HUTCHINSON – A Kansas man was arrested Wednesday morning on a charge of alleged sexual exploitation of a child.
Douglas Anthony Kennel, 45, Hutchinson, was arrested following an investigation that began when the suspect took an old phone to have data transferred to his new phone.
The worker transferring the data saw images that he thought were possibly child porn.
Hutchinson Police Detective Scott Carlton says after investigating they found over 4,000 images on the phone’s S-D card. Police believe the images were downloaded from a file-sharing site.
Kennel apparently came to the police station to talk with the detective and was arrested.
Kennel is a registered sex offender with convictions for two counts in Harvey County for a conviction for indecent liberties with a child from 1997.
His bond in the Reno County case is set at $10,000 and should make a first appearance in court Thursday.
WICHITA – A Kansas woman died in an accident just after 8 a.m. on Wednesday in Sedgwick County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1997 GMC pickup driven by Brenda Theresa Petrey, 63, Kechi, was northbound on Webb Road.
The driver failed to yield at Kansas 254. An eastbound 2014 Dodge Ram pick driven by Joshua Jay Mathews, 35, Whitewater, 35, collided with the GMC pickup.
Petrey was pronounced dead at the scene and transported to the Sedgwick County Forensics Lab.
Mathews was not injured.
Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
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WICHITA – A Kansas woman died in an accident just after 8 a.m. on Wednesday in Sedgwick County.
Update: 1 confirmed fatality from the crash on K-254 / Webb Road.
FORT RILEY – The visit by Secretary of Defense Ash Carter to Fort Riley scheduled for Thursday has been canceled, according to officials at Fort Riley. No explanation was provided by the Defense Department.
Currently there are no plans to reschedule the visit.
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FORT RILEY -Defense Secretary Ash Carter is coming to Kansas, according to officials at Fort Riley.
He will be speaking to soldiers about military reforms at Fort Riley on Thursday.
Carter is the nation’s 25th Secretary of Defense.
According to his Defense Department bio, Secretary Carter earned his bachelor’s degrees in physics and in medieval history, summa cum laude, at Yale University, where he was also awarded Phi Beta Kappa; and he received his doctorate in theoretical physics from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes Scholar.
He was a physics instructor at Oxford, a postdoctoral fellow at Rockefeller University and M.I.T., and an experimental research associate at Brookhaven and Fermilab National Laboratories.
Secretary Carter is author or co-author of 11 books and more than 100 articles on physics, technology, national security, and management.
LEAVENWORTH COUNTY – A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 7a.m. on Wednesday in Leavenworth County.
The Kansas Turnpike Authority reported a 2007 Isuzu passenger vehicle driven by Eugene Houston Mccarter, 32, Mission, was westbound on Interstate 70 near the Tonganoxie-Eudora exit.
The vehicle came over the crest of a hill and the driver was unable to avoid a semi traveling 50 miles-per-hour in the number 2 lane.
The Isuzu stuck the rear of the semi and caught fire.
Mccarter was transported to a local hospital.
The semi driver James Edward Long, 52, Edwardsville, was not injured.
The accident shut down the highway for a couple of hours.
Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident.
MANHATTAN- Law enforcement authorities in Riley County are investigating two suspects after an arrest following a high-speed chase through Manhattan.
Just after 6 p.m. on Tuesday, police responded to report of a verbal altercation, which turned physical in the area of Mission Circle in Manhattan, according to a media release from Riley County Police.
Officers were told that the altercation involved a suspect brandishing a firearm prior who left the scene with another individual in a green Pontiac.
Police in the area attempted to perform a traffic stop on the vehicle at which time a short vehicle pursuit, at speeds 10-15 miles per-hour over posted limits, began near the intersection of Tuttle Creek Boulevard and Allen Road and continued south through the residential section east of Tuttle Creek Blvd.
The suspect vehicle made its way to the intersection of Casement Road and Tuttle Creek Boulevard and turned south onto Tuttle Creek Boulevard.
Officers at the intersection of Holiday Drive and Tuttle Creek Boulevard were able to deploy “stop sticks” in order to slow the vehicle and initiate a “felony traffic stop” as a safety measure.
Out of an abundance of caution the intersection of Tuttle Creek Boulevard and Bluemont Avenue was briefly closed to traffic.
Police arrested Shawn Sime, 36, St. George, for the offense of criminal damage to property, which gave him a bond of $3,000.00.
Also arrested was Johnathan Bruce, 21, St. George, for the offenses of flee or attempt to elude law enforcement, reckless driving, criminal damage to property, and operating a motor vehicle without a valid license.
Bruce received a bond of $7,000.
DODGE CITY – Congressman Tim Huelskamp announced that a staff representative from his Kansas office will be available in Hays on Tuesday, February 2 from 4:00-5:00 p.m. at the Ellis County District Court.
During these office hours, Huelskamp’s staff representative will be available to meet individually with Kansans to learn about their concerns and to serve as a resource for constituents struggling to navigate bureaucratic red tape.
Constituents seeking assistance are encouraged to schedule an appointment by contacting Congressman Huelskamp’s Dodge City office at 620-225-0172.
Congressman Huelskamp said of the office hours, “The federal government doesn’t make it easy on us – in fact an estimated 4,000 regulations will be working their way through the federal bureaucracy in the last year of Barack Obama’s presidency. Whether you have questions on working with the EPA, IRS, OSHA, VA or other agency, my staff will be available to help. I hope our office can be of service to you.”
Huelskamp Ellis County Local Office Hours
Tuesday, February 2, 4:00-5:00 p.m.
Ellis County District Court
107 W. 12th, 2nd Floor Meeting Room
Hays
Rodney J. Carroll was born August 15, 1975, to Mike and Mary Lee. He graduated with the class of 1994 at Kit Carson High School, Kit Carson, Colorado.
After school he started driving truck for Befort Harvesting out of Hays, Kansas, in 1995. He drove for a few different companies after that, hauling over the road reefer until returning to Befort again in 2014.
He died doing what he loved. Those 18 wheels took him many places where he took many pictures to share with family and friends.
Rodney passed January 20, 2016, near Dighton, Kansas. He was laid to rest January 26, 2016, at Thurman Cemetery in Colorado near his grandparent’s home.
He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Don Carroll and Gene and Vickie Kipp. He is survived by his grandparents Paul and Florence Morris, Bev Carroll, parents Mike and Mary Lee, sister Jennifer Gribble, brother-in-law Milton Gribble II, nephew Milton Gribble III, nieces Shiloh and Zoey Gribble, as well as his cousin by blood, sister by choice Tina Dang (Kipp), Sean and Christopher Dang. He is also survived by countless aunts, uncles, cousins, friends and his Befort family.
He would not want us to grieve, so have a drink and salute Rodney…we’ll see you on the other side.
Renovations at HaysMed Family Medicine Clinic added 12,381 square feet and a second entrance.
HaysMed
Even though the project is still a few months away from completion, visitors to the HaysMed Family Medicine Clinic , 2509 Canterbury, are noticing quite a few changes.
Patients and families are now seeing their health-care providers in the new addition, which has been completed.
Phase two of the project is an extensive reconstruction of the older part of the structure. Project completion is expected this summer at the facility, which Hays Medical Center owns and operates.
“We think the community will be impressed with what we have done so far, as well as the final result later this year,” said Leslie
HaysMed Family Medicine began seeing patients Monday in the completed phase one of a two phase project.
Dexter, office manager. “Visitors are enjoying a bigger and brighter lobby, and more privacy throughout the entire clinic. “We also anticipate the new configuration will offer a better flow of foot traffic,” she added. “This means that checking into and out of the clinic will be smooth sailing.”
The expansion project also will result in more exam and procedure rooms. A total of 29 exam rooms will be available, up from 22. And there will be three procedure rooms instead of two.
“In addition,” Dexter noted, “rooms will be larger and doorways will be wider. Patients will have easier access to more comfortable surroundings.”
The expansion project is scheduled to be completed this summer.
The renovations added 12,381 square feet to the clinic; 10,653 square feet are being remodeled to create a uniform look and feel in all areas of the facility.
Throughout the construction project, which started last April, the clinic has remained open full-time.
Shae Veach, HaysMed vice president of regional operations, noted the staff knew it was important to be available during the construction and they continue to make it work. “It is always challenging for associates when any remodeling project is under way,” Veach said. “But our staff at HaysMed Family Medicine have gone above and beyond. The noise and additional traffic has not distracted them from caring for their patients.”
Veach added that patients and families “will be thrilled with the spacious clinic. The registration area will be more private and allow staff to better serve patients. A fantastic option will be the convenience of dropping off patients at either of the two entrances.”
This two-phase project is just one example of the HaysMed commitment to investing in the hospital and its clinics, Veach commented. “We continually invest in maintaining our buildings, and the HaysMed Family Medicine addition and remodeling is another example of our commitment to a better patient experience,” Veach commented. “This will allow us to continue to expand the family-medicine practice to accommodate the changing needs of our community.”
Currently, the HaysMed Family Medicine Clinic staff includes Dr(s). Heather Harris, Jeffery Henry, Richard Rajewski, Andrea Sandoval and Nathan Smith, physician assistants Nichole Ganoung, and Jennifer Williams and advanced practice registered nurses Susan Amrein and Camille Suchi. The total number of staff members is 34.
NEW YORK (AP) — Wendy’s says it is investigating reports of “unusual activity” on payment cards that had been used at some of its restaurants.
The company says it learned from payment industry contacts this month of reports indicating fraudulent charges may have occurred on cards that had been used legitimately at some of its locations. It says it is has launched an investigation with the help of cybersecurity experts and that it is cooperating with law enforcement officials.
“Until this investigation is completed, it is difficult to determine with certainty the nature or scope of any potential incident,” the company said.
Wendy’s Co., based in Dublin, Ohio, encouraged customers to watch for unauthorized charges on their cards.
The investigation was first reported by the website KrebsOnSecurity on Wednesday.
American Legion Post 173, 1305 Canterbury, Hays, has revamped their dinner menu and added more than 20 food choices, which includes Panini style sandwiches, shrimp pesto pasta, hog wild wings, flat iron steak salad, a children’s menu and dessert.
Although the new menu is available only to members and their guests, the community is invited to Sunday breakfast, Stag and Stagette buffet and Monday night burgers.
The all-you-can-eat Sunday morning breakfast buffet is from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Jan. 31, March 6, April 3 and May 1 in the ballroom. It costs $8 for adults, $5 for children ages 5 to 12 and free for children under 5.
The buffet includes scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns, pancakes, toast, biscuits, gravy, coffee and juice.
The Stag and Stagette buffet is every first Thursday of the month, and the next one is Thursday, Feb. 4, in the ballroom. Doors open at 6 p.m. and dinner is at 7 p.m.
February’s Stag and Stagette buffet features bierocks, green bean dumpling soup and ribs. Each month the buffet includes bull fries and raw burger. It costs $13 per person and children are at a discount.
Burger night is 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. every second Monday of each month in the ballroom.
“Community members can come and order a hamburger or quarter pound hotdog with fries for $5,” said Ron Bennett, director of the American Legion Riders. “To-go options are available.”
Post members and its volunteer leadership host the community breakfast and burger night each month. All proceeds help fund the post, which in return helps homeless veterans and veterans in need.
“Anyone that is a veteran; son, daughter or spouse of a veteran, or a grandson or granddaughter of a veteran, can become a member,” said Vance Chartier, commander of Post 173.
Members have access to the full bar, kitchen, dartboards, Touch Tunes jukebox, Keno, and cable televisions. Anyone can rent the meeting hall and ballroom.
Those interested in becoming an American Legion member can fill out an application after 5 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday or by calling (785) 625-3813.
Photo – Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Lawmakers are considering an amendment that would give Kansans a constitutional right to hunt, fish and trap wildlife.
The Wichita Eagle reports that the measure will be added to the November ballot if it obtains a two-thirds majority in the House and Senate.
The resolution had a hearing before the House Committee on Federal and State Affairs on Tuesday.
National Rifle Association lobbyist Travis Couture-Lovelady says the measure may not be needed immediately. But the former lawmaker says it’s important to “ingrain” the rights in the constitution because the population may become “disconnected” from its “hunting heritage” as the population becomes more urban.
The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism also voiced support for the measure.
The bill caps the concentration of hemp oil at no more than 3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which is too low to produce the “high” associated with recreational marijuana use. -Photo by KHI News Service File Photo
After hearings and debate on whether medical treatments should be approved through legislation, the Senate Corrections and Juvenile Justice committee Tuesday passed two bills concerning marijuana. One — House Bill 2049 — would lower penalties for possession of marijuana. The other, more controversial provision — now contained in Senate Bill 147 —would legalize hemp oil for treatment of seizure disorders. Some committee members were uncomfortable passing it because they thought it should be considered by a health committee or the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The House approved the bill with the hemp oil portion last year. Rep. John Wilson, a Democrat from Lawrence who introduced it, said after Tuesday’s hearing that the FDA can’t study marijuana because of its federal status as a Schedule I drug.
The oil in Wilson’s bill would be capped at no more than 3 percent tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, which is too low to produce the “high” associated with recreational marijuana use.
Before Tuesday’s committee meeting, House Bill 2049 had three parts: It lowered marijuana possession penalties, legalized hemp oil treatment for seizure disorders and created a program to research industrial hemp.
Sen. Greg Smith, a Republican from Olathe who chairs the committee, moved to split the bill’s components. The marijuana possession penalty changes then became the only remaining portion of HB 2049.
Sen. Jeff King, a Republican from Independence, suggested coupling that provision with another bill to raise the penalties for burglary. He said he hoped the increase of prison beds needed for that bill would be more acceptable when combined with a potential decrease in the number of beds required for those charged with possession of marijuana.
King’s motion passed, and the committee combined the two provisions. The committee dropped the industrial hemp portion of the bill because Smith said the House is considering a new bill to fund that program.
Advocating for Otis’ law
The hemp oil treatment portion of the bill, which Wilson calls Otis’ law, has been the most prominent part of the debate. In recent hearings, families have testified about how hemp oil could help their loved ones.
Tiffanie Krentz, whose son J.J. suffers from Dravet syndrome, said she remains hopeful that the bill has a chance. J.J. was diagnosed with Dravet syndrome as an infant.
Krentz said doctors have suggested several drugs to treat his seizures. The family also tried a drug called Frisium — or Onfi — which she said didn’t have FDA approval at the time it was administered to J.J. under a special exemption for “compassionate care.” Because of that experience, she said it’s difficult to listen to legislators object to hemp oil on the grounds that the FDA hasn’t approved it.
Krentz was done trying prescription drugs when J.J. developed Fanconi syndrome, which causes substances that would be absorbed through the kidneys into the bloodstream to be released in urine. “Everything we’ve done has just caused a lot more harm,” Krentz said.
“Which is also why it’s hard to listen to them talk about, ‘We don’t know what the long-term effects are.’ Well, I already know what the long-term effects of legally approved drugs have been on his body, so those are tough things.
And I know they’re in a tough situation, and I know we’re in a state where things don’t always move as fast as we want them to, but it’s hard to know that.”
Legislating drugs
Most of the committee debate surrounding the bill concerned legislators’ ability to approve drugs that haven’t been clinically tested. Some expressed concern that the committee was not the most qualified body to legislate drugs and that guidance should come from medical experts.
Sen. Molly Baumgardner, a Republican from Louisburg, said she contacted Children’s Mercy Hospital and was told that doctors there would not prescribe hemp oil because it has not been sufficiently clinically tested and current epilepsy treatments have been proven safe and effective through clinical trials.
“That is where my concern is,” she said. “Through talking with them, they have assured me that even should this legislation pass in the Senate — get out of the committee, pass in the Senate, pass in the House, get signed off by the governor — their physicians won’t prescribe it because it has not gone through the rigorous scientific clinical trials.”
The bill doesn’t specify whether the hemp oil would have to come through a prescription, but patients would need to be registered through the Kansas Department of Health and Environment to receive hemp oil treatments and would need a written certification from a physician to get registered. Sen.
Pat Pettey, a Democrat from Kansas City, said the Legislature often balances issues of individual liberty versus government control. The committee passed the hemp oil provision without recommendation, with some members expressing hope that it will be referred to another committee.
Allison Kite is a reporter for KHI News and Heartland Health Monitor, a news collaboration focusing on health issues and their impact in Missouri and Kansas.
