KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — CertainTeed Corp. officials say the building materials company will renovate its plant in Kansas City, Kansas, creating more than 70 new jobs over the next three years.
The company announced Tuesday that it has begun renovating its plant to begin production of fiberglass insulation products during the second quarter of this year.
Greg Silvestri, president of CertainTeed Insulation, says the company is investing more than $30 million to re-engineer the plant’s furnace and restart related production lines to give it greater flexibility to support its growing business needs.
CertainTeed employs about 6,000 people in 65 facilities in the U.S. and Canada. It is a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, the world’s largest building materials company.
There were eight original poems shared Friday at the annual Poetry Contest at the Hays Public Library.
Dawne Leiker
Out of the eight contestants, Ray Factor was the overall winner. His name will be added to the list of past winners on the Poetry Contest plaque in the Schmidt Gallery. Dawne Leiker was the runner-up. Read both Factor’s and Leiker’s poems below.
April is National Poetry Month, and the Hays Public Library has been celebrating for 15 years. Eric Norris was the first winner of the annual contest back in 2000. Norris is now the director of the Hays Public Library. To see the full list of past winners visit www.hayspublib.org.
Judges were David Goodlett and Paulia Bailey.
If Words Could Kill.
by Ray Factor
If I wrote poetry. Would you notice me?
Or am I just a casualty of a cruel society?
Would you laugh at me?
Make fun of me?
Expose my vulnerability
To the whole community.
If I took the time to write a song
Would you sing along?
Or would you make believe
You don’t remember me?
Or the part of me
That broken heart in me
That creates the artistry
Out of the insanity
If I showed any kind of humanity.
Would you banish me?
Riddle me with profanity?
Would you discriminate, or intimidate?
World forbid we assimilate.
What does it take to bend your will?
It takes more strength to love
Than courage to kill
Would you reveal the secrets that scars conceal
If a bleeding heart had a chance to heal?
A man shot John Lennon in the back
When all he asked was give peace a chance.
And they killed Dr. Martin Luther King
When he dared to put faith in a Dream.
And what of the son of man, Jesus Christ.
Do you remember why they took his life?
Tell me what’s so threatening about love and peace,
Or hopes and dreams of equality,
Or forgiving those who have done wrong to me,
So that mankind might live in harmony?
When life could depend on a single word
between what you said and what they heard.
Would you share your thoughts on how you feel?
Would you express yourself on what was real?
Would you tell the world what it needs to heal,
If the words you spoke could get you killed?
———–
Summer Thieves
by Dawne Leiker
She hasn’t called me to come inside.
Maybe she’ll forget I’m out here
In the dark
Chasing fireflies.
I run in the tender, fragrant grass.
Steal the last breath of summer from the night.
Shrieks and laughter echo down the alley
As neighbor kids spot the fireflies.
Screen doors bang
Kitchen lights
The smell of outdoors on indoor kids.
The alley goes silent
Darkness wins the day.
Fireflies illuminate their Mason jar prison.
Reveal the worn path to my back porch.
In the kitchen, my mother’s weary face manages a faint smile
When I release into her weathered hands the jar of tiny summer stars.
Photo by KHI News Service Paul Davis, a Lawrence attorney and former Democratic state representative who ran unsuccessfully for governor last year, is leading a class action lawsuit against Amerigroup, one of the three health insurance companies that administer Kansas Medicaid.
By ANDY MARSO
Paul Davis, a Lawrence attorney and former Democratic state representative who ran unsuccessfully for governor of Kansas last year, is leading a class action lawsuit against one of the three health insurance companies that administer Kansas Medicaid.
Davis’ firm, Fagan Emert & Davis, is seeking plaintiffs from the pool of Medicaid recipients whose care is coordinated by Amerigroup, one of three companies that received state contracts to run Medicaid through the state’s KanCare managed care program.
Amerigroup’s parent company, Anthem, announced earlier this year that it was the victim of a massive cyberattack that compromised the personal information of millions of customers nationwide.
Davis said in a news release Monday that 165,000 people on KanCare were among them.
“Any data breach is serious, but this one is particularly dangerous because of the type of data stolen,” he said. “You can’t just change your birthdate, your medical history or your Social Security number like you can a credit card number.”
Davis’ firm filed the lawsuit in Douglas County District Court on behalf of Kansas plaintiffs. It filed a separate suit in Missouri earlier this year.
Dozens of similar suits filed across the country allege that Anthem failed to take proper precautions in protecting sensitive customer information.
The Kansas suit is unique in its connection to Medicaid members, although the state itself is not a defendant.
The news release states that seniors and children are “two significant portions of the KanCare population” and particularly vulnerable to identity theft because they are less able to “vigorously monitor their online identities” without assistance.
In a phone interview Monday, Davis said the named plaintiff, Julie Stanturf, is a KanCare member with a disability who lives in Wyandotte County. Though the suit is open to Kansans insured privately through Anthem as well, Davis said the impact on Medicaid recipients is what sets it apart.
“It’s a unique population,” Davis said. “You’ve got a lot of low-income people, seniors, people who are disabled, so that does make the case a little bit unique.”
The Kansas suit seeks lifetime consumer credit protection and monitoring for those affected by the breach, as well as restitution for any damages due to identity theft. The news release stated that attorneys had “already received several reports of fraudulent tax returns being filed.”
Cindy Wakefield, vice president for corporate communications at Anthem, said the company does not comment on pending litigation. But she pushed back on the assertion that there’s evidence some customers were victims of fraud.
“To date, in working with the FBI, we have found no evidence that the cyber attackers have shared or sold any of our members’ data,” Wakefield said in an emailed statement, “and there is no evidence that fraud has occurred against our members, including fraudulent tax returns.”
Wakefield said current or former customers can visit www.AnthemFacts.com to access identity theft repair assistance, credit monitoring and child identity protection services.
Andy Marso is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.
At Monday night’s commission meeting, the Ellis County Commission approved a resolution limiting future hiring within county departments.
The resolution states any unfilled position open before March 25 will remain open.
The position will then be removed from the 2016 budget unless the department head can convince the county administrator and the county commission the position is necessary.
Commissioner Barb Wasinger said this does not mean that any county employees are going to lose their jobs.
“There’s not a single person at this table who has used the word ‘layoff,’ ” Wasinger said. “There are no layoffs planned.”
Wasinger said the purpose behind the move is to see where the county is with its 2016 budget as the commission continues to look for ways to cut into a deficit projected at more than $1 million.
In other business, the commission approved a decommission agreement with Invenergy for the Buckeye Wind Project north of Hays. Under the agreement, Invenergy would pay approximately $18,000 per wind turbine to decommission the turbines if the company ends the operation.
Under the new agreement, Invenergy said it will build 112 turbines.
The commission also conducted the election canvass for the April 7 elections.
County Clerk and Election Officer Donna Maskus said a coding issue caused a discrepancy in the unofficial results, although it did not change the outcome in any races.
Maskus said the error was made by the Election Systems and Software, and the company made the necessary changes.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) – Wichita State has already scored a big win for next season.
Guard Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet announced Monday they will return for their senior seasons for the Shockers. The announcements come weeks after coach Gregg Marshall turned down a chance to leave Wichita to coach at Alabama.
Baker and VanVleet both applied to be evaluated for their NBA draft potential. They issued separate statements Monday saying they wanted to return to try and lead the Shockers to an even better season than this year, when the Shockers finished 30-5 and defeated Indiana and Kansas in the NCAA Tournament before losing to Notre Dame 81-70 in the Sweet 16.
Baker led Wichita in scoring, averaging 14.7 points per game, with VanVleet second at 13.6 points per game.
The TMP-Marian softball team was swept in a home doubleheader with Colby on Monday afternoon, losing 4-1 and 8-5. The Monarchs fall to 4-6 on the season and host Ellis in a doubleheader Tuesday afternoon.
The Monarchs scored a run in the bottom of the first to tie the first game 1-1 but Colby scored in the fourth then added two in the sixth for the 4-1 victory. Alison Helget went the distance by took the loss, allowing on earned run on eight hits while striking out four and walking one. Laurel Hageman drove in the Monarchs only run with a first inning double.
In game two, Bailey Lacy struck out eight over seven innings but takes the loss. Lacy gives up three earned runs on six hits, striking out eight and walking seven. She also had three hits and an RBI. Katelyn Zimmerman had two hits including a double and scored three runs. Heidi Gottschalk added three RBIs.
“The Longest Ride” is certainly far from the most arduous experiences I’ve had at the cinema but it certainly travels down a well-worn and often-used road.
Starring Clint Eastwood’s son, Scott Eastwood, and Britt Robertson, “The Longest Ride” tells the story of two connected couples separated by time. The base love stories are nothing original and conform very closely to Nicholas Sparks’ (the author of the source material) model. That said, Sparks definitely has dialed in on type of love story that is repeatable and widely appealing.
There is nothing overly remarkable or overly condemnable in “The Longest Ride.” I enjoyed it a great deal more than I enjoyed “Furious 7,” for the simple fact that I didn’t feel like my intelligence was being as dastardly attacked and insulted.
To the film’s credit, the pacing and editing felt about right. Telling two distinct stories that are woven together is tricky business. It’s easy to spend too long on Story A and neglect Story B and vice versa. I never felt cheated or left hanging when the story would shift and I was always happy to check back in with the different characters.
Bull riding features very prominently in the story and I found myself enjoying those sequences because I know so little about the sport. In a similar, but much less powerful, way, “The Longest Ride” achieves what “Draft Day” did with the NFL draft – it provides a look into a world that was unfamiliar, at least to me. Plus, there’s just something fun about slow motion bulls flailing all over the screen.
I wouldn’t say that this is a love story for the ages, far from it. However, for those looking for a quieter, less-explosive alternative at the movies, “The Longest Ride” might be one of the last such experiences before summer movie season kicks off in a few weeks.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — An Australian-based animal health company says it plans to move its global headquarters to the University of Kansas campus in Lawrence.
Integrated Animal Health announced Monday that it plans to break into the U.S. market with a product that reduces antibiotic use in dairy herds. It will be located on the Bioscience and Technology Center on the university’s west campus.
The company will employ only two to five people at first but plans to eventually have up to 50 employees with an annual payroll of $4 million.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports Integrated Animal Health is the third animal health company since late 2011 to sign a deal to locate in the technology center.
The company will seek a financial incentives package to relocate to Lawrence.
The Hays High boys tennis team finished fourth at their own invitational Monday. Abilene won the team title with 18 points. Scott City was second with 12 and Great Bend third with 11. The Indians scored nine, two ahead of Liberal and six better than Trego.
The Indians were led by Curtis Renz who went 3-0 to win No. 2 singles. Renz defeated Jacob Berven of Abilene 8-2 in the finals. Andrew McGinnis finished second in No. 1 singles, losing 8-1 to Grant Harris of Great Bend in the finals.
The No. 2 doubles team of Trent Flora and Drew Morley went 1-2 and finished fifth while the No. 1 doubles team of Mikey Ploutz and Logan Clark finished 0-3.
HUTCHINSON— Jury selection for a Nickerson man charged in a child sex case is scheduled to begin on Tuesday.
Shanon Patrick Williams is charged with aggravated indecent liberties with a child, indecent liberties with a child and three counts of sexual exploitation of a child.
He was arrested after the Reno County Sheriff’s Department assisted Homeland Security officers and the Wichita Missing and Exploited Child Unit in serving a search warrant on his residence at 103 S. Paine.
Authorities seized his computers and a camera allegedly used to take some of the pictures of William’s autistic step-daughter who was 13 at the times of the alleged crimes.
The crimes allegedly occurred between Sept. 13, 2011, and July 31, 2013.
HAVEN, Kan. (AP) — Despite pleas from parents, a south-central Kansas school board has reaffirmed an earlier decision to close an elementary school.
The Haven school board voted 4-3 Monday night to close Mount Hope Elementary School at the end of the current school year. The school has fewer than 40 students in kindergarten through eighth grades.
Parents, students and Mount Hope residents showed up Monday’s meeting to argue that closing the school would devastate Mount Hope.
The Hutchinson News reports the Haven school district is facing a deficit of $707,437 through a combination of losses from state block grant funding, an expected drop in its local option budget, an increase in health insurance costs and a cut in its state aid for the current year.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — CertainTeed Corp. officials say the building materials company will renovate its plant in Kansas City, Kansas, creating more than 70 new jobs over the next three years.
