SALINA, Kan. (AP) — A Salina man will be sentenced in April after pleading no contest in the stabbing death of another man.
Ivan Huizar Alvarez was scheduled to go to trial Monday for first-degree murder in the March 2015 death of Scott Johnson of Salina. Instead, he agreed to a plea deal on Friday to intentional second-degree murder.
Prosecutors say Huizar Alvarez chased Johnson and stabbed him several times during an argument. Huizar Alvarez had claimed the stabbing was in self-defense.
The Salina Journal reports prosecutors expect Huizar Alvarez to be sentenced to about 22 years in prison. He also is expected to be required to register as a violent offender for 15 years.
EMPORIA — The Emporia Board of Education voted to hire Kevin E. Case as the next superintendent for Emporia Public Schools, effective July 1. Mr. Case has been the superintendent for Inman schools since 1999.
The board finalized the superintendent search at a special meeting Monday. Mr. Case will replace Theresa Davidson, who will retire in June after six years as the Emporia superintendent.
Mr. Case received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Kansas State University and a superintendent’s certification from Fort Hays State University. He began his education career as a computer and business teacher at Jefferson West High School. He was a principal at Stafford Junior/Senior High School and Smoky Valley High School before being named superintendent at Inman.
Since 2011 he has had a consulting business, CaseByCaseSolutions, and he is an amateur sports and outdoor photographer. He and his wife, Jodi, have three children.
Mr. Case is involved in professional organizations and education initiatives at the state and national levels. He also is the author of a book, “#TwirtyDays – Opening Doors, Creating Possibilities & Realizing the Enormous Potential of Strategic Social Media” published in 2015.
He was appointed in 2015 to chair the Kansas Education Re-Design Committee for Commissioner Randy Watson, a group charged with making recommendations on education models that will help improve overall student success.
He was one of 100 superintendents selected for the #FutureReady Superintendents Summit in 2014, a group that met with Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and participated in the #FutureReady Pledge signing with President Obama in Washington, D.C. That same year he was one of 24 superintendents selected to give input into the 2015 National Technology Plan with the Office of Education Technology.
Inman schools were selected to become an Apple Distinguished Program in 2013-2017 and the district has hosted three iPad Summits to help Kansas school districts move forward with technology integration.
Mr. Case has presented individual, building and district staff development in many districts, service centers, and for state associations in Kansas and other states. He also served on the Kansas School Superintendents Association Communications Committee.
DETROIT (AP) — Ford is recalling nearly 391,000 Ranger pickups because the driver’s air bag inflators can explode with too much force and cause injuries.
The recall covers trucks from 2004 through 2006 in the U.S. and Canada.
It comes just days after the government announced that a South Carolina man was killed when an inflator exploded in December. Joel Knight of Kershaw died when he was struck in the neck by metal shrapnel after his 2006 Ranger hit a cow in the road and struck a fence.
The government says automakers will recall another 5 million vehicles equipped with faulty inflators made by Takata Corp. of Japan. Some of the recalls are because of the crash that killed Knight, with the rest due to air bags failing in lab tests.
The Ellis County District Court and court staff will begin moving back into their permanent home this week.
Last week, the moving company began moving office equipment from storage back into the courthouse and staff will finish moving office equipment from the former NEW building to the newly renovated courthouse Thursday and Friday.
Ellis County District Court Administrator Phil Fielder said the court system will still hold hearings through Thursday afternoon, but the courts’ calendars have been cleared and will be closed Friday.
The courts will also be closed Monday, Feb. 1, because of the open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony. The ribbon cutting will be at 10 a.m. with building tours running from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
According to Fielder, the first jury trial in the courthouse is scheduled for Wednesday of next week.
The Hays Police Department and the Ellis County Sheriff’s Department will remain at the former NEW building until the jail is complete.
At last week’s Ellis County Commission meeting, Commission Chairman Dean Haselhorst, who is also serving as the construction liaison, said they had received bids to seal the jail floor. They were also working to install security cameras.
GREAT BEND, Kan. (AP) — Straub International says it will close its Larned location and consolidate the work into its remaining locations.
Straub, an agriculture equipment dealer, also has outlets in Great Bend, Salina, Hutchinson, Pratt, Wichita and Marion.
CEO Larry Straub says closing the Larned location will make the firm more efficient, noting the Great Bend store is only 20 miles away and many services overlap. Many of the 20 employees from the Larned store will have the chance to stay with the company.
The Hutchinson News reports Straub said slowing business conditions prompted the decision.
Seems like nearly everyone is trying to define the family farm. While this isn’t a new phenomenon, it’s certainly one that bears consideration – especially as population numbers in our rural communities and regions of Kansas continue to decline.
Based on these downward demographic trends, agriculture as a family farm system is best suited to compete and move forward equipped with the following attributes.
First, the family farm system should include owner operation. Within such an arrangement, the rights and responsibilities of farm, ranch and land ownership are vested in an entrepreneur who works the farm for a living, to make a profit and to literally, grow the business.
Second, independence is a cornerstone of today’s family farming operation in the Sunflower State. This includes financing from within its own resources using family labor and management to build the sweat equity and cash flow. This in turn will allow for retirement of mortgages, preferably during the lifetime of the head of the household.
Economic dispersion, where large numbers of efficient-sized farms operate with equal access to competitive markets is another vital component. While all of these elements are equally important today, opening new windows in other parts of the world must be a continuing goal if agriculture is to expand and remain viable.
The fourth key ingredient of today’s farm and ranch community is family centered – an element that has always been at the heart of this rural profession. Family farms have always, and must always, live in harmony with the workplace. Here, responsibilities are divvied up and shared by all family members and children learn the work of their parents.
A commercially diversified operation is another essential ingredient for today’s agriculture to remain successful. It does so by reducing commodity price risks while maximizing the use of farm resources. This element can provide a greater measure of self-sufficiency.
And finally, no business, especially farming and ranching, can survive without innovation and adoption of new technology to enhance productivity and the use of scarce labor.
Family farming carries with it a commitment to certain values, entirely independent of the factors impacting economics. These values, in turn, are imparted to the communities and to society as a whole. Included in such contributions are conservation, frugality, responsibility, modesty, honesty, dignity in work, belief in community, caring for future generations, neighborliness and self-reliance.
While one particular family farm may not fulfill all of these contributions, together farm families have created a system of agriculture that built a strong rural economy and a secure rural culture – a system now being threatened with extinction.
John Schlageck, a Hoxie native, is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas.
Golden Belt Bank, FSA of Ellis and Hays held its annual meeting Tuesday, Jan. 19. James Desbien, Rex Ball and Randall Honas were re-elected for an additional three-year term to the Golden Belt Bank Board of Directors.
The Board of Directors also elected the following officers:
Ronald Wente, President/CEO/Chairman of the Board
Stanley Mayers, Secretary/Treasurer/CFO
Randall Honas, Executive Vice President/Director
Christopher Wente, Executive Vice President/ Hays Branch Manager/Director
Chris Dreiling, Executive Vice President
Les Brown, Vice President
Sandra Wade, Vice President
Marie Froelich, Vice President
Mike Arensdorf, Vice President of IT
Kathy A. Stenzel, Vice President of Operations
Jessica Kerr, Vice President of Compliance
Jeff Augustine, Vice President/Ellis Branch Manager
Nathan Legleiter, Assistant Vice President
Geralyn Werth, Assistant Vice President/CSR
Vanessa Keller, Assistant Vice President
Mary Kay Weber, Assistant Vice President
Melissa Zerr, Assistant Vice President
Shari Fabrizius, Assistant Vice President
Jill Moeder, Marketing Specialist
Nick Niernberger, Director
Dennis Bieker, Director
Lawrence Gould, Director
Kraig Gross, Director
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Golden Belt Bank of Ellis and Hays also honored the following dedicated employees with Years of Service awards. Employees are recognized for every five years of service to Golden Belt Bank.
The following employees are honored for their length of service:
Sandra Wade, Vice President, 30 years
Brian Cox, Network Administrator, 10 years
Les Brown, Vice President, 5 years
Jessica Kerr, Vice President of Compliance, 5 years
Janel Moore, Teller, 5 years
The Kansas Department of Agriculture, K-State Research and Extension and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment will host a regional workshop in Hays on Friday, Jan. 29, to assist farmers’ market vendors and managers. This is the first of four regional workshops which will be hosted by the partners this year.
Kansas farmers’ markets not only provide a fresh food source, but also stimulate the local economy. In 2015, 56 farmers’ markets were registered with KDA’s Central Registration of Farmers’ Markets.
“While selling food directly to consumers through farmers’ markets provides growers a chance to tell their farm’s story, there are also legal, safety and financial parameters that farmers need to understand before choosing this marketing tool,” said Londa Nwadike, consumer food safety specialist with K-State Research and Extension and the University of Missouri.
Workshop topics will include:
* Kansas sales tax requirements
* Food safety inspection requirements
* Vendor panels on marketing and other best practices
* Value-added food product safety
* Accepting non-cash payments (EBT, SFMNP)
* Planning your production planting for market season
KDA’s Division of Weights and Measures will also offer free scale certification for workshop attendees.
The workshop will be held at KSU Agriculture Research Center, 1232 240th Ave., Hays, Kan. Onsite registration will open at 8:30 a.m. and the workshop will begin at 9 a.m. and conclude by 4 p.m.
Early bird registration is $20 and closes on Jan. 19. Registration includes lunch. Participants can also register after the early bird registration or on site for $25, however lunch cannot be guaranteed for walk-in registrations.
Registration forms can be found at FromtheLandofKansas.com/FMConference or at K-State Research and Extension offices throughout the state. Please return the completed registration form and payment to: KSU Ellis County Extension Office, c/o Linda Beech, 601 Main, Suite A, Hays, KS 67601.
The Hays Police Department will be training at 1010 Reservation Road Lot I3, Hays, this afternoon and Wednesday afternoon between the hours of 1 and 4 p.m.
Signs will be posted around the specific training site prior to the start of training to notify all persons of the exercise. Officers will be moving in and throughout wearing police uniforms and equipment. There will be no cause for alarm, as the utmost care has been taken to ensure public safety.
The Hays Police Department appreciates your cooperation and this event should not impede your daily activities.
If you have any questions, comments or concerns, please feel free to contact the on-site supervisor designated by a reflective traffic vest, or by calling Chief Don Scheibler or Sgt. Clayton Hill at (785) 625-1030.
