INGALLS – A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 9 a.m. on Friday in Gray County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1998 Kenworth semi driven by Donald L. Cregger, 51, Seward, was northbound on 13 Road three miles north of Ingalls.
The right side of the trailer fell off of the edge of the road. The truck rolled into the east ditch and the trailer came to rest on its top.
Cregger was transported to St. Catherine’s hospital.
The KHP reported he was not wearing a seat belt.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Sam Brownback’s budget director says Brownback doesn’t plan to divert funds from the state’s public pension system again to help close budget shortfalls.
Budget Director Shawn Sullivan told a legislative committee Friday that the diversion of nearly $41 million from the pension system for teachers and government workers to general government programs is a one-time event.
The Republican governor diverted the money to help close a projected $279 million shortfall in the current budget. The state also faces a $436 million gap in its budget for the fiscal year beginning in July.
The diversion sparked bipartisan criticism because the pension system’s benefits are only 60 percent funded through 2033. A 2012 law boosted contributions by both the state and workers to ensure that the system becomes fully funded.
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Top aides to Republican Gov. Sam Brownback are urging legislators to study major changes in the pension system for teachers and government workers that include privatizing it.
Budget Director Shawn Sullivan and Secretary of Administration Jim Clark on Friday outlined potential ideas for a study during a meeting a joint study committee on pensions.
Brownback said last week that he is working on proposals to improve the long-term financial health of the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System. His comments followed bipartisan criticism of his decision to divert nearly $41 million from KPERS to general government programs to help close a projected shortfall in the current budget.
Sullivan and Clark urged legislators to launch a study of converting the state’s long-term pension obligations into annuities managed by private companies.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says the U.S. will respond “proportionally” to North Korea’s punishing hack of Sony Pictures Entertainment at a place, time and manner “that we choose.”
Obama says the attack “caused a lot of damage.”
Says Obama: “We will respond proportionally and we will respond in a place and time and manner that we choose.”
The FBI announced earlier Friday that North Korea was responsible.
The attack escalated to terrorist threats that prompted Sony to cancel its Christmas release of “The Interview.” Obama says canceling the comedic film about a plot to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (kim jawng oon) was “a mistake.”
He commented during a year-end news conference Friday at the White House.
By DAVE TRABERT
Kansas Policy Institute
It’s bad enough when politicians fabricate stories for political gain, but it’s especially appalling coming from a university professor. A recent column by Emporia State professor Michael Smith claimed that the Kansas Policy Institute budget plan for the state of Kansas used dynamic scoring to “…forecast revenues nearly $400 million higher in FY 2016 than do the state’s economists.” That is an absolute fairy tale.
KPI did not use dynamic scoring in our budget plan and the revenue estimates we use are the official estimates. Professor Smith is simply concocting the story to suit his political purpose. Our budget plan for Kansas uses official spending and revenue estimates as the starting point and suggests some legislative changes to increase revenue and reduce spending without impacting services.
Professor Smith also poses a false question: “Are we in a huge budget hole, created by the tax cuts championed by Governor Brownback? Or, will economic growth save the day?”
Tax revenue did decline but it is still running ahead of the ten-year inflation track. Even after allowing citizens to keep more of their hard-earned money, tax revenue for FY 2014 was 28% higher than in FY 2004; inflation over the period was 24%. And tax revenue is expected to stay ahead of inflation; official revenue estimates put FY 2017 tax revenue 39% ahead of FY 2014 whereas inflation would be 29% higher if it continues at the current pace.
The budget ‘hole’ would not exist if the majority of legislators in both parties and Governor Brownback hadn’t declined to reduce the cost of government when they reduced income taxes. As has long been the case, Kansas has a very big spending problem. Indeed, if FY 2004 spending had simply increased for inflation and population growth, General Fund spending would be $1 billion less this year!
Professor Smith apparently believes that government couldn’t possibly operate on less money, as he claims that reducing government spending will cause serious service cuts. The citizens of Kansas and even government employees beg to differ; a recent public opinion survey showed that 74% of Kansans (and 74% of government employees) believe state government could operate 5% to 10% more efficiently – and the data supports their belief. In 2012, Kansas spent 37% more per-resident than the states without an income tax. Every state provides public education, highways and social services, but some of them do so at a much better cost to taxpayers.
We need to reduce the cost of government, but it can be done by implementing a Better Service, Better Price culture that provides quality services at a better price and passes the savings on in the form of lower taxes. In other words, focus on maximizing value for citizens instead of growing government.
HAVEN- Two Kansas drivers were injured in an accident just before 9 a.m. on Friday in Reno County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2007 Toyota passenger car driven by Robert D. Mccurry, 83, Burrton, was eastbound on Kansas 96 four miles from Haven in the westbound lane and hit a 2001 Dodge pickup driven by Jonathan E. Carlson, 18, Haven, head on.
Mccurry was transported to St. Francis Hospital in Wichita. Carlson was transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center.
The KHP reported both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident.
By KARI BLURTON
Hays Post
The school superintendents in Hays, Ellis and Victoria met with 111th Dist. Rep. Sue Boldra, R-Hays, Thursday morning for coffee and an informal conversation about possible cuts to education funding ahead of the state legislative session beginning January 12.
Hays USD 489 Superintendent Dean Katt, Ellis USD 388 Superintendent Bob Young and Victoria USD 482 Superintendent David Ottley expressed their concerns about hearing the state was leaning towards cutting “non-classroom funds” and wanted to know the definition of the term, according to Katt.
“Most of the legislators I take it.. don’t really know what that means, so we stipulated what our thoughts were and the things that would acceptable and the things that are not, ” Katt said. “I think if they are looking at state aid, none of get us get state aid. You hate to throw someone under the bus but that would probably not hurt us as much as other districts.”
Katt said he thought the conversation with Boldra was a good one.
“I feel good that she understands where we are coming from and feel confident she will give any or all us a call if need be. It was just a good way to get the year started.”
A few of the USD 489 board members and other administrators also attended the meeting with Boldra. Katt said they plan on making the casual conversations “over coffee” a regular occurrence with Boldra and other legislators.
“I think everyone can be more upfront and honest,” Katt said. “I understand the political side of it where everyone has to follow their constituents’ needs, but I think when you talk face to face, to me it helps understand that person.”
SALINA — Sidney Schmeidler of Victoria, KS has been named to the President’s Honor Roll for the Fall 2014 semester at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Kansas. The KWU President’s Honor Roll includes all full-time students who have no incompletes and a semester grade point average of 3.75 or higher for the semester.
Phillipsburg resident Alice Dell Hoppe passed away Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2014 at the Overland Park Regional Medical Center in Overland Park, KS at the age of 78.
She was born April 22, 1936 in Burr Oak, Kansas, the daughter of Forest & Retha (Hawkins) Foster. Alice had worked as a secretary in the medical lab at the Phillips County Hospital.
She is survived by two daughters, Sharla Stanek of Tulsa, OK and Chris Stanek of Overland Park; stepchildren, Lisa Hoppe Dalme of Minneapolis, KS and Richard Hoppe of Belton, MO; 3 step grandchildren and 3 step great-grandchildren.
Funeral services will be held Sunday, Dec. 21, at 2:00 p.m. in the Calvary Baptist Church, Phillipsburg, with Pastor Mark Gervais officiating. Graveside service will follow at 4:15 p.m. in the Burr Oak Cemetery, Burr Oak, KS.
Alice Hoppe will lie in-state on Friday, Dec. 19, from noon – 9 p.m. and again Saturday from noon – 9 p.m. at the Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg.
Memorial contributions may be given to the Calvary Baptist Church. Online condolences to www.olliffboeve.com.
Olliff-Boeve Memorial Chapel, Phillipsburg, is in charge of arrangements.
By NICK BUDD
Hays Post
The city of Hays will change its bidding process for the reconstruction of the wastewater treatment plant. Currently, the city goes through a design/bid/build process where/ in most cases, three to four different firms are contracted — one architectural firm to design a preliminary project, another to provide a more complex and complete architectural design, and a construction firm to build the project.
There is also sometimes another architectural firm that provides oversight of the project. The city has had issues with this type of a process in other projects that have been done over the past couple of years, including the shade structures at Hays Aquatic Park and the parking lot at Bickle-Schmidt Sports Complex.
“(Under the design/bid/build), we don’t believe we get the best process or innovation,” Said Asssistant Ctiy Manger Paul Briseno. “The lack of communication and collaboration can sometimes lead to finger-pointing, which costs the city money and a lot of public distress.”
Briseno also mentioned this process can lead to several extra overhead costs due to unexpected expenditures when the project is being built.
The new design/build process will allow the city to take more of a collaborative approach. The process will begin with a request for qualifications for an owner-representative who will help chose the contractors and oversee the project.
“We’re going to be looking for someone with technical expertise because of the total cost of approximately $28 million,” Briseno said. “It’s the largest project we’ve worked on in a while.”
Once one is hired, the city will send a request for bids and qualifications from teams of engineers and contractors, who will bid as one team. The city will pick out three and will explain parameters and guidelines for the facility. The city has budgeted around $28 million for the facility, and officials expect it to last around 20 years before another renovation will be needed.
“We’ll ask the teams to provide the best plan under those parameters, but if they can provide a plan that gives the facility more years under the same amount of money, they’ll have a leg up,” Briseno said. “There’s competition to provide the best product possible.”
Briseno also said they plan on paying the losing teams for their proposals so that some ideas can be worked into the winning bid if they are more efficient, which creates a “win for the city.” They plan on paying between $50-150 thousand dollars to the losing bidders.
“You’re not going to get the engineers and contractors to do a 30 percent design for free,” said City Manager Toby Dougherty. “But you’ll get them to do it if they know there is going to be a stipend, and they’re going to try to be innovative in order to win the contract.”
Commissioner Henry Schwaller brought up concerns about choosing the right applicants.
“If we chose the wrong owner-representative, the whole thing could go wrong,” said Schwaller. “In a way, it’s really not different other than you have the builder and the engineer working together.”
Dougherty said that he would welcome a commission representative on the committee to select the owner-representative and also reminded Schwaller that the position is a “paid advocate for the city.”
The city will post an opening for the owner-representative and will bring a recommendation to the city commission. The facility must be open by 2018 in order to comply with Kansas Department of Health and Environment standards.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Board of Regents says it won’t recommend a proposed funding mechanism that would tie college budgets to specific performance-based benchmarks.
Instead, the board said it would recommend the Legislature delay considering any kind of performance-based budgeting model until the state’s financial condition turns around. It wants the model to be used as an incentive to qualify for additional funding, above what schools receive in their base budgets.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports state lawmakers had urged the board in August to develop a metrics model that could be considered by the Legislature in its next session.
A task force appointed to create a proposal offered its plan to the regents Thursday. It called for setting goals for each university and offering payments based on targets like the number of awarded certificates and degree
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
There are two vacant positions within the Hays Convention and Visitors Bureau after two longtime employees left their jobs earlier this year.
CVB Director Jana Jordan retired in September after 26 years with the city.
Sales Marketing Director Ruben Schuckman left his position at the end of July after 15 years.
Although both job openings were advertised at the time, no one has been hired to fill them.
“Right now, we are putting the search for the CVB director on hold,” Hays Assistant City Manager Paul Briseno said this week. “We know and recognize the holidays are not the best time to search for a director, so we’ll probably wait until after the first of the new year to continue that search.”
The sales marketing position also remains open.
“Our intent is to hire a CVB director first, and then it will be up to the new director to fill the second position,” Briseno explained.
Briseno was quick to praise the CVB employees who remain. Janet Kuhn is the convention marketing director. Bobbi Pfeifer is the administrative assistant, and Tina Crispin is the CVB receptionist.
“Janet, Bobbi and Tina are doing a wonderful job,” Briseno said. “At the same time, there are a lot of opportunities we’re missing with those two positions still open. I’m trying to fill the void as much as possible, but it’s on a very limited basis.”
“We’re hoping that right now, with (tourism) being somewhat slow, it will help us out. We know that right after the first of the year things are going to pick up, and it’s going to be a lot more work. Hopefully, we can find someone shortly.”
Dec. 18
Motor Vehicle Accident, 2000 block Ellis ave. Ellis 3:05 a.m.
Criminal transport, WaKeeney, 7:36 a.m.
Motor Vehicle Accident, 1700 block 130th ave. 8:00 a.m.
Criminal transport, Stockton, 11:43 a.m.
Warrant service, 3000 NEW Way, 11:00 p.m.
SALINA— Colton Spresser of Hays, KS has been named to the Fall 2014 Dean’s Honor Roll at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Kansas. Full-time students with a semester grade point average of 3.25-3.74 and no incompletes are listed on the KWU Dean’s Honor Roll.
