DETROIT (AP) — Mazda is recalling its biggest SUV to fix suspension parts that can rust and come loose, causing a loss of steering control.
The recall covers more than 193,000 CX-9 SUVs in the U.S. from the 2007 through 2014 model years.
The company says in documents filed with U.S. safety regulators that front ball joints can rust from water leaks and separate from the suspension. Ball joints allow the wheels to pivot when the steering wheel is turned.
Dealers will replace the joints on both sides. When parts become available, owners of older vehicles in states where salt is used to clear roads in winter will get repairs first.
The recall comes after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opened an investigation into the problem in June. When the investigation was started, no crashes or injuries had been reported.
The MIAA held their annual football Media Day Tuesday at Sporting Park in Kansas City, Kan. Listen to coaches and players from all 12 schools as well as MIAA commissioner Dr. Bob Boerigter and director of officials Phil Laurie below…
Hays, Kansas- Katherine Herman, age 57, died Tuesday, August 4, 2015, at her home in Hays, Kansas.
She was born August 12, 1957, in LaCrosse, Kansas, to John T. and Frances (Basgall) Schuckman. She married William A. “Bill” Herman on February 19, 1982, in Denver, Colorado. He died July 14, 1989.
She was an Information and Referral Manager at First Call For Help in Hays. She was a 1975 graduate of Gorham High School and received her Bachelor’s Degree at Fort Hays State University. She always had a drive to help people and enjoyed flower gardening and being a grandma.
Survivors include two daughters, Jessica Jacobs and husband, Blaine, Quinter, KS; Ashley Herman, Overland Park, KS; one grandson, Preston Jacobs; one step granddaughter, Jaxxy Smith; three brothers, Glenn Schuckman, Russell, KS; John T. Schuckman Jr., Salina, KS; Ron Schuckman, Hays, KS; three sisters, Wanda Jane Becker and husband, John, Hays, KS; Cindy Reed, Russell, KS; Tricia Bieker and husband, Blake, Hays, KS.
She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; and one infant brother, Steve Schuckman.
Services are at 10:00 A.M. Friday, August 7, 2015, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church Gorham, Kansas. Burial in St. Mary’s Cemetery Gorham, Kansas.
Visitation is from 5:00 to 8:00 P.M. Thursday, at Cline’s Mortuary of Hays, 1919 East 22nd Street, Hays, Kansas 67601 and from 9:00 to 10:00 A.M. Friday, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church Gorham, Kansas.
A vigil service will be at 6:30 P.M. Thursday, at Cline’s Mortuary of Hays. Memorials to First Call For Help.
Phyllis Gilmore, secretary of the Kansas Department of Children and Families, said the agency had rescinded the $25 ATM withdrawal limit for welfare recipients. CREDIT DAVE RANNEY / HEARTLAND HEALTH MONITOR
By Jim MCLEAN
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback’s administration will not follow through on plans to limit welfare recipients to cash withdrawals of $25 per day.
Phyllis Gilmore, secretary of the Kansas Department for Children and Families, said Tuesday that federal officials objected to the limit, saying that it would prevent needy families from having “adequate access to their cash assistance.”
“This agency did not propose the $25 cash assistance withdrawal limit,” Gilmore said in a news release. “This was an amendment offered during legislative debate. At the time of discussion on the floor, DCF advised against such a low limit. I’m pleased that we now have the guidance we needed to rescind this measure.”
The version of the welfare reform bill that DCF backed limited recipients of Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) to cash withdrawals of $60 per day. It was lowered to $25 by an amendment offered by Sen. Caryn Tyson, a Parker Republican, that passed 23-14 on April 2 .
At the time, Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, a Wichita Democrat, predicted the restriction would create hardships for poor Kansans who pay their rent and utility bills with cash or money orders purchased with cash. She said she had accompanied some TANF recipients in her district to get a firsthand look at the steps needed to pay their bills.
“It’s a two-hour trip, and it’s not Gilligan’s Island,” Faust-Goudeau said during debate on the welfare bill. “It’s a two-hour trip on the bus just to get there, and then back home. So that’s four hours in that day.”
Later in the 2015 session, lawmakers approved a measure that allowed Gilmore to raise or rescind the $25 ATM limit if federal officials informed her that enforcing the limit would threaten the state’s TANF block grant https://www.khi.org/news/article/new-rules-limiting-cash-withdrawals-by-kansas-welfare-recipients-may-be-too . Gilmore said a letter received Monday from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services included such a warning, allowing her to rescind the ATM limit.
The withdrawal limit and a laundry list of restrictions on how TANF recipients could use their cash benefits drew national attention to the welfare debate in Kansas and criticism from the likes of Jon Stewart, host of “The Daily Show” on Comedy Central.
The measure initially was to take effect July 1, but DCF officials delayed enforcement for at least six months. The bill reduces the length of time that poor Kansans can remain eligible for TANF over their lifetimes from 48 months to 36 months.
To qualify for TANF, a three-person family — typically a single mother and two children — cannot have gross income above 26 percent of the federal poverty level, roughly $435 a month. At the time of the bill’s passage, the average per-person benefit was $114 a month.
The new welfare law also:
Prohibits TANF recipients from spending their cash assistance on alcohol, cigarettes, lottery tickets, pornography, lingerie, tattoos, body piercings, fortune-telling sessions or cruises.
Requires able-bodied parents on TANF to work at least 20 hours a week, apply for jobs or participate in job-training programs. Those who don’t will be dropped from the TANF program and lose their eligibility for food stamps.
Imposes a lifetime ban on TANF recipients who commit welfare fraud.
Bans adults convicted of two drug felonies from the food stamp program.
At a signing ceremony for the bill in April, Gilmore said the changes were intended to motivate Kansans receiving assistance to become self-sufficient.
“A person has the right to refuse to work, but the taxpayer also has a right to not support that person,” she said. “We have an obligation to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars. And these are policies that help everyone win.”
Jim McLean is executive editor of KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team.
John Richard Schrock is a professor at Emporia State University.
“U.S.A! U.S.A! We’re Number One!”
Well, maybe not. Aside from spending on military, the United States is somewhere down the list on nearly every other criterion. From personal income to longevity to health care to international test scores, various northern European and Asian countries outpace us. But if you average the rankings, Singapore might very well be the country that can most accurately claim: “We’re Number One!”
On August 9, Singapore celebrates its 50th anniversary as an independent nation.
I taught in the British colony of Hong Kong (now a part of China) from 1975 to 1978 and my attention was drawn to Singapore by teacher colleagues who had served at the Singapore American School. Singapore was an unusual democracy led by an intellectual. It has prospered to become the envy of every Asian country.
The British established Singapore as a trading colony in 1819. The intellectual Lee Kuan Yew led colleagues to break away and make Singapore independent in 1963. Singapore joined the Malaysian Federation in 1963 but was pushed out on August 9, 1965 for fear that Singapore would control Malaysia.
So began Singapore, a small city-state of 5,670,000. But it is the world’s busiest port. Lacking natural resources, Singapore became prosperous by becoming the most well-educated country in the world.
According to the C.I.A. country profile: “Singapore has a highly developed and successful free-market economy. It enjoys a remarkably open and corruption-free environment, stable prices, and a per capita GDP higher than that of most developed countries. Unemployment is very low. The economy depends heavily on exports, particularly of consumer electronics, information technology products, medical and optical devices, pharmaceuticals, and on its vibrant transportation, business, and financial services sectors.” That per capita Gross Domestic Product last year was US$82,800.
Life expectancy at birth is 82 for men and 87.5 for women. But along with a dramatically higher level of education comes a dramatically lower fertility rate of 0.81 children born per woman, way below replacement. As a result, Singapore provides large tax breaks for having children. And media campaigns suggest a child needs a sister or brother.
Health care takes up 4.6% of GDP which provides one physician for every 500 citizens. Singapore, similar to many Asian cities, is built with skyscraper apartments. Their cell phones are the most advanced in the world. And they discarded paper money and coins over a decade ago, using cell phones and transponder debit cards we are yet to see. The idea to allow only full cars to use the speed lane came from—you guessed it—Singapore. And Singapore is multi-lingual. To teach at their universities, you must speak English and one other language from among Chinese, Malay or Tamil.
In the last decade, many American schools have adopted “Singapore math” in an attempt to gain some magical curricular advantage. Their real advantage is their respect for education and teachers.
Singapore is easily the most successful “Mini-dragon” and was featured in an American television series of that name.
The “father of Singapore” was Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew who served for the first three decades and was a strong advisor behind the scenes until his recent death. Today, his oldest son Lee Hsien Loong is Prime Minister.
But the Lee’s are no dictators. Singapore is a parliamentary republic based on English common law. Everyone votes at age 21—it is universal and compulsory. Six-year terms allow for long-range planning. There are three major political parties; this serves to focus on issues rather than cause knee-jerk gridlock.
Westerners usually know of Singapore’s strict laws and zero-tolerance for petty crime. But Singapore’s streets are safe at night. It makes us realize how so much of our “freedom” is only possible because we have so much space and so few people.
But on this 50th birthday, you will not hear Singaporeans shout: “Singapore! We’re Number One!”
MARCO ISLAND, Fla. (AP) — Police in southwest Florida say vandals spray painted the words “lion killer” on the garage door of the vacation home owned by a Minnesota dentist who has been identified as the hunter who killed Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe.
Marco Island police Capt. David Baer says the vandals also left at least seven pickled pig’s fee on the driveway of Walter Palmer’s $1.1 million home. Baer says police have opened an investigation.
A hand-made sign criticizing Palmer was left in the yard last week. A security company has been hired to protect the property.
Officials in Zimbabwe have said they’ll seek the extradition of Palmer, alleging he lacked authorization to kill Cecil last month. Palmer has said he relied on professional guides to ensure his hunting was legal.
Margaret Lue Harper of Scott City, KS passed away on Sunday, August 2, 2015 at Park Lane Nursing Home. She was 94. She was born December 1, 1920, in Greeley, Colorado to Alpha and Edna (Hale) Chamberlain. She moved with her parents to Scott City as a child and graduated from Scott Community High School in 1938.
Margaret met her future husband, Robert Dale Harper, when, as a senior, he transferred to SCHS from Monument High School. They were united in marriage on March 2, 1941 in Scott City. He preceded her in death on November 17, 2007.
As a young woman, she was employed at the Eskimo restaurant located next to the Majestic Theater. She later worked at the First National Bank but for most of her life, she was a homemaker. She was a fourth generation member of the First Christian Church and, later, a charter member of the Community Christian Church. She was always proud that her great-grandfather had built the original Christian Church and that her father had built the basement of the present First Christian Church. Margaret was a Cub Scout Den Mother and a ‘car pool mom’ who often drove her and other children to music contests and junior high basketball games. She and Dale were members of the local Band Boosters when their children were involved in the local school music programs.
She was a member of the Scott County Hospital Ladies Auxiliary and the Scott County Historical Society. Margaret and her husband lived for a short time in Fort Worth, Texas with he was working at the refinery.
She was a veteran of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression and often spoke of those ordeals.
Survivors include one son, Terry Harper and his wife, JoAnne, of Neodesha, KS; one daughter, Kathy Koehn and her husband, Gerald, of Scott City; six grandchildren, Brooke, Quinn, Amber, Abbey, Evan and Wyatt; four step-grandchildren, Lynn, Travis, B.J. and Chanda; nine great-grandchildren, Brynn, Justice, Devin, Koy, Madison, Cameron, Jack, Charlotte, Dominic and Jane; two great-great grandchildren, Juniper and Willow.
In addition to her husband, she was preceded in death by her parents; three sisters, Helen, Floy and Dorothy; and one brother, Ray.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Aug. 7, at the Community Christian Church in Scott City, Kansas with the Rev. Shelby Crawford presiding.
Memorial contributions may be made to Community Christian Church
Interment will be in the Scott County Cemetery in Scott City, Kansas.
Visitation will be from 1:00 p.m. Until 8:00 p.m. Wednesday and 10:00 a.m until 8:00 p.m. Thursday at Price & Sons Funeral Home in Scott City, Kansas.
A Tuesday evening thunderstorm skirted around Hays, with reports south of town ranging from a third or a half inch of precipitation.
Just trace rainfall was recorded in Hays, with the K-State Ag Research Center reporting 0.04 inches.
Heavier rain fell to the west, where Trego County reported rainfall from 0.48 to 0.9 inches.
Tuesday’s storm hit much harder to the north and east, where Smith County had a report of nearly 4 inches of rain, and Russell County saw two reports of 3.5 inches. Ellsworth County also had a healthy rain, with reports ranging from 2.65 inches to 3.69 inches.
MCPHERSON- Severe thunderstorms rolled south through central Kansas Wednesday morning. The storms brought heavy rain and wind gusts over 60 miles-per-hour. The National Weather Service issued flood warnings for Rice, Ellsworth, Saline and McPherson Counties.
Power lines are reported down in the Newton area. Flooding is reported in several areas of McPherson County and street flooding is reported in the city of Lyons
Westar Energy reported a number of power outages across central Kansas from Salina to Wichita.
Officials will check for additional storm damage on Wednesday.
Work has begun at Long John Silver’s, 3380 Vine, in the conversion of the location into the home of both Long John Silver’s and A&W offerings.
The chain restaurant has a long history and an international presence.
The chain began in 1919 and became the first franchise system in the country when it began selling franchise rights in 1923.
Eric Estes, owner of the location and the nearby Qdoba, is excited for the opportunity to expand in the location.
A&W is “nostalgic,” he said, and even with other fast food options in Hays A&W will add something unique to the area.
LJS will remain open, save for a few days for training, as work continues on site with an expected reopening with the A&W offerings in early September, according to Estes.
Once the remodel is complete, both sides of the business will run separate systems, with an increased work force.
While there will be separate kitchen areas, orders will be processed through one cashier, Estes said.
“Everyone will keep their basic menu,” he said.
The area between LJS and Qudoba could receive an upgrade, as well, as a pet-friendly rest area is being considered in the open area between the establishments, but those plans are still preliminary and tentative.
With the opening of both restaurants in one location, close to the interstate, and in a well traveled area of town, Estes sees no downside to the development.
“Everybody does win on this one,” he said.
Clarification: The A&W chain previously operated in Hays on Eighth Street in decades past.
A Republican Presidential Debate Watch Party will be held in Hays Thursday, Aug. 6, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Sip ‘N Spin Bar and Grill, 209 W. 10th.
The public is invited to attend.
Fox News Tuesday night named the Republican presidential candidates who will participate in the first prime-time debate of the primary season on Thursday: Donald Trump, Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Mike Huckabee, Ben Carson, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, Chris Christie and John Kasich.
The seven remaining candidates – Rick Perry, Rick Santorum, Bobby Jindal, Carly Fiorina, Lindsey Graham, George Pataki and Jim Gilmore – will take part in a debate earlier Thursday evening.
The worst things about vacations are the delays. Waiting for the plane to take off, waiting for the bus, waiting to check into the hotel. No one likes to hurry up and wait. The 2015 movie “Vacation” which is a continuation/spin-off of the Chevy Chase “Vacation” series that includes such gems as “Vacation,” “Christmas Vacation,” and my personal favorite “Vegas Vacation,” is very much a “hurry up and wait” comedy. The film rushes into a joke and the punchline never arrives and it dives for the gross-out scene and forgets to pack the laughs.
The whole idea of another “Vacation” movie is predicated on the concept of nostalgia. A lot of people really enjoy the original Chevy Chase movies, yours truly included, but that doesn’t mean we need another one or that another one even fits in this generation of comedy movies. The “Vacation” films of the ’80s and ’90s had an anarchy to them that was tempered by a heavy dose of heart and family.
It was entertaining to see Clark Griswold lose himself in crazy antics in Vegas, which, in turn, made his ultimate redemption more satisfying. That type of filmmaking requires a steady hand, some original ideas and the gumption to make stupid funny work. Unfortunately for the 2015 “Vacation,” it has neither the comedic oomph to land the jokes set up by crazy antics or the heart to make the audience care about them.
Put simply, exceedingly few jokes in “Vacation” were actually funny. It was easy to see what the filmmakers were trying to accomplish, but everything felt out of sync. Imagine trying to dance a waltz to techno music and you’ll get the idea. The rhythm was off and just didn’t fit. There are a couple of mildly amusing moments, but when this comes on TBS in a few years, I will have no qualms about clicking right on by.
On the other hand, if I come across “Vegas Vacation,” I can promise that I will still be entertained by “I put a dollar in, I won a car. I put a dollar in, I won a car.”
By J.P. MICHAUD Entomologist, KSU Agricultural Research Center
Producers in southern Kansas should start scouting their grain sorghum fields for the sugarcane aphid. As of last week, this relatively new pest had spread quickly from Texas into the northern Oklahoma counties of Noble, Kay, and Grant. This means the aphid was on the Oklahoma-Kansas state line last week. It is very possible that the aphids have already moved northward into Kansas. Sustained southerly winds will make their arrival a virtual certainty.
Sugarcane aphids infesting a grain sorghum head. Photo by Dr. Gus Lorenz, University of Arkansas Research and Extension.
The sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari, has been in the U.S. for quite a while as a minor pest of sugarcane in Florida and Louisiana. But in 2013 it suddenly began infesting sorghum fields and Johnsongrass in southern states. It has been confirmed in 12 southern states so far, and is likely to be confirmed in more states in the near future.
This aphid begins its infestation on the underside of sorghum leaves, multiplies rapidly, then moves onto other parts of the plant. The first thing you may notice is a glossy coating of a sticky honeydew on the leaves. Sooty mold can begin growing on this honeydew, which is the excrement of the aphids, and this black film on the leaves can reduce photosynthesis.
Entomologists and agronomists in southern states have found that a heavy infestation of the sugarcane aphid can kill grain sorghum plants or reduce or prevent head emergence, depending on the timing of the infestation. The aphids can also reduce grain size and grain quality. The bottom line is that this aphid can both reduce yields and lead to late-season lodging by killing plants prematurely. There can also be serious problems harvesting grain when aphids have feeding in the panicle during grain fill.
Effective control of sugarcane aphids in sorghum requires timely treatment of the aphid population before colonies become too large. To estimate the number of sugarcane aphids in a field and whether they require treatment, use the following sampling protocol:
• Once a week, walk 25 feet into the field and examine plants along 50 feet of row.
• If honeydew is present, look for sugarcane aphids on the underside of leaves above the honeydew.
• Inspect the underside of 2 leaves, one upper leaf and one lower leaf, from each of 15-20 plants per location.
• Sample each side of the field as well as sites near Johnsongrass and tall mutant plants.
• Check at least four locations per field for a total of 60-80 plants.
If no sugarcane aphids are present, or only a few wingless/winged aphids are on upper leaves, continue once-a-week scouting.
If sugarcane aphids are found on lower or mid-canopy leaves, begin twice-a-week scouting.
If the field average sugarcane aphid infestation is 50-125 aphids or more per leaf, apply an insecticide within 4 days and evaluate control after 3-4 days. Consider treatment at 50 aphids per leaf if the field will be scouted just once a week. Due to a very high rate of reproduction on susceptible sorghums, this aphid can build populations rapidly, and a small infestation can get out of control in less than a week.
If the sugarcane aphid is found, but the population level is below the threshold, continue scouting twice a week. It is important not to spray before threshold is reached, as this will provide an opportunity for aphid predators to control the population naturally, and also to increase their numbers. There is also the risk that, by spraying too early, additional applications may be required and the grower can run into limits on repeated applications of the more effective products.
Many insecticides labeled for use against aphids have proven largely ineffective for control of sugarcane aphids, but there are exceptions. Kansas has received “section 18” emergency registration for Transform (Dow Agrosciences) and Sivanto (Bayer Cropscience). Both are highly systemic within the plant, have translaminar activity (they can kill an aphid on the opposing side of the leaf), and have been proven effective for controlling sugarcane aphid provided they are properly applied.
This requires ground application in a large volume of water (10-20 gal/acre), preferably using drop nozzles. There is a limit of 2 applications of Transform on the same field in one year. Note also that aphids may require up to 48 hours to die, but this material has proven very effective and, significantly, quite safe for most aphid predators. Even so, continued weekly scouting is advised until grain is filled, as reinfestation can occur if winged aphids are still flying.
