FINNEY COUNTY – A southwest Kansas woman died in an accident just after 8a.m. on Wednesday in Finney County.

The Kansas Highway Patrol reported a 2011 Chrysler passenger car driven by Madison K. Bemis, 22, Lakin, was westbound on U.S. 50 three miles east of Deerfield.

The vehicle ran into the back of trailer being pulled by a 2012 Kenworth semi that was stopped to make left turn onto Coop RoadLocal

Bemis was transported to the hospital in Garden City where she died.

She was not wearing a seat belt, according to the KHP.

The semi driver Jose Martinez-Sotelo, 36, Garden City, was not injured.

CLEVELAND – Four Ellis County residents are on the floor at the national Republican presidential convention underway in Cleveland, Ohio, this week.

They are among the 40 state delegates and 40 alternate delegates elected throughout Kansas.

The four local delegates are John Pyle, Carly Couture, Elaine Adams and Ron Adams, all residents of Hays. Ron Adams is an alternate delegate.

Elaine Adams was seen on the FOX News television network coverage Monday night.

The convention continues through Thursday.

Law enforcement authorities have issued a Silver Alert for Mary Finnegan, 82, who has been missing since July 15, according to police in Colorado.

She was in Montrose, CO and was supposed to return to her home in Delta, Co., but did not arrive.

She may be headed to Kansas, according to officials.

She was wearing a white shirt, jeans, a blue sweater or vest.

She is 5’1″ and weighs 100 pounds.
She could be driving a silver 2011 Mercury Grand Marquis. Colorado tag 841-VRB.

She also suffers from dementia.

City of Ellis

ELLIS–The city’s water samples are en route to Topeka as of about 11 a.m. today, Wed., July 20.

As soon as we receive clearance from the State that the water is safe to consume, we will notify everyone. Right now our best estimate is Thursday morning.

Until then, the city remains in a BOIL WATER ADVISORY until cleared by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment (KDHE).

RELATED STORY–Ellis was without water much of Tuesday because of a water main break.

By Jonathan Zweygardt
Hays Post

HAYS – A number of incidents that occurred over the weekend have the Hays Police Department urging people to keep their garage doors closed and to never leave valuables inside vehicles.

According to the Hays PD, they received four reports of someone entering into an attached garage and taking valuables from inside from July 14 to 17. In two separate incidents, the burglaries led to vehicles being stolen.

Lt. Brandon Wright said in many of the cases – which were reported to have happened in the overnight hours – the garage doors were left open or unlocked.

The first incident occurred in the 3300 block of Willow St. on July 15. According to Wright, a purse was stolen from inside an unlocked vehicle inside the garage.

On July 16 a Ford pickup was stolen from the 1700 block of Wheatland Avenue after someone entered an unlocked garage and took a key from a purse inside the garage and took the pickup that was outside the garage.

The stolen vehicle was reported as a silver 2011 Ford F150 crew cab. The license plate on the pickup is Kansas 653 DKK.

A second vehicle was stolen from a garage in the 3300 block of Hillcrest on July 17. The vehicle was reported as a charcoal 2013 Toyota Camry with the license plate Kansas 638 FWC.

Another burglary was reported on July 17 in the 200 block of West 37th St. A purse was stolen from an unlocked vehicle inside an open garage.

“Make sure that you are securing your garage,” Wright said. He added at this time they do not know if these incidents are connected but the cases all have the same MO – modus operandi – as they all fit a pattern.

“It’s probably understandable, you know you pull your car into your garage it is a more safe environment but people are exploiting that right now,” he said.

He also noted it is important to have the same level of security on the door between your home and your garage as you do on the front door of your house.

“That’s the last line of defense into your home,” Wright said.

Anyone with information about the incidents is encouraged to contact the Hays Police Department.

City of Hays

The city of Hays would like to remind homeowners that vehicles should not be parked in front of tree limb piles along city streets.

In most cases, city crews are utilizing heavy equipment to expedite the cleanup process and need clear access to the limb piles.

Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

For more information contact the Hays Parks Department at (785) 628-7375.

Below is the completed limb pick up at the end of Tuesday,  July 19,  in green.

Remember that limbs need to be brought to the street curb and NOT the alley. Limbs placed in alleys will not picked up.

Submitted

TOPEKA — The Kansas District Judges’ Association, an organization open to all state district court judges, has elected officers to serve the organization in the fiscal year that began July 1.

Judge Patricia Macke Dick was elected president of the association. She is chief judge of the 27th judicial district, a one-county district composed of Reno County, where she has served as a judge since January 1989.

Macke Dick is a native of Plainville and a graduate of Kansas State University and the University of Kansas School of Law. She serves on the Chief Judges Council and on the Kansas Judicial Council’s Family Law Advisory Committee. She also is liaison to the board of the Kansas Bar Association for the KDJA and to the Kansas Bar Foundation as the representative of the Kansas Women Attorneys Association.

As president of KDJA, Macke Dick looks forward to continuing to support the judicial branch of government and serve Kansas district judges throughout the state.

Other Officers Elected

Judge Robert J. Frederick was elected vice president. He is a judge in the 25th judicial district, composed of Finney, Greeley, Hamilton, Kearny, Scott and Wichita counties.

Judge James Fleetwood was elected secretary. He is chief judge of the 18th judicial district, a one-county district composed of Sedgwick County.

Judge Bruce Gatterman was elected treasurer. He is chief judge of the 24th judicial district, composed of Edwards, Hodgeman, Lane, Ness, Pawnee and Rush counties.

Outgoing president is Judge Michael F. Powers, chief judge of the 8th judicial district, composed of Dickinson, Geary, Marion and Morris counties.

The new officers were elected at a statewide conference for judges conducted in Wichita.