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Tigers In Service volunteers in Texas

Fort Hays State University Marketing and Relations

Fort Hays State University’s Tigers In Service made its alternative winter break service trip to the Texas panhandle. The majority of the week was spent doing volunteer work at the Faith City Mission in Amarillo and Palo Duro Canyon State Park in Canyon.

Students making the trip were:

CHINA: Yidi (Wendy) Qin, Luoyang, graduate student; Chenfan (Jerry) Zhao, Zhengzhou, graduate student.
CONCORDIA: Kirstyn Dvorak, freshman.
GEM: Hailee Spresser, junior;
HAYS: Jessie Carmichael, sophomore; Armando Correa, junior; Rachel Moravek, freshman.
HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo.: Tiffani Clark, senior.
HILL CITY: Paige Thompson, junior.
HUTCHINSON: Jared Ridder, junior.
HUGOTON: Zane Littell, junior.
MACKSVILLE: Karissa Langlois, junior.
OZAWKIE: Kailee Gibson, junior.
PRATT: Whitney Tilley, junior.
SEDGWICK: Evynn McGinn, sophomore.

Students were advised by Dr. Justin Greenleaf, assistant professor of leadership studies. The upcoming alternative spring break service trip will be to Boulder, Colo., where students will be assisting with flood-relief projects.

FHSU softball picked eighth in MIAA preseason poll

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State Softball was picked eighth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, released on Thursday (Jan. 28). Fort Hays State is picked in the same position it finished in the regular season last year when it went 14-12 in conference play.

The Tigers enter their second year under head coach Adrian Mohr’s guidance. FHSU finished with an overall record of 26-27 in 2015, but continued its run of making the MIAA Tournament every year since joining the conference in 2006-07. The Tigers had a rollercoaster season, twice putting together win streaks of four games, but also saw one five-game losing streak.

FHSU has most of its starting lineup back from last year, which includes five All-MIAA selections. All five returning were honorable mention selections last year. The list includes pitcher Paxton Duran, first baseman Tori Beltz, outfielder Samantha Villarreal, and infielders Courtney Dobson and Kylie Strand. Dobson is a three-time All-MIAA selection, while Duran, Beltz, and Villarreal have two all-conference selections to their credit.

The Tigers open the season on February 12 at the 8-State Classic in Bentonville, Ark., where they’ll play six games in the span of three days.

Below is the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll for the 2016 season.

2016 MIAA Softball Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Central Oklahoma (4)            157
2. Pittsburg State (6)                154
3. Central Missouri (3)              149
4. Missouri Western (1)            142
5. Northwest Missouri               111
6. Emporia State                      106
7. Washburn                              96
8. Fort Hays State                      92
9. Northeastern State                  76
10. Nebraska-Kearney                 57
11. Southwest Baptist                 52
12. Missouri Southern                 35
13. Lindenwood                          34
14. Lincoln                                 13

KFIX Rock News: Bruce Springsteen Adds Dates to The River Tour; KC, Denver Included

springsteen riv tour(1)Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band’s 2016 The River Tour will keep flowing a bit longer than originally planned.

The North American trek, which initially had been scheduled to wind down with concerts on March 15 and 17 in Los Angeles, has been extended through an April 23 and 25 stand in Brooklyn, New York.

The newly added run of dates kicks off with a third L.A. concert, on March 19, and includes stops in Portland, Oregon; Seattle; Denver; Oklahoma City; Dallas; Kansas City, Missouri; and Baltimore.

In addition, Springsteen and company have announced a March 28 makeup date for the show at New York’s Madison Square Garden this past Sunday, January 24, that they postponed because of the blizzard that struck the city. Tickets for the January 24 event will be honored on the new date.

Bruce and his group also have lined up one international gig as part of The River Tour, a May 19 headlining appearance at Portugal’s Rock in Rio Lisboa festival. Visit BruceSpringsteen.net to find out when tickets will be available for the new concerts.

Each performance on the current trek features Springsteen and the E Street Band playing the Boss’ 1979 albumThe River in its entirety, as well as other select songs from Bruce’s catalog.

The tour was organized in conjunction with last December’s release of The Ties That Bind: The River Collection, a multiple-disc box set containing a remastered edition of The River, an early 10-song single-CD version of the album, a variety of outtakes, a making-of documentary, a vintage concert video and more.

Here are all of the upcoming dates on Springsteen and the E Street Band’s 2016 tour:

1/27 — New York, NY, Madison Square Garden Arena
1/29 — Washington, D.C., Verizon Center
1/31 — Newark, NJ, Prudential Center
2/2 — Toronto, ON, Air Canada Centre
2/4 — Boston, MA, TD Garden
2/8 — Albany, NY, Times Union Center
2/10 — Hartford, CT, XL Center
2/12 — Philadelphia, PA, Wells Fargo Center
2/16 — Sunrise, FL, BB&T Center
2/18 — Atlanta, GA, Philips Arena
2/21 — Louisville, KY, KFC Yum! Center
2/23 — Cleveland, OH, Quicken Loans Arena
2/25 — Buffalo, NY, First Niagara Center
2/27 — Rochester, NY, Blue Cross Arena
2/29 — Saint Paul, MN, Xcel Energy Center
3/3 — Milwaukee, WI, BMO Harris Bradley Center
3/6 — St Louis, MO, Chaifetz Arena
3/10 — Phoenix, AZ, Talking Stick Resort Arena
3/13 — Oakland, CA, Oracle Arena
3/15 — Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
3/17 — Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
3/19 — Los Angeles, CA, Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena*
3/22 — Portland, OR, Mode Center*
3/24 — Seattle, WA, KeyArena at Seattle Center*
3/28 — New York, NY, Madison Square Garden Arena+
3/31 — Denver, CO, Pepsi Center*
4/3 — Oklahoma City, OK, Chesapeake Energy Arena*
4/5 — Dallas, TX, American Airlines Center*
4/7 — Kansas City, MO, Sprint Center*
4/10 — Greensboro, NC, Greensboro Coliseum*
4/12 — Columbus, OH, Schottenstein Center*
4/14 — Auburn Hills, MI, The Palace of Auburn Hills*
4/18 — University Park, PA, Bryce Jordan Arena*
4/20 — Baltimore, MD, Royal Farms Arena*
4/23 — Brooklyn, NY, Barclays Center*
4/25 — Brooklyn, NY, Barclays Center*
5/19 — Lisbon, Portugal, Rock in Rio Lisboa*

* = new concert.
+ = rescheduled from January 24.

Copyright © 2016, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.

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Kan. massage parlor owner sentenced on prostitution charge

Liu- photo Sedgwick County
Liu- photo Sedgwick County

WICHITA – A Kansas massage parlor owner was sentenced Wednesday to time served (10 months) for trying to recruit a Chinese-speaking woman to perform sexual services at a massage parlor in Wichita, according to U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom.

She also will serve five years on federal supervised release.

Ping Liu, 44, Wichita, pleaded guilty to one count of attempted coercion and enticement to prostitution. In her plea, she admitted that during a phone conversation conducted in Mandarin Chinese she arranged for a woman posing as a job applicant from New York to come to Wichita to work at Q Massage, 3833 W. 13th in Wichita.

Liu told the applicant that the job included providing sexual services to customers. Liu told the applicant she would pick her up at the airport in Wichita.

In her plea, Liu also admitted twice offering to perform sexual services for undercover Wichita police officers who came to the massage parlor posing as customers.

Grissom commended the Wichita Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Hart for their work on the case.

Increased police presence after on-line threat at Kansas high school

TOPEKA – Law enforcement and school district officials are investigating an on-line threat Wednesday at Topeka High School, according to a media release.

In response to the threat, USD 501 has dramatically increased security measures at the school building.

 

 

 

An additional three Topeka Public School officers as well as two Student Resource Officers from the Topeka Police Department were at the school Thursday morning, in addition to three Topeka Public School police officers typically in the building on a daily basis.

The eight police officers are on the interior of the building and on school grounds.

Topeka Police have also supported the school by adding six motorcycle unit officers who are working around the areas adjacent to the school.
A similar set up is planned for Friday, according to the school district.

Courthouse renovation contractor: ‘It hasn’t felt like a chore’

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

The move-in is on.

Ellis County District Court employees are moving back into their permanent home as a 13-month remodel project winds down at the Ellis County Courthouse.

Project site superintendent Mike Wilson of MW Builders, Kansas City, was on his hands and knees late Wednesday morning as he finished installing a vinyl runner at the base of the long counter in court clerk’s office. Other MW employees were installing the access controls for card readers on doors to various offices.

“We’re just fine-tuning now, finishing the small stuff, and cleaning up as we go,” Wilson said. Workers from other companies were busy in the courtrooms installing video and sound systems.

The courtroom of 23rd Judicial District Judge Glenn Braun underwent the most renovations, according to Wilson, who calls it his “favorite room.”

“We had to remove two-foot-thick limestone vault walls to make the jury box. Those were load-bearing walls holding up the third floor ceiling,” he explained. As a result, several ceiling beams had to be added. “We spent more time in here than anywhere else.”

Other major work included removal of the old heating and cooling system and installing a modern HVAC system.

“We had to cut through 18-inch thick limestone walls to install the air ducts. This is the biggest remodel project I’ve ever done,” Wilson said.

Wilson will be on hand for Monday’s ribbon cutting and open house. The project, started in Dec. 2014, has required many modifications along the way. Wilson has taken it all in stride, staying in constant contact with Ellis County Commissioner Dean Haselhorst, who became the volunteer construction liaison.

“I love Hays–the people and the weather,” claimed Wilson, a native of Long Beach, Mississippi. “It’s one of the better places I’ve worked.

“Dealing with Ellis County hasn’t felt like a chore. I felt like I was helping them get what they need in this building.”

Starting Monday, what has been the main entrance of the courthouse building since it was built–the west side facing Fort Street–will be permanently locked, and become an emergency exit only. The public as well as employees will now access the building from the 12th Street parking lot on the building’s south side.

Notification signs of the change are posted on the west doors, which have often been unlocked during the remodel process. “We’ve had people coming in those doors all along,” Wilson laughed, “even after they stood there and read the sign to go around the building.”

Kearney Movers, the company hired by the county to move most of the court’s equipment and furniture, began the process last week. Court staff are also working to finish the work of transferring everything from their temporary home at the former N.E. W. building on south Commerce Parkway back into the renovated courthouse at 1209 Fort Street.

Ellis County District Court Administrator Phil Fielder said Monday the court system will still hold hearings at N.E. W. through Thursday afternoon, but the courts’ calendars have been cleared and will be closed Friday.

Courts will also be closed Mon., Feb. 1, for the open house and ribbon-cutting ceremony which starts at 10 a.m. Building tours will continue until 8 p.m.

According to Fielder, the first jury trial in the courthouse is scheduled for Wed., Feb. 3.

The Hays Police Department and the Ellis County Sheriff’s Department will remain at the former N.E.W building until the jail portion of the remodel project is completed.

Kan. Supreme Court hearing lawsuit against proposed Sunflower coal plant UPDATE

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — An environmental group is asking the Kansas Supreme Court to require state limits on greenhouse gas emissions for a new coal-fired power plant in southwest Kansas before it is built.

The court heard arguments Thursday from attorneys in a lawsuit filed by the Sierra Club in 2014 after the state Department of Health and Environment signed off on the $2.8 billion project.

Sunflower Electric Power Corp. wants to build the facility next to an existing coal-fired plant outside Holcomb.

KDHE issued a permit in 2010, just before the federal government began regulating greenhouse gas emissions. Environmentalists challenged it and in 2013, the Supreme Court sent the permit back to KDHE.

The department issued what it calls an addendum to the 2010 permit and contends greenhouse gas emissions limits aren’t required.

—————-

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court is reviewing a lawsuit filed by an environmental group to block construction of a $2.8 billion coal-fired power plant in the state’s southwest corner.

Attorneys representing the Sierra Club and the state Department of Health and Environment were arguing Thursday before the high court.

The Sierra Club filed its lawsuit in June 2014 after the department issued a pollution-control permit needed by Sunflower Electric Power Corp. The utility wants to build an 895-megawatt facility next to an existing coal-fired plant outside Holcomb.

The Sierra Club contends the permit wasn’t valid because the state wouldn’t regulate greenhouse gas emissions and because KDHE isn’t imposing adequate limits on other pollutants.

The agency argues the plant would meet federal and state pollution rules in place at the time.

68K motorcycles recalled over stalling risk

RecallDETROIT (AP) — Suzuki is recalling more than 68,000 motorcycles in the U.S. because the battery charging system can fail and cause the bikes to stall.

The recall affects 15 models from the 2008 to 2012 model years.

The company says in documents filed with U.S. safety regulators that the problem was traced to a circuit board in the charging system. One customer filed a complaint in the U.S., but more than 200 complaints were received from other countries.

Dealers will replace the charging system regulator-rectifier to fix the problem. Suzuki will notify owners and begin the recall repairs in early March at no cost to owners.

Braun to become Chief Judge of 23rd Judicial District

District Judge Glenn Braun
District Judge Glenn Braun will become Chief Judge of the 23rd Judicial District.

23rd Judicial Dist.

On January 21st, 2016, Kansas Supreme Court Chief Justice Lawton R. Nuss announced that the Honorable Glenn R. Braun, Hays, will become Chief Judge of the 23rd Judicial District for a two year term ending Dec. 31, 2017.

Chief Judge Edward Bouker, 23rd Judicial District
Chief Judge Edward Bouker, 23rd Judicial District

Judge Braun is succeeding the Honorable Edward Bouker who announced he is retiring from the bench at the end of his term in January 2017. The timing of this appointment will allow Judge Bouker to mentor Judge Braun in the duties and responsibilities of chief judge.

The 23rd judicial district includes Ellis, Rooks, Trego and Gove counties.

“I look forward to this new challenge and appreciate Judge Bouker’s advice and guidance during this transition. Our judicial district is blessed with excellent clerks and staff who will lend valuable assistance in the future,” said Braun.

Braun has been District Judge since 2012. Before becoming judge, he was in private practice for 31 years, having also served two terms as the Ellis County Attorney, the City of Hays prosecutor, and 7 years as a commissioner with the Kansas Racing and Gaming Commission. Braun was previously elected by his fellow lawyers as President of the Kansas Bar Association and is admitted to the United States Supreme Court, Kansas and Federal courts.

Braun and his wife, Amy were both born in Hays and are the parents of 5 children.

Family: Kan. man who died after jail altercation was an addict

Scott Brunson
Scott Brunson

SALINA, Kan. (AP) — The family of a Salina man who died after an altercation at a county jail says his drug and alcohol addictions contributed to his death.

The family of 50-year-old Scott Brunson said in a statement Wednesday that it supports law enforcement agencies investigating his death.

Brunson died Tuesday after two Saline County Jail corrections officers fought with him while he was being booked into jail. Police say Brunson was combative at the jail.

The Salina Journal reports the family said blood tests showed Brunson had cocaine, methamphetamine and alcohol in his system. The statement said hospital officials told the family Brunson appears to have suffered from cardiac arrest.

One officer was treated and released and the other was hospitalized for observation after the altercation.

KU student leaders will not be impeached

courtesy image
courtesy image

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas Student Senate has voted not to begin impeachment proceedings against three student leaders.

The senate voted Wednesday night to allow President Jessie Pringle, Vice President Zach George and Chief of Staff Adam Moon to remain in office.

Last November, a senate committee demanded the three be impeached, largely because of what was seen as their reluctance to support demands to promote diversity on the campus.

The Lawrence Journal-World reports  an impeachment committee found no allegations of misconduct against the three. The report also said their impeachment would set a dangerous precedent of removing officers from office because they aren’t popular.

After the impeachment efforts began last year, the three students released a list of diversity-related proposals they intend to pursue.

Hays Medical Center Foundation announces Estate Gift

HaysMed

Joyce Specter.from web
               Joyce Specter

The HaysMed Foundation has received a bequest of $127,564 from the estate of Joyce Specter. Mrs. Specter died in October of 2015.

Mrs. Specter was raised in Enterprise, Kansas and attended the Wichita Business College. While working in Wichita, she met her husband, Morton Specter who passed away in 1993. Joyce and Morton were longtime residents of Russell, moving back to Kansas after his service in the United States Navy during World War II.

As an avid and knowledgeable antique collector, Mrs. Specter paid tribute to things of the past. She restored and refinished furniture with an artistry that was admired by many.

The bequest establishes the Joyce D. Specter Hospice Endowment, a permanent fund in which the earnings will be used to provide funding for Hospice projects and programs at Hays Medical Center. Priority shall be given to residents of Russell County, Kansas.

“We are so honored to receive this bequest from Joyce’s estate,” said HaysMed Foundation Director Ruth Heffel. “Private gifts are crucial to help enhance and expand exceptional healthcare programs to better serve our patients at HaysMed.”

For more information on how to include HaysMed in an estate, contact the HaysMed Foundation at (785) 623-2350, email [email protected] or visit the Foundation website at www.haysmedfoundation.org.

HPD Activity Log Jan. 27

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The Hays Police Department responded to 5 animal calls and 6 traffic stops Wed., Jan. 27, 2016, according to the HPD Activity Log.

Criminal Threat–500 block W 37th St, Hays; 6/3/15 4 PM
Dead Animal Call–13th St and Douglas Dr, Hays; 8:01 AM
Civil Transport–200 block E 7th St, Hays; 9:21 AM
Counterfeit currency/documents–1000 block E 27th St, Hays; 1/20/16
Civil Dispute–400 block W 5th St, Hays; 11:33 AM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–300 block W 9th St, Hays; 12:30 PM; 12:33 PM
Harassment, Telephone/FAX–Hays; 12:45 PM
Theft (general)–3300 block Vine St, Hays; 1:23 PM
Animal At Large–41st and Hall, Hays; 1:40 PM
Criminal Trespass–2500 block Gen Hays Rd, Hays; 3:21 PM
Assault–500 block W 37th St, Hays; 10/29/15 8 AM; 11/26/15 8 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–1000 block W 27th St, Hays; 4:43 PM; 4:46 PM
Shoplifting–4300 block Vine St, Hays; 5:10 PM
MV Accident-City Street/Alley–29th and Hall, Hays; 5:09 PM
Animal At Large–100 block E 5th St, Hays; 5:37 PM
MV Accident-Hit and Run–2700 block Canal Blvd, Hays; 9:03 PM
Welfare Check–3400 block Vine St, Hays; 9:39 PM

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