TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A pedestrian bridge at a Topeka race track has collapsed as a dump truck loaded with dirt crossed it.
The Topeka Capital-Journal (http://bit.ly/1FxRGyV) reports that no injuries were reported Tuesday morning after the city-owned truck fell 15 feet and landed on its back end.
City spokeswoman Aly Van Dyke says the driver indicated he had been told he could use the bridge. A small sign on the bridge says no vehicles larger than golf carts or quads are allowed.
The collapse occurred as many workers were at the track preparing for the NHRA Mello Yello drag racing event to start Friday. City workers had been working on fire hydrants. Plans are being made for a contractor to evaluate the damaged bridge and another smaller bridge at the track for safety.
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A pedestrian bridge at a Topeka race track has collapsed as a dump truck loaded with dirt crossed it.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the driver wasn’t believed to be injured after the city-owned truck fell onto the grassy slopes and landed on its wheels. City spokeswoman Aly Van Dyke says the bridge is primarily used for foot traffic and vehicles such as golf carts.
The city is looking into what happened. The bridge collapse comes as many workers were at the track preparing for this weekends’ NHRA drag racing. Plans are being made for a contractor to evaluate the damaged bridge and another smaller bridge at the track for safety.
In response to a request made by the city of Hays, the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s Division of Water Resources has issued a control order restricting the watering of lawns or other vegetation from private wells from noon to 7 p.m. from June 1 through Sept. 30.
The order was signed into effect on April 28.
This measure is part of a greater interest to reduce water waste and to improve conservation practices in the areas of the Intensive Groundwater Use Control Areas located in Hays.
The IGUCA in Hays was established in 1985 at the request of the city to help implement water conservation measures. It provides a mechanism to address preventable water waste by privately-owned wells.
Currently, the city prohibits the following: washing sidewalks, parking lots and driveways; allowing loss of water through leaks in plumbing systems or by runoff onto sidewalks or into the street guttering from watering yards; and the watering of lawns between noon and 7 p.m. between June 1 and Sept. 30.
By restricting daytime watering of lawns, landscapes and gardens, the loss of useable water due to the effects of wind and solar affects can be reduced, thus conserving the resource for beneficial use.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Kansas Senate committee has advanced a plan to increase a variety of taxes to close a projected state budget shortfall.
The Assessment and Taxation Committee voted 6-4 on Tuesday to send the plan to the Senate without recommending its passage. The plan would raise $496 million during the fiscal year that begins July 1.
The Senate could debate the plan Thursday.
Legislators must close a projected budget shortfall of $406 million for the next fiscal year.
The plan would increase the sales tax to 6.5 percent from 6.15 percent but drop the rate on food to 6 percent.
It would repeal a 2012 policy that exempted the profits of more than 330,000 business owners and farmers from income taxes.
The plan also would raise tobacco and gasoline taxes.
SALINA — Law enforcement authorities in Salina made an arrest following a brief high-speed chase on Monday.
Police say the pursuit initially began as an alleged domestic battery in the parking lot of a fast food restaurant in the 1100 Block of East Crawford just after 10:30 p.m.
The suspect Shawn Matthew Blazier, 32, Salina, was involved in argument with a 28-year-old woman; he pulled from a pickup and drove off, according to police.
Witnesses of the argument in the parking log notified police.
Officers say speeds topped out at 40 mph as Blazier ran several stop signs and finally hit a parked car at 12th and Crawford Street.
He got out of his Ford F-150 pickup and fled on foot before being apprehended in a backyard in the 600 block of South 12th Street.
Blazier, who is a registered Kansas sex offender, was booked into the Saline County Jail on requested charges of Flee or Attempt to Elude, Driving While Suspended, Possession of Depressants, Obstruction and Domestic Battery.
The woman had some scratches, but was not otherwise hurt, according to police.
Fara Mae (Brack) Popp, 81, of Russell, Kansas, passed away Sunday, May 17, 2015 at the Hays Medical Center in Hays, Kansas.
Fara was born on July 13, 1933 on the family farm north of Otis, Kansas, the daughter of Edwin and Phoebe (Keil) Brack. She grew up on the farm and graduated from Otis High School.
Fara was united in marriage to Paul Popp on June 15, 1958 in Otis, Kansas. This union was blessed with a son Allan. They made their home in Russell, Kansas.
Fara was a devoted wife and homemaker. She also was known for making pies for restaurants in Russell, like the Tower and Sale Barn Café. Early in life she worked for the grocery store in Otis. She also assisted her parents on the farm when needed.
Fara was a member of St. John Lutheran Church. She enjoyed playing cards on the computer, sewing, crocheting, and joining her friends with the McDonald’s Breakfast Club.
Surviving family include her husband of 56 years, Paul of the home; son, Allan Popp (Colette Gnad) of Hays, Kansas; sister, Mary Ann LeRoy of Wichita, Kansas. She was preceded in death by her parents.
Graveside service will be held at 11:00 A.M. Wednesday, May 20, 2015 at the Russell City Cemetery in Russell. Visitation will be from 9 AM to 8 PM Tuesday, May 19, 2015 at Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary, with the family present to greet friends from 6 PM to 7 PM. A Memorial has been established with the American Diabetes Association. Contributions and condolences may be sent to Pohlman-Varner-Peeler Mortuary, who is in charge of these arrangements.
Photo by Kaiser Family Foundation A Supreme Court ruling expected in June has implications for nearly 100,000 Kansans and millions of Americans. Nationally, 87 percent of people who used the online exchange last year received federal subsidies to buy insurance. Those subsidies are at the center of the court case.
By Andy Marso
Some state legislatures are moving to shield residents’ federal health insurance subsidies in advance of a U.S. Supreme Court decision regarding the Affordable Care Act.
The Kansas Legislature is not among them. As Kansas lawmakers work toward a tax plan to end the 2015 session, they have not had any briefings on the King v. Burwell case, the verdict expected in June or its implications for the nearly 100,000 Kansans who purchased insurance from healthcare.gov, the online insurance exchange.
“There’s been no efforts by the administration or the Legislature to address a major concern if we would lose the Burwell case,” said Rep. Jim Ward, a Democrat from Wichita.
“Ninety-thousand-plus Kansans who signed up under the exchanges would lose that right and ability next year because the exchange would go away.” Republicans control both chambers of the Kansas Legislature, but the silence on the King v. Burwell case has been bipartisan.
Two Democrat House members asked about it last week said they were unaware of its potential implications. Subsidies at risk About 80 percent — or 77,000 — of the Kansans who used the online exchange last year received federal subsidies to buy insurance because of their income level. Those subsidies are at the center of the King v. Burwell case.
Plaintiffs in the case argued that the Affordable Care Act as written allowed the federal government to dispense subsidies only in states that had set up their own exchange, not states like Kansas that opted to use the federal exchange. If the court rules for the plaintiffs, the subsidies could be wiped out, making insurance premiums prohibitively expensive for most who use the exchange.
The only Kansans who would be likely to pay the unsubsidized rates are those with pre-existing health conditions.
It’s what the insurance industry calls “adverse selection,” and Sheldon Weisgrau, director of the Health Reform Resource Project for the Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved, said it would cause the entire system to collapse.
“The insurance pool will be sicker, and premiums will increase,” Weisgrau said via email. “More people will then drop out, with only the sickest remaining, and the cycle will continue. This is known in the insurance industry as the ‘death spiral.’ Plans and insurers may be unable to survive it.”
The premium cost spikes would first affect people trying to purchase health insurance on the individual market. But Weisgrau said they also could spill over to employment-based health insurance because many insurance companies operate in both markets.
“Insurers that are facing adverse selection in the individual market may look to make it up elsewhere, leading to rate increases in the group market,” he said. “Or they may decide to exit the market altogether.” ‘Market-based solution’ Gov. Sam Brownback’s spokeswoman, Eileen Hawley, said the governor is aware of the potential market disruption and is poised to act.
“Months ago, the governor asked Lt. Gov. Jeff Colyer and his health care team to be prepared for a ruling in King v. Burwell,” Hawley said via email. “I have confidence Kansas will be well-positioned, not only to respond, but to lead with a market-based solution.”
Hawley did not respond to a request for details on the market-based solution. Weisgrau said the most straightforward way to maintain the exchange market should the court rule for the plaintiffs would be for Congress to revisit the ACA and clarify that residents in states using the federal exchange also can receive the subsidies.
But the 2010 health reform law that President Barack Obama spearheaded remains a political lightning rod, and Republicans control both chambers of Congress. Weisgrau was blunt about the chances of federal action. “That won’t happen,” he said.
Other states are laying the groundwork to shield the subsidies by introducing bills to create their own exchanges if the court strikes them down. But that’s easier said than done. When the exchanges first rolled out in 2013, the 14 states that opted to create their own had much more time to develop them.
But rollouts were still rocky — and costly — in many cases. The director of the federal exchange said May 11 that the process of rolling out state exchanges is likely too complex to be done on short notice after the court ruling. Still, bills to do so have been introduced in 11 states, including Missouri, where more than 250,000 residents now rely on the exchange for their health insurance.
But HB 870, introduced by Missouri Rep. Margo McNeil, a Democrat from Florissant, has not advanced. Missouri Republicans also introduced House and Senate bills to prevent any state-run exchange but neither advanced. Brownback sent back grant In Kansas, the political divide over the health reform law commonly referred to as “Obamacare” is just as wide. The last high-profile Republican to voice support for the law was former Kansas Insurance Commissioner Sandy Praeger, who started work on a state-based exchange during her tenure that Ward said could be resumed.
But Weisgrau said that effort began when Praeger believed the state would be able to use a $31.5 million federal grant to set up the exchange. It ended when Brownback sent back the grant money. “Kansas had a chance and turned away federal funding,” Weisgrau said.
“There’s no indication the Legislature or governor would be interested in establishing a state-based exchange even if funding were available.” Ken Selzer, elected insurance commissioner in November, now runs the Kansas Insurance Department.
Bob Hanson, a spokesman for the department, said via email that “the commissioner and others in the department certainly have studied the issue from both sides” but declined to comment further.
Another possible fix that’s been floated nationally is for states to pass laws declaring healthcare.gov their official state exchange to satisfy the court ruling. “Since this is really a hyper-technical legal issue, is the fix the same way?” asked Ward, an attorney.
“Can you call a duck an eagle and make it fly?” Weisgrau said that no one is sure if such a one-step fix would be legally feasible, and Kansas lawmakers don’t seem inclined to try. “I’ve seen no indication that state policymakers would entertain this plan,” Weisgrau said. “There’s been no discussion of these issues that I’m aware of.”
Ward said he was not aware of any such discussions either. He said that though there would be no financial cost to passing a bill declaring healthcare.gov the official state exchange, the political climate surrounding the Affordable Care Act ensures “it has no chance of getting passed.”
Andy Marso is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Gov. Sam Brownback has met with top GOP leaders as the Kansas Legislature continues its discussions about raising taxes to erase a state budget shortfall.
Brownback had a private session Tuesday morning with Senate President Susan Wagle, House Speaker Ray Merrick and the majority leaders in both chambers.
Their gathering came before the Senate tax committee convened to discuss revenue-raising proposals.
The House Taxation Committee also had a hearing on a bill to narrow a tax break for business owners and farmers enacted in 2012. Brownback championed the policy as an economic stimulus.
Brownback and lawmakers must close a budget shortfall projected at $406 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
Tuesday was the 93rd day of the Legislature’s annual session, three more than leaders traditionally schedule.
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Legislative committees are planning more discussions about proposals for raising taxes to erase a state budget shortfall.
The House Taxation Committee was having a hearing Tuesday on a bill that would narrow a tax break for business owners and farmers enacted in 2012.
The measure would backtrack on a policy advocated by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback as an economic stimulus. It exempted the profits of more than 330,000 business owners and farmers from income taxes.
Lawmakers cut income taxes in 2012 and 2013, and the state faces a budget shortfall projected at $406 million for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
The Senate tax committee also was meeting Tuesday to discuss revenue-raising proposals.
Tuesday was the 93rd day of the Legislature’s annual session, three more than leaders traditionally schedule.
The Ellis County Commission faces a number of challenging decisions as they head into Tuesday afternoon’s budget meeting.
The county’s budget was hit hard by the sharp drop in oil and gas prices, and officials must cut between $1 million and $2 million from the 2016 budget.
County Administrator Greg Sund outlined some possible changes the county could make in his memo to the commission.
The ideas range from a 1-percent sales tax increase that would take effect when the current tax ends. Sund said this could be a long-term solution.
According to Sund, the county also could change the way roads are maintained with the lesser traveled getting less attention.
The possibility of cutting EMS services to either Ellis or Victoria was also an idea approached by Sund, but County Commissioner Dean Haselhorst said he received a number of calls from residents over the weekend expressing concern with the proposal.
Sund said at Monday night’s commission meeting the ideas need to be investigated in the effort to save the county money.
The county may also look at cutting funding to outside agencies, and will discuss a number of open positions within the county. At Monday night’s meeting, three different department heads asked the commission to consider allowing them to fill vacant positions within their respective departments.
Tuesday afternoon’s budget meeting is at 1 p.m. at the Administrative Center.
In an effort to limit flooding of fields and roads in the northern part of Ellis County, the county commission heard a report on proposed upgrades to Toulon Avenue at Monday night’s commission meeting.
The county commissioned a study, after residents in the area of Hopewell and Emmeram roads complained of flooding in the area after rain storms.
Engineers from Kaw Valley Engineering told the commission there are several places where the water will run over the road and ditches because of the topography of the land in the area.
Chad McCullough with Kaw Valley said the drainage channel is unique and that is causing a number of places to overflow.
The engineers recommend reconstructing Toulon and raising the road surface to install larger drainage structures.
They also recommend increasing the size and grade of the ditches along Toulon.
Kaw estimated the two proposals would cost between $980,000 and $1 million.
County Commissioners Barb Wasinger and Dean Haselhorst each asked about making changes to the flow pattern, which would be far less expensive, according to McCullough.
But McCullough said it would require the county to make improvements to private land and get permits from the Division of Water Resources, something he said is unlikely.
The commission did not take any action on the recommendation.
In other business:
• The commission heard from EMS Director Kerry McCue, County Appraiser Lisa Ree and the Public Works Department about filling vacant positions within each department. The commission will discuss the need to fill the vacancies at Tuesday’s budget meeting.
• Vicki Hubin with the Western Kansas Child Advocacy Center talked with commission about the benefits the center provides to kids in Ellis County. The group serves 30 counties in western Kansas and funded mostly by grants and donations. The group is asking the county for a subsidy, but Hubin said they will continue to serve Ellis County even if they do not receive funds from the county.
• The commission also held a 15-minute executive session to discuss non-elected employee union negotiations and the purchase of real estate. No action was taken.
