GARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) — A southwest Kansas single mother who lost custody of her son for using medical marijuana to ease her Crohn’s disease has gone from being a massage therapist eking out a living in the back of a health food store to a national figure at the center of the pot debate.
Thirty-seven-year-old Shonda Banda of Garden City, has not been charged after police officers searched her home and found marijuana and cannabis oil last month. But the Kansas City Star reports authorities took her 11-year-old son away, put him into protective state custody and referred the case to the Finney County prosecutor for possible drug and child endangerment charges.
Banda’s story soon went global, with more than 84,000 people from around the world signing an online petition supporting her.
Space is still available in four of the six summer camps that will be offered by the Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science at Fort Hays State University.
The final deadline for applying has been extended to May 15 for:
• Chemistry of Cooking: June 7- 2
• Energy: What Do We Really Need?: June 14-19
• C.H.A.S.I.N.G. Computer and Human Analysis of Storm Impacts Needs Geography: June 21- 26
• High Altitude Balloon Science: See the World from 100,000 Feet: June 28- July 2
Students between the ages of 13 and 17 are able to participate. The registration fee is $100 per camp, which includes room and board, camp supplies and a camp T-shirt. Scholarships of $50 are available by contacting Ann Noble at [email protected].
Campers will participate in hands-on activities and experiments led by FHSU faculty. Students have the opportunity to receive 1 hour of college credit for each camp they attend.
About KAMS:
The Kansas Academy of Mathematics and Science is an early-entry-to-college program that focuses on advanced mathematics and science. While studying at KAMS, students live on campus in a residence hall with other KAMS students from across Kansas and around the world. Over the course of two years, students take 68 hours of college credit. These college classes are taken alongside traditional college undergraduates and taught by college professors, simultaneously contributing to the students’ high school and college graduation requirements.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Farmers and other agriculture industry leaders plan to fan out across Kansas in the coming days to examine the extent of damage to winter wheat from drought, disease and winterkill.
The Wheat Quality Council’s hard red winter wheat tour this year has already drawn a record number of expected participants with more than 90 people signed up.
This year’s four-day-long trek kicks off on Monday afternoon with a meeting in Manhattan in northeast Kansas. The following morning attendees split up in various cars and take various routes to Colby in northwest Kansas.
On Wednesday the group takes different routes across western Kansas before ending up in Wichita.
Then on Thursday, they head to Kansas City, Missouri, where they announce the group’s forecast for the state’s 2015 wheat crop.
WASHINGTON, D.C.–This week, Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins (R-KS) and Congressman Emanuel Cleaver, II. (D-MO) introduced the Medicare Access to Rural Anesthesiology Act of 2015, to expand access to rural anesthesiology care.
“Improving access to healthcare in rural communities has always been one of my top priorities,” said Congresswoman Jenkins. “We must ensure folks living in these communities have a system that functions efficiently and cost-effectively, and encourages physicians to practice there. I’m proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation today to increase access to anesthesiology professionals for our rural hospitals and start tackling the growing shortage of anesthesiologists in rural communities.”
“Whether we live in urban, rural, or suburban neighborhoods, we all need access to health care,” stated Congressman Cleaver, II. “Qualified rural hospitals in Ray, Lafayette, and Saline Counties, and in all rural areas, deserve the resources to attract and retain physician anesthesiologists for rural patients. Ensuring that our rural residents have increased access to health care is critical to maintaining a vibrant community. I am pleased to work with Congresswoman Jenkins to introduce this bipartisan bill to give qualified rural hospitals the resources to attract and retain physician anesthesiologists for rural patients.”
H.R. 2138, The Medicare Access to Rural Anesthesiology Act of 2015:
This legislation will allow certain rural hospitals to use Medicare Part A funds on a “pass-through” basis to attract and retain physician anesthesiologists to provide services to rural patients.
Hays Academy of Hair Design, with locations in Hays and Salina announced student Christina VanAllen, of Concordia, placed first in the student category of the Wella Trendvision Regional Competition in Minneapolis.
By placing first, she has qualified to move on to the Wella Trendvision Finals Competition in Las Vegas.
“We couldn’t be more proud of not only Christina, but to all of our students that step out of their comfort zone to compete,” said Danielle Markley, co-owner of Hays Academy of Hair Design. “Competing at a regional and national level allows our students to see how their technical skills are compared to other students around the world.”
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The Kansas Court of Appeals on Friday affirmed a decision by Reno County District Court Judge Tim Chambers to suppress evidence in the approaching murder trial of Michael Brisco.
He is charged with murder in the September 2013 shooting death of 26-year-old Sem Adrien.
Other charges include criminal possession of a firearm, aggravated intimidation of a victim or witness, possession of methamphetamine and solicitation to commit perjury.
The judge suppressed statements made by Brisco after the third time he mentioned he was done talking.
Authorities say Brisco twice before stated that, but then started talking again on his own.
The third time, Police Detective Jamie Schoenhoff initiated the conversation.
Deputy District Attorney Tom Stanton had argued that the defendant consented to cooperate with officers during both interviews.
The defense contended Brisco was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
No date for when the trial will begin or if the state will ask the Supreme Court to take up the matter.
Photo by Andy Marso Members of the House Taxation Committee, including Topeka Republican Lane Hemsley, left, began talks Thursday on a tax plan to end the 2015 session.
ByAndy Marso
House and Senate tax committees began talks Thursday on a plan to close a burgeoning budget hole and end the 2015 session.
Both committees pushed to next week any talk of whether to approve Gov. Sam Brownback’s proposal to raise tobacco and alcohol taxes.
Sen. Les Donovan, a Wichita Republican who chairs the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee, said he is preparing amendments that would raise the cigarette tax by $1 or $0.50 per pack if the committee does not approve the governor’s proposal for a $1.50-per pack increase.
“We’re going to try to get something out of here that will raise some revenue,” Donovan said. “But we’ve got to be realistic about what we can do.” The tobacco tax increase is particularly popular with public health experts, but has failed to gain much traction with legislators.
Donovan said his committee would debate specific tax bills Tuesday through Thursday next week. Lowering the state’s earned income tax credit and making it non-refundable will also be considered, he said. “That’s going to be in the mix,” Donovan said.
The state’s EITC mirrors a federal tax credit expanded by former President Ronald Reagan that gives money back to low and moderate-income workers in amounts that depend on income level and number of children. Making it non-refundable would mean that recipients would no longer receive checks from the state if they qualify for more than they pay in taxes.
Rep. Marvin Kleeb, a Republican from Overland Park who chairs the House Taxation Committee, said his committee will look at the governor’s tobacco and alcohol proposals Monday and urged members to have their questions ready.
Representatives from the University of Kansas Medical Center, the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network and other health groups testified that the proposed $1.50-per pack increase in cigarette taxes would gain the state about $90 million in the short term and lower health care costs by as much as $1 billion in the mid-term by prodding tens of thousands of Kansans to quit smoking or never start.
The governor also proposed a tax increase on smokeless tobacco products, which is projected to bring in far less revenue because of the lesser popularity of chewing tobacco and snuff. There are currently few public health professionals in the Legislature, and one legislator who works with health professionals said he’s not sure yet how he will vote on tobacco increases.
Rep. Lane Hemsley, an attorney who is executive director of the Kansas Dental Board, said dentists play a role in diagnosing oral cancers, which is related to tobacco use in about 90 percent of cases, according to the Mouth Cancer Foundation.
Hemsley said oral cancers, if not caught quickly enough, can lead to patients having portions of their jaws removed or even death.
“From a health care standpoint obviously I think the risks and the impacts of cigarette use or other tobacco use, those are fairly well known,” Hemsley said. “I think those are meted out and I think we understand there are health risks we would obviously voluntarily decide to entertain if we chose to use those types of products.” Hemsley said his vote on tobacco taxes would be informed by the opinions of his constituents, who he said have given him a broad range of advice thus far.
“I’m not certain my district is as interested in targeted taxes on one particular piece of consumption but I think I would be misguiding everybody if I didn’t say I think everything is on the table,” Hemsley said.
Kleeb said after his committee vets the governors proposals, including alcohol and tobacco taxes, it will move on to other potential revenue sources. “Whatever the solution may be, it will probably be two or three parts, or even more,” Kleeb said.
Thursday’s House Taxation Committee meeting laid a foundation for one of the foremost tax fights to come, as some conservative Republicans defended a tax exemption on “pass-through” earnings of business owners that was part of a large income tax package in 2012. Democrats and some Republicans have proposed rolling back or entirely repealing that exemption, saying it was more costly than anticipated and made the tax structure less fair because it exempted business owners from taxes their workers still must pay.
Gov. Sam Brownback, who spearheaded the 2012 tax bill’s passage and campaigned on it last year, has resisted calls to alter the exemption.
The tax fix is becoming increasingly complex because the budget picture continues to worsen. A group of economists who met April 20 revised downward their earlier estimates of how much tax revenue the state will collect next year.
With the new estimates, the gap between how much the state is projected to spend from the general fund during the fiscal year that begins July 1 and how much revenue it will take in is almost $800 million. The Legislature expects to approve Brownback-proposed budget maneuvers like transfers from other funds to cut that deficit to about $422 million. From there, even if legislators also approve the governor’s tax increases in full — including the tobacco and alcohol taxes — there would still be a projected shortfall.
Rep. Don Hineman, a Republican from Dighton, said passing the governor’s proposals would only make up about half the difference.
“So we need to at least do the governor’s recommendations for tax plus something additional to get back to zero,” Hineman said. “And we obviously don’t want to aim for zero. We don’t want to leave town and have the governor make allotments a few weeks into the new fiscal year.”
State law requires legislators leave an ending balance of 7.5 percent — or about $470 million in next year’s budget — but that law is routinely ignored. Kleeb said committee members should consider how much of a cushion they are “willing to discuss.”
A budget expert who works for the state recommended an ending balance of between $50 million and $100 million, which would make the unofficial target for tax talks about $500 million in new revenue. Democrats opposed the 2012 tax plan and have generally stayed on the sidelines of the discussion over new taxes.
Rep. Tom Sawyer, the top Democrat on the House tax committee, said they’re willing to talk to Republicans about supporting a tax package, but only if it repeals the pass-through tax exemption for business owners When asked if the minority party also wanted to change the part of the 2012 bill that lowered income tax rates, Sawyer said “that’s negotiable.”
Several Republicans said they feared ending the income tax exemption for businesses would slow the rate of job growth the state has seen. They pointed to 8,800 new tax filers among the estimated 333,000 business owners currently using the exemption.
Rep. Ken Corbet, a Republican from Topeka, said he was concerned about raising taxes of any kind. “I guess what worries me is, by raising taxes, do you still think it will make Kansas a leading place for growth and people to want to come and raise their family, retire and start a business?” Corbet said. “Money walks. It’s like habitat for animals. You need water, cover and food. Kansas needs to be friendly to get these people to stay here and come here.”
Andy Marso is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.
TOPEKA–The Kansas Historical Society announced that a Girl Scout Little House and a portion of Route 66 are among the newest Kansas listings added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places entered eight Kansas listings into the Register on April 14. This action brings the total number of Kansas listings in the National Register to 1,394.
The National Register of Historic Places is the country’s official list of historically significant properties. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.
Eligible properties must be significant for one or more of the four criteria for evaluation. Properties can be eligible if they are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history. They can be eligible if they are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past. Distinctive construction can qualify properties for the National Register if they embody the characteristic of a type, period, or method of construction, or represent the work of a master, or possess high artistic values, or represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction. Lastly, properties may be eligible for the National Register if they have yielded or may be likely to yield information important in prehistory or history. The National Register recognizes properties of local, statewide, and national significance.
Below is a summary of the listing:
Kansas Route 66 Historic District – North Baxter Springs – SE 50th Road, Cherokee County
This segment of Route 66 north of Baxter Springs, totaling 2.1 miles, is located between the historic Brush Creek bridge on the north and Willow Creek on the south. The entire length of the historic Route 66 in Kansas totaled only 13.2 miles, entering Cherokee County near Galena and exiting south of Baxter Springs. Cherokee County opened bids for the construction of this portion of the road on March 12, 1923. This was part of a larger Federal Highway Project between Joplin, Missouri, and Baxter Springs. The Federal Highway Commission designated Route 66 as part of a new national highway network on November 11, 1926. This section of road remained an integral part of Kansas Route 66 until a bypass was completed in the early 1960s. As a result, the road has largely served local traffic and tourists traveling the old route. The Kansas Department of Transportation designated this road a Kansas Historic Byway in 2011. It was nominated as part of the Historic Resources of Route 66 in Kansas multiple property nomination in the area of transportation.
Girl Scout Little House, Ashland
Girl Scout Little House – 448 West 6th Avenue, Ashland, Clark County
The Girl Scout Little House in Ashland was built in 1937 by laborers employed through the Works Progress Administration (WPA), with Ed Burr serving as the project supervisor. The Little House was built to serve the Ashland Girl Scout troop, which formed in about 1924 some 12 years after Juliette Gordon Low established the first American Girl Scout troop in Savannah, Georgia. It was erected in a residential neighborhood on land donated by Mr. and Mrs. W. R. Nunemacher. The local Girl Scout building committee raised funds to complete the project from individuals, businesses, churches, and community groups. The small stone building was dedicated to the community in February 1938, and it has served the Girl Scouts and the Ashland community ever since. The small building is made of locally quarried stone and exhibits the Rustic style typical of New Deal-era buildings. It was nominated as part of the New Deal-Era Resources of Kansas multiple property nomination for its local significance in the areas of social history, government, and architecture.
Fix Farmstead – 34554 Old K-10 Road, Volland vicinity, Wabaunsee County
The Fix Farmstead is situated in a picturesque rural setting on a terrace above the West Branch of Mill Creek, less than a mile northeast of the unincorporated hamlet of Volland. The property is accessed by a long lane that extends from the gravel road. The farmstead is comprised of an impressive Italianate-style house, a tenant house, barn and granary, storage cellar, storm cellar, and garage. The German-American Fix family migrated to Wabaunsee County in 1860. Upon his return from service during the Civil War, John R. Fix married Rebecca Larch and settled on this land in Washington Township. The majority of extant farmstead features post-date 1880, likely representing the height of prosperity on the farm. It was nominated as part of the Historic Agriculture-Related Resources of Kansas multiple property nomination for its local significance in the areas of early settlement, agriculture, and architecture.
St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Hodgeman County
St. Mary’s Catholic Church – 14920 SE 232 Road, Kinsley vicinity, Hodgeman County
A group of Irish-born settlers erected St. Mary’s Catholic Church in rural Hodgeman County in 1904. The parishioners had attended the German St. Joseph Catholic Church located five miles south, but in 1903 a dispute arose between the German and Irish members in regard to a proposed location for a new church building. The Irish members wished to have the new location two miles north, but an agreement could not be made. As a result, the congregation split. St. Mary’s church suffered a devastating fire on January 1, 1928, leaving only the exterior walls to be salvaged. The parishioners hired builder Joseph Sebacher to rebuild the church with plans drafted by Emporia-based architects Henry W. Brinkman and Stanley Hagan. This same team had just completed a new building for St. Joseph in nearby Offerlee. St. Mary’s church closed its doors in 1997. The small church features a stone exterior, Gothic-arch windows, a red tile gable roof, and a center bell tower. It was nominated for its local significance in the area of architecture.
The Parsonian Hotel – 1725 Broadway Avenue, Parsons, Labette County
The Parsonian Hotel at 1725 Broadway Avenue sits in the heart of downtown Parsons. Constructed in 1954, the hotel was intended to provide accommodations for business travelers, to promote new commercial and industrial ventures, and to attract conventions to town. Construction of the building was financed primarily by the sale of stock to local residents who made up the ownership group. The building reflects the International architectural style, which was popular before and after World War II. The eight-story concrete-frame building has a two-story base that covers the majority of the site, and a six-story hotel room tower set back from the edges of the base. The two-story base is constructed primarily of red brick, with aluminum windows and storefront, limestone accents below the storefront, concrete window-surrounds at the second story, and horizontal projecting concrete canopies. The tower is constructed of yellow-brick, concrete, and aluminum double-hung ribbon-windows. It was nominated for its local significance in the areas of commerce and architecture.
Washington School – 300 E Myrtle Street, Independence, Montgomery County
Washington School was constructed with the assistance of the federal Public Works Administration (PWA) and officially opened January 3, 1940. The two-story building is constructed of architectural concrete and reflects the early Modern Movement in architecture, defined by its stepped rectangular massing and clean lines with contrasting forms. Entrances feature curved concrete walls and railings characteristic of the Art Moderne style. The school was designed by Thomas W. Williamson and Co., a Topeka-based firm with hundreds of public school commissions. Washington School served the community of Independence as a public grade school until 2011. It was nominated as part of the Historic Public Schools of Kansas and New Deal-era Resources of Kansas multiple property nominations for its local significance in the areas of education and architecture.
Bown-Corby School – 412 North 2nd Street, Marion, Marion County
Built in 1929, the Bown-Corby School is an excellent example of Collegiate Gothic architecture, which emerged as a popular style for schools in the period following World War I. The building has red brick walls with ashlar limestone detailing, projecting bays, buttresses, and quoined stone surrounds, all typical of the architectural style. It retains the original wood and steel windows, which is unusual for a public school building of this age. The building was designed by Wichita-based architect S. S. Voigt and served as the town’s grade school for 62 years, closing in 1992. It was named in honor of Anna Bown and Jenny Corby, two long-time teachers in the Marion school district. It was nominated as part of the Historic Public Schools of Kansas multiple property nomination for its local significance in the areas of education and architecture.
Hermit Cave on Belfry Hill – Council Grove, Morris County
Belfry Hill is a prominent landmark in the Neosho River valley that overlooks the surrounding community of Council Grove, which began as a Santa Fe Trail-era campsite along the river. Providing scenic views of the town, Belfry Hill is a tree-lined bluff with natural stone outcroppings that functions as a local park welcoming visitors. A portion of Belfry Hill was developed in 1901 as a natural and historical park, and it was further enhanced in 1921 as part of the centennial commemoration of the opening of the Santa Fe Trail. The area within the stone outcropping has long been interpreted by local historians as the place where Italian priest Giovanni Maria de Agostini lived for five months in 1863. Still today, the town’s identity and heritage tourism are rooted in these early 20th century efforts to promote the area’s frontier and trail-era history. This site was not nominated for association with the community’s mid-19th century history, but rather for its local significance as an early 20th century historical attraction.
WICHITA – A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 6 p.m. on Friday in Sedgwick County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2007 GMC Sierra driven by Corey Antonio Logan, 30, Viola, was southbound on Interstate 135 at Kansas 15 in Wichita.
The vehicle changed lanes and struck the front of 2000 Dodge Durango driven by Kirk Marvin Devore Jr., 25, Wichita.
Logan lost control of the GMC. It traveled off the road to the right and struck a light pole.
Logan was transported to St. Francis Medical Center
Devore Jr., was not injured.
Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident according to the KHP.
