November 2014 – Page 93

Kansas GOP offers statement on mailer with Hammond quote

Posted on November 3, 2014November 3, 2014

Former FHSU president Edward Hammond says he did authorize Brownback campaign to use his picture or quote in campaign postcards sent to registerd voters recently. — The mailer in question.

The Kansas Republican Party offered the following statement on the mailer distributed in the Hays area that included a quote from former Fort Hays State University President Edward Hammond:

TOPEKA — There has been a substantial amount of coverage of a standard election post card that included a clip-quote of a public statement voluntarily made by former Fort Hays State University President Hammond.

We encourage the Kansas media to look at the attached postcard to verify the following statements.

1. It was a routine election postcard with quotes and bullet points from several sources. It was sent to those in the greater Hays area.

2. In our postcard we were happy to highlight President Hammond’s public statement supporting the governor’s budget for Fort Hays State University.

3. There was no endorsement of any kind whatsoever in the postcard. No reasonable person could interpret the postcard, containing a standard news clip quote, as implying there was any type of endorsement.

4. The mailer included the following quote that President Hammond voluntarily gave to the media — “Overall, we are very pleased with the governor’s budget recommendation.”

5. The quote came from a WIBW story published Jan 31. 2014: Dr. Edward H. Hammond, president of Fort Hays State University, urged lawmakers to support Gov. Sam Brownback’s recommended budget. “Overall, we are very pleased with the governor’s budget recommendation,” President Hammond said. “His recommendation would restore the ‘salary cap’ reductions from the 2013 session that cost Fort Hays State $276,176.”

6. The post card included a small picture of several individuals with shovels taken at a public groundbreaking. The picture was not linked to the quote, nor were the individuals in the picture identified. One is the Governor and one is President Hammond.

EARLY REVIEW: ‘Dumb and Dumber To’

Posted on November 3, 2014

James Gerstner reviews movies for Hays Post.

It’s a rare occurrence that I’m able to see a film and write a review before the film is available to the general public. Thanks to the my membership in the AMC Stubs program, which is somewhat similar to rewards program currently at Starplex Cinemas in Hays, I was able to attend an early screening on Dumb and Dumber To” last week. This sequel to the 1994 comedy classic will come to theaters on Nov. 14.

Making a sequel to “Dumb and Dumber” is like getting the band back together. I understand how borderline sacrilegious this will sound, but making a sequel to “Dumb and Dumber” shares more than a few similarities with making a sequel to “The Shawshank Redemption.” The initial reaction to such thoughts is that it simply cannot be done. I maintain that a sequel to “Shawshank” cannot, and should not, be done; however, the Farrelly brothers have done the near-impossible and have made a “Dumb and Dumber” sequel that pays reverence to the original, while succeeding in its own right.

Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels reprise their roles as Lloyd Christmas and Harry Dunne a full 20 years after the original film. That distance in time has done little to change the characters, and the filmmakers very wisely choose to keep the tone of the original and insert a new roster jokes. Too often comedy sequels try to up the ante but not only evolving the story but also end up evolving the style of comedy. “Dumb and Dumber To” strikes a perfect balance between keeping true to the spirit of the original while at the same time doing more than simply rehashing the existing jokes. Put plainly, “Dumb and Dumber To” tells new “Dumb and Dumber” jokes.

I admit to being worried during the first 10-15 minutes of this film. It’s a difficult story to get off the ground; but once the film gets up to speed the completely inane and largely successful humor is pervasive. Surprisingly, newcomer Rachel Melvin very admirably stands toe-to-toe with Carrey and Daniels and is the requisite breath of fresh air that could very well lead to a satisfying third installment.

Make no mistake, “Dumb and Dumber To” is stupid. It’s the kind of stupid that fans of the original will enjoy, but it is incredibly stupid nonetheless. There are a few flat moments, but the highest praise I can give is this: when word first reached my ears that a true sequel to one of my favorite comedies of all time was being made — this is the type of film that I was hoping for.

5 of 6 stars

REMINDER: Former Obama press secretary launches Sebelius Series

Posted on November 3, 2014November 3, 2014

FHSU University Relations

The lecture series named for one of Fort Hays State University’s most notable alumni will feature an appearance in November by Jay Carney, former press secretary to President Barack Obama.

Carney, who was a regular face in the national news until he stepped down in June, will present “Today at the White House and Around the Globe” at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the university’s Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center. This is the first lecture of the 2014-2015 academic year.

“We’re honored to have the former White House press secretary at Fort Hays State University,” said Vincent Bowhay, chair of the Special Events Committee and assistant director of the Memorial Union. “Mr. Carney was at the center of every major issue or event facing the nation and the Obama administration during his tenure and will be a fitting addition to the legacy of this lecture series.”

Carney began his journalism career as a reporter for The Miami Herald in 1987. He joined Time magazine as its Miami bureau chief the following year and subsequently worked as a correspondent in Time’s Moscow bureau for three years, covering the collapse of the Soviet Union. He came to Washington in 1993 to report on the Bill Clinton White House. He has written and reported about the presidency of George W. Bush and was one of a handful of reporters who were aboard Air Force One with President Bush during the historic events of Sept. 11, 2001.

In January 2009, Carney went from the private sector to public service as director of communications for Vice President Joe Biden. On Jan. 27, 2011, Carney was selected by President Barack Obama to become White House press secretary, where he served until his departure in late June.

His lecture will feature his unique insight into the issues, policies and players on a multitude of subjects, including the situation in the Middle East, healthcare, immigration reform, the economy and the upcoming mid-term election — which will take place the day after his appearance at FHSU. He will also address the 2016 presidential elections and what it is like dealing with the White House Press Corps on a daily basis.

For more information about the Sebelius Lecture Series, contact Bowhay at (785) 628-4664 or [email protected].

Red Lobster goes back into its shell

Posted on November 3, 2014

CANDICE CHOI, AP Food Industry Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — It turns out people go to Red Lobster for the seafood.

The struggling chain on Monday plans to announce another revamped menu that removes dishes including Spicy Tortilla Soup and a Wood-Grilled Pork Chop, while tacking on more dishes featuring lobster. The non-seafood dishes had been added by the chain’s previous owner, Darden Restaurants Inc., in hopes of attracting people who don’t like seafood as sales declined.

But the new management thinks that was a mistake.

The revamped menu is 85 percent seafood, up from 75 percent. Four of the five new dishes include lobster, and it’s increasing the shrimp in the popular “Ultimate Feast” platter by 50 percent and raising the price by a dollar to $26.99.

Last year, Red Lobster’s sales fell 6 percent at established locations.

Five hospitalized after SUV hits cow in Rooks County

Posted on November 3, 2014November 3, 2014

PLAINVILLE — Five people were injured in an accident just after 6 p.m. Sunday in Rooks County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2008 Chevy Suburban driven by Jaynelle R. McCreery, 56, Phillipsburg, was southbound on U.S. 183 five miles south of the U.S. 24 Junction. The vehicle hit a cow that entered the roadway from the west ditch.

The Suburban ended up facing southbound, and the cow ended up in west ditch.

McCreery and passengers Ronald Alan McCreery, 63; Carson Meitl, 8; Kaitlyn McCreery, 4; and Andrew Meitl, 11, all of Phillipsburg, were transported to the Rooks County Hospital, the KHP said.

The KHP reported all were properly restrained at the time of the accident.

FHSU women soccer wins sixth straight

Posted on November 3, 2014November 3, 2014

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State women’s soccer posted its best regular season record in program history with a 3-1 win over Washburn on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 2) at FHSU Soccer Stadium in Hays. The Tigers ran their win streak to six matches and pushed their overall record to 12-4-2. FHSU finished third in the MIAA standings with a mark of 10-2-2.

The Tigers jumped out to a 2-0 lead on a winless Ichabod squad early. Just over 18 minutes into the match, Hailey Davey found Kylee Loneker just in front of the net on a crossing pass from the right side. Loneker buried the ball past the goalkeeper to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. Nearly 10 minutes later, Loneker returned the favor along with Cenayda Guzman as their consecutive passes found Davey just in front of the net. Davey beat the keeper to make it 2-0.

Washburn cut the lead in half on a goal by Hadyn Hutchinson in the 40th minute, giving the Tigers just a one-goal cushion at halftime.

Moving downwind in the second half, the Tigers extended the lead back to two on a Kelsey Steffens goal at 50:29. Loneker recorded her second assist of the match as she had the ball on the left side of the box and found a charging Steffens at the top of the box who blasted a shot to the low right corner of the goal.

That would be all the goal scoring as the Tigers limited the Ichabods to just one shot in the second half. After the teams were tied 7-7 in shots at halftime, FHSU was able to get off 18 shots downwind in the second half, outshooting Washburn overall 25-8. Goalkeeper Kristen Thompson recorded two saves in the match and saw her record improve to 12-4-2 on the season.

The Tigers secured the No. 3 seed in the MIAA Tournament with the win. FHSU will host No. 6 seed Missouri Western on Wednesday night (Nov. 5) at 6 pm in Hays. The winner will move on to Olathe, Kan., for the semifinals on Friday and then potentially the finals on Sunday. The Tigers are currently ranked No. 7 in the latest NCAA Central Region rankings and six teams are selected from the region to compete in the NCAA Tournament.

Sheriff: Kansas man dies in tractor accident

Posted on November 3, 2014

ARLINGTON, Kan. (AP) — The Reno County Sheriff’s Office says a 63-year-old man has died after his tractor flipped over.

Deputies say Larry Lester was killed Saturday after being pinned under the Ford tractor he was driving on his property near Arlington. They say Lester was using the tractor to pull trees when the tractor flipped backward.

Lester was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities rescue horse from hole near Wichita

Posted on November 3, 2014

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Wichita authorities have rescued a 1,100-pound horse that partially fell through abandoned railroad tracks.

Wichita police, animal control and firefighters worked together to pull the horse from the hole on Sunday. It took responders more than two hours to free the animal.

Authorities constructed a pulley system and about six firefighters hoisted the horse out of the hole. They didn’t say how the animal fell or who owns it.

Witnesses say the horse didn’t appear to be severely injured in the fall. They say it suffered a few cuts on its legs.

Cloudy, windy Monday

Posted on November 3, 2014November 3, 2014

A few scattered showers will end this morning. A cold front will move through the area late today, with some potential for showers and a few weak thunderstorms across south central KS late this afternoon and evening. Beyond tonight…typical fall like weather is expected for the rest of the week.

Today A slight chance of showers before 8am, then a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 67. Breezy, with a south wind 14 to 22 mph becoming west northwest in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 20%.
Tonight A 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms before 7pm. Mostly clear, with a low around 34. Breezy, with a north northwest wind 18 to 23 mph decreasing to 8 to 13 mph after midnight.
Tuesday Sunny, with a high near 59. North northwest wind 6 to 11 mph becoming west in the afternoon.
Tuesday Night Clear, with a low around 35. Southwest wind 5 to 9 mph.
Wednesday Sunny, with a high near 67. Northwest wind 9 to 14 mph.
Wednesday Night Clear, with a low around 37.
Thursday Sunny, with a high near 58.
Thursday Night Mostly clear, with a low around 35.
Friday Sunny, with a high near 63.

Sheriff: Man found dead in Topeka residence

Posted on November 3, 2014

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Shawnee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the death of a man found shot inside a Topeka home.

Sheriff Herman Jones tells The Topeka Capital-Journal authorities were working to obtain a search warrant for the home on Sunday night. He says dispatchers received a 911 call on Sunday evening and deputies found the man dead with gunshot wounds.

Jones says authorities are treating the death as suspicious.

It’s unclear how many times he was shot. His identity hasn’t been released.

Veterans eternal flame in Lyndon to be relighted

Posted on November 3, 2014November 3, 2014

LYNDON, Kan. (AP) — An eternal flame soon will be relighted at a veterans’ memorial on the northwest corner of the Osage County Courthouse.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the flame is part of a monument that was dedicated in 1969. But the gas flame was snuffed out in the mid-1970s because of rising gas prices. American Legion Post 125 commander Jayson Massey says he felt it was his duty to see that the memorial’s torch was refurbished.

Several months ago, the torch was removed and a Topeka company was hired to complete the refurbishment. The torch was repainted, retrofitted and rewired to use floodlights rather than a gas-fueled flame. So far, the project has cost about $670.

A rededication is planned for Nov. 11 as part of Lyndon’s Veterans Day events.

‘Exploring’ Kansas zombie hunting

Posted on November 2, 2014November 3, 2014

Two years ago at a spring conference in Topeka, Lea Ann Seiler, Economic Development Director for Hodgeman County heard a presentation about a very successful zombie paintball hunting endeavor in Oregon and she came home hooked on the idea as a fund raiser to help with projects at Horse Thief Reservoir.

Now I’ve never understood the whole “zombie” craze myself, but it’s a craze nonetheless, and all things zombie are hot right now. A book about zombies from Hastings Book Store gave Seiler some basic background in “zombieology” and Horsethief Wild West Zombie Paintball was born.

A grant available at the time provided only half of what was needed to purchase the two “zombie eliminator” trailers complete with air-powered paintball guns and light & sound systems, but her economic development board believed in her vision enough to give her the additional funds needed to order the trailers. By then it was already July and all attempts she made to order the amount of paintballs and other equipment needed by fall “zombie season” were met with dead ends.

She was about to give up on the whole idea when she heard about Anderson Farms that runs a very successful zombie paintball hunt just a few hours away in Colorado. The folks at Anderson Farms invited her to spend a day with them, and she came home brimming with useful advice and information, plus they used a little of their clout to get her the glow-in-the-dark paintballs she needed on such short notice.

They advised Stiels not to buy new equipment for her zombies to wear, so she spent the next two months prowling goodwill stores and garages sales for baseball helmets, hockey masks and welding hoods, and asking farmers for their old greasy, grimy, worn-out overalls and coveralls.

They also told her to incorporate into the hunt as many things as possible that made noise when hit by paintballs. Several empty fifty-five gallon steel drums were labeled TNT and placed around on the course. Fifty metal baking sheets purchased at a Dollar Tree store are worn under zombie outfits and emit a loud clang when paintballs hit them.

Another suggestion was to ask cosmetology schools for their old practice heads to be used in building spooky mannequins for the hunting course. The cosmetology school at Dodge City Community College has donated “used heads” both years. The first year, Stiels returned home from the college with her Ford Focus full of used heads. She said “All the while I was hoping I was not in an accident that would force me to explain my passengers!”

Finding zombies to be “hunted” turned out to be the next challenge. That first year a few kids volunteered but they struggled to find enough. But as “hunters” went through the course the first year and found out what a hoot it was, many expressed an interest in being a zombie the following year. Stiels followed up on that and this year the zombie crop was large. Among them are a local veterinarian, a member of her economic development board and a couple local fire fighters. It was assumed from the start that the target audience for zombie hunting would be teens, but Seiler told me “We’ve also hosted 50th and 60th birthday parties and Bible study groups.”

The course is set up in a field near Horse Thief Reservoir west of Jetmore. Each “zombie eliminator” trailer is equipped with ten paintball guns powered by air from onboard air tanks, a row of strobe lights around the bottom of the trailer and a rockin’ sound system that belts out coyotes howls and other ghoulish noises. The whole thing happens after dark and the rules are simple; shoot the zombies! Each hunter gets two hundred glow-in-the-dark paintballs, that’s two thousand per trailer, and on hunting nights twelve to fifteen trailers “hunt” the course.

A tractor pulls each trailer load of “hunters” to the first stop on the course where a guide on the trailer gives instructions to the hunters and helps them test their guns, then the strobe lights and sound system are turned on and the hunt begins. Each station has at least one live zombie that appears out of the darkness and several other demonic-looking mannequins and other potential targets like the TNT drums and an old wrecked car that suddenly starts blinking its lights.

This year alone nearly 650 hunters have chosen to hunt zombies with Horsethief Wild West Zombie Paintball. And why not; there is no closed season on zombies, there are no bag limits and no possession limits, you can hunt them with anything, anytime and anywhere. What Kansas hunter can refuse an opportunity like that…Yet another way to Explore Kansas Outdoors!

Steve Gilliland can be contacted by email at [email protected].

Big First Tea Party endorses Roberts

Posted on November 2, 2014

Though The Big First Tea Party endorsed Dr. Milton Wolf for Senate in the GOP primary, we are honored to endorse Senator Pat Roberts for re-election on Tuesday, November 4th.

Pat Roberts has done many good things for Kansas through the years, especially in the agriculture and oil industries in Kansas, and Kansas can not afford to lose what could be the deciding seat for the Republicans to put Harry Reid out of business.

A vote for Greg Orman is a vote for Harry Reid and the Barack Obama/Harry Reid Agenda. Greg Orman is NO Independent. He is a far-left liberal Democrat. He ran against Pat Roberts in 2008 AS A DEMOCRAT!

As a matter of fact, Democrat Chad Taylor dropped out of the 2014 election at the urging of Senator Harry Reid. A vote for Greg Orman is a vote that means your tax dollars will continue to subsidize up to 115,000 ABORTIONS each year. Greg Orman is currently being sued, with some of his associates, by athletic company Everlast for $30 million in unpaid royalties and merchandize sales from a now bankrupt Lenexa company he was part of. Greg Orman is for Gay Marriage. Greg Orman is anti-Second Amendment!

U.S. Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsburg said she looks forward to the day when a “future, wiser court” will overturn the 5-4 decisions ruling that the Second Amendment guarantees your fundamental, individual Right to Keep and Bear Arms. What the “clueless” Ginsburg doesn’t realize is that “inalienable rights” CAN NOT be taken away no matter what ANY court says. Inalienable Rights are Absolute, Unchallengeable, and Impossible to take away from someone. An inalienable right cannot be taken away from you or given to someone else. Orman could be that deciding vote that puts another Obama radical, activist judge on the Supreme Court.

The Republicans HAVE to win the Senate in order to stop this. Obama most likely will get the chance to appoint two more Supreme Court Justices. If the Republicans have the majority in the Senate, we can put an end to Obama’s extreme, far left, activist judge appointments. Greg Orman won’t admit whether he will caucus with the Republicans or the Democrats, but all you have to do is look at his record. He has donated $38,200 to Democrats, including the campaigns of Barack Obama ($4,600 in 2008 and bragged about voting for Obama.), Hillary Clinton, and Harry Reid among other DEMOCRATS. Does that sound like someone who will sit down with the Republicans? Absolutely NOT!

After the Orman/Roberts debate, Orman jetted off to NY for a fundraiser hosted by Jonathan Soros, son of Radical Left Billionaire George Soros. Greg Orman has proposed raising taxes on Mutual Funds, Capital Gains and Dividends – imposing huge costs on most business transactions. This will hurt jobs and hardworking Kansas families. Greg Orman is a “rubber stamp” for Obamacare. He is also for Amnesty for Illegal Aliens.

Obama is already printing up 30 million Green Cards and plans to simply grant Amnesty through executive fiat after the November 4th elections are finalized. NEVER has the United States of America had such a radical, far left president as Barack Obama. He has radically changed America to a near unrecognizable state in only six years. Much of this was done through executive orders, and Harry Reid changing Senate rules to pass legislation that could not be passed though the normal process.

No, Pat Roberts was not our first choice as the Republican Candidate this year, but the United States can NOT survive another two years of Obama with a Senate controlled by “do nothing” Harry Reid. The Democrats always cry about the “do nothing” Congress, but Congress has over 350 bills that they’ve passed and Harry Reid continues to “do nothing” with them. Harry Reid’s desk is where Bills go to die. Just ask yourself; Do you like Harry Reid and Barrack Obama more than you like Senator Pat Roberts? If so vote for Greg Orman. If you want to STOP the Radical Agenda of Reid and Obama, then there is only one choice, VOTE FOR THE RE-ELECTION OF SENATOR PAT ROBERTS!

Steve Newcomer, Coordinator of The Big First Tea Party, Representing Kansas’s Big First District, www.bigfirstteaparty.org