LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas is offering a military mental health first aid course.
The course is designed to help active military members, veterans, their families and people who work with them recognize and respond to signs of mental illness. The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the free class is planned for Saturday at the Lawrence campus.
Participants will receive certification as a Mental Health First Aider.
Organizers say the Mental Health First Aid program has trained more than 300,000 persons since its origin in 2008. A military-specific program began in April 2014 and works to help people recognize issues common to many veterans, such as post-traumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression and substance abuse.
KANSAS CITY- A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 6p.m. on Thursday in Wyandotte County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Chevy Trailblazer driven by Thomas L. Soverns, 40, Kansas City, was northbound on Interstate 435 one mile south of Holliday in far right lane.
Witnesses at the scene advised, a non-contact vehicle was driving aggressively and swerved towards the Trailblazer as if to cut it off.
The Trailblazer swerved to the right and went off the roadway where it overturned multiple times. The other vehicle then fled the scene.
Soverns was transported to Overland Park Regional Medical Center.
The KHP reported he was properly restrained at the time of the accident.
DETROIT (AP) — The government is telling Chrysler to speed up its recall of 1.5 million older Jeeps with gas tanks that can rupture in a rear collision.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration sent a letter to Chrysler saying that only 3 percent of the Jeeps have been fixed, more than a year after the recall began.
The Jeep Grand Cherokees and Libertys have gas tanks behind the rear axles that can rupture in rear collisions and catch fire. The remedy is to install a trailer hitch to protect the tanks in low-speed collisions. At least 51 people have died in crashes due to the problem.
The letter says Jeep owners have complained about being turned away by dealers for lack of parts.
Chrysler says it’s redoubling efforts to get ship parts.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal health regulators have approved the first hard-to-abuse version of the painkiller hydrocodone, offering an alternative to a similar medication that has been widely criticized for lacking such safeguards.
The Food and Drug Administration approved Purdue Pharma’s Hysingla ER, for patients with severe, round-the-clock pain that cannot be managed with other treatments. The once-a-day tablet is designed to resist attempts to crush it for snorting or injecting. Purdue Pharma’s new drug poses a direct commercial challenge to Zogenix’s much-debated drug Zohydro, a twice-a-day hydrocodone tablet approved by the FDA last year.
Doctors prescribe opioids for a range of ailments, from post-surgical pain to arthritis and migraines. Deaths linked to abuse of the medications have quadrupled since 1990 to nearly 17,000 annually, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R–Kan.) issued the following statement in response to President Obama’s executive order granting amnesty to millions of illegal immigrants:
“President Obama’s executive order directly defies the clear message the American people sent with their vote on election night. The President has no interest in a constructive working relationship with Congress. He has no intention of listening to the will American people, and he has no respect for the Constitutional boundaries of his office.
“We are a nation of laws. The President swore an oath to uphold those laws, and this action flies in the face of that promise.
President Obama addresses the nation Thursday evening
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is telling the American people that the time to change the nation’s immigration system is now, and he’s taking action to make that happen.
In a nationally televised address from the White House, Obama says it doesn’t make sense to round up and deport millions of people living in the country illegally. He says his plan will let them come out of the shadows, but it’s not anything close to amnesty.
Obama’s plan will shield from deportation nearly 5 million immigrants now in the U.S. illegally.
Obama says that although there was a brief spike in unaccompanied children coming across the border over the summer, overall the number of people trying to cross the border illegally is at its lowest level since the 1970s.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The economic outlook for rural areas of 10 states in the Plains and the West improved in November, but the monthly survey of bankers doesn’t suggest much growth.
Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says low grain and energy prices continue to limit the economy in rural areas.
The overall economic index for the region improved for the first time since May, but it only reached the neutral score of 50. That’s up from 43.4 in October.
The survey indexes range from 0 to 100. Any score below 50 suggests decline in that factor in the months ahead.
Bankers from rural areas of Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.
(AP) — Giving thanks will be a little costlier this year, but it probably will not empty your wallet.
The price for putting Thanksgiving dinner on the table is expected to rise slightly this year, to about $49.41.
That’s 37 cents higher than in 2013. The increase is blamed on the higher price of dairy. The dairy used for the mashed potatoes and the whipped cream for pies is about 25 cents more than in 2013.
Miscellaneous ingredients, such as coffee, sugar and eggs, account for another 28 cents, while 3 pounds of sweet potatoes jumped 20 cents.
The good news is that a drop in fuel prices won’t just make it cheaper to drive to Grandma’s house for the big meal, it also has helped keep down the cost of some ingredients. Flour-based foods, such as stuffing mix, pie shells and dinner rolls, will run about 21 cents less than last year.
PITTSBURG- A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 4 p.m. on Thursday in Crawford County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Jeep driven by Jackson Thiuru Rutere, 35, Pittsburg, was southbound on S. 200th Street 3 miles west of Pittsburg.
The vehicle left the roadway, entered the west ditch and overturned.
Rutere was transported to Via Christi
The KHP reported he was not wearing a seat belt.
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Two carjacking suspects have crashed into an Overland Park duplex while fleeing from police.
Police reports say a man was attempting to pick up a prostitute around 1 a.m. Thursday in Kansas City, Missouri, when his pickup truck was stolen. The Kansas City Star reports that officers pursued the stolen truck into Kansas. The chase ended when the driver lost control of the truck.
One of the suspects ran into the bedroom of a home. Kansas City police say residents pointed out where the 21-year-old man was hiding in the bedroom.
Police said a 33-year-old woman was found hiding between houses outside.
The man and woman were arrested and taken to the Johnson County Jail.
Monday’s Hays USD 489 Board Meeting brought another edition of the school board’s “Best of the Best” awards ceremony for the month of October.
President James Leiker unveiled the monthly award for one staff member and one student in September to help boost morale after a series of budget cuts. The awards acknowledge one student and one staff member each month who continually goes above and beyond their normal call of duty.
Karen Smith, (left) won the staff member award for the month of October. Her colleague, Gabriela Schmidt, nominated her.
Karen Smith, executive assistant to Mark Hauptman, the assistant superintendent for special services, won the staff member award for the month of October. Her colleague, Gabriela Schmidt, nominated her for the award. They’ve worked together for approximately 12 years.
“(Karen) is genuinely committed to working hard for the good of the district and has the positive attitude of ‘let’s just do what we need to do to get the job done,’ ” Schmidt said. “For me, personally, she has been a mentor, motivator and I also see her as a positive role model for all working women.”
Hays Middle School teacher Bruce Rupp nominated eighth-grader Peyton Thorell for the student award. Rupp said Thorell was not afraid of his image and that he was always willing to help other students.
Hays Middle School teacher Bruce Rupp nominated eighth-grader Peyton Thorell (left) for the student award.
“I’m lucky enough to have Peyton in both my class and as a peer tutor,” Rupp said. “The thing that sets him apart from other students and peer tutors is how little he worries about himself and his image and how much he worries about helping other kids in the class, especially when I have students with special needs.”
Both recipients received a customized limestone trophy as well as a $50 dining certificate.
TOPEKA — The Kansas African American Affairs commission is promoting “A New Black Friday,” a project first launched last year to encourage African-American families to share their family histories the day or weekend after Thanksgiving.
“African-Americans have made important contributions to Kansas history,” said Dr. Mildred Edwards. “Gathering these family histories will help us appreciate and better understand that rich heritage.”
Families are encouraged to speak with grandparents, great-grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, or any other elders about their memories by selecting questions from the KAAAC brochure. After conducting the interview, participants are asked to write a short essay of 500 to 700 words and submit it to the Kansas African American Affairs Commission on or before Jan. 1.
