WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A 32-year-old Wichita man has pleaded guilty in the killing of a man after a dispute over which of them owned a pit bull.
The Wichita Eagle reports Justin Rourke pleaded guilty Wednesday to involuntary manslaughter for the death of 41-year-old Roman Padilla. He had been initially charged with second-degree murder.
According to police, Rourke and others went to Padilla’s home on June 11 to retrieve a pit bull he believed belonged to him. Authorities say that during an argument, Rourke pulled out a gun and shot Padilla in the chest. They say he also shot and killed the dog, which apparently charged.
Rourke’s sentencing hearing has been scheduled for Oct. 16.
Pauline Deutscher, 98, died at Someren Glen nursing home, Centennial, Colorado, on August 23, 2015. Born in Lindsborg, Kansas on January 29, 1917, she was the daughter of the late Petrus and Ellyn (Hjerpe) Sundquist.
Pauline taught first grade in Ellis, Kansas starting in the fall of 1954. She became the Ellis school district’s librarian in the fall of 1961 where she served until her retirement in 1981.
Pauline loved music; she sang in the Ellis United Methodist Church Choir. She was a member of PEO, serving for a time as the Ellis Chapter President. Circle Cleo, a bowling team and The Cosmos Club were also groups she enjoyed… She was an avid reader and embroidery expert. She loved working outside at their family farm.
She is survived by her daughter, Susan Campbell and her husband Buddy, and her son James Scott, and his wife Jane, her sister-in-law, Betty Calvert, seven grandchildren, fifteen great grandchildren, four nieces and six nephews.
She was predeceased by her brothers, Malcolm (Doris) and Karl and her beloved husband, Harold Deutscher.
The funeral will be held at the Ellis United Methodist Church on Thursday, September 3, 2015, at 10:30 am. A graveside service will follow.
Arrangements in care of Keithley Funeral Chapel 400 E. 17th Ellis, KS 67637.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ellis United Methodist Church or to the PEO Scholarship Fund.
Steve T. Little, age 64 and Kathy A. Little, age 62 of Hays passed away Thursday, August 20, 2015. Steve was born May 13, 1951 in Wichita, KS to Thomas and Onita (Steen) Little. Kathy was born January 12, 1953 in Hays, Kansas to Walter and Helen (Frost) Staab. Both were graduates of Hays High; Steve in 1969 and Kathy in 1971. They were married May 28, 1972.
Steve was a Fleet and Commercial Vehicle Specialist with Lewis Ford of Hays. He was an avid outdoorsman who especially enjoyed fishing. Steve had a knack for being able to repair and build just about anything. Kathy was a homemaker and co-owner of Romantic Keepsakes and Little’s Antiques with her husband. She enjoyed traveling, family and spending time with Steve at the lake.
They are survived by their children: Mike Little and wife Heather of Olathe, KS, Corey Little and wife Courtney of Anderson, SC and Liza Sorrels and husband Michael of Hays, four grandchildren: Amanda Little, Jacob Little, Joshua Little and Braydin Little, as well as one grandchild on the way. Steve is also survived by two brothers: Robert Little of Topeka, KS and David Little of Camdenton, MO and Kathy is survived by a sister, Cindy Staab of Goodland, KS.
They were both preceded in death by their parents and Kathy was also preceded by a brother, James Staab.
There will be no public funeral services.
Friends are encouraged to sign a memory book at Brock’s-Keithley Funeral Chapel and Crematory 2509 Vine Hays, KS 67601 Friday 1 PM – 5 PM and Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM.
Memorial contributions are suggested to be used according to the wishes of the family to be designated at a later date.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — The father of a Wichita baby not seen since July will spend a year in jail for violating his probation on a battery charge.
During a court hearing Wednesday, Gary McKensey Moore Jr., admitted he ignored a no-contact order with Michelle Mendez when he married her in February.
He also cut off his GPS tracking device, didn’t report to his probation officer and didn’t pay court costs. The admissions sent him back to Sedgwick County jail.
The Wichita Eagle reports Moore’s 5-month-old son, Vincent Moore, hasn’t been seen since July 11. The child was last seen leaving a house with his father July 11. When officers stopped Moore on July 29, his 2-year-old child was with him but the baby wasn’t.
Moore has not been charged in Vincent’s disappearance.
The area between the Fort Hays State University campus and downtown Hays will be filled with pedestrians Thursday evening.
Students and faculty from FHSU, NCKTech and the Hays Academy of Hair Design will join in the third annual Core 2 Campus celebration Thursday, organized by the Downtown Hays Development Corporation.
“The presidents of each school will also be joining us as we walk from the FHSU quad, starting at 5:30 p.m., along 8th Street to Fort Street and to 10th Street, ending up in the C2C staging area at 10th and Main,” said DHDC Executive Director Sara Bloom.
“The universities are so important to Hays, as well as downtown, and we really want to bring those two important entities together,” she said.
“We show the students that you don’t have to drive to Vine Street or Wal-Mart every time. You can just walk downtown from campus and we have all these great products and all these great services right in your back yard.”
More than 30 downtown Hays businesses will be participating and stay open until 8 p.m. Raffle tickets can be picked up at each location with prizes to be given away that include $500 cash and gift cards to the businesses, according to Bloom. Drawing will take place at 7:45 p.m. and you must be present to win.
Representatives from several Hays city departments will also be on hand, including the Convention and Visitors Bureau, Hays Regional Airport, Public Works Department and the Hays Police Department.
“It’ll be a chance for students to meet some of our city employees,” Bloom said.
A live band will be playing in the staging area and free Taco Shop dinners will be provided to the first 500 people courtesy of FHSU, DHDC, Hays CVB, and Eagle Communications.
Hays city commissioners will also join the walkers, and then start their Thursday work session an hour later, at 7:30 p.m. in city hall.
PRATT– Law enforcement authorities in Pratt County made an arrest following a chase just before 1a.m. on Thursday.
In a media release, the Pratt County Sheriff reported a deputy attempted to stop a vehicle on Lake Road approximately 2 miles west of South East 25th Avenue.
The vehicle had gone left of center, into the ditch and back up on the roadway.
When the deputy activated his emergency lights the vehicle sped away, went south on South East 10th Avenue to South East 60th Street and then made numerous turns on county roads.
The vehicle eventually got onto K-42 Highway, west to South East 50th. Avenue. and was stopped by another sheriff’s deputy at South East. 50th Avenue and SE 70th. Street.
The driver Kyle Hammond, 22, was taken into custody and booked into the Pratt County Jail for Felony Flee and Elude, and Felony Drive While Suspended along with numerous traffic violations.
A female passenger that was in the vehicle was briefly detained at the scene and released.
There were no injuries or damage to property during this pursuit.
PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — Pittsburg State University has completed a 15-year, $30 million effort to remodel all residential housing on its campus.
On Wednesday, the university rededicated the final project — a $3.1 million renovation of National Hall East.
The Joplin Globe reports most of the residence halls on campus are more than 50 years old.
The renovations included enlarged bathrooms, new windows, renovated laundry rooms and improved mechanical systems.
Steve Erwin, vice president of student life, said the university decided in the mid- to late 1990s that the school either had to upgrade the residential halls or stop offering on-campus housing.
The school’s on-campus residential census has increased from 778 in 1998 to 1,293 in 2014.
DALLAS – (AP) – Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby says he expects the conference to mandate due diligence and include more than just violent acts in a new rule that will prohibit schools from accepting transfer athletes with past disciplinary issues.
Bowlsby told The Associated Press the structure of the policy being crafted will be similar to one implemented by the Southeastern Conference. The SEC prevents schools from accepting transfers who have been dismissed from another team for “serious misconduct,” defined as sexual assault, domestic violence or other forms of sexual violence.
Bowlsby says he expects the Big 12 rule to “cast a broad net” and for schools to look into past discipline problems beyond violent acts.
He added that expects that decisions on transfers will be made by more than coaching staff personnel.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas officials are planning a public summit on drones this fall.
The Kansas USA Summit will be Oct. 15 in Wichita. Tiffany Brown, aviation director for the Kansas Department of Transportation, said Wednesday the meeting’s main objective is to show legislators and the public the businesses and resources the state has in the young industry.
The Wichita Eagle reports a 2013 study by a trade group said Kansas is one of the top 10 states to gain economic benefit from unmanned aerial systems in terms of jobs and manufacturing.
The report projected the industry could have a $2.9 billion economic impact and create more than 3,700 jobs in the next 10 years in Kansas.
Brown says the summit will also address the safe operation of the drones.
Dr. Heather Reeson Lambert of Lincoln, Neb., has recently been elected as president of Jana’s Campaign board of directors.
Jana’s Campaign is a Hays-based, national education and gender violence prevention organization created in honor of Jana Mackey, who lost her life to domestic violence in 2008. Mackey graduated from Hays High School in 2000. Working with middle and high schools, colleges and universities, and community-based organizations, Jana’s Campaign provides specialized educational programs designed to prevent gender and relationship violence.
Lambert is a professor of psychology at Doane College (NE) and is past president of the HOPE Crisis Center board of directors in Nebraska. HOPE provides services to domestic violence and sexual assault victims in southeast Nebraska.
“I am honored to serve as the next president of the board of directors of Jana’s Campaign. This organization has tremendous impact, and it is so impressive to see the magnitude of its programs and activities,” Lambert said in a news release Wednesday. ” In the past several years, Jana’s Campaign has moved from a regional to a national organization and is playing a significant role in addressing gender and relationship violence,” she added.
“Heather has been with us since we started Jana’s Campaign”, said Christie Brungardt, Jana’s mother and board member. “She is highly skilled and knowledgeable about this field, but most importantly, she is passionate about ending gender and relationship violence”.
Dr. Curt Brungardt, Jana’s step-father and past board president, has stepped down from the board and is now serving as a volunteer staff member with Jana’s Campaign. Other officers elected include Vice President Michelle McCormick of Topeka, KS; Treasurer Christie Brungardt of Hays, KS; and Secretary Jessie Zhai of Beijing, China.
Warm temperatures return this afternoon on breezy southwest winds of 20 to 30 mph. Highs are forecast to reach the mid 90s. By late in the afternoon, clouds will be increasing as a surface cold front moves through northwest Kansas and into central Kansas by the early evening. The location of the surface front will be the focus area for scattered thunderstorms development, probably somewhere south of I-70 near Hays southwest to around Hugoton. Some of the storms may initially become strong enough to produce small hail and wind gusts around 50 mph. Although an isolated severe storm with larger hail and stronger wind is possible, widespread severe weather is not expected. Any storms that do develop will move southward into central Kansas, diminishing after midnight. Slightly cooler highs in the upper 80s are expected Friday before a gradual warming trend into the 90s resumes this weekend.
Today A 40 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms, mainly after 3pm. Partly sunny, with a high near 96. South southwest wind 7 to 12 mph increasing to 13 to 18 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 28 mph.
Tonight Showers and thunderstorms likely, mainly before 9pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 65. South southwest wind 10 to 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
FridayMostly sunny, with a high near 88. West wind 10 to 13 mph becoming north in the afternoon.
Friday NightMostly clear, with a low around 62. North wind 5 to 11 mph.
SaturdaySunny, with a high near 89. North northeast wind 6 to 8 mph becoming east in the afternoon.
