TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Local governments would be barred from passing restrictions on political campaign signs under a bill advanced by the Kansas Senate.
The chamber gave first-round approval to a bill Monday that clarify some lobbyist filings and prevent local governments from enforcing ordinances on the placement of political campaign signs.
Republican Sen. Rob Olson of Olathe inserted the portion on signs to the bill because he said that municipal authorities tend to enforce political advertising rules selectively in the heat of competitive campaigns. He said it would benefit candidates running against incumbents.
The Senate rejected another amendment that would have required lobbyists to disclose the time and date of their dinner meetings with legislators. The amendment was defeated by a relatively close vote of 16-20 in the GOP-dominated chamber.
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama is highlighting private-sector efforts to encourage more students from underrepresented groups to pursue education in science, technology, engineering and math.
Obama announced more than $240 million in pledges to boost the study of those fields, known as STEM, at the White House Science Fair on Monday. This year’s fair is focused on diversity.
The pledges include a $150 million philanthropic effort to encourage promising early-career scientists to stay on track and a $90 million campaign to expand STEM opportunities to underrepresented youth, such as minorities and girls.
Obama launched “Educate to Innovate,” his effort to encourage the study of science, technology, engineering and math, in 2009.
More than 35 student teams will exhibit their projects at the White House Science Fair.
GLEN ELDER- A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 1:30 p.m. on Monday in Mitchell County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2005 Freightliner semi driven by Jesse G. Mudd, 24, Beloit, was eastbound on K Road four miles south of Glen Elder at Glen Lane.
The vehicle turned north on to K Road, entered the east ditch and overturned.
Mudd was transported to Mitchell County Hospital.
The KHP reported he was properly restrained at the time of the accident.
WICHITA- A former loan officer for a bank in Great Bend pleaded guilty Monday to a federal charge of bank fraud according to U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom.
Brian W. Harrison, 56, Great Bend, pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud. In his plea, he admitted the crime occurred during the time from 2004 to 2012 when he was a loan officer for Farmer’s Bank and Trust in Great Bend.
His duties included reviewing, approving and disbursing loans within his lending authority without the approval of the bank’s loan committee. In furtherance of a scheme to defraud the bank, he made or caused to be made false statements to the bank to hide the poor performance of various loans he made. His false statements were intended to deflect questions from the bank about problems with the loans. He falsified credit and loan applications, promissory notes and security agreements on behalf of a purported debtor without the debtor’s proper authority.
Sentencing is set for he. Both parties have agreed to recommend a sentence of six months in prison, followed by six months home detention, as well as an order to pay more than $124,000 in restitution.
Grissom commended the FBI, the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program (SIGTARP) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith for their work on the case.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A new proposal for controlling the cost of mental health drugs to the Medicaid program in Kansas has advanced in the Legislature.
The Senate gave first-round approval Monday to a bill requiring a review of Medicaid’s mental health prescriptions. It also creates an advisory committee to draft guidelines on prescriptions for the needy and disabled covered by the program.
Senators expected to take final action Tuesday.
The measure had bipartisan support and arose from discussions between Republican Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration and mental health advocates.
The Senate last month rejected a bill repealing a 2002 law that blocks restrictions on mental health drugs for Medicaid participants.
Supporters of such efforts are looking for cost savings to help balance the state budget. They also worry some drugs are used improperly.
Dear Dave,
What’s your opinion on rewarding kids with money for getting good grades in school? Joe
Dave Ramsey
Dear Joe,
Honestly, I don’t have a strong opinion about it one way or the other. We didn’t pay our kids for good grades, but I can’t really think of a strong argument not to pay them for success in school. You could say you shouldn’t pay them because it’s something they’re expected to do anyway, and that’s somewhat valid. But you could also make the same point where chores around the house are concerned, too.
We paid our kids to do some chores, but really the point is not about the economic value. It’s the fact that you want your kids to associate work with money. I still meet people my age and older who haven’t made that connection. Work creates money, and that’s an important thing to teach your kids. Once they’ve created some money by working, then you want to use those moments to teach them to save, spend and give wisely.
You can do this around the subject of grades if you want. There’s probably a valid case to be made that getting an “A” takes a lot more work than getting a “C.” You’re certainly not obligated to pay them for work or grades, but if you don’t do some of this – and teach them the proper ways to handle the money they earn — you’ll miss out on a lot a fantastic teachable moments.
—Dave
Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business. He has authored five New York Times best-selling books, including The Total Money Makeover. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 8.5 million listeners each week on more than 550 radio stations. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at daveramsey.com.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A federal official says Republican Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is wrong to support funding food stamps through block grants.
U.S. Department of Agriculture administrator Audrey Rowe said at a news conference Monday with Brownback that she disagrees with his stance that food stamps should be managed by states and funded by federal block grants.
Rowe runs the department’s food and nutrition service division and said that the Republican proposal would be detrimental to the oversight and the quality of services.
The news conference was called to announce $13.5 million in federal grant money that Kansas received to fund a pilot program to train food stamps recipients and find them jobs. The federal program gave $200 million to 10 states in total for programs seeking to get impoverished people stable employment.
NEW YORK (AP) — The opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament drew the highest ratings in 22 years for CBS Sports and Turner Sports.
The networks announced Monday that the weekend’s third-round coverage of the NCAA Tournament across TBS, CBS, TNT and truTV delivered a 7.3/16 overnight rating/share. That’s a 7 percent increase from last year.
The four days of the men’s tournament through Sunday also had the highest overnight ratings for CBS Sports and Turner Sports, averaging a 6.7/14 overnight rating/share.
Those numbers are the best since the tournament expanded to its current television format in 1991. The overnight rating increased 6 percent from 2014.
TOPEKA — The Kansas Supreme Court announced the three cases it will hear April 13 at Fort Hays State University, its next destination in ongoing outreach to familiarize Kansans with the high court, its work and the overall role of the Kansas judiciary.
It will be the Supreme Court’s first visit to Hays in the court’s 154-year history. It is also believed to be the first time the court will hear cases in the evening.
The court will be in session from 6:30 p.m. to about 8:30 p.m. Monday, April 13, in Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center located in Sheridan Hall, 600 Park.
The docket includes:
Appeal No. 102,256 and 102,257: State of Kansas v. Heather Page Hilton, on a petition for review of a case that originated in Ellis County.
Appeal No. 109,796: City of Atwood v. Richard David Pianalto, on a petition for review of a case that originated in Rawlins County.
Appeal No. 105,183: State of Kansas v. Steve Kelly Moyer, on a criminal appeal of a case that originated in Sherman County.
Summaries of the cases and briefs filed by the attorneys involved are available online by following the Hays Supreme Court Docket link under What’s New on the Kansas judicial branch website at www.kscourts.org.
The public is invited to attend the proceedings and observe the court as it hears oral arguments. After the hearing concludes, the justices will greet the public in an informal reception.
Anyone who wants to attend the special session should plan to arrive at the performance hall before 6 p.m. to allow time to get through security screening. Court security offers these guidelines to ease the process:
• Do not bring large bags, large purses, backpacks, computer cases, or briefcases.
• Do not bring knives, pepper spray, firearms, or weapons.
• Do not bring electronic devices like laptop computers, handheld games, personal digital assistants, or tablets. If you have to carry a cell phone, it must be turned off or its ringer silenced, and it must be stored out of sight while court is in session.
• Do not bring food or drink.
• Members of the audience are prohibited from talking during oral arguments because it interferes with the attorneys’ remarks and questions asked by the justices. If someone arrives after proceedings start, or must leave the auditorium before it ends, he or she should be as quiet as possible entering and exiting the auditorium. Talking in the hallway outside the auditorium is also discouraged.
A live stream of the special session will be available on the Internet by selecting the Watch Supreme Court Live! link on the judicial branch home page at www.kscourts.org.
“Anyone who’s ever been curious about Supreme Court proceedings should come,” said Chief Justice Lawton R. Nuss. “We’ve provided live webcasts of our courtroom sessions in Topeka since 2012, but people tell us there’s nothing like seeing proceedings in person.”
Fort Hays State University is the court’s eighth destination since 2011, when the court convened outside of the Kansas Judicial Center to mark the state sesquicentennial. Its first stop was the historic Supreme Court courtroom in the Kansas Statehouse. From there, and through the end of 2011, the court conducted special sessions in Salina, Greensburg, and Wichita. The court held sessions in Overland Park in 2012, Pittsburg in 2013 and Kansas City in 2014.
Julie Krashin and her husband, Jeremy, have donated more than 3,000 ounces of breast milk since losing one of their twin daughters, who were born premature.
By Ashley Booker
Like most mothers, Julie Krashin was preparing for her twin babies to be delivered on their due date. But the twins came eight-and-a-half weeks early and had to be rushed to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Saint Luke’s Hospital in Kansas City. Three days into their stay, Julie and her husband Jeremy lost their daughter Ilana.
“Having a baby in the NICU leaves you feeling a little bit helpless. You’re watching the nurses and doctors run around trying to keep your baby to stay alive, and that’s supposed to be your job,” Krashin said, echoing what she believes most parents think in the NICU.
While losing Ilana was devastating, and her family felt unlucky, she said she also felt blessed to be producing enough milk to share with other moms who weren’t making as much milk as she was, or any at all. Krashin and her husband began donating breast milk to the Saint Luke’s Heart of America Mother’s Milk Bank, a nonprofit milk storage bank with screening and pasteurization processes in line with Human Milk Banking Association of North America (HMBANA) https://www.hmbana.org guidelines.
Kansas lawmakers are looking to increase access to the state’s milk bank stores through House Bill 2149, which would allow Medicaid to reimburse hospitals for prescribing human donor breast milk to critically ill infants, under the age of three, in the NICU. Rep. Barbara Bollier, a Republican from Mission Hills, introduced the bill to the House Health and Human Services Committee. It passed the House 123-0 and had a hearing Monday in the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee. That committee combined it with other health related measures.
The breast milk provision is a win-win, and allows premature babies to get what they need, instead of formula at the NICU, Bollier said.
The state budget office says the cost of the bill “would be negligible.” Research points to many benefits A study from the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics in 2012 discovered that for premature babies, human breast milk causes lower rates of sepsis and Necrotizing Enterocolitis (a serious intestinal disease), lower mortality rates, lower long-term growth problems and fewer neurodevelopmental disabilities. Higher IQ, white matter and total brain volumes were also seen in those who received human milk as infants in the NICU, according to the study. “Very low birth-weight babies, they don’t have that time in the womb with the mom growing the brain,” said Gwen Whittit, past chairperson of the KS breastfeeding coalition, and current program coordinator for High 5 for Mom and Baby.
“Human milk really does help their function later in life.” Barbara Carr, a neonatologist with Pediatrix Medical Group at Saint Luke’s Hospital testified Monday in support of the breast milk bill, and said human donor milk is best when a mother can’t produce milk, can’t produce enough milk, or her milk isn’t safe for the baby due to medications she’s taking. “The biggest benefit is going to be shortened hospital stays and improved outcomes,” Carr said.
“Babies that have fewer infections, they get to full feedings faster, they get rid of the intravenous medications and therapies faster and generally tolerate everything — everything is better on donor milk.” Kansas Medicaid currently does not cover human donor breast milk because it’s seen as a nutritional supplement, so many patients have to pay for it out of pocket — which isn’t financially possible for everyone, Carr said.
Whittit said attitudes about how breast milk should be classified are changing as evidence for its medical benefits grows. “I’ve heard some of the physicians at the lactation conference I go to yearly describe breast milk not as a supplement, but as a medication, and we cannot deny babies this medication,” Whittit said.
Hospitals picking up the tab It’s up to hospitals to use donor breast milk as a therapy for their babies, and if they don’t use it, then babies are getting formula, which Carr said is a concern.
Despite donor breast milk not being covered by Medicaid, Wesley Medical Center in Wichita still gives it to the 175 premature babies within their care. Wesley delivers approximately 1,000 babies per year, said Paula Delmore, manager of Wesley Medical Center’s NICU.
About one-third of the premature babies are on Medicaid and because Medicaid does not cover donor breast milk, Wesley Medical Center officials estimates they will spend $400,000 covering the uncompensated costs. “If we can prevent long-term additional costs to those babies post-discharge, that investment is well worth it.” Delmore said.
Babies suffer the consequences if breast milk isn’t given to them, she said —especially if they are less than 1500 grams — and those consequences add up in future health care costs.
Delmore said Wesley Medical Center wants the bill passed to improve the future health outcomes of Kansas-born babies. “We want to be able to provide the best medical nutrition possible, and we don’t think of this as a formula. We consider it a medical intervention — we are using it in a very targeted way to prevent a devastating outcome of NEC (Necrotizing Enterocolitis),” Delmore said.
Wesley Medical Center has a milk donor program through a company called Prolacta. The company provides an online questionnaire, a lab technician comes to the donor’s home for a blood screening process and FedEx ships the donation boxes. Prolacta tests the donor’s DNA to make sure all the milk is from the same woman.
During the pasteurization process, Prolacta also creates donor milk that has four extra calories per ounce than regular breast milk, which is necessary for premature babies. Because donor breast milk is a hot commodity, Delmore said they have a purchase agreement that for every ounce Wesley donates, they are guaranteed to purchase that many ounces.
Supplying to several states Saint Luke’s Heart of America Mothers’ Milk Bank supplies donor milk to The University of Kansas Hospital, Overland Park Regional Medical Center, and a NICU in Topeka, among other facilities. It also provides milk to Missouri, Arkansas, Alaska, New Jersey, and many other locations across the country, according to Christine Pai, a neonatal nurse with Pediatrix Medical Group at Saint Luke’s Hospital.
Krashin said she’s happy to be part of that effort, though she does not know what families receive her donated milk. At the end of December, Krashin donated 3,116 ounces. She said she will continue to donate to other babies as long as she’s breastfeeding her daughter, Goldie, who was released from the NICU after 90 days.
“While I couldn’t save my own, I like to remember that I’ve hopefully helped to save other babies,” Krashin said. “We like to say Ilana gets all of our kisses, but lots of babies get her milk.”
Ashley Booker is an intern for KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team.
Their team went home with gold medals. But Kenton and Carol Olliff will tell you they had a golden experience as well.
The Olliffs, both employees of Fort Hays State University, coach the Gold team of the ARC of Central Plains, which won its division at this past weekend’s Special Olympics Kansas Basketball and Cheerleading Tournament in Hays.
The tournament was a culmination of a lot of practice and planning for the more than 1,000 athletes and their coaches and families who converged on Hays for the weekend.
Following Saturday’s awards ceremony, the ARC of Central Plains athletes kept a tight hold on the medals around their necks.
The gold medals were the same size as the silver ones, which the Olliffs’ team received the past two years for finishing second. But it probably wouldn’t have mattered what color the medals were.
“Seeing their faces light up when they make a shot, or even when they shoot” is one of the biggest rewards of coaching the athletes, said Kenton, director of the Kelly Center on the FHSU campus.
Carol, director of international student services at FHSU, has been involved with Special Olympics since the early 1980s when she worked a Special Olympics track meet as part of class at Colby Community College.
She started coaching an ARC basketball team when she started working at FHSU in the late 1980s, and she has been a long-time member of the Games Management Team. But Kenton’s first experience with helping out at the tournament came when he met Carol.
“He kind of inherited this,” Carol said. But you won’t hear him complain about giving up being outdoors on a pleasant spring afternoon to coach.
“It was part of our wedding vows,” Kenton said.
The Olliffs, who met at Fort Hays State when Kenton started working on campus in the early 2000s, will celebrate their ninth wedding anniversary in June.
Kenton was hooked after attending his first ARC activity with Carol. He started tagging along to basketball practices, and soon became as involved as his future wife.
Kenton laughed when talking about one of the first dances he attended with Carol during the Special Olympics state basketball weekend.
“We got in trouble (with the athletes) for holding hands,” he said, adding “holding hands” is on the athletes’ list of things not to do at the dance.
The Olliffs are two of hundreds of volunteers who give of their time on this weekend, which was celebrating its 40th anniversary of being held in Hays.
“It’s amazing the support our Hays community has for this tournament,” Carol said, “and the way the university basically turns over its facilities for us to use.”
One of the Central Plains athletes gave Kenton a huge smile after the awards ceremony when he reminded them of the ensuing trip to Dairy Queen to celebrate.
“It’s a great reminder,” Kenton said, “of what’s really important in life.”
“In an effort to conserve water we are returning our landscaping to natural prairie grasses” is the message one sees as you enter both the Hays Medical Center and the Center for Health Improvement on the Hays Medical Center campus.
These signs announce the journey of conversion the Hays Medical Center is embarking upon for the landscaping of the approximately 80 acres of grasses and landscaped beds on their campus. The conversion journey will be a 5 to 10 year process, not one that happens overnight.
As a member of the Hays Beautification Committee I had the privilege of spending time with Lance Smith, Facility Services Director, and Bob Schumacher, Lead Ground Technician, of the Hays Medical Center staff, discussing their journey into the xeriscaping of such a large area.
Bob said that HaysMed started the conversion about four years ago with the nature trail area on the east edge of the property. In this area they replaced a large area of brome grass with a mix of native grasses including little blue stem, blue grama, side oats grama and buffalo grass. The grass mix also included seeds of more than 22 wild flower varieties including black eyed susan, cosmos, gray feather, false indigo, coreopsis, butterfly weed, and milkweed.
The grass mix is a short native mix that should produce grasses of no more than two foot height. HaysMed worked with K-State staff to find a blend that was appropriate for the Hays area. The eradication of the brome grass was not an easy task as they first burned the area and then had to use Roundup to finish the job.
The conversion of the grassy areas has now been expanded to the remainder of the campus except for approximately an acre. The same grass and wildflower mix is being used throughout the campus grassy areas.
The areas that will remain in fescue grass is the area surrounding the helipad and an area immediately east of the Center for Health Improvement that is connected to the child care center where the children play. Buffalo grass would cause too much dust for these areas.
The landscaping islands nearer the buildings include plantings of Russian sage, yarrow, cat mint, black-eyed susan, blue (may night) salvia and switch grass among the grasses–all xeric perennials requiring little water while providing a very pleasing and aromatic atmosphere.
The drought we experienced has been a challenge to the conversion process–especially the first couple of years. Even though the grass and flower mix used is appropriate for xeriscape plantings in our area, lower than normal moisture makes the establishment of a sustaining population of plants take more time.
The water conservation from the conversion was impressive. While the campus was using 500,000 gallons of water for irrigation each week before, during last summer the campus was only using 115,000 gallons per week.
The only irrigation done on the campus last summer was for the one fescue acre mentioned as well as the trees being watered individually. The landscaping areas and the native grass areas were not watered.
An additional savings is that the native grass areas require much less mowing. The plan is to mow early in the spring and perhaps once more, thus leaving a lot of cover to collect moisture and seeds over the winter months. Five-foot-wide swaths will be mowed around the islands of grass and also along the walking paths in the nature trail area to prevent unexpected encounters with wildlife. Wider strips will be mowed next to the drives and streets to provide for auto visual safety.
Lance and Bob shared that they had fielded questions from businesses who have expressed interest in xeriscaping and Hays Medical Center’s project is an excellent example.
As Bob said, this is the future for much of Hays and our area.
Janis Lee is vice-chairperson of the Hays Beautification Committee.
