HOWARD- The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a second teenager in Tuesday’s Elk County accident died.
Cameron R. Russell, 17, Howard, died Wednesday morning at Wesley Medical Center.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1997 Ford passenger vehicle driven by Damon L. Wilson, 16, Howard, was southbound on U.S. 99 three miles north of Howard just after 11 p.m.
The vehicle rear passenger tire ruptured while trying to pass another vehicle.
The Ford entered the east ditch and rolled several times before coming to rest on its top.
Wilson was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Webb & Rodrick Funeral Home.
Eagle Med flew passengers Cameron R. Russell, 17, Howard, and Brandon J. Wolfe, 18, Moline, to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita.
Wilson was not wearing a seat belt according to the KHP.
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HOWARD- A Kansas teen died and two were injured in an accident just after 11 p.m. on Tuesday in Elk County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1997 Ford passenger vehicle driven by Damon L. Wilson, 16, Howard, was southbound on U.S. 99 three miles north of Howard.
The vehicle rear passenger tire ruptured while trying to pass another vehicle.
The Ford entered the east ditch and rolled several times before coming to rest on its top.
Wilson was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to Webb & Rodrick Funeral Home.
Eagle Med flew passengers Cameron R. Russell, 17, Howard, and Brandon J. Wolfe, 18, Moline, to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita.
Wilson was not wearing a seat belt according to the KHP.
WASHINGTON–In an historic step for the protection of clean water, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army finalized the Clean Water Rule today to clearly protect from pollution and degradation the streams and wetlands that form the foundation of the nation’s water resources.
The rule ensures that waters protected under the Clean Water Act are more precisely defined and predictably determined, making permitting less costly, easier, and faster for businesses and industry. The rule is grounded in law and the latest science, and is shaped by public input. The rule does not create any new permitting requirements for agriculture and maintains all previous exemptions and exclusions.
“For the water in the rivers and lakes in our communities that flow to our drinking water to be clean, the streams and wetlands that feed them need to be clean too,” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “Protecting our water sources is a critical component of adapting to climate change impacts like drought, sea level rise, stronger storms, and warmer temperatures – which is why EPA and the Army have finalized the Clean Water Rule to protect these important waters, so we can strengthen our economy and provide certainty to American businesses.”
“Today’s rule marks the beginning of a new era in the history of the Clean Water Act,” said Assistant Secretary for the Army (Civil Works) Jo-Ellen Darcy. “This rule responds to the public’s demand for greater clarity, consistency, and predictability when making jurisdictional determinations. The result will be better public service nationwide.”
People need clean water for their health: About 117 million Americans – one in three people – get drinking water from streams that lacked clear protection before the Clean Water Rule. America’s cherished way of life depends on clean water, as healthy ecosystems provide wildlife habitat and places to fish, paddle, surf, and swim. Clean and reliable water is an economic driver, including for manufacturing, farming, tourism, recreation, and energy production. The health of our rivers, lakes, bays, and coastal waters are impacted by the streams and wetlands where they begin.
Protection for many of the nation’s streams and wetlands has been confusing, complex, and time-consuming as the result of Supreme Court decisions in 2001 and 2006. EPA and the Army are taking this action today to provide clarity on protections under the Clean Water Act after receiving requests for over a decade from members of Congress, state and local officials, industry, agriculture, environmental groups, scientists, and the public for a rulemaking.
In developing the rule, the agencies held more than 400 meetings with stakeholders across the country, reviewed over one million public comments, and listened carefully to perspectives from all sides. EPA and the Army also utilized the latest science, including a report summarizing more than 1,200 peer-reviewed, published scientific studies which showed that small streams and wetlands play an integral role in the health of larger downstream water bodies.
Climate change makes protection of water resources even more essential. Streams and wetlands provide many benefits to communities by trapping floodwaters, recharging groundwater supplies, filtering pollution, and providing habitat for fish and wildlife. Impacts from climate change like drought, sea level rise, stronger storms, and warmer temperatures threaten the quantity and quality of America’s water. Protecting streams and wetlands will improve our nation’s resilience to climate change.
Specifically, the Clean Water Rule:
Clearly defines and protects tributaries that impact the health of downstream waters. The Clean Water Act protects navigable waterways and their tributaries. The rule says that a tributary must show physical features of flowing water – a bed, bank, and ordinary high water mark – to warrant protection. The rule provides protection for headwaters that have these features and science shows can have a significant connection to downstream waters.
Provides certainty in how far safeguards extend to nearby waters. The rule protects waters that are next to rivers and lakes and their tributaries because science shows that they impact downstream waters. The rule sets boundaries on covering nearby waters for the first time that are physical and measurable.
Protects the nation’s regional water treasures. Science shows that specific water features can function like a system and impact the health of downstream waters. The rule protects prairie potholes, Carolina and Delmarva bays, pocosins, western vernal pools in California, and Texas coastal prairie wetlands when they impact downstream waters.
Focuses on streams, not ditches. The rule limits protection to ditches that are constructed out of streams or function like streams and can carry pollution downstream. So ditches that are not constructed in streams and that flow only when it rains are not covered.
Maintains the status of waters within Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems. The rule does not change how those waters are treated and encourages the use of green infrastructure.
Reduces the use of case-specific analysis of waters. Previously, almost any water could be put through a lengthy case-specific analysis, even if it would not be subject to the Clean Water Act. The rule significantly limits the use of case-specific analysis by creating clarity and certainty on protected waters and limiting the number of similarly situated water features.
A Clean Water Act permit is only needed if a water is going to be polluted or destroyed.
The Clean Water Rule only protects the types of waters that have historically been covered under the Clean Water Act. It does not regulate most ditches and does not regulate groundwater, shallow subsurface flows, or tile drains. It does not make changes to current policies on irrigation or water transfers or apply to erosion in a field. The Clean Water Rule addresses the pollution and destruction of waterways – not land use or private property rights.
The rule protects clean water necessary for farming, ranching, and forestry and provides greater clarity and certainty to farmers about coverage of the Clean Water Act. Farms across America depend on clean and reliable water for livestock, crops, and irrigation. The final rule specifically recognizes the vital role that U.S. agriculture serves in providing food, fuel, and fiber at home and around the world.
The rule does not create any new permitting requirements for America’s farmers. Activities like planting, harvesting, and moving livestock have long been exempt from Clean Water Act regulation, and the Clean Water Rule preserves those exemptions.
The Clean Water Rule will be effective 60 days after publication in the Federal Register.
DETROIT (AP) — Ford is recalling nearly 423,000 cars and SUVs in North America because the power-assisted steering can fail while they’re being driven.
The recall covers certain Ford Flex and Taurus vehicles, as well as the Lincoln MKS and MKT from 2011 through 2013. Also covered are the Ford Fusion and Lincoln MKZ from 2011 through 2012 and some 2011 Mercury Milans.
Ford says an intermittent electrical connection can cause the power steering to stop. That sends the steering into manual mode, making the vehicles harder to control.
Dealers will either update power steering software or replace the steering gear.
The company also is recalling 19,500 2015 Mustangs with 2.3-Liter engines due to high underbody temperatures that could degrade the fuel tank. Dealers will replace a heat shield and add insulation.
Jennifer Winn, a Wichita business owner, visited the Statehouse on Tuesday to encourage a Senate vote on a bill to legalize cannabis oil for seizure disorders. CREDIT KHI NEWS SERVICE FILE PHOTO
By ANDY MARSO
A state senator and an aide to Senate President Susan Wagle listened intently Tuesday as Jennifer Winn made an impassioned case for legalization of cannabis oil for seizure disorders.
Winn, a Wichita business owner, gained notoriety last year when she faced off against incumbent Sam Brownback in a long-shot bid to become the Republican nominee for governor.
Despite running a shoestring campaign centered on her personal desire for drug sentencing reform — her son was charged with murder after he was present at a drug deal gone bad — Winn received 37 percent of the GOP primary vote and did especially well in the Wichita area.
She had the attention Tuesday of Sen. Michael O’Donnell, a Wichita Republican, and Harrison Hems, the legislative director for Wagle, who also is a Wichita Republican.
Winn told the pair that she traveled to Topeka after fielding call after call from supporters wondering about the status of a marijuana oil bill the House passed May 7.
“Why in the world are we waiting?” Winn asked. “Why are we not having a hearing?”
Winn brought along a videographer and said she hoped to record senators’ answers to those questions and others.
The House approved House Bill 2049 by a vote of 81-36. It needs only Senate passage to become law, unless the governor vetoes it.
The Senate placed the bill in the Senate Corrections and Juvenile Justice Committee, but it is too late in the session for that committee to have a hearing without the Senate leadership signing off on it.
Winn said she had talked with Sen. Greg Smith, a Republican from Olathe who leads the committee, and he wouldn’t object to hearing the bill if allowed.
O’Donnell asked Winn if she had lined up any strong advocates for the bill in the Senate’s Republican supermajority.
“When you have strong advocates, they can go and put a lot of pressure on Senate leadership,” O’Donnell said.
O’Donnell and Hems both said they would get Winn an update on the plan for the bill that she could then pass on to supporters.
O’Donnell said he also would talk with Wagle about it.
The bill is the first medical marijuana measure to pass one chamber of the Kansas Legislature. It is far narrower than previous bills in that category, allowing the growing only of Kansas Department of Health and Environment-regulated marijuana that is so low in THC that it provides no “high” and legalizing the sale of that marijuana only to patients with documented, hard-to-treat seizure disorders.
The bill was carried by Rep. John Wilson, a Democrat from Lawrence, who had constituents who moved to Colorado so they could access the marijuana oil for their young son.
Rep. Dan Hawkins, a Republican from Wichita who chairs the House Health and Human Services Committee, said Wilson “did an awesome, spectacular job” crafting a bill that eventually passed the marijuana-wary House.
“The work he did, really narrowing that bill down to the point where he knew he could get it through the House Health and Human Services Committee and then being able to get it out here and get it passed even as an amendment … that was a big jump too, that was huge,” Hawkins said.
Hawkins said it was frustrating to see the bill stall in the Senate.
“I think all of us that have been involved in it are a little bit disappointed because we really feel like it was solid,” he said.
Hawkins said he would work to get the bill approved next year if it doesn’t pass this year.
But Winn told Hems and O’Donnell she can’t wait that long.
Winn said she personally knows at least two children who are dangerously ill with seizure disorders now and for whom traditional medical treatments have provided no relief.
She said she believes some senators are keeping the issue in reserve to pass it next year and provide them a boost going into the 2016 elections.
“What they don’t understand is, if one child dies I will make sure that child is a part of the campaign,” Winn said.
The marijuana oil provision was attached to a bill that includes legalization of industrial-use hemp and a measure lessening the penalties for first and second convictions of possessing small amounts of marijuana.
Winn told Hems and O’Donnell that despite her personal advocacy of marijuana legalization, she would be satisfied if only the marijuana oil portion of the bill passes.
“Give me CBD oil and I’ll go home,” she said.
Andy Marso is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.
Hays, Kansas – Paul Richard Griebel, age 91, died Tuesday, May 26, 2015, at his home.
He was born on the farm at Stockton, KS. to Joseph P. and Elizabeth L. (Delaney) Griebel. He married Melinda M. (Dinkel) on April 21, 1952 at Victoria, KS. She died January 11, 2013.
He grew up on a homestead two miles north of Webster, KS. with one brother and one sister. They resided in Rooks County until 1955 then they moved to a farm outside of Collyer, KS. He was a loving father of 11 children. The farm started as a general small farm and over the years, he diversified into chicken, hogs, cattle, and eventually became Griebel and Sons’ Dairy.
He was a very hard worker and worked many odd jobs in addition to farming; such as working on I-70 bridges, helping build the local grain elevator, driving the local school bus, and working at local Co-op to support his family. He was active in the community of Collyer and helped build and renovate both the Collyer Catholic and public school. He was a WWII veteran serving in the Navy from 1944 to 1945. He was a member of the Park, KS. Knights of Columbus. Paul and Melinda managed the dairy farm in Collyer for over 33 years. They retired and moved to Hays, KS in 1988. He was a member of St. Michael Catholic Church of Collyer, KS and later the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church of Hays, KS. They enjoyed traveling and spending time with their family. Paul and Melinda celebrated their 60th Wedding Anniversary in April 2012.
Survivors include six sons, Francis Griebel and wife, Becky, Lexington, KY; Steve Griebel and wife, Jennifer, Collyer, KS; Roger Griebel and wife, Robin, Hays, KS; Wayne Griebel and wife, Darla, Amarillo, TX; Bill Griebel, Collyer, KS; Joe Griebel, Hays, KS; four daughters, Linda Schroeder and husband, Keith, Hutchinson, KS; Marilyn Rebori and husband, Tim, Bonner Springs, KS; Mary Adams and husband, Tim, Quinlan, TX; Paula Kruse and husband, Shannon, Topeka, KS; ten grandchildren, Randi Griebel and fiancé (Zeke Smith), Craig Griebel and fiancé (Holly Kline), Vanessa (Beto) Morales, Ann Griebel, James (Jazzlynn) Adams, Megan Griebel, Greg Adams, Austin Kruse, Leyton Rebori, and Justin Kruse
He was preceded in death by his parents, wife, one brother, Lawrence C. Griebel, one sister, Agnes Vehige and one son, Robert Griebel.
Services are at 10:00 A.M. Monday, June 1, 2015, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, Hays, Kansas. Burial in St. Joseph Cemetery, Hays, KS. with military honors by the Hays V.F.W. Post No. 9076.
Visitation is from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M. Sunday, and from 8:30 to 9:45 A.M. Monday, all at Cline’s Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd Street, Hays, Kansas, 67601. A vigil service is at 7:00 P.M. Sunday, at Cline’s Mortuary of Hays.
Memorial to Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, Hays, Kansas. Condolences can be sent via email to [email protected].
Those summertime thunderstorms that pop up at night in the Great Plains are the focus of a large weather experiment that will be centered in Ellis County.
A group of government agencies, according to Karen Kosiba, atmospheric scientist with the Center for Severe Weather Research, will be collecting data during nighttime storms in an effort to learn how they form, why they become severe and how to better predict them.
Plains Elevated Convection at Night – PECAN – will be conducted at night between June 1 and July 15.
According to Kosiba, the more than 100 researchers and students will be based at Fort Hays State University in Hays and will travel into parts of Nebraska, Texas and Oklahoma.
The goal, she said, is to better predict storms at night.
“It is very difficult to predict thunderstorm occurrence after sunset and if these storms will become severe and if damaging winds will reach the surface.” Kosiba said.
She added the storms that form at night are different from the afternoon storms that bring with them the possibility of tornadoes.
“They have different atmospheric conditions, that are going on,” Kosiba said. “Near the surface, our atmosphere is what we call stable, so you wouldn’t really think that things would happen but above the surface there is a lot going on.”
Researchers will deploy dozens of pieces of research equipment throughout the area.
The will have eight mobile radars, three research aircrafts and a number of other weather instruments. They will use have a radar that will be deployed south of Hays.
Researchers and students will begin moving into the Hays area this weekend, and Kosiba said people can expect to see mobile radar trucks and pickup and minivans equipped with weather instruments attached to them.
The Wyoming King Air Research Airplane will be stationed in Great Bend. The plane will be used to test atmospheric conditions around the storms.
Everyone will get a chance to check out the equipment the researchers will be using this weekend at an open house at the Hays Regional Airport.
Kosiba said they will have the King Air, the radar trucks and weather balloons at the airport so people can come out and look at the equipment and ask questions of the researchers.
“This is people’s opportunity to crawl on instruments and ask all these questions they may have had about weather in Kansas,” said Kosiba.
The open house is Saturday, May 30 from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Hays Regional Airport.
There, people can tour the aircraft and instruments. Weather balloon launches are scheduled from 3 to 4 p.m.
A low unemployment rate and strong small-business job growth has led to Hays being named the top community in the Midwest to open a small business in 2015.
The ranking, compiled by Talent Tribune and published earlier this year, can be seen HERE.
In December, Talent Tribune also ranked Hays among the top communities in the nation to open a small business. Click HERE for that report.
The Center for Health Improvement at HaysMed is offering group workouts for youth and adults this summer. Small group personal training with a certified personal trainer will have two sessions for adults and one for youth.
Session 1 for adults runs from June 1 through June 25 and Session 2 is from June 29 through July 23. Sessions for adults include Weight Loss, Alpha Training, Endurance Training and Gold Fit. There is one session for youth and it runs from June 1 through August 6 and includes a female athlete training and kids fitness groups.
Small group training blends the benefits of working out with a small group, such as accountability and encouragement, with a workout tailored to your fitness needs and goals. It will challenge and motivate you and take you to a new level of fitness.
For more information on fees and enrollment, click HERE or call (785) 623-5900.
When 312 people joined 52 local Walk Kansas teams in March to walk the distance across Kansas, little did they know they would log enough miles to circle the globe 1.7 times!
Ellis County team members participating in the 8-week Walk Kansas program sponsored by K-State Research and Extension met the fitness challenge to “walk” Kansas– and then some. Our walkers reported a total of 42,939 miles– enough to cross the state 101.5 times, or to travel from New York to Los Angeles 17.5 times!
This averages 2.45 miles– or almost 37 minutes– per person per day, for an average total of 258 minutes per week, surpassing the recommendation of 150 minutes of physical activity per person per week from the US Guidelines for Physical Activity.
In a parallel challenge to track fruit and vegetable consumption, team members reported eating 44,041 cups of fruits and vegetables during Walk Kansas. That’s approximately 22,020 pounds or 11 tons of these healthful foods.
This averages 2.5 cups of fruits and vegetables per person per day. While this is a great effort, it still falls short of the daily consumption advised by the US Dietary Guidelines. The recommendations vary by age, sex and activity level, but most adults should eat 2-2.5 cups of vegetables and 1.5-2 cups of fruit each day, for a combined goal of 3.5-4.5 cups daily. Low fruit and vegetable intake is a risk factor for premature death among Ellis County adults with 81% of adults in Ellis County consuming too few fruits and vegetables, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Kansas Department of Health & Environment.
Top mileage honors this year went to the Saints team which collectively logged 1,788 miles of exercise. The team which consumed the most fruits and vegetables was the Wonderful, Wacky Women Walkers of USD 432 team with1,693 cups eaten.
Team members reported many benefits from their participation in the Walk Kansas challenge. While many reported that the team support kept them motivated, others mentioned specific benefits such as weight loss, increased energy, and the ability to sleep better, breathe easier and feel healthier.
Experts know that exercising controls weight, reduces risk of premature death from heart disease, helps to alleviate arthritis, reduces the risk of diabetes, decreases blood pressure, helps older adults become stronger and remain independent, helps lower cholesterol levels, decreases anxiety and helps to alleviate depression.
Physician Robert H. Butler once said, “If exercise could be purchased in a pill, it would be the single most widely prescribed and beneficial medicine in the nation.”
With all the health benefits of physical activity, it is no surprise that experts have determined there are also health costs associated with inactivity. According to research done at North Carolina State University several years ago, the cost estimate for inactivity is $1,412 in direct and indirect health costs per inactive person per year. By helping 312 Ellis County participants become more active, the potential estimated cost savings of Walk Kansas in Ellis County is $440,544!
Ellis County walkers were among over 16,000 people statewide who participated in the K-State Research and Extension Walk Kansas program.
If you’d like enjoy the benefits of physical fitness with a fun team atmosphere, plan to join Walk Kansas next year, March 20- May 14, 2016. Until then, keep moving and eating well!
Linda K. Beech is Ellis County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A Texas woman was sentenced to five years in federal prison for defrauding a Kansas couple in an adoption scheme.
Thirty-five-year-old Chrystal Marie Rippey, of Marshall, Texas, was sentenced Tuesday for two counts of wire fraud.
Federal prosecutors say Rippey admitted that she took $22,225 from a Shawnee, Kansas, couple who believed she was pregnant with twins and who wanted to adopt the children.
The money was intended to pay for Rippey’s living expenses.
Prosecutors say the transactions were based on Rippey’s false statements that she was pregnant and wanted to put her twins up for adoption.
Mike Cooper visits with Ellis County Extension 4-H Agent Susan Schlicting and Fort Hays State University Instructor Kris Munsch about the new 4-H food stand at the Ellis County Fairgrounds.
