The Mall needs your help! With all the excitement about the changes at The Mall, The Mall is in need of a new name and a new image. It’s time to say goodbye to “The Mall” and say hello to a new name the community can take pride in. Stop by Hays High DECA’s table in the center court of The Mall, beginning December 20th and submit your idea for a new name for The Mall. You can also submit your idea below.
The winner will receive a $500 gift card to the mall.
TRIBUNE- A Kansas man died in an accident just before 11 p.m. on Saturday in Greeley County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a Chevy 3500 driven by Andrew E. Depperschmidt, 51, Leoti, was westbound on Kansas 96 two miles east of Tribune. The vehicle left the roadway to the right. The driver overcorrected, and the vehicle flipped over, landing on its top.
Depperschmidt was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Price and Sons Funeral Home
The KHP reported he was not wearing a seat belt.
GREGORY KATZ, Associated Press
LONDON (AP) — Entertainer Elton John and longtime mate David Furnish officially married Sunday on the ninth anniversary of the day they entered into a civil partnership.
The couple converted their civil bond under new laws implemented in England earlier this year that allow same-sex marriages.
On Sunday the couple posted an Instagram picture of themselves preparing to sign official documents. “That’s the legal bit done. Now on to the ceremony!” they wrote.
John and Furnish planned a celebration at their estate near Windsor Castle west of London. An A-list crowd is expected — even if the festivities are likely to be much more sedate than the parties in John’s hell-raising rock ‘n’ roll days.
The singer — known for an impressive string of hits dating back decades — promised to post pictures of the festivities to fans around the world.
The nuptials came as no surprise: John had tweeted about his plans earlier in the week, and earlier in the year had praised England for embracing same-sex marriage. He said there had been a remarkable change in a country where homosexual acts had long been deemed criminal offenses.
John said the wedding would be a joyous occasion shared with the couple’s two sons, Zachary and Elijah.
The singer had said earlier this year that he and Furnish planned to take advantage of the changes to the law, even though they already had a civil bond recognized by the courts.
“We shouldn’t just say, ‘Oh well, we have a civil partnership, we’re not going to bother to get married,” he said.
John and Furnish met in 1993. Both have been active in a number of charities, with John focusing on efforts to combat the spread of HIV and AIDS.
He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1998 in recognition of his charitable works.
Kansas Health Institute
TOPEKA–With the 2014 elections behind us and newly elected officials about to be sworn in, the Kansas Health Institute (KHI) is releasing a report chronicling the early days of health reform implementation in Kansas, and how the decisions of the state’s key players at the time shaped the response to the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
This report is part of a series of 21 state and regional studies examining the rollout of the ACA. The national network-with 36 states and 61 researchers-is led by the Rockefeller Institute of Government, the public policy research arm of the State University of New York, the Brookings Institution, and the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania.
The Kansas report highlights the diverse approaches to implementation taken by elected officials including Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger, Governor Sam Brownback and the Kansas Legislature. The political landscape changed this year when Commissioner Praeger decided not to seek re-election. Her replacement, Commissioner-Elect Ken Selzer, has expressed opposition to the ACA.
“KHI is pleased to participate in this national study, which examines the dramatic changes underway in our health care system due to private sector forces and the rollout of the ACA,” said Robert F. St. Peter, M.D., president and CEO of the Kansas Health Institute. “Now that the federal health insurance marketplace is in operation here in Kansas, it is important to understand how state policy leadership and decisions affect oversight, outreach, and, ultimately, enrollment in marketplace plans.”
KARI BLURTON
Hays Post
Hays USD 489 board member Sarah Rankin has announced she will run for re-election this spring.
Rankin said serving on the board for the last six months has been important to her and also taught her nothing is “black to white.”
“There has to be that critical discussion and due diligence on every subject we talk about to make sure we make the best possible decision for our students and staff,” she said.
“I would like to know that my continued service is the result of a vote of confidence by the community,” Rankin said.
Rankin is one of four board members whose seats open this spring.
Board members Marty Patterson, James Leiker and Greg Schwartz also will stand for re-election — and all three said they have yet to make a final decision.
Anyone interested in running for one of the open school board seats should contact the Ellis County Clerk’s office at (785) 628-9410 by the filing deadline of Jan. 27.
According Ellis County Clerk Donna Maskus, no one has officially filed for the open seats but, “we have had a few come by to pick-up applications.”
Filing deadlines can be found HERE.
The spring elections will see a total of seven seats on the school board and Hays City Commission on the ballot — a majority on each decision-making body.
Click HERE for more.
Beginning Monday, traffic on West 27th Street at Hickory will be restricted but will remain open to eastbound and westbound traffic.
The construction is scheduled to be completed within one week (pending weather conditions). The work is related to with the 2014 waterline project on Hickory Street.
Signs will be in place to direct the traveling public. The traveling public should use caution and if at all possible avoid these areas.
For more information, call the Public Works Planning, Inspection, and Enforcement Division at (785) 628-7310 or the contractor, Stripe and Seal at (785) 639-3919.
By Dave Ranney
KHI News Service
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Kansas is among the nation’s least prepared states for responding to outbreaks of severe infectious diseases, according to a national report.
The report, released Thursday by the Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, found that Kansas met three out of 10 key measures having to do preventing, detecting, diagnosing and responding to outbreaks.
Six other states — Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, Ohio and Wyoming — scored three as well. Only Arkansas fared worse, meeting two of the indicators. Missouri scored four.
The five top-scoring states — Maryland, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Vermont and Virginia — met eight of the 10 measures.
The scores were based on data from publicly available sources and from information provided by public officials.
The indicator categories included:
• Adequacy of public health funding.
• Preparation for emerging threats.
• Childhood vaccination rates.
• Flu vaccination rates.
• Climate change adaption plans.
• Health care-acquired infection rates.
• Sexually transmitted infection and disease rates.
• Response to foodborne illness outbreaks.
According to the report, Kansas earned points in food safety, preparation for emerging threats and one of two vaccination categories.
During a media call with reporters Thursday, Dr. Jeffrey Levi, executive director at the Trust for America’s Health, was asked what low-scoring states could do to improve their rankings.
He replied: “For most states, the place to start would be their public health budgets. The primary role of government — even in these difficult fiscal times — is to protect people from things they do not have control over, and infectious disease is a perfect example of that fundamental role. That would be a good starting point.”
According to the report, Kansas’ spending on public health in the last two fiscal years fell by almost 13 percent.
Of the 22 states that cut spending on public health, West Virginia led the nation with an 18 percent reduction. Kansas was second.
Sara Belfry, a Kansas Department of Health and Environment spokesperson, said the agency is — and has been — addressing the shortcomings cited in the report.
“Since 2011, KDHE has taken a closer look at our core public health mission, and have implemented a strategic approach to budgeting for programs across the agency to better align our spending with our core public health mission,” she wrote in an email to KHI News Service.
Last year, the state’s flu vaccination rate increased 7 percent, she said, adding, “We strongly recommend all Kansans get their flu vaccine to protect themselves and their loved ones from getting the flu.”
The department, she said, recently launched an initiative aimed at improving its processes for tracking sexually transmitted diseases.
“This would require a change in our administrative regulations, which requires a public comment period and publication in the Kansas Register,” Belfry wrote. “KDHE is in the process of revising these regulations.”
Michelle Ponce, executive director at the Kansas Association of Local Health Departments, said the findings reflect her members’ concerns.
“Recent events, such as the Kansas measles and pertussis outbreaks and the national response to the Ebola virus, underscore the necessity of maintaining a strong public health system,“ she wrote in an email.
The Trust for America’s Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation are nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations dedicated to the improvement of public health.
Dave Ranney is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.
TOPEKA–The Kansas Creative Arts Industries Commission (KCAIC) has announced that several new arts opportunities are available for Kansas communities. These include the following projects and programs from the KCAIC, the Mid-America Arts Alliance (M-AAA) and the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA):
• The Kansas Alliance for Arts Education and the KCAIC are partnering to launch the Kansas A+ pilot project in two schools during the 2015-2016 school year. The project will bring a multistate, research based educational model to Kansas. Pre-application meetings will be held on Feb. 11 and 12 from 1-4 p.m. for schools to send teams to learn more about the pilot program. The meetings will be open to all interested educator teams. Locations for those meetings will be finalized in early January. For more information, please contact KCAIC Director Peter Jasso at [email protected].
• The M-AAA is accepting letters of intent for Artistic Innovations Grants until Jan. 16. These grants support the creation of new work and are designed to encourage experimentation and collaboration, and engage audiences throughout M-AAA’s region. For more information, visit maaa.org/innovations16.
• The M-AAA has also announced that its next Regional Touring Program (RTP) grant application deadline is Feb. 1. RTP grants support projects of artistic excellence and merit by underwriting fees of artists who live in the region. For more information, visit maaa.org/rtp.
• The NEA has announced application deadlines of Feb. 19 and July 23 for its Art Works program, supporting the creation of art that meets the highest standards of excellence, public engagement with diverse and excellent art, lifelong learning in the arts, and the strengthening of communities through the arts. Matching grants generally range from $10,000 to $100,000. For more information, visit arts.gov.
• The NEA has announced an April 16 application deadline for Challenge America. This program offers support primarily to small and mid-sized organizations for projects that extend the reach of the arts to underserved populations whose opportunities to experience the arts are limited by geography, ethnicity, economics or disability. For more information, visit arts.gov.
• The NEA has scheduled webinars covering the basics of the Art Works and Challenge America funding categories, including how to apply to the NEA, how to select work samples and how to prepare a strong application. The Art Works webinar is scheduled for Jan. 21 at 2 p.m. The Challenge America session will be on March 11 at 2 p.m. To sign up for the webinars, go to arts.gov/videos/webinars.
DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama has signed legislation renewing dozens of costly tax breaks for millions of businesses and individuals.
The bill signed Friday extends the breaks through Dec. 31. Taxpayers will be able to claim them on their 2014 income tax returns.
But the fate of the tax provisions beyond this year will again be uncertain.
Congressional analysts have estimated that the breaks will add nearly $42 billion to the budget deficit over the next decade.
The provisions benefit big corporations and small business, struggling homeowners and residents of states without a state income tax. More narrow provisions include tax breaks for filmmakers, racehorse owners and rum producers in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
The bill includes a provision letting people with disabilities open tax-free savings accounts.
BOSTON (AP) — The Kennedy Presidential Library wants to remind the world that not even the threat of thermonuclear conflict can stop Santa Claus from making his rounds.
The library has republished the text of a 1961 letter from President John F. Kennedy reassuring a little girl who was worried about possible Soviet nuclear tests at the North Pole.
Kennedy’s letter to 8-year-old Michelle Rochon says he shares her concerns, not just for the fate of Santa but all people. The president added that he had talked to Santa just a day earlier and all is well.
The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum reissued the letter Friday as a holiday greeting on YouTube.
The Associated Press
The family of Michael Brown, who was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri, has released a statement condemning the shooting deaths of two New York City officers.
The statement posted Saturday on Twitter by the Parks & Crump law firm says Brown’s family rejects “any kind of violence directed toward members of law enforcement. It cannot be tolerated.”
It calls on citizens to “work together to bring peace to our communities.”
The brief statement concludes saying, “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the officers’ families during this incredibly difficult time.”
A Missouri grand jury refused to indict the white officer who shot Brown, an unarmed black 18-year-old.
KANSAS CITY – A Kansas woman was injured in an accident just after 6 p.m. on Friday in Wyandotte County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2002 Jaguar X driven by Charles O. Bailey Jr., 46, Kansas City, was southbound on Interstate 635 just north of Kansas Avenue.
An unknown vehicle made a lane change, struck the Jaguar causing it to spin out and strike the barrier wall. The other vehicle left the scene.
A passenger in the Jaguar Rhonda M. Cunningham-Green, 48, Kansas City, was transported to Shawnee Mission Medical Center. Bailey Jr. was not injured.
The KHP reported both were properly restrained at the time of the accident.
The accident remains under investigation.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — About 45 people have marched through part of downtown Topeka to protest police violence.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the march began and ended Saturday just south of the Kansas Statehouse. Marchers chanted “No justice, no peace, no racist police.” Almost all carried signs, with some bearing the names of African-Americans killed by police officers.
Occasionally, passing motorists honked their horns in a show of support for the marchers.
The event was Topeka’s second tied to the police-related killings of Eric Garner, in Staten Island, New York, and Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Missouri. At least 80 people attended a Dec. 5 vigil at Washburn University’s Kuehne bell tower.
