NEW YORK (AP) — TurboTax says it has temporarily stopped processing state tax returns due to an increase in fraudulent fillings.
Intuit Inc., the company behind popular tax preparation software TurboTax, says state agencies have reported a rise in fillings that are using stolen personal information.
The company is working with security company Palantir to investigate the problem. So far, Intuit says there was no security breach of its systems. Instead, it believes personal information was taken elsewhere and used to file returns on TurboTax.
Intuit says state tax returns already filed since Thursday will be transmitted as soon as possible. Users can still submit their federal income tax returns.
TOPEKA — Abandoned houses are causing problems for their communities, some city officials and legislators say. A Senate committee is working on a bill that would redefine what counts as abandoned and would make it easier for these properties to be re-homed.
Kansas law states that “abandoned property” is any residential real estate that has had delinquent taxes for two years and has been continuously unoccupied by its owners for 90 days. Senate Bill 84 would change this definition to residential real estate being unoccupied for 180 days and that has a “blighting influence on surrounding properties.”
According to proponents who testified for the bill on Thursday before the Senate Commerce Committee, abandoned properties are more than just an eyesore; they cause problems for law enforcement, neighbors and the cities by becoming potential fire hazards, targets for criminal activity, places for squatters to stay, as well as bringing down the value of surrounding homes.
Sen. Mitch Holmes (R-St.John) outlined these problems by saying when a property becomes abandoned, the city is responsible for up keep of the lawn to stay within city code. Law enforcement can’t arrest the trespassers because “no trespassing” signs haven’t been put up by the legal owners, and neighbors might feel unsafe if squatters take over the property.
Whitney Damron, an attorney representing the City of Topeka, added to Holmes’ testimony by making similar points on how a property becomes abandoned and the problems it creates.
“The tools are not in existence to deal with those kinds of situations,” Damron said.
Damron said that proponents are asking legislators to give the cities or non-profit organizations the “tools” to clean up these abandoned properties and re-home them so that they don’t sit there and go to waste. He said it is difficult to deal with these situations because the owners may be deceased, heirs are unresponsive and live far away, or the property might be under the control of the bank and can’t be foreclosed.
“So often we get no response. No response from the bank, no response from the in-state or out-of-state property owners,” Damron said.
Sen. Jeff Longbine (R-Emporia) expressed concern over the problem of abandoned property in his hometown of Emporia and said that the committee needs to take some time going over this bill.
“This is an important issue and has been an important issue for a long time,” Longbine said. “Hopefully we can find a way to do something to relieve the cities and the counties and problems that they’ve got.”
The committee will leave the bill open and continue the hearing on Monday.
Kelsie Jennings is a University of Kansas senior from Olathe, Kan., studying journalism.
Viola Deines, age 94, of WaKeeney, KS, passed away on Thursday, February 5, 2015 at Trego County-Lemke Memorial Hospital, WaKeeney.
Viola was born on May 27, 1920 on a farm in Rooks County Kansas to John and Emma Hoffman. She spent most of her youth living with her family in Ogallah, KS, and graduated from Ellis High School in 1939.
Viola married Henry Deines on November 16, 1941, at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Ellis. He preceded her in death on May 12, 2010.
Her parents and three siblings, Frieda Hoffman, Anna Fries and Fredrick (Fritz) Hoffman, also preceded her in death.
Survivors include her three daughters, Jan Clark and husband, Mike, Halstead, KS; Jill Deines, Sycamore, IL; Judy Deines and husband, Chris Landes, Lee’s Summit, MO; one sister, Wahnetta Mills, Ellis, KS; 4 grandchildren and 9 great-grandchildren.
Services will be at 10:30 a.m., Tuesday, February 10, 2015 at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, WaKeeney. Burial will be in the Kansas Veterans’ Cemetery, Wakeeney.
Visitation will be Monday, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m., at the funeral home in WaKeeney.
Memorials are suggested to Trego Hospital Endowment Foundation. Checks made to the organization may be sent in care of Schmitt Funeral Home, 336 North 12th, WaKeeney, KS 67672.
Condolences may be left online at www.schmittfuneral.com.
Ellis County’s newest Assistant Attorney Christopher Lyon meets Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton Nuss at the Law Enforcement Center in Hays on Friday.
Nuss and his wife, Barbara, checked out the temporary Law Enforcement Center located in the former N.E.W. building, 3000 New Way.
Nuss said he was happy everyone came together to make the move a success.
“I have been impressed how … people were able to make use of this facility and convert it to all theses various uses — the court system, law enforcement, the clerks, county attorney,” he said. “I just think a lot of hard work went into it this.”
Judge Glenn Braun, Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees and Nuss at the LEC Friday.
Before touring the facility, Nuss spent the morning with Chief Judge of the 23rd District Ed Bouker.
He said chief on their minds is a budget-balancing bill passed by the Senate on Thursday and forwarded to Gov. Sam Brownback.
The bill has many provisions to erase the state’s projected $344 million budget deficit, including one that would allow the Kansas Supreme Court to transfer $3 million from the electronic courts project to judicial operations in order to keep the courts open through the fiscal year.
“We are just keeping a hopeful eye on (Gov. Brownback) and hope he signs the bill sometime during the next week,” Nuss said.
Nuss is scheduled to be back in Hays in April, adding each of Kansas Supreme Court justices are expected to tour the Hays LEC facility in the future.
Troy L. Waymaster, 109th House District State Representative
February 6, 2015
Senate Bill 4: Fixing the 2015 Budget
In last week’s newsletter, I mentioned that House Appropriations committee was working on the
Governor’s budget revisions for the 2015 fiscal year to address the $278.7 million shortfall.
The bill was amended and passed out of Appropriations on Monday and was debated on the House floor on Tuesday.
The amended version of the Governor’s budget plan contains an increase in expenditures of $120.2 million, of which $45.1 million is from the State General Fund.
The bill also deleted the authority for Kansas State University and the University of Kansas for additional bonding authority in 2015.
Other amendments that were on the bill were approximately $25 million of the $45 million in Capital Outlay Equalization funding that the Governor wanted to delay until June 2015 and the
allowance for the Judicial Branch to transfer money from ECourts to fund the court system and
prevent furloughs.
Some of the reductions in the bill are:
$18.4 million for a 4% operating reduction for the remaining months of fiscal year 2015
$7.9 million for a reduction in the Kansas Public Employee Retirement System employer contribution rate
$4.6 million to reduce Disaster Relief Fund
$2.7 million for reappropriation lapses for the Legislative and Judicial Branch
$791,720 for salary cost reductions in the Kansas Bureau of Investigations
The bill also includes transfers that total $247.7 million. The largest of those transfers was the $158.5 million from the State Highway Fund. The bill passed the House on Wednesday, 88-34, and the Senate, 24-13, and now goes to be signed by the Governor.
The Right to Try Legislation
On Thursday, the House Health and Human Services Committee held a hearing on HB 2004, the
Kansas Right to Try Act.
This bill would allow a terminally ill patient, to try drugs that have not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. If a terminally ill patient has been unable to participate in a clinical trial within 100 miles of home, this bill would allow the patient to try drugs that have successfully passed phase one of a FDA clinical trial but have not yet been approved for
general use. The same option would apply to a terminally ill patient who has not been accepted into a clinical trial a week after the application was made.
Proponents of the bill testified in committee that the freedom to try unapproved drugs could ease
those Kansans suffering with terminal illnesses. They also criticized the length of time FDA clinical trials take, saying these trials can take months for treatment but that treatment obtained under HB 2004 could take only weeks.
Similar legislation has already been adopted in Colorado and Missouri. Kansas is one of several other states considering doing the same.
Earthquakes & Fracking
This week, the House Energy and Environment Committee held hearings on the recent seismic activity in south central Kansas. Media reports have suggested they are linked to the oil and gas industry, specifically a new type of drilling called hydraulic fracturing.
The committee invited Rex Buchanan, the director of the Kansas Geological Survey, to testify. The briefing included information on the state’s seismic monitoring network, which was disabled in 1989 because of a lack of seismic activity. Now that federal funding has been returned, the state operates two seismic sensors as part of the National Earthquake Information Center.
Mr. Buchanan discussed the increased oil and gas industry production, which inherently does cause low level seismic activity. However, Mr. Buchanan made clear that “there is no reason to believe that this seismic activity is caused by hydraulic fracturing.”
He addressed the key differences in the techniques used to extract oil: the well-completion technique of “hydraulic fracturing” and the production technique of “salt water injection.” To
determine the exact effects of the production technique, last April the Survey installed temporary seismic stations to further track the activity for additional study.
More information on the state’s seismic network and previous seismic activity can be found at https://www.kgs.ku.edu/.
Education, Visitors, and Contact Information
Governor Brownback made a statement late Thursday afternoon regarding allotments to Higher and K-12 education funding. The amount of this allotment would be $44.5 million. The allotment will take effect on March 7, 2015.
Three students from the 109th Kansas House district served as pages in the House of Representatives.
The pages were Aundrea Haberer, Maddisyn Brummer and Rebecca Denholm. Accompanying them were Melissa Hawkins and Melinda Brummer.
On Thursday, El Dean Holthus, Smith Center, testified before the Senate Transportation committee for the renaming of K-8 to be the “Home on the Range” Highway. Senator Elaine Bowers and I provided testimony, as well.
I also met with Jan Peters from the Great Bend Chamber of Commerce, Janae Talbott-Russell, Kara Jecha-Timken and Gary Nelson-Lincoln.
It is an honor to serve the 109th Kansas House District and the state of Kansas. Do not hesitate to contact me with your thoughts, concerns and questions. I appreciate hearing from the residents of the 109th House District and others from the state of Kansas.
LENEXA – A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 9 a.m. on Friday in Johnson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Kenworth Cement Truck driven by James Walter Westerfield III, 32, Kansas City, was southbound on Interstate 35 just north of U.S. 69 in Lenexa.
The vehicle made an evasive action to avoid hitting vehicles that had stopped due to traffic.
The truck went off the roadway and rolled down the hill.
Westerfield III was transported to Overland Park Regional Medical Center.
The KHP reported he was properly restrained at the time of the accident.
Bette J. (Schroeder) Bitter, 81, of LaCrosse, Kansas and formerly of Russell, Kansas passed away Tuesday, February 3, 2015 at the Locust Grove Village in LaCrosse.
Bette was born December 22, 1933 in Cornell, Wisconsin, the daughter of Roy and Lillian J. (Rufledt) Schroeder. She grew up in Cornell and graduated from Cornell High School. She was united in marriage to Samuel Bitter on May 20, 1977 in Las Vegas, Nevada. They made their home in Phoenix, Arizona for a few years before moving to Russell in 1979. Sam preceded her in death on September 23, 2002. She was a Foster Grandparent for many years. She also operated the Sale Barn Café in Russell for over 10 years. She was a member of the Bible Baptist Church of Russell and the Ft. Hays Foster Grandparent Program. She enjoyed quilting, sewing and cooking.
Surviving family include three sons, Michael Schuessler, Verne Schuessler and Scott Schuessler all of Phoenix, Arizona; daughter, Tammie Boreson of Phoenix, Arizona; step children, Roger Bitter of San Jose, California and Jana Anderson of Alta Loma, California; two brothers, Neal Schroeder and Charlie Schroeder both of Cornell, Wisconsin; sister, Dot Wilson of EauClair, Wisconsin; 11 grandchildren and two step grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Sam, son Jeff Schuessler and daughter Vickie Cano.
Visitation will be from 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM Thursday, February 5, 2015 at the Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell. A private family burial service will take place after visitation. Memorials have been established with Locust Grove Village and the Ft. Hays Foster Grandparent Program.
Contributions and condolences may be sent to Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary, who is in charge of these arrangements.
Boyd Albert Knackstedt, 81, of Russell, Kansas, died on Friday, January 30, 2015, at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas.
Boyd was the only son of Albert and Viola (Schletzbaum) Knackstedt and was born in Little River, Kansas, on April 30, 1933. He had three older sisters, Bernadine, LaVerta and Joyce. He lived with his family on several different farms in McPherson County, Kansas. When he was almost 6 years old his parents bought a farm in Marshall County, Kansas. The farm was only about half a mile from the town of Bigelow. He grew up on the farm and attended school through 8th grade in Bigelow. Later, he graduated from Frankfort High School in the class of 1951. As a boy he worked very hard helping his father on the farm driving the tractor, bailing hay and working in the grain elevator. The money he earned allowed him to pay his own way through high school. As a boy, he liked to go on all night fishing trips with his family and he was a catcher on the town soft ball team that was known as being a hard team to beat. Boyd continued to work on his father’s farm the summer after graduating high school. Being a bad year for crops his father could not afford to pay him, so he took a job working highway construction in Russell.
Boyd met, fell in love and was united in marriage to June Price on June 26, 1954, in Russell at the Otterbein United Methodist Church. From this union Boyd and June were blessed with 4 children Buddy, Nancy, Dennis and Barbara. Along with their own children they helped raise two nephews James and Robert Oliva. In 1957 Boyd went to work for Kansas Power and Light and worked for them for nearly 35 years. He retired on his 59th birthday, April 30, 1992. He and June are both longtime members of the Otterbein United Methodist Church in Russell. He enjoyed working as a Boy Scout Master for troop #106 for several years. He enjoyed camping, fishing and was rather famous for his blueberry pancakes. He also enjoyed playing card games, bridge and Yahtzee. Most of all he enjoyed spending time with his family, especially his many grandchildren and great grandchildren.
He is survived by his wife June of the home, son Boyd W. “Buddy” Knackstedt of Russell, daughter Nancy J. Woodyard (Wayne) of Chanute, Kansas, son Dennis R. Knackstedt (Beth) of Winfield, Kansas, daughter Barbara A. Volle (Mark) of Axtell, Kansas; nephews James H. Oliva of Topeka and Robert C. Oliva of Ely, Minnesota; grandchildren Gregory, Elsabeth, Anna, Darcey, Bridgett, Brett, Gabriel, Matthew & Bradford; great grandchildren Chloe and Landon.
He was preceded in death by his parents and 3 sisters Bernadine Corbin, LaVerta Fore and Joyce Lord.
A celebration of Boyd’s life will be held at 10:30 A.M. on Friday, February 06, 2015, at the Otterbein United Methodist Church with Pastor Earl Haggard and Pastor Jim Alexander officiating. Burial will follow the service at the Russell City Cemetery. Visitation will be from 9 A.M. to 8 P.M. on Thursday, February 05, 2015, at the mortuary with family present to greet guests from 6 P.M. to 7 P.M. Thursday evening. Memorials may be given to the Russell Food Pantry and sent in care of the mortuary. Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary of Russell, Kansas, is in charge of the funeral service arrangements.
A line cut during reconstruction at the Ellis County courthouse has disconnected the county’s servers from their administrative offices, now located at the 718 Main Administrative Building.
County Treasurer Ann Pfeifer said connectivity was lost at the 718 Main building over the noon hour, and employees there are unable to process payments or conduct other business.
Offices at the former Commerce Bank building downtown include the treasurer, clerk, appraiser and registrar of deeds, among others.
“They’re diligently working on repairs,” Pfeifer said.
She said late Friday afternoon it did not appear repairs would be made before the close of business Friday, but she expected offices to be open for business at 8 a.m. Monday.
Check Hays Post for updates as they become available.
NEW YORK (AP) — Pepperidge Farm is recalling about 46,000 packages of bagels because they may contain peanuts or almonds that could set off a serious allergic reaction.
The company said Friday that no illnesses have been reported. It was alerted to the problem by a bakery that makes the bagels.
The recall includes plain, everything and cinnamon raisin bagels. Mini bagels, sold in whole wheat, cinnamon raisin and brown sugar with cinnamon flavors, are also being recalled. The affected bagels have sell by dates ranging from Feb. 7 to Feb. 12.
The bagels were sent to stores in 23 states. Customers can return the bagels to the store for a full refund.
Pepperidge Farm is owned by the Campbell Soup Co., based in Camden, New Jersey.
The following is a list of how local districts base state aid will be affected due to the governor’s K-12 and higher education cuts that were announced yesterday.
Sam Brownback is governor of the state of Kansas.
Brownback reduced the Base State Aid per pupil from $3,852 to $3,810.25 in order to cover a budget deficit. The Kansas Department of Education list reflects the difference between the the original funding and the new funding cuts. Each district’s base state aid is based on how many students attend the school district and the money goes into the district’s general fund.
NEW YORK (AP) — TurboTax says it has temporarily stopped processing state tax returns due to an increase in fraudulent fillings.
