WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A motorist who had drugs in his system when he struck and killed a Kansas lawmaker’s wife in a supermarket parking lot has been sentenced to five years and nine months in prison.
Twenty-three-year-old Christopher Schrader apologized Monday when he was sentenced in Sedgwick County for the February 2015 death of 60-year-old Annette Hedke. The Wichita Eagle (bit.ly/1mRlHBP) reports that Schrader pleaded no contest previously to involuntary manslaughter.
Hedke was the wife of Rep. Dennis Hedke, a Republican representing the Wichita area. He’s part of a wrongful death lawsuit that seeks more than $75,000.
The lawsuit says Schrader shouldn’t have been allowed to drive because of his driving record and drug use. It also alleges negligence on his mother’s behalf because she gave her son permission to drive the vehicle.
JUNCTION CITY -Law enforcement officials in Geary County are investigating four suspects on drug charges.
The Geary County Sheriff’s Department has reported the arrest of four people on drug related allegations just before 12:30a.m. on Sunday.
Deputies arrested Lydell Sheegog, Memphis, TN, on suspicion of Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute, Possession of Methamphetamine, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, plus Defective Tag Light and Defective Tail Lamps.
Also arrested were Robert Bradley, Cosby, TN, Sarah Colley, CA., and Robert Bobb, Orville, CA., all on suspicion of Possession of Marijuana with Intent to Distribute, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
Rollover accident near the Saline-McPherson County line Monday morning /Photo- KHP
The Kansas Highway Patrol and Emergency responders were busy on Monday morning working dozens of accidents blamed on icy roads.
Eduiges Gonzalez-Najera, 39, Salina died just before 6:30 a.m. on Monday when he lost control of a Chevy Silverado southbound on Interstate 135 at Crawford and hit a northbound semi head-on.
In Shawnee County, a 1996 Chevy pickup driven by Hector Ramirez, 43, Topeka, was westbound on Interstate 70 at West Union Road. The driver lost control on an icy bride and the pickup rolled.
Ramirez was transported to St. Francis Medical Center in Topeka just before 6:30 a.m.
Just after 7 a.m. in Saline County, a 2008 Mercury passenger vehicle driven by Larry Alan McDaneld, 54, Salina, was westbound on Interstate 70 at 9th Street when he lost control of the vehicle and struck a Ford passenger vehicle, which was parked on the shoulder unoccupied.
McDaneld and a passenger Angel K McDaneld,15, were transported to Salina Regional Medical Center.
At about the same time, a 2000 Chevy passenger vehicle driven by Carlos E Rodriguez, 37, Wichita, was northbound on Interstate 135 at the Bridgeport exit in Saline County.
The driver lost control of the vehicle due to road conditions. The vehicle rolled multiple time and came to rest in the east ditch.
Rodriguez and passengers Brandon Truaillo, 19, and Ismael Vital, 28, Wichita, were transported to Salina Regional Medical Center. Vital was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.
Just before 7:30 a.m. in Sedgwick County, a 1998 Ford SUV driven by Lanai Nakiel Sellers,17, Wichita, was on the ramp from northbound Interstate 135 to westbound U.S. 54 when she lost control and struck the KDOT bridge wall. Sellers was transported to Wesley Medical Center.
Just before 8a.m. in Lyon County, a 1996 Toyota pickup driven by Kody Wayne Comstock, 17, Beverly, was southbound on Interstate 35 two miles east of Emporia. He lost control and the pickup rolled into south ditch. Comstock was not wearing a seat belt and was transported to Newman Regional Medical Center.
In Saline County a 2009 Ford passenger vehicle driven by Donald Fortin, 59, Topeka, was westbound on Interstate 70 just west of Solomon.
The vehicle slid, went through the median, across the eastbound lanes and overturned. Fortin was transported to Salina Regional Medical Center.
Click below to listen to Monday’s Tiger Talk with Fort Hays State women’s basketball coach Tony Hobson and men’s coach Mark Johnson. The program airs Monday evenings at 6 p.m. on Tiger Radio Mix-103.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas will use a $2 million donation from a Kansas City, Missouri, couple to establish an architecture scholarship and to help a reading program for children.
The university announced Monday it had received the gift from Michael Cummings and his wife, Pamela Miller. It said about $1.6 million will be used to establish the Michael A. Cummings Scholarship for architecture students, giving preference to architecture students from rural communities.
The other $400,000 will go to Reach Out And Read Kansas City, a nonprofit program at the University of Kansas Medical Center that partners with doctors to provide books for children and encourage parents to read to them.
Michael Cummings earned bachelor’s degrees from Kansas in 1983. Pamela Miller earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Rockhurst University.
Even in a world filled with fears and frets, you have some control over your health and happiness. College of Human Ecology researchers at Kansas State University offer advice to help you survive and thrive in 2016.
Be a loving partner
Jared Durtschi, assistant professor of marriage and family therapy, has one word for people who want to build a stronger romantic relationship: sacrifice.
In our culture, it is common for us to value our own wants and needs more than those of others. Unfortunately, research shows that this type of self-centered approach has the tendency to erode romantic relationships.
Durtschi studied 260 married couples across four years to determine which of among 25 specific observed behaviors demonstrated by each spouse best predicted the quality of the relationship.
“What I found surprised me,” he said. “The most consistent and strongest predictor of relationship quality was the willingness to change one’s own behavior and comply with the needs of the partner. In other words, sacrificing.”
To strengthen a romantic relationship, Durtschi suggests both partners assess how they can do a better job at putting their partner’s wants, wishes, hopes and preferences before their own.
Be money savvy
According to a study by the American Psychological Association in 2014, money is the top stressor for Americans. For couples, research has demonstrated that money is one of the most intensely argued about topics, which can have negative impact on a relationship.
However, if couples have shared goals and values and engage in positive communication tactics, such as no yelling, they are more likely to resolve their conflicts and satisfaction with the relationship goes up, said Kristy Archuleta, associate professor of personal financial planning, and licensed marriage and family therapist.
She advises couples start the new year by discussing their hopes for the future and then identifying short-term — one year or less — and longer-term goals. Develop a spending plan to help achieve those goals.
One of the most important things, Archuleta said, is for couples to regularly talk to one another about their financial goals and how they are going to continue to work toward reaching them.
Be active
Emily Mailey, assistant professor of kinesiology, studies working parents’ struggles to establish an exercise program.
Especially for busy people, Mailey recommends rethinking what counts as exercise.
Find little ways to add movement to your day, even if it’s just using the restroom on a different floor, or dancing around with your kids while you’re making dinner. An activity tracker is a great motivator to accumulate more steps throughout the day.
Being active with others makes the activity more enjoyable and helps keep you accountable, she said. “If you don’t love exercise, but you value time with your friends, combining the two can make doing the activity more meaningful to you.”
Set small, manageable goals and plan ahead, Mailey said. Put your exercise sessions on the calendar at the beginning of each week, then bring your gym bag to work, sleep in your exercise clothes, or do whatever you need to do to follow through.
Be smart at the table
Start to improve your eating habits with an honest assessment, recommends Jennifer Hanson, assistant professor of human nutrition and a registered dietitian.
Hanson suggests keeping a food diary for three to five days. Compare what you typically eat to the guidelines at www.choosemyplate.gov.
Once you identify an area for improvement, set goals that are realistic. For example, research has shown that most Americans fall short when it comes to eating enough fruits and vegetables. Replacing a bag of chips with a side salad or fruit at lunch is a small change that will have positive effects. Preparing more meals at home will allow you to control portion sizes
Good nutrition does not have to be complicated, Hanson said. It is about identifying those things we need to improve and then taking incremental steps to get there.
Be grateful
People who express their gratitude for the good things in their lives feel more happiness and optimism, have better health, deal better with adversity, and build stronger relationships than those who do not, according to Amber Vennum, assistant professor at Kansas State University’s School of Family Studies and Human Services.
In romantic relationships, researchers find that taking the time to express gratitude to your partner may increase how positive you feel about your partner as well as increase your comfort with expressing concerns in the relationship.
Expressing gratitude isn’t ignoring the bad; it’s paying special attention to what is working in order to increase your ability to navigate the tough times, she said.
Linda K. Beech is Ellis County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences.
MCPHERSON COUNTY –Two drivers were injured in an accident just before 12:30 p.m. on Monday in McPherson County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2015 Lincoln MKX driven by Karol K. Elliott, 62, Great Bend failed to stop on Kansas 61 at Comanche Road seven miles south of McPherson.
The vehicle entered the intersection and was struck by a southbound 2013 Dodge Charger driven by Mattison Leigh Carey, 25, Hutchinson.
Eagle Med transported Elliott to a hospital in Wichita.
Carey was transported to Hutchinson Regional Medical Center.
Both drivers were properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A train has crashed into a tractor-trailer in the northern part of Topeka and injured the rig’s driver.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that the crash happened Monday afternoon.
Kansas Highway Patrol Lt. Dennis Shoemaker says the truck halted at the stop sign but that the driver didn’t hear the train’s whistle. Shoemaker says the driver of the truck was “coherent and talking” following the crash. The driver was taken to a hospital in an ambulance.
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) – Kansas State coach Bill Snyder announced Monday that he will return next season, ending months of speculation that the 76-year-old Hall of Famer might retire for the second time.
(Courtesy K-State Athletics)
Snyder said he spoke with his family after a loss to Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl. They told him to keep coaching as long as he was in good health, he was having a positive impact on his players and Kansas State officials wanted him on the sideline.
Snyder is entering his 25th season, a period interrupted by a brief retirement. He needs seven wins to reach 200, and figures to have a good shot at it with plenty of talent returning.
Kansas State went 6-6 this season, despite a slew of injuries on both sides of the ball.
SALINA — Law enforcement authorities in Saline County are investigating a woman in connection with an alleged theft from a Walmart cash register.
Salina Police Captain Mike Sweeney said Amanda Forester, 30, Compagne, N.Y., is alleged to have been part of a group of four people who stole $1,200 from a cash register at the Salina Walmart, 2900 S. Ninth on Dec. 11.
The suspects also allegedly stole money from a register at the Walmart in Hays the same day.
Sweeney said one suspect used a key to open up the register, while the others blocked the view while money was taken.
The four people were caught at the Walmart in Goodland and brought back to Ellis County, where they were charged and bonded out of jail.
Forester was booked into the Saline County jail on a warrant.
Sweeney said warrants have also been issued for the other three people involved in the Salina case.
The incident is unrelated to the Walmart theft earlier this month. The HPD still is seeking information on that incident. Click HERE for more.
Diana “Dottie” Windholz, 82, Hays, died Saturday, January 9, 2016 at the Hays Medical Center.
She was born February 18, 1933 in Hays the daughter of Ben M. and Agnes Louise (Younger) Rupp. She graduated from Hays High School in 1951.
On June 16, 1952 she married Delmar A. Windholz in Hays. He died on May 8, 2011. She loved to tell people that she worked for 38 years, 8 months, and one day for Southwestern Bell Telephone Company, first as an operator and later as a clerk.
She was very generous and faithful, loved her family, and enjoyed working outside in her flower garden. She was a member of Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, the Daughters of Isabella, the Telephone Pioneer Club, and the Prairie Garden Club.
Survivors include a daughter, Ruth Windholz Dreher of Hays, a sister Melvia Jane Leiker of Hays, two grandchildren Andrea Lynn Baker of Wichita and Garret Baker and wife Emily of Cedar City, UT, a sister in law Viola “Ollie” Rupp of Hays, and many nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Delmar, a brother Charles M. Rupp, a brother in law Donald W. Leiker, and two nieces Deborah Ann Marie “Debbie” Rupp and Kayla Augustine.
Funeral services will be at 2:00 pm on Friday, January 15, 2016 at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 1805 Vine Street, Hays. Burial will follow in the St. Joseph Cemetery. Visitation will be from 4:00 pm until 8:00 on Thursday and from 1:00 pm until 1:45 on Friday, all at the Hays Memorial Chapel Funeral Home, 1906 Pine Street. A Daughters of Isabella rosary will be at 6:00 pm followed by a parish vigil service at 7:00 pm, both on Thursday at the funeral home.
Perry-Lecompton High School Principal Mike Copple -photo USD 343
PERRY, Kan. (AP) — Students at a northeast Kansas high school must undergo random drug testing to participate in extracurricular activities.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports that the policy took effect last week at Perry-Lecompton High School as the new semester began. School officials say the goal is to provide students with an incentive to turn down illegal drugs or alcohol.
American Civil Liberties Union attorney Doug Bonney says that since the mid-1990s, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled the drug testing of students involved in extracurricular activities is constitutional. Bonney says the ACLU disagrees with the decision.
Perry-Lecompton High School Principal Mike Copple says drug tests will cost the school $39 per test and alcohol screenings will cost $79 per test. He wouldn’t say how much money was set aside for the testing.
SALINE COUNTY – Officials in Saline County are investigating a fire that was responsible for over $15,000 in damage on Sunday.
Saline County Rural Fire District #2 was sent to 10632 South. Centennial Road on the report of a machine shed fire at the property of Gregory and Betty Manning on Sunday, according to Saline County Sheriff’s Captain Roger Soldan.
A front end loader used to feed cattle that morning was parked in the shed and it was on fire.
The loader is considered a total loss of $10,000. Damage to the shed and loss of feed was estimated at $5,000.
There were no injuries reported.
WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A motorist who had drugs in his system when he struck and killed a Kansas lawmaker’s wife in a supermarket parking lot has been sentenced to five years and nine months in prison.
