BARTON COUNTY– Law enforcement authorities in Barton County continue to investigate a fatal accident involving two Kansas men, according to a media release.
Just after 2:30 a.m. on May 15, the Barton County Sheriff’s Office investigated a fatal motor vehicle accident at the Barton, Stafford County line on Southeast 70 Road.
Initial statements indicated Jacob D. Kinney, 20, Great Bend was driving, missed a turn and the pickup went into a skid. It left the roadway, rolled about three-and-one-half times and ejected Kinney. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Sheriff’s Office obtained search warrants and conducted further forensic examination of the truck and did interviews.
The Kansas Bureau of Investigation assisted with collection of evidence and contacted witnesses.
The investigation indicates Kinney was not driving. The information was sent to the Barton County Attorney and an arrest warrant was obtained for Dakota W. James, 20, Hutchinson, who was initially identified as the passenger. It is believed Dakota James was operating the vehicle at the time of the accident. Authorities indicated alcohol may have been a contributing factor in the crash.
With the assistance of the Cowley County Sheriff’s Office, James was arrested at Udall on Tuesday.
The arrest warrant contained eight counts including involuntary manslaughter, DUI, giving false information to law enforcement officers as well as various other traffic charges.
It is expected Dakota James will be transported back to Barton County on June 1.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Republican leaders are saying Kansas lawmakers could consider an education funding proposal Wednesday in response to a recent state Supreme Court decision.
Senate President Susan Wagle initially said Tuesday that she and other leaders of the GOP-dominated Legislature did not plan to take up education funding issues. Lawmakers planned to convene Wednesday for a ceremony formally adjourning their annual session.
But top Republican legislators emerged from a private meeting with GOP Gov. Sam Brownback unsure of their plans.
If lawmakers didn’t act Wednesday, Brownback would have to call a special session to consider additional school funding fixes.
The court on Friday rejected some changes made earlier this year by legislators. The justices gave lawmakers until June 30 to respond or face the possibility that schools would remain closed.
———-
JOHN HANNA, AP Political Writer
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — A Republican leader in the Kansas Senate says talk among legislators about defying a recent state Supreme Court ruling on education funding is serious.
Senate Majority Leader Terry Bruce said Tuesday that the justices have “gone out of their way to pick a fight.”
The court last week rejected changes made by legislators earlier this year and said the school finance system remains unfair to poor districts.
The justices gave lawmakers until June 30 to fix the remaining problems or face having schools remain closed.
Bruce said some lawmakers want to test whether the court is serious.
GOP leaders didn’t plan to have lawmakers consider additional fixes Wednesday before a ceremony adjourning their annual session.
Gov. Sam Brownback would have to call a special session for lawmakers to act further.
GARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) — Police in western Kansas say a gunman who held Finney County’s chief judge and his wife hostage over a child custody matter eventually surrendered and the two were released unharmed.
Authorities say the standoff began shortly before 7 a.m. Tuesday, when the armed suspect forced his way into 61-year-old Wendell Wurst’s Garden City home and confronted the couple.
Garden City Police Chief Michael Utz says the suspect ordered Wurst to the ground and bound the judge’s hands. Utz says Wurst’s 62-year-old wife was allowed to use the bathroom, where she called police on her cellphone. She was later released.
The standoff ended more than five hours later, at which time Wurst was freed.
Police say the suspect was upset over a custody case Wurst handled.
There was no immediate word about any charges resulting from the incident.
————–
GARDEN CITY, Kan. (AP) — Police in Garden City says a gunman who held the county’s chief judge hostage over a child custody matter eventually surrendered and released the victim without harm.
Authorities say the standoff began about 7 a.m. Tuesday, when the suspect forced his way into Wendel Wurst’s home and confronted the man and his wife at gunpoint.
The gunman released the woman a short time later, and she called police from a neighbor’s home.
The standoff ended peacefully several hours later.
Police say the suspect was upset over a custody case Wurst handled as Finney County’s chief judge.
There was no immediate word about any charges resulting from the captivity.
OLATHE, Kan. (AP) — A suburban Kansas City woman has admitted in court that she stole tens of thousands of dollars of stolen clothing and merchandise she was peddling out of her nearly $1 million home.
Forty-six-year-old Kelli Bauer of Overland Park, Kansas, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Johnson County to a felony theft charge. It alleged she stole between $25,000 and $100,000.
Bauer also pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor theft counts.
Bauer was charged last year after police found stolen merchandise in her home during a search prompted her Facebook posting for the private sale of more than 1,000 pieces of “high-end” women’s clothing.
As part of the investigation, detectives also followed Bauer and said they saw her stealing items from several stores.
From sunrise to sundown, from the heat of the summer to the cold of the winter, Kansas farmers and ranchers know there is great beauty in agriculture. Photographers are encouraged to capture that beauty and share it with others through the Kansas Department of Agriculture’s annual photo contest. KDA will begin accepting photos June 1, 2016.
This year, KDA is adding new categories to promote different aspects of Kansas agriculture. Farmers and ranchers work year-round to produce food, fiber and energy. Spring, Summer,Winter and Fall categories will showcase agriculture during all times of the year. Water, a major component of Kansas agriculture, will also have its own category in the photo contest. Irrigation systems, ponds, rivers and other water sources create beauty in our Kansas infrastructure. In addition, there will be a separate Youth division, for young photographers age 19 and under.
KDA serves to advocate for the agriculture industry, the state’s largest industry. Photos capturing the moments of bliss, struggle and joy in Kansas agriculture will be used to promote the state’s largest economic driver. Prizes will be awarded to the top two winners in each of the six categories: Spring, Summer, Winter, Fall and Water as well as the Youth division.
Guidelines for the contest can be found at: agriculture.ks.gov/photocontest. After submission, the Kansas Department of Agriculture is granted permission to use any photograph for publications, social media, websites, displays, etc. without payment or other consideration from the photographer.
Follow KDA on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram for more details on the contest, including deadlines, divisions and prizes. For more information, contact KDA Director of Communications Heather Lansdowne at [email protected] or 785-564-6706.
NEW YORK (AP) — General Mills is recalling about 10 million pounds of its flour over a possible link to an E. coli outbreak in 20 states.
Courtesy image
The recall is for several varieties of Gold Medal and Signature Kitchens flour that were sold at Safeway, Albertsons and other supermarkets. General Mills says E. coli hasn’t been found in any of its flour products, but is still recalling them out of “an abundance of caution.”
The company said Tuesday 38 people were sickened from the December to May. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that half of the people used flour before getting sick, some of which was a General Mills brand. Some may have also eaten raw dough or batter, the Minneapolis food company said.
Turning what could have been a tragedy into an opportunity Bling – located in Big Creek Crossing – reopened Monday after completing a full remodel of the location that has been closed since the store suffered water damage from a section of roof that collapsed last month in neighboring Payless Shoe Source.
While others may have used the incident as an excuse to leave the shopping center or Hays altogether, Bling decided instead to use the opportunity to remodel the location.
“Since we had all of that going on we decided, since we have to do it, we might as well change a few things,” said Sammy Grollmes, district manager.
Damage to the store included a total loss of merchandise and damage to walls and the ceiling.
“With everything that happened, it was devastating,” Grollmes said, but they wanted to come back with as much positivity as possible, utilizing a color scheme and fixtures that match other locations within the small chain.
“Now with our new look, it is the same color scheme that we have in our new Wichita location and also our Manhattan store,” she said. “We had the opportunity to unify our look for this space.”
While completely overhauling the 900 square foot space was a lot of hard work, she said they are pleased with the outcome.
“We’re really really happy with the new look. It brightens everything up and opens up the space,” Grollmes said.
After being in Hays for five years, moving the location was not something the chain of six stores wanted to do.
“The thing about the mall in Hays is traffic wise, this is the most visible and the best location for us,” Grollmes said. “I know the mall has its controversial issues, but what is nice is what we get to see in this space and we’re right here in the center court, I believe that we get to see and help more people in this location. That’s why we came back.”
The chain has stores in Garden City, Salina, Manhattan, Wichita and their original location in Scott City, expanding quickly after opening in 2008.
“I believe we are the largest women’s boutique clothing company in the state that is privately owned,” Grollmes said.
The size of the chain meant tackling the remodel was a little more difficult than the larger retailers that have corporate support, but the chain’s and BCC insurance covered the cost of the damage.
It also allowed the staff to continue being paid during the down time.
“We want to be able to take care of the people that work for us. That was really important and we were happy we had the stuff in place to do that,” Grollmes said.
“It’s a lot of money to come back from something like that.”
After the closure, Grollmes said their number one concern was the safety of the space, but were informed there are no current safety concerns with the roof, but negativity towards the incident was disheartening.
“It was really hard to read all the comments on the articles after this happened.”
But now they are ready to once again serve the people of Hays.
“We’re happy to be back, and be able to serve our customers,” Grollmes said.
A grand-reopening celebration is planned for Saturday, including a contest for passes to Kansas City Schlitterbahn Water Park. For details, or to find out more about Bling follow them on facebook or instagram.
Included in the cast photo are Mitch Hunsley, Debora Kreutzer, Demetrius T. Johnson, Jr., Kaylee Donner, Jay Keeler, John Kreutzer, Trey Varner and Adam Cline. Also in the cast are Shannon Ballenger and Joann Buchanan.
RUSSELL – Russell Community Theater will present “The Senator Wore Pantyhose” as its annual dinner theater showing June 21 to 25. The slice-of-political-life comedy, written by Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore, is directed by RCT volunteer Erik Eaton.
The cast of 10 includes veteran RCT actors Mitch Hunsley, Jay Keeler, Debora Kreutzer and John Kreutzer. Returning to the RCT stage are Shannon Ballenger, Joann Buchanan, Adam Cline, Kaylee Donner and Demetrius T. Johnson Jr.. Trey Varner is making his RCT debut.
The Sluckup Inn is overflowing with political and religious scandals as Senator Sandalson arrives to judge the chili cook-off. According to his campaign manager, the Senator’s bid for the White House needs a bit of “excitement”. However, the publicity gimmick he dreams up goes seriously awry. Also stepping in and out of the action are a less-than-pure evangelist, an escaped felon, a television reporter and a gangster. Characters swap beds, identities and jabs in this hilarious comedy.
Performances run Tuesday through Saturday, June 21 to 25 at the Russell Elks Lodge (South Highway 281). Dinner is served from 6:30 to 7:30 pm and show time is 8 pm. Reservations are required for all seats. For reservations, visit Encore Antiques & Collectables (590 S. Fossil, Russell) or call 785-483-4057. “The Senator Wore Pantyhose” is presented by special arrangement with Samuel French Inc.
Russell Community Theater is a nonprofit theater company in Russell, Kansas. The sole purpose of RCT is to produce theater for the community and the surrounding area. Completely volunteer-driven, RCT is supported financially solely through ticket admissions and gifts from those supportive of community theater. Since its inception in 1986, RCT has presented 86 full-scale theatrical productions.
“Worry affects the circulation, the heart, the glands, the whole nervous system. I have never known a man who died from overwork, but many who died from doubt.” — Dr. Charles H. Mayo
Worry has been labeled the root of all evil. It has also been linked to farm accidents.
Worrying about finances, weather or personal problems while operating powerful farm equipment places farmers at risk. When a farmer loses his or her concentration on the task at hand, or makes hasty decisions in anger, accidents can happen.
John Schlageck writes for the Kansas Farm Bureau.
Numerous professionals and friends can help people with stress. The key is to seek help.
While it has been suggested over and over again, communication remains a key to reducing stress.
If you are concerned about finances, you may want to visit your banker. You may also want to talk to family members. Remember, you don’t have to share exact figures, just some of your major concerns. The important thing is to keep communication lines open.
Another method to fight stress includes renewed involvement in church, school and community. This helps expand a person’s sense of purpose and self-esteem.
Approaching tasks and challenges early with and “I can” and “I care” attitude can also help alleviate stress. If a person tackles a problem bogged down with doubt, the results can be less than favorable. It is important to develop and keep a positive outlook.
Short breaks or vacations from farming and ranching can offer a fresh perspective and help producers ease stressful situations. Agricultural tours and field[JS1] days can provide farmers with such opportunities.
Even if the break is for a couple hours, or better yet, a short weekend, this time away from the routine can often relieve some tension and clear the mind.
Participating in a farm or commodity organization may also provide relief from the day-to-day challenges facing farmers and ranchers. Serving on committees you believe in while cultivating relationships with like-minded people can also alleviate consternation.
Scheduling a yearly physical is also a good way to reduce stress. Going to a family doctor and receiving a clean bill of health can work wonders for a person’s peace of mind.
Eating healthy can help prevent illnesses and result in better decision making. People always feel better about themselves when they exercise discipline and eat right.
Remember, set realistic goals for yourself, family, land and livestock. Allow enough time for a restful night’s sleep and make quality time for your family and yourself.
The amount of time spent on tasks is not important if the end result is not productive. Most farmers and ranchers know when to let up physically, but they many may not recognize how mental strain can take its toll.
Keep the communication lines open with your family and friends. You will be safer and healthier in the long run.
John Schlageck, a Hoxie native, is a leading commentator on agriculture and rural Kansas.
Dr. Jamie Schwandt and his guest discuss how you can dream big, think positive and take action. In this episode, Craig Karlin discusses his work at Fort Hays State University.
A forum in Hays, Kansas, on Thursday was the last in a series of meetings intended to get input on the renewal of KanCare, the state’s privatized Medicaid program. CREDIT BRYAN THOMPSON / HEARTLAND HEALTH MONITOR
Last week, state officials wrapped up a series of public forums on the pending renewal of KanCare, the state’s privatized Medicaid program.
Federal approval for the five-year demonstration project expires at the end of 2017, and the Kansas Department of Health and Environment plans to apply for reauthorization by the end of this year.
Forum organizers were looking for ideas about coordination of care, value-based payment systems and waiver integration.
But it appeared that many of those at Thursday’s forum in Hays instead wanted to discuss better communication regarding Medicaid clients, especially with care coordinators.
Jerry Fulwide cares for his 90-year-old mother at his home in Colby. He said the system seems to be designed to limit access to Medicaid. When he calls, he has to leave a message. The care coordinator then has two days to return his call.
“So she calls back, and I’m not there. So she leaves a message that she called and I need to call again. Then there’s two more days,” Fulwider said.
Meanwhile, his mother may have a health need that is not being met.
Kristin Fairbank of Hays provides around-the-clock care for her brother, who is developmentally disabled and blind.
After the meeting, she said she was recently told to go to a website for one of the three private insurance companies that operate KanCare to get a form she has to fill out to get his funding approved. But when she went to the website, she could not get the form.
She eventually got the help she needed from a local community developmental disabilities organization — not the KanCare company.
“The paperwork shuffle,” as Fairbank described it, is hurting Kansas families and individuals in the Medicaid program.
“How many forms do you need? How many times do you have to fill out the same questions and answers?” she asked.
During the Hays forum, KDHE Secretary Susan Mosier told the audience that the meetings were intended to gather ideas that can be written into the proposal rather than explain the details of the plan, she said.
KDHE would like to emphasize health in the next five-year phase of KanCare, Mosier said.
“Care is how our health care system has been built. It’s been around care of acute and chronic conditions,” she said. “We really want to move up that continuum to health, wellness, prevention, earlier detection and earlier intervention, and by doing so help people lead healthier lives.”
Mosier said one person at the earlier session in Hays had expressed concerns that the three KanCare contractors — Amerigroup, Sunflower State Health Plan (a Centene subsidiary) and UnitedHealthcare — would leave once the current contract expires next year.
In fact, she said, all three companies have indicated they’d like to stay in the program.
Bryan Thompson is a reporter for KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team.
Eskridge – James Ira Troutner, 13, passed away Thursday, May 26, 2016 in Eskridge, KS.
He was born January 3, 2003 in Emporia, KS, the son of Roger W. and Deanna L. (Shearer) Troutner. He was a student at Norton Junior High School, Norton, KS.
James was preceded in death by his father Roger Troutner on October 30, 2013, maternal grandfather, Arnold Shearer and paternal grandparents Dallas Ira and Vivian Troutner.
He is survived by his mother Deanna Troutner of Eskridge; brother, Jordan Troutner of Eskridge; sister, Lora Troutner of Eskridge; grandmother, Elaine Shearer of Almena; boyfriend of Deanna, Allan Babcock and daughter Tiffany of Logan and numerous aunts, uncles and cousins.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Friday, June 3, 2016 at the Norton Christian Church, 208 N. Kansas Ave., Norton, KS, with Pastor Hal Jones and Chance McKinney officiating. Public visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, June 2, 2016 and 8:00 a.m. until service time Friday, June 3rd all at the Norton Christian Church. Burial will be in the Mount Hope Cemetery, Almena, KS. A memorial service for James will also be held in Emporia, KS at a later date and will be announced.
Memorials may be given to the James Ira Troutner Memorial Fund and can be sent in care of All Faiths Funeral Chapel, 113 S. Madison St., Smith Center, KS 66967.
Tuesday morning accident in Clay county -photo KHP
CLAY COUNTY – A Kansas man was injured in an accident just before 9 a.m. on Tuesday in Clay County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2002 International Semi driven by Gary C. Leister, 63, Abilene, was southbound on Kansas 15 six miles south of Clay Center
The vehicle traveled onto the right shoulder. The driver over corrected and the truck overturned in the east ditch.
Leister was transported to the hospital in Clay Center.
He was properly restrained at the time of the accident, according to the KHP.
BARTON COUNTY– Law enforcement authorities in Barton County continue to investigate a fatal accident involving two Kansas men, according to a media release.
