WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A California woman and her biological son have been sentenced to life in prison in the deaths of the son’s adoptive parents.
The Wichita Eagle reports that Kisha Schaberg of San Diego, and her 20-year-old biological son, Anthony Bluml, were sentenced Tuesday to life in prison in the November 2013 deaths of his adoptive parents, Roger Bluml and Melissa Bluml.
The couple, who adopted Schaberg’s two sons when they were young children, were shot in the head outside their home in rural Valley Center.
Schaberg and Anthony Bluml pleaded no contest earlier to capital murder and aggravated robbery to avoid the death penalty.
Under the sentencing, neither Schaberg or Anthony Bluml will have any options for parole.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican Gov. Sam Brownback says even though Kansas residents will be paying higher sales and income taxes come July, they shouldn’t view it as a tax increase.
Brownback said Tuesday that Kansas residents still will be paying less in taxes than they were three years ago because of income tax cuts enacted in 2012 and 2013.
Brownback promised during a Statehouse news conference that he would sign two bills that together raise $384 million during the fiscal year that begins July 1 to avert a deficit. The state’s sales tax will rise to 6.5 percent from 6.15 percent, and the cigarette tax will jump by 50 cents a pack to $1.29.
But he said people have to view this year’s tax increases in light of the past income tax cuts.
Updated information is also available on the Bike Hays website, www.bikehays.com.
HPD Corp. Brandon Hauptman, who leads the HPD bike patrol program, also recently talked with Hays Post about bicycling safety for bicyclists and motorists.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Department of Revenue is dropping plans to change how it reminds residents to renew their vehicle tags.
Department spokeswoman Jeannine Koranda confirmed Tuesday that the state will not replace 2.6 million personalized vehicle renewal letters with a generic postcard reminder beginning in August. The proposed change was announced in May as a way to save the state $500,000.
The Manhattan Mercury reports the plan was dropped because a new tax law passed by the Legislature requires the state to send notices that include all information needed for the owner to register the vehicle and pay the tax by return mail. The postcards would not have contained all the information and would have required citizens to print their renewal notices off of a state website.
R.B. FALLSTROM, Associated Press
JIM SALTER, Associated Press
ST. LOUIS (AP) -Major League Baseball says it is cooperating with a federal investigation into an illegal breach of the Houston Astros’ internal database after a report that the St. Louis Cardinals were responsible for the hack.
The New York Times, citing unidentified law enforcement officials, reported Tuesday that the FBI and Justice Department are investigating whether Cardinals’ front-office officials were behind the effort to steal player information.
MLB said the Astros’ “baseball operations database” was breached, but declined further comment until the federal investigation is completed. The U.S. attorney in St. Louis, Richard Callahan, says he is unaware of the investigation. Messages seeking comment from FBI officials in St. Louis, Houston and Washington were not returned.
The Cardinals and Astros both confirmed they are cooperating with the investigation but declined further comment.
MANHATTAN – A former Kansas State University student Derek Miller was sentenced in Riley County Court on Monday for stealing from the K-State Credit Union.
Miller was charged with 6 counts of theft while an employee of the K-State Credit Union in 2014.
State prosecutor Barry Disney agreed to a plea deal for Miller of just one charge.
Miller was ordered to serve seven months with community corrections. He is also to serve 30 days in 48-hour weekend increments starting this week.
Miller paid restitution in full at the time of the plea agreement after procurement of loans.
Fifteen days were also set-aside for February 1, 2016 and May 9, 2016 to be served if there were any problems with Miller’s probation and work release.
Restitution for any additional penalties the K-State Federal Credit Union received was also ordered.
LINDSBORG -Bethany College announced in a media release the Board of Directors named Dr. Robert Vogel to serve as interim President of Bethany College effective July 1. Vogel served previously at Bethany College as interim president in 2007.
Vogel retired as president of Wartburg College in 1998 after serving there for 18 years. Since his retirement he has served as interim president at five colleges and universities including three other Lutheran institutions in Iowa, Texas and Kentucky. He also served on the Bethany College Board of Directors in 2008-2009.
“The board is very pleased to welcome Bob back to campus,” said Dr. Kris Ericson, chair of Bethany’s board of directors. “We are confident in his leadership abilities and his familiarity with Bethany and Lindsborg will be an asset as we move forward.”
Originally from Philipsburg, Vogel is a graduate of Wartburg College and Wartburg Theological Seminary. He was ordained in 1960 and served parishes in Golden and Denver. He and his wife, Sally, live in Denver.
“I am looking forward to working with Bob again,” said Bob Carlson, interim provost. “His knowledge of Bethany and his experience with budgets, accreditation and other aspects of higher education is going to benefit the college in the next year.”
Vogel has been asked for a one year commitment to Bethany while the board conducts a search for Bethany’s next college president. Dr. Edward F. Leonard III, the college’s 13th president, resigned in June.
Area Development, a leading publication covering site selection and facility planning, has announced its 2015 Gold and Silver Shovel Awards, naming Kansas a Silver Shovel recipient. The award recognizes a significant number of high-value-added new jobs and investment in the state in 2014.
“Area Development has once again recognized Kansas as a leader in economic development,” Kansas Commerce Secretary Pat George said in a news release. “With a great business environment, world class workforce and outstanding infrastructure, our state is an ideal place to invest and create jobs, and we will continue to work with businesses to help them grow and expand in Kansas.”
In 2014, the Department helped facilitate 177 projects that created or retained more than 11,000 jobs and resulted in $1.2 billion in capital investment. Those results helped Kansas win its ninth Shovel Award in the past 10 years.
The annual Shovel Awards recognize states for their achievements in attracting high value investment projects that will create a significant number of new jobs in their communities.
Area Development collected information from all 50 states about their top-10 job creation and investment projects. Only those projects that began to materialize in 2014 were considered. The Shovel Awards were given to the states with the highest weighted scores based on factors including the number of new jobs created relative to a state’s population, the combined dollar amount of the investments, the number of new facilities and the diversity of industries represented.
MANHATTAN — Mosquito season is arriving early thanks to recent weather patterns, which means it’s time to start prevention measures a little sooner — not only for humans, but also for susceptible pets.
“Our weather patterns have been quite abrupt and with the moisture that we’ve had, coupled with the really warm temperatures, mosquitoes are really taking off,” said Elizabeth Davis, professor and section head of equine medicine and surgery at Kansas State University. “The Kansas Department of Health and Environment mosquito surveillance in the state of Kansas has found that the levels of Culex mosquitoes, which effectively transmit West Nile virus, are already higher than they were in all of 2014.”
The levels now are even greater than the levels observed in June 2013 when the state of Kansas had 92 human West Nile cases. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment has already confirmed one positive case this year.
Reducing the risk of West Nile virus in humans, horses and other animals is about taking precautions early, Davis says. For certain animals like horses, vaccines are an option.
“Right now is the ideal time to vaccinate your horse if you have not done so already,” Davis said. “Working with your veterinarian to design an ideal protocol is a great way to know that you are protecting your horse against all possible disease threats. Once the vaccine has been administered, it usually takes about two weeks to get a good booster reaction and that protection is going to last at least six months. If you vaccinate now, you’re going to have horses that are very well protected through the warm weather, which in this area is going to extend through early October.”
While West Nile virus does not cause disease in small animals like dogs and cats, Davis said that mosquitoes can transmit various infectious diseases as well as a parasite that can cause heartworm disease in dogs and cats. Therefore, for many reasons it is beneficial to minimize mosquito populations.
Minimizing mosquito populations at this time of year can have several benefits, according to Davis.
“Ways that we can do that are to identify areas that mosquito breeding might be taking place, such as standing water in old tires, a water trough or even a birdbath. Empty those as soon as possible,” Davis said. “If you need to leave water out for your animals, clean those areas at least once a week, if not more frequently, and that will really diminish the number of mosquito populations that are breeding and potentially harboring this virus.”
Symptoms of West Nile vary in humans and animals, but the virus is potentially deadly to both. For humans, symptoms can range from a headache and fever to swelling of the brain and death. For horses, symptoms range from mild — fever or change of appetite — to severe, such as neurologic disorders.
For questions about how to protect your animals, contact your local veterinarian or the Kansas State University Veterinary Health Center at 785-532-5700.
A deep sense of relief has been a hallmark of virtually everyone’s reaction to the much-delayed end of the 2015 Kansas legislative session, but for Fort Hays State University President Mirta M. Martin, that feeling was among the deepest in the state: $32 million worth.
“If the tax bill had not passed, and the governor had carried through with one of his proposed cuts, higher education in Kansas would have been virtually shut down until a strategy had been enacted. I would have had to furlough every employee of the university,” President Martin said this week.
“And I would be meeting with the members of my executive team, all unpaid, to figure out what would be left — and more importantly, who to keep — and how to pay for it.”
By late Thursday, the Legislature was still facing a $400 million-plus shortfall in the proposed budget for next year. A tax plan had not yet been approved, and Gov. Sam Brownback said that if the Legislature did not have a tax plan by Monday, one option would be to fill $384 million of the hole by using the entire state funding for the Regents institutions.
Fort Hays State’s share would come to $32 million. President Martin spent Thursday and Friday in Topeka urging lawmakers to save higher education.
She said that almost all the talk about the tax bill emphasizes that it is the largest tax increase in Kansas history.
“All I can do is say it again: Taking our state operating funds would have virtually shut down FHSU, and that would have taken paychecks away from hundreds of people, and taken away an education from thousands of students,” she said.
“It would have taken a 100-percent tuition increase at FHSU to make up the difference, and that’s just on paper. But in realty, the numbers of students would not have been there because many of them could not afford that kind of cost increase, and for the ones who were left we would have had to increase tuition by at least another 50-percent to try to make up the loss.”
President Martin was careful to explain that the feeling of relief does not equal endorsement of the tax plan.
“All this does is it lets us live to fight another day,” she said. “My responsibility is to protect the 800-plus Fort Hays State families who earn their livings at our institution. I was looking out for the students who depend on us for their educations, who are banking a large part of their futures on what they want to learn here.”
“Those people are my responsibility, as are our obligations to the local businesses, contractors and vendors who depend on Fort Hays State for a large part of their livelihoods. Those are the people whose voices I carried with me to the Capitol.”
By Friday, there was only one option left to avoid devastation to FHSU. Some legislators argued that the governor was bluffing, that he would never go through with such drastic cuts.
“And I said maybe, maybe not, but do you really want to risk higher education in Kansas on that kind of bet?”
The essence of leadership is to make the unpopular decisions in times of crisis, said President Martin.
“It could be said that higher education in Kansas was in crisis, and whatever the political merits or flaws of this particular tax bill, the legislators who voted to pass it came to grips with reality.” More time was needed, but time had run out in this session, and painful decisions had to be made, she said.
For President Martin, the primary issue was much closer to home. She did not have to return to Hays to shut down Fort Hays State and then decide how much of it could be brought back.
“We lived to fight another day,” she said, “and I am thankful for that.”
McDonald’s of Hays, the Hays Larks and Hays Recreation Commission will have McKid Ball Saturday morning at Dusty Glassman Field, Fourth and Milner.
The event is free, but the registration deadline for boys and girls from age 7 to 10 is Wednesday.
Larks players will coach and pitch to each team, and be available for autographs. Participants will return to Larks Park on Saturday evening to run on the field for the starting lineup with the Larks, throw out the first pitch, and watch the Larks take on the opposing team.
McDonald’s of Hays will sponsor the Larks game, providing free admission for the general public.
ELLINWOOD -He was not only known by members of the church he served in Ellinwood, but also to listeners of the “Word” radio program each Sunday morning on 1590 KVGB radio in Great Bend.
Pastor Jeffrey Frakes host of the program always brought a message of inspiration and hope.
Pastor Frakes, 47, passed away Saturday at his home in Ellinwood after a two year battle with cancer.
Even while going through chemotherapy treatments, Pastor Frakes continued his radio program up until three weeks ago. He also continued his service to his congregation at St. John Lutheran Church in Ellinwood where he had been the minister for the past 8-years.
For the past two years, he had also served as the Pastor for Grace Lutheran Church in Lyons.
He is survived by his wife Mary and daughters Elizabeth, Sarah and Emily. A fund for the family has been set up at Sunflower Bank.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 10:00 a.m. at St. John Lutheran Church in Ellinwood.
After nearly five years, Ellis County Administrator Greg Sund is stepping down later this month.
Sund submitted his letter of resignation at Monday evening’s county commission meeting, effective June 26.
Sund who began his tenure with Ellis County in July 2010 said he would not comment on his resignation other than to say he is “further exploring his options.”
Before coming to Ellis County, Sund worked as a city administrator for Spearfish, S.D., for one year and Dickinson, N.D., for 12 years.
He was Ellis County’s first ever county administrator.
In other business, commissioners:
• Approved the hiring of one full-time buildings and grounds technician.
• Approved BG Consultants to begin the application process to replace a bridge on North County Line Road over Tom Cat Creek. The application is through the KDOT Bridge Improvement Program.
• Heard requests for funding from five outside agencies through the 2016 budget.
• Went into executive session for 15 minutes to discuss non-elected personnel matters.
