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Month: September 2015

Kansas Navigator Grants Renewed

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By DAVE RANNEY

The federal government has awarded 2015 grants to navigators, who help consumers enrolling through the Affordable Care Act's health insurance marketplace. CREDIT BIGSTOCK
The federal government has awarded 2015 grants to navigators, who help consumers enrolling through the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplace.
CREDIT BIGSTOCK-KHI News

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced this week that it had renewed its navigator grants with two Kansas programs: Ascension Health and the Kansas Association for the Medically Underserved (KAMU).

The grants will, in part, underwrite the programs’ efforts to help uninsured and underinsured Kansans understand the coverage and financial assistance that are available on the federal health insurance marketplace, healthcare.gov. The marketplace was established as part of the Affordable Care Act to increase access to health insurance.

“We’re looking forward to helping more people enroll in health plans that they can afford and that will best meet their needs,” said KAMU spokesperson Katrina McGivern.

KAMU’s grant is for $516,000 a year for three years, while Ascension Health will receive $247,000 a year for three years.

Between November 2014 and February 2015, KAMU-sponsored navigators helped more than 15,300 Kansans buy insurance and Ascension Health-sponsored navigators helped 4,000.

Ascension Health is the nation’s largest Catholic nonprofit health system. Its Kansas holdings include the Via Christi Health hospitals in Wichita and Pittsburg, Mercy Regional Health Center in Manhattan and Wamego Health Center in Wamego, as well as several clinics throughout the state.

“This is going to allow us to help individuals throughout the Kansas community get coverage and, in the long run, get the screenings and prevention services they need to catch cancers earlier,” said Maggie Ward, who oversees Ascension Health’s navigators in Kansas.

Ascension Health’s navigators, she said, make sure their patients understand that under the Affordable Care Act, insurance plans are required to cover cancer screenings and preventive treatments.

“Hopefully this will help us catch problems long before (patients) wind up in the hospital with a significant disease,” Ward said.

Ascension Health, she said, plans to use a portion of its grant to develop webinars and expand its teleconferencing abilities.

KAMU, McGivern said, will use its grant to hire 15 full-time navigators prior to the Nov. 1 start of the 2015-2016 open enrollment period.

A “special emphasis,” she said, will be placed on reaching out to the 341,000 Kansans who are currently uninsured.

“We’re also going to host 10 ‘Cover Kansas’ open-enrollment events where navigators in a particular area — Wichita, for example — will all come together and be available at the same time,” McGivern said.

Though KAMU represents the state’s safety net clinics, it administers its grant on behalf of the Cover Kansas Consortium. That group includes the Kansas Hospital Education and Research Foundation, Kansas Association of Local Health Departments, Association of Community Mental Health Centers of Kansas, Kansas Health Reform Project and the Kansas Association of Area Agencies on Aging and Disabilities.

KAMU and Ascension Health were awarded navigator grants in 2013 and 2014.

Kansas is one of 34 states dividing more than $67 million in navigator grants this year.

In Missouri, three organizations received navigator grants: Missouri Alliance of Area Agencies on Aging, which serves 110 counties and got $891,095; Planned Parenthood of St. Louis, which got $388,787; and St. Louis Effort for AIDS, Inc., which got $545,704.

 

Dave Ranney is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.

Ellis Co. Sheriff’s office still seeking information on missing girl

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Courtesy Ellis County Sheriff's Office
Courtesy Ellis County Sheriff’s Office

The Ellis County Sheriff’s Office still is seeking the public’s help in locating a 13-year-old runaway.

The sheriff’s department said in a news release late last month that Peyton Nicole White had run away from DCF care on Aug. 19. As of Thursday, Peyton remained missing.

“Despite having some contact with acquaintances through a Facebook account since Aug. 23, she has refused to return to her home in Catharine, Kansas,” the department reported.

She is believed to be in the Ellis, Osborne or Sedgwick county areas and was not considered to be in danger, according to the sheriff’s initial release.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office at (785) 625-1040.

INSIGHT KANSAS: Kobach proposal would remove legitimate voters from ‘suspense’ list

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Secretary of State Kris Kobach has proposed two rule changes to the “SAFE” act, the 2011 law passed at Kobach’s urging which requires voters to show proof of citizenship in order to register, and photo ID in order to vote.

Michael A. Smith
Michael A. Smith

One uncontroversial change would stipulate that a Kansas voter would not need to show said proof a second time when moving to, and re-registering in another county within the state.

This is fine, but the problem lies in the second proposal.

Kobach is proposing to remove Kansas’ “suspense voters” from the rolls after 90 days. Now over 30,000 and climbing, suspense voters are the ones who registered to vote but did not show proof of citizenship. They now remain in limbo, neither registered nor unregistered, until they provide said proof, usually in the form of a birth certificate.

For people born out of state or without birth certificates, this can be an onerous, time-consuming, and expensive task: so much so that courts in both Texas and Wisconsin have ruled it a poll tax, which is prohibited by the U.S. Constitution and many state ones as well. Removing suspense voters from the registration rolls after only 90 days is a bad idea, even possibly illegal.

First of all, in Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council (2013) the U.S. Supreme Court held that voters do not need to show proof of citizenship in order to register and vote in federal elections. For a state to require otherwise would violate the National Voter Registration Act of 1993, popularly known as “motor voter.” If voters who registered on the federal form are eliminated from the rolls in Kansas, they will would be stripped of their lawful right to vote in federal elections, putting Kansas in violation of both the law and the Court ruling.

Second, a substantial number of suspense voters do complete their registrations. My own data analysis with colleagues indicates that approximately 16% of them completed their registration within an eight-month period: nearly three times the time given to them to complete their registrations under this proposed rule change.

My colleagues and I cross-checked a complete list 23,691 suspense voters from October, 2014 with a list of all fully registered Kansas voters from June 2015. We found that 3,705 suspense voters had completed their registrations over the eight month period, nearly three times as long as the period specified in this proposed rule change. However, most of those voters who eventually completed did not vote in the November, 2014 general election — one month after our first list was drawn — so we have reason to believe that many did not complete their registrations right away.

Finally, this proposed rule change is a “bait and switch,” misleading would-be voters about closing dates prior to an election in which they wish to vote. Kansans are typically allowed to register up to 21 days before an upcoming election in which they wish to vote. As per the “SAFE” Act, suspense voters are allowed to show proof of citizenship and complete their registrations up until the day of the election.

Suspense voters may seek to complete their registrations as a major election approaches, and this rule change would deny them the right to do that unless they re-registered 21 days before the election, when they had been led to believe they had until the day of the election to complete their registrations.

One last thing: the numbers in play here greatly dwarf the number of voters actually accused of voter fraud. A 2011 report from the Secretary of State’s own office suggested only 221 cases of possible but unverified voter fraud between 1997 and 2010—a 13 year period. That comes out to 0.007 — seven tenths of 1 percent — of the number currently on the suspense list, now facing removal from the voting rolls due to this proposed rule change.

Michael Smith is a professor at Emporia State University.

Wilson Lake among those attracting fish with ‘Georgia Cubes’

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georgia cubesKansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism

PRATT–Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) Fisheries Section staff recently launched a new program designed to increase the amount of fish-attracting structure in Kansas public waters. As part of the program, staff will sink approximately 300 “PVC cubes,” to attract fish. The 3-foot by 4-foot by 4-foot cubes are cost-effective and proven in other states, and not only do they last more than three times (10-plus years) longer than natural brush piles, they have been shown to hold as many fish as the natural counterpart without effecting water quality.

David Breth, who recently took over coordination of the fish habitat program, said that the goal of adding 300 cubes this year has just about been met.

“It’s an ongoing project,” he said. “As we get the materials and kits ready, we are adding cubes and new lake locations to receive them. All cubes are being placed at specific, pre-determined locations.”

Known as “Georgia Cubes,” the artificial structures were designed by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Stacking more than 50 feet of corrugated pipe on the PVC frame, the design maximizes surface area for fish attraction. The structures quickly accumulate periphyton, a complex mix of algae, fungi, and bacteria, making them more attractive to insects and fish.

Anglers are already reporting catching fish, notably largemouth bass, around the cubes placed this spring. Fisheries field staff will collect sonar and video images on how fish populations and species are using the cubes in relation to natural structures.

For anglers wanting to try their luck, a file is available with GPS locations of attractors (natural and artificial) at the KDWPT website, www.ksoutdoors.com. Click on “Fishing” then click on “Google KMZ file of KS Fish Attractors” under the “Fishing Opportunities” menu. Anglers can also find the file by entering “fish attractor GPS” in the search box on the home page. As the new cubes are placed and marked, the file will be updated with locations. Cubes have been added to, Milford, Wilson, Melvern, Perry, El Dorado, Tuttle Creek and Horsethief reservoirs, Butler, Clark, Pottawatomie No. 1, Pottawatomie No. 2 and Meade state fishing lakes, Yates Center South Owl Lake, and Eureka City Lake.

Breth said that without the help of Kansas B.A.S.S. chapters, the placement process would be much slower.

“Local B.A.S.S. clubs have been instrumental in this project, assembling the cubes from kits onsite, then placing them using their own boats and GPS units,” he said. “They’ve been a great help.”

Royals’ bats come alive in 15-7 blowout of struggling Tigers

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Lorenzo Cain hit a three-run homer, Paulo Orlando added a two-run shot and Kendrys Morales drove in four runs as the Kansas City Royals routed the Detroit Tigers 15-7 on Thursday night to wrap up another series win.

Ben Zobrist drove in two runs for the Royals, whose 15 runs and 20 hits were their most since piling up 21 hits in a 16-8 victory at Colorado on July 3, 2011.

Chris Young (10-6) earned the win with two scoreless innings in relief of Edinson Volquez, who yielded six runs, eight hits and a walk in three innings.

Volquez still outpitched Matt Boyd, who was hammered for six runs before getting the hook four batters into the second inning. The last batter he faced was Cain, whose skyscraping homer barely cleared the wall in left field on its descent for his second home run in as many nights.

City requires negotiations to advance travel plaza plan

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city comm 5 shot
City commissioners support negotiating a CID for the proposed Big Creek Travel Plaza. They rejected the requests for a TIF and IRBs.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

After nearly two hours of discussion in front of a full house in the audience, four Hays city commissioners last night agreed to look further at the proposed Big Creek Travel Plaza from NWK Investments, LLC, with some changes.

Commissioner James Meier was absent from Thursday’s work session.

James Millensifer, Vice President of Operations for Chance Management, which would manage the project, and Hays attorney Don Hoffman, presented a revised plan for Phase 1.

Although each commissioner indicated their support of the full-service truck stop that would be built just north of the west I-70 exit, ultimately they rejected two of the three requested economic development opportunities available from the city.

Click HERE for the entire NWK Investments proposal to the city.

Commissioners did not support the request to establish a Tax Increment Finance (TIF) district. There were also mixed reactions on whether to endorse the new request to issue Industrial Revenue Bonds (IRB) as a way to avoid paying sales taxes on any construction materials.

The developer identified $10.5 million in TIF eligible costs, but only about $4 million are for public infrastructure–water, sewer, and street infrastructure. The rest of the TIF eligible costs are for land acquisition, site development and private streets/paving.

Commissioner Henry Schwaller also objected to the absence of information regarding an anticipated Return On Investment (ROI) for the developer, Mike Woofter of Colby. Millensifer responded that their attorney had advised against making that information public.

big creek 3 shot
Gina Riekhof, Gilmore & Bell, James Millensifer, Chance Management, and attorney Don Hoffman review the revised proposal in front of a packed house in city chambers.

Gina Riekhof, Gilmore & Bell, P.C., serves as special counsel representing the city in the proposed Big Creek Travel Plaza and related development project. She told commissioners the city would not be liable for any financial default by the developer.

Ultimately, the commission directed Riekhof and city staff to begin negotiations with NWK Investments for a possible utilization of the third economic development option, a Community Improvement District (CID).

At Schwaller’s insistence, the city also wants to confidentially acquire the developer’s financial statements for the project. Those numbers are required to be submitted within the city’s economic development policy.

“I have no interest in knowing what they’re spending or the revenue they anticipate. I just want to make sure that our contribution is going to make the project viable–for the city and the developer,” said Schwaller.

Millensifer told commissioners he would “go back and ask the folks we’ve been working with to go back and look at our application and give me some advice for some advice on the areas that you are referring to.”

UPDATE: K-State lockdown lifted, search for robbery suspects continues

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UPDATE MANHATTAN- Law enforcement authorities in Riley County continue to investigate several overnight robberies.

Just after 2 a.m,. the Riley County Police Department reported they received at least three reports of males approaching pedestrians on foot and demanding their property.

In two of these incidents the suspects were armed with a weapon. These incidents occurred in the central portion of Manhattan.

Riley County Police Officers set up a perimeter in the area and ultimately were involved in a foot chase of a possible suspect who was last seen running onto the KSU campus. KSUPD was alerted and began a search of the area, and the Kansas Highway Patrol also responded to the area.

At this time the RCPD continues to actively investigate these incidents; however, it appears that the suspect(s)  left the immediate area.

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UPDATE: MANHATTAN — The lockdown at Kansas State University’s Manhattan campus has been lifted. Classes and activities will resume at 9:30 a.m. Friday.

Students and employees should report for class and work by that time.

Details of the incident will be reported at HaysPost.com as they become available.

——–

MANHATTAN — Classes at the Kansas State University campus in Manhattan are delayed Friday, and students and employees should not report to campus until further notice.

A possible armed suspect was seen on the south side of the Manhattan campus about 4 a.m. Friday, Sept. 4. The suspect was described as a light-skinned black male wearing a dirty white shirt and shorts. K-State Police have been actively searching campus and alerts have been issued for any persons in the area to shelter in place with doors locked.

A building-by-building search is underway on campus as a precaution. Current information will be posted at k-state.edu and by email, text messages, phone, local media outlets and social media.

Check Hays Post for additional details as they become available.

 

Hot, windy Friday

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A warm weekend will be followed by a cooling trend early next week. There will also be a chance for thunderstorms, especially late Monday through late Tuesday.

Screen Shot 2015-09-04 at 5.30.25 AM
Today Mostly sunny, with a high near 99. Breezy, with a south wind 11 to 16 mph increasing to 19 to 24 mph in the afternoon.

Tonight Partly cloudy, with a low around 71. Breezy, with a south wind 14 to 20 mph.

SaturdayIsolated thunderstorms after 3pm. Mostly sunny, with a high near 99. Breezy, with a south wind 14 to 22 mph. Little or no precipitation expected.

Saturday NightIsolated thunderstorms before 9pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 74. South wind 14 to 16 mph. Little or no precipitation expected.

SundayIsolated thunderstorms after 3pm. Sunny and hot, with a high near 100. Breezy, with a south southwest wind 14 to 21 mph. Little or no precipitation expected.

Sunday NightA 20 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms after 8pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 66.

Labor DayA 30 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly sunny, with a high near 92.

Emporia State ends investigation into alleged hate crime

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EMPORIA, Kan. (AP) — Emporia State University says it’s completed an investigation into hate crime and discrimination allegations at the eastern Kansas university.

Jackie Vietti, ESU’s interim president, said in a letter released Thursday the university’s concluded its investigation that began July 10 into the alleged hate crime at the university’s School of Library and Information Management.

Vietti didn’t say what the investigation concluded, but says officials will release an investigation summary after meeting with people involved.

University spokeswoman Gwen Larson says the investigation stems from allegations by Angelica Hale, a former ESU dean’s assistant, and her husband, Melvin Hale, an assistant professor in the university’s School of Library and Information Management.

The Hales say they’ve endured a hostile work environment since reporting someone left a racial epithet in Angelica Hale’s graduate assistant’s office.

O’Brien last second field goal lifts FHSU to season-opening win

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Drew O'Brien
Drew O’Brien (Courtesy FHSU Athltics)

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

EDMOND, Okla. — Drew O’Brien hit a 19-yard field goal as time expired capping off a 13-play, 85-yard drive lifting Fort Hays State to a 30-29 win over Central Oklahoma Thursday night at Wantland Stadium in Edmond. It’s the first season opening win for FHSU since 2011 and avenges a 26-7 loss to the Bronchos in Hays in 2014.

Chris Brown Postgame Interview

 

The Bronchos raced out to a 20-0 lead before the Tigers mounted their comeback. Treveon Albert hit Andrew Flory on a 9-yard TD pass then connected on a 26-yard strike to Shaquille Cooper to cut the gap to 20-14 at the half.

Cooper’s 79-yard TD run pulled the Tigers within 23-21 with 7:27 to play in the third quarter. His 6-yard touchdown catch put FHSU up 27-23 with 5:00 to play in the third.

Drew O’Brien Postgame Interview


Game Highlights

 

The Broncos used a big fourth down conversion to set up a go-head touchdown with 9:30 to play.

FHSU Athletics
FHSU Athletics

Cooper finished with 163 yards on 21 carries and had two receptions for 32 yards and two touchdowns. Quartberback Treveon Albert completed 11 of 23 passes for 163 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 94 yards.

UCO moved the ball into the redzone on their first four possessions but fumbled near the goal line twice and lost four fumbles in the game.

FHSU online management program ranks #18 among 50 best

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fhsu tiger bannerFHSU University Relations and Marketing

With all the institutions in the nation to select from, SuperScholar.org’s list of the 50 Best Online Bachelor’s in Business Administration Degree Programs 2015 ranks Fort Hays State University’s online management program No. 18.

SuperScholar takes into consideration recognition, awards, flexibility, accessibility and affordability.

The College of Business and Entrepreneurship and the Virtual College at FHSU offer the Bachelor of Business Administration in Management degree program.

SuperScholar ranks multiple online FHSU programs in various categories as the best for 2015:

No. 2 for the Bachelor of Science in Education: Early Childhood Unified in the early childhood education category.
No. 4 for the Bachelor of Arts and the Bachelor of Science in justice studies in criminal justice programs.
No. 11 for the College of Education and Technology in computer science and information technology bachelor programs.
No. 12 for the Virtual College in Masters of Business Administration programs.
No. 34 for the College of Business and Entrepreneurship in computer science and information technology master’s programs.
No. 37 for the Master of Professional Studies with a criminal justice concentration in master’s in criminal justice programs.
No. 42 for the Bachelor of Science in Nursing in nursing programs.

The full lists are at www.superscholar.org under “Rankings” and “2015 Smart Choice Awards.”

About 200 attend Kansas meeting on Guantanamo transfers

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Gov. Brownback in Leavenworth hosting a townhall to listen to the concerns of Kansans about the potential transfer of GITMO detainees.- courtesy photo
Gov. Brownback in Leavenworth hosting a townhall to listen to the concerns of Kansans about the potential transfer of GITMO detainees.- courtesy photo

LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (AP) — About 200 people attended a town hall meeting about the possible transfer of Guantanamo Bay detainees to Fort Leavenworth.

The Kansas City Star reports Gov. Sam Brownback announced the meeting last week. He opposes the detainee transfer.

Brownback received notice that the U.S. Defense Department was surveying the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth and the U.S. Naval Consolidated Brig in South Carolina to assess the possibility of housing Guantanamo detainees.

At the meeting Thursday in Leavenworth, Mayor Lisa Weakley cited security concerns and said the move would put a “huge target on our community.”

But State Sen. David Haley, a Kansas City, Kansas, Democrat, said the town hall was “a political sideshow” and he didn’t have any concerns about safety for Fort Leavenworth or the community.

Kansas courts start project to centralize electronic filing

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TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court is launching an initiative to centralize and standardize the electronic filing and storage of documents across the state.

A steering committee for the “eCourt” project was having its first meeting Thursday in Topeka. The Supreme Court established the committee in April.

The project is being financed with court fees, with at least $4.1 million set aside over the next four years.

Some district courts introduced electronic filing in 2009, and more than half of the state’s 31 judicial districts allow attorneys and court employees to file and store documents electronically.

In Douglas County, electronic filing is required, and the Supreme Court and state Court of Appeals will start requiring it in November.

But the Supreme Court wants to standardize filing systems so they can interact.

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