Larry L. Ventsam, age 82, passed away on Friday, May 13, 2016 at Wichita County Health Center in Leoti, Kansas. Larry was born May 17, 1933 in Hutchinson, Kansas, the son of Herman William & Mildred Frances (Phillips) Ventsam. Larry was a Farmer and Rancher and had been a Wichita County resident since the 1930’s. Larry proudly served his country in the United States Air Force from 1952 through 1956.
Larry was a member of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Leoti, Kansas. He also held memberships in the V.F.W., American Legion and the NRA.
On September 14, 1956 he married Joan A. Benson at Lordsburg, New Mexico.
Larry’s surviving family includes-
His Wife-
Joan A. Ventsam- Leoti, Kansas
Five Children-
Mark & Judy Ventsam- Odessa, Florida
Linda & Rick Loffredo- Fairfax Station, Virginia
Carol & Russell Molz- Kiowa, Kansas
Steve & Sherri Ventsam- Naperville, Illinois
Tom Ventsam- Deadwood, South Dakota
Thirteen Grandchildren-
Lacey, Mallory & Chase Ventsam- Odessa, Florida
Nicholas Loffredo- Seattle, Washington
Lauren& R.J. Santucci- Charlottesville, Virginia
Jeremy Loffredo- Fairfax Station, Virginia
Blake Molz- Kiowa, Kansas
Kendall Molz- Plano, Texas
Dylon Molz- Kiowa, Kansas
Victoria, Luke & Cody Ventsam- Naperville, Illinois
Hallie Rose Ventsam- Deadwood, South Dakota.
One Great Grandchild-
Mason Molz- Plano, Texas
His parents and a brother, Carl Ventsam, preceded him in death.
Vigil Services will be held at 7:00 pm Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at St. Mary Catholic Church in Marienthal, Kansas.
Funeral Mass will be held at 10:30 am Wednesday, May 18, 2016 at St. Mary Catholic Church in Marienthal, Kansas with Father Benjamin Martin officiating.
Burial will be in Leoti Cemetery in Leoti, Kansas with military honors.
Friends may call from Noon until 8:00 pm Monday and from 10:00 am until 5:00 pm Tuesday at Price & Sons Funeral Home in Leoti, Kansas.
Memorials may be given to the St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church Building Fund or the Leoti EMT’s in care of the funeral home.
Condolences may be sent to the family through the funeral home website at priceandsons.com
After 23 years of serving as a District Judge, Edward Bouker has announced his resignation from the 23rd Judicial District to serve as a Kansas Senior Judge.
Bouker had previously announced his he would not seek re-election for another term for his current seat, but due to the timing required to become a Senior Judge, he will have to resign a bit earlier than expected.
“I had expressed interest in becoming a Senior Judge in the State of Kansas and heard … that I had been asked to do that,” Bouker said. “And because the senior contracts run from June 4 I had to resign the day before that to take that contract.”
While the position will allow Bouker to take on cases from around the state, he said cases he would be assigned would likely be very similar to his current case load.
“I think it would be an extremely broad type of case load as it is with a District Judge. you handle virtually everything from traffic matters up through murder,” he said.
Requests for a senior judge are assigned by the Supreme Court on an as-needed basis.
“There is someone from the office of Judicial Administration – which is the business arm of the Kansas Supreme Court – will call and say ‘we need a judge here for this type of case involving these parties and these attorneys and we would like you to take it,’ ” Bouker said.
Cases are assigned to Senior Judges in areas where sitting judges may have a conflict of interest or a high case load creates a need.
“I think I would be likely to be assigned to almost anywhere in the state where I was needed, so I expect to travel quite a bit,” Bouker said.
But even with travel, Bouker expects a lighter caseload, allowing for more personal time with family, while at the same time allowing him to continue contributing to the judicial system.
Senior Judges have a case load about 40 percent lower than District Court Judges.
With Bouker approaching 65 years old next April, he said he could take judicial retirement, but becoming a Senior Judge will open more options.
“This will allow me to have some more options about not taking social security right away,” he said.
But more importantly, Bouker wants to continue being an active member of the Kansas Judiciary.
“The biggest thing is simply being young enough that I feel like I can contribute, and I’d like to continue to do that,” he said.
The lower case load will also allow him to pursue other activities that a full-time judge would struggle to find time for.
“I would like some more time to do what I like to do. I have two granddaughters I’d like to spend time with them. I’d like to travel to see my children that are spread out across the United States,” Bouker said. “I have some home projects and some hobbies that I would like to spend time with, but I don’t want to be totally disconnected from everything.”
Leaving, however, means losing something special – a close relationship with associates in the district.
“I have been very, very proud and happy to be a district judge in this area. I have enjoyed it very much and it is very much of an honor. I feel like I work with some very amazing people who have done an outstanding job in the face of some very difficult challenges,” Bouker said. “I don’t have a better word for it than remarkable. I’ll miss being with them every day, but it’s time to see what else is out there.”
“I went to the School of Ed and I chose to be a teacher – not for the money. If I wanted to be a teacher for the money, I would have dropped a long time ago,” said Katie Higgins, a recent School of Education graduate from the University of Kansas.
It’s also what Ann Bruemmer has observed during her 38 years in public schools. She was a teacher before becoming a principal at Hugoton Elementary School, south of Dodge City, in 1995.
“Teachers probably have the only profession that requires many degrees, without getting the respect that professions like doctors, nurses and lawyers get,” she said.
Teachers have to be dedicated to teach in Kansas today because the fiscal incentive simply doesn’t exist, Bruemmer said. The National Center for Education Statistics reports the average teacher’s salary in the United States was more than $56,000 in 2013. The average teacher’s salary in Kansas for the same year was nearly $9,000 less at approximately $47,000.
Kelly Thomas, the associate dean of the School of Education at KU, said the state’s budget problems have left new teachers with additional hard dilemmas. Earlier this month, the legislature voted to delay $99 million in payments to the state’s pension fund for public employees, including teachers, until 2018. The reason for the delay is the state’s budget problems, and Gov. Sam Brownback will have to decide whether to approve the legislature’s recommendations.
Thomas said new teachers are likely to question whether they would like to stay in the state. In the past, this might have not been something they would have considered.
“The press surrounding the budget casts a bit of doubt in the minds of our new graduates on whether they would like to remain here in Kansas, particularly when there are opportunities around the country,” she said.
KU’s School of Education has historically seen around 85 percent of graduates remain in the Kansas to teach. In 2015 the percentage noticeably lowered, Thomas said.
William Hammond, Dodge City’s executive director of operations, said his district is suffering from a shortage of teachers wanting to work in Kansas. The district has had to increase class sizes in primary education due to this shortage.
“We have had a hard time just getting teachers. This year we had five elementary positions go unfilled just because we couldn’t find the teachers. They’re just not out there today,” Hammond said.
Thomas and the school attribute this shortage to a few possibilities, including how new KU grads weigh the stability of available retirement plans. KU’s School of Education has seen a large shift in grads accepting positions in Missouri, instead of Kansas.
“Missouri has a really strong retirement system for their teachers, and Kansas has historically, too. But, there has been some talk about different [budget solutions] that might effect the retirement system for educators in Kansas,” Thomas said. “This could make new teachers nervous.”
Bruemmer said if the education crisis isn’t solved soon, staff will have to be cut and class sizes will increase. Teachers’ salaries could also be compromised. These possible outcomes are unfavorable to teachers, especially those new to the field.
“As a first grade teacher, I make $29,000 a year,” Higgins said, pointing out how she felt her salary was very close to the poverty line in America. The U.S. Office of Budget Management has defined the poverty line as annual income of $24,230 for a family of four.
Bruemmer said legislators coming to schools and learning about the issues that are specifically impacting students and teachers would help.
“The reality is, [legislators] are not going to do it. They’re busy, they have other things to do besides dealing with education. Until we figure out how to fund education, we’re going to continue to struggle,” she said.
Thomas said the KU School of Education is watching the budget situation closely, and in the meantime is encouraging its students to not become discouraged with Kansas public education.
“We are encouraging our students to remember why they chose the profession and to focus on becoming new teachers,” Thomas said.
COWLEY COUNTY – A Kansas man died in an accident just before 10p.m. on Saturday in Cowley County.
The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 1997 Honda motorcycle driven by Todd C Gritzmaker, 48, Winfield, was north bound on Kansas 15 two miles north of Dexter.
The motorcycle struck a black cow that was standing in the roadway.
The driver lost control of the motorcycle. It entered the west ditch.
The passenger Cassandra J. Gritzmaker, 48, Winfield, was ejected and the driver stayed on the bike until it came to rest in the ditch.
Todd was transported to William Newton Memorial Hospital where he died.
Cassandra was transported to Wesley Medical Center.
They were not wearing helmets, according to the KHP.
After another legislative session with no action on Medicaid expansion, advocates in Kansas are turning their attention to the upcoming state elections and urging voters to become more vocal on the issue.
A Monday rally in a Statehouse hearing room drew a standing-room-only crowd. It was better-attended than other similar rallies in the four years since the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states have discretion over whether they expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, commonly called “Obamacare.”
David Jordan, executive director of Alliance for a Healthy Kansas, urged those in attendance to tell legislators they want Kansas to join the 31 states that have expanded access to the public health insurance program.
“Today the hard work starts,” Jordan said. “We need to work collectively in every single legislative district to make sure legislators are hearing the concerns that were brought forth today.”
All of the seats in the Kansas House and Senate are subject to this year’s primary election in August and general election in November.
The Alliance for a Healthy Kansas was formed this year to coordinate an expansion push that so far has been splintered among several interest groups. The state’s hospitals, which have lost millions in federal dollars because of the decision not to expand Medicaid, previously led the lobbying effort.
Jordan said his coalition plans to activate a grassroots push by focusing not only on the economic hit to hospitals but also on the 150,000 Kansans estimated to be eligible for Medicaid coverage under expansion.
As a nonprofit, the alliance cannot endorse candidates. But Jordan said the group is likely to fund letter-writing campaigns and other efforts to draw attention to Medicaid expansion as an issue for voters and candidates.
“I’m sure we will have mailers,” Jordan said.
Alice Weingartner, executive director of the Shawnee Health Center, said 42 percent of Kansans served by safety net clinics like hers have no insurance. CREDIT SUSIE FAGAN / HEARTLAND HEALTH MONITOR
Medicaid in Kansas is a privatized program called KanCare administered by three private insurance companies. It’s currently available only to pregnant women, children and people with disabilities who meet certain income limits.
Expansion under the ACA would extend access to Kansans who make less than 138 percent of the federal poverty level, which is annual income of $16,242 for an individual and $33,465 for a family of four.
Robert Schremmer, a Catholic priest and vicar general of the Dodge City Diocese, said all major religions make care for the poor one of their main tenets.
He used the parable of the Good Samaritan to illustrate his support for expansion at Monday’s rally.
“Expanding KanCare shows compassion to vulnerable people,” Schremmer said.
Marcillene Dover, a Wichita State University student who has told legislators about her struggle to get health care coverage to treat her multiple sclerosis, sat in the front row as Schremmer made his remarks.
Two prominent members of Topeka’s medical community said during the rally that expanding Medicaid would improve health outcomes by encouraging Kansans to seek preventive care before their health problems become crises.
Alice Weingartner, executive director of the Shawnee County Health Center, said 42 percent of the Kansans served by safety net clinics like hers have no insurance.
Eric Voth, vice president of primary care at Stormont Vail Health, said Kansans without health coverage often turn to emergency rooms for routine medical care. That’s costly, he said, and causes long ER waits that compromise the safety of patients with medical emergencies.
Republican leaders who oppose Medicaid expansion have consistently said they’re concerned about the cost. States eventually will shoulder 10 percent of the bill for expansion, with the federal government picking up the rest of the tab.
But Voth noted that Kansas has turned down more than $1 billion for refusing the first three years of expansion, which are fully federally funded.
He questioned whether legislators would consider turning away federal dollars in similar amounts for things like military bases and highways.
Voth said the decision in Kansas has been more about the politics of a law spearheaded by a Democratic president than about fiscal conservatism.
“I think it’s really critical that we cast off this great hysteria of ‘Obamacare,’” he said to loud applause. “There are so many elements of health care that have nothing to do with Obamacare that it’s time that we embrace the things that will move us forward.”
Andy Marso is a reporter for KHI News Service in Topeka, a partner in the Heartland Health Monitor team. You can reach him on Twitter @andymarso
Dillon Gee pitches Saturday night vs. Atlanta (Courtesy Kansas City Royals/Chris Vleisides)
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Mike Foltynewicz pitched a career-high eight scoreless innings, Kelly Johnson and A.J. Pierzynski each drove in two runs, and the Atlanta Braves beat the Kansas City Royals 5-0 Saturday night.
Foltynewicz (1-1) got his first victory since Aug. 8, holding the Royals to seven hits, while striking out four and walking none. The Braves (9-26) avoided matching the worst 35-game start in franchise history — 8-27, set by the 1911 Boston Braves.
Dillon Gee (0-1), making his first start for the Royals in place of the injured Chris Young, held the Braves scoreless on three hits over the first five innings, but retired only one of the six batters he faced in the sixth. He was charged with three runs and six hits, while striking out five and walking three in 5 1/3 innings.
The Royals have lost 13 of 18 and have not won consecutive games since April 21-22.
GEARY COUNTY – Law enforcement authorities in Geary County are investigating two suspects on drug charges.
On Wednesday, officers with he Junction City -Geary County Drug Operations Group executed a search warrant at 7130 Rockwood Drive in Milford following a two-week long investigation into the alleged distribution of marijuana, methamphetamine, cocaine and prescription pills, according to a media release.
Authorities reported that Christopher Alton Obregon, 28, and Katelin M. Silovsky, 20, both of Milford were arrested on multiple drug related allegations.
Obregon he was arrested on 15 allegations ranging from two counts Sale of Marijuana to one each of Sale of Cocaine, Sale of Methamphetamine, and Sale of Controlled Substances.
Silovsky was arrested on nine counts ranging from one count each of Sale of Marijuana to Conspiracy to Distribute Marijuana.
Bond for Obregon was set at $500,000 and for Silovsky at $50,000.
The Drug Operations Group seized approximately 2.5 pounds of marijuana, 10 grams of cocaine, 57 ecstasy pills, 1.8 grams of
Christopher Obregon,
psilocybin mushrooms, 148 pills and 16 ( 2ml. ) bottles of anabolic steroids, 2 grams of methamphetamine, 3 dosage units of LSD, hundreds of various prescription narcotic pills, U.S. currency, 3 handguns, and a 2003 Chevrolet Silverado.
The Drug Operations Group is a joint task force composed of members of the Junction City Police Department, Geary County Sheriff’s Department, and Grandview Plaza Police Department.
Det. Lancaster was remembered at the K on Friday evening
KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP) — A 39-year-old Kansas City, Kansas, detective fatally shot this week has been remembered by friends and colleagues as a hero.
Detective Brad Lancaster died Monday after he was shot when he responded to a call.
Hundreds attended Lancaster’s Saturday funeral service, which included remarks by Mayor Mark Holland and Police Chief Terry Zeigler, who said Lancaster was a hero and loving father who led a life of service. Tributes also included a rendition of “Amazing Grace” sung by an officer who had tears streaming down his face.
Lancaster was a U.S. Air Force veteran and leaves a wife and two daughters.
Curtis Ayers, of Tonganoxie, is charged with capital murder in Lancaster’s death. Ayers was taken into custody after he was shot and wounded by authorities in Kansas City, Missouri.
LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The University of Kansas Senate is organizing a committee to research and propose a policy to uphold freedom of speech at the school.
The Lawrence Journal-World reports the committee, which was recently approved, will form this summer and work through the next academic year.
The committee was proposed by outgoing University Senate President Mike Williams, an associate professor of journalism. He says those on campus sometimes face challenges in expressing themselves freely, and the free exchange of ideas is the bedrock of academic freedom.
The university is facing several difficult subjects, such as racial discrimination and a new law that will allow guns on campus beginning next year.
From left: April Terry, Christie Brungardt and Arianne Fisher
FHSU University Relations
Arianne Fisher, Plainville, was named today as the recipient of the Torch Award as the outstanding graduating senior from the Class of 2016 at Fort Hays State University.
She will receive a Bachelor of Science in psychology with summa cum laude honors from the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences Commencement, which begins at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 14, at Gross Memorial Coliseum.
The announcement of the Torch Award came at the annual Graduate and Faculty Luncheon, sponsored by the FHSU Alumni Association. The Pilot Award for outstanding faculty member and the Navigator Award for outstanding faculty advisor were also announced. All three recipients will be recognized at Commencement.
Dr. Christie Brungardt, assistant professor of leadership studies, was the Pilot Award Recipient, and April Terry, instructor of criminal justice, was the recipient of the Navigator Award.
Dr. Marcy Aycock, a 1984 FHSU graduate and a past president of the Alumni Association, introduced Fisher, a 2012 graduate of Plainville High School. Fisher was selected from 32 nominees.
Aycock quoted one faculty member who said in support of Fisher’s nomination, “The Torch Award was designed to honor outstanding seniors who exemplify the values FHSU wishes to instill in its graduates. These values — leadership, high personal standards, and scholarship — are integral to an informed citizen in the 21st century. Naturally, the Torch winner should possess each of those values at a very high level. Arianne Fisher, however, possesses each of those values at an extraordinary level.”
Another faculty member wrote, “She was far and away the best undergraduate teaching assistant I have had in 18 years, and the one who has handled the most responsibility. Her work exceeds that of most graduate-level teaching assistants.”
Fisher has served as president of three on-campus organizations, including the National Alliance on Mental Illness on Campus, an organization she helped to found at FHSU. She is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, the Fort Hays Honor Society, Tigers in Service, Women in STEM, and the Women’s Leadership Project. She was also a two-term peer mentor for the Psych Investigators Living Learning Community.
Fisher has worked in various undergraduate teaching and research assistant roles within the Department of Psychology since 2013. Her research has led to eight presentations at academic conferences and a peer-reviewed publication in an undergraduate research journal. She will continue her studies as a master’s student in the psychology program at FHSU.
Aycock also introduced the Pilot Award winner. “Christie isn’t the kind of teacher who just lectures and expects students to fully understand it. She integrates real life with theory making the subject matter much more enjoyable and relatable,” said one student quoted by Aycock.
The student continued, “Christie is always positive, enthusiastic, innovative and committed all while being challenging to the students. There is a mutual respect between student and teacher.”
Molly Morgan, a Wilson senior who serves as vice president of the Student Government Association, announced April Terry as the recipient of the Navigator Award.
The award was created in 1998 to recognize an outstanding academic advisor based on how closely he or she adheres to the university goals for academic advising. Candidates are nominated, interviewed and selected by graduating seniors.
Morgan quoted a student nomination that read, “She has never rushed or said she was too busy to help a student. In fact, she goes above and beyond what is required of an advisor and shows genuine care to her students.”
The Alumni Association instituted the Torch and Pilot awards in 1974 to emphasize the importance of excellence in teaching and learning. They are presented every year at the Graduate and Faculty Luncheon in advance of Commencement.
The Torch Award candidates are nominated by members of the faculty on the basis of classroom excellence, participation in professional organizations, and involvement in student or civic activities.
The Pilot Award is given on the basis of classroom excellence, ongoing research and service activities. Candidates are nominated by graduating seniors. Nominations for the Navigator Award are also made by graduating seniors in a process conducted by the Student Government Association.
The Alumni Association, established in 1916, is dedicated to identifying and serving the needs of more than 65,000 graduates living throughout the United States and over 70 foreign countries. For more information, contact the Alumni Association at 785-628-4430 or [email protected].
Outstanding nursing graduates for the 2016 class at Fort Hays State University were named today in a ceremony in the Beach/Schmidt Performing Arts Center on the FHSU campus.
Leora B. Stroup Awards, named for the founder of FHSU’s nursing program, recognize are given for outstanding clinical performance, community involvement and academic achievement in three categories.
Plainville student Taylor Hixon was named the outstanding on-campus bachelor’s degree graduate.
Deb Alvarez, Hays, was named the outstanding outreach student. The outreach award goes to a student in the RN-to-Bachelor of Science in Nursing program. Course work for the nurses in this program are conducted through the Virtual College.
Arika Fanshier, Great Bend, won the graduate student award. Fanshier is graduating with a Master of Science in Nursing in the family practitioner track.
Also in the ceremony, 22 Bachelor of Science in Nursing graduates received their pins. Twenty-nine MSN graduates and 45 outreach graduates were also recognized.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas Republicans are gathering for a statewide meeting to pick the bulk of the state’s delegates to the GOP National Convention with long-time activists coming to terms with having Donald Trump as the presumptive presidential nominee.
The GOP’s State Committee was meeting Saturday to name 25 of 40 convention delegates. Most delegates are allocated to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who won a decisive victory over Trump in the state’s March caucuses.
Larry L. Ventsam, age 82, passed away on Friday, May 13, 2016 at Wichita County Health Center in Leoti, Kansas. Larry was born May 17, 1933 in Hutchinson, Kansas, the son of Herman William & Mildred Frances (Phillips) Ventsam. Larry was a Farmer and Rancher and had been a Wichita County resident since the 1930’s. Larry proudly served his country in the United States Air Force from 1952 through 1956.
