DOUGLAS COUNTY- A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 2p.m. on Thursday in Douglas County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2003 Yamaha driven by Gerald J. Jones, 67, Tecumseh, was traveling in the 2100 Block of East 150th Road three miles northwest of Lecompton
The motorcycle failed to negotiate a turn due to speed.
Jones was transported to Lawrence Memorial Hospital.
He was wearing a helmet and eye protection, according to the KHP.
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A suburban Kansas City man was sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison for the abuse death of a 3-year-old girl.
Johnson County authorities say 40-year-old Kham Khamchanh, of Shawnee, was sentenced Thursday in the January 2009 death of Yamarawit “Yami” Sahle of Merriam.
Yami was the daughter of Khamchanh’s then-girlfriend.
The Kansas City Star reports he admitted that he threw the girl to the floor five to 10 times. He also admitted that he had previously punched and slapped her several times.
As part of the plea agreement, Khamchanh was sentenced to the maximum of 13 years and nine months.
By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Royals are sending Blue Jays antagonist Edinson Volquez to the mound for Game 1 of their AL Championship Series while Toronto is countering with Marco Estrada.
The opening game is Friday night at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.
It was Volquez whose inside pitching drew the ire of the Blue Jays in early August, eventually leading to a pair of bench-clearing incidents during their game at Rogers Centre. After the game, he called Blue Jays star Josh Donaldson “a little baby” for complaining about his pitching.
The Royals will start Yordano Ventura in Game 2 on Saturday, while Johnny Cueto will pitch the third game in Toronto. The Blue Jays will put David Price on the mound in Game 2, followed by Marcus Stroman and knuckleballer R.A. Dickey.
Video by COOPER SLOUGH, Hays Post
By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
As any racer knows, getting there first is the only way to win and, with Briney Motorsports currently working toward opening in their new location at 600 E. Eighth, it would be hard not to visualize the checkered flag being dropped as an expected opening in November is drawing near.
The shop is the brainchild of local resident Billy Briney, who brings a wealth of experience from the area’s racing scene, as racer himself who currently supplies racing parts through a mobile unit.
“I wanted some kind of store,” Briney said. “The first part of this year, we started thinking about opening up a shop.”
But this foray into racing parts retail goes back further than the building itself when he found out about an existing parts supply business that he bought in order to “jump into an existing business,” which led to the mobile trailer that he sets up at area races.
“It was good for me, because I got a customer base,” Briney said.
But while business was good, he felt a desire to expand into a brick-and-mortar location that would make it easier to supply local racers and has been working to remodel a former car dealership that had been empty for years.
“I like the location. Eighth Street is a great street, and as an older building that has obviously been vacant a long time, it’s another bonus getting to renovate a new building,” Briney said. “It gives all the racers a place to come during regular business hours, get their parts and get what they need.”
For now, Briney is leasing the building, but hopes to move into a purchasing agreement as the business builds. He took over the building in the middle of August and quickly found much of the interior in desperate condition, with walls and ceiling falling in on itself.
Right after signing the lease, Briney, his wife and six children started the demolition process, an intense process considering the condition of the building.
“We have had to do everything. There was even no power coming to the building. We’ve got complete new power, full electrical through the building, it’s been a full gut job,” he said, including “a lot of jackhammer time, which was not fun.”
Despite the workload, Briney wants to have his shop open in November.
“I knew it was going to be tight going into it, but so far it hasn’t been too bad. We haven’t hit too many snags. I’m pretty much right where I want to be,” he said.
Even before the shop is open, Briney is already eyeing the future and plans to expand the business quickly.
“My plan is to eventually have a mechanic or two, whatever it takes,” he said, in order to do more shop and mechanic work. “Even without the store, I’m getting busy enough, with the parts business that I probably will be looking for someone to come in at the beginning.”
While the store will be unique in Hays, the setup will be unique as well.
“It’s not you normal parts store, where you walk in, ask for something and they go back and get it for you,” Briney said. “I plan on having most of my stuff on the shelves for the guys to pick up and bring to me.”
This will give racers an first-person view of what a part will do and look like, something they cannot get by looking in a catalog or online.
“There’s a lot of different parts that you could use, upgrades you can do, so if they can see it it just gives more options,” he said.
For more on the business and pictures of the work being done in the building visit the Briney Motorsports’ webpage or facebook.
GREAT BEND -The two central Kansas men who died onboard a small plane that crashed in a field in Colorado on Tuesday are leaders of a Kansas church.
The pilot identified Wednesday as 35-year-old Jared Langston of Holyrood and the passenger Benjamin Bates, 41, Lyons.
Family and friends have established go fund me pages for their loved ones. Click on the links for details.
Bates served as bishop of the Great Bend Ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Langston was the Elders Quorum president and Young Men’s president, according to church officials.
Both men were pronounced dead at the scene around noon Tuesday after their Beechcraft 35 Bonanza went down near Greeley.
Cause of the crash is under investigation.
-The Associated Press contributed to this report.
BARTON COUNTY- Fire investigators say a an overheated air compressor may have caused a fire on Wednesday in rural Barton County.
Sheriff’s deputies responded just before 9a.m. to report of a structure fire at 991 NW 20 Avenue.
Upon arrival they discovered a single-story residence with an attached two-car garage on fire.
The occupants had managed to exit the residence without injury.
The Hoisington fire department arrived at the scene and brought the fire under control.
The garage area of the home suffered substantial fire damage and the remaining portion of the residence received smoke and water damage.
The estimated amount of the losses is in excess of $10,000.
By ANDY MARSO
Over the past year, Kansas has changed its state employee health plan so employees shoulder more of the cost burden while the cash-strapped state pays less.
State officials say the changes correct imbalances within the plan and shore up a reserve fund for the future.
But Rebecca Proctor, executive director of the Kansas Organization of State Employees labor union, said the cost shift will be hard to bear for employees who haven’t had an across-the-board pay raise since 2009.
“It used to be that a job working for the state was a good job,” Proctor said. “Maybe you didn’t earn as much as the private sector, but you had really good benefits and good working conditions. It’s not that way anymore.”
The state employee health plan is administered separately from the state general fund, but the state’s portion of the annual premiums come from the general fund.
State contribution fell in 2014
The state employee health plan, which includes thousands of workers at public colleges and universities as well as state agencies, is administered by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment.
But all changes must be approved by the five-person Health Care Commission, which is made up of the secretary of the Department of Administration, the Kansas insurance commissioner and three appointees who represent current state employees, retired state employees and the general public.
In August 2014, the commission unanimously approved an 8.5 percent decrease in what the state pays into the plan. Contributions from employees stayed the same.
“The reserve fund was significantly higher than the target reserves set by the actuary, so employee premiums were kept in check despite cost increases and the employer contributions were decreased,” KDHE spokeswoman Sara Belfry said in an email.
Sandy Praeger, a Republican who was insurance commissioner at the time, said she voted for the reduction as a member of the Health Care Commission because it looked like the state was on track to continue building its health plan reserves.
“It was certainly never intended to shift more responsibility onto the employees,” Praeger said.
But that’s what happened this year, after the reserves began to dwindle.
As it turned out, 2014 was a heavy year for state employee health care claims. That, coupled with the decreased state contributions, meant KDHE had to dip into the plan reserves more than in recent years to cover payments to health care providers.
According to Aon, a consulting group the state contracts with to analyze health care trends, claims are dropping back to forecasted levels in 2015. But KDHE’s health plan administrators cited 2014’s increased use and the dropping reserves as reasons to increase what employees now must contribute to the plan.
They also recommended higher deductibles, a $5 increase in the office visit co-pays and increased premiums, especially for employees who also cover their spouse and children.
The family plans that cover dependents were changed to draw in an average of 37 percent more revenue from those employees. Employees in other plans saw smaller cost increases and even non-state employers, like the universities, were asked to pay more.
The only contributor to the health plan that was not asked to pay more was the state of Kansas.
Smoothing the ‘imbalances’
Minutes from the July 6 Health Care Commission meeting show that the recommendations were adopted 4-1, with the lone “no” vote coming from commissioner Steve Dechant, a Hutchinson resident who was appointed by former Democratic Gov. Mark Parkinson in 2009 to represent retired state employees.
Dechant said the projections made it clear the reserve was being spent down and the plan needed to be altered. He said there were “imbalances” in the plan that favored employees enrolled in high-deductible family plans, and those imbalances should be gradually smoothed out.
But he could not support the size of the cost increases levied on those plans this year.
“I did not vote for the plan this year, I voted against it,” Dechant said. “Not because I totally opposed it, but because I did not want to raise the employees’ (share) quite that much.”
Scott Day, a Topeka insurance agent appointed by Republican Gov. Sam Brownback to represent the general public on the Health Care Commission, voted for the plan.
He said the state was spending a lot on the family plans, which even after the premium hikes remain generous compared to what’s offered in other states.
“I was in support of raising what the family rates went to,” Day said. “We needed to get that more in line with other private and public plans.”
According to an April 2014 paper published by the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, Kansas public employees received more generous health benefits than similar private sector workers, but their total benefits package was not enough to offset a 19 percent deficit in wages.
The American Enterprise Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank, determined that Kansas state workers received 4 percent lower total compensation — wages and benefits — than their private sector counterparts, which tied them with Indiana workers for the nation’s largest deficit.
That was before the Health Care Commission approved the latest premium increases.
Sharing the pain
Praeger, whose term on the commission ended in January when she left office after serving three terms, said she would have been skeptical of shifting so much cost to the employees without increasing the state’s contribution at all.
“If (health care) costs are going up — and I don’t doubt that’s the case — there ought to be shared pain,” Praeger said. “Especially because we just reduced the state’s portion thinking we were OK in terms of reserves.”
But there’s little room in the general fund right now for the state to share in the pain.
Legislators took a record 114 days last session to pass a budget that barely balanced. In the early months of the fiscal year that started July 1, tax revenues have come in more than $60 million below projections, making the budget situation even more perilous.
Most legislative observers expect that when the state’s tax revenue estimators convene next month they will revise projections downward for the fourth straight time. If that happens, Brownback and legislators will be forced to balance the budget through spending cuts or additional transfers from the Kansas Department of Transportation.
With the changes approved by the Health Care Commission in the past year, the employers in the plan, including the state, still will be paying more than twice the amount paid by employees.
But the state and other employers will pay in about $25 million less in 2016. The recent changes will require employees to contribute $23 million more in 2016 than they did in 2014.
Keeping an eye on reserves
The reserve fund will continue to be depleted if health care costs continue to rise. KDHE’s Division of Health Care Finance’s 10-year projections assume that the reserves will be replenished through 27 percent increases in both the employee and employer contributions in 2017, but those increases have not been approved and are speculative.
The reserve fund is a trust fund that the governor is not authorized to sweep money from, even in dire budget times.
But Sen. Laura Kelly, a Democrat whose Topeka district includes many state employees, said that the administration’s recommendations still use the reserves to help balance the budget by reducing the state’s annual contribution.
“It appears that the state will use reserves instead of state general funds to cover some of the employer’s contributions in Plan Year (20)16, then use state general funds for Plan Years (20)17 and beyond,” Kelly said in an email. “One might suspect the fact that 2016 is an election year is driving the administration’s strategy for funding the state employee health plan.”
Spending down the health plan’s reserves means the state can hold on to general fund dollars and minimize the need for additional tax increases.
Proctor said she believes state workers are unfairly being asked to pay more because of budget crises that stem from a 2012 law that lowered income tax rates and exempted 300,000 businesses from paying any state income tax.
“I do think it’s just another example of where the working people in Kansas are being asked to foot the bill for tax breaks to business, and it’s not appropriate,” Proctor said.
Belfry said health care costs and health insurance premiums have risen nationwide since the federal Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, and the state raised its contribution to employee health plans in 2010, 2011 and 2012.
“Higher premiums to the state, along with projected (spending) growth rates, have resulted in an increase in (employee) premium rates this year,” Belfry said.
But health care costs and premiums were rising long before the ACA , and this time the state is not sharing the increased cost burden.
Praeger said that’s short-term thinking.
“The more we shift those costs to individuals, the more likely it is they’re not going to be able to afford needed health care services,” Praeger said. “They’ll just delay. And ultimately if it develops into something serious, then it will be more costly for everyone, including the state.”
Andy Marso is a reporter for Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.
JEFFERSON COUNTY – A Kansas man injured in an accident just before 5a.m. on Monday in Jefferson County has died, according to the Kansas Highway Patrol.
A 2001 Hyundai Accent driven by Kyle Christopher Inscho, 25, Topeka, was traveling southbound on U.S. 59 five miles south of Oskaloosa.
The vehicle traveled off the roadway into west ditch, hit a tree, rolled onto its side and caught fire.
Inscho was transported to KU Medical Center and died of his injuries on Tuesday night.
He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
By James Bell
Hays Post
In a race that is drawing national attention, First District Congressional candidate Roger Marshall, (R-Great Bend) running as a challenger to Republican Rep. Tim Huelskamp (R-Fowler), once again had a good showing in fundraising efforts in quarterly reports. The latest figures were released Thursday by the Federal Elections Commission.
Marshall raised over $158,000 in the third quarter. The second quarter fundraising filings were slightly higher at over $184,000. Marshall reported a total $261,405.55 raised so far in the election cycle. Marshall’s current cash on hand was listed at $192,485.83.
While the effectiveness of Marshall’s fundraising efforts may be surprising to some, most of the money has been coming from individual Kansans, unlike that of the incumbent.
Huelskamp’s fundraising efforts in the past quarter have yet to be released; however, July filings for his campaign show many donations coming from outside the state, while Marshall is keeping his fundraising close to home, generally through individual donors in Kansas, rather than Political Action Committees or large corporations.
Marshall’s October filing can be found here.
HUTCHINSON – A record number of people attended the Kansas State Fair September 11-20 in Hutchinson.
The best-ever crowd also set new record for Midway revenue and Kansas Lottery ticket sales, according to a media release.
The audited audience for 2015 was 369,322, beating the previous record, set in 1995, by more than 7,500 attendees. Mother Nature was definitely on the Fair’s side, delivering pleasant, cooperating weather throughout.
Pat Repp, of North American Midway, said the 2014 Fair set the record for largest Midway growth, and the 2015 Midway surpassed that with another 8.1 percent increase.
With the help of a strong Grandstand entertainment lineup and talented performers at the free stages, the Fair continued to attract crowds throughout the grounds. Pumpkin growers got in on the act, too. The largest-ever pumpkin weighed in at 1,034 pounds – so big the judges had to call in a special scale in order to confirm its victory.
The Kansas Lottery has been a presence at the Kansas State Fair since the first lottery ticket was sold, and this year provided the most excitement yet. Players visited the Lottery building in large numbers to buy $1 Fried N’ Joy instant scratch tickets and other lottery products, driving sales to a new record.
Inspired by the record turnout, the Kansas State fair has already planning for next year with the fair scheduled for Sept. 9 through 18, 2016.
By BECKY KISER
Hays Post
The suggestion for angle parking on Seventh Street by two business owners on the west end of the street, just off the Fort Hays State University campus, came about during recent discussion by Hays City Commissioner Lance Jones who favored converting West Seventh and Sixth streets to two-way traffic.
The other commissioners declined to support Jones’ recommendation, although they directed city staff to investigate the angle parking suggestion for the north side of the street. Parallel parking would remain on the north side.
The study results of Seventh Street from campus to Main Street will be presented during tonight’s Hays City Commission work session.
According to City Manager Toby Dougherty, staff will recommend against the idea.
“We took a lot of vehicles down there and looked at the angles, clearances, driving lanes, the requirements in order to put angle parking in,” Dougherty said. “While it would yield a few more parking spaces, city staff feels it doesn’t warrant the change because of other issues it would bring.”
Those issues include a concern raised by Hays Fire Chief Gary Brown.
“If they have to respond to a fire requiring the ladder truck, it has outriggers that need to be laid down. If we create a 10-foot-wide driving lane filled with parking, the fire truck won’t be able to put the outriggers down, and that could delay a response until cars are moved out of the way,” Dougherty explained.
Another cost factor would be removing the concrete median in the middle of the street.
Other agenda items for the work session include a discussion of transitioning to November elections. During 2015, state legislators passed a bill that moves city elections from April of odd years to November of odd years.
Fact-finding reports and the SEIU contract for 2016-2018 will be reviewed.
Public Works Director Greg Sund will present a replat of Lots 1 and 2 and Arnhold Drive in Arnhold’s Industrial Addition, and rezoning of Lots 15 and 17, Block 6, of HP Wilson Addition, 117 E. 7th Street, from C-O (Office and Institution District) to C-2 (General Commercial and Service District).
Jeff Boyle, Director of Parks, will talk about plans for a new play unit and restroom in Kiwanis Park, 17th and Harvest.
The complete Oct. 15, 2015, agenda can be seen here.
The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in Hays City Hall, 1507 Main.
Kansas Athletics
IRVING, Texas – For the 14th time in the 20-year history of the Big 12, Kansas men’s basketball has been selected as the preseason favorite to win the conference regular-season championship as the league released its coaches’ preseason poll Thursday.
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams in the poll and KU received nine first-place votes and a total of 81 points. Oklahoma edged Iowa State, 70-68, for second and third, respectively. Texas placed fourth followed by Baylor, West Virginia and Oklahoma State. Kansas State and TCU tied for eighth in the poll and Texas Tech placed 10th. Points are awarded with nine for first, eight for second, seven for third, etc., in the coaches’ votes.
Kansas has won, or tied for, 14 of the 19 Big 12 regular-season titles, including the last 11 consecutive, a streak which ranks tied for second all-time in NCAA Division I history. Last year KU went 27-9 overall and won the league race with a 13-5 record.
Kansas returns four starters and 11 letterwinners from last season’s 27-9 team that won KU’s 11th-straight, 15th Big 12 and NCAA-leading 58th overall conference regular-season title with a 13-5 league record.
Senior forward Perry Ellis is one of four returning all-conference Jayhawks from 2014-15. A Wichita, Kansas native, Ellis was an All-Big 12 First Team selection last season and reseason selection this year, leading Kansas in scoring (13.8 ppg) and rebounding (6.9 rpg). The 2014 Orlando Classic MVP, Ellis was also named to the 2015 Academic All-Big 12 First Team and the 2015 Big 12 Men’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Guard Frank Mason III, from Petersburg, Virginia, was an All-Big 12 Second Team honoree who was second on the team in scoring with 12.6 points per game and led Kansas with 142 assists and 50 steals in 2014-15. Mason’s 42.9 percent shooting from three-point range was best on the KU team last season. Guard Wayne Selden, Jr., from Roxbury, Massachusetts, was a 2015 All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection who led Kansas with 46 three-pointers made last year as he averaged 9.4 points per contest. Chicago senior forward Jamari Traylor (4.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg in 2014-15) started 18 games last season for KU.
Historically, the preseason favorite has gone on to finish first in the regular-season 12 times, which does not include 1996-97 as a coaches’ poll was not conducted. Kansas has been the preseason favorite in 11 of its 14 Big 12 regular-season titles, missing 1996-97 (no poll), 2005-06 (third) and 2010-11 (second).
2015-16 Big 12 Coaches’ Preseason Poll
Place. School (first-place votes) – total points
1. KANSAS (9) – 81
2. Oklahoma – 70
3. Iowa State (1) – 68
4. Texas – 51
5. Baylor – 49
6. West Virginia – 47
7. Oklahoma State – 33
8. Kansas State – 18
8. TCU – 18
10. Texas Tech – 15
The Intercept, the site that published Edward Snowden’s leaked NSA documents, has another round of leaked documents — this time focusing on American use of drones in airstrikes and assassinations overseas.
Click HERE for the report.
