PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — Pittsburg residents have raised concerns about a proposed state-owned casino.
The Joplin Globe reports that many residents have cited a potential increase in crime and flooding and traffic in the area as reasons for their opposition to a $62 million casino. The 18,500-sqare-foot casino would include a 125-seat restaurant, two bars and 120-room hotel.
Local residents voiced their concerns at a city Planning and Zoning Commission meeting in January. Officials said at the meeting that the city could handle any increase in crime. The city is backing the proposal and has annexed the development site.
A Pittsburg State University geography professor, Tim Bailey, says that a third of the land that is part of the casino proposal is in a designated flood zone. However, Bill Beasley, the director of public works for Pittsburg, said that the casino itself would not be in the flood zone.
Storm-chasing is now being offered at Fort Hays State University. To find out more about the4 class from Dr. Grady Dixon, check out the latest Community Connection, hosted by Eagle’s Mike Cooper.
OLATHE – A semi driver was injured in an accident just after 11 a.m. on Thursday in Johnson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Freightliner semi driven by Richard J. Dawson, 40, Cameron, MO., was northbound on the ramp from Homestead to Interstate 35 in Olathe. The truck overturned.
Dawson was transported to Overland Park Regional Medical Center.
The KHP reported Dawson was properly restrained at the time of the accident.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Perennial candidate Gatewood Galbraith died in 2012, but that might not stop his name from appearing on the 2015 ballot for Kentucky governor.
No, he’s not running from beyond the grave.
Sixty-eight-year-old Terrill Wayne Newman of Pulaski County legally changed his name on Tuesday to Gatewood Galbraith before filing paperwork Wednesday to run as an independent for the state’s highest office.
The Secretary of State’s office says independent candidates must obtain 5,000 signatures from registered voters by Aug. 11 to get their names on the general election ballot.
Newman told the Lexington Herald-Leader he doesn’t expect to be elected but, “I sure do hope this warms Gatewood’s grave.”
Galbraith ran for governor five times and gained a following for his wit and his stances on legalizing hemp and marijuana.
April is National Poetry Month and the Hays Public Library is celebrating. The HPL will host the annual Poetry Contest on Friday, April 10, at 7 p.m. in the Schmidt Gallery.
The Hays Public Library is seeking poets to share their original work. People of all ages are welcome to enter the contest. Each participant will need to provide three copies of the original work; one to read from and two for the judges. Prizes will be awarded to first and second places.
There will be an open mic session after the contest. During this time, everyone is welcome to share an original poem or a famous favorite.
“Not everyone writes poetry, but everyone has some form or style of poetry that speaks to them,”said Marleah Augustine. Augustine is the Adult Librarian and has helped organize the contest since 2011. “The contest is not only a chance to share your own work, but also a chance to simply experience the poetry of others and relish the talent that surrounds us everyday in the Hays community and beyond.”
Refreshments will be served at this after-hours event.
For more information, call (785) 625-9014 or visit www.hayspublib.org.
On Tuesday, American Red Cross volunteer Jason Leiker shows off free materials available to help kids feel safe during server weather season.
By KARI BLURTON Hays Post
Preparing young children for severe weather can make a big difference in a child’s ability to handle emotions in healthy way.
Director of Ellis County Emergency Management Bill Ring said it is not uncommon for children to consider a tornado as real monster coming to “get them.”
Ring said communication is key.
“If you as parents visit with your children about it, talk to them … there are all kinds of safety materials designed for children so they can try to get a basic understanding and let them know … they will be safe, show them where they can go and let them know if there is severe weather they will have a safe place,” he said.
A few of several free materials available to help kids feel prepared for severe weather available at local Red Cross, 208 E. Eighth, and online.
Ring said caregivers should make sure children have some favorite toys, paper and crayons — “something to keep them entertained” — because in the event of severe weather, the duration of time spent in the safe area is simply an unknown.
American Red Cross volunteer and member of the local Disaster Action Team Jason Leiker said the Red Cross has free severe weather materials specifically designed to educate and prepare children.
The materials include the “Ready Kids Activity Book,” where a mountain lion named Rex will help the kids and the family work on a safety plan together.
Leiker said the materials can be downloaded free at www.ready.gov and www.redcross.org or obtained at the Red Cross office, 208 E. Eighth, Hays.
Additionally, Leiker said the DAT team will soon begin the Pillowcase Project, in which he and other volunteers will visit schools and talk to children about making their own “grab-and-go” emergency kit out of pillowcases filled with items they want when it’s time to move to a safe place.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas will become the fifth state to allow its residents to carry concealed firearms without a permit throughout the state.
Republican Gov. Sam Brownback on Thursday signed a bill ending the permit requirement. The change takes effect July 1.
The National Rifle Association says Kansas joins Alaska, Arizona, Vermont and Wyoming in having such a policy. The NRA says Montana and Arkansas have concealed carry without a permit, but not everywhere.
Kansas still will issue permits for gun owners who want to carry concealed in other states that recognize Kansas permits. A person seeking a Kansas permit must undergo eight hours of firearms training.
Brownback said gun owners have shown they are responsible.
But Democratic state Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau of Wichita said the state still should require some training.
Racehorse owners Starlet and Charley Hunt live and work in four states during the year but they call Kansas home.
It’s where they married. It’s where they started a life together racing quarter horses. It’s where they housed 50 horses at the Woodlands Racetrack in Wyandotte County. It’s where Charley, a former jockey, was recognized as a top horse trainer.
“There’s a few of us who are really big in it but there used to be a lot more,” Starlet said.
In 2008, the Hunts transported their business out of state traveling to Oklahoma, Iowa and Minnesota when the Woodlands closed. It was no longer able to afford a tax increase from 22 to 40 percent on slot machines.
Now the Woodlands Racetrack sits vacant, guarded by security but withering more as time passes. Wyandotte County residents want it reopened, saying it will spark a horse racing revival in Kansas.
“It’s a dying industry in this state and it doesn’t need to be,” Starlet said.
In a February hearing, Kansas legislators discussed Senate Bill 192, which would lower the tax from 40 to 22 percent on slot machines operating at horse tracks. State-owned casinos are taxed 22 percent under current Kansas law.
The tax reduction would provide incentive for investors to reopen the racetrack, located in Leavenworth, Republican Sen. Steve Fitzgerald’s district.
“Folks actively engaged in racing today are doing so outside the state of Kansas, fostering none of the economic benefits associated with a vibrant horse-racing culture,” Fitzgerald said.
Fitzgerald said the racetrack’s liveliness was similar to the Kentucky Derby, an all-day affair with sun hats, mint juleps and thousands of race horses. Slot machines are needed, he said, to cover the overhead expenses of the facility.
Whitney Damron with the Kansas Entertainment, LLC, said reopening the racetrack would jeopardize the viability of casinos such as the Hollywood Casino at the Kansas Speedway, located six miles from the Woodlands Racetrack.
“Changing the rules … puts us at a competitive disadvantage and risks future investment that we have indicated we would like to see made at that facility,” Damron said.
A 2013 Oxford Economics study found the gaming industry contributed more than $672 million to the Kansas economy and supported an estimated 4,000 jobs.
The study examined the three state casinos: Boot Hill Casino in Dodge City, Hollywood Casino in Kansas City, and the Kansas Star Casino in Mulvane.
The bill’s supporters, such as Gavin Kreidler, a lobbyist for the Kansas Quarter Horse Racing Association, said the bill would level what is an unequal tax rate.
“The numbers have to be right to make it work,” Kreidler said.
Rep. Larry Hibbard (R-Toronto) offered support for the bill because a percent of the Woodlands Racetrack revenue would filter into the Eureka Downs racetrack as fare funds. He said it continues to operate as a training facility for horses that race in Oklahoma and Iowa but reaps no benefits from racing.
In recent years, there has been a debate about whether horse racing is a dying industry. The Jockey Club reported 41,000 thoroughbred races in 2014, a decline of 30,000 since 1988.
On the other hand, the sport’s supporters say the sport is growing, just not in Kansas. The Kentucky Derby reported the second highest attendance in 2014 at about 165,000. The highest was reported in 2012.
Regardless of whether the industry is in national decline, Kreidler and Fitzgerald said returning horse racing to Kansas would provide part-time and full-time jobs that would benefit the state’s economy.
If the bill passes favorably, Fitzgerald said it doesn’t guarantee a grand opening — the possibility only makes it feasible.
Starlet said traveling to compete is inevitable, but she wants to see the industry she loves return to the state she loves.
“It would just bring our money back home,” Starlet said. “It would bring us back home.”
Fitzgerald said there has been no movement on the bill as other controversial topics such as the state budget have been prioritized at the end of the session. There is possibility for discussion after April 26.
Amelia Arvesen is a University of Kansas senior from San Ramon, Calif,. majoring in journalism.
The International Tourism class at Fort Hays State University is partnering with the Global Leadership Project to host the 2015 Hunger Banquet. This will be an educational evening to learn more about world hunger and how we can help eradicate it.
Learn to make a difference in the fight against poverty and hunger through this interactive event that powerfully depicts global economic stratification.
The event will take place at 6 p.m. Friday, April 10, at the Robbins Center. Dinner will be served and tickets are a suggested donation of $5. Along with dinner, there will be a silent auction.
To reserve tickets or for more information, email Felix Albl at [email protected].
A Fort Hays State University instructor has translated his military experiences into a book for children that has caught national attention.
Seth Kastle’s children’s book for military families dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder, titled “Why Is Dad So Mad?,” was funded on the popular Kickstarter fundraising website in a mere eight hours. When the project was featured as one of the site’s “Staff Picks,” Kastle was contacted by an NBC Nightly News representative. The show featured Kastle and his book in its “Making a Difference” segment on Wednesday, April 1.
Kastle is an FHSU graduate and retired Army first sergeant currently teaching in the Department of Leadership Studies, primarily for FHSU’s partner institutions in China.
“The story of ‘Why Is Dad So Mad?’ is mostly just my story,” Kastle said. “It is something that was in my head for a lot of years, but I never actually put it down on paper. I needed a way to explain things to my children, so when I did research and found nothing, I started taking steps to actually do this for real.”
Very few resources exist that address PTSD for combat veterans who are fathers — even fewer for female combat veterans who are mothers.
Kickstarter is a website used to fund creative projects through the direct support of online donations. Kastle’s initial Kickstarter campaign blew past its original goal, creating enough funding for a second book.
“After more than a decade of asymmetrical warfare and women in combat roles becoming a very blurred line, there are literally thousands of mothers dealing with this issue as well. I have already written a second book, ‘Why Is Mom So Mad?,’ in consultation with women combat veterans who are mothers. My hope is that these books fill a need which presently has little to no resources to do so.”
When faced with the challenge of finding the right illustrator for the story, Kastle took his manuscript to Lee Powers, chair of the Department of Art and Design at FHSU. Kastle was introduced to junior studio art major Karissa Gonzalez-Othon of Colorado Springs, and a partnership was born.
“We talked about the project and I gave her the manuscript with illustration notes for each page along with some general guidance. Two weeks later she sent me the original character ideation, and the rest is history,” Kastle said.
Kastle plans to market his books directly to military and government channels. These include Warrior Transition Battalions, where wounded service members go to recuperate from combat injuries, as well as the Army and Air Force Exchange Service, which operates all shopping centers on military installations.
Kastle began his military career in the field of medical logistics. He later reclassified as an infantryman, then a drill sergeant, finishing his career as a company first sergeant. His additional Army training included Airborne School, Combatives Instructor Course, Combat Lifesaver Course, Army Basic Instructor Course, and many other advanced leadership and maneuver courses.
“My military career took me all over the country and the world. I spent substantial time in Germany, Qatar, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Iraq,” Kastle said.
His book is available through the Amazon store on his website www.kastlebooks.com. It will soon be available at Barnes & Noble, as well as electronically through iBooks, Google Play, Kindle and Nook.
Both books will also be published in Spanish, thanks to the translation efforts of Alma Hidalgo, a graduate student and multicultural recruitment admissions counselor at FHSU.
Kastle grew up in Kensington and lives with his wife and daughters in WaKeeney.
Photo caption: Fort Hays State University studio art major Karissa Gonzalez-Othon and FHSU instructor Seth Kastle stand with Gonzalez-Othon’s illustrations for Kastle’s book “Why Is Dad So Mad?”
Theft at USD 309 Admin building-photo Reno Co. Sheriff
HUTCHINSON — The Reno County Sheriff is investigating the burglary of the USD 309 Administration building west of Hutchinson.
The Sheriff reported that on Wednesday between 6:30 and 7:00 a.m. an individual broke into the Office located 4501 West 4th Street.
Several items were stolen from that building.
The sheriff is asking for anyone with information that will help identify the suspect or any vehicles seen at the building during that time to contact law enforcement at
911 or Crime Stoppers at 620-694-2666 or 1-800-222-8477 (222-TIPS).
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators are advancing a bill aimed at protecting religious groups on state college campuses that bar gays and lesbians or otherwise limit membership based on their beliefs.
The House Federal and State Affairs Committee approved the measure Thursday on a 12-10 vote that sends the bill to the full chamber for debate. The Senate approved the bill two weeks ago.
The measure would prohibit state universities, community colleges and technical colleges from refusing to recognize or withholding space or other benefits to religious groups based on how they limit membership in line with sincerely held beliefs.
Supporters said the bill preserves the existing situation in Kansas and protects groups’ freedoms of association and worship.
But critics contend the measure would force colleges to support groups that discriminate.
NICODEMUS — The Nicodemus National Historic Site’s annual Junior Ranger Day will be Saturday, April 25.
Third- through sixth-graders are invited to explore one of the iconic African-American communities of the American West. During this day of interactive events, visitors will have the opportunity to learn about Nicodemus, its residents, about the role of its residents in the westward expansion of the United States, as well as how Nicodemus fits into the National Park system.
The program will begin at 10 a.m. and will conclude at 3 p.m. During that time, students will have the opportunity to speak with one of the descendants of original Nicodemus settlers, build their own model church or schoolhouse, and partake in a scavenger hunt that will allow them to explore the town, along with several other interactive activities. Parents should make sure that their children arrive with a packed lunch, at least one quart of water, and comfortable shoes suitable for walking.
RSVP to Jonathan Winskie by Wednesday, April 22, at (785) 839-4321 or [email protected].
