9-year old Liberal bat boy Kaiser Carlile in the Bee Jays dugout at Larks Park in mid July. (Courtesy Liberal Bee Jays)
LIBERAL, Kan. (AP) — Family, friends and teammates of a 9-year-old Kansas boy who died when he was accidentally hit by a bat honored him Tuesday as an inspiration whose big smile will always be remembered.
A funeral for Kaiser Carlile was held at the Seward County Community Center gymnasium. Kaiser was injured Aug. 1 by a player’s swing near the on-deck circle during a National Baseball Congress World Series game in Wichita. He died the next day.
His Liberal Bee Jays teammates were among several hundred people who attended the funeral, The Wichita Eagle reported.
His parents and his sister all spoke during the service. The parents thanked people from Liberal and across the nation who have overwhelmed them with support and prayers since the boy’s death.
GREAT BEND-The Barton County Juvenile Services Department is trying to deal with the loss of over $32 thousand dollars from their 2016 budget. The budget cuts did not come from money provided by Barton County.
Instead the cuts came from the Department of Corrections Juvenile Services in Topeka, part of a $62 million dollar budget realignment at the state level. The cuts have left Director Laurie White scrambling to find ways to make up for the lost funding.
“We recently had a position come open but we are not going to fill that position. We will allot some money to the on-call workers instead,” said White.
White also told Barton County Commissioner on Monday that some of the money set aside for administrative salaries would now be used for prevention personnel and other services.
Commissioner on Monday approved the Revised 2016 fiscal budget for Juvenile Services, which is part of the 20th Judicial District that includes Barton, Rice, Russell, Ellsworth and Stafford Counties.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback is urging districts to move more of the money they get into the classroom and hold down administrative costs of running the school.
The Republican governor made to comment to reporters Tuesday after addressing educators attending a training session on a reading initiative funded by welfare funds.
His advice comes as school districts across the state grapple with funding cuts.
Brownback says Kansas law requires districts to spend two-thirds of their funding in the classroom, but only a handful of districts actually get that done.
But Mark Farr, the president of the state’s largest teacher’s union, says teachers need the support of a whole school to be successful in a classroom. He says if the governor really wants to help schools, he would fund schools.
It’s almost that time again for area farmers to plant wheat. The 2015 Kansas Wheat Seed Book is available for farmers to compare different types of wheat and the results of testing.
DODGE CITY – Two Kansas men were injured in an accident just before 9a.m. on Tuesday in Ford County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2008 GMC pickup driven by Bill J. Rebein, 81, Dodge City, was northbound on 102 Road five miles west of Dodge City.
The driver failed to yield right of way at the stop sign and was struck by a semi that was westbound on U.S. 50.
The pickup left the roadway and struck a fence. The semi driven by Manuel R. Vestal, 41, Scott City, left the roadway and stuck a utility pole.
Rebein and Vestal were transported to Western Plains Regional Medical Center.
Rebein was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
One final change was made to the proposed 2016 Ellis County budget before it was published last week.
Auditor Ken Beran with Adams Brown Beran and Ball said at Monday night’s Ellis County Commission meeting that they added four jailor positions to the sheriff’s department’s budget.
The added positions increase the final proposed mill levy to 36.728, an increase of 2.361. Beran said the county cannot increase the mill levy once it was published.
The public hearing on the 2016 budget is set for Aug. 17 at 5:30 p.m. during the County Commission meeting at the Ellis County Administrative Center in the basement meeting room.
In other business, the commission received an audit report from Melissa Romme at Adams Brown Beran and Ball for both the Public Building Commission and the County Commission.
The commission also got an update on the building process of the Law Enforcement Center and Courthouse and Emergency Services building. Spokeswoman Denae Denio-Odle told the commission construction on the EMS building is expected to be completed by the middle of September.
Commissioners also met in executive session with Public Works Interim Director Curt Hoffman. No action was taken.
MANHATTAN –Law enforcement authorities in Manhattan have made an arrest in connection with a reported Tuesday morning
Officers with the Riley County Police Department and the Manhattan Fire Department responded just after 11 a.m. to what was reported as a bomb threat that was called in at Florence Manufacturing at 5935 Corporate Drive
During the ensuing investigation, employees were evacuated by management and moved to an adjacent business.
RCPD Officers secured the scene and requested a bomb dog from the Kansas Highway Patrol to assist in the investigation. Before the bomb squad was requested it was determined that there was no bomb threat.
According to Officer Mat Droge, probable cause was found to make one arrest. The name of the suspect has not been released.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A 60-year-old former bookkeeper faces charges accusing her of stealing more than $100,000 from a Topeka company.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports Marcia Kay Collins is charged with theft of more than $100,000 and criminal use of a financial card in which losses were at least $1,000 but less than $25,000.
Shawnee County District Court records show she also faces two misdemeanors involving the misuse of a credit card.
Evidence presented at a preliminary hearing estimates the loss to Smith Audio Visual at more than $300,000.
Collins was released on bond from the Shawnee County Jail and is scheduled to be arraigned Oct. 8. A trial date hasn’t been scheduled.
Her lawyer, Rachel Pickering, declined comment Tuesday.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) — Riley County commissioners have tabled a proposal to extend the state’s Native Stone Scenic Byway into the county.
The Manhattan Mercury reports commissioners said Monday they wanted to learn more about the potential effects of the proposal before voting.
The 48-mile byway runs through the Flint Hills. The proposal would extend the byway through sections of Riley County.
Extension of the byway would subject the roads in question to state regulations that would prohibit the construction of billboards and commercial off-premise signs along the route.
Officials said the scenic byway designation would also make the county eligible to apply for certain grants pertaining to the construction of scenic overlooks.
Residents at Monday’s meeting, however, voiced concern that increased regulation could limit their property values and rights as landowners.
Longtime Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora left the group in 2013, and is focusing on his solo career now, but many fans of the New Jersey rockers have been wondering whether he eventually would consider reuniting with them.
Sambora, who is recording a collaborative album with his current girlfriend, Australian guitar whiz Orianthi, that’s expected to be released next year, tells ABC Radio that although he has “no plans right now” to work with Bon Jovi again, he could see reuniting with the band under the right circumstances.
“I’m not ruling it out, because I think I would do it a lot for the fans there, because they were so important to us,” he explains.
“I wouldn’t want to go out and do those long tours anymore, but…I love those guys, man, and I’m not shunning it whatsoever…Man, we had a run. Thirty years is a run.”
Sambora admits that the grind of the cycle of recording albums and heading out on lengthy tours was a big factor in his decision to exit Bon Jovi, but he says that wasn’t the only reason.
“I just needed a change,” he maintains. “Plus, I wanted to sing again. You know, I’ve been lead singer in all the bands I was in before this band, and I did a pretty good job. So, I wanted to get back into that and see where I was going with that.”
Richie says his years with Bon Jovi, not surprisingly, have made him quite wealthy, which is allowing him the opportunity to experiment with the new music he’s making while not having to worry about answering to a record company.
Looking back at the pressure he experienced being in Bon Jovi, Sambora notes, “[When] we went to work we went to work. And Jon and I were primary songwriters for that band, so I gotta be there from the beginning…So right after [the band finishes a tour,] you go into the studio. So that’s…three months there. Maybe you got a month off, then you start the promotional tour and then, it’s 16-and-a-half months on the road. That was a normal tour for us. There was some breaks, but not significant, you know.”
He also points out that those long treks made it difficult for him to spend time with his daughter, although he made provisions to take private planes to attend important events with her whenever he could.
“As long as I was close enough to get back and forth…I set a specific fund to stay in touch with her,” Richie explains. “So that worked out really well.”
With his commitments to Bon Jovi behind him, Sambora says he’s looking forward to introducing his new music projects, including his album with Orianthi to fans. “Creating this brand and creating my own brand, it’s very, very important to me right now,” he declares.
MCPHERSON- Law enforcement authorities in McPherson County continue to investigate a fatal Sunday morning accident.
The McPherson County Sheriff’s office reported a 1999 Pontiac Bonneville driven by Brandon Berry, 18, Hutchinson, was northbound on 4th Avenue just south of 56 Highway.
The vehicle crossed the centerline, traveled into the west ditch, hit a pole and rolled. The driver and a passenger Levi Simms, 18, Hutchinson, were ejected.
Sims was pronounced dead at the scene. Berry was transported to McPherson County Hospital and later transferred to a hospital in Wichita.
They were not wearing seat belts, according to the McPherson County Sheriff.
A McPherson County Deputy responding to another call just before 5 a.m. on Sunday discovered the accident.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas utility regulators plan hearings later this month on a proposed agreement to allow the state’s largest electric company to raise its annual rates by $78 million.
The agreement involves Westar Energy, a state consumer advocacy agency and other parties in Westar’s rate case before the Kansas Corporation Commission.
The KCC plans to handle procedural issues during a Wednesday meeting at its Topeka offices. It plans to open hearings on the agreement Aug. 17 and has set aside up to five days.
Westar initially sought a $152 million rate increase and said the revenues largely would cover the costs of upgrading power plants.
The company says that under the agreement most households would see their monthly bills rise from $5 to $7. Westar has nearly 700,000 Kansas customers.
MANHATTAN – A Kansas man is in custody after allegedly hitting a woman with his vehicle.
The Pottawatomie County Sheriff reported in a media release that just before 1:30 a.m. on Sunday, deputies and Emergency Service staff responded to a call of a woman being struck by a vehicle at State Lake 2, State Lake Rd, in rural Manhattan.
While investigating the incident, deputies received information that the injured woman was allegedly injured by a man with whom she had been arguing with earlier.
The suspect was reported to be driving a vehicle at the time the victim’s injuries occurred and she was outside of the vehicle when she was injured.
The suspect identified as Russell A. Mayse, 34, Manhattan, was taken into custody for Aggravated Battery and DUI.
The female victim was transported to a local hospital, treated and later released.
