songwriters’ association out of Nashville which helps writers get started.” His songs have now been performed by such groups as Continental Divide and Special Consensus.
Carl enjoyed the music, but when he saw Annie Wilson perform, he saw something more. It wasn’t so much a love of being on stage as much as it was a love of the Kansas Flint Hills which she was promoting through her music.
“When I saw what Annie was doing, I knew I really wanted to support this,” Carl said. “She’s trying to promote the authentic Flint Hills experience.”
In 2009, Carl joined Annie’s band, the Tallgrass Express String Band, doing lead vocals and harmony.
“He is an amazing songwriter,” Annie Wilson said. “In addition to being a great musician, he is our Kansas historian.”
In 2010, with Carl Reed as one of its members, the Tallgrass Express String Band produced a CD of 16 original Flint Hills songs.
In 2014, the band produced a two-CD set featuring 30 songs, including five by Carl. These include Kansas Song about the state’s culture and climate; Song of Samuel Wood, a Kansas leader of the Underground Railroad and father of Chase County; Little Ol’ Life, a song about the simple joys; and Freedom Must Prevail, a spirited ballad about the abolitionist movement in Kansas. It describes the history and construction of the Beecher Bible and Rifle Church in Wabaunsee.
His fifth song is the one he calls his favorite. It is a haunting tune based on a true story about long-lost love letters which were found when an elderly lady passed away. The song is titled Letters of Long Ago. The lady lived in Paxico, population 210 people. Now, that’s rural.
In September 2013 at Cottonwood Falls, the band held a debut party to celebrate the new two-CD set which is titled Sky & Water, Wind & Grass. “It was a smashing success,” Carl said. “The place was jam-packed.”
For more information, go to www.tallgrassexpress.com.
From bluegrass to tallgrass. No, this doesn’t refer to your lawn. It describes the progression of this musician from playing bluegrass to being part of a band which promotes the tallgrass prairie of the Kansas Flint Hills. We salute Carl Reed, Annie Wilson, and the other members of the Tallgrass Express String Band for making a difference with their talents. Whether bluegrass or tallgrass, they are making beautiful music together.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A Wichita woman who worked as a civilian at McConnell Air Force Base has admitted embezzling more than $54,000 in public funds.
The U.S. Attorney’s office says 44-year-old Deidra Sanders pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of theft of government money.
Sanders worked at the Wichita installation as a deputy dispersing officer for the Air Force. She admitted stealing from the Defense Finance and Accounting Service Fund between March 2013 and April of this year.
Sanders faces up to five years in federal prison at her sentencing, scheduled for Jan. 6.
DETROIT (AP) — Toyota is recalling about 423,000 older-model Lexus luxury cars in the U.S. because a gasket can leak fuel and possibly cause a fire. The recall is among three global recalls that Toyota announced Wednesday totaling about 1.7 million vehicles.
The recall covers the LS model from the 2007 through 2010 model years, as well as the 2006 to 2011 GS and IS. Also affected are the 2010 IS-C and the 2008 to 2010 IS-F. All have Toyota’s UR or GR engines.
The company says in a statement that a fuel system gasket can become degraded and leak. No fires, crashes or injuries have been reported.
The Lexus recall is part of a larger recall of 759,000 cars worldwide that also covers the Crown Majesta, Crown and Mark X in Japan.
BY KARI BLURTON
Hays Post
Dressed as homeless people and standing at busy intersections carrying cardboard signs, Fort Hays State University Leadership Studies students are raising awareness about poverty in Ellis County this week.
Two students were standing at 27th and Vine Monday afternoon, with signs displaying poverty statistics in Ellis County. The students will be in the same location Wednesday afternoon from 2:30 to 3:30 and again from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Austin Knoll, 18, carried a sign with the words “One in five children live in poverty in Ellis County.” Knoll said he felt a bit awkward at first, until people started to pull over to ask what he was doing.
“I actually had a homeless person approach me and he asked me… ‘ you alright? Need a cigarette, you need any money?’ I explained to him I was doing this for a Leadership project at Fort Hays and then he told me he was in poverty so we had a conversation about that and it was eye-opening,” Knoll said.
Jesus Garcia, 24, held a sign stating “13 percent of Ellis County Lives In Poverty,”
“Even just standing there, I started to think about what someone would feel like to be out there for real, because I know that I’m here for an hour and I get to go home,” Garcia said. “It’s definitely been interesting to think about what if this was it? What if this is what I had to do all day and that is what I depended on? It’s been been humbling,” Garcia added.
Any money donated to the students goes to Ellis County Habit for Humanity in Hays.
The awareness campaign culminates with “Shack City” Friday evening on the Quad at FHSU. Teams have registered to spend the night in self-made cardboard shacks from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Saturday.
Last year Shack City raised $500 for Habitat for Humanity. If interested in registering or donating, contact Knoll at (785)-259-0682 or email amknoll2mail.fhsu.edu.
The community can also donate to Ellis County Habitat for Humanity, 2918 Vine St., P.O. Box 444, on behalf of the students’ campaign by calling 785- 623-4200.
VIDEO:
TOPEKA- A Kansas teen was injured in an accident just before 9:30 a.m. on Wednesday in Shawnee County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1998 Saturn S driven by Scott Edward Ingram Jr., 19, Elwood, was westbound on U.S. 24, seven miles east of Huxman Road and rear-ended a 2014 Jeep driven by Brooke Lexi Lennington, 23, Manhattan, that was stopped on U.S. 24 to make a left turn.
Ingram was transported to Stormont Vail in Topeka. Lennington was not injured.
The KHP reported Ingram Jr. was not wearing a seat belt.
A Fort Hays State University Leadership 310 Team has paired up with Your Voice Through Cancer, a new local nonprofit support group for anyone affected by cancer.
A softball tournament has been scheduled later this month to help raise money and awareness.
The event is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Oct. 25 at the Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex.
Cost is $150 per team or $12 per person.
Registration forms can be found HERE. There will be shirts available to buy and a prize for the winning team.
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A 15 year old accused of killing his mother and sister and attempting to kill his father made a first appearance in District Court where he will be tried as an adult.
Sam Vonachen, who was a 14 years old at the time of the alleged crimes, has been charged by the state with four counts of first-degree murder, however two of the four counts are alternate counts to the other two. Other charges include attempted first-degree murder and aggravated arson.
It was on Sept. 26, 2013, when he allegedly poured gas throughout the family house at 4 East 19, then lit it. The blaze killed his mother, Karla Jo, and his sister, Audrey. The teen’s father was able to escape the fire.
Assistant District Attorney Steve Maxwell actually read the complaint to the teen and Judge Trish Rose told him that five of the six charges are off-grid felonies with a sentence of life with no chance of parole for 25 years. He was assigned the Regional Public Defender’s Office to represent him in the case and Judge Rose left the bond at $1,000,000.
The case was moved to adult court after Judge Patty Macke-Dick issued a written opinion that he should be tried as an adult.
The murder case will now be placed on a waiver-status docket on Nov. 12 in front of Judge Joe McCarville.
