TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas Supreme Court has signed off on a new education funding law that boosts state aid to poor school districts.
The justices issued a brief order Tuesday saying that the Legislature “has currently satisfied” the court’s previous orders on education funding by approving the measure last week.
The decision ends a threat that the state’s public schools would be shut down after Thursday.
The court issued its three-page order a day after Republican Gov. Sam Brownback signed the school finance measure into law. Lawyers for the state and attorneys for four school districts suing the state submitted a joint statement saying that the measure complied with the court’s dictates.
The justices ruled last month that the state’s school funding system remained unfair to poor school districts.
BLUE HILL, Maine (AP) — In a glass box in a private school in Maine sits a 40-year-old chemistry experiment still going strong: A decades-old Twinkie.
ABC News reports the experiment started in 1976 when Roger Bennatti was teaching a lesson to his high school chemistry class on food additives and shelf life.
After a student wondered about the shelf life of the snack, Bennatti sent the students to the store with some money. When they returned with the treat, Bennatti ate one and placed the still-surviving Twinkie on the blackboard.
Bennatti has since retired, but the snack now resides in the office of George Stevens Academy’s Dean of Students Libby Rosemeier.
Rosemeier told ABC News she isn’t sure who will inherit the Twinkie when she retires, but joked that the Smithsonian hasn’t called yet.
LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — A Kansas man is charged with stealing a shuttle van at an airport and then trying to take off in a jet to fly to Miami.
The Kansas City Star reports 21-year-old Adam Scott, of Overland Park, was charged Friday in Clay County, Missouri, with two counts of first-degree tampering. He also faces a tampering charge in Platte County.
Investigators say Scott took the van from Kansas City International Airport after he couldn’t afford to buy tickets. He allegedly drove to Wheeler Downtown Airport, where he again tried to buy tickets but couldn’t.
Scott eventually got into the cockpit of an Embraer Phenom 300 that was preparing for takeoff. He tried to manipulate the controls but was arrested within minutes.
Court records don’t indicate that Scott has an attorney.
Fireworks are an important part of celebrating the Independence Day holiday. In the City of Hays, the sale of fireworks is permitted for three days — July 2, 3 and 4. The use of fireworks is allowed during the hours of 10 AM to 11 PM on those days. Everyone is asked to respect these limits and be courteous to neighbors. Fireworks debris can make quite a mess. Persons using fireworks are asked to clean up all debris.
Using fireworks properly is safe and fun. Each year however, many fires and injuries are caused by fireworks accidents. The National Fire Protection Association reports that nationwide, almost 18,000 fires are caused by fireworks each year. According to the Kansas State Fire Marshal’s Office, in 2014 [the latest information available] Kansas hospitals reported a total of 158 fireworks injuries; most occurring on July 4. Almost half of all fireworks injuries occurred to children under the age of 18.
For safe fireworks use:
· Store fireworks in a cool, dry and safe location.
· Have an adult supervise all fireworks use.
· Fireworks and alcohol use are not a good mix.
· Always use fireworks outdoors.
· Keep a garden hose or bucket of water handy in case of an accidental fire.
· Read and follow the fireworks label directions.
· Light only one firework at a time.
· Do not try to re-light malfunctioning fireworks.
· Don’t experiment with or combine fireworks.
· Thoroughly soak used fireworks before disposal.
· Call 911 promptly if there is an injury or fire.
By state law, it is not legal to shoot fireworks into, under or from a vehicle, on any public roadway or right-of-way or within 100 feet of a hospital or nursing home or a place where fireworks are sold or stored. City code prohibits the use of fireworks in city cemeteries.
For more information contact the City of Hays Police Department at [785] 625-1030 or the City of Hays Fire Department at [785] 628-7330.
Photo by Andy Marso/KHI News Service File Employees at the KanCare Clearinghouse — a small Kansas Department of Health and Environment outpost at Forbes Field in Topeka — handle calls regarding Medicaid coverage.
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Gov. Sam Brownback says he’s disappointed the state’s backlog in unprocessed Medicaid applications is four times as large as previously thought.
The Topeka Capital-Journal reports that Brownback discussed the situation in a brief interview as the state and a contractor battle over who bears blame for the error. The number of unprocessed Medicaid applications stood at about 3,500 people until the state acknowledged earlier this month the actual figure was more than 15,000.
Brownback described the situation as “frustrating.” Brownback is reiterating the steps the state is taking to whittle down the backlog, such as retaining temporary staff.
Brownback also defended the overall performance the state’s privatized Medicaid program, known as KanCare. It grew out of Brownback administration efforts during the governor’s first term.
WICHITA, KAN. – The former recreation director for the City of Osawatomie was sentenced Monday to five years on federal supervised probation for embezzling more than $125,000 from the city, according to acting U.S. Attorney Tom Beall.
Ron Maring, 54, Osawatomie, pleaded guilty to one count of tax fraud and false statement, and one count of money laundering. In his plea, he admitted the crimes occurred while he was director of the Osawatomie Recreation Commission.
He wrote checks from the recreation commission’s account to himself and to American Legion Baseball. He converted the money for his own use and not for the use of the recreation commission or American Legion Baseball.
As part of the scheme, he persuaded recreation commission board members to sign blank checks, used his own signature as an endorsement and instructed a recreation commission employee to endorse checks.
When he filed his 2010 federal income tax return he failed to report the embezzled income, which would have added $14,902 in taxes owed.
Beall commended the Osawatomie Police Department, the Kansas Department of Revenue, Office of Special Investigation, and the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations and Assistant U.S. Attorney Aaron Smith for their work on the case.
The Latest: EU leaders at summit condemn Istanbul attack
ISTANBUL (AP) — The Latest on the explosions at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport (all times local):
11:40 p.m.
European Union leaders holding an unprecedented summit about Britain’s departure from the bloc are condemning a deadly attack on Istanbul’s Ataturk airport.
Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel tweeted from a closed-door meeting Tuesday in Brussels, “Despicable terror attack. Stand together with people of Turkey.”
Dalia Grybauskaite, president of Lithuania, wrote “Our thoughts are with the victims of the attacks at Istanbul airport. We condemn those atrocious acts of violence.”
The 28 EU leaders are meeting for an exceptional summit at which Prime Minister David Cameron announced his country has voted to leave the EU. They are also discussing migration via Turkey to the EU.
Two explosions rocked Istanbul’s Ataturk airport Tuesday, killing at least 10 people.
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11 p.m.
A Turkish official says two attackers have blown themselves up at Istanbul’s Ataturk airport after police fire at them.
Turkish media quoted Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag as saying 10 people were killed in the attack on Tuesday.
Turkey’s state-run news agency quoted Bekir Bozdag as saying: “According to the information I was given, a terrorist at the international terminal entrance first opened fire with a Kalashnikov and then blew himself up. We have around 10 martyrs (dead) and around 20 wounded.”
The official said the attackers detonated the explosives at the entrance of the international terminal before entering the x-ray security check.
Turkish airports have security checks at both at the entrance of terminal buildings and then later before entry to departure gates.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol.
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10:25 p.m.
A Turkish official says two explosions have rocked Istanbul’s Ataturk airport, wounding multiple people.
The official said Tuesday it was unclear whether the explosions were caused by a suicide attack.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government protocol.
Turkish media reported the sound of gunfire at the scene.
Turkey has suffered several bombings in recent months linked to Kurdish or Islamic State group militants.
Lougene Marsh, director of the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment, says her agency is disappointed that Kansas did not pursue federal funding from the Personal Responsibility Education Program. CREDIT JOHNSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT
Public health officials in Wyandotte County and Johnson County say they are seeking funds to continue comprehensive sexual education programs into 2018 after the state declined to renew a federal grant.
Kansas is one of seven states that decided not to take funding this year from the Personal Responsibility Education Program, also known as PREP. The federal program provides grants for a sex education curriculum that the Centers for Disease Control certified as evidence-based to prevent teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
The other states that declined the funds this year were Florida, Indiana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas and Virginia. Missouri received $973,624.
The PREP funding began in 2010 as part of the Affordable Care Act. It provides an alternative to federal Title V funds, which pay for abstinence-based sexual education.
Kansas traditionally has applied for and received money for both programs. The state then funnels the money to local governments and school districts that request it.
The health departments in Johnson County and Wyandotte County have been the main users of programs funded by the PREP grants.
“We got it in the public schools, and it’s been really successful,” said Greg Stephenson, a personal health services manager with the Wyandotte County Public Health Department. “The schools love it.”
Stephenson said PREP teaches abstinence as a means of preventing pregnancy and disease transmission. But the program also provides information on things like contraception and sexual consent.
He said the state’s decision not to take PREP funds means the programs are funded through most of 2017 but in limbo after then.
“It’s disappointing to us, but I don’t know what to do,” Stephenson said.
Lougene Marsh, director of the Johnson County Department of Health and Environment, said her agency was similarly disappointed.
She said teens who get pregnant are less likely to graduate and more likely to live in poverty than those who don’t.
“If teens don’t know how to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, they’re bearing an exorbitant cost for the lack of investment of funding,” Marsh said.
Cassie Sparks, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, said the state decided not to draw down PREP funds this year because Johnson County and Wyandotte County were the only counties using them and the state wanted those counties to apply directly to the federal government.
“Removing KDHE as the coordinator would allow for direct interactions between the true grantee and the grantor,” she said, “thereby removing KDHE as the intermediary.”
Sparks said the counties have enough time to make that transition.
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Stephenson and Marsh both said they would try to access PREP funds that way, but they weren’t sure if it was possible. The federal government generally has granted PREP funds only to state agencies.
Both also said they would petition their county commissioners to consider funding the programs with local dollars, but a property tax lid that the Kansas Legislature imposed makes that a long shot.
Pregnancy rates declining
Teen and adolescent pregnancy rates have declined in Johnson County — from 11.1 per 1,000 girls 19 and under in 2010 to 7.9 per 1,000 in 2014 — and Wyandotte County — from 44.8 per 1,000 girls 19 and under in 2010 to 29.4 per 1,000 in 2014 — since they began using PREP, but Stephenson and Marsh said it’s too early to tell how much of that decline can be attributed to the program itself rather than other factors.
Stephenson and Marsh said they did not believe the state’s decision to turn down future funds was based on any analysis of the effectiveness of PREP.
“I assume it must have been controversial politically,” Stephenson said, “because those abstinence-only grants were controversial (as well).”
Marsh said some schools in her county have asked the health department not to deploy PREP at their locations. Others, like the Shawnee Mission School District, have opted to use the program under the administration of district employees rather than health department employees.
Marsh said a Shawnee Mission school was participating in PREP in 2014 when it used a poster describing ways people express sexual feelings that quickly became a lightning rod for criticism.
The poster was taken down after parents complained about how explicitly it named sexual acts. Socially conservative legislators continued to take issue with the poster years later, introducing a bill in February inspired by it that would have allowed for prosecution of teachers who present material “harmful to minors.”
Vanessa Sanburn, co-founder of a nonprofit sexual education organization in Lawrence called Let’s Talk, said some legislators yearn to return to the days of abstinence-only sex education, and that likely influenced the state’s decision to turn down PREP funds.
She said that’s problematic.
“Kids are sexually active,” said Sanburn, who’s also a member of the Lawrence school board. “We know that, and not acknowledging that and not providing the tools they need to prevent pregnancy and STDs … that’s not going to prevent them from being sexually active.”
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
The change application for the Edwards County R9 Ranch, the long-term water supply project for Hays and Russell, was submitted to the Kansas Department of Agriculture, Division of Water Resources (DWR) six months ago. Revisions have been under review since then. Hays and Russell are asking to transfer their water rights from irrigation use to municipal use, and would be the first cities in Kansas to do so under the state’s Water Transfer Act.
City Manager Toby Dougherty told commissioners last week the latest correspondence from DWR Chief Engineer David Barfield–resulting from a meeting in late March–had five points Pope wanted addressed before the request moves further.
Dougherty outlined the response from Hays and Russell.
The five points are:
Consumptive use analysis–Hays and Russell have 8,039 acre-feet of water rights at the R9. DWR is proposing 7,604 acre-feet per year–a little less because during irrigation some of the water goes back into the aquifer. Hays/Russell acknowledge the DWR amount.
Justification for proposed municipal use, proposed amount, and project phasing–Typically, DWR uses a 20-year planning horizon when developing a new source of water. Hays/Russell are requesting a 50-year plan.
The R9 Ranch is being turned back to native grass as agricultural irrigation water wells are shut down and equipment removed.
Flexibility in locating points and rates of diversion–40+ spots where water is pulled out of the ground will be combined into 12 municipal wells. Hays/Russell are requesting flexibility in the 300-foot radius at points of diversion. The cities have already agreed to place no new municipal wells within one-half mile of existing wells owned by others.
Long-term sustainability of the project and effects to the area–There is an authorized rate of water the cities can pull out of the ranch. DWR is interested in what they determine is a “safe yield,” a sustainable yield year after year, although safe yield is not an issue in the Change Application process. The cities are looking at an intensive groundwater model looking at different runs of rainwater and runoff. DWR wants to review the results of Burns and McDonnell’s refinement of the GMD model. The cities agree.
Basin stakeholders’ desire to have their concerns heard prior to a decision–DWR intends to hold a public meeting in the Arkansas River Basin prior to making a decision about the Change Applications. The cities have no objection to the meeting but might not present comments or attend.
Dougherty added he “expects a quicker turnaround to the city’s response letter because we’re getting down to smaller and smaller issues.” He hopes to hear back from DWR within a month and will then provide city commissioners with another update.
David Traster, Wichita, is the R9 Ranch Project attorney.
David Traster, Wichita, is the R9 Ranch Project attorney.
The estimated cost to develop the R9 is $72 million. Hays, which owns 82 percent of the ranch it purchased in 1995, enacted a sales tax in the mid-1990s to help fund the project. The city of Russell owns 18 percent of the R9 Ranch.
Medicine Lodge- Ronald Roy Sanders, 87, died June 23, 2016 at his home in Medicine Lodge, Kansas.
He was born August 15, 1928 in Protection, Kansas, the son of Clemie Clifford and May Pricilla (Ferguson) Sanders. Ronald graduated from Protection High School in 1946. He was employed by Northern Natural Gas Company. He had lived in Protection, Greensburg and Medicine Lodge, Kansas.
He was a member of the First Baptist Church, Greensburg and the Greensburg Gun Club. Ron loved helping others. He was active in volunteering with Meals-On-Wheels and drove the Senior Citizens bus in Medicine Lodge. On February 12, 1950 Ronald married Dorothy Pearson in Protection. She survives.
Other survivors include one son Stan Sanders, Pearl City, Hawaii, one daughter Rhonda Eberle, Hays, Kansas, three Grandchildren Jason Eberle, Matt Eberle and Toni Caraway, a Great-grandson Saylor Caraway, a brother Bill Sanders, Protection and numerous nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by son-in-law Del Eberle, brother Leon Sanders and sister Linda Harden.
Funeral services and celebration of Ron’s life will be held 10:30 am Tuesday June 28, 2016 at the First Baptist Church, Greensburg with Pastors Marvin Alley and Michael Bennett presiding. Burial will follow in Fairview Cemetery, Greensburg. A visitation will be held 5:00-7:00pm Monday at Fleener Funeral Home, Greensburg.
Memorials are suggested to the First Baptist Church, Greensburg and the First Baptist Church, Medicine Lodge, in care of Fleener Funeral Home, 514 S. Main St., Greensburg, Kansas 67054.
Lenora Elizabeth (Adam) Mick passed away on Sunday, June 26, 2016 at Rooks County Health Center in Plainville, Kansas at the age of 95. She was born on January 23, 1921 in Tipton, Kansas to the late Bernard and Katherine (Smith) Adam. After losing her mother at the age of nine, Lenora was lovingly raised by her step-mother Bertha (Reinert) Adam. On July 29, 1946 Lenora was united in marriage to Herman Joseph Mick in Plainville, Kansas. They were blessed with six children.
Lenora loved the work of being a housewife and homemaker. Whether gardening, sewing, cooking, canning, or baking, she did it all; but the one thing she loved more than anything else was quilting. Every year she entered quilts in the fair, was a member of a quilting society in Kansas, and made sure that every one of her children and grandchildren had a quilt of their own. She said she lost count of how many she had made after 50.
Famous for her baking, especially breads and cinnamon rolls, Lenora loved making sure that everyone was fed properly. So, there was never a meal served without fresh baked bread and homemade desserts. Whenever family came to visit, the first thing on their request list was some of Lenora’s baked goodies. She was also a member of the Sacred Heart Catholic Church, St. Ann’s Sodality, and Sunshine EHU.
Lenora is survived by her husband Herman Mick of their home near Zurich; sons Douglas Mick of Zurich, James Mick and wife Paula of Plainville, and Dennis Mick and wife Susan of Plainville; daughters Dianne Durfee of Sutherland, NE, Rose Storment and husband Don of Miami, OK, and Kathleen Fabac and husband Bill of Smithville, MO; brothers John Adam, Ed Adam, Jack Adam, and Bernard Adam; sisters Katherine Burghart, Tillie Kirchner, Susie Talbert, and Barb Reinert; 13 grandchildren; and 16 great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents Ben, Katherine, and Bertha Adam; brother Charles Adam; sisters Margaret Henry, Loretta Murray, Mary Sharrow, and Caroline Whitcar; and son-in-law Don Durfee.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10:30am on Thursday, June 30, 2016 at the Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Plainville. Burial will follow at the Sacred Heart Cemetery. Visitation will be from 1:00-4:00pm on Wednesday at the funeral home with Altar Society Rosary at 3:00pm, and from 6:00-8:00pm at the church with Vigil at 7:00pm.
Lenora stitched the years of her life together by filling them with family and friends. She created for us a legacy that is a unique and wonderful patchwork of life and memories. With her always in our hearts and minds, we will be forever warmed by the quilts of her love.
Funeral services for Goodland, Kansas, resident Annadella Aguirre Pacheco, 22, will be held Saturday, July 2, at 10:00 AM MT at Koons Chapel in Goodland.
Interment will be at Kanorado Cemetery.
Friends may share respects Friday, July 1, from 5:00 until 7:00 PM MT at Koons Chapel in Goodland.
Memorials to Annadella Pacheco Memorial may be left at the services or mailed to Koons Funeral Home, 211 North Main, Goodland, KS 67735-1555.
By BECKY KISER
