LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A sexual assault task force at the University of Kansas wants to make it clear that students can be disciplined for sexual misconduct no matter how far from campus it occurred.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports the task force finished proposed changes to the student code on Friday and plans to submit a bill recommending the changes to the Student Senate in January.
The main intent of the proposal is to specify that its policies apply to students who commit sexual wrongdoing in places like off-campus apartments and Greek houses. Task force co-chairwoman Angela Murphy says it also would cover students “on the beach on spring break or even farther away.”
The university already contends its student code already allows it to discipline students who commit off-campus offenses.
A $75,000 goal drives Big Brothers Big Sisters of Ellis County into its 11th annual Christmas4Kids Telethon today at James Motor Co. in downtown Hays.
The telethon will be televised live on Eagle Cable Channel 14 and 614 from noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. People can also listen live on Eagle Radio KHAZ-99.5 FM.
Proceed from the telethon are used for various costs at Big Brothers Big Sisters including background checks and community events.
“Specifically, the funds are used for the increased costs of background checks for people that want to become Big Brothers or Big Sisters,” said BBBS Executive Director Nancy Jeter said. “Another portion will go to holiday food baskets for the Community Assistance Center and other costs associated with our program.
“This is not a program where we just match somebody up and say ‘God bless.’ We do background checks, references and provide support for those matches throughout their time in the program,” she added.
Jeter said she is a “little worried” about this year’s goal, but noted the organization did match more than 150 Littles with Bigs this year.
“We not only matched over 150, but we also served over 300, so it takes a lot of money to do that,” Jeter said. “We’re not a federally funded agency so we rely solely rely on donations and fundraisers throughout the year.”
This year’s performer’s include the Hays High Chamber Singers, TMP Singers, Spirit Ringers Bell Choir and the band Crossroads. FHSU President Mirta Martin is also scheduled to make an appearance at the event.
For more information on Big Brothers Big Sisters, you can call their office at (785) 625-6672. Those wishing to donate also can click HERE.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama says it’s going to take time and vigilance to tackle problems as “deeply rooted” as racism and bias.
He says gains have been made, and that gives hope for more progress. Obama is advising young people to be persistent because he says progress usually comes in steps.
The president says in an interview with BET that he’s advising young Americans to be “steady” and not give up “when you don’t get all the way there.”
Obama met with youth civil rights activists at the White House last week. He says he told them that as painful as some recent incidents have been, “we can’t equate” what’s happening now with what was happening 50 years ago.
The full interview is set to air this Monday night.
Tickets are now on sale for the next Encore Series presentation, “Mamma Mia!,” which will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 28, in the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center in Sheridan Hall on the Fort Hays State University campus.
Inspired by the songs of ABBA, the hugely popular Swedish pop group of the ’70s, the story of “Mamma Mia!” is one of a single day of chaos, love and hope on a Greek island. Sophia, raised by her single and independent mother, is about to get married and all she wants is for her absent father to walk her down the aisle. She invites three men from her mother’s past in an effort to discover the identity of her father and in the process discovers much about love and herself.
To purchase tickets, visit or call the Student Service Center in the Memorial Union at (785) 628-5306. Tickets also can be purchased online by visiting www.fhsu.edu/encore.
Reserved tickets are $45 for the public, $42 for seniors and children 5 to 17, and $35 for FHSU students. Unreserved tickets are $40, $38 and $30, respectively.
Widespread dense fog this morning will give way to increasing sunshine later today with highs expected in the mid 50s.
Above normal temperatures are expected Monday and Tuesday as a mild weather pattern settles into the area. Highs will be in the lower to middle 50s.
Warmer than normal highs are forecast for the remainder of the week.
Today: A 10 percent chance of rain before 8am. Widespread dense fog before 9am. Otherwise, cloudy through mid morning, then gradual clearing, with a high near 55. South southwest wind 6 to 11 mph.
Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 29. Southwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming northwest in the evening.
Monday: Sunny, with a high near 56. Northwest wind 5 to 8 mph becoming calm.
Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 29. Calm wind becoming north around 5 mph after midnight.
Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 49. East southeast wind 6 to 11 mph.
William Atkinson, a doctor who spent 25 years at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and is now associate director for immunization at the Immunization Action Coalition, said there’s still time to inoculate more of the population before the flu season peaks. He spoke Thursday at an event in Kansas City, Mo.-photo by Andy Marso
By Andy Marso
KHI News Service
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As flu cases begin to appear in Kansas, a former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention epidemiologist urged providers to continue distributing the flu vaccine while also preparing antiviral medications for high-risk patients.
William Atkinson, a doctor who spent 25 years at the CDC and is now associate director for immunization at the Immunization Action Coalition, said there’s still time to inoculate more of the population before the flu season peaks.
“Don’t stop just because Thanksgiving has passed,” Atkinson told an audience of about 40 at a Thursday meeting of the Mother & Child Health Coalition in Kansas City, Mo. “Keep going as long as you’ve got it.”
People 6 months of age and older are recommended to get a flu shot in the United States, where Atkinson said flu still kills more children than all other vaccine-preventable diseases.
About 100 children died of flu last year, Atkinson said, and that number may be low because it represents only the confirmed cases.
The illness is even more fatal in people 65 and older, who make up the bulk of the thousands of flu deaths each year.
Need for antiviral use
Atkinson emphasized that a recent CDC alert about possible compromised effectiveness of this year’s flu vaccine was not intended to discourage its use, but rather to inform providers about the urgency of dispensing antiviral medications to high-risk patients with flu-like symptoms.
The CDC alert warned that early cases of the flu this year have predominately been of the influenza A (H3N2) type, which the annual vaccine has traditionally been less effective in preventing. But Atkinson said there are many types of flu that the shot will still be effective against and, because influenza seasons are unpredictable, it’s impossible to know yet just how comprehensive the shot will be this year.
“The vaccine is still effective and will work most of the time,” Atkinson said. “It may work almost all the time.”
The CDC alert advises that patients with flu-like symptoms who are at high risk of complications should be administered antiviral drugs such as Tamiflu or Relenza before laboratory tests have confirmed influenza. Such drugs shorten the duration of influenza and can prevent complications, especially when administered within 48 hours of first symptoms.
Those at risk of complications include patients who are older or have underlying health conditions.
“Those are the people you need to pull the trigger on your antiviral drugs sooner rather than later,” Atkinson said. “That was basically the message.”
The message is timely, Atkinson said, because flu season has begun in many states.
The CDC’s weekly surveillance map showed “local” outbreaks of flu in Kansas and Missouri as of Nov. 22, and on Thursday the Sedgwick County Health Department confirmed the first cases of flu in that area this season.
Misty Kruger, a spokeswoman for the Shawnee County Health Agency, said via email that she could not confirm the presence of the illness in the county but said that flu cases have occurred in the northeast Kansas region.
Kruger said the health agency still has flu vaccine and encourages residents to get vaccinated “wherever flu shots are available within the community.” The agency also reminds people to wash their hands frequently, cover their mouth when they cough and stay home when ill to avoid spreading influenza.
‘High dose’ for seniors
Atkinson said some versions of the flu vaccine have been shown to be more effective for different demographics.
He said he now recommends a “high dose” version for seniors, including his parents.
“There now is data that is clear, that this vaccine when given to people 65 and older, the high dose vaccine compared to the regular vaccine, it works better,” Atkinson said. “It reduces influenza disease and complications in people 65 and older.”
Atkinson also said the “data are quite convincing” that a live vaccine administered by nasal spray is more effective in children, though studies have yet to show any added benefit for adults.
“Nobody understands exactly why, but clearly it’s better in children,” Atkinson said.
The nasal spray, or flu mist, is approved for ages 2 through 49. Atkinson advised that providers should administer it to patients age 2 through 8 if they can, but give the traditional injection if that’s all they have on hand.
“If you don’t have flu mist — you ran out, didn’t order enough, whatever reason — don’t let them go,” Atkinson said. “Don’t let them out of your sight before you get a dose of influenza vaccine into them. Don’t send them away and say, ‘Come back next week,’ because odds are they won’t. Get them while you’ve got them there.”
Andy Marso is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.
WASHINGTON (AP) — House Republicans are making a final push this month to give schools a temporary break from healthier school meal standards.
The rules phased in since 2012 and championed by first lady Michelle Obama require more fruits, vegetables and whole grains in the lunch line.
Some school nutrition directors have lobbied for a break, saying the rules have proven to be costly and restrictive. House Republicans have said they are overreach, pushing a one-year waiver that would allow schools to opt out of the standards for the next school year if they lost money on meal programs.
The waiver stalled this summer, but has new life as some GOP lawmakers are pushing to include it in a catchall spending bill to keep government programs running.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), a member of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, recently introduced the Physician Ambassadors Helping Veterans Act. The legislation would enable volunteer physicians to serve in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical facilities that are struggling with appointment wait times or staffing shortages.
“The Physician Volunteer Ambassadors Helping Veterans Act will allow qualified physicians across the country to give of their time and expertise to help veterans struggling to access quality health care – whether a veteran has waited far too long for an appointment or medical services are not available close to where they call home,” Sen. Moran said. “At a time when veterans struggle to access quality health care, my hope is this legislation will offer physicians the opportunity to answer their own call of duty in service to veterans who deserve the best health care our nation has to offer.”
Though VA possesses the authority to allow physician volunteers to work in its VA medical facilities, bureaucratic red tape often prevents many physicians from volunteering their services. This legislation will make certain the VA uses its existing authority to support qualified physician volunteers from local communities who would like to dedicate a minimum of 40 volunteer hours per year. It would allow medical communities to help veterans, ease some of the pressure on permanent VA staff, and enable VA staff to regain their focus on providing quality health care to our veterans.
The legislation is supported by the Kansas Medical Society.
Hays High got their biggest test of the young season in the championship game of the Gerald Mitchell Hays City Shootout. The Indians ranked 3rd in class 4A-1 took on Olathe North who is ranked 7th in class 6A. Hays took an early 8-3 lead and then closed the first quarter on a run to push the lead back to five at 15-10.
Both Hays and Olathe North battled foul trouble in the second quarter limiting both teams scoring. Hays though didn’t score a field goal and made just four free throws fall behind at half time 23-19.
Hays pushed early in the second half to tie the score at 23 and then took the lead at 30-29 on back to back Keith Dryden field goals. Olathe North though then held Hays to just one field goal over the fourth quarter and finished the game on a 16-2 run, winning 45-32.
Hays shot just 33% from the field 11-33. Out of those shots, Hays was just 3 for 19 on 3’s. Olathe North shot 14 of 40 for 35% and made 3 of 10 3’s. Hays did out rebound the Eagles 31-25, but committed 16 turnovers to North’s four.
Isaiah Nunnery led the way for Hays with 10 points and Brady Werth with 9. Olathe North was led in scoring by RJ Smith 12 and Alonzo Williams with 11. All four were named to the all tournament team.
Hays is now 2-1 on the season and host state ranked Pratt on Tuesday.
Girls: TMP-Marian 53, Hays 27
The Hays High Lady Indians couldn’t buy a basket. It was a trend that would continue for all four quarters as Hays fell to TMP in the 4th place game 53-27.
Hays took their only lead of the game at 5-4 on back to back Mattison Schlaefli baskets with 5:10 remaining in the first quarter. Hays though wouldn’t score for the next 5:25. Despite the scoring drought Hays was able to keep the game close and trailed 17-13 with 3:03 to go in the first half, after to Maddie Keller free throws. Hays then would have to endure another scoring drought, this time for 10:28 seconds and were behind by 14 before the Lady Indians would score again.
Hays shot just 17% from the field 8 for 46. Hays was led in scoring by Schlaefli’s eight points. The Lady Indians fall to 1-2.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Ron Baker scored 18 points, and No. 8 Wichita State beat Saint Louis 81-52 on Saturday at Intrust Bank Arena in downtown Wichita.
Evan Wessel and Rauno Nurger had 15 points apiece to help the Shockers (5-1) bounce back from Wednesday’s overtime loss at Utah. The setback against the Utes was Wichita State’s first regular-season loss since March 2, 2013.
Baker, Nurger and Wessel were a combined 17 of 25 from the floor.
Marcus Bartley scored 13 points for Saint Louis (5-3).
Craig Nicholson fought off early foul trouble to score a game-high 23 points and lead the Fort Hays State Tigers to a 90-78 win over Missouri Western Saturday afternoon at Gross Coliseum. Nicholson picked up two fouls in the first five minutes and only played 31 minutes but hit 8-of-9 from the field, was 2-for-2 from beyond the arc and hit all five of his free throw attempts. Mark Johnson Postgame Interview
The Tigers trailed by five in the first half but an 8-0 run gave them the lead for good. A Nicholson 3-pointer near the end of the first half put FHSU up 42-32 at the half. They would score the first four points of the second half to go up 14, but Western cut that lead to seven before a 6-0 Tiger run put the game away.
Game Highlights
Jake Stoppel recorded his second double-double of the season, scoring 18 and grabbing 11 rebounds. Dom Samac scored 13, Achoki Moikobu 12 and James Fleming 11.
The Tigers shoot 53-percent from the floor including 7-of-19 from 3-point range. They go 23-of-26 from the free throw line and out-rebound the Griffons by eight.
FHSU is now 5-3 overall and 1-1 in the MIAA. They host Northwestern Oklahoma State Monday at 7pm.
WICHITA – A Kansas man was injured in an accident just after 2 p.m. on Saturday in Sedgwick County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Ford Windstar driven by Shaun Michael Newberry, 31, Haysville, was southbound on Interstate 235 just south of Central in Wichita.
The vehicle drove off of the roadway and struck a KDOT light pole on the outside shoulder.
Newberry was transported to St. Joseph Hospital.
The KHP reported he was not wearing a seat belt.
