LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A University of Kansas residence hall is coming down this week.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports that about 750 pounds of explosives will detonate Wednesday morning at McCollum Hall. In 18 seconds, the 10-story, three-wing, 220,000-square-foot residence hall will become a pile of rubble.
Opened in 1965, McCollum initially housed 910 students. It has been the king — at least in size — of KU’s Daisy Hill dorms ever since.
Demolition preparations began last month. The work has included removing and hauling off all soft material such as wood and sheet rock, and removing tons of metals for recycling.
Filing and getting a claim resolved with your insurance company does not have to be a frustrating, time-consuming process, according to Ken Selzer, CPA, Kansas Commissioner of Insurance.
“Being prepared with and keeping track of the information your insurance company needs to process the claim is critical,” said Commissioner Selzer. “Preparation will help in reducing the time between the insurance incident and the resolution of your problem.”
To help get your claims paid promptly, Commissioner Selzer said Kansans should consider the following ideas.
Know your policy. Understand what your policy says. Because it is a contract between you and your insurance company, you need to know what’s covered, what’s not and what your deductibles are.
File claims as soon as possible. Don’t let the bills or receipts pile up. Call your agent or your company’s claims hotline as soon as possible. Your policy might require that you make the notification within a certain time frame.
Provide complete, correct information. Be certain to give your insurance company all the necessary information. If your information is incorrect or incomplete, your claim could be delayed.
Keep copies of all communications. Whenever you communicate with your insurance company, be sure to document the communications. With phone calls, include the date, name and title of the person you spoke with and what was said. Also, keep a record of your time and expenses.
Ask questions. If there is a disagreement about the claim settlement, ask the company for the specific language in your policy that is in question. Find out if the disagreement is because you interpret the policy differently. If your claim is denied, make sure you have a letter from the company explaining the reason for the denial — including the specific policy language which caused the denial.
Don’t rush into a settlement. If the first offer your insurance company makes does not meet your expectations, talk with your local insurance agent or seek other professional advice.
Document auto/homeowners temporary repairs. Auto and homeowners policies might require you to make temporary repairs to protect your property from further damage. Your policy should cover the cost of these temporary repairs, so keep all receipts. Also, document any damaged personal property for an adjuster to inspect. If possible, take photographs or videotape the damage before making the repairs.
Don’t make permanent repairs. A company might deny a claim if you make permanent repairs before the damage is inspected. If possible, determine what it will cost to repair your property before you meet with an adjuster. Provide the adjuster any records of improvements you made to the property, and ask him/her for an itemized explanation of the claim settlement offer.
Seek accident and health claims details. Ask your medical provider to give your insurance company details about your treatment, condition and prognosis. If you suspect your provider is overcharging, ask the insurance company to audit the bill, and verify whether the provider used the proper billing procedure.
Contact the Kansas Insurance Department (KID). If you continue to have a dispute with your insurance company about the amount or terms of the claims settlement, contact the KID Consumer Assistance Hotline at 1-800-432-2484, or go to the website, www.ksinsurance.org, to file an online complaint.
Ken Selzer, CPA, is the Kansas Commissioner of Insurance.
Celebrating Christmas when a family’s child has died is difficult, no matter the age of the child or the parent.
The Hays Healing Hearts support group, headquartered at the Center for Life Experiences, 2900 Hall St., hosted its annual holiday Children’s Memorial Tree ornament hanging and dedication Saturday afternoon.
Frank Medina and his family were among the more than 20 parents, siblings and grandparents who attended the event. His two-year-old daughter Chloe, a triplet, died of leukemia two years ago.
“It was really nice,” Medina said.
“We read off the names of our children we have lost and then hung their ornament on the Christmas tree. We also read off the names of children whose families were not present. It is a great way for parents to know their children will always be remembered even if they are unable to attend the ceremony. At the end, we all held hands in a circle around the tree and said a prayer for our loved ones in heaven,” he said.
“It was very touching.”
The Children’s Memorial Tree tree is in the display window of Jackie Creamer’s The Dance Studio, 1003 Main, through the Christmas holiday.
WICHITA – A Kansas man died in an accident just before 1p.m. on Sunday in Sedgwick County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1998 Toyota Rav4 driven by James G. Depriest, 63, Wichita, was entering south bound Interstate 135 from west bound Kellogg
The driver lost control on the entrance ramp. The vehicle left the roadway and struck the bridge pillar at south bound Interstate135 to eastbound U.S. 54.
Depriest was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to the Forensic Science Center
He was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
SAN DIEGO (AP) — Justin Houston intercepted Philip Rivers’ pass and returned it 17 yards for a touchdown and 346-pound defensive tackle Dontari Poe leaped over the pile for a 1-yard touchdown and the Kansas City Chiefs embarrassed the free-falling San Diego Chargers 33-3 Sunday.
Alex Smith won again at Qualcomm Stadium as the Chiefs (5-5) won their fourth straight game following a five-game losing streak.
The Chargers (2-8) lost their sixth straight.
Rivers had his worst game of the season, throwing for just 178 yards. Rivers attempted a pass to Danny Woodhead from the Chargers 23 and Houston intercepted it and ran it in for a 19-3 lead with 3:27 left in the third quarter.
Houston sacked Rivers four times in the 2014 season finale in which the Chargers were eliminated from the playoff race.
Smith, who led Helix High to consecutive city championships at Qualcomm Stadium, was 20 of 25 for 253 yards.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Rockhurst made their first four penalty kicks as Fort Hays State was eliminated in a 1-1 tie (4-1 PK’s) in the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Tournament.
The Tigers started the scoring in the 21st minute as David Lucio scored his fourth of the season unassisted. The Hawks would answer just 15 second later as Claudio Romano netted a goal to tie it up. Defensively FHSU stopped six shots on goal for the day as they held RU scoreless in the second half.
Fort Hays State finishes the season with a 13-5-2 overall record having advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer Tournament.
CHICAGO (AP) — Brock Osweiler threw for two touchdowns while starting for the injured Peyton Manning, and the Denver Broncos stopped Jeremy Langford on a 2-point conversion run in the final minute to beat the Chicago Bears 17-15 on Sunday.
Langford scored on a 2-yard run with 24 seconds left to cap a 65-yard drive. But he ran into a crowd on a conversion attempt and the Broncos (8-2) escaped with a narrow victory.
Osweiler completed 20 of 27 passes for 250 yards with five-time MVP Manning staying back in Denver because of injuries to his foot, ribs and shoulder.
Ronnie Hillman ran for 102 yards, and the AFC West-leading Broncos (8-2) beat former coach John Fox after dropping two in a row.
Osweiler threw a 48-yard touchdown to Demaryius Thomas on Denver’s first possession and a 10-yarder to Cody Latimer early in the fourth quarter.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A group of African-American leaders are calling for expanding Medicaid, repealing restrictive voting laws, reforming criminal sentencing and putting more restrictions on payday lenders.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the agenda was adopted Saturday in Topeka. It was announced after a group called the Kansas Black Leadership Council came together for the first time to adopt a unified, statewide political agenda for an upcoming legislative session and the elections to follow.
The group includes members from Kansas City, Wichita, Salina, Junction City and several other communities in Kansas.
They met at the historic St. John AME Church near downtown Topeka, which was built in 1864 and has long been a center of political and cultural activity within Topeka’s black community.
TARKIO, Mo. (AP) — Federal wildlife officials are concerned about a proposed wind farm project in northwest Missouri they say is in the migratory corridor for birds flying into the Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge.
Lenexa, Kansas-based Tradewind Energy plans to build roughly 150 of the 500-foot-tall wind turbines in central and eastern Atchison County, between Tarkio and Tarkio Prairie Conservation Area.
There already are about 100 turbines on the county’s west side.
The St. Joseph News-Press reports the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wants Tradewind to do an environmental assessment and apply for permits to allow protected species such as eagles to be killed at the facility.
Tradewind officials say the company plans to work closely with federal wildlife officials on an eagle conservation plan and will apply for voluntary permits eventually.
TOPEKA–The Kansas Reading Roadmap (KRR), an initiative commissioned by Governor Sam Brownback and funded by the Kansas Department for Children and Families (DCF), is showing strong growth in third grade reading skills, according to an independent evaluation of the 2014-2015 school year.
The University of Kansas study shows in KRR model programs across the state, a greater number of children are achieving reading proficiency. KRR’s whole-school approach includes classroom instruction, in-school interventions, afterschool and summer programs, and family engagement. KRR schools have demonstrated a nearly 10-point improvement in children reading at benchmark levels. Schools use benchmark reading goals to identify whether children are on track to read at grade level.
“Third grade reading proficiency is critical to ensuring student academic success and is a strong predictor of timely graduation from high school,” said Governor Sam Brownback. “Early literacy efforts like the Kansas Reading Roadmap can both help these children succeed in school and in life.”
KRR schools have shown impressive growth in just one year. Labette County’s, Altamont Grade School showed a 69 percent increase in children reading at benchmark and a reduction of children at risk for special education by 73 percent. At Fairfield Elementary in Langdon, the number of children needing intensive reading interventions fell 60 percent, and the number of children at benchmark increased by 54 percent.
“KRR has been an excellent support for our district’s vision, combining resources and training to better meet the needs of our K-3 students and families,” said Fairfield Superintendent Nathan Reid. “The approach of instruction during school, the support of an aligned afterschool program and the partnerships created with the families have created an environment of commitment. Our students have shown tremendous growth in our short time as part of the program, and I would recommend it to any district without hesitation.”
The KRR program, currently in 40 low-income schools across the state focuses on helping schools improve third grade reading proficiency. The program is grounded in a partnership with the Kansas Department of Education (KSDE), through the use of its Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) approach for in-school reform. Kansas MTSS is a coherent continuum of evidence-based, system-wide practices to support a rapid response to academic and behavioral needs, with frequent data-based monitoring for instructional decision-making to empower each student to achieve high standards. KSDE has spent more than 10 years developing Kansas MTSS in partnership with local schools. In addition to in-school improvement through MTSS, KRR schools also run aligned afterschool, summer and family engagement programs. Young readers who are identified as needing extra help receive coordinated interventions both during and outside of school.
“There is no one silver bullet for school reform or third grade reading,” KRR Executive Director Andrew Hysell said. “Instead it takes a lot of hard work and the better use of existing resources. Working with Kansas parents, teachers and administrators, I’m amazed by how much they’ve been able to accomplish.”
KRR utilizes Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funds, provided by DCF. DCF Secretary Phyllis Gilmore is pleased to see such positive outcomes.
“Our mission includes promoting healthy families and encouraging personal responsibility,” Secretary Gilmore said. “Improving reading proficiency early in life ensures a brighter future for young Kansans and generations to come.”
The KRR programs provide up to 1,860 hours of out-of-school programming per student and offer direct services to more than 500 families per year.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A study by a nonprofit health advocacy group says youth drug overdose rates are up in Kansas, but remain lower than the national rate.
The study released Thursday by Trust for America’s Health shows that Kansas’ overall drug overdose death rate for 12- to 25-year-olds was 5.9 deaths for every 100,000 youths. That compares to 7.3 deaths nationally for every 100,000 youths.
The Wichita Eagle reports that the state’s rate quadrupled over the last 12 years. Only Wyoming had a greater increase.
The Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services says the state waiting list of people who need funding from the state in order to receive treatment for addiction has increased over time but started spiking about three years ago.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — A retrial for a 31-year-old man charged in a Lawrence apartment killing has ended in another hung jury.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports that Douglas County District Judge Paula Martin declared a mistrial Friday in Dustin D. Walker’s felony murder trial. Prosecutors alleged that Walker killed 39-year-old Patrick Roberts in March 2014 during a botched robbery attempt. But defense attorney Blake Glover said Walker and his cousin, Archie Robinson, didn’t break into Roberts’ apartment but went there to buy marijuana.
Walker was already convicted of an aggravated burglary charge at his first trial in February, but those jurors could not agree on the felony murder charge. Prosecutors plan to announce Dec. 2 whether they will seek another retrial.
Robinson, of Topeka, was convicted earlier in the killing.
The Kansas Ag Research and Technology Association (KARTA) and K-State Research and Extension have announced its winter conference will be moving to a bigger facility in January of 2016. The 19th Annual Kansas Agricultural Technologies Conference will be held January 21-22, 2016, at the Courtyard by Marriott and adjacent convention center in Junction City.
This annual event brings hundreds of agricultural producers and industry leaders for a two-day interactive workshop on the use of technology in the ever-changing agriculture industry. “Our winter conference has been growing tremendously over the last few years, but last year we were bursting at the seams in Salina,” says Jeff Buehler, 2015 KARTA Board President. “Our volunteer board made the decision to research other venues, and are confident that the Marriott in Junction City will better serve our conference needs now and as we continue to grow in the future.”
Those in attendance at the conference will hear presentations from dynamic speakers on a wide variety of topics dealing with precision agriculture. The two-day event also includes vendor displays, the KARTA Annual Meeting, research presentations from grant recipients, and an interactive evening discussion that is always an attendee favorite.
Anyone who signs up on or before January 15th can receive a $50 discount on their conference registration, bringing the conference price to $175 per person (which includes meals and refreshments). There is also a subsidized student rate of $50 per person, catered to agricultural students at all of the state’s post-secondary educational institutions.
The funds generated through the association dues and conference registrations are used to provide grants to facilitate on-farm research projects and instructional workshops on the hardware and software necessary to conduct agricultural research trials. Registration for the two-day conference is $175 per person prior to January 15th, or $225 per person after that deadline. There is also a $50 discount for KARTA members, and new members can always sign up on their conference registration form. For more information or to register, visit www.kartaonline.org. Be sure to follow KARTA on Twitter and Facebook.
