MCPHERSON -Law enforcement authorities in McPherson County have wrapped up an investigation of various suspicious activity reports taken from schools in McPherson.
On September 24, Police in McPherson reported several individuals contacted them asking to confirm rumors of an individual trying to abduct local students.
Police indicated at that time they had not received any abduction reports, attempted or otherwise.
Police did indicate they received two separate reports of suspicious activity. Local students were concerned about an unfamiliar vehicle, driven slowly in the area of a school, reported the situation to school principals who shared the information appropriately with police.
The information involved different descriptions and appeared unconnected, police reported in September.
Police reported on Tuesday, that in each instance of suspicious activity, they found a valid reason for the activity or a false report, according to a media release.
The valid reason or false reports were confirmed by eyewitnesses and corroborated with additional information.
In each instance the residents who were unwilling to report the circumstances immediately to law enforcement or provide timely access to the reporting parties hampered the investigation, according to police.
Since the report involved minor children, no additional details are being released.
Police also urged the public to report suspicious activity immediately instead of or before sharing it on social media and to report only the truth no exaggeration or rumor.
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court seems inclined to rule against the perpetrators of what one justice called “some of the most horrendous murders” he’s ever seen from the bench.
The justices on Wednesday were critical of the Kansas Supreme Court, which overturned the death sentences of three men, including two brothers convicted in a murderous crime spree known as the “Wichita massacre.”
It was the first high-court hearing on death penalty cases since a clash over lethal injection procedures exposed deep divisions among the justices in the court’s last term.
The debate this time concerned the sentencing process for Jonathan and Reginald Carr and for Sidney Gleason, convicted in another case.
The state court ruled that jurors received flawed instructions about mitigating evidence and said the brothers should have been sentenced separately.
TOPEKA — The 2014 Annual Summary of Vital Statistics is now available. The report contains information on births, deaths, marriages, divorces and more.
Among the highlights for 2014:
The state’s infant mortality rate has decreased from 6.4 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2013 to 6.3 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2014.
The rate for Black non-Hispanic mothers was 10.3 deaths per 1,000 live births, a
32.7 percent decrease from the 2013 rate of 15.3.
Teen pregnancy numbers decreased by 6.5 percent, from 3,335 in 2013 to 2,118 in 2014.
The pregnancy rate for mothers under 20 years of age was 16 per 1,000 females. This is the lowest pregnancy rate for this age-group in the past 20 years, down from a peak of 34.5 in 1995.
Pneumonia and influenza resulted in an age-adjusted mortality rate of 18 deaths per 1,000 population, down from 20 in 2013.
The number of births to Kansas residents was 39,193, an increase of 1 percent from 2013. The state’s birth rate increased to 13.5 per 1,000 population from 13.4 in 2013.
The state’s population increased by 0.3 percent in 2014 to 2,904,021.
Geary, Pottawatomie and Riley Counties had the largest relative increases in population from 2010 to 2014 with respective changes of: 7.4 percent, 6.5 percent and 5.7 percent
JACKSON COUNTY – A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 7a.m. on Wednesday in Jackson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2001 Mack semi driven by Daryl L. Compton, 62, Topeka, was southbound on U.S. 75.
The semi collided with a 1993 Ford pickup driven by Paul B. Krogman, 83, Holton, that was northbound on U.S. 75 making a left hand turn onto Columbine Road.
Krogman was transported to Holton Community Hospital. He was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
The KHP also reported Compton was injured but not transported for treatment.
SALINA- Professional Basketball is set to return to Salina for the first time in over ten years, according to a media release from One Sports Distraction Group of Topeka.
The Salina Thunder Minor League Basketball Club will participate in the American Basketball Association (ABA) beginning with the 2016-2017 season.
“We believe we are making the right move to bring the ABA to the city of Salina and bringing back great basketball to Salina,” said Shawn Smith, the President and Chief Executive Officer of One Sports Distraction Group.
The team is looking for front office staff including a General Manager, Marketing Manager, Director of Ticket Sales, Director of Events, and a Head Coach.
The Salina Bicentennial Center is being considered as a potential home for the Thunder, as well as other possible locations that could host an ABA team.
Smith said players for the team could come from Division I, Division II and NAIA schools, as well as other professional leagues, or could even be local players from the Salina area.
Smith said that funding for the team would come directly from One Sports Distraction Group, as well as sponsorships that the group would bring to the team.
He indicated that the group and itself fund the league.
Tryouts for the new team are expected to be announced in Mid-March.
Salina has had two previous minor league basketball teams. The Kansas Cagerz played eight seasons (1999-2007) in the United States Basketball League (USBL) at the Bicentennial Center and the Salina Rattlers played just one season (2000-2001) in the International Basketball Association (IBA), also at the Bicentennial Center.
Slash is the final addition to the roster of rockers starring in Gutterdämmerung, a new film referred to as “The Loudest Silent Movie on Earth.”
The ex-Guns N’ Roses guitarist will appear in the film alongside Iggy Pop, Motorhead’s Lemmy and Slayer’s Tom Araya, as well as with such other artists as former Screaming Trees frontman Mark Lanegan, Queens of the Stone Age’s Josh Homme, Volbeat andEagles of Death Metal’s Jesse Hughes.
According to the film’s Facebook page, Slash will play a character who begins the quest for the “phallic tool of eternal torment.” As for what exactly that means, presumably it will be explained in the movie.
Directed by Belgian-Swedish visual artist Bjorn Tagemose, Gutterdämmerung is “part rock show, part immersive cinema experience.” The full trailer will be revealed on October 12.
Gutterdämmerung will be screened in theaters with a live band and live narrator in 2016. For more info, visitGutterdammerung.com.
FORT RILEY- Authorities have positively identified a woman found dead inside her car at Fort Riley on September 22.
According to a media release from Fort Riley Public Affairs, the Armed Forces Medical Examiner reported that the vehicle of Jessica Echevarria, the 29-year-old wife of a Fort Riley Soldier, was located in a wooded area near Caisson Hill Road.
An examination of the scene and vehicle indicates Echevarria was involved in a single-vehicle incident when she left the roadway and struck a tree, which resulted in her death.
The vehicle was obstructed from view due to dense foliage.
A soldier walking along the side of the road noticed something out of place, became suspicious and alerted military police.
Echevarria was reported missing by her husband on Aug 21, 2015.
Her family also filed a missing person’s report in California.
Her personal and vehicle information was entered into the National Crime Information Center database identifying her as a missing person and a “Be On the Lookout” was distributed to local and state law enforcement agencies.
The incident remains under investigation by special agents from the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Command.
The Kansas State High School Activities Association has released the new districts for high school football for the 2016 and 2017 seasons on Wednesday.
Hays High will join Abilene, McPherson and Wamego in 4A Division 1 District 8.
TMP-Marian will have Norton Community, Phillipsburg and Russell in 3A District 14.
Ellis joins La Crosse, Oakley and Plainville make up 2-1A District 7.
Victoria moves to 1A Division I and will have Bennington, Lincoln, Logan/Palco, Osborne and Solomon with them in District 4.
Trego-WaKeeney is also 1A Division I and will join Atwood-Rawlins County, Hill City, Hoxie, Oberlin-Decatur Community, Quinter and St. Francis in District 8
Law enforcement authorities at the scene to Monday evening’s fatal crash in Manhattan
MANHATTAN – Law enforcement authorities in Riley County continue to investigate Monday night’s fatal accident that killed a 6-year-old Riley girl.
Detectives with the Riley County Police Department are asking witnesses of the collision in the 2400 block of Tuttle Creek Boulevard contact RCPD or Detective Joe Ehrlich with the Riley County Police Department Investigations Division.
Detectives with the assistance of the Kansas Highway Patrol were at the crash site Wednesday conducting a follow-up investigation.
Detectives are also looking for witnesses who may have interacted with the driver of the 2001 Ford Ranger, stopped at the accident scene prior to police arrive and have not yet provided information to authorities, or witnesses that may have observed the vehicle and its driving prior to the collision.
Police reported a 2001 Ford Ranger driven by Joshua Mall, 39, Riley, was traveling in the 2400 Block of Tuttle Creek Boulevard just before 7:30 p.m.
The driver lost control of the vehicle at Northfield Road and collided with a 2013 Chevy Cruz.
Immediately following the initial impact the Ford left the roadway and collided with a tree.
Mall was transported to Via Christi Hospital in Manhattan and transferred a medical care facility in Topeka.
A child in the Ford Madilyn Mall, 6, Riley, was transported to Via Christi where she died.
The Hays Fire Department has a free smoke and carbon monoxide detector program for low-income residents, funded by the Kansas State Fire Marshal office.
“We want every bedroom to have a smoke detector and also to have them outside living areas,” said Firefighter Brandon Zimmerman.
“So if anyone does not have that in their home because they can’t afford to buy the detectors, contact the fire department and we’ll schedule a time during the day that works best for them and us and we’ll come out and put them in.”
HFD will also change the batteries in smoke and carbon monoxide detectors for Hays residents who are unable to do it themselves–“the elderly or disabled,” Zimmerman added.
He also recommended monthly tests of the alarms and to change the batteries when Daylight Saving Time changes twice a year, in the fall and the spring.
For more information about the smoke and CO detector program, call the Hays Fire Department at (785) 628-7330.
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) released the following statement on his vote in favor of proceeding to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), legislation that authorizes funding for the Department of Defense through Fiscal Year 2016:
“The NDAA is one of the most important pieces of legislation that Congress passes for the defense of our nation. Yet, even as conflict worsens in the Middle East, our Commander in Chief is threatening to veto this critical funding for our troops, their families, combat pay and troop pay raises, wounded warriors, and personnel and equipment necessary to fight the many threats that face our nation. As a Marine, I want to ensure all our warfighters receive the best support possible to meet these threats around the world. Unfortunately, President Obama would rather play politics and allow terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to move to our mainland.”
In addition to authorizing funding for the Department of Defense (DoD) through fiscal year 2016, the National Defense Authorization Act includes provisions that:
Preserve our military’s technological edge and cuts the bloated Pentagon bureaucracy to focus precious defense dollars on our troops.
Give service members transitioning out of the military the option to use a portion of their retirement benefits to buy a home, start a business, or put their kids through college.
Continue the prohibition of any transfer of prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to the United States.
Make military health care more accessible and flexible for military families.
Improve military justice, including sexual assault prevention and response.
The motion to proceed to the legislation passed the Senate by a vote of 73-26.
Senator Roberts is the most senior Marine in the Congress and a former member of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Ron Wilson is director of the Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development at Kansas State University.
By RON WILSON Huck Boyd National Institute for Rural Development
A National Park Service researcher is calling. He is working on a feasibility study which is considering the addition of the Western Cattle Trail to the National Park System. The person he is calling is a western author located in rural Kansas.
Last week in Now That’s Rural, we met Margaret and Gary Kraisinger, owners of The Old Hardware Store in Halstead. Gary and Margaret are also published authors who have extensively researched the history of the west, specifically the historic Western Cattle Trail.
Gary was raised at Hays and met and married Margaret at Fort Hays State. They became teachers and took teaching positions at Dighton. Margaret taught high school business and English, and Gary taught Kansas history and math at the junior high level while doing graduate work in the summertime.
One day a local rancher approached them and said that he had something he wanted to show them. “One Sunday afternoon, we went out there and the rancher took us out into his pasture,” Margaret said. “We were driving across the pasture and then he turned his wheels sharply, and it was like a washboard. What is that, we asked. `Well, it’s not wagon ruts, but we think it is a cattle trail,’ he said.”
Gary and Margaret Kraisinger
The interest of Gary and Margaret was piqued. Was there an old-time cattle trail that had passed through the region? Gary and Margaret agreed to look into it.
This began a decades-long labor of love. On and off through the ensuing years, they researched the history of the cattle trails. These were the routes on which thousands of longhorn cattle moved north from Texas during the 1800s. Of course, this research started before Google even existed. “We did this research the old-fashioned way,” Margaret said. “We wrote letters and read books and contacted museums and libraries and county clerks.”
With time, they came to several conclusions. One was that a major cattle trail had indeed passed through that rancher’s property. The larger conclusion was that there were different trail systems that evolved before and after the Civil War. There was no simple line on a map, but rather entire systems of splinter and feeder routes leading into trunk lines which reached a variety of destinations through the years. One of these systems was the Western Cattle Trail.
Gary went into the construction business which took him to the Wichita area, where the Kraisingers settled in nearby Halstead. When Margaret retired from teaching, she finally had time to work on the data they had amassed from their years of research. In 2004, Gary and Margaret produced a book titled “The Western: The Greatest Texas Cattle Trail, 1874-1886.” It focused primarily on branches of the Western Trail that went through Kansas and southwestern Nebraska.
“We would go out to do book signings and presentations and people would say, “We’re from Montana, what about us?” Margaret said. Ultimately Gary and Margaret decided to produce a larger, more comprehensive book on the Western Trail system in total.
“It was a team effort,” Margaret said. “I would be writing upstairs while he would be drafting a map downstairs.”
In April 2015, the new book was produced. It is titled “The Western Cattle Trail 1874-1897, Its Rise, Collapse, and Revival.” Of this voluminous book, literally an inch-and-a-half thick in hardcover, it has been said, “No other work has been as comprehensive about the Western Cattle Trail System.”
The National Park Service is now conducting a feasibility study on the possibility of adding the Western Trail and the Eastern/Chisholm Trail to the national trail system. The Kraisingers’ books are being used as supporting evidence.
It all began with a stop in a pasture near the rural community of Dighton, population 1,223 people. Now, that’s rural.
A National Park Service researcher is calling. As he works on this feasibility study, he is calling on these authors and researchers in rural Kansas. We commend Gary and Margaret Kraisinger for making a difference with their in-depth, thorough research. They are truly helping document and preserve the history of the long-lost cattle trails.
MCPHERSON -Law enforcement authorities in McPherson County have wrapped up an investigation of various suspicious activity reports taken from schools in McPherson.
