LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A judge has found sufficient evidence for a Lawrence teen to stand trial in the stabbing and bludgeoning death of a woman.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports that 19-year-old Rontarus Washington Jr. was bound over for trial Friday in the November killing of 19-year-old Justina Altamirano Mosso. Washington is jailed in Douglas County on a first-degree murder charge. He was arrested in January in Greenville, Mississippi.
Detectives said they found a fingerprint matching Washington’s underneath a toilet tank lid believed to have been used to beat Mosso over the head.
Washington told investigators he found Mosso’s body upon entering an unlocked apartment looking for “change” but that he didn’t tell anyone.
The apartment belonged to Mosso’s estranged husband, Felipe Cantu Ruiz. The defense questioned Ruiz about the couple’s strained relationship.
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 33-year-old man has been charged in a deadly hit-and-run accident in Kansas City, Kansas.
The Kansas City Star reports that Lucious Moore, of Kansas City, Kansas, is jailed in Wyandotte County on one count of leaving the scene of an injury accident. It wasn’t immediately known if Moore had an attorney.
Moore is accused of hitting 34-year-old Darrin M. Smith, of Kansas City, Kansas, with his car as Smith was walking early Tuesday. Smith died at the scene.
CHAUTAUQUA COUNTY -A Kansas man died in an accident just before 10 a.m. on Saturday in Chautauqua County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Ford F150 driven by , Douglas Jay Carie, 69, Wichita, was westbound on U.S. 166 twelve miles west of U.S. 75.
The truck traveled north of the roadway and came back onto the road. The driver over corrected and the truck over turned.
Carie was pronounced dead at the scene and was transported to Frontier Forensics.
He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
LENEXA- A Kansas man was injured in an accident just after 11:30a.m. on Saturday in Johnson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2004 Harley Davidson driven by Kurtis S. Eckenroed, 46, Ottawa, was westbound on Interstate 435 just west of the ramp to Interstate 35 in Lenexa.
The vehicle rear-ended a 2004 Mercedes that was slowing for congested traffic.
Eckenroed was transported to Overland Park Regional Medical Center.
The driver of the Mercedes Kelli P. Williams, 54, Leawood, was not injured.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Chiefs traded defensive back Kelcie McCray to the Seattle Seahawks for an undisclosed draft pick Saturday as they trimmed their roster to the 53-man limit.
They also released former sixth-round pick Eric Kush, who began training camp as the starting center, and defensive end Mike Catapano, who overcame an illness to work his way into the mix.
Other notable cuts included linebacker James-Michael Johnson; defensive linemen David Irving and Hebron Fangupo; wide receivers Da’Ron Brown and Fred Williams; defensive backs Kevin Short and Deji Olatoye; and tight end Ryan Taylor.
Top cornerback Sean Smith was placed on the reserve-suspended list after a drunken driving arrest last year resulted in a three-game suspension. Veteran tight end Richard Gordon was placed on injured reserve.
Ke’aun Kinner scores the first of two touchdowns vs. South Dakota State. (Courtesy Kansas Athletics)
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Zach Lujan threw for 293 yards and three touchdowns, Isaac Wallace ran for 118 yards and another score and South Dakota State spoiled the debut of Kansas coach David Beaty with a 41-38 victory over the Jayhawks on Saturday.
Jake Wieneke had eight catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns, and Brady Mengarelli also ran for a score as the Jackrabbits hung on after blowing most of a 31-7 first-half lead.
The Jayhawks got in range to attempt a tying field goal in the final seconds, but quarterback Montell Cozart fumbled the snap when he merely needed to spike it to stop the clock. The last few seconds ticked away and the Jackrabbits raced onto the field to celebrate.
Cozart threw for 291 yards and a touchdown, though he also had an interception and lost a fumble. Junior college transfer Ke’aun Kinner ran for 157 yards and two scores.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — Jail booking reports show that a woman accused of abandoning her grandson at a Wichita department store has been arrested.
The Wichita Eagle reports that the 41-year-old woman was arrested Friday on suspicion of child abandonment, theft and a probation violation. She is jailed in Sedgwick County awaiting charges.
Police say she was caught attempting to shoplift on June 16 from a Kohl’s store and fled without her 5-year-old grandson. The boy was placed in foster care after no one showed up to claim him.
On Friday, a Sedgwick County judge said the boy would remain in foster care unless his mother’s home situation improved. The whereabouts of the boy’s father are unknown, and no other relatives have stepped up on the boy’s behalf.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — A California company is recalling its cucumbers after a salmonella outbreak that’s sickened 285 people in 27 states and killed a San Diego woman.
Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce of San Diego on Friday voluntarily recalled its “Limited Edition” brand garden cucumbers, which were grown in Mexico.
Health officials say the cukes are the likely cause of hundreds of illnesses since July 3 and the Aug. 17 death of a 99-year-old woman.
Half the people who became ill are under 18 years of age.
The cucumbers were distributed in Alaska; Arizona; Arkansas; California; Colorado; Florida; Idaho; Illinois; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Minnesota; Mississippi; Montana; Nevada; New Jersey; New Mexico; Oklahoma; Oregon; South Carolina; Texas, and Utah.
Previous salmonella outbreaks have been linked to products ranging from to chicken to chia powder.
BUNKER HILL–Sesame Street’s Walkaround Elmo is coming to Hays for Smoky Hills Public Television’s Family Fun Day on September 26.
“We are excited to bring such a popular Sesame Street character to the area,” said Tricia Flax, event coordinator in a news release.
Bring your cameras! Children can meet and take pictures with Walkaround Elmo. The fun continues with Randy’s Music Jam. The Hays Lions Club also will be on hand to conduct vision screenings.
The first 500 children will receive gift bags with books. Last year the children enjoyed learning about some of the reptiles from the Sternberg Museum and this popular attraction will be back.
The 4th Annual Family Fun Day will be held inside the main entrance of The Mall at Hays from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, September 26, 2015.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A new state audit says a handful of Kansas teachers may be earning retirement benefits for the work they do as officers of their state and local unions.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports that auditors said the practice technically should not be allowed.
One Republican legislator called it fraud within the Kansas Public Employees Retirement System. But others said the practice is merely a technical error caused by vague instructions from the state.
The issue involves credits public employees receive for each year on the job, which determine when they can retire. Auditors noted that while teachers are covered by KPERS, employees of teachers’ unions are not.
Auditors said they selected 34 teachers in a “targeted sample,” and found seven incorrectly awarded KPERS service credits while working for unions.
Listen to Mike Cooper interviewing Dr. January Fields, Oncologist from the Dreiling/Schmidt Cancer Institute at HaysMed, by clicking the link above and then clicking the play button
By Rachel Rayner FHSU University Relations and Marketing
For 102 years, Fort Hays State University theatre productions have brought college artists and community audiences together, and director Tomme Williams, instructor of music and theatre, is excited to continue that tradition with the 2015-2016 season.
“It’s an important part of campus and has always played an important role in the community,” said Williams. “Along with Encore, it’s a good way to see live shows.”
The Department of Music and Theatre will offer a musical, two plays and an opera this year. Williams picks the literature carefully. In order to produce successful plays, she must accommodate the students’ abilities, consider the sizes of casts and audience tastes, and set restrictions and budgets. Stacks of scripts Williams has read and rejected sit on a table in her office, but months of searching led her to plays tailored for the department and the community.
The season begins with “Footloose” at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, Sept. 30, Oct. 1 and Oct. 2. A matinee performance will be held at 2:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4. All performances are in Felten-Start Theater in Malloy Hall. Due to Homecoming, there will not be a show on Saturday, Oct. 3.
The Tony nominated musical is based on the hit 80s movie about a boy who moves to a small town where dancing is banned. Williams said the musical is fresher, more physical and more energetic than previous shows, such as “Hello, Dolly!”
Williams was drawn to “Footloose” because it has so many roles, enabling her to cast returning members in more substantial parts than the chorus. The cast for the FHSU musical is always large, consisting of a mixture of music majors and theatre students. Many of the students have participated in multiple years.
The second production, “The Fifth of July”, with only eight roles, will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 12, Nov. 13 and Nov. 14. A matinee performance will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 15 in Felten-Start.
“The Fifth of July” was written by Pulitzer Prize-winner Landford Wilson, one of the most influential American playwrights of the 20th century. Wilson explores the disillusionment in America following the Vietnam War by focusing on Ken Talley, a paraplegic Vietnam veteran who lives with his boyfriend Jed in his childhood home in rural Missouri in 1977.
The season continues with the light-hearted, high-energy play, “A Servant of Two Masters” by Carlo Goldoni at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, March 3, March 4 and March 5. A matinee performance will be held at 2:30 p.m. on March 6 in Felten-Start.
“A Servant of Two Masters” is based in the commedia dell’arte tradition — improvisational theatre in which actors played stock characters such as foolish old men, lovers and devious servants. The form was popular in the 16th and 17th centuries. Commedia dell’arte troupes performed in the streets and improvised the dialogue, allowing them to tailor performances to audiences and make sly jabs at current events and politics.
Williams plans to keep much of the atmosphere of commedia dell’arte. Actors will interact with audiences, wear over-the-top costumes, perform acrobatics and act like street performers.
The story centers on Truffaldino, a servant who attempts to double his wages, and meals, by serving two masters simultaneously. He does not know that one of his masters is actually a woman and the other master is her lover. Truffaldino finds it difficult to juggle, sometimes literally, his duties.
“The joy of ‘The Servant of Two Masters’ is watching the wheels of the plot spin faster and faster,” said Williams. “It was one of Mozart’s favorite plays. He wanted to turn it into an opera. It’s very much in the same vein as ‘Figaro’ or the ‘Barber of Seville.'”
The season will end with the FHSU opera at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, April 8, and a matinee performance at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, April 9. The opera has yet to be announced, but past performances have ranged from Mozart to Bernstein operas. Dr. Joseph Perniciaro, assistant professor of music and theatre, will direct the production and the FHSU orchestra will accompany, directed by Shah Sadikov, assistant professor of music and theatre.
Williams said she hopes that students come to see the shows so that they can watch their peers. Many of the cast members are experienced fourth-year students who are passionate about what they do.
“I’m proud of them,” said Williams.
The tickets are affordable at $15 for the general public and $10 for seniors and students. Season tickets cost $50 for the general public, $30 for senior citizens and $25 for FHSU students, saving ticket holders an average of $10 per show and allowing them to reserve their seats. Season tickets go on sale Sept. 1.
Patrons can also purchase all-event passes for $125, which gives admission to more than 30 Music and Theatre Department Events.
To reserve tickets, visit webapps.fhsu.edu/theatreonlinereservations.
For more information, call (785) 628-4533 or email [email protected].
One of the newest restaurants in Hays – The Golden Griddle, 230 W. Ninth – is about to make ordering easier with the development of an online mobile ordering app.
Once the sole domain of large chain restaurants, the Griddle hopes to bring the ease of mobile ordering to their stand alone restaurant soon, allowing patrons the ease of ordering and paying online and arriving only to pick up their order.
“It basically just eliminate the hassle of calling and ordering over the phone,” said Brady Herman, general manager.
“I know larger chains … they just pay people to run that constantly, but this is the first non-chain business to try it,” he said.
With the new business still settling into its customer base, Herman has hopes the app also drives additional business.
“Our expectations are very high for the carryout. I think it will eliminate a lot of hassle,” he said. “I think it will generate a lot more carryouts, since they don’t have come inside and wait in line.”
Herman also hopes when the app is finished, it will also be available through Facebook.
With any technological innovation comes implementation concerns and this one has been no different, but those are being addressed in the time before the launch in order for a smooth rollout to take place.
The team that is building the app – made up of people from all over the world, including former IBM employees – will be selling the app to the Griddle outright, and is concerned the app might have errors when Apple iPhone system updates occur, in which case they will need to be rehired to fix the problem. The Griddle is also exploring the best setup with the current point-of-sale system in the restaurant.
“We have a point-of-sale system back by the window that has a cash drawer,” Herman said, but an iPad also might be mounted in the area to assist staff with the ordering process.
The system could be ready as early as October and, as part of the launch, the Griddle is planning a test scenario with the public to ensure the system is fully ready prior to a full-scale launch. But the app is nearly ready.
“It’s built. I’ve seen it. There is just a little more back end stuff they have to finish up,” Herman said.
One of the newest restaurants in Hays –