Cheryl Faye Brooks, age 71, of Hays, passed away on June 7, 2015 at Hays Medical Center. She was born July 11, 1943 in Des Moines, IA to Willis and Mildred LaVergne (Higby) Cox. She graduated from Phillipsburg High School and attended Kansas University and Fort Hays State University where she met her husband James Brooks. They married June 19, 1965 at Pecusa Chapel at Webster Lake.
She devoted more than twenty years to her work in medical records at St. Anthony Hospital (now Hays Medical Center). She belonged to St. Michael’s Church in Hays, P.E.O. chapter GS, and she enjoyed singing, cross stitch, crocheting, and attending arts and theatre events. She was interested in medicine, biological sciences, chemistry, history, and Spanish. Cheryl never met a stranger, and struck up lively discussions with people from all walks of life.
She is survived by her husband, James of Hays; a daughter, Amy Brooks and her husband Brian Lee of Fremont, CA; son Brian Brooks and his wife Jill and children Lucy and Olive of Prairie Village, KS; and a brother, Ken Cox, his wife Corliss and daughter MacKenzie, of Independence, MO.
She was preceded in death by her parents.
Funeral services will be at 10:00 AM Friday, June 12, 2015 at St. Michael’s Episcopal Church in Hays.
Visitation will be Thursday 6 PM – 8 PM at Brock’s-Keithley Funeral Chapel and Crematory, and Friday from 9 AM until service time at the church.
As a memorial, the family requests donations to the Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Condolences may be sent to the family by guest book at www.keithleyfuneralchapels.com or emailed to [email protected].
“It’s a line in the sand,” USD 489 school board member Greg Schwartz said Tuesday night during teacher contract negotiations.
“The board has no interest in binding arbitration,” Schwartz reported to representatives of the Hays National Education Association.
The current contract includes an “Arbitration of Interests Option” for unresolved issues in the negotiation procedure for teachers, in which the “arbitrators decision will be binding on both parties.”
“We’ll look at other means such as mediation or a hearing officer,” Schwartz added.
Kim Schneweis, HNEA co-chair, said “We want to stay with arbitration. It’s quicker, cheaper and more private than a public hearing.”
“But we (USD 489) are a public agency,” countered Schwartz. There was disagreement between the sides whether lawyers would necessarily be involved in either scenario or whether there would be cost savings to the district.
“We’ve used binding arbitration once in 25 years,” according to Kathy Wagoner, HNEA co-chair.
Due process was also addressed.
“The board is willing to look at a new process which gives teachers a right to a hearing before the board,” Schwartz said.
Hays school board members spent 90 minutes in executive session Monday evening at the end of their work session to discuss teacher contract negotiations.
The members, absent President James Leiker, reversed their idea of changing the Leave Policy to Paid Time Off (PTO).
“The board wants to remove PTO language and the Leave plan would remain as it is in the current contract,” Schwartz informed the teachers group.
USD 489 also wants to cap accumulated sick leave buyout at 80 days, a move that would also change some longtime employees’ state KPERS retirement monies.
“There is no cap today,” Schwartz said.
“That’s a big step out of the lines,” replied union committee member Zach Butte, “and changes our perspective.”
Butte said he will regroup his Leave Committee “to consider what we might be missing.”
“I don’t want to minimize the importance of what the whole objective is of education,” said Schwartz, “but you guys are fighting for contract rights, and we’re trying to protect the district and provide those benefits and the pay that we can so we keep and retain teachers but also to spend as little on that as possible so we have it (money) to make sure we have enough teachers, so that we have additional programs, we have classroom supplies, so we can cut fees for parents so they don’t have to pay for enrollment — which they’re not supposed to anyway.”
“Those are all the aspects we’re looking at and we can’t do that unless we shift the money — there’s no way to do it. We have one means to raise additional money and it’s failed twice,” he added.
USD 489 patrons rejected a proposed 1 percent increase in the Local Option Budget (LOB) a year ago in June and also in April 2009, according to Ellis County Clerk Donna Maskus.
One major issue not addressed this week was salary negotiations. It’s expected to be discussed at the next meeting.
Negotiations are scheduled to resume Tuesday, June 23, at 5.p.m. in the Rockwell Administration Center. The meeting will be broadcast live by Hays High School on Eagle Cable TV Channel 13.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A judge has denied a University of Kansas student’s request to have records from a research center subject to open records laws.
A student group is seeking the release of hundreds of pages of emails and other documents to determine what ties exist between Art Hall, executive director of an economic research center, and billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Douglas County Judge James McCabria on Tuesday denied student Schuyler Kraus’ request to deem those records subject to the Kansas Open Records Act, which would allow the university to release them.
McCabria says more evidence is needed to resolve disputed facts, including whether Hall’s a public employee.
Hall’s lawyer says his client’s a private individual and that needs “further exploration” in a trial setting.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans in the GOP-dominated Kansas House are working on a new plan for raising taxes to balance the next state budget.
They hoped they could overcome sharp differences enough to unveil their proposal Wednesday. House and Senate negotiators scheduled public talks and a new plan would be outlined then if it is ready.
The budget approved by legislators for the fiscal year beginning July 1 won’t balance as required under the state constitution without $400 million in tax increases.
Republicans are divided over how much to raise taxes on more than 330,000 business owners and farmers who stopped paying income taxes on their profits. That 2012 policy was championed by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.
The Senate approved a tax plan Sunday, but House members doubt it can pass their chamber.
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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republicans in the GOP-dominated Kansas House are working on a new plan for raising taxes to balance the next state budget.
They hoped they could overcome sharp differences enough to unveil their proposal Wednesday.
The budget approved by legislators for the fiscal year beginning July 1 won’t balance as required under the state constitution without $400 million in tax increases.
Republicans are divided over how much to raise taxes on more than 330,000 business owners and farmers who stopped paying income taxes on their profits. It was a 2012 policy championed by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback.
The House’s GOP leaders and its tax and budget committee chairmen shuttled proposals Tuesday between two rival groups.
The Senate approved a tax plan Sunday, but House members doubt it can pass their chamber.
WICHITA – Two people were injured in an accident just after 10 a.m. on Wednesday in Sedgwick County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2006 Ford Truck driven by Gerald R. Allgood, 83, Wichita, was entering northbound Interstate 235 from 25th Street.
The truck driver attempted to make a left turn onto the crossover and turned in front of a 2008 Honda SUV driven by Katia C. Abdallah, 49, Wichita. The SUV hit the truck.
Abdallah was transported to St. Francis Medical Center.
Allgood was injured but refused transport for treatment according to the KHP.
Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Department of Corrections could be forced to eliminate programs and cut staffing if the Legislature can’t pass tax increases to balance the state budget.
Spokesman Adam Pfannenstiel said Wednesday that such cuts would compromise public safety.
Gov. Sam Brownback’s budget director has said that Brownback would most likely cut $400 million from the budget approved by lawmakers for the fiscal year beginning July 1 if they don’t raise taxes to avert a deficit. Agencies would lose 6.2 percent of their state funds.
Pfannenstiel said the Department of Corrections could eliminate several programs aimed at transitioning prisoners into productive civilian life. He said the prison population would rise.
He said at least 70 vacant corrections officer positions could be eliminated and many probation officers could be laid off.
ELLIS — Ellis USD 388 has tabbed longtime assistant coach Craig Amrein as the next head football coach of the Railroaders.
Amrein served as an assistant coach at Ellis for eight seasons under coach Butch Hayes. Before that, he was an assistant to Ryan Cornelsen at La Crosse.
USD 388
After serving as an assistant coach with Hayes and Cornelsen, Amrein said he is excited to be a head coach.
Amrein also said he believes his familiarity with the players will help to make it a smooth transition.
“I’ve been assistant, I’ve been D (defensive) coordinator and I’ve also been assistant offensive coordinator before, so the kids know what they’re getting into,” Amrein said. “They know what my expectations are.”
From 2006 through 2011, Ellis posted six straight playoff appearances. Since then, the Railroaders have suffered three straight losing seasons, and Amrein said they need to get tougher if they are going to get the program back to where it was.
“Right now, one of the things that I am going to look at it mental toughness,” Amrein said. “We have got to get tougher across the board and a lot of that comes from time in the weight room.”
Amrein is a computer technology teacher at the Ellis High School.
Hayes, who also served as boys basketball coach, departed Ellis for a position at Rock Creek USD 323 in Westmoreland.
The USD 388 approved the hiring of Amrein as the head high school football coach and Brandon Maska as the head boys basketball coach at Monday’s meeting.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A new government report paints a more upbeat forecast for the size of the Kansas winter wheat crop in the wake of plentiful rains this past month.
The National Agricultural Statistics Service reported Wednesday it anticipates this year’s wheat production at 314.5 million bushels in Kansas.
Its updated estimate reflects the impact of timely rains as the Kansas crop finished maturing. The new forecast is well above the 272 million bushels the agency forecast just a month ago.
If realized, this year’s Kansas winter wheat will be a vast improvement over last year’s drought-plagued crop of 246.4 million bushels.
This year’s winter wheat across the nation is now anticipated to bring in 1.51 billion bushels, up 2 percent from last month’s forecast.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is about to announce that the U.S. will send more troops to Iraq to boost the training of local forces.
Officials say it’s a response to recent setbacks at the hands of the Islamic State militants, and to Baghdad’s appeals for more help.
The officials say fewer than 500 troops will be sent.
Under the expected plan, the number of U.S. training sites in Iraq would increase from four to five. That would enable a larger number of Iraqis to join the fight against the Islamic militant group.
Most of the fighters would be Sunni tribal volunteers.
The decision comes just days after President Barack Obama met with Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi in Germany.
The plan does not signal a shift in strategy, and questions remain about the Iraqi government’s ability to recruit more fighters to be trained.
House Speaker John Boehner says sending several hundred military advisers to Iraq “is a step in the right direction.” But at a news conference today, he repeatedly criticized Obama for not having “an overarching strategy” for dealing with the Islamic State.
A Kansas man is charged in an eighteen-count indictment unsealed Tuesday with removing, altering or obliterating manufacturer’s serial numbers, causing other individuals to make straw purchases of firearms and exporting firearms overseas, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom said in a news release
Michael Andrew Ryan, also known as “Brad Jones” and “GunRunner,” 35, of Manhattan, was charged in an indictment filed on June 3, 2015, in Topeka with knowingly making false statements to licensed firearms dealers; possession of firearms from which the manufacturer’s serial numbers had been removed, altered and obliterated; and exporting and/or attempting to export these firearms in different packages from the United States to individuals located in other countries.
According to allegations in the indictment, Ryan knowingly possessed a total of nine guns, including a Glock model 27 .40 caliber pistol, from which the manufacturer’s serial numbers had been removed, altered and obliterated, 318 rounds of assorted ammunition and eight magazines, which had been shipped and transported in interstate and foreign commerce in violation of federal law.
According to allegations in the indictment, Ryan had also exported and attempted to export these firearms in different packages from the United States to individuals located in Cork, Ireland; Mallow, Ireland; Pinner, England; Edinburgh, Scotland; and Victoria, Australia.
The charges contained in the indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The case is being investigated by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) Kansas City Field Division; Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations Topeka Divisions; the Manhattan Police Department and Riley County Police Department; with assistance from the ATF Washington D.C. Division. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Hough of the District of Kansas, Senior Counsels Marie-Flore Johnson and Gavin Corn of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section.
When Dennis Hastert was indicted for trying to cover up some $3.5 million in hush money payments to a man he’d allegedly sexually abused decades ago, Washington was shocked. I wasn’t.
I was shocked that Hastert, who’d spent the better part of his life in public service after working as a high school teacher and wrestling coach, could afford to contemplate a $3.5 million payout.
Then I learned that the former Republican House speaker had turned into a lobbyist once he left Congress, and it all became clear. For a big-time lobbyist with low friends in high places, $3.5 million is no big deal. Multi-billion-dollar companies rush to stuff the pockets of former legislators with cash.
And lawmakers who are in Congress welcome their lobbyist former colleagues. That’s not merely because they get campaign funds, but also because they hope that they too will get cushy lobbying jobs when they leave office.
It’s called democracy, folks. Ain’t it wonderful?
Actually, not so much. I can hardly believe that our Founding Fathers wanted their experiment in self-governance to spawn a highest-bidder-take-all bazaar.
This hiring of former members of Congress as bagmen isn’t an exclusively Republican phenomenon. It’s the name of the game.
When Tom Daschle, a liberal Senate majority leader, was defeated in 2004, he immediately set up shop in a high-powered lobbying firm for a reported $2 million salary. Former Republican Majority Leader Bob Dole led the South Dakota Democrat to the firm.
Then there are the Clintons, whom Hillary famously said were “dead broke” when Bill left office. So Bill hit the lecture circuit to put food on the table — sometimes at $500,000 a speech.
Now that she’s running for president again, Hillary Clinton has decided she’ll need $2 billion to convince voters of her worth. And people are lining up to give it to her. Republicans, meanwhile, are courting billionaire patrons.
Jeb Bush, former first brother, hasn’t officially announced his candidacy yet. This trick allows him to collect money from donors without revealing who they are and without any limits on how much they can give.
I realize our government has never been as clean as we’d like to think. In the 19th century, two of our greatest and most powerful senators, Henry Clay and Daniel Webster, were openly on the payrolls of railroads while in office.
Railroads did quite well during their tenure, unsurprisingly.
The good government movement of 100 years ago was a reaction to the raging corruption of the patronage system that characterized our cities at the time. “Bosses” who ran “machines” for fun and profit handed out contracts, jobs, and public office appointments.
It was a rotten system and we’re well rid of it. But I’m not sure that this political auction we’ve got now is much better. Our system is awash in money, all of it aimed at buying power and influence. At least with political patronage people got jobs — and to keep them, they had to get voters to the polls.
Our current system discourages voting. That’s the real point of the negative campaigning that’s come to dominate our elections. It isn’t designed to convince you to vote for anyone but to make you so disgusted with your options that you stay home. Even in presidential elections, nearly half of American voters do.
Republicans are particularly good at this, by the way. They have to be. After you’ve spent two or more years alienating blacks, Latinos, immigrants, gays, teachers, union members, old people, and women, the only shot you’ve got is to discourage them from voting.
That’s why you need all that money. Destroying reputations doesn’t come cheap.
In my next life I’m going to be a lobbyist. I’ve spent my life attacking the reputations of the rich and famous for reasons I felt were just and proper, and I have precious little to show for it. If I’d been doing this for the benefit of corporate clients rather than newspaper readers I could move to Easy Street, where I belong.
OtherWords.org columnist Donald Kaul lives in Ann Arbor, Mich.
Dear Dave,
I have a debt with a collection agency and they have started calling my office. Last week, I made an agreement for monthly payments, along with an initial payment. All of a sudden, they were calling me again this morning at my office.
Can I legally demand that they not call me at my place of employment? Joelle
Dave Ramsey
Dear Joelle,
Yes, you can. I’m glad you’re keeping in mind that you have a legal and moral obligation to pay your debts. But collectors have rules they must follow, also. They’re governed by law just like everyone else.
If they call you at work again, simply remind them of the terms of the payment agreement already in place and demand that they never call you at your office again. Also, send them a certified letter, return receipt requested, so that you’ll have proof you sent the letter and they received it. In the letter, let them know that according to guidelines set forth in the Federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act you are formally demanding that they not call you at your office again.
If they call you at your office after you demand that they stop, they’ll be in violation of federal law. And if that happens, let them know that you’ll be talking to a lawyer and you will sue them! —Dave
Dave Ramsey is America’s trusted voice on money and business. He has authored five New York Times best-selling books. The Dave Ramsey Show is heard by more than 8.5 million listeners each week on more than 550 radio stations. Dave’s latest project, EveryDollar, provides a free online budget tool. Follow Dave on Twitter at @DaveRamsey and on the web at daveramsey.com.
